Loreyza

Faith: 1501.30

Played by: Brian

Followers: Hidden Follow

Shrines: Hidden


Race: Abomination

Domains: Natural Disasters, Chaos

 

Ethos

Nature is innocence and must be preserved. The followers of Loreyza place the care of nature above all else both as a responsibility and a form of veneration to the Ascendent elven druid known in her mortal years as Leila Elenvaul. She appears in the wild form of a great black owl, a small white moth, or a lithe cougar, choosing to shun her civilized elven form. Her appearances to the humanoid groups of Orn are rare because her time in the realm is most often spent in the wilds among the flora and fauna that require care and rebirth.

 

History

Loreyza began as an elven druid named Leila Elenvaul hailing from Sequematia in Nastal. Her time adventuring with the Company of Seven including her experiences in the Stand of the Seven heavily influenced her nature-first ideology.

Though the Stand of the Seven was a victory for the Company of Seven, it was counted a loss by Leila Elenvaul. The lich Valedir destroyed the sylvan capital Sequematia before Kuganam Gamthal finally ended the lich's life with a war hammer to the chest. Valedir's undead army sullied the forests of Nastal, and the snuffing out of Sequematia caused an enormous swath of Nastal's forest to turn bone white. Leila Elenvaul called out to Antasia for assistance in purging the woodlands of her childhood. She offered herself as a sacrificial channel for Antasia's divine energy in order to cleanse “The White Wood”.The evil of the lich's undead army was purged, but the forest retains the memories of the downfall of Sequematia as a scar and as a tribute to the fallen. Followers and witnesses say that it was this channeling of divine energy and Leila's sacrificial spirit that lifted her into immortality as Loreyza rather than delivering her to the next realm.

Leila's closest ally was her animal companion, the great black owl Tyto Gaua. The black horned owls were blessed with sylvan lifespans, and though they were common before the Shattering, many were lost in the cataclysm. Due to poaching and difficulty locating mates, the species is extinct but for one. Thanks to the care of her mortal lover Angelo Ventura and subsequent Firsts of Loreyza, Tyto Gaua remains in Loreyza's service to this day. A sighting of Tyto Gaua's fifteen-hand wingspan is truly a rare blessing.

Tyto Gaua was not only a friend, but also a guide. Shortly before the Stand of the Seven, Leila was present at the time of Cassandra du Soliel, mother of of the Lightbringers, was caught into the air and bonded with the never-glimpsed Istensia. Ignoring the deference of her companions, she did not turn away but rather watched their fusion and has been blind even into immortality as a result.

Loreyza's immortal feats include the cleansing of the White Wood, the restoration of Leafheart, the extermination of the Baevern Empire, and putting an end to the Treant Wars.

 

Dogma

Preservation of the natural world first; it cannot ever choose evil or good, but is only innocent. Only by fleeing to the deepest, holiest areas of the natural realm can one who has become unclean return to purity. Shun the use of metal and the taste of flesh, for these are sins of civilization.

 

Followers and Temples

Many of the sylvan and feral races revere Loreyza, but her truest disciples organized under the faun Sanzaq Lightleaf about a century and a half ago to form the Greenwardens. Only the truest followers with the purest hearts may be admitted into this unique clergy. Their temples are found throughout Orn in groves thrumming with Prime energy and alive with the voices of fauna and scent of verdant flora. Greenwardens must return to their home groves often to cleanse themselves of the worldly evil that permeates civilization. And while Greenwardens may sometimes revere other immortals as well, it is their dedication to nature rather than their dedication to Loreyza that serves as prerequisite for joining this selective group. The Greenwardens are sworn to avoid the use of metal, maintain a diet free of meat, and always attempt to solve altercations without harming animals or allowing others to do so. The killing of an animal should only occur when absolutely necessary.

Those who practice their faith more casually will oftentimes build shrines as places of meditation or in memory of nature's provisions.