Name: Mespilus
Symbol: A medlar fruit
Alignment: Neutral

Mespilus is depicted as a somewhat surly chimpanzee (albeit one that walks upright) dressed in the manner of a farmer. His sole distinguishing feature (bar his being an ape) is his large hat, which somehow combines the attributes of a fez and a beret of muddy brown hue. Mespilus is inordinately proud of his hat.

This petty god is worshipped by those who gather, ferment (in a process known as bletting) and consume the fruit of the medlar tree (and to a lesser extent related species such as crab apples, sugarplums, quince, and persimmons) which are commonly cultivated in the Moonsea region. Mespilus and his clergy find adventurers tiresome, usually rebuffing them with “I deal with med-LARS, not medd-LERS”, and thus most of his worshipers are simple farmers.

He is most often invoked during medlar harvests, but may occasionally be called upon by those lost in forests and desperately hungry, hoping to find something at least moderately edible. Given the extra-long ripening period, these fruits are sometimes the only sort of plant-based sustenance available in the wilds during winter months.