The Heart of Gold, Winsome Rose, Lady Goldheart
Intermediate Deity
Symbol: Gold heart
Home Plane: Arvandor
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Love, romance, beauty, enchantments, magic item artistry, fine art, artists
Worshippers: Aesthetes, artists, enchanters, lovers, sorcerers
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Chaos, Charm, Elf, Good, Magic, Protection
Favoured Weapon: A shining heart (Dagger)
Hanali Celanil (han-uh-lee sell-uh-nihl) is a being of timeless beauty and benign nature, who always forgives minor transgressions and delights in rewarding her followers with the bliss of unexpected love and affection. She embodies romance, beauty, love and joy in elven spirits, her only flaws being her own mild vanity and flighty nature. Although she rarely appears to her faithful, Hanali delights in seeing the growth of love among elves and she often acts in secret to protect young lovers. She is also known as an aspect of Angharradh, the Triune Goddess.
Hanali’s clerics are flighty and somewhat vain, given to dancing and wild celebrations. The hierarchy is loosely organized and clerics are free to join or leave a temple’s ranks as they wish. They preside over marriage and rites of passage ceremonies for young elves, although they are not required to marry, for Hanali’s concern is love, not necessarily marriage. Members of Hanali’s clergy spend their days cultivating beauty and love in all their myriad forms. Many of Lady Goldheart’s clerics tend fine gardens, while others amass personal or temple-based collections of gems, crystal sculptures and other fine works of art. While things of gold and crystal, particularly jewellery and statues, are favoured, beautiful art in any form is admired, collected and displayed. Hanali’s clerics must always be finely dressed, and displaying one’s personal beauty to its best advantage is a requirement of every cleric of the Heart of Gold.
Clerics of Hanali pray for their spells each day whenever the moon is highest in the sky and romance is in the air. While Hanali’s clerics are given to frequent impromptu revels, their greatest celebrations are held every month beneath the bright light of the full moon. Such holy days are known as Secrets of the Heart, for romantically involved participants are said to experience the full bloom of their affections on such nights, allowing them to evaluate the strength of their feelings. Likewise, the inner beauty of celebrants visibly manifests as a rosy glow in their cheeks and eyes for days thereafter. Offerings of objects of great beauty are made to Lady Goldheart during such holy festivals, some of which are swept into Arvandor while others are returned to be shared among Hanali’s followers. It is not uncommon for artists to unveil their latest work at such holy days, nor is it rare for young lovers to either pledge their troth secretly or proclaim it to all assembled, for doing so is said to invite Hanali’s favour. Her clerics often multi-class as enchanters or sorcerers.
Like others of the Seldarine, Hanali answers to Corellon and opposes the machinations of the evil drow deities and the Deities of Fury. She also opposes the cruel tyrannies of other deities, including Bane, Cyric, Shar and Talona. Her allies include Eilistraee, Cyrrollalee, Isis, Lliira, Lurue, Milil, Sharess, Sharindlar, Sheela Peryroyl, Sune and Tymora.
Life is worth living because of the beauty found in the world and the love that draws twin hearts together. Nurture what is beautiful in life, and let beauty’s rapturous glow enliven and brighten the lives of those around you. The greatest joy is the rapture of new-found love and the tide of romance that sweeps over those wrapped in its embrace. Find love wherever it takes root, and bring it to its fullest bloom so that all may share in the joy and beauty it creates. Always give shelter and succour to young lovers, for their hearts are the truest guides to life’s proper course.
Source: Faiths and Pantheons (Page 128)