The Campiotic Guide
"Of the countless who died in the fire and conflict of The Ruination, there are those who stood on the bodies of their kin. Those who survived the Ruination live to be worshiped another day as champions of the disaster soaked era.
The Campiona Pantheon is made up of some of the remaining gods from after The Ruination. Where hundreds of their kin died, very few of them remain. These five are often considered to be the prime gods worshipped by the populace in Czerelan. They are often openly worshipped by the people, nobles, and governments of Czerelan and many festivals in their name are celebrated. When large sectors of cities still lay abandoned and plague still swallows the lives of the sick and dying, the light of faith can carry someone a long way. Perhaps it can even carry them to the ends of the earth. The Campiona Pantheon is that light of faith, and the Campiotic Church stands at the front of it all with countless order beneath it.
Fosredas. A god who sits within the sun and powers it with his very own will. God of time, fire, and light. Fosredas was the husband of Almara, the goddess who spread life over much of the mortal plane. When she sacrificed herself, Fosredas had to take her place as ruler of the sun.
Nimbur, The Drumming Thunder of War. A horned deity who rules over the storms and weather of the material plane. He is the warlike and easily enraged brother of Fosredas. He creates the storms from his body, and uses crackling thunder as his drums. Worshipped widely on Czerelan as a god of storms, tides, seasons, and war.
Wystana, The Wolf of the Wood. A goddess who takes the form of a massive wolf with majestic antlers. In legend, she was the one who helped Tasana hunt the first auroch. Wystana led the first men to edible plants. She is often attributed to being the goddess who gave mortals the tools they needed to survive. She is worshipped as the goddess of life and nature.
Regina, Queen of Victory. The mother of the Valkyries is the wife of Nimbur and the goddess of victory, war, heroism, and peace. She is a goddess that represents the glory and memory of those who fight in defense of a powerful ideal, and those who struggle for good. She was the first valkyrie that spawned from the feather of Hathiel, a giant celestial eagle.
Gradi, The Cycle of Life and Death and god of travel.. Gradi is often depicted as an older man with twelves fingers on each hand. He is the god of cycles, life, death, and burial. A god that holds domain over the afterlife and the souls of the dead. He splits the memories of the soul and the energy of the soul apart, sending the memories to the afterlife, but the energy back to the mortal plane to be used once more.
These five are worshipped by millions of followers and the faithful are led by The Campiotic Church, the organization of priests, clergymen, crusaders, and holy men who are faithful to such gods. From Clerics to the Vocezei, the church and those who support it pushes the worship of their gods and suppresses that of those who do not. The Vocezei, literally meaning the "Word of Gods" are the head of The Campiotic Church and are powerful clerics to their respective gods.
With The Campiotic Church sponsoring their worship, many have started to believe in the powers of the gods and return into the fold of faith. Their worshippers are devout and follow The Campiotic Doctrine and their Charges which guide them toward righteousness. Those who stray and become enemies of the church are often hunted by The Campiotic Creed and their inquisitors. Those who remain faithful and respect the charges are devout followers of The Campiotic Church and the deities of which it worships.
Structure
Those who lead The Campiotic Church are the Vocezei. The Vocezei are incredibly powerful individuals both magically and in stature. There is always a Vocezei for each god in the pantheon. As of right now there are five different Vocezei. The Fosredan Andred Martis, The Nimburet Thealand Lochrand, The Estanite Renalda Eirvest, The Reginite Yvonne Padanalle, and The Gradian Istonto Averunni.
There are no mortals more revered by The Campiotic Guide than the vocezei. However, they ofcourse answer to their deities and the immortal spirits of the saints. The saints are often previous vocezei or other incredibly faithful members of The Guide that have since passed, their spirits forever remembered as saints.
Beneath the vocezei are the veneratous, a rank given to Arch-Priests who are specifically chosen by the vocezei to conduct great feats in the honor of their gods and elect future vocezei. In the death or resignation of a vocezei, the veneratous convene to hold an election and swear in a new vocezei. The veneratous are often people who are highly revered by society and are most often elders at the age of 50 or greater.
Beneath the veneratous are arch-priests and priests. A priests leads one temple and the followers of that temple in prayer, charity, and festivals. However, many priests answer to an appointed arch-priest who leads an entire region or city.
Beneath them are the various acolytes and servants known as cervitorati. The acolytes and cervitorati assist the priests and arch-priests with festivals
Culture
Oftentimes many different ethnicities see the gods as different representations or taking different forms. The people of northern Valleon imagine Estana as an Auroch with ten legs. Marceans depict Gradi as a skeleton wearing colorful robes. However, extreme transitions from the norm are often shut down by The Campiotic Church and their followers.
Countless different stories and books have been written detailing the adventures of the gods and their exploits. One of the most influential is Saga Ruinare, a telling of the gods in their exploits and battle during the Ruination.
The Valkyrian is a story detailing the birth of Regina and her thousands of battles. The story of Fosredas meeting Alamae is immensely powerful and cements his place as Heir of the Sun. Nimbur has countless battle songs written to him that are sung to powerful instruments and the beating of war drums.
The castles and temples that dot the land are often homes to valuable pieces of Campiotic art. Immense sculptures to the gods stand at altars and monuments reach for the sky. Thousands of art pieces depict them fighting back the forces of the Ruination in an attempt to save the world from destruction.
The Grand Solstead in southern Oracesis is a monument to Fosredas. A cathedral of white marble with sturdy polished pillars. A towering spire of gold on top reaches towards the sun to stand as a testament to the glory of Fosredas.
In the Salic Colonies sits a place known as the Taransrin, an ancient statue to Nimbur that sits in the Everstorm Plains surrounded by the constant storm that inhabits it. The stone statue is delicately carved from a massive black gemstone that fell from the sky, when it is struck by lightning the eyes seem to glow fiercely.
There is also a powerful painting known as Paradise in Ashes, which details the burning of Avalon at the hands of the foul masters of The Ruination. A stunning combination of blues, greys, and charcoal blacks make the warm fires pop out against the dark melancholic colors.
Public Agenda
The agenda of The Campiotic Guide is to spread their faith to the rest of the world and maintain their stance as the most widespread faith in Omeath to ensure the worship of their gods, The Campions. They spread their influence to the corners of their realm by sending missionaries, claiming holy sites, and executing inquisitions to diminish the influence of rival faiths and cults as well as establishing their own influence.
History
After The Ruination, very few gods with enough power were left standing in the wake of the chaos and destruction. Divine magic had failed as the gods who supplied it to the Clerics had perished. However, those who managed to keep their divine power stood as proof to not give up hope, and that some still remained. After the Ruination ended and the plagues subsided, The Campiotic Pantheon was created in order to support the worship of these gods who remained. What helped them grow to such size was that the gods they worshipped were being worshipper by a large number of the populace.
The Campiotic Pantheon has spread all over Czerelan. From the tip of Farwind to the southern shores of Marceas. It is the faith that dominates the continent and has even been spread as a minority religion on other continents. It has millions of followers and is a powerful force on the continent, even sometimes competing with the kingdoms who rule.
The reign of the champions, the life of the people
The Doctrine's Charges
I. To protect those around in times of pestilence, is to protect oneself in times of pestilence. Those who suffer and spread their sickness, shall condemn their loved ones and those around them to suffer as they have. Look not to the crooked hands of those who would strike you with plague. Trust in your church and clerics to heal you in these trying times.
II. Greedy hands should never take what does not belong in their palms. To take from the hardworking is to steal from the needy. To take from the needy is to deliver into the palms of the destroyers. To trade lawfully is by the will of the gods themselves and to give to those in need is to repel the entities who peer in and feed on betrayal. Trust in your neighbors and they shall provide, trust in your church and they will guide you.
III. A lie spoken is poison of the soul. To lie is to bring willful rot upon those who surround you and accept the prying claws of unjust beings to plant themselves in your life. To be honest is to reject such things and in doing so you protect what you care for.
IV. To love is to be alive, and to be in union is just. But to seek love outside the union you hold is to tear it apart and bring pain to your life. Seek not the licentious pleasures of the flesh and turn to the union of law and truth. To take pleasure in depravity with the unwilling or young is to bring pain and vengeance to oneself. Those who find themselves stuck in the abyss of desire are often unable to claw themselves out. Find happiness in the one who stands by you, and find truth in their bond.
V. To be content is the fullest form. To take enough to provide and flourish shows powerful will and unbreakable spirit. However, to hoard when people suffer around you is to weaken your will and shatter your spirit. To grow as other wither away is to invite into your heart those who wish to take it out from under you and wither you away. To take enough for yourself and your family is to reject such. Turn your gaze from that of the glutton and the greedy. Trust in your neighbors and your spirit.
VI. Look not to the lies of those who claim divinity. Those who stray away from the church and its patrons are cruel and deceptive. They only wish to take from you what you have earned and take you from your families and homes. They are nothing but fiends who wish to steal away your soul and drag it with them home. Seek not shelter in their temples, take no advice from their clergy, and turn your back to those who would follow them. Trust in your people and your church.
VII. When a guest is in your home, see to it that they are cared for. A good meal, a nights rest, and no harm should come to a guest who has been invited into your home. Should harm come to them during their stay, only suffering will come to your house and stay until your demise. If you are a guest in the home of another, respect their hospitality and leave after your stay is complete, or suffering will follow you out of the house and to your own. Trust in your friends, for they will trust in you.
VIII. To seek what should not be known is a quest that leads to your own ruin. Stay true to your faith, study the scriptures and tales, trust in the guide. Look not to the shadows that lurk in the darkest corners of the realm, look to your saints and gods. Find peace with them and what they give you in turn.
IX. To take the life of an innocent is to stain your spirit crimson with guilt. The pain you cause in their death to them, their family, and their neighbor shall be returned to you. A crimson spirit is that of The Sanguine Queen and The Razor Prince, a crimson spirit is a spirit of evil and pain. Treasure the lives of those around you. Those of your neighbors, family, and enemies. Trust in life and your spirit shall be a virtuous one, unstained by corruption.
Founding Date
4210 AS
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
The Campiotic Pantheon, The Guide
Demonym
Campions
Leader Title
Government System
Theocracy
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Palace economy
Official State Religion
Permeated Organizations
Deities
Divines
Related Ranks & Titles
Notable Members
Comments