The Eastern Church of the Holy Truth

The Eastern Church of the Holy Truth is a branch of the Holy Truth practised in the Elven Kingdoms of the Cold Sea. It is a purely religious organisation, not being part of the Vereint Empire nor claiming authority over the states in which it is practised.

The Eastern Church began as imperial missions in what is now Hochlant and the Cold Sea. While Hochlant joined the empire, the faith in the Holy Truth settled into the Cold Sea and became isolated from the empire itself. Over the centuries this faith, having deviated from the core imperial belief and state, has spread throughout the kingdoms of the Cold Sea.

The traditional faith of the Cold Sea have largely been subsumed by this belief in the Holy Truth, particularly in Glynry and Coillearnach.

Faith

Gods

Lanzarius: The god of royalty and order, and ascended king of the gods. He gives his people strength to carry out their duties to one another, and asks of his followers that they maintain the safety and unity of their nations. It is by his authority that the monarchs and nobility of the cold sea rule, and he is prayed to by those seeking justice and protection. Lanzarius is commonly associated with the spheres of Empowerment and Ocean, as in life he was an inspiring leader and a great wayfarer.

Parenfalx: The deity of knowledge and law, the arbiter. Where Lanzarius demands justice, Parenflax write and enacts laws to see it through. They are the patron of libraries, universities, courthouses and bureaucrats. Occultists and other magicians are among the favoured of Parenfalx, as magic is an exercise of the mind asserting itself over the world. Parenfalx is commonly associated with the spheres of Mind and Warding, as a deity who exalts the virtue of the mind, and of all things being in their correct place.

Fulgos: The god of heroism, the stormtamer. Fulgos is the mightiest of the gods, and demands his followers be strong and decisive, to better themselves through conflict. His gifts to mortalkind were courage and honour in the face of adversity. Fulgos is commonly associated with the spheres of Storm and Warding, as the god who tamed the unruly primordial Storm, and whose heroism drives out the forces of evil.

Eshrevetla: The goddess of the underworld, the ashen lady. The underworld lies close to the centre of Talamh where Chaos' heart once lied. Eshrevetla claims this quiet domain of the dead as her own, along with its endless riches in iron and jewels. Her priests predominantly tend to the dead and ensure the safe passage of the dying to their eternal rest, but she is also the patron of the forge. Eshrevetla is commonly associated with the spheres of Earth and Soul, as tender to the fires of the forge and fires of the soul both.

Ceressus, King of the Fey: The god of civilised life and ruler of the kingsfey. When the gods created life, Ceressus gave them the gift of thought and cooperation that they might build societies in which to live side by side. He is the sovereign of the civilised kingsfey, and as such prayers are given to him to spare mortals from their callous excesses. As King of the Fey, Ceressus is associated with the spheres of Sun, Mind, and Illusion, as his three gifts to all life were energy, intelligence, and creativity.

Sylvigan, Queen of the Fey: The goddess of the wilds and ruler of the queensfey. When the gods created life, Sylvigan gave them vigour and cunning that they might survive and create new life on until the end of the world. Her presence is felt in the wild places across Talamh. She is the sovereign of the wild queensfey, and as such prayers are given to her to spare mortals from their cruel whimsy. As Queen of the Fey, Sylvigan is associated with the spheres of Night, Life, and Fate, as her three gifts to all life were complexity, vitality, and meaning.

Saints

Particularly pious individuals who have worked wonders are elevated to sainthood to stand beside the gods. Some saints are old deities of imperial lands who were not identified as aspects of the Gods, given sanction to remain objects of minor worship. Saints all fall under the service of one of the six gods and act as intermediaries for prayer and interceding on their behalf.

The Eastern Church has a particularly strong tradition of Saints, more so than the Imperial Church. Many of the heroic ancestors of the elves of the Cold Sea are recognised as Saints by the Eastern Church, but no others. These include the founders of each of the clans, but also extends to other historical figures as well. Other influential people in the area will, too, likely claim descent from one saint or another.

Saint Avaline: Lanzarius' closest companion and advisor, Aveline was a knight from Hochlant who travelled with the him before his ascension to uncover the Holy Truth. Upon his death, she was named the first emperor and set forth to unite the known world as his emissary on Talamh. She was given the title of Paladin for her loyalty to the king, a loyalty so deep she was the first to manifest miracles in his name. She was named a saint upon her death, and is the patron of Hochlant, advisors, and the crossbow.

Saint Cian: Saint Cian was a shipwright, making and repairing the boats his people used to fish. In time, he heard a calling from the gods. It was demanded that he create a larger vessel, large enough for all the people of the world. His employers were furious, but he knew what he had been asked; in his free time he took wood, and he built the boat. Whilst people jeered at first, slowly they began to come to his side. As the number of people working on the boat grew, so did the number of miracles performed. Despite the size of the undertaking, these miracles enabled the boat to be finished; luckily so, for the boat was large enough for the village to make their homes on, and that winter not only did the village flood, but the waters did not recede for many years. When eventually they came to land again, it was Cian who led the negotiations with people, and had his sister- Saint Genevieve - married to a king so that their people might know safety.

Saint Genevieve: Saint Genevieve was the sister of Saint Cian, though their worship remains separate in most contexts and the link is rarely emphasised. It is said that she read warnings in the stars, guided to them by the hand of the gods themselves. When disaster struck, she used these warnings to lead their people to safety, guiding them to a plentiful land. However, the king of the land wished to turn their people away. Knowing that their place here was guided by the gods, Genevieve snuck into the King’s palace. With only her own wits she charmed the king, only to disappear come dawn. She repeated this for many nights, causing the king to become desperate. Eventually he sent out his warriors to find her, and find her they did, spinning wool and laughing with her people. Using her great intellect she charmed those guards, too, and managed to make a deal with the king; she would wed him, but her people would stay, and be given everything they needed to settle in. Such was her beauty and wisdom, and the spell she had woven via deeds and knowledge of people’s minds alone, that he immediately agreed. She is, then, revered for saving the ancestors of the elvish faithful via her wits and wisdom.

Saint Vaughn: A saint under Sylvigan. He founded the first of her monasteries, and was the first of the abbots. He loved the wilds for both its dangers and its beauty, and sought to protect it from those who wished to destroy the wilds for their resources. He and his band created a hermitage at the edge of the wilds, fiercely defending them from bandits and townspeople alike. Which part of the wilds is a matter of some debate; multiple monasteries claim to be on the site of his hermitage, whilst other scholars suggest the location has been lost to time. It is said he was once taken by the Fey, but he was soon released; he loved the wild and so did they, and he was one of the few recorded people to ever have peaceful discussion with them.

Saint Angmora: Martyr of the faith, and of Fulgos. Angmora was a princess, eldest of her line. When she was young her father was taken by the Fey, and she swore vengeance upon them - and called upon Fulgos to aid her. In return for his aid she made an oath of chastity, leaving the country in the hands the advisors as she travelled with naught but her sword. By cutting her way through the wildwood she found her father, and was hailed a hero for bringing him home. All was not well, however; with the king returned, if changed, she remained the heir - and a hero at that. Man after man sought her hand, her strength and her position. Angmora, however, was still bound by her oath. She refused time after time, even when her father tried to convince her to wed. While her father backed down, his advisors did not. They came with arms to try to force her to wed; rather than concede she fought, and in the chaos was slain.

Saint Una: Saint Una was a smith, devoted to Eshrevetta and all her works. Most famous of these were the jewelled swords she crafted for the local lords, enchanted with the blessings of her Lady. Many of these became heirlooms and then legendary blades in their own right, but they alone are not her claim to fame: she was, thanks to her skill at making traps and tools, a monster hunter in her own right. Most famous of these tales is that of her and the sea beast. One night, her husband and son were taken by a fell beast of the seas. Despite her working for them for many years, no Lord or guard or even hunter would help Una, too scared of the beast to even try. So, she crafted traps, took up her blacksmith’s hammer, and set out herself. She took a boat out to sea, and a tied herself up as bait for the beast. The traps she had made soon triggered, the beast caught in their clever teeth. This allowed Una the time to get close, and crush its skull with her hammer. While it could not bring her back her family, vengeance was had and her town was safe. For a while longer, at least.

Saint Murdoch: A martyr of the faith and devotee of Ceressus. The first High King of Talamard, as recognised by the Eastern Church of the Holy Truth. He was inspired to try and create a great empire by Ceressus, but was killed by the exalted before this could see fruition. As a result of this crime the elves of the cold sea remain scattered and disparate, and the full extent of the Holy Truth is rejected by many.

Faith Magic

Faithful who adhere to the Holy Truth often follow in the footsteps of one of the saints who act as intermediaries for the gods. Priests are required to be able to manifest faith magic in order to perform the rituals required of their services, though these talents are often used sparingly. Monks too are sometimes encouraged to open themselves to magic that they might better serve the people of the empire. How they use their magic, however, varies wildly from order to order.

Some knightly orders will only knight those who can perform magic. There are the Paladin orders, a title given to knights who follow in the footsteps of Saint Avaline and combine combat prowess with magic of the Faith source. Some newer orders, meanwhile, put a faithful spin on Martial magic, using devotion to spur on the discipline required of this magic.

Beliefs

Creation

According to the teachings of the Eastern Church of the Holy Truth, before Creation came Chaos. The Chaos was a nexus of power, destroying even as it created, and without direction or purpose. What it created it destroyed, and what it destroyed became more power, and with power it created, only to destroy again. It was without order or instruction only, as its name does say, chaos.

In the cycle of creation and destruction, the Primordials began to form. They were Réaltaí, Talamh, Solas, Tonnan, and Taranin, and born of the Chaos. Even before they were fully formed did they begin to be destroyed; in pain Réaltaí called out. The call attracted the attention of the distant Gods, who reached down and broke Chaos apart. From its body the five Primordials took on form, now independently existent. The Primordials in turn formed the known world.

Réaltaí became the night sky, with every star an eye to watch over the earth. Talamh became the earth, boiling with hatred for Chaos at her core, yet cool enough for man to walk upon. Tonnan became the ocean, not yet upon the earth but wrapped around it instead, while Taranin became the storm, raging with flux but forming the protective skies. Solas became the sun, close and distant both, power radiating upon the earth and bringing life to it. The Gods, seeking to prevent the misuse of the power left behind, took up residence within the earth, guarding the well of power left by Chaos’ heart from any that would misuse it.

However, though the Primordials formed the body, not all of him was accounted for; from his spilt blood sprung demons, the inheritors of Chaos’ spirit who seek to return the world to what it once was. They attacked the world endlessly, preventing any plans that the Gods might have had from coming to fruition. Réaltaí provided a solution; extending existence until it was so vast that the demons could no longer reach Talamh. Doing so would force her far from the world, pushing the demons away but no longer able to watch the world. While happy to do so, she did not wish to go without leaving anything behind to watch over the new world.

As such, Talamh offered part of her body to form a watcher. Réaltaí took silver, a part of Talamh she had long admired, and from it created a great disk - Lunan, the Moon. Satisfied with her creation, and that Lunan would be able to deliver messages both to her and on her behalf, Réaltaí reached out and pushed back the borders of Creation, and the Demons further from the power they sought. A new equilibrium among the Primordials had to form; Tonnan, seeing a way closer to the core of the world in the scars left on Talamh’s body, pressed closer to form oceans and lakes and seas. Solas, meanwhile, was furious; he took the creation of Lunan as a sign that Réaltaí did not trust him, and so sought to melt and destroy the silver disk. As such the sun ever chases the moon as it waxes and wanes in the sky. Still, a new stability formed. With the demons pressed back, the Gods could turn their attention to their initial intent; creating life which could, someday, inherit the world.

The first life was Feykind, created in an attempt to fulfil this desire for inheritors. Once again Talamh’s body was used as the source, the Fey crafted from the very earth. In time Talamh came to resent these children of hers and the pain their creation had caused her, spitefully cursing their souls and laying the Chaos within bare for all to see. Both their souls and their prayers were prevented from penetrating through the earth, trapping them into a cycle of eternal rebirth. The curse was also in their bodies, making iron as poison, and the boon of the forge taken from them. Now unfit for their intended purpose, most of the Gods cast the Fey aside. Ceressus and Sylvigan, however, could not abandon their children, even cursed as they were, and went to them. They were granted titles and status as King and Queen of the Fey, enabling them to continue extending their rule, protection, and aid over them.

For their next attempt, the Gods sought to create life from all of the Primordials, attempting to prevent a repeat of the Fey’s curse by preventing any one Primordial from being the sole influence over each race. All kinds of life were then made, and their favourite of all - the ones fit to inherit - were the mortal races.

While created using all of the Primordials, their influence over each of the mortal races varies; the Humans share most with Tonnan, making them ambitious but able to traverse the oceans and build empires; the Jovatesz were the first to be granted the boon of Talamh’s forge, and share in her steadfastness; Taranin’s heaviest influence was upon the Elves, who gained his wrath but also his resilience, capable of adapting to near any conditions or circumstance; and the Iligen are the favoured of Solas, full of power and the energy of life. Finally satisfied with the life they had created, the majority of the Gods declared that, one day, a great ruler would be chosen from the mortal races to join them, and returned to their place at the centre of the world. Sylvigan and Ceressus, however, remained upon the surface of the world, hiding themselves in the depths of the Fey lands, from whence they hold court still.

The great ruler was eventually found in Lanzarius, who upon his death was ascended to join the gods in overseeing creation, and protecting the power at the core of the world from all who would misuse it. While Avaline continued his work in the mortal realms, and thus inherited his authority, the Eastern Church believes that only she inherited his divine authority, and that successive Emperors are heretics and pretenders both. Cosmology

It is understood that the world is the centre of Creation, built around the place where Chaos’ heart once rested. Because of this, a nexus of power is found at the centre of the world. This power is the remaining power of Chaos; all was born of the Chaos, and so all seeks to return to the Chaos, dragged closer and closer to the centre of the world, except for where a barrier is in its way.

The gods are believed to reside in the centre of the world, protecting the power at its core and ensuring that nothing comes to misuse the power. They remain between the core and the surface of the earth, forming a last line of defence. Earth herself is a physical barrier, preventing even Storm and Ocean from reaching closer to the core. Beyond Storm, one finds Sun and Moon, each in the sky. Sun remains here, for he is powerful and prideful, rejecting the call of that which resides in the world’s core, and instead existing by his own power. Moon, meanwhile, was placed in the sky by Night when she retreated further out. Further out still one finds Night, too far away for her power to be felt. Every star is one of her myriad of eyes. As the eldest daughter of the Chaos she both records and knows the fate of all things, and thus the future can be read by studying the heavens.

And then, at the furthest reaches and beyond the bounds of Creation, is where demons reside, ever seeking to break back into reality, return to chaos, and destroy the world.

Death and the Afterlife

The Church of the Holy Truth teaches that, upon death, souls will sink into the ground. These are true of the souls of any being but the Fey, cursed as they are by Talamh. Mortals, however, are specifically chosen by the gods as the inheritors of the world. As such they are taken to reside in the underworld, a realm built around the centre of the world and the domain of Eshrevetla. All are granted peace in her gentle realm, but only the virtuous find rest; there is no punishment for the evil but bearing the weight of their sins for eternity, but that weight is heavy and keeps the soul from ever resting as its brethren do. Saints, meanwhile, are the most virtuous of souls; rather than just sleep they sit beside the gods, serving as intermediaries between the gods and morals.

Burial is the most common form of death-rite, with cremation being frowned upon. This is believed to be a holdover from when other faiths dominated the area, focused more on the ancestors and the Fey. Burial must be on consecrated ground, and a priest must perform the correct rites to both prevent the rising of undead and to ensure that the soul’s journey to the underworld remains uncompromised. Ideally this is performed by a priest of Eshrevetla, though it is believed that any priest is capable of doing so so long as the grounds on which it is performed are consecrated.

Graveyards overseen by the Eastern Church are particularly notable for their elaborate tombstones and memorials. All graves have at least a basic marker of a plain rock, though those who can afford it tend towards large monuments engraved with the deceased’s achievements and virtues.

Structure

The Eastern Clergy

The Eastern Church of the Holy Truth is split into six branches, each with similar structure, one for each god. All ordained members of the clergy are faith casters, though this is not always true of monks or nuns.

The lowest rank of the clergy are deacons. Deacons are usually tied to a Church, and often trainee priests. While their duties mostly are concerned with assisting the priest and seeing to the upkeep of the Church, they are able to perform marriages and funerals should the need arise. This is especially common where a single priest is responsible for multiple Churches, necessitating the delegation of more responsibilities.

The next rank are priests. There are two main types of priest, those attached to a specific location and those who are not. Both have the same powers and responsibilities, though their focuses are different. Those with a parish are based in a Church, occasionally having others they travel between in areas of particularly sparse population, from which they conduct the rituals of every day religion - confessions, weddings, and funerals. They also perform mass and its associated ceremonies for those within their parish. When called upon they might also handle other matters related to their god or profession, and assist with the general spiritual health of their communities.

Priests without a parish are capable of performing the same ceremonies, though their focuses lie elsewhere. The specifics vary depending on both the branch of the Church the priest belongs and the priest’s personal callings. They range from demon hunters to healers to researchers, and everything in between.

All priests are expected to make solemn vows upon their ordination. The exact nature of the vow varies from person to person and god to god, and depends on the priest’s personal relationship with their faith. These will be agreed upon before the ceremony during discussing between the priest and the bishop anointing them. Some of the common oaths are chastity, poverty, or obedience, though others have been known.

Above the priests are the bishops. Each bishop will oversee a diocese - a collection of parishes. They are responsible for the training and oversight of their priests, and have more administrative duties. Having been priests they are capable of performing any ritual or ceremony a priest of their branch is, though tend only to conduct mass and confession regularly. Other ceremonies are usually only performed by bishops for the nobility.

Furthermore, a bishop is capable of both anointing a priest, and - should the archbishop be indisposed - their own successors. They are also able to consecrate land for use as a Church or burial ground, or in any other way the Church sees fit to use it.

The most senior bishop of each branch in is the archbishop. As well as the duties of a bishop, the archbishops are each responsible for overseeing their branch of the Church. Within the Eastern Church the archbishops are the ultimate authority on each of their gods. These six sit in a council of equals to discuss any doctrine or policy affecting multiple branches of the Church, though each retains more independence than found in other forms of the Holy Truth.

Religious Orders

There are a great many religious orders within the Church of the Holy Truth. Fully sworn members of a religious order are referred to as monks or nuns, and addressed as by ‘brother’ or ‘sister’, while there are also lay brothers and lay sisters who have not taken oaths.

Many of these built monasteries where their people can serve their god together. Unlike the clergy, monks and nuns are not required to be faith casters; occultists and mundanes are both common among the monastic orders. Only those among their order perform mass or other rituals must be able to use faith magic.

Most monasteries are mixed sex, with separate dormitories for men and women, though a few single sex monasteries do exist. They are led by an Abbot or Abbess, and upon their own territory they outrank everyone but their pontifex, and whomever is superior within their own order. In practice this power is rarely used, and bishops in contention with an abbey will deal with them via other means. This is because each religious order is founded with the permission of the relevant pontifex, making them a separate branch to the clergy. The daily life and duties of monks and nuns varies wildly from order to order, ranging from some which run hospitals offering free medical treatment and places to rest for travellers, to those entirely committed to complete isolation. Some monasteries also send some of the brothers and sisters into the wider world, continuing their god’s work among the people, whatever that work might be.

Major Divergences from the Imperial Church of the Holy Truth

The most obvious difference between the Imperial and Eastern Churches is the latter’s disregard for the Emperor. Whilst they are in agreement that Lanzarius took his place at the god’s side, and that Saint Avaline was his just and divine successor, they differ as to what came next. The Eastern Church does not believe that there has been a true successor since Saint Avaline, and as such has no head of the Church as the Emperor for the Imperial Church. Instead the Archbishop for each branch of the Church sits in a council of equals, and this council determines Church policy.

As being knight is considered a purely social and political occupation within the lands where the Easter interpretation of the Holy Truth is most common, there are no holy orders. Many of the knights may be religious, but there is no Church-sanctioned body or organisation of them one may swear to.

Another difference is in their beliefs about the primordials. While the Imperial Church teaches that they are neutral beings, simply the cornerstones of reality, the Eastern Church believes them to have more of Chaos within them. This makes the primordials dangerous and fickle beings, acting just as Chaos did in an eternal flux of creation and destruction. One easier to spot manifestation of this belief is in their creation myths; they do not believe that the Fey deserved Talamh’s curse, and it only worsened their cruel behaviours. Talamh was merely spiteful and resented her first children, punishing them for their existence and the nature of their birth.

As a consequence of this, the Eastern Church teaches that Ceressus and Sylvigan are respectively the King and Queen of the Fey. When Talamh cursed them, they refused to abandon their children. However, just as their souls cannot penetrate the earth, neither can their prayers. To be able to still answer the Fey they live deep within the Fey-wilds, each extending their own sort of meaning and protection over their charges.

While cremation is accepted under the Imperial Church, the Eastern Church frowns upon it. It is not against the teachings of the Eastern Church per say, but it is culturally considered disrespectful towards the dead. Burial is by far preferred, ideally with a good solid slab of rock over the body.