Ardea, the Dawnmother

All life, great and small, is equal and sacred. Protect life, and be kind to all living beings.

Ardea {.humblescratch}

Ardea is depicted as a great stork with shining golden feathers, wreathed in flowers or other plant life. She is the Amaranthine of the sun who watches over the flora and fauna of Everden and provides them with light and energy to grow.

Ardea’s light is present in all living things, from the tiniest sprouting seed to the mightiest beast. Her light also represents love and kindness, which every creature is believed to possess. All birdfolk are said to be Ardea’s children, and many think she appears as a stork to demonstrate her maternal love for them—although she is speculated to appear in a different form to each woodland race.

When she vacates the sky, she rests in a plane of pure light and life. There, great celestial storks carry out her will and act as her messengers in the mortal world. An old folk story relates that Ardea sends these storks to fly unnoticed into Everden, where they place her animating light into unhatched eggs. This is why birdfolk often refer to her as “Mother Stork”.

She is worshiped by good-aligned characters of every sort: poets write of the love she has bestowed upon the world, priests ask her to watch over the newly born, and farmers pray to her for good harvests and light winters.