The House & the Old Religion

The House & the Old Religion

While clerics and druids (and also to some extent paladins and rangers) are both called priests, few would think of them as members of the same grand institution. Virtually all clerics (and some orders of paladins) in Ardrigh are members of The House of the Arvereen, and all druids (and many a ranger) follow the Ancient Tradition. As both groups stand as religious leaders of the people, conflicts can and do arise.

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The House of the Avereen

When the words "church" or "religion" are used, people tend to think of the House of the Arvereen, or simply "The House". The House is the organized worship of the Gods of the House of Arvereen. The Gods of the House of Arvereen are listed as follows:

The High Gods (The children of the Elementari (Tor, Pel, Dru, & Eln))

Hadrith

Gwendel

Pelaroth

Saffon

Urnsatel

Summa

Welsh

Kritchen

Loris

Bel

Derrostain

Remaroth

The Magius (The children of Geth)

Breth

Ain

Cal

Ean

Wel

Non

The Conciliators (Those sent by Geth as special teachers)

Judge

Loquaith

In addition to the score of "true" Gods listed above, there exist numerous "lesser" or "demi" gods. They are worshiped much like their "full" brethren, but they are governed by canon differently. The true gods are fully immortal and eternal, but demigods can potentially be slain by the true gods, or other demigods.

In general, the High Gods govern the world and all of its interactions, the Magius govern magic in all of its forms, and the Conciliators govern the interaction of the Gods (and mortals) with each other.

Canonical Works

There are only three works that comprise the "full canon" of The House. These books are: The Holy House of Arvereen, The Pantheon of The Arvereen, and Strictures Upon the House. Each of these is detailed below:

The Holy House of Arvereen: The primary text describing the Gods of the House of Arvereen, their stories, and their commandments. This is likely to be the most transcribed book in all of Manavata. Most copies of this text are meant for daily study and use, while special "temple" copies are also produced. These versions are done by skilled holy scribes, by hand, richly illustrated, and bound in a fashion befitting its sacred use. A temple version takes at least eight months to produce, and some even longer. It is traditional that a high priest will transcribe their own copy of the sacred text at some point in their lives, although many do not.

The Pantheon of The Arvereen: This shorter text describes the foundation of the World, the formation of the gods and their genealogy, as well as some laws laid down at the creation of Man. The text of this book is often copied (largely or entirely), and is the basis of several different religious works.

Strictures Upon the House: This text contains the codified commandments from the Arvereen, basic principles for living a moral and rightous life, and the commandments concerning the organization of the Church on Earth.

Several other texts exist that are largely (but not universally) considered canon, mostly the writings of early priests. Parts of some of these works have been incorporated into Strictures Upon the House. Unfortunately, many of these early works do not survive to the present day, and many of these works that do exist are believed to be incomplete.

There are other works, while not considered canon, are often read and studied by the ecclesiastical elite, and are generally considered worthwhile texts of illumination at various seminaries. These following texts are considered worthwhile study by the clergy:

• Epistle of High Bishop Mark Cantor (complete): A lengthy letter written to the ecclesiastical elite from Bishop (later High Bishop) Mark Cantor
• Epistles to the King (mostly complete): A collection of twelve letters from Mark Cantor (then High Priest of Croshother) to the Kings of Ardrigh and the North Kingdom.
• Book of Admonitions (thought complete): Seven revalations given to Mark Canor the Divine to the Church (contained within the Strictures Upon the House, as well as five additional revalations attributed to Mark Canor the Divine that are not a portion of that work.
• Teachings of Luke Pappis (complete): Letters and other writings from Bishop Pappis describing the organization of the Order of Devotion.
• Epistle of Bishop Pappis (complete): An epistle to the Church from Bishop Luke Pappis. Most scholars believe this work was unknown to the Church during his lifetime.
• Psalms of the Scribe (unknown as to its completeness): A collection of fifteen psalms and hymns written by Bishop Johann Darck. Some books contain up to ten other psalms reportedly written by Bishop Johann Darck, although provinance is not certain.
• Book of Aldmore the Divine (complete text): A collection of nine epistles and a Church history (360 -390 3E) given by Aldmore the Divine.
• Journey of the Worthy (partial text): Portions of the personal diary of Aldmore the Divine during his proselytizing in the Orent.
• The Laws of Judge & Loquaith (complete): Nineteen epistles reported to be revalations of the Conciliators, and transcribed by an unknown priest. The epistles were believed to be transcribed between 690 - 712 3E.
• The Feats & Stories of Herm the Messenger (only partial copies exist):
• Proverbs from the High (partial text): A collection of approximately 162 proverbs and parables said to have been given to the Church by the High Gods. Thirty of the sections are included in Strictures Upon the House. Some copies contain additional proverbs and parables of uncertain providence.
• Songs of the Magius (unknown, thought complete): A collection to parables, proverbs, and hymns reported to be given to the ecclesiastical elite for the benefit of the Church.

The Vows of the Clergy

Members of the Priests of Arvereen take vows to honor their commitment to the Gods and the House. These vows can be simple or solemn. A simple vow is one in which the priest dedicates themselves to refrain from a particular action or activity, while a solemn vow requires not simply abstinence of a particular activity, but they must avoid even the slightest appearance of any impriority. Many priests accept two simple and one solemn vows, although this is not universal. That said, those who do not take (or do for keep) their vows do not tend to rise in the ranks of the church.

The vows, and strictures involved, are listed below:

VOW

SIMPLE

SOLEMN

Chastity

Abstinence from sex except with a properly wed spouse and only for the express purpose of procreation.

Avoidance of any form of sexual relations.

Nonviolence

Prohibited from causing physical injury, except in self-defense.

May not knowing cause any sort of harm to a thinking being whatsoever, even in cases of self-defense or the defense of others.

Poverty

Maintenance of only the material possessions necessary. Excess wealth must be donated, tithed, or put to use for the common good.

Prohibited from owning any physical possessions beyond one pair of clothing, one personal set of scriptures, and one simple weapon (typically a dagger of small knife).

Silence

No speaking apart from set religious duties.

No utterances whatsoever.

Sobriety

Avoidance from any form of alcohol beyond small beer.

Absolute prohibition of any form of alcohol.

Some priests will extend their solemn vows even further. Certain priests who have taken a vow of sobriety will only drink pure water directly taken from a running stream, and will go so far as to avoid leavened bread. Others who have taken a vow of poverty will not possess more than a threadbare robe, and subsist on the absolutely least amount of food to prevent starvation. And some who accept a vow of chasity will avoid any humanoid interaction whatsoever.

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The Ancient Tradition

While many non-druids believe that those following the Ancient Tradition worship the Elementari (Tor, Pel, Dru, & Eln), they are only partially correct. While the names of the Elementari may be used during a festival rite, the truth is a bit more complex. Those who truly understand the ancient tradition know that it is the aspect of those ancient gods that is being invoked, and not the particular god themselves.

Tor governs elemental air, and presides over the Spring.

Dru governs elemental fire and presides over the Summer.

Pel governs elemental water, and presides over the Autumn.

Eln governs elemental earth, and presides over the Winter.

As Pel and Eln are female, the fall and winter are considered the feminine season, with the spring and summer being the masculine.

In this tradition, Geth is often seen as presiding over the sunrise and sunset, although this is not universal. Geth is often considered more as an aspect of change.

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The Balance

This dichotomy between the clerics of The House and the druids of the Ancient Tradition is said to be separated by the city wall. This refers to the fact that Church worship is strongest within cities, and areas where there is higher population density; while the old ways are more steadfastly observed in the rural and wild landscape. In practice, the division is not so clear cut, as clerics tend beehives in some of the furthest regions, and henges exist in at least a few of the largest cities of Ardrigh (and actually within the very wall of the city in a few cases).

While the vast majority of hamlets do not have a church house proper, many do have at least a small tabernacle house. Sometimes these houses have a priest proper in residence, but more often they will have an acolyte who looks after the shrine (sometimes no more than a lay preacher who maintains the place when not otherwise engaged in their normal work). These places commonly have a traveling priest who ministers there a few days a month.