Races of Wild

CHAPTER 1ELVES20Illus. by D. Crabapple & S. WoodALOBAL LORFIRILDemigod (Chaotic Good)Revelry, hedonism, and excess of all kinds are the purviewof Alobal Lorfiril, known as the Reveler and the Merry Magician.The youngest of the Seldarine (see Mythic Origins, page25), he urges his followers to wrest the maximum possiblepleasure from each moment. Responsibility is for tomorrow;why not spend today enjoying good food, finewine, friendship, and love?Alobal does not cajole his followers tobecome intoxicated to the point of causing harmto themselves or others, nor does he condoneseeking personal pleasure at the expenseof others. He teaches that there is asmuch potential in tomorrow as thereis in today, and that elves need neverhurry. Wasting today in drudgery isfruitless and possibly sinful.Appearing as a comely male elfwith eyes of sparkling gold, the MerryMagician enjoys magic used to provideamusement, to create beauty, or to enhancethe pleasure of ordinary activities. Illusionsused for enjoyment rather than base trickeryare common among his followers, as are transmutationsgeared toward improving artworks andconjurations aimed at gaining an amusing companionfor a short period.Portfolio: Hedonism, mirth, magic, revelry.Domains: Chaos, Good, Magic, Trickery.Cleric Training: Alobal’s clerics begin their trainingby hosting spontaneous revels and magic shows in theircommunities. As they gain in power and importance, theypreside at community functions, provide entertainmentto lift the spirits of the sick and injured, and oversee theproduction of wine, sweetmeats, and other fare consumedpurely for pleasure.Quests: The Reveler’s followers typically undertakequests to retrieve items of beauty that give pleasure to thosewho own them, seek out magic wines and rare foods,compete in games, and establish magical meansof reducing the average elf’s daily workload.Such quests often involve consultationwith other long-lived creatures, suchas good-aligned dragons, about whatgives them the greatest pleasureand satisfaction.Prayers: Prayers to Alobal oftenframe requests in terms of pleasure.“Let me lift the mantle ofcare from my compatriots/With aglass, a wink, a song,/And keep themlaughing the whole night long,” goes onecommon prayer.Holy symbol ofAlobal LorfirilShrines: Alobal’s followers rarely establish temples; mostlack the fortitude to work so hard. They often create smallshrines in taverns, glades, and places of wild beauty. A shrineto Alobal usually conceals ample stores of wine, sugaredfruits, and other confections as well as scrolls of spells thatfollowers commonly use. Alobal’s shrines are often maskedby magic, appearing as trees with rainbow-colored leaves orother odd but pleasing objects.Rites: The worshipers of Alobal revere theirgod every time they take a sip of wine, taste adelectable food, swap tales with a friend,or participate in an enjoyable activity.Merely invoking the god’s name at suchtimes counts as veneration of the deity.Herald and Allies: An elf 10th-levelillusionist/10th-level rogue is Alobal’sherald on the Material Plane. His allies arebralani eladrins, lillends or ghaele eladrins,and planetars.Favored Weapon: Dagger.CORELLON LARETHIANGreater God (Chaotic Good)Corellon Larethian is described in Chapter 6of the Player’s Handbook. The Creator of the Elvesgoverns all things dear to the elven soul—magic,music, arts, crafts, beauty, self-reliance, and poetry. Healso represents warfare in a just cause. His nemesis isGruumsh, the deity of the orcs, who once lost an eyeto Corellon’s flashing blade.Portfolio: Elves, magic, music, arts.Domains: Chaos, Good, Protection, War.Cleric Training: Because elves are so long-lived, Corellon’sclerics can afford to spend years observing potential recruitsbefore initiating them into the mysteries of the faith. Once anew cleric-to-be accepts an invitation to join the clergy, shespends much time in meditation, quiet academic study, andartistic endeavors.Quests: Corellon wants to protect the elven people fromharm. Beyond that, he wants to return to them the lost artisticmasterpieces of their heritage, and he tries to thwartthe drow at every opportunity. Corellon’s followersfind themselves protecting villages fromgnoll incursions, stealing into evil templesto recover ancient elven tomes of lore, anddestroying underground fortresses fullHoly symbol ofCorellon Larethianof vampiric drow clerics.Prayers: Corellon’s prayers are alwaysin Elven. They often begin with “Hei-Corollon shar-shelevu,” which means“Corellon, may your grace grant . . .”Temples: In an elf city, the temple toCorellon Larethian is often an alabasterwonder of minarets and parapets. Insmaller communities, the temple oftentakes the form of a massive tree house hundreds