FAITH
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In the Elderlands, faith is influenced by a plethora of gods, philosophies, and saints. As with all things, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Faith is cultural–not factual.
The faith of the divines and devils was canonized under Emperor Fides I. of the 3rd Era. It has by far the most followers, but is usually associated with andal cultures. Fides was a renowned scholar and sage, and is primarily known for his academic and spiritual efforts. He funded the construction of many monasteries and believed sternly in formal education, spiritual guidance, and sanctuary for the masses.
Today, most monasteries have been abandoned. The traditions King Fides set in place were deemed unsustainable and too costly in the years following his death, so commoners have returned to spiritual teachings from their peers and word-of-mouth. This means many villages will have their own unique take on the saints and their divines, abandoning some and adding completely new names to their ranks. The Imperial Church embraces all these divergences into its fold.
If you follow the teachings of the Imperial Pantheons you might believe that...
The divines sacrificed their celestial forms to power the crucible of creation. Their essence is a part of the realms, but they gave up their immortal lives in doing so.
The devils reflect the shadows and faults of the divines: the doubts and fears of their persona that didn't want to participate in the creation.
The devils are malevolent forces that seek to corrupt the realms.
Manifestations of magic is residiual divine power. It is a chaotic and senseless force. Those who wield magic without faith are witches, but proper prayer and guidance may be used to control this force.
Norse culture developed in the northern reaches of Eiselkross, lands ruled supremely by the jotnar: giants and lesser trolls. Part of their culture's belief is a faith focused on the worship of animal gods represented by totems.
The Ordning refers to the natural order of the world: every living thing has a spirit, a true nature that resides within them. The fox is clever. The moth is drawn to beauty. The wolf hunts, not from cruelty, but because it is in its nature to do so.
Following the Ordning is about recognizing these truths within yourself. When a devotee reaches adulthood, they are formally bestowed a spirit animal by their shamans. This is rite is not a matter of choice, but a recognition of what has always been there. Followers then carve totems, paint shields, or etch tattoos of the animal whose spirit mirror their own.
Central to the Ordning are the concepts of Matt and Mott, which describe not who a person is, but how they act.
An action is matt when it is taken in harmony with one’s spirit—when doubt falls away and the individual moves with clarity, confidence, and instinct. A hunter who stalks patiently, a leader who commands without hesitation, a scout who trusts their cunning over brute force: these acts are matt.
An action is mott when it runs against one’s nature. Hesitation where decisiveness is called for. Deceit where honesty is core. Violence when restraint would serve better. Mott is not sin, but dissonance—the strain of acting as something you are not.
A person is never wholly matt or mott. Only their choices are judged as such. Life, as the Ordning teaches, is a constant reckoning: to recognize your spirit, and again and again choose to act in its image.
If you follow the teachings of the Ordning you might believe that...
All living things posses a spirit and no spirit is greater than the other. The bear, the moth, and the wolf each have their place.
To act matt is to live in harmony with the world and yourself. It is never wrong to act within your own nature.
Death returns the spirit to the Ordning, a natural process in the cycle of life.
The Golden Path is not a faith in gods, but a faith in mortals. Its followers believe diligence, study, and disciplined contemplation are the tools by which the world will be remade. To them, the coming of the Blight is neither divine punishment nor cosmic accident—it is evidence: either the gods are dead, diminished beyond relevance, or have abandoned the realms entirely. In all cases, worship is an indulgence mortals can no longer afford.
The Golden Path is a brotherhood of scholars, philosophers, arcanists, engineers, and archivists—those who believe the world can be understood, corrected, and rebuilt. Its members embed themselves at every level of society, from kingly advisors and court scholars to smugglers and crime lords, wherever influence or resources might be secured.
All such efforts serve a single objective: the Golden City.
To the acolytes of the Path, the City represents mortal paradise. Within its walls, all people share the same standing. Titles, bloodlines, and personal glory are regarded as inefficiencies inherited from a broken age. Instead, each citizen is valued by what they contribute to the whole—science, military service, philosophy, and art alike.
None doubt the City’s promise. Though every member knows the City will not be raised for many years, it is not treated as distant myth. The Path works toward it actively, spreading influence, consolidating resources, and removing obstacles wherever they arise.
To outsiders, the Golden Path is seen as a brotherhood of fanatics and heretics—not only for denying the gods, but for the methods they employ without hesitation.
In the years following the Blight, Stillwater Monastery became a sanctuary for the displaced. Refugees from across the realm gathered behind its consecrated walls. The monks fed the hungry, washed the sick, and offered their blessings.
When Inquisitors of the Golden Path arrived, they did not come with torches or threats. They came to recruit. They spoke of shared effort, of rebuilding the world by mortal hands, of abandoning faith that had failed to protect its own.
The priests refused them. Heresy, they declared, would not be given shelter within Stillwater’s halls.
That night, the monastery burned.
By dawn, the Inquisitors returned. They stood amid the ruins with an open hand and a single question for the faithful who yet lived:
“If the gods could save you, wouldn’t they have done so by now?”
If you follow the teachings of the Golden Path you might believe that...
Magic is neither divine nor occult. It is a force like any other, to be measured, catalogued, and mastered.
There is no fate, no chosen people, and no promised salvation. Progress towards the City is measured by the sweat of your brow and depths of your thoughts.
Lies are the greatest mortal sin. Only truth and earnest discussion will reveal the path forward.
The northern andals may have adapted totemism from the giants, but their gods aren't just animals. Work in progress.
Ever wanted to worship dragons? Work in progress.
Putting a new spin on "playing the devil's advocate"! Work in progress.