The Ascendant
Linred , the Ascendant, we devote ourselves to the grand purpose of self perfection. We bring ourselves closer to the heavens through dedication and perseverance against the Final Foe: Death itself.
Through the Immortal, we unshackle ourselves from the Cycle of Life and Death, to join the gods in eternal glory. We oppose Death in all its forms, raising ourselves above it, and denying its inevitability.
Go forth and aid the weak, heal the sick and infirm, seek out that which brings life, and abhor the call of Death, for it is the last curse upon us all."
Description
Linred, The Ascendant, is unique among the deities of the Tempest, in that they hail not from divine blood, but from beyond the horizon of time, reaching back through our future, their history, to elevate the past into divinity. Offering immortality to the truly faithful, “They That Free The Soul” asks that the faithful abhor violence and death, seeking to prolong the lives of all creation.
Where possible, devotees to the Ascendant are pacifistic, opting to avoid violent confrontation, however, this is not an absolute, and devotees will act as necessity dictates in the defense of many lives. Similarly, the devotees of the Ascendant are notably generous with wealth and resources, opting to improve the lives of those around them, rather than hoarding wealth. Ascendants can often be found leading efforts to improve community resources, and taking on leadership roles to organize the populace against violent incursions.
Structure
By and large the divinities of Arcanorum share much common ground in their deific habits, often preferring a hands off approach to the day-to-day worship performed by mortals. For some this involves interacting solely with clerics and priests to pass down their commands and others leaving only texts and vague suggestions as to their true wants and motives.
Linred, then, is the oddity of the Arcanorum Pantheon. Worshippers of the Ascendant have heard the voice of their salvation countless times as nearly every prayer receives an answer that echoes through time itself. While making up a truly miniscule portion of the population those who follow the word of Linred are seemingly conducted with orchestral organization and their influence is immediately noticeable.
At the very core of the Ascendant religion is the Vow of Eternity: the agreement made between Linred and his worshippers that guarantees their immortality in exchange for their whole devotion. This vow is unique to the individual and is made privately with Linred, though it demands only the following of the tenets to receive blessing.
This has historically made the creation and administration of a religious institution somewhat difficult, followers generally being unwilling to listen to a non-divine source. The solution to this issue came with the Vow of Echoes, a second pact made only by the truly faithful to postpone their Ascension and remain on Arcanorum to spread Linred’s word and guide the Ascendant’s followers. Echoes are now a pillar of The Ascendant, often acting as liaisons for followers to connect, and organizing the intense travels often demanded of Pilgrimages.
History
The Plague that Never Came
Led by the word of Linred, worshippers of the Ascendant capable of healing flocked to the city of Whitewreath in the largest pilgrimage to date. For two weeks the worshippers laid in wait at the Thetlin town, unsure of their exact purpose but assisting the townsfolk in day-to-day tasks nonetheless.
Without warning a sickness fell upon the town, laying low aristocrats, guildsfolk, and farmer alike - only to be kept from the gates of death by the already present Ascendant healers. Bolstered by the outpouring of aid and welcome, the worshippers of the Ascendant doubled and finally trebled in less than year, as the grateful families of those once thought mortal ill were saved by divine intervention.
The Call to Crowne Point
Linred’s voice rang in the ears of thousands of his followers, a single deific command that boggled the minds of most. Two words were answered in ten thousand prayers, and required a map to ascertain its true meaning - Crowne Point. For the last two years the pilgrimage the Ascendant have taken to Crowne Point has begun to rival the size of the Plague that Never Came - and Linred’s interest in this place still remains a mystery.
Tenets of Faith
Worship
Temporal Currents
While followers of other religions may have complex beliefs around the concept of fate, followers of the Ascendant view time as a churning river that funnels towards a single destination: death. Above all this river is unkind and uncaring, its gods and Keepers unwilling to save the souls caught in its current. Linred is seemingly the only deity willing to reach out a saving hand, offering to pluck his most devout from the river provided they are willing to aid him in slowing the stream.
The Vow of Eternity
The Vow of Eternity is a rite of passage performed by all followers of the Ascendant, a promise made between the devoted and Linred that assures them eternal life in exchange for following the tenets and assisting them in slowing the torrential flow of death. This promise is typically memorialized by bearing either symbols of the Ascendant, or the attachment of prayer scrolls to one’s outerwear.
The Day of Defiance
So rarely are they in the same place for long enough to lay down roots, holidays remain something of an oddity for the followers of the Ascendant. However on the rare occasions the followers of the Ascendant gather, a ritual is performed to show in life (as in death) an act of defiance against the Keepers.
A week prior to the Day of Defiance followers of the Ascendant will begin to construct effigies of the Keepers, whether they be portraits or physical likenesses is unimportant. In the depths of the night prior the effigies are destroyed in a display of extravagant fire, each of the followers gathering a handful of ash and casting it into the wind - their ashen hands a symbol of Linred. The day following is a hedonistic display of self-indulgent life marked by feasts open to the public, and intense declarations of emotion.
The Day of Ascension & The Vow of Beholding
“Death still comes for the mortal form, the river can be slowed but not stopped, not yet. On the day you take your last breath, I will speak your name and we will echo in the halls of eternity together.”
The death of a follower of the Ascendant is a tumultuous process, usually beginning with anger at the cruel flow of the current of time. Still, when the body has grown cold and the follower’s soul has all but departed the followers of Linred will memorialize their ascension into the hall of eternity. The process is a solemn one - each mourner offers a gentle touch to the corpse before stating the departed’s name, allowing their name to remain in the heartbeat of the living.
A curious process happens as the last griever immortalizes the dead - the body seems to be undone by the flow of time, turning into a thin ash before dissipating into the aether. Curiouser still is the rare occasion of the Vow of Beholding, when the body returns from the empyrean and life is breathed back into the corpse of the follower. They say they have met with Linred in his temporal kingdom, and have agreed to return to the flock to guide his followers as an Echo.
The Pilgrimage
At most points in an Ascendant’s life they will receive a specific instruction from Linred themself. This can be as vague as requesting that they appear in a location at a specific time, or as specific as requesting that they help a specific person with a specific task. Few refuse the call of Linred, and often find themselves in places where they are of exceptional use.
Priesthood
Sparrow Poole - An Echo living in Thera. They have been of exceptional use since the Call to Crowne Point, and have been assisting the Ascendant find homes and connect with one another in the burgeoning city.
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~ Dylan Thomas