The Church of Tvorevka

Describe a cult in your world. How did they form and what do they believe in?
The powerful Church of Tvorevka is a violent and zealous sect which has permeated every corner of the Empire of Kvaskrav. It worships the ancient Quasi-deity Tvorevka, a demigod who is known as a symbol of the Kravic empire (and who lends its form, the three-headed raven, to Kvaskrav's coat of arms). It teaches that glory can only come when it is taken from others; generally through combat, conquest, and domination. While it acknowledges that the Kravic Uulvir pantheon exists (and could therefore be considered a subset of Uulvirism), traditional Tvorevism pays no homage to such supreme gods as Dyev and instead focuses on the more bloodthirsty Tvorevka. However, Oleg Dyevdanovyk Yvanyakov, a new leader in the sect, has begun a version of the sect known as Dyevnarii. While it contains the some of more radical Tvorevic doctrines, it blends these with more traditional Uulvirist ideas (such as the holy book Zhemoy Dyevnii); thus it appeals to a larger segment of the population and is spreading quickly.

Structure

As with the Uulvir church, the Church of Tvorevka has always been led by High Priests (or Kjerlēvostâr in Kravic). However, unlike the Uulvir church, which is led by a council of several Kjerlēvostâr, the Tvorevkans are led by a single priest. One can only be made Kjerlēvostâr if you have defeated the previous Kjerlēvostâr in battle or are elected by a council of high-ranking Tvorevkans. Whereas the Uulvirists believe that all Kjerlēvostârs are reincarnations of previous Kjerlēvostârs, Tvorevkans feel that the soul of the last Kjerlēvostâr's soul passes into the new one after their death, meaning that the current Kjerlēvostâr contains all the souls of past Kjerlēvostârs.

Mythology & Lore

The most commonly repeated myth states that the first king of Hjasparuuk Etherell, when he had grown old, thought he had wasted his life on the throne. He felt as though he had done no great service to help his empire, and so, seeking to remedy this, he gathered his forces and swarmed southward for the sake of glory and conquest. Despite his old age, the king himself was with them and slaughtered countless barbarians. Yet the gods were not amused. They themselves had created the four empires to create a permanent balance upon the world, and if any one got the better of the others, chaos would rule. So they resolved to drive the northerners back to the lands from whence they came. Stirring up vast storms and natural disasters, they sent the troops running back to their homelands. But the king was undeterred. He raged, half mad, into the heart of enemy territory, too blind with anger to realise that he had been abandoned. Finally, he succumbed to the cold and sank to the ground. The gods took pity on the fallen sovereign-after all, they were the ones who had selected him to be the monarch many, many years ago. So they took him to their celestial abode so that he could be healed. This is where the story begins to get very murky. Sometimes, people say the gods saved him by granting him godly power. Others say that he did die, but the gods crafted him a metal body which could be used as a vessel for his soul and this (somehow) turned him into a demigod. But the most oft-repeated version by far is this: With godly aid, the old emperor recovered and regained his health. Once he was well again the gods threw him from their home and warned him to never again let his greed overtake him. But the king did not heed their advice. He felt as though he had been cheated by the gods, and would not stop until he gained the glory he deserved. Taking an iron staff in his hands, he fought his way back into the lands of the gods, with nothing but pure, unencumbered rage to keep him going. None could stop his wrath, and that day the once-proud monarch proved the limitations of the term “immortal”. As he approached the Ma’umarahs, the gods felt fear for the first time. Finally, the gates of heaven were broken down and this unstoppable potentate challenged the greatest of the gods, Glirrhuuthuon, to a physical duel. After a heated battle, the human emerged victorious and, in his bloodlust, attempted to kill Glirrhuuthuon. However, the old god pleaded for his life and promised that, if the emperor would set him free, he would grant him power beyond any human. Glirrhuuthuon was allowed to live, and the old king was transformed into an immensely powerful demigod. He immediately morphed into a monstrous, three-headed crow with iron feathers. It took off into the material world with shrieks of vengeance and descended upon the north. There, it systematically hunted down and ripped to shreds all the cowards who had not resisted the power of the gods. This ancient tale embodies the lust for conquest which is prominent in most members of the sect, and is thus the official story told by cultists. However, it is not the only origin myth for Tvorevka; others say he was a brother of Klaas Olfrostov, and that both of them had gained equal and opposite power. Still others claim that he was in fact a bird who survived the World Before, and it, like the gods, was given tremendous magical might.

Divine Origins

Tvorevka was acknowledged for thousands of years in Kvaskrav, as a folk hero and symbol of the indomitable kravic will. He was a central figure in numerous Kravic fairy tales, and it was said that any who saw him was destined for greatness. Yet he was treated like most demigods; revered, but not worshipped. However, this changed when a simple blacksmith from Kremensk, a man named Ivan Kostrov was visited by a dream of thousands of ravens wheeling around him, blotting out the sun with their swarming multitude. Eventually, they began to speak to him with one voice and congealed into a vast shape resembling a three-headed raven. It told him of its disappointment in the kravs of the present, saying that the people of Kvaskrav had fallen from their former glory and were shamefully backward. At the end of the dream, the monstrous shape handed him a gigantic ingot of iron, and said to him: “You say you are a blacksmith. Forge for me an army.” At this point Ivan woke from his vision and found himself lying on his cot. Realising that it had been nothing but a dream, he attempted to get up and begin his work, but felt the weight of something massive and heavy on his chest. It was a giant iron ingot. That day, he neglected all his work and laboured at the forge, working on a project until he finally lifted a spiked, flanged mace from the flames. From that point onward, whenever he was given tools to repair, he would lace the metal with spells that gave the recipient dreams of the iron raven and a thirst for conquest. Kostrov began to gain a massive following, preaching from the cliffs that glory only comes when it is one. They began to worship this ancient figure, and the sect grew with every passing day, until now it has gained the faith of one-third of Kvaskrav's population.

Tenets of Faith

Combat is glorious. True success only comes once it is won from another. Diplomacy is for the weak; domination is for the great.

The human race can be perfected. Those who do not contribute should be left by the wayside. The strongest ought to reproduce with others who are strong, to better our species.

If you cannot fight, you are nothing. Those who can't defend themselves and cause the expansion of their nation are useless and should be weeded out, so that a new age of warriors may begin.

Might makes right. If one is stronger than you, either you rail against them or submit. Should you prevail, you are the more deserving leader; should you fail, the world is well rid of you.

Worship

The most common form of worship of Tvorevka is through sparring or fighting with others, or better still participating in a battle. However, praying, especially in the Black Cathedral of Kaptyavrek, is not uncommon. Gifts of blood or severed appendages, generally trophies from battle, are burned in honour of the Iron Raven. The helmets of the slain are fused together to create altars.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The cult has always been tolerated and supported by the Kravic Empire, because it depicts them as superior to their neighbours and gives them a reason for conquest. They have allowed the cult to construct a gigantic cathedral in the heart of the capital, and cultists are allowed to practice freely.

Kor bjedavt nezhmi uliksvirom, a sveyrym'njazhe ryavinazhei sjla ("let blood be our elixir, and mortal wounds our strength" in Kravic; symbolises the combat-oriented spirit of the cult)

Type

Religious, Cult

Alternative Names

Church of the Iron Raven/Iron Pheonix

Demonym

Tvorevkan

Leader

Oleg Yvanyakov

Deities

• Tvorevka

Related Ethnicities

• Kravic