Mielikki

Overview

Mielikki is the goddess of the forest and the creatures that live within it. She is a good-humored deity who is quick to smile and confident in her actions. She is careful about who she includes within her circle, but is fiercely loyal and protective of those she considers friends. While she understands that death is part of the cycle of life, she is not as pragmatic as Silvanus and often intervenes to heal the injuries of a creature because she finds them hard to bear.

While she's not unmindful of people, her attention and favor are difficult to attract. She is the patron of rangers, but even they rarely pray to her directly; instead they address their prayers to Gwaeron Windstrom, who they believe will carry their words to the goddess by tracking her to whichever forest she hides in.

Description

Mielikki prefers to appear as the Supreme Ranger, a tall, shapely, robust woman who moves with lithe grace, clad in muted green and brown leather armor, with large brown eyes and russet hair that hangs freely about her shoulders and down her back. She can also choose to appear as the Forest Queen, a young maiden with golden leaves and moss for hair, who walks on air garbed in shear robes of green and gold and surrounded by summer songbirds. Mielikki's voice is a low, rich purr, no matter the form she takes.

Holy symbol

Mielikki's symbol is a golden-horned, blue-eyed white unicorn's head facing left, or a white unicorn on a green field, or a tiny, dazzling white star balanced on a lush green oak, or an ash leaf, or an evergreen (tree).

Favored weapon

Mielikki wields two scimitars known as Hornblades, as well as a great composite longbow. Her priesthood have selected the scimitar as their favored weapon.

Realm

World Tree cosmology

In the World Tree cosmology of Realmspace, Mielikki resides within her realm, known as the Grove of the Unicorns, which is located on the outer plane known as the House of Nature, which she shares with her superior, Silvanus, her subordinates, Lurue, Gwaeron Windstrom and Shiallia, and her fellow nature deities, Chauntea, Lathander, Eldath, Nobanion, and Ubtao. The House of Nature is a vast wilderness, with no buildings or industry to spoil its pure, natural beauty. No divine palaces or carved halls rise above the trees or delve beneath the mountains. The Grove of the Unicorns is an unremarkable stand of trees, but is notable for the celestial chargers and more mundane unicorns which frequent the place.

Great Wheel cosmology

In the Great Wheel cosmology, Mielikki resides within her realm, known as the Grove of the Unicorns, which is located on Krigala, the first layer of the Wilderness of the Beastlands. Mielikki shares the Grove of the Unicorns with Ehlonna, a goddess of the woodlands from Greyspace. The Grove is located deep within the Beastlands, and is situated at the base of a cluster of great sequoias that form a natural cathedral beneath the canopy. The lowest branches are hundreds of feet in the air, allowing those with wings to fly through the space without difficulty. The Grove attracts groups of unicorns, as well as flocks of bariaurs. To outsiders, the Grove appears to be a simple stand of trees in the middle of the forest. Those judged worthy might spot a unicorn drinking from a pool of water at the center of the grove, and as they approach, the realm opens up fully to them.

Worship

People rarely speak of Mielikki except in quiet forest spaces. Mielikki reigns supreme in woodlands that evoke wonder, but people believe she keeps watch over good folk in any forest, not matter how dark or cruel, and when children are lost in the woods, people beseech Mielikki to protect them until they are found.

Priests of Mielikki strive to protect nature (especially forests) from the forces of evil and ignorance. They often wander among small communities nestled at the edge of forests both great and small, encouraging the inhabitants to care for and respect the trees and the life below the leafy boughs. They try to prevent further encroachment by civilization on the remaining great forests by teaching responsible forestry, and if called upon are willing to take up arms to defend the forest by force if necessary.

In Spelljammer

Mielikki is a member of the Faerûnian pantheon and as such is considered native to Realmspace. Priests of Mielikki can only cast spells as long as they are within two days of spelljamming travel (200 million miles) of a celestial body of at least size A or greater. They cannot cast any spells if they leave Realmspace.

Appendix

External Links

• Mielikki article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
• Mielikki article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.

References

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