Eldritch Church
A religion generally defined by fear and pessimism, the Eldritch Church is not widespread. After their excision from Kalastrad, they fled to Falgor, finding the ingrained fear of the land a fertile ground for their faith. However, the religion actually started in Astozia, where it had a much brighter outlook. In Falgor, the Church believes that there is no real truth to the world, teaching that it all happened by accident and that the beings responsible for the whole thing are uncaring, unfeeling creatures beyond mortal understanding. As the Astozians teach it, truth exists, and the gods are beyond mortal comprehension, but this is meant to be freeing. Rather than dread the end, they recognize that they cannot change their fate, so they should enjoy what they can, and revel in what they have.
Unlike the vast majority of the other religions of Wyrth, they don’t believe in any form of after-death-judgement. “Judgement”, as it were, is simply the awakening of the faith’s deities. Should that occur, the world will be destroyed. Likewise, they don’t believe in any of the Heavens or Hells. They have no belief in paradise or torment at all, only the perpetuation or end of existence.
Though they are not the majority, there are actually many believers in the Eldritch Church that take their faith and, rather than become pessimistic, become hedonistic. They adopt the mind of “eat drink and be merry, for we shall surely die” and live every day as if it were their last. Knowing that the awakening of their gods would usher in the end of all existence, regardless of any action on their part, they simply live every day they have as though it were the last day ever. The Astozians are more moderate, but this is the general bend that their adherents take.
Conversely, those that do go to fear and pessimism, believe that their fervent prayers to the gods will cause them to slumber forever. They believe that, as long as they are praying hard enough, the gods won’t destroy the world.
They revere any of the psychic entities referred to as "Dreamers" found in the myths of Wyrth, but there are four in particular that they venerate, adorning their places of worship with their likenesses. They call these Dreamers the Great Beasts, each coming from a different “unknowable” place.
Olril – Great Beast of the Night – is like a space whale. Its body is adorned with stars and faintly glows. Generally considered to be a “beautiful” Dreamer, the Church teaches that it was from the dreams of this beast that all the beauty in the world came. Tranquil fields of grass, and the gentle lapping of the ocean; the song of birds and the kiss of a lover are the dreams of Olril. Therefore, Olril is feared, not for malice, but for apathy. Welcoming in appearance and graceful in the skies, it is difficult to envision as a harbinger of the end, but the truth is it hardly notices the mortal world enough take any action at all. Should the Dreamers ever wake, the Eldritch don't believe Olril will rise to save them.
Prifez, the Great Beast of the Sky, looks like a colossal bird with a hole in its chest. That hole has tentacles protruding out of it, some that have wrapped around the wings of the bird and others that lie in wait for something to grasp. Prifez is believed to dream of fear. Trapped in eternal nightmares, the Church says that Prifez had to be tricked into binding themself with their tentacles so their terrified thrashing would not decimate the world.
Xeroggmith is called the Great Beast of the Wild. Their “head” is actually a gathered mound of skulls with a number tentacles coming out of the gaps. They're a quadruped, towering over most trees, but aside from the 600ft height and terrifying head, its appearance is unremarkable. Xeroggmith, like the Mind Reavers, holds great sway over the sanity of others. It is said that this is what they dream of: ever-folding questions of reality and existence itself.
Ylnaric, the Great Beast of the Deep, is a massive lion with three heads and a serpent for a tail. It is believed that the Beast will come from beneath the sea, rising to crush all they see with the weight of the deepest ocean. They are the most widely revered and the one with the most Occultists using its mighty power. This is due in large part to the teaching that Ylnaric dreams of rage. While Olril dreams of beauty; Prifez, of fear; and Xeroggmith of existence and the mind themselves, Ylnaric is said to be the source of all strife and conflict in the world. Held fast by the crushing depths, they dream of war and fire - destruction on a scale unknowable. For that reason, the Church prays fervently that Ylnaric never rise to see their dreams come true.
Some lesser but notable Dreamers are Aninrae, the Bone Queen, and Melogothia.
There are few Priests and Templars in the church, though they do exist. The majority of the church elite are actually Occultists. This is entirely because the Occultists are actually able to communicate with the Dreamers, thus conferring their will to the mortals that worship them. That has led to the Occultists adopting an almost Priest-like role within the Church, while still maintaining their practices.
Unlike the vast majority of the other religions of Wyrth, they don’t believe in any form of after-death-judgement. “Judgement”, as it were, is simply the awakening of the faith’s deities. Should that occur, the world will be destroyed. Likewise, they don’t believe in any of the Heavens or Hells. They have no belief in paradise or torment at all, only the perpetuation or end of existence.
Though they are not the majority, there are actually many believers in the Eldritch Church that take their faith and, rather than become pessimistic, become hedonistic. They adopt the mind of “eat drink and be merry, for we shall surely die” and live every day as if it were their last. Knowing that the awakening of their gods would usher in the end of all existence, regardless of any action on their part, they simply live every day they have as though it were the last day ever. The Astozians are more moderate, but this is the general bend that their adherents take.
Conversely, those that do go to fear and pessimism, believe that their fervent prayers to the gods will cause them to slumber forever. They believe that, as long as they are praying hard enough, the gods won’t destroy the world.
They revere any of the psychic entities referred to as "Dreamers" found in the myths of Wyrth, but there are four in particular that they venerate, adorning their places of worship with their likenesses. They call these Dreamers the Great Beasts, each coming from a different “unknowable” place.
Olril – Great Beast of the Night – is like a space whale. Its body is adorned with stars and faintly glows. Generally considered to be a “beautiful” Dreamer, the Church teaches that it was from the dreams of this beast that all the beauty in the world came. Tranquil fields of grass, and the gentle lapping of the ocean; the song of birds and the kiss of a lover are the dreams of Olril. Therefore, Olril is feared, not for malice, but for apathy. Welcoming in appearance and graceful in the skies, it is difficult to envision as a harbinger of the end, but the truth is it hardly notices the mortal world enough take any action at all. Should the Dreamers ever wake, the Eldritch don't believe Olril will rise to save them.
Prifez, the Great Beast of the Sky, looks like a colossal bird with a hole in its chest. That hole has tentacles protruding out of it, some that have wrapped around the wings of the bird and others that lie in wait for something to grasp. Prifez is believed to dream of fear. Trapped in eternal nightmares, the Church says that Prifez had to be tricked into binding themself with their tentacles so their terrified thrashing would not decimate the world.
Xeroggmith is called the Great Beast of the Wild. Their “head” is actually a gathered mound of skulls with a number tentacles coming out of the gaps. They're a quadruped, towering over most trees, but aside from the 600ft height and terrifying head, its appearance is unremarkable. Xeroggmith, like the Mind Reavers, holds great sway over the sanity of others. It is said that this is what they dream of: ever-folding questions of reality and existence itself.
Ylnaric, the Great Beast of the Deep, is a massive lion with three heads and a serpent for a tail. It is believed that the Beast will come from beneath the sea, rising to crush all they see with the weight of the deepest ocean. They are the most widely revered and the one with the most Occultists using its mighty power. This is due in large part to the teaching that Ylnaric dreams of rage. While Olril dreams of beauty; Prifez, of fear; and Xeroggmith of existence and the mind themselves, Ylnaric is said to be the source of all strife and conflict in the world. Held fast by the crushing depths, they dream of war and fire - destruction on a scale unknowable. For that reason, the Church prays fervently that Ylnaric never rise to see their dreams come true.
Some lesser but notable Dreamers are Aninrae, the Bone Queen, and Melogothia.
There are few Priests and Templars in the church, though they do exist. The majority of the church elite are actually Occultists. This is entirely because the Occultists are actually able to communicate with the Dreamers, thus conferring their will to the mortals that worship them. That has led to the Occultists adopting an almost Priest-like role within the Church, while still maintaining their practices.
Type
Religious, Other
Permeated Organizations
Deities
Related Professions
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