Crustan

The Father

Worshipped mainly by the elves, The Father represents nature in both its beautiful and cruel extremes. His hounds are said to be able to track a scent even after a year and a day has passed. Also called the Beast-master, the Oaken One, and the Master of Hounds.

• Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
• Portfolio: Nature, Plants, Animals, Weather
• Cleric’s weapon of choice: Cudgel
• Cleric Domains: Animal, Plant, Healing, Weather (from Complete Divine)
• Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG, N
• Symbol: An uprooted oak tree
• Avatar: Bannoc OakenShield

Reawakening

After the Rising of the Sun, Crustan was slain and his divine spark scattered to the winds. The sparks eventually alighted in mortals of varying types, who became the world's first druids.

His corpse came to rest in a shady vale near Velora. The task of keeping it secret and safe was handed down from generation to generation, eventually falling to Talthein WillowBark and his wife, Fortuna GreyDove.

When his time came to reawaken, he caused a druid conclave to be called at GreyDove Farm. Perrin Forester, a follower whom Crustan had returned from the grave, was tasked with the collection of the druids unwilling or unable to answer the summons (including a dryad, whose tree Perrin was forced to uproot and cart around in a wagon full of dirt).

Once the druids were assembled, they chose from among their followers the wisest and most powerful, the dwarf Bannoc OakenSheild, who - much to his surprise - ascended as the god himself. An even bigger surprise to the conclave was that, in the process, the newly awakened god stripped them of his divine spark, rendering the druids effectively powerless. Those he found worthy became clerics of the Oaken One, while those who were evil or abusive in their power were rendered helpless, and in some cases slain.

As a last act before disappearing, he offered Perrin a place at his side as an angel, or offered him the opportunity to return to life as a full human. Perrin chose to regain his lost humanity, in order to be a proper father for his son, Landor Forester.