Religions of Elanthia (book) - Revision history

SPICYDIAPSID: /* The World Dragon */ Updated some links.

2021-12-04T01:37:44Z

The World Dragon: Updated some links.

CARAAMON at 11:01, 12 March 2013

2013-03-12T11:01:28Z

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			{{RTOC}}
	===The Religions of Elanthia===		===The Religions of Elanthia===
	''By [[Pentaith]] Illistim''		''By [[Pentaith]] Illistim''

CARAAMON: moved The Religions of Elanthia (book) to Religions of Elanthia (book)

2011-09-20T18:24:37Z

moved The Religions of Elanthia (book) to Religions of Elanthia (book)

← Older revision	Revision as of 13:24, 20 September 2011
(No difference)

CARAAMON at 11:01, 9 February 2009

2009-02-09T11:01:21Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:01, 9 February 2009
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	Pentaith Illistim		Pentaith Illistim

			{{cat\|Book}}[[page type is::book\| ]][[guild association is::cleric\| ]]
	[[Category:Book]]

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2007-11-17T22:34:03Z

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	mortals will venerate the Dark Gods, if not out of		mortals will venerate the Dark Gods, if not out of
	love, out of fear and respect. For example, the Shard		love, out of fear and respect. For example, the Shard
	holiday Ten'ra Agalith, which means Heaven Truce, is a		holiday [[Ten'ra Agalith]], which means Heaven Truce, is a
	day to placate the gods of darkness. Shard was nearly		day to placate the gods of darkness. Shard was nearly
	ruined by the Dark Gods before the people realized		ruined by the Dark Gods before the people realized
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	==The World Dragon==		==The World Dragon==
	Another sizable, and influential religion, is that of		Another sizable, and influential religion, is that of
	worshipping the World Dragon, its followers being		worshipping the [[World Dragon]], its followers being
	called the "Dragon Priests." The World Dragon is a		called the "[[Dragon Priests]]." The World Dragon is a
	being that hatched from the fourth moon of Elanthia,		being that hatched from the fourth moon of Elanthia,
	Grazhir. Shards of the moon did tremendous damage to		[[Grazhir]]. Shards of the moon did tremendous damage to
	Elanthia, but that was unmatched before the chaos		Elanthia, but that was unmatched before the chaos
	wrought by the World Dragon itself. The World Dragon		wrought by the World Dragon itself. The World Dragon
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	Dragon worship is commonly divided into two sects --		Dragon worship is commonly divided into two sects --
	the Sect of Sh'Kial, and the Sect of Dzree. Sh'kial's		the Sect of [[Sh'Kial]], and the Sect of [[Dzree]]. Sh'kial's
	sect came first, springing from the discontent and		sect came first, springing from the discontent and
	poverty of the S'Kra people during the corrupt times		poverty of the S'Kra people during the corrupt times
	of the Empire of the Seven Pointed Star. Sh'kial		of the [[Empire of the Seven Pointed Star]]. Sh'kial
	taught that the World Dragon should be appeased and		taught that the World Dragon should be appeased and
	pacified through worship. Sacrifices and other		pacified through worship. Sacrifices and other
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	these people actually just claimed that the ancient		these people actually just claimed that the ancient
	beliefs of the Immortal followers were lies. One such		beliefs of the Immortal followers were lies. One such
	theory, held by a Dragon Priest named Miele, was that		theory, held by a Dragon Priest named [[Miele]], was that
	the Elotheans were not as the Annals of the Timeless		the Elotheans were not as the Annals of the Timeless
	Ones claimed, but were in fact Elven-Human hybrids		Ones claimed, but were in fact Elven-Human hybrids
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	is called the "ru'at," and the people within the ru'at		is called the "ru'at," and the people within the ru'at
	are "ru'ati," or "ru'atin," which is plural. So		are "ru'ati," or "ru'atin," which is plural. So
	the Ru'atin Peri'el are, literally, the Sisters of		the [[Ru'atin Peri'el]] are, literally, the Sisters of
	Peri'el.		Peri'el.

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	peaceful beliefs. All sects of the Sisters of Peri'el		peaceful beliefs. All sects of the Sisters of Peri'el
	have been destroyed, save for the group which lives in		have been destroyed, save for the group which lives in
	Aesry Surlaenis'a, or the Place of the Ocean's Song.		[[Aesry Surlaenis'a]], or the Place of the Ocean's Song.

	==The All-God==		==The All-God==
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	"gods," in a sense, though that word is not entirely		"gods," in a sense, though that word is not entirely
	accurate. Though mainly Elves, some of the other		accurate. Though mainly Elves, some of the other
	races hold these beliefs as well. Many River Elves		races hold these beliefs as well. Many [[River Elves]]
	believe that all life came from the Ocean, when the		believe that all life came from the Ocean, when the
	Ocean became lonely and created children. According		Ocean became lonely and created children. According
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	Among the River Elves is a religious group called the		Among the River Elves is a religious group called the
	N'ai Jrana. This group seeks to return to the Ocean		[[N'ai Jrana]]. This group seeks to return to the Ocean
	while still alive, and takes sacred vows to do so.		while still alive, and takes sacred vows to do so.
	But all who try end up dead. The N'ai Jrana strictly		But all who try end up dead. The N'ai Jrana strictly
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	==G'Nar Peth==		==G'Nar Peth==
	Little is known of the man called G'Nar Peth, and		Little is known of the man called [[G'Nar Peth]], and
	little is known of those who followed him, all now		little is known of those who followed him, all now
	long dead. In the early days of the Empire of the		long dead. In the early days of the Empire of the
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	strange and twisted.		strange and twisted.

	The land surrounding the Lesser and Greater Fists of		The land surrounding the [[Lesser Fist\|Lesser]] and [[Greater Fist\|Greater Fists]] of
	Heaven, the two volcanoes in northern Zoluren, is		Heaven, the two volcanoes in northern [[Zoluren]], is
	called the Blasted Plains, and suitably so.		called the [[Blasted Plains]], and suitably so.
	Generations of volcanic eruptions, ash and smoke		Generations of volcanic eruptions, ash and smoke
	covering the skies, have ruined the land. This is the		covering the skies, have ruined the land. This is the
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	==The Heralds==		==The Heralds==
	The Heralds are beings of great mystery. Not even the		The [[Heralds]] are beings of great mystery. Not even the
	greatest scholars truly understand what they are or		greatest scholars truly understand what they are or
	where they come from, though theories (often quite		where they come from, though theories (often quite
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	==Returning to the Ocean==		==Returning to the Ocean==
	The River Elves believe that when they die, they		The [[River Elves]] believe that when they die, they
	return to the Ocean. It is at death that they hear		return to the Ocean. It is at death that they hear
	the Ocean's call once again, and their spirit travels		the Ocean's call once again, and their spirit travels
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	become one with the Ocean, and live on in a different		become one with the Ocean, and live on in a different
	existence. Similar to Returning to the Ocean, the		existence. Similar to Returning to the Ocean, the
	Forest Elves believe in Fading, where when an Elf's		[[Forest Elves]] believe in Fading, where when an Elf's
	time to die has come, they simply return to the		time to die has come, they simply return to the
	forests and fade away.		forests and fade away.
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	==Fostra's Haven==		==Fostra's Haven==
	An ancient and widely believed story is that of the		An ancient and widely believed story is that of the
	Great Peace, Fostramor, a land no mortal has ever		Great Peace, [[Fostramor]], a land no mortal has ever
	entered. The form taken by Fostramor is different for		entered. The form taken by Fostramor is different for
	each race, according to the old legends. For example,		each race, according to the old legends. For example,
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	By my hand,		By my hand,
	Pentaith Illistim		Pentaith Illistim

	[[Category:Book]]		[[Category:Book]]

Maintenance script at 14:26, 10 November 2007

2007-11-10T14:26:51Z

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	=The Religions of Elanthia=		===The Religions of Elanthia===
	By Pentaith Illistim		''By [[Pentaith]] Illistim''

	Throughout our history, many religions and cults have		Throughout our history, many religions and cults have

Maintenance script: Book:RpiRE moved to The Religions of Elanthia (book)

2007-11-10T14:25:58Z

Book:RpiRE moved to The Religions of Elanthia (book)

← Older revision	Revision as of 09:25, 10 November 2007
(No difference)

Maintenance script: New page: =The Religions of Elanthia= By Pentaith Illistim Throughout our history, many religions and cults have existed in these lands which we now call the Five Realms of the Dragon. Some have ...

2007-05-06T01:21:32Z

New page: =The Religions of Elanthia= By Pentaith Illistim Throughout our history, many religions and cults have existed in these lands which we now call the Five Realms of the Dragon. Some have ...

New page

=The Religions of Elanthia=
By Pentaith Illistim

Throughout our history, many religions and cults have
existed in these lands which we now call the Five
Realms of the Dragon. Some have gained more power and
popularity than others, and have worked to suppress
these lesser religions. Others were just brief
movements that possessed a minor following that
quickly died away. Right or wrong, these religions
have influenced all our lives -- perhaps through
devastating warfare, or through the means to extend
lifetimes. I present here a study of just a few of
these religions, in order for students to better grasp
our history, our culture, and our beliefs.

==The Thirteen Immortals==
If any one religion can be said to have had the
greatest impact on our world, it is that of the
Thirteen Immortals. It is the oldest recorded
religion, and is the most widely practiced religion,
with temples and believers virtually everywhere in the
Five Realms. Worship of the Thirteen dates back more
than seven thousand years. Since most are familiar
with this religion, I will not go into too much
detail.

Most ancient knowledge of the Immortals, primarily
their names, aspects, and origins, comes from the
Annals of the Timeless Ones. According to these
chronicles, all things began with the Void. The Void
was complete nothingness, yet an existence as well.
Out of the Void came into being the One, who joined
with the Void. They created children, the Planes,
each separated by uncrossable boundaries. Because of
this, the Void shed tears, and each tear created a new
life form. The One filled these forms with his own
essence. These beings became the Immortals (the god
Urrem'tier contained less of the One and more of the
Void than any other god, and so Urrem'tier is vastly
different than the other twelve Immortals). The One
had given up too much of himself, and could no longer
survive, and the Void was now filled with gods and
Planes, and her own existence ended.

The task of the Immortals was to guard and care for
the Planes. It is in the Plane of Abiding that we
mortals, and the gods themselves, exist. In the Plane
of Abiding, each Immortal created a world, and so
there are thirteen planets. Elanthia was the last
planet, created by Truffenyi. On Elanthia, the gods
created mortal life. Each race was born from the
First Beings, and the First Beings were created from
the various elements of Elanthia. The Elotheans,
however, were created from "the pure thought and will"
of the Immortals -- or so say the Annals of the
Timeless Ones, at least.

Though the Immortals number only thirteen, each one
has two aspects, a dark and a light. Among the
priests of the Immortals there is much dispute as to
what these aspects actually are, but I will save that
particular discussion for the theologians. These
thirty-nine gods conflict, and there is great strife
between them, as their purposes are usually exact
opposites. Because of the varying goals of each
Immortal, mortals will usually choose to serve one or
two gods. Immortals are the creators and patrons of
different things, so a mortal will usually choose to
serve a god that is patron of something dear to said
mortal's heart. Or, in other cases, one particular
god may hold a great following in a specific region
(due to blessings of the god on that area, or perhaps
the closeness of a shrine to that god) and a mortal
will serve the god of that place. Some mortals choose
a god based on race. There are many different ways to
choose which god to devote one's life to, and anyone
seeking help on this topic would be better off with
the advice of a priest, rather than a rambling
scholar's book.

A special note, though -- when one does not pay proper
homage to the Gods of Darkness they will often grow
angry and take revenge upon the mortal people. Wise
mortals will venerate the Dark Gods, if not out of
love, out of fear and respect. For example, the Shard
holiday Ten'ra Agalith, which means Heaven Truce, is a
day to placate the gods of darkness. Shard was nearly
ruined by the Dark Gods before the people realized
their failure to venerate those fickle beings, and to
this day, each year they hold a festival to honor the
Dark Gods, and so appease them.

==The World Dragon==
Another sizable, and influential religion, is that of
worshipping the World Dragon, its followers being
called the "Dragon Priests." The World Dragon is a
being that hatched from the fourth moon of Elanthia,
Grazhir. Shards of the moon did tremendous damage to
Elanthia, but that was unmatched before the chaos
wrought by the World Dragon itself. The World Dragon
consumes the life-fire of planets to survive, and it
drained most of the fire from Elanthia away. The
Immortals, fearing the World Dragon would next destroy
the sun, battled the Dragon. They were unable to
wound it severely, or kill it, so Phelim used his
sands to put the World Dragon to sleep. The Dragon
was then placed in the center of Elanthia in order to
provide energy for the planet, and is kept asleep by
the singing of the goddess Peri'el. Should the Dragon
reawaken, Elanthia would be destroyed. This is all
common knowledge, however.

Dragon worship is commonly divided into two sects --
the Sect of Sh'Kial, and the Sect of Dzree. Sh'kial's
sect came first, springing from the discontent and
poverty of the S'Kra people during the corrupt times
of the Empire of the Seven Pointed Star. Sh'kial
taught that the World Dragon should be appeased and
pacified through worship. Sacrifices and other
offerings should be made to the World Dragon, and
rituals performed in its honor. Sh'kial's teachings
gained popularity among other S'Kra Mur, and he
accumulated a good sized following. However,
very little of the Sect of Sh'kial survives to this
day, primarily because of the other sect of Dragon
Priests.

Dzree was at first a student of Sh'kial, but she later
rejected his teachings in favor of her own beliefs.
Dzree and her zealous followers began making
sacrifices of Humans and Elves to the World Dragon,
and when Sh'kial opposed, he was killed by Dzree
herself. Dzree's Dragon Priests had built up strong
military power, which they put to use, conquering much
of the Five Realms. Missionaries to the S'Kra
homelands converted the people there. People ruled by
the Dragon Priests were usually sacrificed to the
World Dragon, or deported to labor camps. The Bard
Guild of that time was completely destroyed by the
Priests.

The Dragon Priests were eventually defeated, but a
hatred of them exists today. The priests hid
themselves away, and today live in the shadows. Those
who publicly follow the World Dragon are often killed,
perhaps by lynch mobs, perhaps by government
executions. Even the believers of Sh'kial's teachings
fear to reveal their religion, for hysterical mobs
rarely make the distinction between the two sects.

An interesting note about the Dragon Priests is that
even with all their cruelty, and the slaughter of the
Bards, they had a strong devotion to knowledge. The
Dragon Priests produced many scholars, though most of
these people actually just claimed that the ancient
beliefs of the Immortal followers were lies. One such
theory, held by a Dragon Priest named Miele, was that
the Elotheans were not as the Annals of the Timeless
Ones claimed, but were in fact Elven-Human hybrids
that had developed into a separate race over the
generations.

==The Ru'atin Peri'el==
To explain this name, I first must describe a
particular aspect of S'Kra Mur culture. S'Kra Mur
consider their friends and family to be part of a
circle. Those not in the circle are considered
outsiders, people not worth considering. The
outsiders can be lied to or cheated freely by the
S'kra, while those within the circle are given
complete and absolute trust and loyalty. This circle
is called the "ru'at," and the people within the ru'at
are "ru'ati," or "ru'atin," which is plural. So
the Ru'atin Peri'el are, literally, the Sisters of
Peri'el.

The beliefs held by the Sisters and the Dragon Priests
are similar, but in many ways different. The Dragon
Priests worship the World Dragon. The Ru'atin
Peri'el are loyal to the gods, though it is a unique
extension of Immortal-worship. Their task, which they
devote themselves to, is singing songs to aid Peri'el
in keeping the World Dragon asleep. The Sisters are a
peaceful people, that would never take part in the
brutal warfare that so marks Dragon Priest history.
The Ru'atin Peri'el actually fled for their lives from
the Dragon Priests during the war, as Dzree surely
would have had them killed, seeing a threat in their
peaceful beliefs. All sects of the Sisters of Peri'el
have been destroyed, save for the group which lives in
Aesry Surlaenis'a, or the Place of the Ocean's Song.

==The All-God==
There are some that believe that only one god exists.
The worshippers of the All God claim that the thirty-
nine Immortals are just different faces of their One
God. Though the popularity of this religion has
greatly declined in recent years, there are still some
isolated areas where belief in the All God reigns.

==Nature Worship==
Some people worship various elemental forces as
"gods," in a sense, though that word is not entirely
accurate. Though mainly Elves, some of the other
races hold these beliefs as well. Many River Elves
believe that all life came from the Ocean, when the
Ocean became lonely and created children. According
to the River Elf teachings, the Ocean then created
land, and upon the land were the Elves. To these
Elves, the Ocean was a friend, a parent, a sage. The
Elven ancestors were forced to leave the Ocean, and
have been waiting ever since to return. The Call of
the Ocean comes to the River Elves at death, when they
then return to the Ocean.

Among the River Elves is a religious group called the
N'ai Jrana. This group seeks to return to the Ocean
while still alive, and takes sacred vows to do so.
But all who try end up dead. The N'ai Jrana strictly
adhere to the ancient lifestyles and traditions of the
Elven people, scorning outsiders and change itself.
More on the Elven connection to nature will be
mentioned later.

==G'Nar Peth==
Little is known of the man called G'Nar Peth, and
little is known of those who followed him, all now
long dead. In the early days of the Empire of the
Seven Pointed Star, a sect of fanatics rose up,
worshipping he whom they called Master G'Nar Peth.
These Prophets as they called themselves possessed
little sanity.

At early ages, they went through an initiation, much
as other religions' followers do. But the initiation
of the Prophets was not quite normal. They would
remove their eyes and thereafter would wear
blindfolds over the empty sockets. Yet even without
eyes, these people saw, though their sight was also
strange and twisted.

The land surrounding the Lesser and Greater Fists of
Heaven, the two volcanoes in northern Zoluren, is
called the Blasted Plains, and suitably so.
Generations of volcanic eruptions, ash and smoke
covering the skies, have ruined the land. This is the
area where the Prophets of G'Nar Peth lived. They
called it the Master's Garden of Paradise, and saw
the Blasted Plains as a beautiful, tropical landscape.
Though all the followers of G'Nar Peth are dead, some
people in modern times have taken a fancy to the
religion and have begun reviving its practices.

==The Heralds==
The Heralds are beings of great mystery. Not even the
greatest scholars truly understand what they are or
where they come from, though theories (often quite
colorful ones) abound. There are some people who
worship the Heralds, though it is most unlikely these
followers know anything more about their masters. Who
can say? Those who worship the Heralds probably do it
out of some sense of fear, perhaps an attraction for
the unknown. But I digress. The Heralds are as
unique in appearance as Humans, so they cannot be
easily described, though they are usually very tall.
The Heralds act to diminish magic power, though,
again, for reasons unknown.

Some say the Heralds are the creators of the
Immortals, some say the Immortals created Heralds to
prevent themselves from achieving too much power, some
say the Heralds come from another Plane which was
destroyed by magic. All theories. In the end,
nothing is known of the Heralds save that they possess
great power.

==The Circle==
A quite modern cult which lasted only a short period
of time was known as The Circle. The Circle believed
in the existence of a being, or beings, called the
Powers. They claimed that these Powers created the
Immortals, and all other things. Like other cults,
the initiation of Circle members was bloody, and
savage. A follower of the Thirteen Immortals was
kidnapped, and each member took part in his sacrifice
on Immortal holy land.

The Circle was made up of thirteen members, and no
more than thirteen. Males were called Morak'thu, and
females Morak'tha. The cult ended when it lost its
founders.

=DEATH=
There are many theories and legends regarding death,
and what happens to a person upon death. Oftentimes
these legends will vary from place to place, religion
to religion. I will only cover a few of these death
legends and explanations here.

==Returning to the Ocean==
The River Elves believe that when they die, they
return to the Ocean. It is at death that they hear
the Ocean's call once again, and their spirit travels
to that place, forbidden to the living. Their spirits
become one with the Ocean, and live on in a different
existence. Similar to Returning to the Ocean, the
Forest Elves believe in Fading, where when an Elf's
time to die has come, they simply return to the
forests and fade away.

==Fostra's Haven==
An ancient and widely believed story is that of the
Great Peace, Fostramor, a land no mortal has ever
entered. The form taken by Fostramor is different for
each race, according to the old legends. For example,
Halflings believe that the Great Peace is Fostra's
Inn, a place of eternal happiness, wine, and song.
Elotheans believe that the Great Peace is across the
oceans, where the soul attains complete wisdom. What
the "Great Peace" actually is depends on what that
person wishes it to be, the ideal and perfect
existence. But in all the legends, there are common
links. To reach Fostramor, the spirit must go through
Fostra's Haven. Any living mortal that enters
Fostramor, it is said, will become immortal.

By my hand,
Pentaith Illistim
[[Category:Book]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:37, 3 December 2021
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	Another sizable, and influential religion, is that of		Another sizable, and influential religion, is that of
	worshipping the [[World Dragon]], its followers being		worshipping the [[World Dragon]], its followers being
	called the "[[Dragon Priests]]." The World Dragon is a		called the "[[Dragon Priest (Cult)\|Dragon Priests]]." The World Dragon is a
	being that hatched from the fourth moon of Elanthia,		being that hatched from the fourth moon of Elanthia,
	[[Grazhir]]. Shards of the moon did tremendous damage to		[[Grazhir]]. Shards of the moon did tremendous damage to
Line 114:		Line 114:

	Dragon worship is commonly divided into two sects --		Dragon worship is commonly divided into two sects --
	the Sect of [[Sh'Kial]], and the Sect of [[Dzree]]. Sh'kial's		the Sect of [[Sh'kial\|Sh'Kial]], and the Sect of [[Dzree]]. Sh'kial's
	sect came first, springing from the discontent and		sect came first, springing from the discontent and
	poverty of the S'Kra people during the corrupt times		poverty of the S'Kra people during the corrupt times
Line 133:		Line 133:
	sacrifices of Humans and Elves to the World Dragon,		sacrifices of Humans and Elves to the World Dragon,
	and when Sh'kial opposed, he was killed by Dzree		and when Sh'kial opposed, he was killed by Dzree
	herself. Dzree's Dragon Priests had built up strong		herself. [[Dragon Priest Empire\|Dzree's Dragon Priests]] had built up strong
	military power, which they put to use, conquering much		military power, which they put to use, conquering much
	of the Five Realms. Missionaries to the S'Kra		of the Five Realms. Missionaries to the S'Kra