The Church of the Old Gods
Mythology & Lore
In the days when there was just ocean, the four weather gods appeared. They were dismayed by the lack of anything in the world before them, and so they brought their power together and created the Archipelago, using wind and water and fire and earth.
The lands were fertile, and creatures began to emerge on it. But then the four gods of the mind appeared, and created the intelligent creatures who would go on to worship them and change the world in the ways that they wished. They built structures, and waged wars, and fell in love, and did so many other wonderful things.
But the world was incomplete, and it didn't work. The gods watched their creatures as they were unable to die, or create new life, or make any meaningful change to the world. That was when the four order gods appeared, creating the laws by which the world and the creatures on it could finally hold themselves together. And then the gods began to watch their creations grow.
In the early days of the archipelago, the gods would often descend to the ground to walk within the archipelago and speak to their subjects. They would offer power in times of need, or offer advice to their subjects. Some of them even created children with the mortals, and though this practice is long dead there are some mortal lines that hold the tiniest fragment of their divine power.
Many years ago there was a great battle between mortal factions. The gods made the mistake of choosing sides, and due to their great power the world was almost destroyed. And so the gods made the pact that they would never again walk the mortal world, limiting their interactions to small displays of power channelled at the behest of their followers.
The lands were fertile, and creatures began to emerge on it. But then the four gods of the mind appeared, and created the intelligent creatures who would go on to worship them and change the world in the ways that they wished. They built structures, and waged wars, and fell in love, and did so many other wonderful things.
But the world was incomplete, and it didn't work. The gods watched their creatures as they were unable to die, or create new life, or make any meaningful change to the world. That was when the four order gods appeared, creating the laws by which the world and the creatures on it could finally hold themselves together. And then the gods began to watch their creations grow.
In the early days of the archipelago, the gods would often descend to the ground to walk within the archipelago and speak to their subjects. They would offer power in times of need, or offer advice to their subjects. Some of them even created children with the mortals, and though this practice is long dead there are some mortal lines that hold the tiniest fragment of their divine power.
Many years ago there was a great battle between mortal factions. The gods made the mistake of choosing sides, and due to their great power the world was almost destroyed. And so the gods made the pact that they would never again walk the mortal world, limiting their interactions to small displays of power channelled at the behest of their followers.
Tenets of Faith
Most followers of the Old Gods only follow a single god that is most relevant to their own lives. However, the general tenets of worship are that it is sacrilegious to worship and give praise to any other gods, as these gods are false. Other tenets are defined based on the god or gods that each individual may follow.
One other universal tenet is the idea that all those who use the divine power should travel to the great cathedral on the High Cluster at least once, so that they may be formally welcomed into the church.
One other universal tenet is the idea that all those who use the divine power should travel to the great cathedral on the High Cluster at least once, so that they may be formally welcomed into the church.
Ethics
The Church of the Old Gods has several shared ethics:
- Follow the will of the Old Gods. Any attempt to contradict their designs must be prevented.
- Matters of the Church must remain within the Church. The populace should not be involved in internal affairs.
- Do not abuse the power of the Church. The people must trust the Church as an institution, and they cannot do so if its members think themselves as above others.
- Never take any action that could hurt any sworn member of the Church. All members are part of the same factory, and so should only seek to support one another.
Worship
A typical worship when visiting a temple is to go to the statues of all the different gods once by one, clockwise, giving a short prayer to each one almost as a courtesy. The worshipper can then go to the statue of any gods that they specifically worship and say any prayers that they wish to, before leaving a small offering of food and departing.
Priesthood
Each of the twelve gods has a chief cleric, who acts as a sort of manager over all other followers of that god. They form a sort of council in the temple that is in the High Cluster, though they mostly act in ways of politics these days since the tenets of their faith have been set in stone for so long that it would be sacrilegious to change them. This council is the go between for the Church and the Congregation, and also has authority over all other churches and temples across the archipelago that worship the Old Gods.
A person can attain membership of this council only once the previous chief cleric for their god dies, and only if the rest of the council anoints that they are worthy. All matters of the church go through this council.
A person can attain membership of this council only once the previous chief cleric for their god dies, and only if the rest of the council anoints that they are worthy. All matters of the church go through this council.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Due to living on the High Cluster and being spread through the archipelago, the Church has a strong tie to the Congregation. Many of the members of the Congregation are at least publicly members of the Church, and regularly visit the cathedral or the temples on their own islands. There is a sort of unofficial deal between the Church and the Congregation that says that if the Arbiters and Lords allow the Church to build more temples across the archipelago, and in return the church sends some of its more combat oriented members to help in conflicts.
The Church maintains that it does not answer to the authority of the Congregation, which has long been a contentious issue - however, the Church does technically own all land that it uses, so it is treated largely as an independent nation that the Congregation deals with. The Church frequently has to make concessions to the Congregation in order to maintain this status quo.
The Church maintains that it does not answer to the authority of the Congregation, which has long been a contentious issue - however, the Church does technically own all land that it uses, so it is treated largely as an independent nation that the Congregation deals with. The Church frequently has to make concessions to the Congregation in order to maintain this status quo.
Sects
Technically each of the twelve gods has its own sect of worshippers, with the chief cleric leading each sect. It is said that in the days when the gods went to war with one another there was a war between the sects, but this has not happened since.
For one thing, most of the sects freely intermingle with one another, and even those who are brought up within the Church are not separated by which god they follow. This is partially done to prevent any conflict between the sects, as it is thought that worshippers would be unwilling to take up arms against their friends.
While not a separate sect per se, there are some who disagree with the idea that worshippers should worship only one or two gods specifically, and feel that all twelve of the gods should receive equal reverence. They are seen as somewhat foolish, since the tenets of the individual gods can sometimes be incompatible.
For one thing, most of the sects freely intermingle with one another, and even those who are brought up within the Church are not separated by which god they follow. This is partially done to prevent any conflict between the sects, as it is thought that worshippers would be unwilling to take up arms against their friends.
While not a separate sect per se, there are some who disagree with the idea that worshippers should worship only one or two gods specifically, and feel that all twelve of the gods should receive equal reverence. They are seen as somewhat foolish, since the tenets of the individual gods can sometimes be incompatible.
Deities
Comments