Vindrasa

Vindrasa (pronounced: /vɪnʼdɹasə/ vin-DRAW-suh), also known as the Viper in the Vines, The Whisper in the Woods, and Master (or Father) of the Elves, is the god of plant life, deals, growth, longevity, and the Fey in the Baraeli Pantheons. A figure of some controversy, Vindrasa created a schism in the Constructed Pantheon when he claimed Uku'un, the generally accepted Allfather-figure, was dead, and not merely missing as was the unifying axiom of the Constructed Magisterium. Because of this, he is seen as a trickster god by those who follow the Magisterium's teachings.

The mortals who accepted Vindrasa's teachings were guided north to a great chasm, known today as Vindrasa's Maw, where they were taught how to become elves.

Description
Like all gods descended directly from Baraelios, Vindrasa takes whatever shape is most appropriate to the individual viewing him. Vindrasa will rarely, if ever, show his true self to mortals. More often than not, he will pull their spirit into the Feywild and communicate with them telepathically where the power balance is in his favor. If a mortal he deems worthy is sleeping under a tree, he may appear to them in their dreams as the Great Lioba Tree: a large astral tree with a canopy of huge deer antlers with five black running candles on the branches.

In his aspect as the Verdant Beast, he appears as vaguely humanoid shape made up of a mass of writhing moss and vines. This frame occasionally forms itself into different animal shapes when necessary, but always, in every form, the vague shape of deer antlers persist.

In his aspect as Oliver Elwood, he occupies the shape of an elf, almost always brown or red of hair. He finds it difficult to want to hide his horns, so sometimes appears as a Tiefling. Either way, he is a lanky, piano-fingered noble: a Druid of the Broom Folk who only occasionally makes an appearance in the group, and even more rarely in the Prime Material.

Personality
Vindrasa dislikes mortals on the whole, as they are destructive, and selfish for what he sees as the wrong things. Vindrasa believes in time as a means for immortality, being one of the few gods truly aware that death is still a possibility for anyone, god or not. Due to this knowledge he is very strategic; everything Vindrasa does is calculated so that he cannot die unless someone or something very thoroughly tries to eradicate him from existence. This means mortals who love material possessions or are obsessed with things he sees as a waste of time are some of his least favorite.

Beside his very exacting nature, Vindrasa feels very deeply. The creation of the Dryads, (where lost and abandoned folks come to the forests intending to commit suicide, Vindrasa intervenes and offers to let them live a life free of physical need, and a softer inner existence where their feelings can be attached to the astral root system connecting all plantlife, allowing them to be more easily processed, in exchange for their protection of the forest) is a prime example of his softer side. He also enjoys when people demand more for themselves, as he sees it as the natural order of things to grow, and if you do not take the light, you will wind up in the shadows of those who do.

The former metaphor is humorous considering that Vindrasa is in love with the goddess of the sun, Bhyasa, but does not act upon it outright. This is because Bhyasa is aromantic, loving everyone in her sight in the most familial way possible. Vindrasa understands this which is part of why all plants are rooted to the ground but many attempt to tower so high. This is also part of why fire is so effective on plants (besides the obvious applied biological reasons); it damages Vindrasa's psyche.

Abilities
Vindrasa, like all the gods, has a large repertoire of abilities.

He is capable of causing plants to bloom through their whole life cycle, causing a flower to bloom in unfavorable soil, passing through trees, and speaking through the sounds of nature.

He spent much of his power creating the Feywild, which he has no direct control over.

Activities
Vindrasa oversees the Wilds in the Prime Material Plane as well as the Feywild. Vindrasa incidentally created the Fey, but intentionally led to the creation of the Elves and the Druids. Like all gods to some extent, he works to manipulate the flow of world events subtly in order to promote his own worldview.

Relationships
The first of the Fey to prey to Vindrasa was a human lost for years in the Feywild known as Gaestainn Eldräsh, who later became the first Archdruid, Vindrogan Eladrie. Vindrogan was the first human to become Fey and founded the Eladrin, creating an initial clan of 9. This low genetic diversity caused their descendants to be unable to reproduce with each other easily, so they emigrated from the Feywild at the point now known as Vindrasa's Maw to perform a ritual with the humans who lived there which would allow them to cross back into the Prime Material Plane and mate with them. After the Eladrin made their connection to the Prime Material Plane, the Elves saw Vindrogan and the original 9 Eladrin as gods, which, in time, made them Elected (or Cultural) Deities.

The mantle of Archdruid was passed to Súlban the Silver-Haired. Who protected the Veridian territories from an Orc invasion in (DATE) and banned all Orcs from Veridis. Súlban is considered the first Elven saint and the first Druid to use the Hide of the Feral Guardian and the Flute of Belwynn.

Vindrasa often works together with Bhyasa, Bhirgu, and Drashbarian. His relationships with all three are very familial: Bhyasa treating him as a brother or nephew, Bhirgu treating him as a brother of equal standing, and Drashbarian treating him as an older brother or father-figure.

His relationship with the Fey Court of Avandor is strained at best and outright antagonistic at worst. Descendants of the 9 original Eladrin view themselves as the true heirs of the Feywild.