Gilead

Position	Intermediate Deity
Symbol	A bow and quiver
Colors	Brown and Green
Celestial Symbol	The Constellation 'Great Bowman'
Alignment	Neutral Good
Home Plane	The Cradle of Nature
Portfolio	Hunters, Druids, Rangers, and Animals
Domains & Inquisitions	Animal, Community, Good, Plant Imprisonment, Persistence, Recovery, Spellkiller
Cleric Alignment	NG, LG, CG
Favored Weapon	Gaea's Song (longbow)
Other Names	The Master of Beasts, Lord of Rangers, The Hunter (Myrddion), The Beast King, The Fisher King, The Great Rider (The Vast), Gilead of the Bow, the White Stag
Commonly Associated Organizations	Temple of Gilead, Pastoral Shapers, Silver Crescent, Ygdrassil Union, Wards of the Invisible Path
Some IC Hangouts	Alexandrian Grid: A10: Temple District Main Grid: H01: Waystation, H03: Malifre Stables, H06: Fate's Spire, Hayatiento Aerie Wilderness Pointe Grid: Anywhere

The son of Daeus and Althea and brother to Eluna and Tarien, Gilead is known as the Hunter and the Prince of Beasts. He promotes a respect for the natural glories of Gaea and encourages a responsible outlook and use of the gifts that are given to mortals by the gods. He is a patron of hunters as well as farmers, striking a balance between both and promoting a responsible stewardship of the natural world.

Gilead encourages patience and temperance, traits he inherits from his mother, Althea. Like his father, he stands guard against the powers of darkness, though his domain is that of nature, of wild beasts and the earth itself. His dedication to the destruction of those who would undo the delicate balance of nature earned him the title of The Hunter, and he is sometimes depicted in the arts as in the form of a great White Stag whose antlers reach the sky. Gilead is the great god of the forests, the high hunt and the lord of all rangers. He is often depicted riding his great steed, Mahal, and thundering through the planes with a great host in search of the abominations unleashed by the fallen gods and demons of the Void.

Though both focus on the protection of nature itself, Gilead acts with greater compassion than does Dana, his often compatriot and ally. He, like his celestial family, loves the world dearly and many individuals from farmers to the mightiest of rangers and trackers of the wild revere him. He is the harmony of the predator and the prey, the strength of the raging sea and the master of the hunt, and the inspiration of many a bard's tale.

Dogma

The Lord of Rangers is best known in his role as the Hunter, a role in which he is unsurpassed. He is also the protector of pathways, and of those who become lost in the wild. The child of Althea and Daeus, Gilead possesses their compassion, and he teaches of the good that is in nature and espouses the protection of innocents from its most savage parts.

Gilead accepts that sometimes the bounty of the wild must be used to sustain the mortal world. He teaches that such things are seen as the gift of the wild, and not to be used irresponsibly, or be taken for granted or exploited.

Gilead is a strong, but often understated god. Flitting quickly out of sight in his form of a White Stag, he is known to provide wisdom indirectly, though can strike as sharply as an arrow. He tasks his followers with protecting both the innocent, as well as the wilderness. Abominations wrought by the dark gods are to be hunted, though he sometimes works with his sister, Eluna, for the redemption of lycanthropes, for they were once nature's creatures.

Clergy and Temples

Titles
Cleric or Druid	Hunter
Paladin or Ranger	Warden or Green Warden
Inquisitor	...coming soon!

Gilead's clergy is known and called upon, though they are not always seen. Many of his followers are skilled hunters and guides, though some are also teachers and move among farming communities. Gilead's clergy are well known and welcome in frontier and fringe settlements where they often serve as the last line of defense against an Caracoroth's agents, as well as guides and advisors.

Gilead maintains a very loose clergy with no defined structure or set of leadership, though his faithful often maintain ties with others of the gods of Light or those such as Dana. For instance, his temples may work with that of Eluna, his sister, towards the eradication (or redemption) of lycanthropes, and with those of Daeus in strikes against the dark gods who would twist the forests.

His clerics receive their spells in the morning or the evening and observe both of these time periods with moments of prayer and reflection. Meditation and introspection is important as well as solitary exploration and the spending of time in the woodlands. Gilead's clergy wanders through small communities, encouraging them to live in harmony with nature and protecting them from their own ignorance. When called upon, they protect the wild lands with great fervor, but likewise are understanding that nature may be called upon to provide, albeit it must be used responsibly.

Gilean Cleric Traditions: Gilead's clerics ranged from the rarely seen wild hunter, to more diplomatic sorts who approach communities, and teach them a better approach to the wild spaces. Many are wise in the ways of abominations, and strive to counter them.

Gilean Paladin Traditions: Gilead's paladins are rare, and typically serve as guardians of pathways through the wilderness, as well as defenders of wild spaces. They may range with Gilead's hunters against abominations and the corruption of natural spaces.

Clerical Vestments

Gileads' servants reflect the wilderness in which they reside. Often dressed as woodsmen or hunters, they tend towards greens, browns, and simple clothing both practical and suited to the area where they work and serve Gilead. Many are skilled in the use of the bow and other, more simple weapons which can be made readily from their natural surroundings.

Avatars

Gilead has many forms as befitting such a mighty lord of the living earth and nature. He sometimes enjoys appearing as The White Stag, which is often a symbol of fate and destiny and is used to lead travelers to safety or to the next stage of their journey. His most common depiction is that of a green and brown clad hunter, wielding a great and powerful bow and astride a fierce white and golden horse.

This last, known, form is the guise of The Hunter who leads his hunting hosts. His hosts consist of powerful celestials and outsiders of various origins who ride with him and thunder across the planes in pursuit of evil to drive away. Gilead is also sometimes depicted as a great lion-headed monarch of the wood and wild and instead of a great white horse, he runs along side two great paragons and legendary animals in the form of twin golden lions.