The Church of The Maker

Aphorisms:
Eat Heartily, Think Fast: In many ways, the church of The Maker is a religion from a simpler time, and some of its traditions stem from the days before civilization when the humanoid races lived in hunter-gatherer tribes. The presence of water and the ability to react to unexpected predators were both vital for survival, and this phrase hearkens back to those times. To the faithful, this aphorism essentially means “Gather your wits, be ready, and make the best of what you have.”
Last Gasp of the Sky/Last Gasp of the Dark Blood of the Sea: These two oaths are reserved for the direst occasions, such as seeing an entire pack of seals slaughtered for its pups’ fur or coming upon a natural spring defiled with sewage. The words come from a bleak passage (perhaps a prophecy) in The Maker’s holy writings that talks about “civilized” races overrunning the natural world, crushing it with their metal-shod feat, poisoning the air with the smoke of burned forests, and spoiling the seas with filth and the blood of countless animals, until The Maker creates a storm that wipes the world clean so life can start again. Worshipers tend to use the version appropriate to their favored aspect of the deity (air or water). 
Storm and Salt!: This is a common oath, and is used for both fortuitous and calamitous events. In most temples, when new priests join the clergy, they swear “to obeythe Wind and Waves, come storm and salt, drought and flood, feather and scale, until the sky or sea claims my dead flesh.”

Cosmological Views

In the beginning, Caelestra was said to be crafted by The Maker himself. A world for those he loved, for his family, and the people whom he would eventually create.
First, came the Daern, or the dwarves. The Maker created the Daern to watch the mountains and those that live in them. To build, to conceive, to construct. The Daern would build the structures for all who were to come.
Then, came the Elves: The Valdorei, or Valdar, Children of the Light and the Life, to give importance to life, not to give it meaning, but to realize the peace comes when all seek to find happiness in merely existing. To listen, not to hear, to see, not to be seen. The Valdar were entrusted with making sure with that after every night, came the day.
The Tal'Dorei, or Taldar, Children of the Darkness and Death. The Maker knew only the elves could be trusted with something so important as life and death. Because they were gatekeepers, he gifted them eternal life. To never die from age, as much a burden as a gift, The Taldar are to bring balance. There can be no Light without Darkness, No Day without Night, and no Life without Death.
The Sal'dorei, or Saldar, Children of the Tree. The Maker then created the Saldar, watchers of the forest. To ensure Caelestra always maintained the resources to provide for itself.
Then, last of the Elves, the Fal'dorei, or Faldar, Children of the Cold. The Faldar were entrusted with guarding the Aldaiire, or the Tree of Dawn.
Caelestra has two world trees that are known. The Aldaiire, and the Ellaiire, the Tree of Dusk. Neither tree's purpose has ever been discovered nor recorded. But many have attempted to discern their nature, only to never return.
After the Elves, The Maker went on to create all of the other races in the world. Each for their own purpose, that purpose of course changing depending on whom you ask.

Tenets of Faith

As ruler of the pantheon, The Maker is in control of events in the universe. His church teaches that nothing happens anywhere without The Maker’s consent. Every blessing or curse that falls on mortal heads happens by the will of “the gods,” which primarily means The Maker, though the other deities often contest his decisions.
The Maker cares for mortal life, much like a rather distant father cares for his children. He almost never sends destruction without some cause, real or imagined.
The mortal lot, The Maker’s clergy teaches, is simply to accept whatever The Maker sends their way, for good or ill.
Tenets
1. React quickly to changing circumstance
2. Respect the sky and the sea
3. Respect the earth and the trees
4. Respect the animals and the mountains

Worship

Priests of The Maker look for the deity’s will in swirling water, racing clouds, and the movement of flocks of birds and schools of fish. Those associated with humanoid communities serve as diviners or provide advice about fishing, the weather, or the care of domesticated birds. Some live on ships, selling their services to pirates, navies, or merchants hoping to sail in fair weather and avoid deadly storms. Others dedicate themselves to healing and nurturing the wounded places in the world or destroying the things responsible for the wounds..
Traditional Worshipers:
Everyone

Priesthood

The Maker’s clerics enjoy a position of prestige among the clergy of the deities. As The Maker is the king of the gods, so are they rulers among clerics. No cleric cares much for church hierarchy, but when your patron is the head of the pantheon, you tend to get a little more respect.
Priests of The Maker look for the deity’s will in swirling water, racing clouds, and the movement of flocks of birds and schools of fish. Those associated with humanoid communities serve as diviners or provide advice about fishing, the weather, or the care of domesticated birds. Some live on ships, selling their services to pirates, navies, or merchants hoping to sail in fair weather and avoid deadly storms. Others dedicate themselves to healing and nurturing the wounded places in the world or destroying the things responsible for the wounds.
Some of The Maker's clergy see themselves as agents of the god's anger at damage wrought by civilization, sending plagues of bats, crows, and locusts to ravage cities and croplands, turning schools of fish away from seaside towns, and summoning storms to drown fleets built from stolen timber. A few are explorers, determined to experience as much of the god’s beauty as possible. Some good aligned priests make it their mission to visit tiny islands and rescue any travelers lost at sea. Priests usually have ranks in Heal, Knowledge (nature), and Survival, as well as Diplomacy or Intimidate (depending on their interests and personality).
Flight and swimming are common obsessions among the priesthood, and magic items that permit flying or water-breathing are treasured. Most of The Maker's clergy avoid steel armor because it rusts, preferring wood, hide, or mithral, and some even wear armor made of hardened ice (see page 236).
Druids of The Maker are often hermits, rarely seeing other speaking creatures and leaving their refuges only when the god calls or a local settlement bribes them to make rain. Most are content to live off the land, sometimes gathering treasures of the sea (such as pearls, coral, and abalone shells), or selling sea ivory or scrimshaw. Some spend their entire lives on boats; others exile themselves to remote islands to commune with their deity.
The church is decentralized, and each regional congregation tends to have periods of stability offset by sudden turmoil and reorganization, though in the long term a charismatic and powerful priest is apt to stay at the top of his temple’s organization. Within the church, a respected priest is one who reacts quickly to changing circumstances, interprets portents accurately, and is good at working with plants, animals, or both (depending on the specific focus of the temple).
When a high priest dies, contenders for her rank compete in ceremonies traditional to the faithful of their region, which vary widely across the entire religion. In rugged coastal regions, claimants might dive naked from tall ocean cliffs and swim to shore, with the first to return becoming the new high priest. In river settlements and along gentler coasts, retrieving heavy stones from the ocean or riverbed is a common test. In woodland regions, hopefuls might climb as far up the forest’s tallest tree as they dare and throw themselves off, and the person who falls the farthest and yet survives is declared the new high priest.
In harsher climates, the would-be successors must make harrowing treks and brave the dangers of the elements; those who endure prove their commitment to the faith—a more important quality than their deity’s unpredictable favor. Inexperienced and overly ambitious priests have been known to die because of these contests, but in most cases the worst anyone suffers is injuries and severe exhaustion.

Identification
The Maker’s clerics wear white tunics often with gold embossed edges, and lead monthly sacrifices in his grand temples. His temples are found in nearly every settlement, and even the smallest towns boast grand and impressive structures to honor the king of the gods.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Deities

• The Maker

Divines

• The Maker