The Concordant Piety

The Concordant Piety is the newest and most principal faith of the Awakened, and has come to prominence throughout The Pious Union of the Awakened and its constituent states.
The basic theology of The Concordant Piety is at once simple and complex; it postulates that, despite the disparate tales of creation of the Awakened peoples by the various Automaths and the subsequent worship of them, that the common elements of these stories and historical records together show that the majority of these Automaths had a common goal, a common vision, and a hope for all Awakened peoples to live together in peace and harmony. This divine plan is central to The Concordant Piety and is known as Prothesis. Although Prothesis does not exist as a distinct entity in mainstream Piety belief, there are splinter sects that believe that this divine plan must have been the directive of some higher being, some Supreme God.
In any case, Concordant Piety teachings harken back to the early days of life on The Cradle, before the Dissidents meddled in affairs, before the Day of Tongues, when there was unity and purpose among the Awakened. This vision of peace and harmony has resonated strongly with people throughout The Pious Union of the Awakened. Those living in the more prosperous communities that exist far from strife see the value in it as a unifying force that can quell the discordant restiveness in the border regions, and those in the border regions have seen the Piety bring positive social, economic, and security changes to their realms. Indeed, the Piety is the main social driver behind the prosperity of The Union. Furthermore, it has rallied the people of the Union behind a common cause, as it has created a unified "us vs. them" narrative that pits the external Verum Imperium against all of the people of The Union as Imperium law opposes worship of all Automaths equally.
That said, the Piety is not without its opponents. More conservative elements throughout The Union are generally opposed to it. In The Kingdom of Tyvald, faithful of Diptism, Church of the Sun and Moon decry the Piety as a watering-down of The Old Faith, giving too much credit to the non-Human Automaths while in their view, the Human Automaths were the clear vanguard and leaders of the rest of the Automaths, with their children, Humanity, the leaders of all of the Awakened. The primacy of The Kingdom of Tyvald and the early conquests of King Gilven the Founder only further this view. In Fleissland, The Holy Veridian Sovereignty, and Forbundgard, traditionalists have argued that the Piety is merely Diptism, Church of the Sun and Moon in disguise, meant to erase non-Human cultural heritage and assert the primacy of Numenos and Kator over the other Automaths, with the inclusion of their own gods among the pantheon seen as pandering for economic and political gain. There are other, more practical elements of opposition, as well; the roles of The Reverent Path in The Holy Veridian Sovereignty, the Shrinebulders Guild in Forbundgard, and The Homestead in Fleissland are central to their cultures, and the Piety has sometimes struggled to fill those roles without causing upset.
Worship is conducted at temples known as Chantries, with the clergy known as Orators, who tell the tales of the Automaths Awakening the people on The Cradle on the First Day. Many songs and orations center around the divinity of the Prothesis itself. Prayers, however, are usually directed toward one of the particular Automaths. The Oratory has been careful to incorporate the various Automaths into their teachings in ways that are aligned with the older faiths, and Orators make a great effort to liase with their counterparts to both "course-correct" their own teachings to better reflect the teachings and values of local religions, and to ensure them that, fundamentally, there is no theological conflict between their faiths. Indeed, rather than being demi-gods or mere agents of a higher god, the success of the Piety has been due in large part to the depiction of all non-Dissident Automaths as deities worthy of our worship. All Chantries contain shrines to all of the Automaths, and, increasingly, Orators can be found at religious sites of the local religions as well, explaining that these temples are also shrines of the Concordant Piety. Importantly, Automaths of Awakened Peoples whose primary nations are not currently members of The Pious Union of the Awakened are also represented, including the Gnomish Automaths, Eirin, Firbolg Automath, Afsit, Triton Automath, and the Genasi Automaths. While worshipers of these gods are limited in number, their inclusion is important both theologically and politically, as the Piety hopes to further Union ambitions of bringing Erewhon, Vathi, the wandering Firbolgs (and, potentially, Satyrs), and Genasi into their fold.
The Concordant Piety also has close ties with the government of The Pious Union of the Awakened. Indeed, it is effectively one of the three branches of government, as high-ranking Orators serve as the most senior judges in the court system of The Union and are appointed from within the Piety. The Piety also maintains a position on the Premier's council, providing a direct line to the leadership of the entire Union.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion