The Path of Inspiration
The Path of Inspiration is the state religion of Riedra, and the faith forms the backbone of the nation.Indeed, the faith and the nation are one and the same in the eyes of most of its citizens.
Divine Origins
When the quori first came to Sarlona, they used infiltration, psychic manipulation, and cunning politics to throw the continent into bloody chaos. Then presenting themselves as divinely inspired saviors, they came to the “rescue” and now maintain absolute control over Riedra. As psionically modified humans tinged with fiendish blood and possessing elflike beauty, the Inspired are a breed apart form normal Sarlonan humans. They act and are treated as such. Although few in number, the Inspired are nobles within Riedran society, and those of highest rank rule as divine monarchs.
Over the course of centuries, the quori created a religion as a means of controlling the common citizens of Riedra. Known as the Path of Inspiration, this faith is based around the concept of reincarnation and spiritual evolution. By living lives of devotion and service, the faithful hope to improve their lot in the next life. After passing through cycles as beast and human, a Riedran hopes to eventually become one of the il-altas, the “great spirits” that guide others toward perfection. The Inspired are believed to be vessels of these il-altas. Thus, the Riedrans know that their leaders are possessed by spiritual entities, but they believe that this possession is a great honor and treat the Inspired with the reverence other religions offer their gods. And so the quori maintain their power.
Tenets of Faith
The main precept of the Path of Inspiration is that devotion to the il-altas, the great spirits, comes first. They believe these great spirits are opposed by evil gods and fiends, which they call the altavars. These evil spirits tempt the faithful to wander from the path and threaten their ability to progress along the path to the next life in the cycle of reincarnation.
The Path of Inspiration bears some basic resemblance to the Church of the Silver Flame. However, followers of the Path believe that all foreign faiths worship altavars, and that these faiths are corrupted.
Most Riedrans are illiterate, and are taught the precepts of the Path of Inspiration by the sermons of the priests in the waking hours and have the lessons broadcasted from the quori monoliths into their dreams at night.
Cycles of Reincarnation
Followers of the Path of Inspiration believe in cycles of reincarnation and spiritual evolution along this path to enlightenment. Followers of the precepts of the faith hold that should they obey the will of their Chosen representatives on Eberron, that they too can eventually be reincarnated into one of the il-altas. Inspiration refers to when a Chosen is inhabited by one of these great spirits.
The various tiers of this cycle to reach enlightenment are:- The il-altas who cannot manifest on the Material Plane and instead must act through The Inspired;
- The Chosen (those who are guided by the il-altas
- Lokumites;
- Humans;
- Nonhumans (dromites, duergar, dwarves, elans, ogres, ogre mages, shifters
- Beasts
Worship
The Inspired cement their hold over the populace through pseudo-religious ceremonies that not only reinforce their role, but also have the more valuable function of focusing psychic energy. Most of these rituals involve the monoliths that the quori are erecting all over Riedra. These monoliths are known as the hanbalani altas, the “sanctuaries of the soul”; they are said to provide a resting place for spirits awaiting reincarnation, although the truth is far more sinister.
PRAYERS
For a Riedran, work is prayer. Through his unrelenting toil, the Riedran peasant believes that he is honoring the Inspired and furthering his spiritual evolution. Such devotion is reinforced by the subtle influence of the monoliths. These thoughts feed the psychic energy of the quori, who in turn use the monolith network to encourage the citizens’ religious submission with telepathic suggestions. But Riedrans do invoke the names of the Inspired when in distress, believing that doing so attracts benevolent attention to the problem. Riedrans also occasionally worship at their local monolith, hoping for success or aid as any worshiper might.
Minor Rites
The priests oversee typical ceremonies that cement the community, such as namings, weddings, funeral services, and the like. They or their assistants fulfill the role of minor functionaries, completing paperwork and maintaining central records.
The Inspired mandate monthly celebrations of thanks, which are conducted by the local priest, to further reinforce the population’s subservience. Citizens sing hymns of praise and sometimes make special requests for divine assistance. The rite usually lasts about an hour, after which the celebrants share a simple meal.
Major Rites
Once per year, on the anniversary of the unification of Riedra by the Inspired, all of Riedra observes the Feast of the Founding. The celebrations occur within each fortress-complex that controls a group of villages, and the noble of the region convenes them. At dawn, the village priests lead processions to the central complex and usually to the monolith within. Once the throngs have assembled, a lengthy ceremony offers praise to the Inspired for their vision and thanks for their generous shepherding of the people. Individual worshipers might step forward, overcome with religious fervor, and offer testaments to personal experiences of the love of the Inspired, such as a sick child who recovered or a failing crop that suddenly began to thrive after the peasant invoked names of the Inspired. Proceedings might last several hours.
While the ceremony goes on, the monolith glows and hums in a low tone, capturing and reinforcing the powerful psychic energy of the fervent worshipers. During these times, high-ranking Inspired convene within the monolith and draw strength from the psychic radiation. Sometimes the region’s overlord shows himself atop a tower, shining like a star with manifested psionic energy and speaking in thunderous tones about the great future to come. Such a display usually causes the worshipers to become even more emotional, setting up mutual psychic feedback.
The Calendar
Except for Inspired, quori do not use the Galifar calendar. Instead, they mark time according to the cycles of the Quor Tarai—the Dream of the Age—which is currently a nightmare centered around il-Lashtavar, the Dreaming Dark. The heart of Dal Quor sends out powerful psionic emanations at regular intervals, which the quori can feel intensely. Each period of “wakefulness” lasts three terrestrial days; in the flowing time of Dal Quor, this translates to roughly one month. This is followed by a long “sleep” cycle of two terrestrial weeks (or about four months in Dal Quor). During a “waking” cycle, quori experience tumultuous visions of il-Lashtavar, becoming highly agitated and hypersensitive to sensual and psychic stimuli. Whether the possessing quori is “asleep” or “awake” according to the rhythms of Dal Quor, however, the Inspired vessel follows a human’s normal 24-hour sleep cycle.
For the benefit of human followers, priests lead celebrations of thanks at the time of each month when that month’s moon is full. (The Riedran calendar is lunar and named similarly to Galifar’s humans from Sarlona originally conceived both.)
The Feast of the Founding takes place at daybreak on the day of Therendor’s new phase in the month of Therendor. This also corresponds to a period of especially intense wakefulness within the Quor Tarai, so that the psionic energy manifested in this ritual resonates even more strongly with the Inspired.
Priesthood
The ordinary citizenry of Riedra follow the instructions of their overlords with great devotion. These near-gods walk among them, smiling on the faithful and dispensing terrible punishment to their enemies.
Certain favored worshipers are promoted by the Inspired to lead the others. This is a great honor. It is believed that a human priest who serves faithfully can be reborn as one of the Chosen (empty vessels not yet possessed by a quori spirit) in his next life. No priest has power that even approaches that of the lowest-ranking quori noble, but the position does have its rewards. The clergy receive a touch of the divine blessing. Each carries a special seed-shaped crystal, engraved with the Inspired’s sigil, marking his status and storing a portion of divine energy.
Riedrans dress in black, white, or brown clothing. They highlight this garb by weaving designs along the hems, using this embroidery as a form of meditation. Complex designs are reserved for the Inspired. The colors blue and red appear only on the robes of the Inspired, which the faithful cover with labyrinthine patterns of color.
Becoming a Priest
The Inspired keep careful watch on their subjects through the Riedran internal police force, the Thousand Eyes. These elite watchers not only move swiftly to eliminate potential threats, but they also take note of community leaders who can be exploited to strengthen their hold on society. Whether a respected elder who teaches submission to the Inspired or a sergeant who inspires her soldiers to bravery in the name of the Riedran overlords, loyal and devoted persons make excellent candidates for the priesthood.
The Inspired tightly control any source of power that could threaten their rule, especially magical ability. Arcanists are eliminated whenever they are discovered—Riedrans believe that arcane magic is derived from fiendish sources, pointing to the Adarans as examples. Only the most loyal priests are trusted with the ability to wield divine magic. The Inspired are not gods and cannot control a priest’s ability to perform magic, but if the devotion of a spellcasting priest ever comes into question, that priest is swiftly eliminated. Most Riedran priests are experts trained to offer spiritual guidance and inspiration to the people. Actual spellcasters are valuable tools, often assigned to serve in the military or the Thousand Eyes.
Innate psionic ability is also discouraged in Riedra’s human populace, although it is not so dire a threat as magic. The Inspired cull those who demonstrate substantial power, often killing them but sometimes holding them for breeding experiments to improve their bloodlines, possibly even elevating them to the ranks of the Chosen. A priest, though, could be left with a wild talent or a natural aptitude for psionics, which could actually help in guiding the congregation.
Hierarchy
The priesthood has just one rank—priest. Priests report to the lower-ranking nobles who serve their Inspired overlord and receive instructions through these subordinates. A priest might go a lifetime without ever entering the presence of the one that he serves, although the hope of being so honored drives him to serve ever more faithfully.
Priests might assign the most devoted members of their congregations to act as assistants. These fortunate people are likely to be chosen as priests, since being selected to assist a priest is tantamount to a recommendation. Beyond such minor administrative decisions, priests have no authority other than the respect conferred by their office.
As the vessels of higher spirits, all the Inspired stand above the priests, and any Inspired can issue directives to a priest. Inspired must answer to the Dreaming Dark and rarely act against the interests of their people. However, Inspired lords occasionally pursue personal schemes to prove their abilities to those above them.
Fallen Priests
Fallen priests of the Path of Inspiration do not exist. Those who do not obey their masters die, without exception. Nor is it likely someone can maintain a pretense of devotion while secretly advancing a personal agenda, for the Inspired telepathically monitor their servants to ensure such threats never emerge.
Quests
The priesthood serves a vital role in the administration of Riedra. Priests are responsible for indoctrinating the common folk and constantly reinforcing the people’s respect for the Inspired and fear of the outside world. Inspired often dispatch priests to areas believed to harbor dissidents, to quell potential uprisings and to assist the Thousand Eyes. Rare and trusted priests with spellcasting ability are often called into military service, and they might be sent to take part in the siege of Adar or an attack on a dromite city-hive. The Inspired have difficulty mastering divine magic, and they could send one of their treasured clerics on any number of special missions requiring divine power. However, should the cleric ever come to believe that his magic makes him equal or superior to the Inspired, he quickly disappears.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Within Riedra, of course, the Inspired are the government. The few in Riedra who do not obey these nobles have long since died, left the land, or hidden themselves to carry on their resistance or preferred practices. The Inspired have begun to send ambassadors to the nations of Khorvaire. Although conquest is their true goal, this diplomatic exercise lets them gather information on the resources of their targets. At the same time, agents of the Dreaming Dark have infiltrated every rank of society in Khorvaire’s larger cities, nudging public opinion here, supporting or eliminating key figures there.
Riedran emissaries receive a warm welcome from most governments, although only one nation has entered into a treaty with the Inspired—Q’barra’s King Sebastes eagerly accepted their offers of assistance in pacifying his frontier land. In general, other rulers hearken to these exotic foreigners, whose beautiful appearance and reassuring words are difficult to resist, and whose resources have proven most useful as the nations recover from the Last War. Still, Khorvaire’s leaders are not in the thrall of the emissaries’ religious fervor and telepathic conditioning. Sarlona represents a great unknown that the governments of Khorvaire wish to learn more about before committing to diplomatic relations. Dreaming Dark agents are attempting to apply appropriate conditioning where it does the most good, but this might take as many centuries as the ultimate conquest of Riedra did. Quori have the patience of immortal spirits. They can wait.
The Inspired are wary of other powerful, supernatural forces. Dragons remember the quori invasion that shattered the realm of giants, as well as the dragon magic that exiled Dal Quor. Lords of Riedra know that their psionic powers are vulnerable to draconic sorcery. So concerned are the Inspired that they might be willing to eliminate this threat by any means. However, the Inspired also know of and fear the great rajahs that sleep under Sarlona, and they would never trust any force allied with such beings. In fact, the Inspired could be a force for “good” against organizations such as the Lords of Dust and the Cults of the Dragon Below. Inspired might employ or aid heroes who oppose dragons or fiends.
The Inspired and Other Faiths
Those who worship dragons as living gods are especially hostile toward the Inspired, because they see the Inspired as relative newcomers who presume to challenge the obvious divinity of the dragons, and because the Inspired are enemies of magic. However, most such worshipers (Seren barbarians and Q’barran lizardfolk) live in a state of savagery, knowing little of the outside world and the threat of the Inspired. Some of the wiser dragons, mostly those of the Chamber, are gradually revealing this danger to the dragon-worshipers.
The Lords of Dust that know the true nature of the Inspired view the puppets of the quori as even more foolish than mortals who truck with fi ends, for the rajahs truly are near-divine beings (some rakshasas see themselves similarly), not just parasites occupying human bodies. Rakshasas envy and hate the quori and the Inspired for being able, to some degree, to accomplish what they have not. A knowledgeable rakshasa might arouse heroes to action against the Riedran overlords.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Civilization, discipline, duty.
Favored weapon: Flail
Domains: Law, Community, Nobility, Protection
Subdomains:Cooperation, Defense, Family, Home, Loyalty, Martyr, Solitude
Inquisitions:Excommunication, Heresy, Politics, Possession, Secrets
Comments