Eightfold Circle
Sections in bold indicate matters which are not common knowledge, but which have been hinted at during the course of the campaign. Where more detailed information becomes available, it will be added to the main text.
Divine Origins
Prior to the Exile
The Eightfold Circle is said to have existed since time immemorial, with some claiming that the tradition of venerating the Eight Guardians by the eladrin can be traced back at least as far as the Aeon of Ice . It was common among the lower-status clans of the Conclaves of Terianis, and strongly associated with the Druidic Tradition. It is said that the Birch Scrolls of Pryddcael contain the earliest written references to the Eight Guardians, naming them the "Great Pillars of Earth", though given the rarity of even partial copies of the legendary Birch Scrolls few are in a position to confirm or deny this. It has been rumored that the names of the Eight Guardians as recorded on the Birch Scrolls may not be the same as those known to the adherents of the Eightfold Circle in the modern age - though there is no consensus on whether this might represent a change in the membership of the pantheon, or merely linguistic drift over the millennia. In the infamous Scrolls of Shas'Ellith it is claimed that the Eight Guardians opposed the magi of the Solar Council, whom the Scrolls claim sacrificed the ancient elven homeland of Shas'Ellith to the Four Hells in exchange for power, and that Yamzaru and Yadzalu walked the physical world in order to rally the ancestors of the rathi against the Solar Council. Whilst this story remains popular in some raths, few scholars believe it to be worth any serious consideration, given that the Scrolls of Shas'Ellith is widely acknowledged to be a politically motivated forgery full of lies and misrepresentations.Exile and Oppression
Around two hundred years before the founding of the Empire of Kataris, several of the ground-dwelling clans of Terianis were exiled by the high-elves of the spire-cities, and dispersed across the land. The druids of Terianis, likewise censured by the ruling elite, went into exile with them, becoming the spiritual leaders and guides of the people who would later be known as the rathi. The veneration of the Eight Guardians was already common among the ground-dwelling clans, and in exile it became a core part of the cultural identity of the rathi. When the Empire of Kataris rose to power, many of the rathi settlements were enslaved or destroyed; those that were not, were generally those that existed in sufficiently remote or inaccessible locations such as Lith Marad, those which had access to sufficiently powerful magic or otherworldly allies, such as Lith Terrin, or those who were fortunate enough to be both. During the centuries of Katari rule the worship of gods other than those of the Katari Pantheon was brutally suppressed, but the Basilisk Queens were never entirely able to stamp out the veneration of the Eight Guardian Spirits, which continued in secret for centuries. Some scholars have suggested that the apparent correspondences between some of the Guardian Spirits and some of gods of the Katari Empire emerged from the covert syncretism of some of the enslaved elves, who publicly adopted the practices of the Katari but in secret turned those rites toward their own deities; a more radical theory suggests that some or all of the Katari deities were the same entities as the Guardian Spirits, and that the suppression of the Eightfold Circle was essentially an internal schism. In any case, the worship of the Eight Guardian Spirits continued under the Katari, aided by certain druidic organisations such as the now disbanded Circle of the Wolf and the oathbound warriors of the Manipulum of the Tressym, who were able to coordinate between the remaining free raths and the assorted faithful among the slaves of the Katari - with the result that despite the political and geographical isolation, remarkably little divergence appeared to occur between the varied communities who continued to worship the old ways. When the fall of the Katari Empire came in 544AK, the newly-freed elves retook many of their ancient raths and founded a number of others; since then, the worship of the Eight Guardian Spirits has been practiced openly once more, supposedly in much the same way as was the case prior to the rise of the Basilisk Queens.Cosmological Views
The Nature of the Guardians
The Eight Guardian Spirits are often described as being elementals, though some of their attributions are ambiguous. Yazba'yaza is almost universally attributed to Fire, Thuum'adaroz to Water, and Pemreqon to Earth, and likewise Sha'asek is attributed to the metaphysical element of Fate - and in all these cases it is generally agreed that the guardians are fairly typical elemental spirits. Tzumeqiel is attributed to the metaphysical element of Time, though is regarded as somewhat atypical; likewise, Yamzaru is attributed to the metaphysical element of Space, but is rather different to most similar elemental spirits. In the case of Yadzalu and Ormiel, it is conventional to attribute the former to Air and the latter to Will, though some sages claim that this is incorrect, and should be reversed. Some have speculated that the Eight Guardian Spirits correspond in some way to eight of the nine deities of the Katari, though there is little agreement on the matter; the most common connections made are between Tzumeqiel and the Judge, and between Thuum'adaroz and the Warrior. It has been suggested that Tzumeqiel has some manner of connection with the Paragon known as the Dancer. The carvings on the skull of a mastodon found in the House Zaal vault in Cameri have suggested that there may be a link between Yadzalu and the Volsangan ancestor-deity Korontil the StormspinnerEthics
According to some sages, the Eight Guardian Spirits are associated with particular ethical virtues; different raths have different traditions in this regard, but there are certain commonalities:
- Yadzalu is associated with hospitality, and with community
- Ormiel is associated with passion, in the sense of following one's driving goals
- Yazba'yaza is associated with equality
- Tzumeqiel is associated with respect for the ancestors
- Sha'asek is associated with the interdependence of members of the community, and the independence of the community from others
- Thuum'adaroz is associated with valour
- Yamzaru is associate with contemplation, and openness to mystical revelations
- Pemreqon is associated with fortitude in the face of hardship, and with the strength of the community to face such things
Worship
The Eight Festivals
The worship of the eight guardian spirits is most associated with eight major festivals, spaced evenly around the year. These alternate between occuring on the second night of the full moon, and on the second night of the new moon.1st Moon, 2nd Day - Frostlight
Guardian: Yadzalu, The Queen of Frost Frostlight proper is the night after the Winter Solstice, at the height of the full moon, though it is commonly celebrated as a three day festival beginning at sunset (or, in some traditions, moonrise) on the night of the Winter Solstice. It is said to be the time of the year when the spirits of winter - of whom Yadzalu is the ruler - are at their most powerful, and it is to these spirits that the festival is dedicated. It is traditional to celebrate this with a communal feast, at which an effigy made of sticks, leaves, and straw is created as a proxy for Yadzalu; the effigy is seated in a place of honour, served the first portion of all food, and treated with extreme deference and respect. Legends tell of raths where this ceremony was not carried out being beset by famine, or of cannibalistic spirits descending to possess celebrants who show insufficient respect for the Queen of Frost, driving them to commit acts of unspeakable violence against their fellows. Away from the raths, it is traditional for devotees to make an offering of food to Yadzalu; many will choose to go hungry rather than risk offending her through giving an insufficient offering.2nd Moon, 16th Day - Oath Night
Guardian: Ormiel, The Keeper of the Scrolls Oath Night is considered the best time for the swearing of oaths of all kinds. It is a time in which celebrants will traditionally make formalised declarations of the things that they would strive to achieve in the following year, and is said that such declarations - if accompanied by genuine intent - are blessed with good fortune and more likely to result in success. In some raths is is considered a good time to conduct business, and in many raths it is a time for the swearing of marriage vows - which traditionally last until for a year until they are renewed. The festival is also said to have a somewhat darker aspect to it - some say that it is the time when warlocks renew pacts with their patrons, and that oaths of vengeance swon on this night are likely to be heard by spirits of bloodshed and revenge.4th Moon, 2nd Day - New Hearth
Guardian: Yazba'yaza, The Soothing Flame New Hearth marks the transition between winter and spring, and is usually considered a time of gentle celebration. One tradition that if often observed is the extinguishing of all fires and lights within a settlement, which will then be rekindled from a single magically-conjured flame that is blessed in the name of Yazba’yaza. This ceremony is said to represent renewal, and also the fundamental equality of all members of the rath, as "all are kindled anew from the same flame". Away from the raths, many devotees mark this by ritually extinguishing and re-lighting a candle as part of a devotional prayer.5th Moon, 16th Day - Night of the Ancestors
Guardian: Tzumeqiel, The Lord of the Gate The night of the fifth new moon is said to mark a point where the Veils of Time are at their thinnest. It is a time to tell tales and make offerings to one’s ancestors “of blood or spirit” - which is to say, both those who one is biologically descended from and those who are in some sense one’s predecessors; this latter category might include historical figures whom one admires and seeks to emulate, or one’s teachers, mentors, or other individuals now passed beyond death who had some significant impact on one’s life. Some say that on this night, the spirits of the ancient dead sometimes return to walk among their descendants in disguise, and there is a long-standing tradition that any stranger who comes to the rath on this night should be offered the warmest of welcomes.7th Moon, 2nd Day - Weaving of the Wyrd
Guardian: Sha'asek, The Spider of Fate The Weaving of the Wyrd is a midsummer festival, the origins of which are somewhat obscure; it is marked by feasting and contests of storytelling. It is the traditional time for coming of age ceremonies to be conducted, and for initiations into bardic and druidic orders to occur. It is said to be an auspicious time for divination and acts of fortune-telling.8th Moon, 16th Day - Festival of the Rivers
Guardian: Thuum'adaroz, The Roaring One The Festival of Rivers is typically celebrated over the three days of the new moon, and consists of a number of ceremonies, the most important of which occurs on the second night, in which libations of fruit wines are poured into the rivers as offerings to the spirits that dwell within. Another tradition involves the casting of items of personal significance belonging to those who died in the preceding year into a river, which is believed to assist the spirits of the dead in their passage to the next life. The Festival of Rivers is also considered to be an auspicious time for the settling of grudges, and many raths have traditions of ritualised combat for this purpose - these are many and varied, the most common including fighting with wooden staves on a tree-trunk or thin bridge over the river, or a form of unarmed wrestling in which combatants attempt to force each other’s heads below the water for a count of three seconds.10th Moon, 2nd Day - Festival of the Stars
Guardian: Yamzaru, The Empty One The origins of this festival, which follows the Autumn Equinox, are obscure; some say that it is the oldest of the eight festivals, a remnant of some far more ancient rites. For most devotees, it is a night of quiet contemplation; those of a more mystical bent might practice any of a number of rituals said to open the mind to greater understanding, and the use of hallucinogenic drugs to provoke visions is a relatively common practice in certain raths. It is said that to look upon the moon upon this night, or to stand bathed in the light of the moon, brings madness and misfortune, and those who must venture beyond their tents or travel on this night do so hooded and veiled to as to avoid this danger.11th Moon, 16th Day - Winter's Eve
Guardian: Pemreqon, The Frozen Earth The final festival of the year, Winter’s Eve is the traditional time in which raths reweave their wards and other magical protections in preparation for the period between Winter's Eve and Frostlight - which is regarded as a deeply inauspicious time, when evil spirits roam the world. It tends to be a rather somber festival, typically accompanied by a day of fasting for all those who are fit and well enough to do so. Children born on Winter’s Eve are sometimes said to possess the power to drive out evil spirits, and in many raths they will be tutored in the ways of magic.Priesthood
The Eightfold Circle has no formal priesthood, though it is common for some devotees to find themselves more drawn to a particular Guardian than to the others, and it tends to be these individuals who come to lead the ceremonies of the eight festivals. Those who choose to devote their lives to the spiritual welfare of their communities may delve deeply into the lore of the Eight Guardian Spirits, and are often also initiates of the Bardic or Druidic traditions; whilst they are often influential and might be deferred to on spiritual matters, these sages do not hold any formal position of power within the raths.
Sects
Whilst most rathi follow the ways of the Eightfold Circle, different raths have their own specific traditions in relation to them. A handful of raths are said have diverged significantly from the Eightfold Circle - the so-called Raths of the Spider, Lith Alim and Lith Tabar, are perhaps the most well known of these, being devoted solely to the worship of Sha'asek.
Away from the raths, sole devotees of the Eightfold Circle are found in many societies, though there is little in the way of formal organisation among these disparate worshipers. There are also a number of communities of rathi descent who have integrated into Savuran, Alderni, Balthan, and Corlish society who follow the ways of Eightfold Circle, often alongside the other religious traditions of the land in which they dwell.
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Alternative Names
Eight Guardian Spirits
Divines
Related Ethnicities
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