Tyrian

"And so the chanters summoned the great one against the devils who enslaved humanity in eternal cold. They proclaim'd that the devils hath no sway over the free mortals, and smote down their false idols. Our Lord Tyr descended from the Overhall and brought warmth back to Erden, and watched over his new flock forevermore."
- Unknown, oral tradition
"Fellow Northerners, people of my blood. Years beyond reckoning it hath been since Tyr saved our people. But a new threat doth awaken in the North, and it threateneth to sweep before it all of us like grain to the wind. We must battle in His name and taketh His sacred Hammer of righteousness. Know that with us standeth the might of the Bear, the wisdom of the Raven, and the cunning of the Wolf. With this power, the Greenskins shall thus be smote"
- Holm I Graelingard, oral tradition
"In the name of my Father, I consecrate this sacred place Holmgard, and from this day until the end of days our people shall be known as the Holmgardians, not this tribe or that. And all our people shall settle here, and yea, we shall rule all of Erden from this great city. For we carry the strength of Tyr within us, and the Power that ended the Age of Ice flows through our veins."
- Ulric Graelingard
Overview:
Tyr is the patron god of the Holmgardian people, a god who embodies honour, glory, and primal fury. Tyr takes many forms, wandering the world as a gigantic bear, as a cunning raven, or as a ferocious wolf. In his human form, he appears as a bearded figure with one eye. More esoteric carvings of Tyr depict him with a human body and three heads; one for each of his patron animals.
Tyr embodies the primal spirit of the Holmgardian people and their ancient animal deities. His domain is the Overhall, a realm of feasting and plenty where the honourable dead reside. It is Tyr who is said to have warmed the primordial world and driven away the demons that preyed on ancient humanity.
His legend is passed on by the Skalds, oral storytellers versed in ritual and sacrifice. In recent centuries his name has been invoked in the name of conquest and human supremacy, and adopted by the Tyrian Inquisition. At first a relatively benevolent god of a people struggling against a harsh land invaded by orcs, Tyrian churches have become increasingly zealous and vengeful.

History

Two thousand years ago, the world was locked in a frigid ice age, beset by vampiric agents of a baleful elven god. But as the skalds proclaim, the shamans of ancient humanity sacrificed themselves to summon God himself - Tyr - primal fury in all its forms. Tyr defeated the evil vampires and banished the cold, but was gravely wounded in the process. He left Erden to create the Overhall, and was forgotten by many. Only the tribes of the Obsidian hills, the Lupenheim woods, and the Norgannothi mountains - the ancestors of the Holmgardians - kept his memory alive.
And so, worship of Tyr has existed for thousands of years, originally as a member of a pantheon that included many other gods which have since been forgotten. As the Northern tribes became more numerous and settled, their religion became increasingly organized. After the Holmgardians had proclaimed the Empire and founded Drakenhelm, the Skalds founded the monotheistic Church of Tyr.
At first, Tyr was simply the patron god of the Holmgardian people, a god that emphasized honor, strength, justice, and struggling against the evils of the world. But over the centuries, his beliefs were co-opted and used to advance human supremacy. By the 7th century, Tyr had become a symbol of evil and oppression to some non-humans.

Cosmological Views

Early legends of Tyr had him as a god of War in a pantheon that included his mother Friga, and father, Mulnir. These legends have long since passed into obscurity, and Tyr is now the one and only god of the Tyrian faith - all others have been forgotten by all but the most learned of scholars. Good Tyrians believe in a few key myths, which are transmitted by oral tradition and various texts.
Firstly, they believe that thousands of years ago, in an age of Ice, humanity was stalked by blood drinking, evil creatures. To free humanity, the greatest Shamans sacrificed themselves to summon a being from the heavens - Tyr. Tyr drove away the blood-drinkers and warmed the world, making it hospitable for humans once again.


Secondly, Tyrians believe that Holm Graelingard I was the living incarnation of Tyr. Tyr created Holm I to drive away the Greenskins, and elevate the tribes of the North, his chosen people, to greatness. The city Holm I (and his dwarven allies) founded, Drakenhelm, is the holiest city in the world. After performing many miracles, such smiting the Greenskin hordes with his hammer, turning stone into bread, constructing the Path of Glory, and so on, Holm I was called to the Overhall by Tyr himself and left the mortal plane.


Thirdly, Tyrians believe that His line, the Graelingard dynasty, carries the holy blood of Tyr himself, and so are the Emperors of all Mankind. The Emperor is not just the head of state, but the head of the Church of Tyr, and the spiritual leader of all of the human race. Humans who do not believe in Tyr are not heretics, however - only misguided.

Tenets of Faith

Thou shalt demonstrate honour in all you do.
Though shalt use the cunning of the wolf to advance Mankind.
What thou takest through conquest, thou keepeth.
Thou shalt raise a family, and thine progeny shall be well kept, and spreadeth the banner of Tyr.
Thou shalt respect justice, and the rule of the Laws.
Thou shalt not display cowardice.
Thou shalt not show selfishness.
Thou shalt not demonstrate weakness in mind, body or spirit.

The Eight Tenets of Tyr

Worship

Just as the ancient shamans of humanity sacrificed themselves for our survival, the Tyrians too make sacrifices. Sacrificing animals is common, though humanoid sacrifice is now outlawed in most regions.
The 3 biggest religious festivals are as follows, though of course a bewildering plethora of smaller holy days are celebrated throughout the Eastern Realms:
The Great Blot: An ancient holiday that celebrated the Coming of Tyr and the banishment of the cold from the world. The New Year is officially celebrated on this date.
The Great Blot usually involves several days of festivities that include drinking, feasting, sacrificial animals, wrestling, and other celebrations. On the penultimate day, a sermon is usually held, after which a night of ferocious revelry takes place. The sermon usually includes the following and is said by an ordained Skald of Tyr.
Orcbane: The second most important holiday in the Tyrian calendar, after the Great Blot. Orcbane celebrates the crowning of Holm I and the miraculous destruction of the greenskin hordes that threatened mankind
Shieldsmeet: The official date of the yearly meeting of the Witan, the ruling council of the Empire. It is also a holiday that celebrates the founding of the city of Holmgard by St. Ulric.

Priesthood

There is no one holy book of Tyr, and the qualifications for attaining priesthood are few. Tyrian priests, or Skalds, are expected to be well versed in the oral traditions of Tyr and in the appropriate holy days, rituals, and sacrifices. Literacy is considered an asset, but is not required. Skalds typically require a year of apprenticeship, or Jaerthyng, in an organized institution of Tyr. However, a particularly skilled or prominent believer may be granted the status of Skald by any Skald of at least 10 years experience.
The most essential item of a Skald is a Runeknife, a silver, ceremonial weapon intended for animal sacrifice. More prominent skalds may take on additional religious vestments: these include the classical Durenhelm, a head-dress made of a deer skull and antlers, a bearskin robe, a wolf headdress, or a raven-feather mantle. Other religious accessories may include small prayer books or incense.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The Church of Tyr is highly intertwined with the fate of the Holmgardian Empire. The two were effectively one and the same until the War of the Three Emperors, but since the civil war, the Church has become a multi-state religion.

The political arm of the Church is the Divine Order of Tyr, or the Inquisition. The Inquisition is an independent branch of the Church that enforces religious uniformity among Tyr worshipers. Though the Empire has de jure religious freedom, in practice the Inquisition is known to harass worshipers of Kelemvor and other faiths. Under the famously conservative Cardalos II, the Inquisition has risen to unprecedented heights. The Divine Order has been given a huge castle in Holmgard to rule from, and has recruited thousands of devout warriors to its ranks.

Sects

Mainstream Tyrian religion is divided into several theological groupings with significant overlap. Most important are the Unityrian and Trinityrian divisions. The main difference between the sects is that Unityrian churches view Tyr as a single entity with a human aspect. Conversely, Trinityrian sects, which tend to be older, more heterogenous, and flexible in their tenets, view Tyr as a humanoid entity with a bear, wolf, and raven aspect. 
Trinityrian Sects:
Orthodox Tyrian:
Orthodox Tyrian is the oldest form of Tyr-worship. Indeed, Orthodox Tyrians deny the existence of an "Orthodox" sect, rather referring to it as simply "Tyrian", "the Old Way", or the "faith of Tyr". Favoured by shamans, druids, and rural-folk in the northern reaches of the Empire, Orthodoxy has a strong presence in rural Westmark, Drakheim, Lupenheim, and Thyssenmark.
The core tenet of Orthodoxy is that Tyr is a benevolent force of nature who takes the form of a raven, bear, or wolf, as need dictates. Tyr is venerated through sacrifice, skaldic poetry, and honourable deeds, and though Tyr is a shepherd of humans, does not particularly dislike other races. Orthodox Tyrian in its truest form does not ascribe particular significance to the Graelingard bloodline, although the reigning Emperor of the Holmgardians is usually seen as blessed by Tyr. There is no formal head of Orthodoxy, though many important figures in this sect meet secretely in druidic circles deep within the ancient forests of the realm. Similarly, no specific written work is venerated by Orthodox Tyrians, though appropriate stories and tenets are transmitted by skalds. 
Drakkarianism:
An extinct branch of Tyrian viewed as heretical, the Drakkari purported that Tyr was a shapechanger who, aside from embodying the three Prime Spirits (wolf, raven, bear) revealed himself as a golden dragon. Drakkari was dominant in parts of the northern Empire for a time, but was rendered extinct in the 4th/5th centuries HR. 
Unityrian Sects:
The Ecclesiarchal Church of Tyr:
The Ecclesiarchal Church of Tyr, or the Ecclesiarchy, is the most widespread branch of Tyrian faith, being followed by a majority of the populace in the southern imperial provinces and sizeable minorities elsewhere in the Empire along with Rhudaria, Lornham, and Arthendain. 
The core tenets of Ecclesiarchs are that Tyr has a human form, venerates humans as His chosen people, that the High Priest of Tyr is Tyr's chosen representative on Erden, and that the Graelingard dynasty carries the blood of Tyr himself within. Ecclesiarchs believe that Holm Graelingard, the first Emperor, was literally Tyr himself, and that His bloodline is sacred; those related to Holm are said to be Tyrborn. This belief is so pervasive within the Empire that many Orthodox Tyrians have also informally adopted it. 
What separates Ecclesiarchs from Orthodox is the Ecclesiarchal belief that Tyr's animal aspects are mere symbolic depictions, not to be taken literally, and the level of organization within the Ecclesiarchy. Ecclesiarchal skald-priests are formally ordained and draw on a list of Edicts from the Book of Tyr for knowledge. Ecclesiarchs are humanist by nature, and therefore venerate particularly gifted humans (and dwarves) as Saints, including Tyr's three daughters, the Greater Valkyries. Books and stories related to Tyr are chosen by the High Priest of Tyr in Holmgard to be copied by monks in fortress-monasteries. 
Tyrian Fundamentalism: 
The Unityrian Church of Rhudaria, also known as the Tyrian fundamentalists or the Western Tyrians, are a highly conservative, ascetic branch of Tyr-worship which split off from the Ecclessiarchy after the War of the Three Emperors. 
Fundamentalists differ from Ecclesiarchs in three important respects. Firstly, they view the Imperial Cult and ordination of the High Priest of Tyr as idolatrous, instead electing an advisory counsel of theocrats. Secondly, the Fundamentalists are highly xenophobic, viewing Holmgardians in particular as the chosen people, and consider all non-humans non-persons. Finally, Fundamentalists follow a strict code of behaviour and aesthetics. Fundamentalist churches are simple and unadorned, and their followers prioritize martial prowess first and foremost.

Tyr is the guardian of Humanity.

Recent Events:
During the reign of Karl, the Tyrian religion was reformed. Karl and the Hammer of Tyr advocated for greater tolerance, teaching that Tyr cared not for race, but only for honour, strength, and courage. He also allied the Tyrian faith with that of Kelemvor, teaching that both gods existed side by side. The result was an unprecedented period of religious unity in the Empire.
Yet his successor, Ragnar, abandoned these tenets. Under the influence of the High Priest of Tyr, he was declared Tyr Incarnate, and the formerly tolerant policies of Karl were completely reversed.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Permeated Organizations

• Holmgardian Empire
• Kingdom of Rhudaria

Deities

• St. Holm
• St. Ulric
• Tyr