Shelsleadal is the Masked One (which her name literally means), the goddess of fertility, farmland, the harvest, crops, and the dance. She is sometimes mistaken for the Lifegiver or Harvestlady aspect of the Corametel or Mother of the Corame, but in truth Shelsleadal is nothing like them. She is fey, fickle as the wind and sunshine to those who mistreat the land, but a steady friend to those who honor her.
Origins: Shelsleadal was dreamt into being, just as were most of the other gods. However, she is said to be the youngest of them, and not actually to have manifested herself in the world until the settling and taming of farmland began. Her power has always remained smaller than that of the others, given that few people have land under cultivation, and that few of those who do are her devoted followers.
Major Myths: Shelsleadal is often said to visit mortals who are holding harvest celebrations, and dance among them, stunningly beautiful but otherwise seeming a mortal in every way. Unlike many of the other gods, she does not seem to do this as a test of their faith, or to speak with a particular mortal. She simply seems to enjoy the company of her worshippers.
Shelsleadal is also said to never have revealed her true face, the face of her most common avatar, when unmasked, still functioning as a kind of mask (see below). There are various myths that purport to account for this, ranging from the numinous (the Fey Dancer has no face that mortals would understand) to the horrific (she is so scarred she would drive mad anyone who saw her). Shelsleadal, though intimately involved with mortals and certainly aware of their suspicions, has never said anything about it one way or another.
Shelsleadal is also said to have a soft spot in her heart for the outcast, the exile, and the stranger, and some pray to her as the Goddess of Exiles. This may explain why she took so quickly to the human race when they came to Arcadia, and why many of them worship her.
Physical Details: Shelsleadal has two avatars. The first is a young woman with brown skin and corn-colored hair, who manages to seem unremarkable no matter what race she is among. This woman wears no masks, and mingles with mortals as one of them. The Fey Dancer seems to have an uncommon ability to damp the divine magical aura that would otherwise reveal her for what she is.
Her other avatar, often said to the truer one, is openly divine. This is also a slender young woman, but her skin is colored like the earth and her hair like whatever crop is nearest. She wears a mask that reflects the colors of a monarch butterfly, and is often a butterfly in shape as well. She dances with immortal speed and grace, and never lets anyone see her face.
Tenets of Worship: Followers of Shelsleadal believe in the tending and cultivation of land. They will actively work to tend what farmlands are under their protection, and labor to help those villagers with failing harvests when they find them. A common gesture is praying to the Masked One for forgiveness, if a farming community has in some way displeased the goddess.
Shelsleadal’s priests, though not necessarily her lay followers, are also committed to bringing more land under cultivation and so increasing the power of their goddess. This is where they sometimes come into conflict with others, particularly those interested in maintaining the wild forests, or followers of Epakohta who want to keep anyone from reclaiming the deserts of their Lord. They may try to settle such conflicts peacefully, but on occasion they have turned to open war.
Shelsleadal’s followers also tend to be interested in the arts that go along with cultivation—the invention of better plows, cooking, and domesticating animals—and dedicate themselves to these as well.
Clerics of Shelsleadal may be male or female, but females are slightly more devoted to the practice of the greatest ritual of worship, the Fey Dance. This is a masked dance held at the time of the harvest or spring planting, and the dancers perform until they drop of exhaustion or die. Their goddess will often join them, and if she does, this means good favor for the village where the dancers perform.
Both clerics and lay followers of Shelsleadal are committed to welcoming outcasts and exiles into their midst, giving them a home and a shelter, and perhaps initiating them into the worship of the goddess.
Major Centers of Worship: Shelsleadal tends to be worshipped exclusively in village temples, since larger cities are at a distance from the farmlands. However, she does have temples in the largest land Elwen cities, save Oak, where the land Elwens remember their bond with the earth and give thanks, sometimes.
She has worshippers of many races, including some who do not practice farming but are devoted to the dance and spreading peace among the races. These are likely to wander from village to village, blessing the crops and dancing and sometimes converting others.
Other Names: The Fey Dancer, the Harvest Mother, the Golden One, the Tawny Lady.
Major Symbols: A sheaf of corn; a sickle; a monarch butterfly; a mask.
Relations with Other Powers: Shelsleadal has good relations with many other gods, excepting only two: Nystze, who as the goddess of the storms often sends weather that could destroy crops; and Epakohta, who refuses to let her followers farm in his deserts. However, these are relatively mild arguments, and only rarely explode into open conflicts between the powers.
