Yondalla's Children
Arvoreen (are-voh-reen), the halfling god of war, defense, and vigilance, is lawful good. He is also known as the Defender and the Vigilant Guardian. He is fiercely protective of the halfling race and its settlements, and he charges his followers to defend halfling homes and to always be prepared against any aggressive incursions by participating in regular drills, arms practice, and planning. The domains associated with him are Good, Protection, and War, and his favored weapon is the short sword.
Arvoreen is not exactly a popular power among most halflings and his priests are often perceived as overly serious and "grumpy as dwarves" by the Small Folk. However, the Defender and his clergy are respected and revered for their teachings and their role in protecting the halfling way of life.
Novices of Arvoreen are known as Shieldbearers. Full priests of the Defender are known as Arvoreen's Marshals. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Arvoreenan priests are Warder, Guardian, Defender, Protector, Magistrate, Sheriff, Marshal, and High Marshal. High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as Trueswords. Males (54%) slightly outnumber females (46%). Arvoreen's clergy includes specialty priests (34%), clerics (26%), fighter/specialty priests (22%), and fighter/clerics (18%).
The clerical raiment of Arvoreen's Marshals includes silvered helms and suits of chain mail, dark blue tabards with the god's symbol displayed prominently in silver, and twin short swords. The holy symbol of the faith is a miniature silver buckler that is typically worn on a medallion hung around the neck.
Brandobaris
Brandobaris (bran-doe-bare-iss), a neutral god, is the halfling deity of stealth, adventuring, and thievery. His titles include the Master of Stealth, the Trickster, and the Irrepressible Scamp. A notorious adventurer and a risk-taker, he has gotten himself in uncountable scrapes, but has somehow always managed to come out ahead in the end. He and Tymora are great friends. He exhorts his followers to seek out adventure and excitement. They should always do their best to come out ahead financially during such adventures, but they should not be excessively greedy. The domains associated with him are Luck, Travel, and Trickery, and his favored weapon is the dagger.
Like Brandobaris himself, the church of misadventure is filled with appealing scamps who regularly find themselves embroiled in trouble, but who usually emerge better off than not. Tales of the exploits of Brandobaris's followers are told and retold in most halfling cultures. However, despite their fondness for such tales, most halflings would prefer that the church of Brandobaris keep far away from their own lives and are personally unwilling to get involved in the misadventurous capers of the Trickster's entourage.
Novices of Brandobaris are known as Wayward Rascals. Full priests of the Master of Stealth are known as the Hands of Misadventure. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Brandobarian priests are Scamp, Rascal, Swindler, Blackguard, Trickster, Rapscallion, Knave, and Master Rogue. High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as Misadventurers. Brandobaris's clergy includes specialty priests (30%), thieves (25%), specialty priest/thieves (22%), fighter/thieves (18%), and clerics (5%). Males (65%) outnumber females (35%).
Given the informal nature of the church of Brandobaris, regular adventuring gear serves as the ceremonial garb of priests of the Master of Stealth. For most priests, this includes leather armor, a cloak in a subdued hue, and when feeling particularly jaunty, a feathered cap of some sort. The holy symbol of the faith is a small purloined object of great value that the priest has personally blessed, typically a gold or platinum coin or jewel of some sort.
Cyrrollalee
Cyrrollalee (seer-oh-lah-lee), the halfling goddess of trust, friendship, and the home, is lawful good. Her titles include the Hand of Fellowship and the Hearthkeeper. Her concern is with the defense and protection of the halfling home and family, as well as the friendship and hospitality that halflings show each other. Many of her followers learn methods of unarmed combat. The domains associated with her are Good and Protection, and her favored weapon is the club.
Among halflings, Cyrrollalee is quietly appreciated by all and quietly venerated by those who build homes and families. Many invocations to her are day-to-day minor oaths and fussing by busy halflings, but underlying such daily minutia is a solid core of faithful veneration. While halfling adventurers, particularly those drawn to the errant ways of Brandobaris and Tymora, may tease devout followers of the Hearthkeeper for their sedentary habits and quiet lives, in most cases such wayfarers were raised in homes whose inhabitants performed monthly oblations and, in truth, they too continue to give quiet thanks to the Hand of Fellowship on the first day of every month.
Novices of Cyrrollalee are known as the Befriended. Full priests of the Hand of Fellowship are known as Homefellows. In ascending order of rank the titles used by Cyrrollaleen priests are Cheery Homemaker, Hearth Warden, Hand of Friendship, Hale Host (or Hostess), Homespun Companion, Neighborly Householder, Open Door, and Burrow Patriarch (or Matriarch). High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as Homesteaders. Cyrrollalee's clergy is nearly evenly divided between specialty priests (35%), mystics (34%), and clerics (31%). Females (85%) far outnumber males (15%)
The ceremonial garb of Cyrrollalee's priesthood is the rustic clothing of halfling peasants, devoid of ostentatious display. Typically Homefellows wear simple brown habits bound with a deep golden or muted green girdle, and keep their heads and feet bare. The holy symbol of the faith is a carved wooden acorn, often hung on a leather cord around the neck.
Sheela Peryroyl
Sheela Peryroyl (shee-lah pair-ree-roil), the halfling goddess of nature, agriculture, beauty, and romantic love, is neutral. Her titles include the Green Sister and the Watchful Mother. She and her worshipers are concerned with balancing the wild and the cultivated. They preserve nature’s beauty and wild, untamed lands while also promoting the bounty of tended, cultivated areas so that the halfling race can be fed and prosper. She and her followers also sponsor feasts and parties, as well as encouraging romance and general revelry. The domains associated with her are Air and Plant, and her favored weapon is the sickle.
The church of Sheela is widely revered among halflings, nearly as much as that of Yondalla herself. While not all halflings are farmers, most share the Green Sister's reverence for growing things and appreciate the balance she works to maintain between untamed and settled lands. Dwarves, gold elves, moon elves, and gnomes generally work well with the church of the Green Sister, while many wild elves feel that Sheela's priests care more about new farms than preserving those wild spaces that remain. Humans tend to view the church of Sheela as a mix between that of Chauntea and Silvanus.
Novices of the Green Sister are known as Seedlings. Full priests of Sheela are known as Green Daughters and Green Sons and are collectively known as Green Children. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Sheelite priests are Daisy Maid (or Lad), Seed Sower, Nature Nurturer, Plant Grower, Crop Harvester, Seed Pollinator, Sun Shower, and Watchful Sister (or Brother). High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are Druids and Greenfosters. Greenfosters concentrate on operating in and around halfling villages and farms, while Druids go wherever they are needed. Females (78%) greatly outnumber males (22%). Sheela's clergy includes druids (51%), mystics (23%), specialty priests (21%), and clerics (5%).
Sheelite priests favor simple green robes festooned with garlands of vibrant hue and embroidered with flowers. In their hair they wear only flowers, and their feet are left bare so as to feel the earth from which Sheela's bounty flows. The holy symbol of the faith is mistletoe or a sprig of holly with berries in a pinch.
Urogalan
The halfling god of death and earth, Urogalan (urr-roh-gah-lan), is lawful neutral. His titles include He Who Must Be and the Lord in the Earth. He is honored by halflings as the incarnation of the fertile earth and as the protector of the souls and the bodies of the dead. Although the cheerful halflings do not overly fear death, they often shiver at the mention of his name or the sight of his symbol. His followers guard the tombs of the dead and protect halfling settlements from the dangers that lurk below. The domains associated with him are Death, Earth, and Protection, and his favored weapon is the flail (any type).
Urogalan is propitiated by many halflings, but his priesthood is very small. While his followers are respected for their services and rituals and while death is not generally feared by halflings, few of the Small Folk want to associate with symbols of the Black Hound, as they are generally considered unlucky. Other races, even humans among whom halflings often dwell, are generally unaware of Urogalan's faith, its reverence for the earth, or the god's role as protector of the dead, for halflings rarely discuss their beliefs regarding death. Dwarven priests of Dumathoin note a great deal of similarity between the practices of the two faiths, and they are likely to welcome a male member of Urogalan's clergy as one of their own.
Novices of Urogalan are known as Earthlings. Full priests of He Who Must Be are known as Vassals of the Black Hound. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Urogalanan priests are Earth Embracer, Soil Digger, Clay Potter, Diarun Smith, Grave Guardian, Crypt Sentinel, Vault Marshal, Barrow Warden, and Black Hound. High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as Grimwardens. Urogalan's clergy is nearly evenly divided between specialty priests (54%) and clerics (46%) and between men (55%) and women (45%).
Urogalan's priests wear simple, anklelength robes of tied with a belt of rope. Depending on whether they are performing rituals in honor of death or earth, they robes are white or brown, respectively. They are always barefooted and, if at all possible, keep two feet firmly planted on the ground at all times. Priests typically shave their pates, while priestesses bind their hair in twin braids hanging down their backs. The holy symbol of the faith is a small (2 inches high) statuette of a hound carved from diarun, meerschaum, or tomb jade.
Yondalla
Yondalla (yon-dah-lah) is the Protector and Provider of halflings and the chief matriarch of the halfling pantheon. She is responsible for the race's creation and for blessing them with peace, comfort, and plenty. As the goddess of protection, Yondalla fends off evil influences and intrusions into the homes and lives of halflings. Yondalla gives her people the strength of character and the determination to defend themselves. Her protection is part of the very souls of her creations, for of all the demihuman races, the halflings have most rarely succumbed to evil. As a provider, Yondalla is a goddess of fertility and growing things, of birth and youth, of nature and plants. She can make barren places and creatures fertile and increase the growing rate of plants and animals, almost as she chooses, although she uses such powers sparingly and almost never confers such benefits on other demihumans or humans for fear of giving offense to their deities. The domains associated with her are Good and Protection, and her favored weapon is the shortsword.
The church of the Protector and Provider, under all the guises by which she is known, plays a central role in halfling society. Throughout the Realms, communities of the Small Folk are led by members of Yondalla's clergy, and they are widely credited for their efforts in ensuring the safety and prosperity of halflings across Faerun. Among the other human and demihuman races, Yondalla's priests are respected for their determined defense of halfling communities and their defensive skill, belying their diminutive natures.
Novices of Yondalla are known as the Blessed Children. Full priests of the Protector and Provider are known as Revered Councilors. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Yondallan priests are Blessed Sister/Brother, Sacred Guardian, Revered Nurturer, Blessed Mother/Father, Eminent Prodigal, August Warden, Hallowed Provider, and Exalted Protector. Highranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as Horn Guards. Yondalla's clergy is nearly evenly divided between specialty priests (37%), mystics (33%), and clerics (30%). Women (60%) slightly outnumber men (40%) among the clergy.
Members of Yondalla's clergy dress in loose-fitting green and brown robes and a saffron overcloak, keeping their heads bare. Priests typically wear their hair long, dying it golden blonde if it is not naturally that color. Yondallan priests always carry a shield, usually wooded, emblazoned with the cornucopia symbol of the goddess. The holy symbol of the faith is an animal horn of any type, except in Luiren where it is a wheat stalk crossing a silver tree, representing the meadows and the forests.
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Tymora or Shalamora
The faith of Tymora (sometimes referred to Shalamora by Halflings) is popular among halflings, in particular halfling adventurers. Halflings believe that, since Tymora often manifests as a halfling to them, she is one of Yondalla's Children and regard her widespread worship in human lands as simply the greatest of Lady Luck's numerous humourous cons. Halflings may be priest classes of Tymora. Below is Tymora's Faerûnian Pantheon entry:
Tymora (tie-more-ah) is a friendly, graceful, and kind deity. She is fickle but playful, never vengeful or malicious, and always able to turn something to her advantage. She enjoys jokes and has been known to play tricks on some of the more rigid deities such as Helm and Tyr, but she always finds a way to soothe hard feelings. Shrines and temples to Tymora are spread across Faerûn. Her church is popular in cities frequented by adventurers, and such people fill its coffers in exchange for healing, making the temples wealthy. This wealth allows each temple a great deal of independence. The church encourages people to take chances and pursue their dreams rather than spending all their days planning and daring nothing. The church is duty-bound to aid those that have dared by providing them with healing and minor magic items (sometimes surreptitiously) to reinforce the good fortune that comes to those that trust in Tymora. A standard greeting among the faithful is to touch holy symbols, and worshipers often embrace to do so. The domains associated with her are Good, Luck, Protection, and Travel, and her favored weapon is the shuriken.
Tymora is an extremely popular goddess among adventurers, and her temples may be found wherever there is a strong adventuring population. Tymora's priests are the first choice of a badly wounded adventuring party dragging itself into town, and as a result, the church is relatively wealthy. With that wealth comes a strong independent streak among the different churches of Tymora. Each Tymoran temple is its own independent operation with its own clergy, and each temple reflects the tastes of its high priestess or priest. Both sexes and all races are equal in the eyes of Tymora and her clergy, though in practice human women occupy most of the more exalted ranks of the priesthood. Of the nonhuman races, a few elves and half-elves have decided to become Tymoran clergy even in the face of the chilly reception such a calling receives in elven society. Mystics of Tymora serve both within temple ranks and as itinerant servants of the goddess who report to none but her.
Among the followers of Tymora titles are used and changed with ease and informality, but "Lord Priest" and "Lady Priestess" are respectful forms of address that apply to all, and "High" is added in front of this for clergy senior in years or in demonstrated power, who are referred to as "the High". A "favored of Tymora" is a being chosen by the goddess to enter her clergy. A "fallen of Tymora" is one who has left her service and spurned chances for atonement and forgiveness. An "Atalara" is a priestess of Tymora whose body has at some time or other been directly possessed by the goddess so as to act and speak for her, which usually changes all body hair to a deep blue, and the pupils of the eyes to bright silver. Specialty Priests of Tymora are Luckbringers.
The standard clerical dress varies from temple to temple, ranging from full habits and headpieces in Arabel to simple robes in Shadowdale. Blue and silver are colors often seen. Personal taste of the matriarch or patriarch influences the dress code, as does climate (natural and political) and availability of fine clothing. The common item worn by all clergy is the disk of Tymora, usually carried on a small chain.