Creidamh Dé Tri (Ancient Tuana: [/ˈcɾʲɛdʲəvˠ diː tʲɾʲiː/])

The Faith of the Divine Three

The Heirs of the Gods

"To the Her Most Illustrious Empress, Living Divine and Broodmother of Kashar, Whose Name Under the Stars is Eternal, May Her Fire Never Wane,
It is at your humble service that I, Holfr Sturlursson, have undertaken the most perilous journey across the Ghastly Expanse in order to offer a report on these most mysterious peoples who call themselves "An Tuana". It is my wish that this correspondence falls into your glorious hands with for humble purpose to provide an overview on the faith and beliefs of these future subjects, that they may be ruled efficiently, and quelled should the need arise..."

- An Encyclopedia of the Northern Folk and Tribes, Holfr Sturlursson.

Overview:

The Faith of the Divine Three is the belief that the three great restorationists of mankind (the Patron, the Gatekeeper & the Vigil) were in fact 'heirs to the Old Gods', the waning and deceased faith of An Edel. The disappearance and fading of the Courts of Aedelwynn left many elvish kingdoms in disarray and terror, and in their place the Clanndom of An Tuana arose. Its arrival was both helmed and foretold by the appearence of three divine brothers - living Gods, mortals with the souls of Deities - who walked the soil of Aedelwynn along their faithful to guide, instruct, and protect the budding civilization of mankind as their ancient masters and caretakers fell into civil war and perpetual hatred.

The Knot is the unified belief in all three Gods of Mankind who protect An Tuana from the ancient forces that dwell within Aedelwynn. Whilst historically distant, each of the Gods are regarded as brothers, and according to their prophets and witnesses wished to be regarded as such, often announcing the arrival of their sibling decades before their birth. The concept of 'heir of the Gods' is a universal understanding that the Era of Elves and their Courts are now long gone (though it said remnants are supposedly still present within Lachlanna), and in their stead stands the Three who extend their protection to whoever accepts their rule.

Mythology & Lore

Of the Birth of Aedelwynn, Our Home:

"It is often said, by the ancient sages and the ministers of the Faith, that when the world was barely born, the Sky and the Sea tore each other asunder. Blood and gore seeped from one another's flesh, and dropped unto the world. And each droplet that bathed in the oceans below birthed creatures yet unfathomable to one's mind and comprehension. However, the blood that had stained the waters turned to scabs, and the scabs turned into earthen soil. And the earth formed, and was gifted a heart, which beat with the slow rhythm of the drums. Life was thus born, and with it the death of all things.
And it is told that soon after, in the distant horizon, the sun rose across the star spangled firmanent and set to let its sister Moon take its place during the darker hours of the night, that the monsters and beasts that dwell in fell places be forever revealed and that they forever shun the light. And amidst this raging war of Sky and Seas, of existence and learning and birthing, a land came to be. At the uttermost peak of our Realm, closest to the gilded veils of northern lights was shed a single tear, that froze and scabbed and became an island which spanned as large as the breadth of a thousand giants.
This land of tundras, ice and frigid winds; this earth of harsh soil, roiling torrents of glacial waters that mingle into the turbulent waves of the ebon ocean; this land spiked and spined with myriads of mountains and steep cragland spears was born, and cried its name to all who would dwell upon its surface... and its name was Aedelwynn, the Mother's Tear, the Frozen Star. It is a beautiful land, vast and empty in places, yet gorging with life both horrific and magnificent in others. Once, An Edel occupied its surface. They rose towered cities to reach the skies, shifted the flow of rivers to suit their people, bolstered their woodlands and livened the dark sidhe that dwelled within.
Their kingdoms spanned the land, their powers unrivalled and unmatched. And yet, they are no more. Their ruins left empty, their velvet robes and furious visages are gone, though they have taken their hatred and bloodshed with them, their haunted halls and pristine palaces remain crumbled, sullied and left to dwell in silence. And those Otherfolk that have not faded away have rejoined their fell brethren deep within the woodlands, shunning the truth of the Protectors; they have run away from An Tuana's uprising in the wake of the Fading, and now Aedelwynn has returned to its children though it is very much different in the hands of men."

Divine Origins

The Founding:

Ever since mankind's existence, and enslavement by An Edel, multiple prophets and augurs have followed one another, speaking of the death of The Courts of Aedelwynn, and the fading of the Elves. This is one of the key reasons for mankind's mistreatment, as the prayers of An Edel's faithful dwindled in number, and were left unanswered. In fear of the truth, the elves retaliated against their servants, who would lie in waiting and torment for the arrival of 'the Heirs of the Gods'. Deities who would walk the earth, and show a better path to mankind than the brutality and shackles of their masters. Saviours often appeared, but none would truly make any effect, nor would they leave a mark for long. Thus, when a slaver beheld Saint Llyw's divinity, and relinquished her hold over the young God, rumours ran wild and were taken as a sign that An Tuana's time had come.

The Growth:

As the divine brothers walked the soil of Aedelwynn, and were slain, their followers and closest companions walked with them. On the time of their death, each brother foretold the birth of the next, and with them the arrival of another saviour who would inch mankind towards freedom. Yet with the chains of subjugation cast aside, the brothers feared in their wisdom that rampage and savagery would prevail over honour and prosperity. Thus it was decided, even before the womb, that each brother would instruct An Tuana in the ways of men. The Patron would develop kindness, mercy, and understanding. The Gatekeeper would instruct brotherhood, honour and fate. The Vigil would grow societies, foster the meek, and enact Laws by which all clansmen might be judged.
As the years passed, and their lives bloomed and withered, the Knot understood the complexities of man, and came to add to these notions virtues, vices, and duties, so that An Tuana might survive on its own and comprehend their purpose as protectors and caretakers of the lands that had now become theirs. From then, many of the brotherhoods and warbands and sects that claimed the Divine Three as their patrons would follow the ceremonies and ways shown to them by their teachers, or replicate moments of their lives and interpret sigils extracted from their deeds. These became the rites and rituals of the Knot, fashioning days of celebration, important rites of passage in one's life, and methods by which to live by.

Cosmological Views

Gods of Civilization & Protectors of the Land:

It is well understood by the faithful of the Knot that the World, and Aedelwynn, were not created by the Divine Three. Instead they have earned stewardship over it, much like a prince inherits a kingdom from his father. They have reclaimed what was once theirs by right, and returned the land of Aedelwynn to An Tuana. As such, they are protectors and wardens of the Clan, as well as defenders of the Land they now rule over. This does not give them domain over the mountains, the oceans, the skies and the woods, but more so the people and their needs and whims. Wherever the faithful of the Divine Three go, however, the Knot's influences goes with them. Instead, they are Gods of Law, Gods of Honour, Gods of Warriors and Kings and Farmers. They do away with the wilderness, and bring forwards the light of civilization, of strong stone walls and stores of grain, of right, and might, and power beyond measure that no woodlands nor sea can best.
Despite being deities of civilization and philosophy, the Gods of Men do have control over the Land they protect. Saint Llyw was gifted power over the sun, and may bequeath it unto whomever he favours. It is he who monitors the careful rising and setting of dawn and dusk. Saint Diarmaid was given domain over the hearth, and by extension mastership of Fire. The flames of the world are his to command, and through them he can hear the pleas and prayers of the faithful. Saint Emrys was gifted domain over the darkness and shadows of the grave, a corpselight that would defend the souls of the dead against the horrors of the afterlife, and the dangers of undeath.

The Godsmoot:

Every brother has their own domain, but when the Knot must meet they do so on a mythical hill within Aedelwynn. There sits a circle of paved stone, on top of which are placed three thrones. Each throne depicts the Power of each brother, whilst a dais on which the past, present and future of Aedelwynn lies at the center of the circle of stone like a map. Here, at the Godsmoot, the Knot deliberates the fate of men and women and children; they pass judgement and decide what follows for the sake of their people.

The Afterlife:

When An Tuana pass away, the method of their death, their status, and their past lives are often what is the deemed the key factor in where they will spend the rest of their dead years, until the end of time approaches and then they are called to their duties for the last time. The afterlife of An Tuana is split into three 'realms', which are ruled over by the Knot individually.
Surrounding the Godsoot, the center of An Tuana afterlife, are the Fields of the Merciful. This is where the common folks go after they die, be it a peaceful or violent death. No warriors are found within these fields, but instead men can rejoin their wives and families in peace, without any need to till the lands were grain grows healthily beneath a clement Sun, and the land is split by a roaring river of crystal clear water.
To the far north of the Godsoot lies the Fortress of the Slain, where the Gatekeeper stands alongside his warriors, awaiting the end of time. Here is where soldiers, mercenaries and brigands go, or any who died in battle and chose to pick up the spear rather than run away. The Brotherhood of the Damned are assured a place here, in this land of barrows shadowed by Emrys' great keep.
Sitting amidst the clouds above the Godsoot rests the Iron Citadel, in which the Vigil takes watch over the lands of Aedelwynn further down. From here, magistrates and kings appear as wisps and spirits of flame, counselling the Lord of Lords in all laws and matters pertaining the importance of the realm. A great throne sits here, from which the Vigil might behold all things in his lands, and hear the prayers of all his faithful, answering them one by one.

"Three shall be as One."

Founding Date

1263 FE

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Alternative Names

"Pantheon of Man", "The Knot"

Demonym

"The Divine Three", "The Living Gods", "Lords", "Saints"

Permeated Organizations

• The Clanndom of Aedelwynn.

Location

Godsmoot, the Divine Hills

Related Ethnicities

• An Tuana Clanna

Divine Alignments:

LG	NG	CG
LN	TN	CN
LE	NE	CE

Divine Domains:

• Emrys : Blood, Death, Grave
• Diarmaid : Knowledge, Law, Order
• Llyw : Life, Light, Tempest
• All Three : Protection, War

Credit goes to: Austin Wintory & Stoic Studio