Campaign Design - The Lords of Heaven: Syfa

Syfa (Andate)

The Lady of Swiftness; The Autumn Queen; Celestial Mistress of Nature, Forests, and Beasts

Alignment: Neutral Good.
Domains: Animal, Celerity, Nature, Plant, Swiftness, Weather, Wood.

Summon Monster: Syfa's clerics and favored souls can summon celestial and fioð creatures using summon monster spells.

Symbol: A stag skull.
Favored Weapon: "Autumn's sting" (javelin or throwing spear).
Related Prestige Classes: Fleet Runner of Syfa, Ranger

Syfa is the fleet footed mistress of the hunt and guardian of the wild places of the world. The legends hold that she is sister to the four brothers Forseti, Heim, Rúadan, and Tiwas, and half-sister to Füllar. She is also possibly the half-sister of Vali but the exact nature of their kinship is unclear in the myths. She appears to mortals as an athletic woman with blond hair, although myths variously describe her as human, fæy, or half-fæy. She is always depicted wearing green and brown clothes, and carrying a sheaf of javelins to cast at those who would despoil the beautiful places of the wild. Syfa is said to be faster afoot than any beast or creature that runs on feet, and the myths hold that her endurance is such that she can run down any quarry. Syfa is a wild untamable spirit who delights in sport and running, but is regarded as a faithful consort to Þunor, unlike her promiscuous half-sister Vali.

Syfa is said to live on a diet of deer milk and wild berries and refuses to consume any meat. Syfa the mistress of plants and growing things, and has a great love for the forests and trees of the world as well as the beasts of the wild. In the War in Heaven, In legend, Syfa mastered the demon hound Garm, but could not slay the animal because it was protected by a death gesa that said it could not be destroyed without causing the end of the world. Instead, she confined the hound until Wünd could forge a cage strong enough to imprison the beast, and even then the Lords of Heaven had to place an entire mountain on top of Garm's prison to keep it from escaping.

Syfa is regarded as the mistress of all wild places, and is a popular celestial among shifters and rangers. Syfa is closely associated with the stag, and hunters must take care not to arouse her wrath by inflicting cruelty upon their prey and must sacrifice a portion of their kills to her in order to appease her. Syfa also has dominion over the weather, but is seen as the benevolent mistress of life-giving spring rains and warm summer breezes, making her a counterpoint to the storms and fury of her spouse Þunor. Farmers often look to her blessing for their crops, hoping for gentle summer rains to water their fields and provide for a bountiful autumn harvest. Clerics and druids devoted to Syfa may treat the scout class as an additional favored class and may become members of the fleet runner of Syfa prestige class. Druids devoted to Syfa may use the javelin without penalty.

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