"The Treefather"
God of Nature

The Treefather watches over every leaf on every tree.  He watches the birds in the sky, and the creatures of the ground, and keeps them safe and healthy."

- "Leaves of Faith", by Heregeorn Leafbeard,
Priest of Urgulanus

Priests of the Treefather can be divided up into two orders: the first are those priests who live in the forests, alone or in small bands, apart from civilization.  This order of priests, known as the Druids, believe that the intelligent races will soon destroy themselves, allowing nature to once again rule Taranche.  Until that time, they believe its their duty to patrol the woodlands, protecting them from destruction.  To achieve this protection, the Druids sometimes resort to such tactics as hiring brigands and cut-throats to attack logging towns.  They also sometimes breed large predators, releasing the animal back into the wild to act as "roving security" for their habitat.

The other order, known as the Treewardens, believe that the best course is in guiding civilization to revere nature, and to work in cooperation with it.  These priests plant trees, teach conservation techniques, preach on the evils of overhunting and overforesting, heal injured animals and diseases plants, and work with local people in order to teach them how to safely interact with the natural world.

A final, self-appointed duty the Treewardens have undertaken is hushing up the more terroristic activities of their Druidic brothers, promoting the church of Urgulanus as a group of harmless treelovers rather than as a cult of dangerous Luddites.

Treewardens prefer to live in smaller communities, though occasionally larger groups of Treewardens gather in a big city for the sole purpose of constructing a large, thriving area of parkland within it.

Also Known As: Byrod (Chayk), Faun (Nerulk)

Dogma: The dogma of the church of Urgulanus follows one of two courses:

• Civilization is merely an excuse used to justify the destruction of the Treefather's realm.  To truly live is to feel the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, and the earth beneath your feet.  The Treefather made both predator and prey alike, so mourn not the death of one creature out of many.  The so-called civilized races are vermin, and the time is coming when the Treefather shall clean his house of them.

• The earth is fertile and the grass grows.  The grass grows tall and the cattle eats it; the cattle grows fat and the man eats it; the man grows old and dies and returns to the earth to make it fertile.  There is no evil in the wood.  A Treewarden affects eternity because he knows not where his seeds will spread.  Take a step back and look at the larger picture before acting.  Kill only when needful.

Symbol: A deer standing in front of a spreading oak tree.

Holy Days: The summer and winter solstices are holy to the Treefather.

Allies: Brucca, Lampronus, Pomponilla, Sabuca, Serga, Tanicus

Foes: Ausonius, Fadus, Metilius, Oranus

Colors: Green and brown.

Sacred Animal: Bear.

Sacrifice: Urgulanus doesn't require his priests to make sacrifices to him, but does require that they apologize to and thank any plants or animals that his priests harvest for food before a meal.

Weapons Permitted: Urgulanus allows his clerics to use the following weapons: hand axe, club, dagger, long bow, scythe, sickle, short bow, short sword, spear, and staff.

Armor Permitted: Urgulanus prohibits his priests from wearing armor, though they may use wooden shields.

Priest Spells Granted