Shrinekeepers

The small altar next to the road hadn't been maintained in a long time, but Phanae knelt before it, whispering under her breath.
"Peace unto Rahdan, charity from Io, and temperance from Eurythia. May the twins be protected by their shield."
She blinked, pulled a small cloth from her pocket, and wiped the dust off the statue of Io on the altar. Her companions frowned.
"I didn't take you for a Shrinekeeper, Phanae." Siegfried had a quizzical look. "You didn't seem the religious type."
"And what type is that?" She held a hand to her chest with a mocking expression. "'Oh warriors, place your swords at rest and embrace thine foe as friend.' That kind of religious?"
Kyris laughed. "Could you even imagine what the day would be like? I've never been able to get a Shrinekeeper to even smile."
Phanae gave a shrug. "I know the rituals and say the words, but only because my mother became a Shrinekeeper. That's all. Never actually read their book."
"Has anyone?" Siegfried scratched his head. "I remember once getting a pamphlet and it was indecipherable."
"That's because you're illiterate."
"I am not illiterate."

Structure

The Shrinekeepers of the Triad are a loosely organized religious sect, in remembrance of three figures of religious myth - Rahdan the Protector, Io the Shieldmaiden, and Eurythia the Benefactor. Shrines are scattered across Saibh, and most have a local Shrinekeeper that maintains them and tells the story of the Triad as best as they can to interested parties. Shrinekeepers are affiliated loosely with each other, but there's no formal hierarchy of titles or anything similar.

Public Agenda

The only goals of the Shrinekeepers is to spread the word of the Triad and to maintain the various associated Shrines around Saibh. This includes recruiting new Shrinekeepers to the duty, a relatively tough task given the perception of the Shrinekeepers as a relic.

Assets

Although the Shrinekeepers tend their various Shrines as a religious duty, under Etoilean law they don't actually own the Shrines, as most of them are historical relics without a history of being 'owned'. Thus, technically most Shrines are property of the state, from the small wayfarer's shrine to the Temple of the Triad in the Feryll Sea.

History

The origins of the Triad myth are lost to time, but the concept of Shrines have existed since antiquity; new Shrines are occasionally built by zealous Shrinekeepers, and old Shrines are occasionally found in random spots in the wilderness. The Shrinekeepers have been a constant presence on Saibh, maintaining an oral tradition and giving aid and charity to those in need. The Principality has generally left the Shrinekeepers alone, and in some districts, local Shrinekeepers are given a stipend out of the District Commander's budget.

Mythology & Lore

The Triad mythology is retold by all Shrinekeepers, and in its essence is as follows: in a small village in ancient times, a family bore a pair of twin girls, Io and Eurythia. Twins were taken as an ill omen at the time, and the girls and their mother were cast out to fend for themselves in the wilderness. With them went a young boy, Rahdan, who spoke up in their defense and was cast out in turn.
Years later, a black fog fell upon the land, bringing with it twisted monsters and nightmares. When the village was attacked, the three returned, defending the village through a power claimed to come from the gods themselves. Although they successfully saved the village, they were cursed by those who remembered them as the ones who brought the fog themselves; unable to convince the villagers of their folly, the three simply moved on.
Each shrine on Saibh marks a place where the three companions displayed their virtue, in either healing of the sick, defending the weak, or adjudicating justice - but also a place where they were scorned for their efforts. It was only in their final act that the scorn metamorphosed into awe; an act unknown to history that took place at what is now the Temple of the Triad, a forbidding Shrine on a small island in the Feryll Sea. As the years passed, their stories were told and retold by the Shrinekeepers, to remind the world of their virtues that their contemporaries dismissed.

Divine Origins

It is presumed by most that the Triad were real people at some point in history, but no evidence to that fact exists other than the Shrines themselves.

Tenets of Faith

Shrinekeepers are tasked with two basic requirements - the retelling of the story of the Triad to any who will listen, and the maintenance of the given Shrine they've chosen to maintain. Beyond this, however, is the general principles the three lived by - to protect the weak, as Rahdan did; to heal and comfort the downtrodden, as Io did; to guide society down a proper path, as Eurythia did.

Ethics

Due to the lack of centralized hierarchy, most Shrinekeepers are left to conduct themselves as they see fit. This results in Shrinekeepers of varying virtue - but even the most immoral Shrinekeeper is left to their own devices as long as they can accurately retell the myths and maintain their shrine. As they tend no congregations, their decisions are usually of no greater import than any other random citizen of Etoile.

Worship

Shrinekeepers keep the faith by maintaining, repairing, and occasionally replacing their chosen Shrines. Those who respect the Shrinekeeper traditions but are not Shrinekeepers themselves merely pay respects to the Shrines when encountered. No other overt acts of worship are necessary.

Priesthood

The title of Shrinekeeper is one that's generally self-defined; a Shrinekeeper will learn the mythology from another, and either take over the maintenance of a shrine, or find one that isn't being maintained and choose to maintain it. Most Shrinekeepers are part-time since the position is uncompensated, many innkeepers in remote parts of Saibh are also Shrinekeepers, as an example.

Peace, Charity, Temperance

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

Shriners

Location

Saibh