Herne

The Antlered One

Areas of Concern: hunting, plants, travelers, wilderness

Edicts: foster the growth of living things, explore and appreciate the outdoors, take care of a garden or house plant

Anathema: violate the natural order, disrupt the balance of an ecosystem, take more than what you need to survive

Divine Attribute: Constitution or Wisdom

Religious Symbol: a face made of leaves wearing an antler crown

Sacred Animal: Elk

Sacred Colors: Brown, Green

Herne is the god of nature, embodying both its generosity and its savagery. His sphere encompasses the untamed forest, the hunt, and the fragile balance between predator and prey. Among The Nine, he is seen as a guardian of independence, despising chains, tyranny, or any who would despoil the land or its creatures. In the days when he walked among mortals, his avatar manifested as a young satyr, cloaked in a mantle of ivy, his hair the color of autumn leaves. However, older myths and illuminated scrolls depict him as a colossal stag, whose antlers twist together like the canopy of a great tree — a crown marking him as lord of the wild places.

Tales of the Antlered One highlight his dual nature, equally merciful and merciless, yet bound to balance. In death, wasteful hunters are said to be reborn into the very beasts they slaughtered, condemned to wander until penance is earned. Yet in other legends he appears as a guide, leading lost travelers from the shadows of the deep wood or healing the wounded with a touch. These contrasting roles are not seen as opposed, but as facets of a single truth: Herne keeps the natural order. He is a voice for the voiceless things of the world — one who punishes arrogance and wanton cruelty, but also offers shelter to those who walk humbly in his name.

Those who worship Herne are hunters, herders, and explorers who rely daily upon the beauties and dangers of the wilderness. They pray to him for safe traveling, bountiful game, and protection from the beasts that prowl the scant forests of the Isles. Offerings of fresh meat are left at crossroad altars and shrines hidden just beyond the tree line, tokens of gratitude for life taken and life preserved. His followers see him not as a gentle patron, but as a stern guardian whose favor must be honored through restraint and respect. Through His presence, mortals are reminded of their fragile place in the cycle, and of the peril that comes from forgetting it.

Holy Day of Herne — The Greenhorn Hunt, traditionally held on Ostara, is celebrated by the Antlered One’s faithful as both a rite of renewal and a covenant with nature. Before dawn, hunters take to the wilderness in search of game, their first catch ritually offered back to the land in his honor. At dusk, colorful lanterns are lit, and the festivities continues, with wine and venison shared freely through the night. The hunt reaffirms Herne’s chief mandate: take only what you need, and give thanks in return.

Taboo Practice — The Iotans are a radical sect of the Antlered One’s faith who see no harmony in his balance, only vengeance. To them, civilization itself is a blight — its stone walls and choking factories the scars of mortal arrogance upon the world. They prowl the edges of society, sabotaging infrastructure and sowing famine where they can. In their doctrine, the fall of cities is the forest’s rebirth, and every ruin a seed for wilder things. They claim to serve the Antlered One, but most call them his curse.

Devotee Benefits

Cleric Spells — 1st: Summon Animal, 3rd: Haste, 5th: Plant Form

Divine Font: Heal

Divine Sanctification: Holy (optional)

Divine Skill: Nature

Domains: Freedom, Nature, Travel, Wood
Alternate Domain: Decay

Favored Weapon: Hatchet