Cernunnos

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Cernunnos
Cernunnos
(Deity)

Titles
The Stag Lord
The Horned Lord1
Realm
Alignment
Areas of Concern
Fertility
Seasons
Wild animals
Worshipers
Edicts
Protect forests and other natural areas, advocate for animals and plants, take and commit to decisive actions
Anathema
Fail to strike down evil, enable the destruction of wilderness, needlessly kill animals
Follower Alignments (1E)
Domains (1E)
Animal, Chaos, Good, Plant
Subdomains (1E)
Azata, Feather, Fur, Growth
Follower Alignments (2E)
Domains (2E)
Lightning, nature, passion, zeal
Favored Weapon
Symbol
Stag with jeweled antlers
Sacred Animal
Sacred Colors
Brown, green
Source: Chronicle of the Righteous, pg(s). 54 (1E)
Gods & Magic, pg(s). 128f. (2E)
Cernunnos
(Creature)

Type
Outsider
(azata, chaotic, extraplanar, good)
CR
30
Environment
Any forest or plain (Elysium)
Alignment
Source: Bestiary 4, pg(s). 88–89

Cernunnos was a mercurial azata empyreal lord who embodied the wild and primeval force of nature. He stealthily ventured through the forests of the Great Beyond, favouring decisive action to fight off the tide of evil. The Stag Lord aimed to set right natural balances that are out of kilter and indulged in his passions.2[citation needed]

After the death of Gorum in 4724 AR, Cernunnos hunted the draconic deity Garhaazh but fell through a hole in reality, a trap set mid-hunt by his prey, and was cast beyond the bounds of the Dark Tapestry.3

Appearance

Cernunnos presented himself as a muscular, tan-skinned man with elven features, stag antlers, and a piercing stare.41 He was clad in dull fur clothes that bore motifs of birds in flight or leaping animals.1[citation needed]

Relationships

Cernunnos is the son of Erastil and Jaidi, and the brother of Halcamora.5 He surrounded himself with advisors from all types of celestials and worked with them in the battle against evil.1[citation needed]

Though he rarely made a rash decision, Cernunnos sometimes allowed his anger to overcome him, declared a personal vendetta against specific demon lords or archdevils, and descended into Hell or the Outer Rifts to exact revenge on them. He sometimes came into conflict with Korada, despite agreeing with him that even the most evil fiends could find redemption, as Cernunnos believed that giving them time to do so would result in many lost lives.1[citation needed]

Church of Cernunnos

Knowing that he was still one person despite his power, Cernunnos trained commanders and emissaries to fight evil in both the Universe and First World. The faithful of Cernunnos were mainly intelligent plant creatures, fey, and mortal rangers and druids. Elves viewed him as patron of luck, while others prayed to him for strength. Hidden groves, waterfalls, and deep forests were sacred to Cernunnos.1[citation needed]

On Golarion, Cernunnos was worshiped among fey and in places strongly influenced by them, such as Felgunn.6 He also had followers in Dehrukani7 and Falcon's Hollow.8 Chicome coatls9 were often agents of Cernunnos and other divine entities of nature.10

The fate of Cernunnos' following since his disappearance is unknown.

References

Much of this article's information is from Bestiary 4, which is not a canon source. For example, Cernunnos might canonically not be an elf. He is not a member of the elven pantheon.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Paizo Inc., et al. “Monsters A to Z” in Bestiary 4, 89. Paizo Inc., 2013
  2. Amber E. Scott. “Lesser Empyreal Lords” in Chronicle of the Righteous, 54. Paizo Inc., 2013
  3. James Case, et al. “Paths to Immortality” in War of Immortals, 103. Paizo Inc., 2024
  4. Paizo Inc., et al. “Monsters A to Z” in Bestiary 4, 88. Paizo Inc., 2013
  5. Robert Adducci, et al. “Gods of the Inner Sea” in Gods & Magic, 22. Paizo Inc., 2020
  6. Jessica Catalan. Felgunn” in Heavy is the Crown, 75. Paizo Inc., 2023
  7. Sean K Reynolds, et al. Inner Sea Gods, 186. Paizo Inc., 2014
  8. Judy Bauer, et al. Falcon's Hollow” in Towns of the Inner Sea, 20. Paizo Inc., 2013
  9. Paizo referred to coatls as couatls until the publication of Monster Core.
  10. Carlos Cabrera, et al. “Bestiary” in Borne by the Sun's Grace, 83. Paizo Inc., 2019

External links