The Way of the Changing Season

The Way of the Changing Season is a religion comprised of hundreds of different philosophies and sects. Ultimately, all followers of The Way believe that the path to the afterlife and the path to enlightenment are one and the same. Unlike many other faiths of the Cult of the Fifteen, each and every follower of The Way are dedicated completely to the faith, living in monasteries with like-minded individuals and rarely deviating from their chosen paths. Each different philosophy under The Way of the Changing Season is tied to a specific monastery or temple, each with it's own views on the "true path" to enlightenment. The only commonalities among the monasteries are the seeking of enlightenment itself, the practicing a unique martial art, and specific traditions along the path such as the abandonment of names. While the different schools and temples each believe in differing practices, they generally maintain good relations with each other, often trading resources and knowledge. Some practitioners of The Way even travel from monastery to monastery seeking to learn from masters of many different paths. 
The Way is also the only faith of the Fifteen that has access to unique powers. A well-hidden secret that all monks are taught is the manipulation of ki, or life energy. The further along the path to enlightenment a monk is, the better able they are to manipulate ki. The mastery of ki can be used to enhance oneself, debilitate opponents, or even mimic true magic. 
The differing philosophies of The Way can be broken down into three general paths. The Path of Truths believes that the path to enlightenment is only found in self-perfection and that any deviation could lead one from the path. The Path of Joy believes that self-perfection includes happiness, and will make allowances on the path to enlightenment for some material pleasures. The Path of Power believes that self-perfection can only be truly achieved by defeating those who are stronger than oneself and thus do not practice the general pacifism that other Way philosophies preach. Each individual monastery will fall somewhere between each of the three paths. 
Each monastery practices a unique martial art developed to specifically train the body for that monastery's idea of perfection and thus enlightenment. These arts are often seen by outsiders as impossible to perform, when in reality they are merely the result of constant training. Very few martial arts actually utilize ki by themselves. Many of these martial styles were developed by watching an animal or magical creature and creating movements similar to theirs. For instance, Dragonfly Style uses quick and decisive strikes from above, while Wolf Style focuses on wearing down the opponent. Master monks are occasionally hired by outsiders to train their children in a martial style to develop discipline and health.

Structure

The Way is split into dozens of different monastic orders, each led by a master elected from a council of elders.

"Enlightenment can always be achieved"

Type

Religious, Monastic Order

Demonym

Way

Parent Organization

The Cult of the Fifteen

Subsidiary Organizations

• The Order of the Dragonfly

Deities

• The Seasonal, God of Time

Divines

• The Seasonal, God of Time

Related Ranks & Titles

• Grandmaster

Notable Members

• The Seasonal, God of Time