Eloa
The lady of the dawn.
Modest Eloa, most reserved of the Twelve. With her whole heart, she loved. Kind and demure, she wove her thoughts into poems and songs, and delighted in nature's beauty. Eloine is the duchy in which her divine gifts are most commonly seen, and a great temple is dedicated to her in its capital, Coeur.
The Order of the Wing, based in , believes that Eloa, along with her celestial kin, travelled not only to teach, but to learn. Adepts of the Wing will undertake long journeys together, teaching and learning as Thierrin and his followers did. Among the Order, it is considered a blessing of Eloa when two adepts find love for each other during their wanderings. Sisters and Brothers of the Wing will use their learnings to benefit Eloine and Cetoile, nurturing all who cross their path.
The Order of the Nightingale, based in , believed that Eloa's ability to charm others was used ever for benevolence and in the service of love. The Order of the Nightingale instils and draws out in its Adepts the ability to charm others. This is ostensibly done in order to uplift the hearts of those around them, but the annals of the Order are rife with adepts who have gone rogue. Among the six orders, the Nightingales are considered to be most free in spirit, and will often eschew chastity and demureness in favour of joy and indulgence.
The Order of the Blossom is based in , and consists predominantly of women, with an approximate gender ratio of 8:2. This Order believes Eloa loved her sister deeply; as deeply as she loved Thierrin himself. Blossoms seek to recreate this bond, coupling with members of the same gender and growing alongside them. Adepts choose their own partners to learn alongside when they are raised from the rank of acolyte. Blossoms will often act as celebrants, or join clergy of Laila on religious missions to other lands.
The Order of the Stork is based in the county of . So named for the various legends across Ereb of storks delivering children, this Order is dedicated to childbirth and ensuring each child is able to grow and learn in a safe and nurturing environment. Most Storks will travel across Cetoile and work with parents new and old, or hold classes for children. It is Storks who most often travel with children to Coeur so they can receive their schooling. Storks often have children of their own.
The Order of the Mountain is based in . They hold that while love is the highest mortal experiences, it is too often sought in others. The Order of the Mountain is a loosely-organised group that works in ascetic dyads in the wilds of Eloine. They find beauty in nature, and nurture it. This is not to say they are entirely disconnected from civil society. The Communites of the Mountain will often be closely tied to nearby communities, who rely on them as advisors, celebrants and mediators. Of all the Orders, the clergy of the Mountain are most likely to take vows of chastity, expressing their love in other ways.
The Order of the Dawn, based in , is dedicated to the concept of new beginnings. It is mortal to err, to make choices that are questionable, to sin. The Order of the Dawn serves society by working alongside convicted criminals and those who feel they have no place in Cetoilais society. Adepts are assigned a person to work with, assisting in finding peace within themselves and with their relationship to the world. Some foreigners have observed this work to be demeaning to the Communites who do it, who will at times feel pressured to accept romantic or sexual advances from the people they work with. This is hyperbolic, however, and the Order has codes of conduct to manage such incidents. The reality is more mundane; some members of the Order do find love in their line of service, and accept the emotions in their heart with serene grace.
Description
Like her sister, Eloa is depicted and described as a young woman of singular beauty, though where her sister is dark, she is pale. Fair in all senses of the world, Eloa is shy and uncertain where Laila is bold, and inspired a different sort of affection and desire in those who she walked among. Her clothing is almost always modest and pastel in colour, often with a stole of swan feathers about her neck and apple blossoms in her hair.Faith
The Cygeaux Communion is the Etoiline sect that reveres Eloa and her love for Thierrin above all. Among all of Cetoile's people, Communites are most likely to have but one sexual partner for their entire lives; some temper themselves through self-denial, remaining chaste for their lives. The Communion's grand temple is in Couer, a large complex housing many courtyards and gardens. The symbol of the Communion is an apple blossom beneath a white swan on a sky blue field. Eloa's clergy wear robes of white. Often calm, gentle and warm, they act as marriage celebrants and mediators in matters of love. Betimes they will act as midwives or sacred poets, but the people of Eloine perhaps know them best as teachers, for any Eloinais parent may request a Communite to escort their child to Couer to be taught for three years by the Communion in its grand temple at no charge. The Communion is headed by the Circle of Aemoa, named for the first Priestess Premiere of Eloa. The Circle consists of twelve individuals, a leader and a second from each of the six Cygean Orders. First among the equals of the Circle is named the Priestess or Priest Premiere.Cygean Orders
The six Orders are spread out across Eloine's six counties, united in Eloa's central precepts and differentiated by their emphasis. It is worth noting that the vast majority of Eloa's clergy see themselves as members of the Cygeaux Commune first and members of their Orders second. Each Order has its own temple within the Cathedral of Aemoa in Coeur.The Order of the Wing, based in , believes that Eloa, along with her celestial kin, travelled not only to teach, but to learn. Adepts of the Wing will undertake long journeys together, teaching and learning as Thierrin and his followers did. Among the Order, it is considered a blessing of Eloa when two adepts find love for each other during their wanderings. Sisters and Brothers of the Wing will use their learnings to benefit Eloine and Cetoile, nurturing all who cross their path.
The Order of the Nightingale, based in , believed that Eloa's ability to charm others was used ever for benevolence and in the service of love. The Order of the Nightingale instils and draws out in its Adepts the ability to charm others. This is ostensibly done in order to uplift the hearts of those around them, but the annals of the Order are rife with adepts who have gone rogue. Among the six orders, the Nightingales are considered to be most free in spirit, and will often eschew chastity and demureness in favour of joy and indulgence.
The Order of the Blossom is based in , and consists predominantly of women, with an approximate gender ratio of 8:2. This Order believes Eloa loved her sister deeply; as deeply as she loved Thierrin himself. Blossoms seek to recreate this bond, coupling with members of the same gender and growing alongside them. Adepts choose their own partners to learn alongside when they are raised from the rank of acolyte. Blossoms will often act as celebrants, or join clergy of Laila on religious missions to other lands.
The Order of the Stork is based in the county of . So named for the various legends across Ereb of storks delivering children, this Order is dedicated to childbirth and ensuring each child is able to grow and learn in a safe and nurturing environment. Most Storks will travel across Cetoile and work with parents new and old, or hold classes for children. It is Storks who most often travel with children to Coeur so they can receive their schooling. Storks often have children of their own.
The Order of the Mountain is based in . They hold that while love is the highest mortal experiences, it is too often sought in others. The Order of the Mountain is a loosely-organised group that works in ascetic dyads in the wilds of Eloine. They find beauty in nature, and nurture it. This is not to say they are entirely disconnected from civil society. The Communites of the Mountain will often be closely tied to nearby communities, who rely on them as advisors, celebrants and mediators. Of all the Orders, the clergy of the Mountain are most likely to take vows of chastity, expressing their love in other ways.
The Order of the Dawn, based in , is dedicated to the concept of new beginnings. It is mortal to err, to make choices that are questionable, to sin. The Order of the Dawn serves society by working alongside convicted criminals and those who feel they have no place in Cetoilais society. Adepts are assigned a person to work with, assisting in finding peace within themselves and with their relationship to the world. Some foreigners have observed this work to be demeaning to the Communites who do it, who will at times feel pressured to accept romantic or sexual advances from the people they work with. This is hyperbolic, however, and the Order has codes of conduct to manage such incidents. The reality is more mundane; some members of the Order do find love in their line of service, and accept the emotions in their heart with serene grace.
Inheritance
Eloa taught that love need not be expressed in the sexual excesses of her sister. She taught her people that affection can be shown through bashful smiles and glances through lashes and gentle touches. She taught people that beauty can be found anywhere if one looks hard enough, and she taught them to express it through song and poem. She taught her children that joy and love can be found in the serving of others. When she left with Thierrin, she left behind a shawl of pure, downy white.Shawl of the Dove
One of Cetoile's national treasures and mark of the Duc d'Eloine's office, the Shawl given by Eloa to her descendants allows its rightful wearer to know the direction toward a loved one. The shawl is woven of downy feathers of white that will change to grey when its wearer is mourning.Divine Domains
Charm, Chastity, Love, Music, Peace, Poetry
Children
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