The Twilight Country - Elvish Heaven and other beliefs
Elves believe they start in the Twilight Country, then are born and come to the Lands of Legend, and when they die, return to the Twilight Country. According to elvish lore, this process then repeats itself without end.
Elves are taught that the Twilight Country is ruled by the Faerie Court. To elves, the Faerie Court is
the equivalent of their pantheon of gods. Every noble of the Court is known to elves as a Kullervo, a noble spirit or power.
The leader of Faerie Court is High Queen Maeve, Arn Li of the Twilight Country. As ruler of all the faerie (including, but not limited to elves), Maeve is considered beautiful, regal, and wise. As high queen, she is the maker of laws. Elves pray to her for wisdom and guidance, especially leaders of elvish settlements.
After her comes King Obrey Amadan, her spouse and consort. Obrey is leader of the war host and is associated with battle and war.
Beyond the royal couple, there are a multitude of elven nobles, or Kullervo. The number of such nobles are too many to list, but they each typically cover an aspect of elven life, such as magic, light, music, archery, etc. Most elves will only revere to those nobles who embody aspects important to the worshiper.
There are two other members of the Twilight Country that every elf knows about.
The first of these is Morgiana, the Queen of Air and Darkness. Morgiana is the source of evil and temptation among the faerie people. According to myth, Morgiana was once Arn-Li to her her people, High Queen over the Twilight country, until a war between her followers and Queen Maeve and King Obrey broke out. The reason for the war is never specific; it is only spoken that Morgiana committed an "unspeakable sin" which required her dethronement. In the end, all but her most zealous followers turned on her and toppled her from power. She still holds sway over the darker parts of the faerie kingdoms; her followers are known as the dun-sidhe.
Morgiana is blamed for the evil that exists in the Dark Forest, north of Veltingard. She is also believed to have created the first vampire by tempting to darkness an elven troubadour who lusted in vain after High Queen Maeve. Stories about Morgiana and dark deals, temptation and evil plots swirl around the dark queen like fallen leaves in an autumn wind.
The other noble that elves in the Lands of Legend universally know is Sylvanus the Wanderer. Stories tell that it was Sylvanus who first learned to cross from the Twilight Country to the Lands of Legend. The consummate explorer, it is said that when his time came to end his life upon the Lands of Legend, he chose not to return to the Twilight Country, but instead set out in a small boat and "sailed beyond the world and the stars on an ocean of night." Sylvanus is considered the patron Kullervo of the elves in the Lands of Legend, even as elves believe he has passed out of this world.
Priesthood
Elves do not have priests in the traditional sense. Instead, one of the positions of authority in any elven settlement is Loremaster, who knows all of the myths, legends and stories of the culture, including and especially those of the Twilight Country. The Loremaster is sought by elves during times of emotional upheaval or spiritual crisis, and will provide guidance to elves based on the legends of their people.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
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