Cult of Concord
"In the name of blessed Concord, stay your hand!"
A commanding shout rings out, and all in the vicinity lower their weapons, cowed by the sacrosanct power of the goddess Concord and the holy peace she represents.
Mythology & Lore
According to the Cult's cosmology, the goddess Concord was once a lowly angel (and some say, first, an Aasimar) sent to stand vigil over the material plane by the gods (though which gods or even pantheon she was an agent of consistently remain undefined) against the forces of evil and darkness. However, witnessing the endless sufferings inflicted upon the inhabitants of the material plane in the name of the respective Divines, Concord realized that the divines were themselves perpetrating the evil in the world. Legend tells she went from pantheon to pantheon, pleading with the various deities to cease (or at least contain, according to some interpretations) their destructive warring with one another in order to spare their followers the untold suffering and pain. Through many trials, and impressing them through her commitment to absolute nonviolence, humility, and mercy, she won each of the respective pantheons and major deities adhering to the Concordance today over to her cause, but each time she attempted to gather the divines to formalize the pact, old feuds erupted and new offenses were taken, and the tenuous peace threatened to collapse.
An angel's virtue is an immensely powerful force which can be wielded for good, or in the wrong hands, for evil, and it is said that Concord's virtue exceeded that of all other angels. She knew that to finally bring the deities together, her appeal must be universal, and so she did the unthinkable- she approached the pantheons of those races now deemed "monstrous" for their worship of them, and begged them to attend her gathering and agree to the peace.
First, Concord went to the ancient and elder gods of the Yuan-Ti. Appearing as a merciful hostess offering shelter and comfort to weary travelers, Concord nursed the ailing and sickly Yuan-Ti godlings back to health, sustaining it with her own divine blood. Concord plead with them to agree to the Concordance. But still, the Yuan-Ti pantheon was not satisfied, for they were cruel and cold, and they called her warmth weakness. Having grown accustomed to her life's blood, they demanded of her that in exchange for their fealty to the concordance and presence at the gathering of divines, she give to them her heart, that they may sustain themselves on her warmth.
Next she came to Gruumsh, the Orc God famous for his eternal blood feuds, and begged him to forsake his oaths of vengeance for the sake of his people, that the endless wars and bloodshed might cease and they might benefit from the advancements of the world. Gruumsh's feud had held his followers back, but in a show of faith Concord would provide gifts and empathy where only violence had been offered. In exchange for his commitment to the Concordance and attendance at the gathering of Divines, Gruumsh demanded the gifts of Concord's mind, taking from her the secrets of civilization. But Concord was strong and loved all, so she sacrificed.
She came to Maglubiyet, the Great Tyrant of the Goblinkin, and demanded he forswear his commitment to conquest and slavery, but Maglubiyet, ever avaricious, coveted Concord's wings and envied her freedom. In return for his fealty to the Concordance, and his presence at the gathering of divines, Maglubiyet demanded Concord give him her wings, that he could also fly to all ends his domains and gaze upon his subjects. But Concord was strong and loved liberty, so she sacrificed.
Finally, Concord visited the great and grandiose halls of Annam Allfather, God of Giants and Head of the Ordning. She appealed to the Giant's magnificence and sense of grandeur, that their halls and their great works would not be destroyed by senseless violence and lost to the ages, and that only through respect for the equity of the races could these be preserved. But the Giants were proud and arrogant, and confident in their power upon their mighty thrones in lauded halls. The Allfather liked Concords praises all too well, and so in exchange for their agreement to the Concordance and attendance at the gathering of the Divines, the Ordning demanded Concord's voice that she might always sing their praises from the mountaintops. Concord was strong and loved equality, so she sacrificed.
Impressed by Concord's sacrifices in the name of peace, the great pantheons gathered in Concord's hall, partaking of the ancient Guest Right, and miraculously, the peace held. The awe and hope Concord inspired amongst the divines seemed to have cowed them, their petty squabbles set aside, and as the divines arrived and feasted and laughed together around Concord's hearth as night fell, a sense of camaraderie prevailed and a sense that a new future was dawning pervaded the evening air.
But two deities were unsatisfied with the Concordance, and looked upon the companionship with hate and disgust. Lolth and Laduger, minor gods of the elves and dwarves, and utterly convinced of the superiority of their races, resented the newfound hopes of peace. They looked upon Concord's virtue and saw only threat to their power and opportunity for more. They greeted the mixing between the pantheons with disdain, and were convinced the Concordance could only corrupt their followers, undermine their power, and lead them to weakness. Thus, they conspired to destroy Concord and her peace, and use her virtue to finally attain power to secure their dominions once and for all, and thus in the night.
In the night, Lolth visited the Yuan-Ti pantheon. She offered poisoned words about the power of an angel's heart as as source of strength, and stoked dreams in the Yuan-Ti of a resurgent empire, in which they once more reigned supreme.Next, Laduger visited the Tyrant King Maglubiyet. He mocked the Hobgoblin god's reliance on Concord to ferry him from place to place, laughing at Maglubiyet's impotence and weakness in his own domain, and insulting the Hobgoblin king for how easily he had sold himself out. Lolth visited Gruumsh and as a feigned emissary of the elven pantheon, fanned the great God's rage. She lamented how the great Gruumsh had fallen so low, awed by petty trinkets when his followers simply took what they demanded, and laughed that while Correllon had taken one of his eyes, he was now blinded by decadence and comfort. Finally, Laduger visited Annam Allfather. He appealed to Annam's ego and might, suggesting that no folk of lesser stature could ever contest their dominion of the world, and after all, and that folk who could not even look the Allfather in the eye were hardly those to be looked upon as equals.
Thus stirring these resentments, the betrayers Lolth and Laduger, convinced each of the pantheons to aid them in killing Concord, and stealing the power of her virtue to use for themselves. The Allfather and his minions seized Concord, using their immense strength to bind her in place and their control of her voice to fill the air with lies and thus silence her screams, that she might not speak against their superiority, and thus the Giants stole part of her virtue, but Concord was strong and could bear this. Next came Maglubiyet and his slaves, who, both coveting and seeking to crush the freedom which Concord possessed, cut her wings from her and fastened them to the Goblin lord, that he might better survey his domain and ensure none were beyond the reach of his oppression, and in this way he stole part of Concord's virtue, but Concord was strong and could bear this. For his part, Gruumsh turned the gifts he had been given against Concord's love. The gift of irrigation, given to help the Orcs sustain themselves, was turned against those who had given it, and dams were shattered to flood fields and cities alike in vengeful rage, while gifts of metalworking taught to shape tools and plowshares were turned to making weapons of war and Gruumsh, still enraged by Lolth's japes, took from Concord her eyes in retribution for his own, but not before this self-destructive rage brought Concord to tears as she witnessed the war and destruction he had wrought. In this way Gruumsh stole part of Concord's virtue, but Concord was strong and could bear this.The Yuan-Ti, strengthened on Concord's blood, cut her Concord's heart from her, consumed it, and with their power resurgent, began to make war once more upon the "warmbloods" and through their deceit and sadism, took advantage of Concord's mercy and stole part of Concord's virtue, but Concord was strong and could bear this.
Finally came Lolth and Laduger. Gloating in their victory, they shared with her all they had done and all they would do to usher in a new age of darkness and ensure Concord's new dawn never arrived. On the edge of lasting peace, having finally brought all the races to her hearth, Concord's work was unravelled before her, her sacrifices turned against the world, and thus betrayers stole Concord's hope, and with it, the last of her virtue. Finally slaying the angel, the conspirators almost immediately devolved into infighting. Each withdrew, and began marshaling their respective armies for the great final confrontation, each weaponing Concord's gifts.
However, the plotters had miscalculated, and unexpectedly, as the other gods awoke the next day to a dimmed sky, discovering the broken and mutilated form of Concord, they were each individually shocked and outraged at the treatment of a soul as gentle and pure as Concord. Rather than the attacks on their followers driving the remaining divines apart and ossifying their divisions by highlighting the futility of peace, as Lolth and Laduger calculated, the collective shame and horror of what had been allowed to befall Concord motivated these pantheons to come together in a general alliance against those who had forever shattered the dream of true and lasting peace. Swearing themselves to a pact, the Concordance, the pantheons of the Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings, and Humans agreed to respect one another's respective domains and to coexist in peace.
Through the power of the belief in the newfound Concordance and the image of her sacrifice, Concord was reborn as a full-fledged goddess. Now, stands as a mighty and powerful guardian of her sacred peace, bestowing boons and blessings upon her followers who carry her principles of nonviolence, humility, freedom, mercy, forgiveness to all corners of Kethenicaea.
Divine Origins
One of the youngest faiths in Kethenicaea, the Cult of Concord has amassed a sizable following across races and borders. Concord is a goddess of protection, justice, order, and peace. As her name suggests, Concord is seen as the embodiment of the lasting and holy peace between the races pledged to the Concordance.
The rise of the Cult of Concord coincides with the Concordance, a pact formed 1545 years prior and generally considered the start of the present age. This agreement, created by the famous "Council of Concord," a group of representatives of the major faiths of Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings, in which they agreed to respect one another's worshippers and cease their incessant genocidal holy wars against one another.
In the following years and over generations, as the faiths of the various signatories incorporated the Concordance into their own theology as a principle of holy law, a syncretic faith stemming from the worship of the Concordance's principles as holy tenets emerged.
Cosmological Views
While followers of Concord may embrace any of the many creation myths within Kethenicaea, Concord's faith is unique in that it gives little regard to the past, but is focused instead on the present and future. Rather, Her faith is founded upon an evangelizing and idealistic mission to maintain peace and security, protecting the concordance and striving to attain a utopian vision of harmony and tranquility on the material plane.
Tenets of Faith
The core tenets of Concord's faith are derived from the virtues which the story of Concord's ascendance embody. First and foremost, followers of Concord are obliged to hold to the strict principles of nonviolence (although those not explicitly sworn to her faith or less devout are inclined to make certain exceptions). Next, the Cult of Concord exalts the virtues of humility, charity, compassion, forgiveness, and trust, while holding traits like arrogance, greed, sadism, vengefulness, and deceit as cardinal sins.
Followers of Concord also tend to share a belief in the value of the community and the power of collective action through individual service. A fundamental tenet of her faith is that followers serve their community in keeping with these ideals in order to better it. Interpretations of how followers of Concord are meant to serve the community vary, including those who dedicate their lives to Concord as healers or priestesses, but also encompassing the little acts of compassion, charity, and goodwill, such as caring for an elderly neighbor, assisting with childcare, or mediating disputes. However they choose to interpret the goddess' message, devotees of Concord are directed to care for their community and promote its general peace and wellbeing.
Ethics
The Cult of Concord's moral code largely aligns with the legend of Concord's ascendance. Taking lessons from Concord's behavior itself, the Cult generally regards strict pacifism as an essential virtue, along with humility, charity, compassion, trust, and forgiveness as virtuous traits, which followers are directed to embody whenever possible. Followers are also instructed to seek out opportunities to refine and exhibit these traits in pursuit of brining the community closer together and thereby working towards Concord's idyllic utopian vision. These activities range in scope and scale, from helping an elderly neighbor with farm work, to founding orphanages and hospitals.
Violence is strongly considered anathema to the followers of Concord, and while many acknowledge it as a sometimes necessary evil or veer from Concord's fanatical devotion to pacifism, Concord's worshippers steadfastly refuse to engage in it themselves, even, if necessary, sometimes willing to sacrifice themselves as Concord herself did rather than violate this principle.
Worship
Worship of Concord tends to be informal, private, and personal. Few major temples or shrines to Concord exist where followers gather, although many public works projects completed by her worshippers feature small shrines or iconography devoted to her, which can serve as meeting points for makeshift religious gatherings. Chapters of itinerant preachers may also carry their own small shrines or effigies of the goddess (often large torches or braziers) which during her public festivals, religious days, or major truces are paraded throughout the streets. Concord's clerics also often travel through the streets, preaching her message and offering support and aid to whomever they can as they go.
Beyond these obvious declarations of faith and devotion, most of Concord's worship occurs in more subtle acts of service and faith. Religious chapters may gather routinely to preform acts community service, as within Concord's cult these acts themselves are often seen as the highest expressions of one's faith and devotion towards the goddess. The service itself is seen as a meditative, reflective period comprising an integral part of bridging the gap between the individual, Concord, and the community, and are an act of worship in and of themselves.
Priesthood
While many may revere Concord and worship her as one of a number of personal patrons, those most devoted to Concord volunteer with specific chapters of worshipers who work to preform good works and maximize their impact. While casual volunteer help is almost always welcomed by these chapters, actually becoming an ordained priest or priestess of Concord requires years of dedicated work within one's chapter. Acolytes and novices spend time learning the fundamental tenets of the cult's worship and mythology and assisting with the service projects of other chapter officials, and it is during this time that they are also given rudimentary training in first aid and the healing and calming boons offered by Concord to her faithful. This training usually lasts three to five years, culminating in an individual organizing or accomplishing a specific act of service to their community and being initiated as a full-fledged member of the chapter.
The organization of these chapters varies according to their size, influence, needs, and focus. These religious chapters frequently act as community welfare programs, operating shelters, orphanages, field hospitals, and soup kitchens, and through their authority and influence can also interpose themselves as arbitrators and mediators of disputes, with some particularly renowned leaders within the Cult being called upon to mediate high level political and military treaties. Some of these chapters remain fixed in place at specific locals where their services are most required, while others exist as transient bands who move between various towns, villages, and cities, offering their services wherever they go to those in need.
Clerics of Concord can be distinguished by their characteristic off-white frocks, tied around the waist with a cloth, rope, or leather belt, which usually trail down to just above their ankles. Most also wear a white bandana or headscarf embroidered with Concord's sigil, an illuminating torch.
Granted Divine Powers
As a major deity, Concord can grant powers to her most devoted followers.
In keeping with her strict policy of nonviolence, Concord's gifts will almost never be bestowed upon someone who uses them to engage in violence, and most of her cleric's abilities are limited to gifts of healing and pacification without violence. As a general rule, Concord tends not to concentrate her boons in the hands of specific individuals, but rather widely distributes relatively minor gifts to her clerics around Kethenicaea to best spread their impact. As a result, most of Concord's devoted possess relatively low-level healing magic, while more powerful wielders of her divine magic are few and far between, generally reserved for those select few individuals specially chosen by Concord for her grandest aims.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Cult of Concord prides itself upon being strictly apolitical. It's organization and religious structure are exceedingly decentralized, so no Cult hierarchy exists which exudes political influence. The Cult does not involve itself in wars, intrigue, or the general power struggles of Kethenicaea except insofar as prominent figures within the Cult may be called upon to intervene as mediators between conflicting parties, often expressly chosen for their strict neutrality. This neutrality often means the Cult's reach extends places beyond that of other pantheons and across borders, granting them a sort of immunity to operate beyond normal frameworks, and makes them invaluable emissaries respected by all.
Despite its disinterest in political affairs, the Cult possesses enormous social influence. Priests and Priestesses of Concord are widely revered, respected, and even beloved for their commitment to serving the people in their communities. Many may be familiar as the local healer or be seen as guardians and wise counselors of rulers, constantly advocating for peace, harmony, order, and the needs of the common folk. They may run the local orphanage or create ad-hoc field hospitals treating the wounded of both sides in the aftermath of a major battle, and through their acts of service they garner an enormous amount of goodwill.
As a result of this general good-nature towards Concord's priests, and although Concord doesn't formally exist within any of the established pantheons, Priests and Priestesses of Concord are nearly universally protected by the most strict status of sacrosanctity. Harming a priest or priestess of Concord is considered a crime punishable by death, and is considered a violation of the Concordance itself. Any persons who violate the Cleric's protection are considered beyond the Concordance itself and are "outlawed," in that every individual bound by the Concordance is, if at all able, obligated to do them, capture, or kill them on sight. Priests and priestesses of Concord occasionally use this fact to their benefit, deliberately interposing themselves between conflicting parties at times to diffuse a situation, or using their holy and social authority to impose truces and ceasefires and force adversaries to the negotiating table.
Sects
An older and more militant sect of the followers of Concord has embraced a more radical version of her message. Downplaying her continued commitment to nonviolence towards all the mortal races of Kethenicaea, this faction exalts Concord's role in bringing the "goodfolk" together -bound by a holy union through her sacrifice- and demand continued (and often intrinsically genocidal) holy war on the "monstrous" races who rejected the peace of the Concordance, which they argue is a righteous quest to avenge Concord's suffering in order to thereby usher in the "eternal peace." This sect rejects the idea that Concord ever truly ascended to Godhood (and thereby justifies the depreciated divine powers they wield), and posits that she cannot ascend until her betrayal is avenged and the world is "cleansed" of those who prevent peace, and only after their extermination can the various "goodfolk" live in perpetual peace and harmony.
While this sect is small, and is typically perceived by mainstream followers of Concord as a form of religious fanaticism, this branch of Concord's cult was once the dominant sect and played a leading role in orchestrating the campaigns of the allied armies against those of the "monstrous" races in the early days of the Concordance. Since then, their power, influence, and relevance has slowly waned, and they now only comprise a small but fanatical portion of Concord's faithful clinging to power on the periphery, eager to stoke tensions to bring about their vision.
Type
Religious, Cult
Deities
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
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