Pashan
Spheres of Influence: Nature, The Wilds, Foraging, Wandering, Orchards, Gardens, Music, Entertainment, Wine & Fermentation, Hedonism
Epithets: The Indulgent, The Free, The Wild
Common Domains: Life, Light, Nature, Peace, Trickery
Pashan is widely worshipped as the deity of forested and wild lands, but civilized people agree that orchards and vineyards are equally his purview. He is also god of creativity, art, and music. Pashan is worshipped in natural temples, not structures built by people; a sunlit clearing in the woods, an ancient giant of a tree, a field ablaze with blooming wildflowers. Even the shrine to Pashan that is located in the Orchards was not built, but grown; the Living Shrine is a most impressive example of the art of Skandaran topiary.
Pashan’s natural temples are filled with green and growing life, unlike the rock monoliths or desertscapes often favored by worshippers of Skura. Pashan is often worshipped in song, theater, sculpture, painting, and dance.
When drinking mead or wine it is customary to offer a small amount to Pashan, by pouring it into the dirt.
He is also the god of wild beasts.
Related Demigods & Intermediaries
Ty-Abo: An ancient spirit within the land around Kilpo Bay, Ty-Abo, the Rooted One, protects the native land and animals. It is particularly revered by the Broadbacks' Guild as protector of their lifeblood, and by the Seta and Mahksi.
Pakwarako: The sacred Seta tree is connected to Ty-Abo and the land through its powerful roots, and protects Maringa and its Seta denizens.
Johnny Bells: The Durba Bowok worship an eccentric wanderer they call Pa-Johnny or Johnny Bells, whose jingling can sometimes be heard through the mists of the Durba Swamp.
Festivals & Offerings
Grenna: Grenna, the great Sowing festival in honor of Pashan, Ptomir, Aerta, and Necatia takes place on the day preceding the Sowing equinox.
The Orcharders’ Ball: A feast held by the Orcharders each year to thank Pashan for his bounty.
Offerings: Offerings are made when foraging, hunting, tracking, or trapping by traditional methods, when travelling through wild woods, before any artistic venture, when making or drinking wine or mead, when harvesting wild fruit and plants, when encountering natural beauty, and when celebrating with abandon.
Flora and Fauna
Flora: Brambleberries, elderberries, grapes, ochala, tucha, mango, mushrooms, pinepear
Fauna: Kernu, deer, jaguar, kolibri
Devotees
- The Kailo: Many healers, both magical and mundane, belong to the Kailo. The group, which includes Seta, mahksi, elves, and humans, gathers valuable medicines from the jungle plants and studies their use. Their knowledge of herbal lore and traditional medicine is unmatched. If you’re looking for a jungle guide, the Kailo are an excellent choice. Though they know where to find a variety of hallucinogenic plants and fungi, most Kailo practitioners consider them sacred gateways, only to be used as part of a ritual overseen by a skilled shaman.
- The Ahwee, a nomadic group in the Elven Wilds known for accessorizing with yellow feathers.
- The Puppeteers, the Moru Kel performer’s guild.