Church of the Celestial Triad

The Church of the Celestial Triad, often stylized as "The Church of Selesti" or simply "Selesti", is an increasingly popular modern ideology of worship that recognizes Oen, Sorres and Alyu as equally powerful and complementary gods. Having emerged from the advent of new discoveries and relationships with non-human races in the new world, Selesti authority (centered in the New World city-state of Alcoeur) advocates for liberal practices such as:

• The depiction of "The First Awareness" (the traditional mythos of the creation of Aeyvis) not as a fall from grace and perfection, but as the true birth of free-willed sentient mortals (and subsequently, Sorres and Alyu not as betrayer children but equal elders of the known world)


• The idea that Inya came before Oen, the birth of the universe, beholden to all that happened since the beginning of time as appropriate as her place as the goddess of knowledge


• Support of the theory that Oen's Firstborn were not humans but rather a common ancestor to all sentient races - and thusly, the equality of the human race to other sentient beings, rather than inherently better. An alternative to this theory is that the Firstborn were the giants, and the hypothetical "Secondborn" were an ancestral race that originated in Ostenhor.


• The idea that Sorres and Inya can grant those they find worthy deity-hood, or that beings of sufficient power and will can force their way into ascension -- as opposed to Oen being the absolute gatekeeper into the divine


• The recognition of ascended individuals as Lesser Deities worthy of worship in their own right, as opposed to simply blessed saints and celestial servants (traditional Oen worship condemns all ascended who seek worship as false idols)


• The support of alternate interpretations of holy mythos, and the evolution of holy mythos, to better represent the needs and beliefs of the populace

Once an experimental and fringe sect of worship, the Selesti message of co-racial harmony and equality has resonated with frontier populations and in areas with lots of racial diversity, being a breath of fresh air against the "stigma of hate" that traditional worship seems to cultivate as a result of its inherent supremacy. In response, traditional worshipers often lambaste Selesti worshippers as "invoking Oen's wrath" and "tainting and corrupting the spirit of faith".
The Church of Selesti is most prominent on the new continent of Izera, though its influence has become so prevalent that most of the civilized world, including its neighbours who prefer to worship their representative Lesser Deities, are at least vaguely aware and accepting of Selesti mythos and holiday traditions.
There are two exceptions to the above rule: Toraya , where the concept of worship is largely scorned in favor of self-deterministic ideologies and shamanism, and Ostenhor, the stronghold of traditional Oenism faith where Selesti practice is at best shunned and at worst banned in its deeply religious capitals. The desert region of Achar'ii is home to a similarly devout sect of Oenism but has seen greater conflict as the many beastfolk who inhabit the region and support Selesti values of racial equality.
Homogeneous populations such as the halfling country of Pego, the Elven continent of Altones and the dwarven Bolgrund States are aware of such practices but ignore them for the most part.

Type

Religious, Sect

Alternative Names

Church of Selesti, Selesti

Demonym

Selesti