Iconography & Honorifics
Ethone the Presence [The One Beyond All] was believed to be an ancient being of unfathomable power. Followers of the "Old Gods" know the title to at best a misnomer, at worse heretical propaganda. As there is only one true God, Ethone, and his heralds; Vigrat the Destroyer [The Faceless Death] and Adntiar the Uplifted [The Illuminated].
Creation Mythos
For what was this world before it was this world. The great void, at the edge of all things. Before this, there was Ethone, the Presence that divided what would be from what would not. There Ethone sat, beyond the gates of existence holding back the void from that which would be. At the gates of existence stood the two pillars from which those who were worthy to entreat Ethone stand. In perfect balance Vigrat & Adnitar stood to welcome those who would entreat the One Beyond All.
As eons passed, four souls, twisted and wretched came to the Gates of Eternity. They fought for 300 years and as their numbers prevailed, these heretics fought their way through the gates of Eternity. They would have undone all of existence, but for the briefest of moments, Ethone cast them down.
In that instant the void which threatens to roll over all things was released, all was gained, and all was lost. For their treachery, they were cast down as lower demons burdened to suffer under the weight of their own power.
Tenets
- The Cycle of Life - All can be gained, and all can be lost. The cyclical nature of all things is the only truth of this world. All Life repeats itself.
- The Force Supreme - There is only one God. The heralds of the one true God are the only ones who can bring about balance to his great design. The will signal the dawn of a new age, "the balance of all things", the age of impartial equilibrium. (Though there is much debate about this text as some interpret it to mean the "the end of all things")
- The Black Order - That which is not uplifted must be destroyed.
- The White Order - that which cannot be destroyed must be uplifted
Hierarchy
- The Black Priests - The sacred order of Clerics, Druids, Paladans, and Priests who are dedicated to the destruction of those who are not considered uplifted.
- The White Priests - The sacred order of Clerics, Druids, Paladans, and Priests who are dedicated to the uplifting of those deemed worthy.
- The Scarred - Those who take a vow of silence in order to more closely commune with Ethone. The scarred are considered to be the most fierce of warriors in Espen, easily identified by the scars that cover half of their body.
Socical Impacts:
Followed predominanty by the tabaxi and genasi, worshipers of the Ethone are referred to as "the faithless" by those who worship the new gods. While those who worship Ethone refer to those who worship the new gods as "heritics". Over the last century, the followers of Ethone have began seeing themselves as "the enlightened ones."
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