New Far Shores: The Pantheon of the United Church

[mwkilburn]

 


The Pantheon of the United ChurchTyaus
Also known as the Captain of the People, the Guardian, the Great Oppressor

Overview
The leader of the United Church, and thus considered the greatest of the human Gods, Tyaus has always taught that the virtues of order and justice are the necessary foundations for any civilised, or even useful, society. He is the God favoured by kings and lords, for he teaches that their rulership is necessary, of judges and law enforcers, because he says their work is righteous. As such, although he lacks the same universal appeal as other Gods, his teachings are integral for those influential in society, and this has raised his profile.

He brings something of a dour touch to the United Church, which is perhaps why he was so favoured and popularised in Andermark. Duty and order are responsibilities not to be glamorised, but undertaken as burdens whose importance must be understood. Nevertheless, he is immortalised in song and tale as the guardian of all people, and even the Gods themselves. Where other Gods might be tricked in tales, or occasionally subject to weaknesses that are almost human, Tyaus is ever standing tall, firm, incorruptible. This has confirmed his place as the leader of the human Gods. Despite being favoured by the powerful, the teachings of the church declare that nobody is beneath Tyaus’ regard, and so even if someone feels Gebrick or Saralyne might represent their interests better, there are very few humans who will not offer a regular prayer to Tyaus, for he protects them, and keeps society strong.

Tyaus is depicted - and appeared at the Last Stand of Andermark - as a tall, imposing man in metal armour that is ceremonial, but austere rather than overly-decorative, his face hidden by a heavy helm with eyes of gold glowing from underneath. Under the helmet he typically is represented as a man in the prime of life, his face hard and lined, his hair and beard dark and only just beginning to go to grey, lordly in demeanour.

The church of Tyaus has always been popular across the Realm, his worship fairly prolific even during the time of scattered tribal civilisations. It was in Andermark that the religion was first codified, and the Andermen spread the word enough to keep some coherency throughout the Realm, but everywhere south of Norlundar he was already well regarded. The formalisation of the United Church and his place at the head of it only served to further his popularity. Every city will have a cathedral of Tyaus within, and in towns big enough to see more than one church, one devoted to Tyaus is common.

History
The church of Tyaus originated in Andermark. It was to the people isolated and trapped in their own wilderness that he gave his comfort, and the codifying of a lot of his dour and stern nature is assumed to come from the dour and stern Andermen. Tyaus was a serious God for a serious people, stalwart in their defence against their enemies.

Even then he was presented as being the leader of the human Gods, and the holder of the regard of the unaligned Gods more than Thoron or Dredden, whose rivalry with him was respectful rather than competitive. That he was considered the ‘oldest’ of the human Gods contributed, as did his patriarchal relationship with his younger brother, Chernobog.

The splintering of Chernobog from the deities of man is considered to be as much Tyaus’ story as the God of Death’s. Chernobog was jealous of his brother and his influence over humans, but the only response his brother would give was that Chernobog had to be mindful of his duty and his place. Some stories consider this a failure of Tyaus to act brotherly, and subsequent interpretations imply that he became warmer after his mistake, or that he even became colder in austere grief at his brother’s betrayal.

Regardless, the failure to appease Chernobog and his jealousy led to the youngest of the human Gods turning away from his brethren and seeking out power elsewhere - from the enemies of the Gods themselves, the demons who had been trapped in hell for their destructive whims. The conflict in heaven was mighty, but ultimately Tyaus cast his brother down into hell, binding him there for his treachery. Forever would this cement Tyaus’ vision of justice as unbiased, for the perpetrator of the most heinous crime in all of creation could not be forgiven, not even if it was his brother.

This was the vision of Tyaus that was so popular in Andermark. The largest cathedral to Tyaus in the world stood in Fordheim, and this would prove to be the home of the whole of the faith, the seat of the Archbishop. As such, when the Andermen began to spread the word, other pockets of worship of Tyaus gained strength. He was highly regarded in Calavria and Lancereaux, and even though the Damryans favoured Aethon, they accepted Tyaus’ role as a mighty leader and guardian of justice.

When the United Church was formed, this only cemented Tyaus’ popularity, for the notion of worshipping him alongside whichever deity represented one’s needs on a more codified basis, within the same churches, saw a steep rise in the prayers given to Tyaus. He did not aid the craftsmen, or toil the fields, or give the soldier strength, but he stood for safety and stability, often the second priority for anyone.

It was from the church of Aethon, rather than the church of Tyaus, that the commands came which would start the Holy War with Sahradia. But the church of Tyaus gave the crusade its restraint and its sense, working closely with the church of Aethon, and lending plenty of holy warriors in its own right. Whilst the church of Tyaus would technically argue for restraint against the impetuous nature of the warriors of Aethon, many of the more horrendous acts condoned or suggested by the United Church came from the followers of Tyaus, cold and hard in battle.

But it was also the Church of Tyaus which brought the much-needed discipline to the fledgling United Church. The crusaders held a tremendous amount of political power after the various wars against Sahradia, especially the liberation of Ibarran. There were whispers of the faith taking great stretches of land for themselves, and lordships in freed Ibarran, especially the followers of Vaitera and Aethon. But it was the Tyausian church which issued the edict for the warriors to return home, and the Tyausian church which ensured that there was no scrabble for power between the religious and the political.

The balance would, over the centuries, be tipped by wars and conflict, but ultimately, even through the Fall, remain.

Worship
Tyaus teaches that law and order are necessary for a working society. Leaders ought to be respected and obeyed, and in turn it is their responsibility to govern fairly, justly, and to protect their people against any external threats. Under the edicts of Tyaus, a man should prefer death to disobeying the orders of a just superior, and that even unjust leaders or laws should not be outright ignored or overruled - rather, change ought to be sought from lawful cooperation with the rulership. The exceptions to this are illegitimate or heretical rulerships, though even the teachings of Tyaus concede that it is a hard thing to tell a flaw in the system from an outright unjust system. Nevertheless, the law is there to be upheld and respected, even outside of one’s home nation, and in turn it must protect the community and bring justice.

The worship of Tyaus is often a sombre affair. His churches can sometimes be even quite large, but they are usually austere and can even be quite plain. Decoration is simple, statues preferred to tapestries or paintings, and walls are more often than not somewhat bare. The comparison is often made to the castle of a strict lord, whose holdings may be strong, whose lands may be prosperous and ardently defended, but whose home is not necessarily warm and welcoming.

Prayers are often found to be a little more comforting, for although there is much talk in them of the dangers of the world, they are also full of faith in their requests of Tyaus to keep the worshipper safe. Similarly, they tend to hold multiple references to the worshipper already having a great deal of strength themselves, and that Tyaus is needed only to aid and show them the way. Those who worship Tyaus are often taught to have a good deal of self-belief, compared to the constant striving for perfection of the worshippers of Aethon. Nevertheless, the prayers are often simple, in composition if not necessarily in language, for the predominant worshippers of Tyaus are often quite well-educated. Prayer-books and development of one’s faith through the written word are thus more common than in other mainstream religions.

Hymns do exist, and tend to serve ceremonial purposes. This is where worship of Tyaus has its more mainstream appeal, as they are kept, again, simple - which tends to make them easy to remember. It is often joked that even the songs of Tyaus sound like funeral dirges, but this is a misleading jest. The songs are often slow and thoughtful, but melodic in their own right, and some religious composers have made songs of true beauty.

Priests of Tyaus are amongst the most respected in all of the clergy. They study hard, as there is a large number of written records of Tyaus’ tenets and edicts, and initiates tend to work for many years before they are ordained. This does usually see them as being more professional than other priests, if only because the basic expectations of a priest of Tyaus are so high. In contrast, it is said that Tyausian priests are the least likely to be warm and companionable, as there is less of an expectation that they will be pillars of the community. But that is a broad generalisation.

Paladins of Tyaus are common, less common in the Realm only than paladins of Aethon. They tend to be staunch allies of their counterparts, though certainly inclined towards being more thoughtful, more patient, and less bombastic. The knightly orders often lend their aid as law enforcers, investigators, or even lawyers and judges, working closely within society and enjoying the advantages of aiding the system whilst not being strictly within it. That said, there have historically been towns which have used knights of Tyaus as the local law enforcement and judicial body.

An ordained follower of Tyaus, be they paladin or wandering priest, is granted certain powers not just by their church but by the law of the Realm. They have the legal right to aid in any criminal investigation, even assuming control of it if nobody of rank is involved, they have the right to represent anyone at a criminal trial, and they have the power to serve as judges. However, it is strictly against the tenets of Tyaus for any one follower to be involved in all three aspects of responsibility.

If a paladin of Tyaus is on a more traditional pursuit of evil, it is usually because such a creature or person has presented a specific threat to a community. Unlike paladins of Aethon, who may go and hunt a dragon for its own sake, a paladin of Tyaus will traditionally care only about such enemies who are quantifiable threats. The heroes of Tyausian histories and tales are traditionally those who have shown wisdom in matters of governance or in matters of justice, and though a paladin is often required to be an excellent warrior to bring forth their God’s strength, they are valued predominantly for their thoughtfulness.

International Variation

Damryn
Despite Damryn being the seat of power of the Realm, Tyaus was not the most popular God in the High Kingdom. He was, however, highly respected, as the lordly virtues and expectations of leadership were much the same as those the Damryans valued. Although the Damryans believed their High Kings to be descendants of Aethon, the attitudes of revering and respecting him above all was a rather Tyausian attitude. That, in turn, the High King - and lords acting in his name - were supposed to be just and fair in return for their fealty was similarly Tyausian, and it is likely that it is from his teachings and the work of his followers that these attitudes crept in alongside the worship of Aethon.

He is still seen to be austere, and sterner than the bombastic Aethon. But there was a great cathedral to him in Caer Brennan, beaten in size only by the ones in Fordheim and Starkholm, a stark, simple building at the centre of the city. Since the formation of the United Church, the High Kings were crowned there - for although their descent came from Aethon, their rule was just, and a coronation in the Cathedral of Tyaus proved their legitimacy.

Lancereaux
Lancereaux was perhaps where the worship of Tyaus was the most ceremonial, formalised, and ostentatious. The Lancesians not being inclined towards austerity, their depictions of him showed a man in ornate ceremonial armour, with a crown upon his head. The more bombastic songs and upbeat hymns were Lancesian in origin, almost universally.

The country having a similar masculine obsession as Damryn, in the form of its fixation with chivalric values, Aethon was very popular - but the lords of Lancereaux all worshiped Tyaus first and foremost. The people were encouraged to worship Tyaus rather than Gebrick, for rather than be rewarded for their work and taught the value of their labour, it was in the best interests of the Lancesian ruling classes that the peasantry receive a Tyausian reminder of their place and the justness of following their rulers.

Andermark
Andermark being the birthplace of the United Church, and the home of the codification of Tyausian worship, Anderian worship of Tyaus is the most mainstream, and has heavy influences upon the rest of the Realm’s religious bent. Here, his churches were stern and austere, the prayers inclined towards gloomy promises of strength, and the hymns melodious at best. He was a stern God for a stern people, and remained so throughout the Fall and after.

Calavria
Tyaus had little broad appeal within Calavria. He did not embrace ideas of commerce, or of study, and his teachings of respecting rulers and those higher in society were only useful if they encouraged a man to respect someone more powerful than him economically. But despite the hypocrisy, worship of Tyaus remained the most mainstream religion in Calavria. Like in Lancereaux, it saw a greater display of ostentatious wealth than Andermen might have approved of, but churches of Tyaus remained the place where society came together, especially high society. It was, perhaps, the ‘default’ religion of those who were not tempted to worship of one of the many other Gods celebrated in Calavria.

Ibarran
Ibarrish worship of Tyaus had shifting popularity through the ever-changing political landscape of Ibarran. Historically, worship of Tyaus was mostly conducted by royalty, nobility and dons, so it is of little surprise that worship of the god fell out of favour come the revolution. The diminished popularity of Tyaus lingered right until the the onset of Sahradian occupation, but recovered somewhat with the beginnings of the Crusades.

Norlundar
The Norls have never worshiped Tyaus in any organised fashion. As such, any Tyausian followers in Norlundar were exceptions, and would likely have conducted their worship in the manner of their conversion.

Aethon
Also known as The Lord Resplendent, The Shield-Bearer, The Dog of War

Overview
The strong right arm of the United Church, admired by warriors across the Realm and followed by paladins who battle hard against evil, Aethon is also respected and worshiped as the God of the Sun. He is depicted as standing for all that is strong, righteous, resplendent - but also warming, invigorating, and full of life. Aethon is typically considered to be the epitome of human masculinity, and enjoys a higher proportion of male worshippers than any other God save Isall.

There are multiple facets of Aethon which draw attention and worship. He prizes physical achievement and competition, encouraging the pursuit and enjoyment of athletics but equally espousing the virtues of fair play. As a martial figure, in his role as the human God of War, it is righteous battle that he champions, rather than brutal bloodshed. As the Sun God he is considered not so much a benevolent figure bringing warmth and light to the world, to farmers and to sailors and all those who benefit from the sun, so much as a force of nature. His is the light of righteousness, the force of goodness, and by his sheer presence alone the world is rendered better. He is a symbol as much as he is a proactive force.

This is not to say Aethon is seen as uncaring. On the contrary, although his followers are charged to be masculine and bold, to seek out evil and destroy it, to strive for personal perfection and by their nature to be competitive against others, he also encourages humility. Whilst an Aethonite should take pride in their achievements and themselves, being a braggart would only interfere with their holy duties, and Aethon takes a dim view of such worshippers. Equally, whilst Aethon will take no insult to his pride or the pride of his followers, and they can prove prickly and quick to offend, they are also the most stalwart defenders of those who are suffering, and should never think themselves above a deed, especially if it would aid good or hurt evil.

How Aethon is depicted varies from culture to culture, considering his role as the epitome of masculine pride and strength. His appearance at the Last Stand of Starkholm did not do a great deal to resolve any inconsistencies, considering the light with which his figure blazed was almost blinding to look upon. Emanating from both his surcoat and his shield, he appeared in glinting heavy armour, yet carried the weight in battle as if it were nothing. The only defining feature any can agree on is that he went into battle without a helm, under which all could be made out for sure was his long, golden hair.

The Aethonite church was probably one of the most politically powerful of all of the faiths. They were the wealthiest of the churches, seeing a lot of attention from the ruling classes, especially in Damryn, Lancereaux, and Calavria. The faith also had much less self-restraint than the Tyausian church, with fewer objections to utilising the influence it had gathered. Certainly the head of the Aethonite faith held a seat on the council of the Kings of Damryn, and those of the line of Tewdyr could never afford to dismiss the church which proclaimed their claim to the throne was, truly, divine.

History
Non-formalised worship of Aethon has gone on throughout humanity since long before the founding of any civilisations. Different tribes and cultures would all nevertheless value something as evidently life-giving as the sun, and in harsh and dangerous times were heavily reliant upon the warriors in their society for protection. Aethon has thus for over a thousand years been seen as the bringer and defender of life.

It was the Damryans who most of all embraced his teachings, and to the Damryans that he sent the majority of his messages, visions, and dreams. They first wrote down his words, and built the first churches in his name, and it was the Damryans who were driven to spread the word far and wide across humanity. As such, most of the Aethonite religion has been formalised and defined by the Kingdom of Damryn.

It has never been confirmed by any independent source whether or not High King Tewdyr was actually a son of Aethon. Scholars - very quietly - suspect this to not be the case, especially since there are no other reputable examples of the Gods siring offspring. But it is notable that Tewdyr rose to success on the back of the religious fervour he whipped up around himself as much as his own skills, and Damryn was united with the belief that such an end was Aethon’s wish. Most Damryans think that if Aethon had not wanted it or if Tewdyr was not his son, the first High King would likely have been punished for his audacity to make such a claim, and see that as proof enough. Equally, every High King since has styled himself as a descendent of Aethon, and this, along with the fact that before the Fall there was an unbroken direct line from Tewdyr on the throne in Caer Brennan, is considered yet more evidence.

The Aethonites had always enjoyed warm relationships with the followers of Tyaus, Vaitera, and Gebrick. Their teachings taught them to respect all of them for their various roles, and so when Andermark became a hotbed of religious discussion, the Damryans especially became involved. Anderian Tyausians were the driving force behind the official formation of the United Church, but Damryan Aethonites supported them whole-heartedly.

Cynical scholars suggest this fervour to not be entirely a case of of religious idealism, but rather, by this point there had already been murmurings within the Aethonite faith about taking action against the heretics of Sahradia. The priests had been receiving dreams, they said, telling them that the heretical followers of Amirr and Isall were a great threat to humanity and that war was the only way. With the Damryan people locked in their conflicts to unite the Realm, the church struggled to get backing to open a new front against Sahradia. In the forming of the United Church, not only could they speed up the formation of the Realm, but they could also gather allies to their cause. And in war, the Aethonites would prove their worth. Although they knew they would never be able to supplant Tyaus as the head of their Church, they were determined to not be left as second-rate along with the worship of Gebrick, the peasant’s God, and Vaitera, a humble martyr.

Not to mention that the nearest heretics were in Ibarran, which was ripe for reclaiming from goblins on political and religious grounds. When the United Church was formed and the Realm began to settle in this new era of religious prosperity, the Aethonites travelled far and wide spreading the word of their Lord that the goblins were enemies of the faith, enemies of humanity itself. Their new allies in the United Church either took up the call, or remained diplomatically silent on the matter enough that the movement picked up speed.

It suited the Damryan High King to continue his conquest across the Realm, and so the Aethonites had an easy time of directing him at Ibarran. In the name of freeing humanity, and vanquishing the heretics, the Realm declared war on the goblin-occupied kingdom, and the Aethonites were given their war.

The paladins of Aethon, fighting together in a war for the first time, did indeed prove their worth. They shone more than ever with the power of their God, and mostly consisting of especially fervent Damryans, they combined the discipline of their people with an unparallelled fervour that even the goblins could not match. Such was their performance in the liberation of Ibarran that this reputation would stay with them for centuries after - even through the defeats in the Fall.

Worship
The worship of Aethon is often a bombastic, joyous thing. His churches are grand displays to his glory, from the magnificent Cathedral of the Sun in Caer Brennan, the largest centre of worship in the Realm, to the humblest village church. The former was ornate with magnificent statues, carvings, paintings, stained-glass windows, and tapestries, whilst the latter would still see painstakingly hand-crafted decoration around the wooden door-frame, and murals painted with fervent peasant care. To show the glory of Aethon in his houses of worship was yet another form by which worshippers could adore him.

Most of the teachings and sermons of Aethon take the form of stories, which is a heavy Damryan influence. They tell of the deeds of Aethon or his most loyal followers, and work the lesson in with the weave of the tale. Hymns are often worked into the stories themselves, and many of them share significant similarities with Damryan folk songs, or take a huge part in telling aspects of the stories rather than just abstractly glorifying Aethon. One would have to see Lancesian worship of Aethon to see the songs and art at their most sophisticated, but across the spectrum of the faith, the idea of communicating Aethon’s values through specific examples and morality tales remains consistent.

Aethonites traditionally rise before dawn to utter their prayers to the rising sun, full of hope of the beginning of a new day. Their prayers typically take the form of promises rather than requests - promises that they will embrace the light of the sun, and bring its warmth with them all day. Promises that they will make this day a better one, for themselves as well as others. Dusk is a similarly important time for Aethonites, though it is one of the occasions where their usually bombastic approach to life and religion does not apply. At dusk, an Aethonite is expected to take the opportunity for a minute or so of silence and reflection, to consider their day, their prayers, their promises, and to consider if they have done all they ought.

Aside from this, followers of Aethon are not known for their thoughtfulness and restraint. The religion is infused with a joie de vivre, and the ease with which Aethonite tales and songs can apply to entertainment as well as worship, especially in Damryn, mean that it is very unlikely one could not tell if someone they meet is a worshipper of the Lord Resplendent.

Any church will regularly hold game days, perhaps once a month. These are considered times of religious import even greater than weekly sermons, for followers gather to contest their skill and physical prowess in what is considered the most ‘pure’ appreciation of the values of their God. They begin at dawn, of course, and participants are expected to compete in a wide variety of games, trials, and tests. The champion, or champions, are spectacularly lauded, usually directly before nightfall, which then tends to lead on to an eve of great, splendorous celebration. An outside observer could be forgiven for considering them to just be a recreational activity with a lot of shouting, singing, and eventually drinking, but for an Aethonite they are both desperately important to their faith, and containing a large amount of subtle ritual and procedure that governs the events.

Aethonite priests are required, as a rule, to be good speakers and to have a good memory. Although there are plenty of written records of the stories of Aethon and the prayers and songs of Aethon, these are usually transcribed for the sake of record rather than to be studied and shared in such a way. It is impractical for most priests to possess written copies of every sermon - not to mention reading such sermon out loud is, as a generalisation, less engaging. So they have to remember each sermon, story, prayer, and song, and bring them to life for their congregation.

Although it is not expected of them, Aethonite priests are consequentially usually rather good with people. They engage with their congregation as ‘first amongst equals’, and are usually pillars of their community, sought out for advice and reassurance socially as well as religiously.

An Aethonite paladin is considered the epitome of how humanity regard paladins. Emblazoned with the sigils of their God and imbued with his holy power, they are charged to seek out and destroy evil wherever it is found, ease suffering, and uphold goodness and righteousness. They are firm believers in the power of the symbol as much as in the power of their own deeds, and it is not so unusual for the more successful to be followed by various bards and storytellers, who are usually guaranteed a good story. Whether it’s a comedy or a heroic epic is often something they will find out along the way.

Orders tend to form with the broad goal of ‘hunting down evil’. This is usually a dangerously vague statement of intent, and can lead to paladins either sitting in their halls doing very little but telling grand tales of mostly-fictional exploits, or their wandering around seeking evil and probably bringing more harm on the local peasantry in the process. These Orders were usually shut down rather quickly by the church, but young men were still prone to founding them anyway.

When effective, however, the Orders of Aethon were staggering. If they came to an area suffering from trouble, be it marauding Yotunaar or a dragon besieging the land, they were usually terrifyingly efficient in dealing with it, as they would typically be the largest body of trained and equipped military men that any such threat had ever borne witness to. If the Order integrated itself with the any local army, they would usually take the form of either an elite unit who would wage devastation against their enemy, or as officers who could command in the field better than the sergeants selected from the levies. Usually the presence of even a handful of Aethonite paladins could transform any force to being notably more efficient.

International Variation

Damryn
Aethon is the most popular deity in Damryn, above even Tyaus. He is depicted as the superior warrior, resplendent in Damryan colours, and regalia, with long blond hair and a fine beard, hefting arms and armour with ease and confidence. The majority of churches, especially United Church churches, in Damryn are devoted to Aethon. To the Damryans, he is the quintessential depiction of masculinity and warrior pride, and though Tyaus is respected amongst the lords and Gebrick amongst the peasants, even if they are more relevant to their lifestyles, Aethon is seen as what every Damryan man should aspire to be regardless of social status. Most of the culture of the Aethonite faith is Damryan in origin, and this is felt across the church.

Lancereaux
As with most nations, Lancereaux perceive Aethon to be the pinnacle of their image of ideal masculinity. For the Lancesians he is the defining knight in shining armour, cleaner-cut in appearance than for the warlike Damryans, and more chivalrous and courteous in his conduct. Worship of Aethon is thus particularly popular for a nation obsessed with chivalry, though this is almost exclusively amongst the nobility and knightly classes. One of the defining factors of Lancesian worship of Aethon is that he is seen as the knight in shining armour to Vaitera’s damsel in distress - many of the Lancesian songs and stories of the Gods hint at, and some outright claim are real, a romantic relationship between the two Gods. It is, however, presented as the very definition of courtly love, where Aethon is a heroic figure who will save her, champion her, and protect her, but where their feelings remain almost unspoken, and almost never acted upon.

Andermark
Despite being a nation with a warrior culture, Aethon has not been as well-regarded in Andermark as he has elsewhere. The need for a protector is filled by Tyaus, the warrior ethos of Andermen being more inclined towards thoughtfulness and fighting for the people than the more glamorous ideals of Aethon. Similarly, the buoyant worship is not always as popular amongst a people who are rather stern in manner. Nevertheless, Aethon is well-respected as the strong right hand of the United Church, and paid a large amount of deference in universal worship even if there are not as many churches to him there as elsewhere.

Calavria
The Calavrians, with their mixed approach to religion, still regard Aethon with as much respect as any other. In fact, those who are truly fervent in their religion are perhaps slightly more inclined to follow Aethon than most other Gods. Despite the Tyausian churches being the most popular of Calavria, the bombastic, glamorous, and expensive displays which often mark Aethonite worship have made it quite popular amongst those who embrace church as a social way of life.

Ibarran
Ibarran sees the calmest worship of Aethon. He is associated perhaps more than any other God with Vaitera, though they strenuously reject the Lancesian implications of a romantic attachment. But he is also the Sun God, and in sunny Ibarran that wins one respect, if not affection. Additionally, Aethonites led the charge in the freeing of Ibarran from goblin rule, and in the subsequent Crusades against Sahradia itself. Worship of Aethon in Ibarran was thus fairly common, though a considerably calmer, more ascetic and rural affair than anywhere else in the Realm.

Norlundar
The Norls have never worshiped Aethon in any organised fashion. As such, any Aethonite followers in Norlundar were exceptions, and would likely have conducted their worship in the manner of their conversion.

Gebrick
Also known as the Brother of the Scythe, the Humble God, the God of Mud and Paupers

Overview
Gebrick is the god of the everyman, most often paid tribute to by the common folk amongst humanity. He is humble and inimposing, and often prayed to regarding matters of everyday life such as trade and agriculture and what’s productive for a community rather than matters of mercantile or of warfare. As a god of fairly basic values, worship of Gebrick is almost entirely amongst the peasantry. He has little to offer nobles, soldiers or politicians, and does not grant his blessings for anything other than the fostering of a communal atmosphere and the steady progress of life in general.

That said, a merchant announcing himself as a follower of Gebrick is usually a sign that he can be trusted to bring a fair and resonable price. Followers of Gebrick are many things: farmers, masons, blacksmiths, carpenters, thatchers, fletchers, cobblers - but what they aren’t are cheats. Followers of Gebrick are believers in fair trade and producing the best quality out of what they work it, be it land, ore, wood, stone or anything else. Devout followers of Gebrick tend to be selfless and accommodating people.

History
The origins of worship of Gebrick stem right back to ancient Calavria. The farmers that would till the land to feed Antinori worshiped the Brother of the Scythe so he might see them good harvest and fair weather. A site atop of the hill outside of Antinori was home of one of Ereda’s oldest known churches, a small and humble chapel of Gebrick most befitting the god himself. Whilst that church has collapsed several times over the centuries that followed, the site remained so strongly affiliated to Gebrick that, rather than salvaging the stone of the chapel to build walls or homes, the peasantry rebuilt the church time and time again. That small church was still standing come the Fall, but the fate of it is unknown for now.

As goods were traded and produce moved, so too spread the word of Gebrick. Priests of Gebrick were usually ordained in humble ceremonies by village elders and quite often would travel the nations of the world spreading the world of the Humble God. Quite often these wandering priests would attach themselves to merchants, vouching for the quality of the produce and ensuring that it saw a fair price. It was little surprise that not only did the word of Gebrick take hold quite so quickly in other nations, but that it became popular to have at least a local priest of Gebrick overseeing and organising many of the market squares amongst the working classes.

What made the word of Gebrick survive was a simple affair of word-of-mouth and the fact that Gebrick’s teachings were mostly done in anecdotal tales and fables. Fairness, moderation, trust and pride in hard labour were easily communicated through these tales and were quite often adapted to be accessible to children. Gebrician values were values that caused a community to thrive, and as such worship of Gebrick remained integral to most communities.

As Gebrick’s word spread, however, there was some concern amongst other churches about a god so widely worshiped that had no real texts. Priests of Gebrick for a long while had no formalised establishment for worship, nor and accepted texts of Gebrick to teach from. For the followers of Gebrick, however, a formalised text was worth little to men and women that could not read it.

A monastery was built in Lancereaux to try and tackle this issue. Jeffrey de Cassel commissioned a Halls of Scripture and Learning for local priests of Gebrick to learn basic letters and numeracy. De Cassel himself visited several of the larger Gebrician communities to meet with priests of Gebrick and collect as much knowledge as he could to create a formalised Book of Gebrick. Over the years this volume has been re-written, revised, and even challenged as to its authenticity both within and outside of the church of Gebrick. But it was de Cassel’s text that, come the formation of the United Church, was given a final revision and included in the Libris Unitas.

There was an incident within Andermark which is often cited as to the popularity of worship of Gebrick, and is often included in sermons to Gebrick today. A lord, the identity of which has been oft debated but overall lost to the ages, rallied his men-at-arms and the peasantry of his lands and marched to war against Lancereaux. The lord and his master of arms, a knight, would each morning lead a prayer to Aethon to guide them true as they travelled and bid them blessings in the coming war. The lord, however, noticed that in prayer the peasantry all knelt together and did not follow the sermon that the knight was giving. Their lips moved silently and they would stop a good minute before the Aethonite men-at-arms finished. The lord then went the peasants and asked them: ‘What prayers do you speak, if not to Aethon, to guide us in this war?’

‘We pray to Gebrick, my lord,’ said one of the peasants.

‘What good is Gebrick as we march to engage an enemy? What good is a pauper-god of grain and crops? Surely you should be asking Aethon for his blessing, to make good our blades and hold true our pikes.’

‘You pray for the battle because there is glory in it for you, my Lord,’ the peasant replied. ‘However, should you die, your estate and your lands will remain secure. Should we die we stand to lose much more, and as such we pray not for victory today, but in hopes that your lands remain fertile and yields us everything we need for our livelihoods, so that our families may live happily without us and so you have populated lands to return to.’

If anything, worship of Gebrick has increased since the Fall. Community has become an important ideal to be preserved in the wake of such disastrous times, and an ideal that the teachings of Gebrick can aid in restoring. As well as this, with the land being cramped and limited, it is more important than ever to pray to Gebrick for good harvest.

Gebrick appeared at the Last Battle of Starkholm as a plain man with fair features, dark hair, and dressed in the garb of peasant infantry. His garb was remarkable in how clean it was, but other than that seemed little more that well-made cotton with suitable enough decoration to look impressive without being garish or overdone . He carried with him a pike and notably did not stray far from Tyaus’s side during the battle itself.

Worship
Worship of Gebrick is, like the god himself, usually humble and unfrivolous. Communities usually observe a sermon every seventhday, but these sermons are usually held along with announcements of local affairs from the village’s priest, mayor, elder or even their local sheriff. Followers usually on these seventhday sermons will share several prayers together and listen to the tales chosen to be told by the priest leading the sermon, usually connected to local affairs or recent events. If a village had recently seen a tragedy, for instance, the sermon would be utilised to restore faith in the villagers. If a harvest proved particularly fruitful, the sermon would be conducted to celebrate the bounteous harvest and, depending on how truly plentiful the harvest was, might well see fresh bread distributed amongst the villagers.

Other than that, worship of Gebrick is usually private and much varied. A farmer in birthing season would likely stay up with his sons and his farmhands to see that the births go without complications. That farmer, illuminated undoubtedly by lanterns or a firepit to keep out the chill, would also light a solitary candle for Gebrick and pray in order to thank the god for each living calf. Those that work the land would often cast some grain loose into the air in tribute to Gebrick. In Andermark and Damryn, men that headed into the forests to collect timber would find themselves praying much more frequently in an attempt to ward off the beastkin and the demons that dwelled within, but these prayers would often be swiftly-murmured please to any god that might be listening, and particularly after the formation of the United Church these prayers were quite often readdressed to Tyaus or Aethon.

Autumn and spring are very important days for the average Gebrician. Even those whose trade is more in crafting and building are taught often of how a community thrives on all levels, and what common sense could not tell of a how important a good season is to anyone of a village or town, the teachings of Gebrick can more than make up for with its several tales of rival farmers and shepherds, the impatient and the lazy always being thwarted by particularly bad turns of weather.

The Harvest Festival is a tradition that stems from Gebrician values. Such occasions are an opportunity to show thanks to the Brother of the Scythe for keeping his followers in good faith through the harvest seasons by allowing them an opportunity to celebrate as a community the fruits of the lands and their labours.

International Variation

Damryn
Worship of Gebrick in Damryn almost strictly adhered to what has been mentioned above. Most towns and villages were crowded wattle-and-daub communities that saw most men and women spending their entire lives in them, learning the trade of their parents and passing it on to their children. As such, Gebrick was worshiped widely within these communities.

Lancereaux
The opinion of Gebrick within Lanceraux was a poor one. The negative nickname of the ‘God of Mud and Paupers’ stems from the Lancesians, who viewed the deity to be a rung below Aethon and Tyaus. There were cases of Gebrician worship being frowned upon as it detracted from working the land, and as such it was further oppressed by the lord that condemned it. To them, they were enacting the will of Tyaus.

Andermark
Within Andermark, Gebrick was a respected god amongst the lower classes and gentry alike. Gebrick was seen as the protector of the common folk and the god that worked in favor with the needs for the peasantry. Most anyone that wished to eat well come the winter payed some tribute to Gebrick, and popularity for the Humble God only increased with the formation of the United Church, but he again was never revered as much as Aethon and Tyaus.

Calavria
Gebrick was better regarded in Calavria than elsewhere, though his Calavrian interpretation placed much more emphasis on his role in commerce and trade than labour, particularly within the mercantile classes.. He was seen as the quintessential businessman by the Calavrians, and his teachings about community and binding were often all but overlooked. That said, Calavria had the widest worship of Gebrick amongst classes that weren’t peasantry than any other of the Realm.

Ibarran
Worship of Gebrick was very popular within Ibarran. There was a higher proportion of villages built with a Gebrician monastery there than there was anywhere else. The communities of Ibarran thrived from the teachings of Gebrick.

Norlundar
The Norls have never worshiped Gebrick in any organised fashion. As such, any Gebrician followers in Norlundar were exceptions, and would likely have conducted their worship in the manner of their conversion.

Vaitera
Also known as the Martyr, the Wounded Woman, She of Bloody Water

Overview
The only female god within the pantheon of the United Church, Vaitera is a much-needed element of nurture and healing. She is seen a figure of maternity, a figure of empowerment, entertained as a figure of courtly love, a noble entity of martyrdom, a vigil of hope through sufferance and a mournful figure in perpetual anguish. Readings and interpretations of Vaitera and her sacrifice are widely varied and often a cause for controversy between conflicting readings.

The only source of healing magic that is ‘clean’ and ‘reliable’ in the eyes of the average man is that of Vaitera’s blessings. Of sources of healing does exist, in alchemical concoctions or savage rituals, but Vaitera’s healing is both thorough and blessed. It is known that, in the heavens, Vaitera has sacrificed all heavenly comforts to exist in eternal suffering, granting those followers that draw upon her powers the capability of transplanting the wounds of mortals onto her godly being, so she might suffer in place of them. The wound of a man is nothing for a god to suffer, but the countless number of wounds she accumulates from the healing that her followers do accumulate to an existence of anguish for the god. A follower of Vaitera must accept the fact that they are, in wielding the powers bestowed by her, causing Vaitera to exist in eternal and endless suffering: but it is a suffering she endures willingly.

The healers of Vaitera must be discerning in when they do and do not heal, however. Leprosy is a disease brought about by sin and endured only by those that have wronged the gods in some way and in Vaiterian texts it is said again and again that they who suffer leprosy must not be cured. Not only are they deserved of their fate, but the disease they carry is too much for the Wounded Woman to bear. Leprosy is amongst the plagues that Vaitera cannot endure and, whilst it is possible to heal these disease with her magics, doing so has dire consequences for the individual and for their goddess. Vateranites that have cured leprosy have seen punishment befitting murder and treason in the past.

Vaitera manifested at the Last Battle of Starkholm as a woman dressed in white robes over which the blood that flowed from her many wounds ran as if the wool of it were slick and waxed. Her very tears were blood, and she left a a bloody footprint where she stepped. Her steps, however, did not carry her very far. She quietly and slowly waded through the battle, stricken by blows from Legionaries, she merely accumulated cuts and wounds, walked herself atop a hill, and announced in a voice that would have been too soft to hear were it a mortal: ‘I suffer the wounds of mankind to relieve their own suffering. I do not extend to you the same courtesy.’

With her arms outspread, the inflicted the wounds that she had suffered on behalf of humanity onto the Legion.

History
Though several nations claim to have been the heart of Vaiterian worship, there is no discernible ‘origin’. The influence of the Martyr was widespread from the very beginning, the incredible powers possessed by Vaiterian healers meant that the talents of her clergy were sought-after in all walks of life. Across most of the nations of the Realm, the clergy of Vaitera have always been in a position of respect. But what the history of Vaiterian worship is full of is fractures and splinter-groups, branches of the church formed over different interpretations of the holy texts of Vaitera, and several internal conflicts between these groups that have lead to age-old grudges that still foster even today.

Vaitera has long been a presence in the various cultures of the Realm. Offerings and prayers to Vaitera were a practice indiscriminate of age, gender or social status. If a friend or family member became ill, most everyone turned their thoughts to Vaitera. Monasteries and churches to Vaitera were quite often houses of healing and hospices that would welcome anyone into their halls, be if it they walked there or were carried, to be given the treatment they needed or the capability of spending their waning days in peace and care provided that they did not carry any of the unholy diseases that the texts of Vaitera deemed unclean and incurable.

There was a trend for wandering Vaiterans to travel in self-imposed pilgrimages to live a selfless life curing any and all that required them. Called the Wandering Clergy, they were common across all of the nation of the Realm and saw pilgrimages as far as the Iron Empire and even Norlundar. There was some divergence even there between those who believed that they should travel as comfortable as they might and accept rewards and recompense for their healing and those that sought an impoverish life and eschewed even necessities such as foot-ware, travelling in discomfort to mirror the suffering of their goddess.

This latter mindset is what brought about one of the more radical branches of the Vaiteran church, the Ibarrish branch of Her Lady’s Scourged. Believing that any suffering that a follower of Vaitera can shoulder would elevate the suffering of the goddess herself and that it is the duty of those that truly worship the goddess to practice the mortification of the flesh. Her Lady’s Scourged usually travel swinging crops over their shoulders to lash at their much-scarred backs, barefoot and shaven headed with merely a pair of woolen trousers to clothe them.

Just as Her Lady’s Scourged believed in Vaitera being a woman in constant anguish that needed revered, the Lancesians believed something much different. They believed that Vaitera was a distressed damsel, locked in the heavens in a prison of suffering that might not even have been her will, longing for a knight in shining armour to rescue her from that place. To these followers, Aethon was that very knight, and worship of Vaitera was often very closely linked to worship of Aethon. It is of little surprise, then, that these two branches of thought in particular were often at odds. The church of Lady Vaitera Virtuous despised the brutal and barbaric actions of Her Lady’s Scourged, and Her Lady’s Scourged detested how the church of Lady Vaitera Virtuous ignored the true implications of her suffering for the sake of a romanticised love story.

When the Great Pestilence, the already respected and valued Vaiteran clergy became a necessity for each and every settlement, and a necessity that could not be so widely spread. The church of Vaitera had neither the time nor the resources to see their followers distributed so far and wide across the Realm. There was also a reticence from the Vaiterian clergy to endorse such a distribution. The Great Pestilance was believed to be as foul a disease as leprosy to some, and several priests reported that they had received visions of Vaitera being incapable of suffering such a disease. There came a time of internal dispute within the Vaiteran church that saw some of the more zealous branches of the church challenging some of the more humanitarian wings in their actions.

Come the formation of the United Church, in light of there being so many nuances to Vaiterian worship, the choice of which text would be included in the Libris Unitas was pivotal. Ultimately the Church settled on reproducing a Damryn version of the text, the Codex of Cademon with an Anderian influence in its editing and a general decree that ‘if an individual, in following the Martyr, Vaiteria, believes and wishes to pursue an avenue more pious that in the eyes of another might seem more vulgar, that is a matter of discussion between those two individuals and serves no place in this Church.’

The Fall has, if anything, exacerbated the arguments between the branches of the church. The survivors of most splinter groups are few and far between, but those few that have survived believed they did so due to following the true will of Vaitera. The United Church’s stance on this is to point out that the bulk of Vaiteran worship today is contained within the United Church.

Worship
Worship of Vaitera comes in many forms, with central themes running throughout most of cleanliness and recognition of the goddess’s sacrifice and suffering. Within the United Church sermons to Vaitera mostly consist of select readings of the texts and some hymns, usually quiet and somber affairs that allow for quiet contemplation. Most Vaiteranites pray and sing knelt down with their heads cast upwards to the heavens, sometimes with their arms outspread and palms facing upwards. Their hands will be drawn together and their head bowed only when their prayer is done. In these times of prayer, it is not uncommon for followers to weep or even experience spasms of anguish.

The tales told at Vaiteran sermons tend to be tales of sacrifice and selflessness, mostly drawn from Damryan and Anderian tales of much the same subject matter, but some tales of further afield have found themselves intergrated within Vaiterian sermons.

There tends to be a strong personal influence to Vaiterian sermons. The song and tales are mostly lead by a Priest, but anyone of the church can arrange to lead the song or tell the tale. In this, there are more stories entering Vaiterian sermons. Several tales of nobility and sacrifice from the Fall have been circulated amongst the worshipers of Vaitera, and were able to become solid fixtures by the men and women of the church that told them.

Confession is a practice of the Vaiterian church, a member of the priesthood often available to sit in a booth specifically designed to preserve the confessor’s anonymity so that they might admit their sins to Vaitera and to the Church and hope that the gods will grant them mercy. The priest would often discuss ways that the sinner could begin their road to redemption and how best to atone in the long-term.

The average priest of Vaitera is a patient and empathetic individual who can be as soothing and understanding as any situation needs them to be. There is, because of this, something of an expectation for Vaiteranites to be soft-spoken, timid and easy to influence. These stereotypes, whilst true in some cases, are just that: stereotypes. In fact, after the fall, there has been an increase of Vaiteranites learning a weapon, spurred on perhaps by the atrocities witnessed during the Fall at the hands of the Legion or inspired by the words of the goddess herself, ‘I suffer the wounds of mankind to relieve their own suffering. I do not extend to you the same courtesy.’ That said, any Vaiterian healer that worked amongst knights as a combat healer would know a weapon so that they might defend themselves on the field.

Traditional Vaiterian garb includes a cord or rope tied around each of the wrists. The colour of this cord usually denotes rank within the church, though red rope is worn by all members of the Vaiterian clergy to symbolise the blood of their goddess.

International Variation

Damryn
Vaitera was no better regarded than anywhere else in the Realm, and though she was not disregarded, she had minimal role in Damryan society. She was sometimes depicted to be a strong women capable of weathering the greatest of all challenges, but ultimately Tyaus and Aethon were favored in worship over her.

Lancereaux
Worship of Vaitera within Lanceraux was often conducted in light of her relationship with Aethon. The fact that she was a prominent and powerful goddess was often underplayed in relation to the power of masculinity and, as such, she was portrayed more as a damsel in distress that needed aid from a masculine god more than an independent deity of her own right.

Andermark
In Andermark, worship of Vaitera was a fairly no-frills affair. The church of Vaitera was treated in much the same respect as the churches of Aethon and Tyaus, and as such come the formation of the United Church there was ample communication between the parishes that brought about Vaitera’s inclusion amongst the four.

Calavria
Worship of Vaitera within Calavria saw a boost come the Great Pesitlance, the nation that stood most strongly in favour of healing the plague that swept across Calavria. Not only that, but it was most notably Calavrian nobles that saw the priorty of the healer’s attention, who then in turn put money back into the church of Vaitera.

Ibarran
The home of Her Lady’s Scourged, worship of Vaitera within Ibarran has always been taken to something of an extreme. The suffering of Vaitera has been seen as relative to the suffering of the Ibarrish people over the years in both a social and political matter. The Ibarrish believe strongly that neglecting the suffering of Vaitera and lack of respect towards that suffering indicate someone who does not truly worship the Martyr goddess.

Norlundar
The Norls have never worshiped Vaitera in any organised fashion. As such, any Vaiteranite followers in Norlundar were exceptions, and would likely have conducted their worship in the manner of their conversion.