Talvi*

Lesser Deity

At A Glance
Alias:Winter Moon, The Blizzard Lord Symbol:            A bloodstained icicle Home Plane:        Paraelemental Plane of Ice Alignment:         Lawful Evil Portfolio:         Winter, cold, survival Worshippers:       Evil humanoids, cultists Cleric Alignments: LE, NE Domains:            Evil, Law, Weather Favored Weapon:    Longspear

History
Ruler of the Ancient Northern Wastes, Talvi was the greatest of all the white dragons in the First Age. Unlike many white dragons, he was intelligent and crafty, ruling his lands with an iron claw, but he wanted more. Joining in the rebellion against the gods, he was banished by Tuli herself for his presumption, forced to linger in the Mists for all eternity. Vowing revenge, he wished to freeze the world itself, until nothing was left but ice and snow. When the Mists opened for him and the others, he gained his chance, and quickly reduced the northern half of the great Elven Conclave to a cold and bitter wasteland of ice and snow, while Korinthar* cracked the land itself. Though Lognare drove him out, his damage remained, the Northern Lands still suffering from his taint and evil.

In the Third Age, Talvi is feared and respected by many in the cold Northlands of the Empire, particularly in Verkant and Vintermor. He is used as a pawn by Forstorelse, which infuriates him, but he tolerates such things because she lets him strike against the fire he hates, and the two gods that embody it: Tuli and Korinthar*. The other gods are of little concern to him, for when the world is frozen, he will be the only power left. Like Korinthar*, he cannot send an avatar to the material plane, but he often empowers his clerics to speak on his behalf to his few followers.

Dogma
Winter is the perfect example of order. Everything is unmoving, unchanging, frozen in stasis for your amusement and command. This is how the world should be, and you should make the world this way, to best serve your god. Fire brings chaos and warmth, and should be smothered as quickly as possible. Emotions are weakness, freeze your heart to cause the false warmth to leak out of your soul.

Clergy and Temples
Cold and uncaring, Talvi's clergy are secretive and hidden, though many of his clerics infiltrate the Pantheistic Church, attempting to harden their hearts to the plight of the common man within the Empire. This has had a frightening degree of success, particularly in the nation of Verkant, where few suspect how deep the talons of Talvi have sunk into the hearts of the priesthood. While the Empire discourages the worship of Talvi, lumping him with Sslira* and Korinthar*, many small hamlets in Vintermor still offer sacrifices and homage to Talvi and his followers out of fear. In addition, small bands of corrupted frost elves and human barbarians roam the tundra, spreading the Winter Lord's infamy throughout the land. Many savage humanoids, particularly the ice gnolls of Vintermor and the flinds, follow Talvi as well. His clerics will typically multiclass as rangers, if they do that at all.

Talvi does have a monkly order dedicated to the Endless Winter as well. Calling themselves icestalkers, this small group is devoted to spreading the coldness of winter throughout the land, seeing the pure unmoving nature of the ice as the ultimate expression of order and perfection. They will often kidnap and 'convert' those of other orders, particularly those of the Guardians of the Fir, attempting to enlighten them into the true nature of the wilderness.