Wenta
Greyhawk Deity | |
---|---|
Wenta | |
Title(s) | The Alewife, Harvest Daughter |
Home Plane | Arvandor |
Power Level | Lesser |
Gender | Female |
Class(es) | |
Alignment | Chaotic Good |
Portfolio | Autumn, West Wind, Harvest, Brewing |
Domains | Air, Chaos, Family, Good, Plant |
Alias(es) | none |
Superior | Velnius |
Wenta (WEN-tah) is the Oeridian goddess of Autumn, Brewing, Harvest, and the West Wind. Her symbol is a large mug of beer.
Description
Wenta always appears as a young, rosy-cheeked, buxom woman with straw in her hair, holding a large mug of beer.
Relationships
Wenta is the youngest of the three daughters of Procan, and a cousin of Merikka. The youngest of the Velaeri, she is sister to Velnius, Telchur, Atroa, and Sotillion. She dislikes her brother Telchur, seeing him as a black sheep perpetually on her heels. She prefers to go where her heart takes her, and thus has been romantically linked to many deities, but never for long.
Realm
Wenta is a free spirit, travelling where the wind takes her, but can currently be found in Arvandor, drinking beer with the Seldarine.
Dogma
Wenta sends the cool winds of autumn as a signal that it is time to reap the harvest. She advocates staving off winter's chill with beer and ale, and instructs brewers to care for their product as they would a lover. Wenta rewards each day of hard work with pleasantly cool nights, boon companions, and plenty of good spirits to loosen the tongue and quicken the heart.
Worshipers
Wenta is usually worshiped with her siblings as part of the Velaeri, the Oeridian agricultural gods. She is thus revered by farmers and others who depend on the land's bounty. She is also honored by brewers, vinters, and nearly anyone who would partake of their products.
Clergy
Wenta's priests are friendly, sociable, and unafraid to speak with strangers. They pray for their spells during a brief interval preceding sundown. Their duties include organizing gatherings (particularly those where alcohol will be present), and directing harvest procedures so that work is finished early and shared fairly by all. Many Wentan priests work as brewmasters and often travel to various regions of the world to enjoy the weather and partake of the local spirits. The priests of the Alewife often adventure to visit old friends and make new ones, or simply because they agreed to do so while under the effects of alcohol. Holy water created by the priesthood is actually blessed ale or beer. The club is their favored weapon.
Temples
Places of worship to Wenta are often dedicated to the Velaeri as a whole. These locations are found throughout Oeridian lands, including Ahlissa, the Bone March, the Gran March, Highfolk, Ratik, Sunndi, the County of Urnst, and Veluna. Though worship of the Velaeri is forbidden in the Theocracy of the Pale, they are honored in secret by many farmers and country folk.
Holy days
Wenta regards the week of Brewfest as holy, though she prefers that people honor her during this time by cavorting and drinking instead of praying.
Bibliography
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:[1]
- Gygax, Gary. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
- Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K. Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
- Perkins, Christopher. Warriors of Heaven. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999.
- Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.