Erastil

Erastil is one of the oldest gods still worshipped in Avistan. His religion dates back to before the Age of Darkness when small farming communities and hunter-gatherers prayed to him for bountiful harvests and successful hunts. He is a god of the hunt and of farming, leading his followers by example and good deeds rather than flowery rhetoric.

Mythology
Erastil is an elder deity, his worship hearkening back to the time when mankind first set about harnessing the wilderness and mastering nature. Legends claim that it was Old Deadeye himself who crafted the first bow and gifted it to humans, a gift to assist them in overcoming the challenges of the world. Even as the accomplishments of civilization mount, Erastil continues to embrace and represent the simpler pleasures life has to offer.

Depictions of Erastil are commonplace in the homes of his followers. Such images usually portray the Ulfen deity as either an aged human with the bow and gear of a trapper, or as an elk-headed humanoid. These depictions often show Old Deadeye holding fast against various beasts and animals of the wilds. In times of need, Erastil has also been known to appear to lost hunters in the form of a stag.

Campaign Events
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Worship
Erastil teaches his followers to embrace tradition and the old ways. Many of Old Deadeye's faithful never even enter a city, and his faithful can be found in nearly any wild or untamed region across Avistan; his worship is particularly well established in the nations of Andoran, Cheliax, Galt, Isger, the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Molthune, Nirmathas, the River Kingdoms, and Varisia.

Church
The members of Old Deadeye's clergy are active in their respective communities, leading by example and serving in various capacities as needed by those that live around them. The clergy's formal dress is kept simple to reflect their deity's tastes; a simple cloak of fur or leather, usually accompanied by Erastil's holy symbol burned into the hide or worn as part of a wooden clasp.

Sites dedicated to Erastil are simple affairs, even in more civilized locations; shrines are usually nothing more than a wooden building or house serving communities of his faithful. Just as Old Deadeye emphasizes the simple things in life, his shrines focus on providing for his follower's more practical needs. Ceremony and formality are often abandoned in such locations, which instead act simply as a place to pray, or to sleep.

Holy Texts
the Parables of Erastil acts as a guide and almanac for the followers of Erastil; it includes information on strengthening one's family, farming, and wilderness skills.

Holy Days

 * Planting Week on the Vernal Equinox
 * Archer's Day on the 3rd of Erastus
 * Harvest Feast on the Autumnal Equinox

Rituals

 * Hunting
 * Fair Trades
 * Charity
 * Feasting
 * Food Sharing

Traits
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