Races of Wild

Prayers: Prayers to the Stormfather usually involve anelement of fawning and begging. Common beginningsinclude “Please, oh please, Stormfather, grant us fairskies for our journey!” and “Let the storms come onlyafter we are safe so that we may praise your name in ournew campsite.”Shrines: Lliendil’s shrines—usually wooden lean-tos—arealways placed in the tops of exposed ridges and high clifffaces, where they would be the first structures destroyed byfoul weather. Such placement is done in the hope that nearnessto the sky will make one’s prayers more audible to thegod, and that he will not destroy his own shrines by creatingfoul weather on a whim.Rites: Lliendil’s clerics perform rituals designed topropitiate their capricious god and to ask for good weatherfor journeys and special events. They also perform anannual ritual called the Stormcall in early spring. Thisrite begs the god for a fierce storm to pound thearea and test the worthiness of the flock. Notonly does the resulting storm identify weakenedplatforms and cleanse the area, but the raptorans alsohope that it gets the desire for a bad storm out of thegod’s system.Herald and Allies: Lliendil’s herald is a stormgiant. His allies include Medium, Large, andHuge air elementals and water elementals.Favored Weapon: Heavy flail.NilthinaLesser God (Neutral)The Lord of Warm Winds watchesover plants and animals asthey mature. During summer,the night skies are warm andbalmy, the young are maturing, andfood plants begin to produce theirbounty. Hunting is plentiful, andNilthina presides over the meat harvest.Summer is also the time when raptoransrelate stories of their race to the youngand write songs.Nilthina appears as a handsome, barechestedmale raptoran dressed in breeches. Hisskin is bronzed and his feathers the purest gold.Occasionally Nilthina is said to appear in the nightsky, tossing stars back and forth while his songfloats on the breeze.Portfolio: Summer, abundance, warmth, growth, lore.Domains: Air, Animal, Plant, Sun.Cleric Training: Many of Nilthina’s clerics begin theirtraining by leading hunting expeditions and by salting anddrying meat and fish. Later in their careers, they teach weaponuse and advanced flight techniques to other raptorans.Quests: Followers of Nilthina undertake quests to ridnearby lands of any local monsters, to end famines andplagues, and to seek alliances with friendly creatures. QuestsHoly symbolof Ventilathat involve music and musical instruments are also commonfor Nilthina’s faithful.Prayers: Prayers to the Lord of Warm Winds are alwaysspoken when facing the sun and always mention abundancein some way, whether the person offering the prayer is askingfor it or expressing thanks for it. “Please grant us the bountyof nature” is the start of one common prayer.Shrines: Nilthina’s shrines are often vine-covered cavesbuilt low on the cliff that a particular flock claims.Rites: Clerics of Nilthina hold ceremonies to bless huntersand gatherers as well as new alliances. They also hold a sunceremony each year during the summer solstice in whichthey celebrate the accomplishments of another year.Herald and Allies: Nilthina’s herald is a 20th-levelraptoran bard. His allies are bralani eladrins and Medium,Large, and Huge fire elementals.Favored Weapon: Scimitar.Holy Symbol: A handful of berries.VentilaLesser Goddess (Neutral)The Lady of Spring represents newbeginnings of all kinds. She embodies newventures and rebirth, and she is also the raptoranfertility goddess. New mothers andmidwives venerate Ventila, and all raptoransask her blessing on the lands surroundingtheir cliff dwellings.Ventila appears as a raptoran maidenwith golden skin and green feathers. Shewears a tunic and trousers of green leathertrimmed with shades of the dawn andembroidered with spring flowers.Portfolio: Spring, fertility, growth, love.Domains: Animal, Healing, Plant, Water.Cleric Training: Would-be clerics ofVentila examine the plant life in the lands thatsurround a raptoran cliff dwelling to see whetherit is diseased or injured. They also take note of anynew plants that have appeared there recently. Theyteach young raptorans how to fish in the streamsand gather food. When initiates are accepted into thepriesthood, they plant trees near the cliff dwellingto celebrate. Later, the new members of the clergytend the flock’s eggs and arrange matches betweengroups of age-mates.Quests: Ventila’s followers restore lands devastated bynatural disasters, hunt down and slay creatures that live withouttruly being alive (such as undead and constructs), and retrievemagic items that can be used to create or encourage love.Prayers: Prayers to Ventila ask for aid in winning love, forhealthy offspring, and for fertility of both land and animals.They often begin with the exhortation “Lady of Spring,multiply our blessings while we sleep. . . .”Shrines: Ventila’s shrines are circular structures onthe canyon floor or other flat space, and each shrine ringsIllus. by D. CrabappleCHAPTER 3RAPTORANS79