(Dancer in the Glades, Daughter of the High Forest, Sister Goddess, the Lady of the Woods)
Demipower of the Happy Hunting Grounds, NG
PORTFOLIO: The High Forest, Neverwinter Wood, woodland glades, woodland fertility, growth, korreds
(especially young korreds)
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Krigala/The High Glade
SUPERIOR: Mielikki
ALLIES: Chauntea, Eldath, Gwaeron Windstrom, Lurue the Unicorn, Mielikki, Silvanus, Tapann, Tree Ghost
(Uthgar)
FOES: Auril, Malar, Talona, Talos
SYMBOL: A golden acorn
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Shiallia (Shee-AL-lee-ah) is the patron and caretaker of pregnant forest creatures. She is a planner of trees and a nurturer of seedlings. She rejoices in life and shields against death. Her worship is limited to the proximity of the High Forest, though she is also venerated in the vicinity of the Neverwinter Wood as the Lady of the Woods.
Shiallia is said to be the sister of the Tree Ghost (the collective spirit of the High Forest and one of the beast totems of Uthgar) and daughter of Tapann the Undying, Lord of Korreds and Father of the Dance. She serves Mielikki along with Lurue and Gwaeron Windstrom, and Mielikki in turn serves Silvanus. The relationship between them all is quite familial and supportive.
She calls enemy most of those who the other deities of nature despise: Talos, Talona, Auril, and Malar. She holds a special antipathy for Talona, who always struggles to take away from her the new life Shiallia works so hard to nurture, and for Malar, whom she regards as an insane killer hopelessly outside of the balance of nature because he emphasizes only a small and aberrant nature of its whole.
During the Time of Troubles, Shiallia allied with Gwaeron Windstrom against Malar. While Windstrom concentrated on pursuing the Beast Lord, Shiallia spent much of her time repairing the damage caused by the Malar's destructive rampages.
Shiallia is winsome and earthy, delighting in dancing and frolicking in the woods and playing with woodland creatures when she is not tending to their needs. She has a low, throaty voice, and enjoys retorting with clever (and often crudely suggestive) rejoinders when engaged in conversation. At times she seems to behave like the satyrs whom korreds resemble, but she has a more mysterious quality and unexpressed depths that a satyr, which plays all its cards in plain sight, would find incomprehensible. She is fiercely protective of her charges, but lets matters outside her purview go unchallenged, since they do not directly involve her, unless she is ordered to act by Mielikki or Silvanus.
Shiallia's Avatar (Druid 22, Ranger 12, Mage 12, Spellsinger 12)
Shiallia appears as a voluptuously beautiful female korred (although she is not bearded like most females) whose long blond hair is festooned with garlands of oak leaves and golden acorns. She wears a short, flowing, gauzy tunic that hangs from one shoulder. From the belt that secures her tunic around her waist hangs a large pouch. She uses a wooden staff of gnarled phandar wood as a walking stick. She favors spells from the spheres of animal, charm, creation, healing, and plant and the schools of abjuration, alteration, and conjuration/summoning, although she can cast spells from any sphere or school.
AC -1; MV 15; HP 162, THAC0 6; #AT 1
Dmg 1d10+1 (+1 STR) or 1d6+5 (staff of the woodlands +4, +1 STR)
MR 60%; SZ M (5 to 7 feet, depending on her whim)
STR 16, DEX 19, CON 22, INT 19, WIS 22, CHA 22
Spells P: 12/12/12/12/11/6/3, W: 4/4/4/4/4/1+Special (see Wizards and Rogues of the Realms for details on
spellsingers, who effectively have no limit on their number or level of spells)
Saves PPDM 2, RSW 6, PP 5, BW 8, Sp 7
Special Att/Def: Shiallia's walking stick is a staff of the woodlands +4, thought she rarely wields it in combat. Most often, she strikes with her open palm, inflicting 1d10+1 points of damage and forcing anyone she successfully attacks to succeed at a saving throw vs. spell at a -2 penalty or become a victim of Otto's irresistible dance for 2d4+2 rounds.
Shiallia possesses an enchanced version of all the abilities granted to druids, including a +4 bonus to saving throws vs. fire and electricity; the ability to identify plants, animals, and pure water within 250 feet with perfect accuracy; the ability to pass through normally impenetrable overgrown areas at normal movement rate without leaving a trail; the knowledge of the languages of all woodland creatures; immunity to all magic cast by woodland creatures; and the ability to shapechange into any form of natural animal at will, as often as desired. (Upon assuming a new form she regains 10% to 100% of sustained damage—1d10x10%.) Moreover, when Shiallia speaks to creatures of the woods, she can, if she wishes, make herself understood by a diverse group of creatures in their native tongues simultaneously.
Shiallia uses her divine beauty to her advantage as well, forcing all sentient mortal beings who look upon her to succeed at a saving throw vs. paralyzation with a -2 penalty or become transfixed with her beauty (affected as if a charm person spell werecast upon them). Elves and half-elves are entitled to their normal magic resistance against this charming effect, yet all sentient mortals of all races, male and female, are stunned for one round upon their first glimpse of her.
No forest animal of any sort (monster or normal animal) will harm Shiallia, and forest creatures within sight or earshot of her when she is attacked become enraged and fight her attackers until they retreat or die unless called off by her. Forest animals with no effective method of attack try to interpose themselves between harm and her, throwing themselves in the way of attacks, missile weapons, and magical effects.
Shiallia's pouch seems to function as some sort of divine bag of holding. She can reach into it and withdraw any normal item smaller than 3 feet in diameter that is not a weapon or armor. She often uses it to present small cloth bags of premixed healing herbs for poultices or herbal teas to her faithful, but it can also contain any spell component (within its size constraints) she desires to present someone.
Other Manifestations
Shiallia takes the form of many animals, all of them distinguished by their absolute perfection for their species. One of her favorite shapes, however, is that of a large but graceful doe. In this form she is often surrounded by multiple bucks (treat as wild stags with 6 HD and maximum hit points) who make no advances upon her nor fight amongst each other for her affections; they are purely hers to command.
Shiallia sometimes manifests as whirling, dancing motes of light that shine with green faerie fire. Contact with the radiance is warm and relaxing, has the effect of a heal spell, and eliminates any pains or complications related to pregnancy.
When korreds of the High Forest dance, Shiallia sometimes manifests as a shower of 2d10 acorns that appears in the middle of the circle. Eating the nut from an acorn triples the chance that a being will conceive (under the appropriate conditions for doing so) if the acorn is ingested within 24 hours of its appearance. Consumption of these acorns is never harmful, even if the period of their special effectiveness has lapsed.
Shiallia has been known to bestow acorns of desire upon favored worshipers. Such an acorn appears to fall from the sky and lands immediately in front of the feet of the lucky recipient. If held in a closed fist by the intended recipient and concentrated upon, the recipient's request is fulfilled as close as to his or her desires as possible within the limited wish (or occasionally, wish) effect of the acorn. The acorn of desire vanishes, leaving a permanent golden-hued tattoo in the shape of an acorn on its user's palm.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, druids, specialty priests, mystics, spellsingers
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, N
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, D: No, SP: No, Mys: No, Spell: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, D: No, SP: No, Mys: No, Spell: No
All clerics, druids, specialty priests, and mystics of Shiallia receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. Her clergy are usually female, and may be human, elf, half-elf, halfling, or korred. All human priests of Shiallia must be female.
The worship of Shiallia is limited to the proximity of the High Forest. Shiallia has few actual clergy, but many forest creatures venerate her name. Since the Time of Troubles, a few specialty priests have come to her calling, particularly in the southern reaches of the High Forest. In many ways her clergy as a whole are similar to druids, but Shiallia's church focuses very strongly on fertility.
Shiallia's priests are somewhat migratory in their movements, following long paths that can take them hundreds of miles afield, though not necessarily in annual cycles. They go wherever natural life needs a helping hand, then move on when there is nothing more than they can do. They almost always return later to check on the results of their labor and perhaps to cultivate whatever they have begun—hence their seemingly migratory behavior. Every priest has a favorite place to worship Shiallia in virtually every area along his or her trail, but there is no central temple of Shiallia nor any web of churches dedicated to her, aside from the Golden Oak in Silverymoon and the Glade of Life at the headwaters of the Unicorn Run.
The clergy of Shiallia are commonly known as the Sisters of Life and Mercy, although a few Brothers of Life and Mercy are included in their numbers as well. Prior to the Fall of the Gods, Shiallia's clergy was evenly distributed between clerics, who were often found on the edges of the High Forest, and mystics and druids, who wandered the deepest reaches of the woods. Since the Time of Troubles, most initiates to the faith have become the specialty priests known as woodwives, and the balance is now almost even between the four types. Shiallia's priests shun formal titles. Younger priestesses are addressed as Daughter, those of similar age are addressed as Sister, and senior priestesses are addressed as Mother. Males are addressed as Brother or Son or Elder Brother, but never as Father.
Dogma: The only true goal of any living thing is to procreate. Nature dictates the shape of the world, for good or ill, so the only concern of the creatures that inhabit it is survival. Death is not to be feared, for it is part of the natural cycle of life, but life, particularly the birth of new life, is to be encouraged and nurtured whenever and wherever possible.
Day-to-Day Activities: Shiallia's followers are husbands of nature, spending their days planting and nurturing, calling upon the weather, and tending to the ill and injured. They are not purely oriented to forest creatures, though that is their focus, and they extend their philosophy and favors to humans and demihumans who enter or live within the forest, as well.
Shiallia's clergy are sometimes known as the Silent Helpers, and tales tell how they watch over lost children and the foolish who wander through the reaches of the High Forest unaware of the dangers contained within. It is generally agreed that the only reason Olithard the Bard, of the Tale of Olithard's Tune, survived his meandering journey through the High Forest was by the secret shepherding of a trio of Silent Helpers.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Days that mark the passing of seasons are the most important of the year to followers of Shillia. In particular, Greengrass and Higharvestide are celebrated as holidays of birth and fruition, respectively. On all holy days (including Midwinter, Midsummer, and the Feast of the Moon) the faithful invite all friendly creatures to revel with them in feasting, singing, and dancing.
Weddings are welcomed and even solicited upon the change of seasons, and Shiallia's followers always enliven such occasions with as much faerie charm magic and romance as they can muster, creating a fantasy atmosphere under the stars. Therefore, many nonworshipers set their wedding dates on Shiallia's holy days in hopes of receiving her blessings and hospitality.
Major Centers of Worship: Shiallia's major temple outside of the High Forest is located in the city of Silverymoon. The Golden Oak doubles as a temple and an excellent and expensive inn. The temple is a simple, yet beautiful lodge constructed from timbers hewn from fallen oak trees and natural resins. It is dominated by a live oak tree growing up through the taproom with little lanterns hanging down from its boughs over each table. The rain comes in, so in stormy weather the taproom empties quickly to cellars downstairs and meeting rooms that open out a few steps up from the taproom on all sides. The proprietress and priestess of the Golden Oak is Izolda Three-corn, a middle-aged matron and leader of the small guild of woodwives in Silverymoon.
Within the High Forest, Shiallia's major place of worship is a holy site shared with the faiths of Chauntea, Eldath, Lurue, and Mielikki known as the Glade of Life. This glade is located near the village of Khle'cayre ("Last Aerie" of the aarakocra) at the foot of the Star Mounts. At the center of the Glade is the Fountain of Unicorns, a small spring that feeds the headwaters of the Unicorn Run. Surrounded by giant oak trees over a thousand years old, the Glade has a fey beauty found nowhere else in the Realms. Countless rings of korreds dance in the glade every night, sometimes joined on Midsummer Nights by the Dancing Goddess herself. Avatars of the other four goddesses have been seen in the Glade of Life on several occasions as well, and they sometimes join in the korred dancing circles.
A large fraction of Shiallia's clergy is based at the glade, but most priests wander throughout the High Forest the majority of the year, only rarely returning to the Glade. Shiallia's most senior high priest resides as the Glade of Life year round in a sylvan dell. She is a venerable female korred known only as Grandmother or the Dancer of Life who is reputed to have witnessed the fall of Ascalhorn (Hellgate Keep) as a young child. Priests and priestesses of the other four goddesses (known to the korreds as Tapann's Ladies) are welcome as well, but they seldom spend more than a few weeks in the Glade of Life before moving on.
Affiliated Orders: Shiallia sponsors no military or knightly orders, but an order of female swanmay rangers in the church of Mielikki have sworn themselves to protect the Sisters of Life and Mercy. This elite sisterhood, known as the Shields of Hope, wanders the High Forest in groups of three escorting the clergy of Shiallia through dangerous regions of that vast woodland so that they can minister to the goodly creatures who reside within.
In addition, the Harpers are on friendly terms with Shiallia's followers, and it is believed that Shiallia gives of her divine blessing to Master Harpers within the High Forest, even though she was not present at the Dancing Place in the Year of the Dawn Rose (720 DR). Master Harpers find that they can speak with any forest animal or plant in the High Forest and that they can dance with korreds without danger anywhere in the Realms.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Shiallia have little in the way of formal raiment. They always wear their hair long and unbound and festoon it with garlands of oak leaves and acorns. Most garb themselves in flowing white robes and simple sandles woven from reeds during religious festivities and in simple robes of brown and green otherwise. They wear necklaces made of golden acorns or holding a golden acorn pendant around their necks as symbols of their faith.
Adventuring Garb: Priests of Shiallia do not wear the hides of animals or metal exposed to the forge. As a result, they are limited for the most part to padded armor made from heavy, woven clothes and sewn into a protective surcoat. If they feel it is necessary to arm themselves, most craft an oaken cudgel from fallen timber and cast a shillelagh spell on it. Some wield shears copied from the korreds. Shears weigh 2 pounds, are small in size, inflict type S damage, are speed 3, and inflict 1d4 points of damage against all sizes of creatures.
Specialty Priests (Druids)
REQUIREMENTS: Wisdom 12, Charisma 15
PRIME REQ.: Wisdom, Charisma
ALIGNMENT: N
WEAPONS: Cudgel (club), sickle, dart, spear, dagger, scimitar, sling, staff, shears
ARMOR: Padded armor and wooded shield
MAJOR SPHERES: All, animal, charm, combat, elemental, healing, necromantic (no reversed), plant, time,
wards, weather
MINOR SPHERES: Divination, protection, travelers
MAGICAL ITEMS: Same as druids
REQ. PROFS: Animal lore, herbalism
BONUS PROFS: Shears, survival (woodland), tracking, modern languages (pick two from: dryad, korred, satyr,
sylph, treant, unicorn)
Specialty Priests (Woodwives)
REQUIREMENTS: Wisdom 11, Charisma 11
PRIME REQ.: Wisdom, Charisma
ALIGNMENT: NG
WEAPONS: Cudgel (club), dagger, dart, net, shears, sling, staff
ARMOR: Padded armor and wooden shield
MAJOR SPHERES: All, animal, charm, elemental, healing, necromantic (no reversed), plant, summoning, sun,
wards, weather
MINOR SPHERES: Creation, divination, guardian, protection, time, travelers, wards
MAGICAL ITEMS: Same as clerics and druids
REQ. PROFS: Cudgel (club), animal lore, herbalism
BONUS PROFS: Shears, healing, survival (woodland), tracking, modern languages (pick three: dryad, korred,
satyr, sylph, treant, unicorn)
3rd Level
Ease Labor (Pr 3; Alteration) Reversible
Sphere: Healing
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: One creature
Saving Throw: Special
This spell enables a priestess of Shiallia to mitigate the pains of giving birth. By laying both hands on a pregnant female's belly (or above her womb), the Shiallian can ease labor pains, correct complications like a breech birth, and otherwise make labor as easy and painless as possible. No saving throw is required for this version of the spell and the spell's effect lasts throughout the birth process as long as the Shiallian maintains contact with the mother and/or child.
The reverse of this spell, inflict labor, afflicts the target with all the pains of labor. For the reversed form, the spellcaster need not maintain contact with the spell's target beyond the initial touch, which requires a successful attack roll to establish if the victim is not immobile, restrained, or unaware. Spell effects are split into three phases. The first two phases last three rounds each, and the final phase lasts one round per the caster's level to a maximum of nine rounds.
In the first phase, spell recipients feel violently nauseated and cannot cast spells, communicate, or attack. They can only defend themselves or move at half their normal movement rate.
In the second phase, spell recipients are fatigued and cannot perform any action requiring significant amounts of energy. Physical combat is not possible, nor is running, but spellcasting is possible, as is defending oneself or moving at a normal movement rate.
In the third phase, spell recipients suffer increasing amounts of pain. For each round this phase lasts, victims suffer increasing amounts of phantom hit point damage and a temporary loss of Strength. In the first round, the target suffers 1 hit point of phantom damage, in the second round 2 hit points, in the third round 4 hit points, etc. Strength drops as a similar rate (1 point, 2 points, 4 points, etc.). When Strength of hit points drop to zero, the victim falls unconscious for the rest of the spell's duration. Spellcasting, physical attacks, and movement are not possible during this phase.
Strength and hit points lost to this spell are regained at the same rate they were lost after the spell ends. Males get no saving throw vs. the reverse form of this spell, and females are entitled to a saving throw vs. spell to avoid the effect only if they have given birth at least once previously. Pregnant creatures of any kind cannot be affected by inflict labor, as Shiallia's will forbids it.
The material component for this spell is an acorn.
4th Level
Fertility (Pr 4; Necromancy)
Sphere: Creation
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 1 turn
Area of Effect: One creature
Saving Throw: Neg.
This spell has two possible uses. The first is an enhanced version of the plant growth spell, affecting a 10-mile-square area. The DM secretly makes a saving throw (based on the caster's level) vs. spell, and if the roll is successful, the spell renders plants more vigorous, fruitful, and hardy, increasing yields 30% to 80% given a normal growing season. The spell operates in the same way as plant growth, otherwise.
The second use of this spell is often requested as a marital blessing. Again, the DM makes a saving throw based on the caster's level, and success indicates that any creature upon whom the spell is cast who mates within 24 hours has a 95% chance to impregnate or become pregnant. Furthermore, the offspring inspired by this magic is certain to be delivered normally and in good health provided the mother remains healthy and uninjured. Note that factors such as old age and curses may influence the percentage chance of becoming pregnant, as may magic specifically geared to preventing such an occurence or the unfortunate fact of a being's inability to conceive due to peculiar magical factors. (For instance, many of Mystra's Chosen seem unable to conceive for unknown reasons.)
Shiallia knows if this magical blessing should not be performed and secretly informs her priest if this is so. Shiallia's priest then performs a nonmagical blessing very similar in form instead to prevent the couple from being embarassed if the blessing was to be a public event.
The material component of this spell is any seed.
6th Level
Endless Dance (Pr 6; Enchantment/Charm)
Sphere: Charm
Range: 0
Components: V, S
Duration: 3 rounds/level
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: 1 round
Saving Throw: Neg.
This spell seduces anyone within the area of effect to join a korred circle dance. Those who fail a saving throw vs. spell drop whatever they hold in their hands and begin dancing in a circle around the spellcaster. (Targets are allowed to voluntarily forgo their save.) While dancing, victims of this spell cannot cast spells, attack, communicate, or consciously defend themselves from attack. However, the wild movements of the dance enable targets of the endless dance to avoid some attacks, so they receive only a -2 penalty to their Armor Class (to a maxximum of AC 10).
During the endless dance, targets take 1d4 points of damage per round until the spell ends, death occurs, or they are restrained. Korreds, worshipers of Shiallia, or those who voluntarily forgo their saving throws take only 1 point of damage per turn and can never be reduced below 1 hit point by the spell's effects.
There is a 1% chance per level above 9th of the spellcaster that Shiallia's avatar appears during the casting of this spell to aid the spellcaster in whatever manner is necessary.
While this spell is in effect, the Shiallian must stand in the center of the circle and slowly spin while singing the song of the korreds. The spellcaster cannot cast other spells or physically attack during this time, but she can defend herself. If the spellcaster stops spinning or singing, the endless dance ends immediately.