Faith of the Cold Sea

The traditional religion of the elves of the cold sea (usually referred to as the Elven Kingdoms in Hochlant) has been waning for some time, with the Holy Truth finding its way deeper into the lands. It is mostly still practiced in Talamard, though some clans in Coillearnach also remain adherents of the old faith. Meanwhile, in Glynry the traditional practices have largely been forgotten in favour of the teachings of the Eastern Church of the Holy Truth, though it is believed that the traditional religion once heavily resembled that of Talamard and Coillearnach.

It is from these elves that Lanzarius learnt the truth of the Primordials, and the way they formed the body of creation. The specifics of the legends and their practices vary from clan to clan, however a few things are always agreed upon - they have no gods, Creation was formed by the remains of Chaos, and that their ancestors won their land from the Fey by bravery and by steel. Generally speaking their lore is passed down through a strong oral tradition, and many different sorts of mage and scholar pass this along lines of apprenticeship.

Faith

The traditional faith of the Cold Sea doesn’t recognise any Gods. Instead, their worship is focused on honouring the dead, and ensuring that no creature more powerful than themself takes issue with them. Some in the Imperial Church liken their practice to worship of either their ancestors or the Fey, though this would be incorrect - paying due respect is not worship, they would say. They seek to appease the Fey from which they took these lands, ensure their dead have no reason to rise, and bind their kingdoms together with shared lore and differing interpretations.

Ancestors

Cianán: The legendary shipwright. Tradition states that he was the elder brother of Gwenevak. When it was deemed necessary for the elves to find a new land, he was the one to design the vessels to carry them. He tested them himself, leading a fishing crew out into the deep waters time and again, until he was certain that the vessels were safe. Once he had, he led the people across the treacherous waves, battling what monsters his sister could not guide them around. To this day, none have matched the vessels he designed and crafted for their reliability.

Gwenevak: Fabled navigator and the younger sister of Cianán. It is said that she had long studied the stars, leading hunting parties into the wilds and bringing them safely home by her knowledge of the night skies. She took the helm of the lead boat, plotting their route and leading their people safely across the seas. Though a storm separated some vessels from one another, her instructions in advance of departure ensured that everyone safely reached land.

Vaughn: A witch of the forest. He was famed for his herbcraft and knowledge of healing arts, but was also said to commune with the forests themselves. He chose the trees from which the ships were built, finding those most suitable for the reshaping. His duties would usually be associated with a woman - the village's wise woman - but his clan, and others, all speak of him using masculine terms.

Aghnamora: While she did not lead a ship herself, coming from further in land and so having less experience on the sea, Aghnamora was vital none the less. A fierce warrior, she lead the elves into battle with the Fey. Her exploits in battle are a favourite tale of the bards, as are her many and varied as tales of her marriage - she would not wed anyone who could not defeat her in battle, and it was not until she threw the fight that she lost. To whom, exactly, she wed is a matter of enthusiastic debate.

Ùna: The blacksmith who forged the weapons used to strike down the Fey, and repair them too. By the time the elves departed their homeland she was already renowned for the quality of her works, and for pioneering a new technique for purifying iron. This became vital when the elves arrived, allowing her to create weapons of iron and steel sufficiently pure to do serious harm to the Fey.

Muiredach: The youngest of the founders to cross the sea. His hair shone with the sun, and he was beloved by all the elves. Many legends call him the first High King of Talamard. Other clans also claim the title for their own ancestors, though none have quite the same breadth of folklore. While many stories contradict, those about his death remain fairly consistent: after the land was taken from the Fey, he reached out the hand of peace towards the Exalted. They betrayed him and his parley, killing him in his own feasting hall. Blood staining the floor until even the earth beneath was tainted with a reddish hue. His clan swore vengeance upon the Exalted, and hold the border against them to this day.

Fey

Unlike in most cultures, the elves of the cold sea believe the Fey to be undead - or, perhaps, the undead to be a type of Fey. The distinction is further blurred by the existence of the Aes Sidhe, a group of various sorts of undead who maintain close relationships with the Fey. In the cold sea a distinction is rarely drawn between the two groups, with many clans believing that the Aes Sidhe are what happens when the Fey capture the souls of the dead just as a changeling is the result of them capturing the living. The King and Queen of the Fey are respected and feared as extremely powerful beings, akin to gods but not worshipped. Each clan has their own set of rituals to appease the Fey monarchs, conducting around the solstices. For a clan not to perform their rituals is believed to endanger all of the clans. There are some other rituals with which skilled mages can contact the Fey King and Queen, though these are only performed as a last resort and act of desperation.

Faith Magic

Faith as a source of magic is a rarity among the old faiths of the cold sea. Most magic is occult, better fitting for the more transactional nature of magic. Among the Druids, some channel their conviction into Faith magic, dedicating themselves to the lore of the titans. They hold authority among their fellow druids, but their faith in the monarchs makes them feared as much as they are respected.

Faith magic is more common among warriors, their faith keeping them safe. Among martial mages in modern time, Faith is a common fuel for their discipline, many seeking magic to emulate the heroes of old.

Beliefs and Customs

History of Creation

The traditional beliefs of the elves of the cold sea teach that, while Creation was born of chaos, it was not alone. There were others of Chaos’ kind that inhabited vast reaches of nothingness, each and every one locked in an eternal cycle of creation and destruction. Driven to destroy these beings fought amongst themselves, locked in conflict since time immemorial.

Eventually, Chaos was struck down by one of its kin. Its blood leaked and its body shattered. Its body fractured forming the primordials, whilst its blood - and the blood it had drawn from its foe - formed demons.

The primordials each took upon themselves a name, distinguishing themselves from the Chaos that gave rise to them, and between them formed Creation as it is known. To begin with they wrapped around Chaos’ heart, shielding it from demonic incursions, in approximately even shells.

Closest was Talamh, forming the shell of earth even to this day. Beyond her was Taranin, the storm, raging with flux above her, and then Tonnan, a shell of water above Talamh. Then around him was Réaltaí, the night sky watching all. The one exception to the formation of shells was Solas, who instead formed the sun and hung himself into the skies. The attacks by the demons were relentless, gouging and scarring and destroying. Those of Chaos’ blood wanted to reach its heart, while those born of other beings sought to destroy everything. In an attempt to protect Creation, Réaltaí realised she must expand outwards, separating the other primordials from Chaos by a vast expanse of nothingness. Still she could not leave Creation unattended; Talamh sacrificed a portion of her being from which Réaltaí formed Lunan, the moon. This portion which Réaltaí took was mostly silver, which she had long admired most of all her sister’s fruits.

Lunan was hung in the sky to watch over Creation, a slight upon the prideful Solas who believed this to mean he was not trusted with the duty; for this crime he chases Lunan across the sky causing the eternal cycle of night and day.

Still, Réaltaí finished her work and withdrew, expanding the night sky far beyond the reaches of the rest.

With the deep grooves gouged into Talamh, Tonnan pressed closer to Chaos’ heart. They fell into the holes left behind, forming the oceans as they now are known. Taranin remained in place to separate the earth and sea from the abyss of the night, what is known as the sky.

Solas and Lunan remained in their places, keeping watch as they were wont to do.

In time, the Fey were born of the Earth, and the first children of Creation. However, being born of only one element, they did not know how to be kind. With only cruelty in their hearts and cold indifference on their tongues they betrayed their creator; in return the Earth spurned them, rejecting their souls. When they died the Fey could not enter the earth, trapping their souls in the waking world and cursing them to an eternal undeath.

For a long time the Fey continued to reign over the world, unchallenged for all they were cursed. Eventually, however, the mortal races were born.

For a time the elves lived in another land, before a great flood came and swept their home away. Having foreseen it in their prophecies, the druids guided their people to create a fleet of boats and set sail upon and across the seas. Every elf of the cold sea is said to have been descended from those on these ships.

Eventually they reached land, finding the Fey’s grasp on the region strong. However, the Fey are weak to the bounty of the earth; with steel in hand and heart alike, and bravery guiding their deeds, the elves fought the Fey back into their forests and their mounds, and carved out space for themselves upon the land.

The Fey, however, were aggrieved; when the elves who fought them died, they stole their souls. These souls were prevented from entering the afterlife as they should have done, instead being cursed to become Aes Sidhe. To this day the dead are sometimes taken by the Fey, a fate people seek to protect their people from through covering graves in earth, thick slabs of rock, piles of stones, or some combination of the above.

Variations

Every clan tells a slightly different version of the creation myth. Most of these distinctions are minor and involve the details of which ancestor did upon arriving in the now-elven territories, or exactly what happened to the Fey. The above tale takes the most common elements and orderings of each, and a few notable variations are noted below.

A handful of clans, perhaps motivated by a hatred of the Fey, or perhaps with influences from other traditions, teach that the Fey came before Lunan was created and Réaltaí drew away, and were responsible for these deeds by summoning the demons into Creation themselves, rather than it having been an inevitable conclusion.

Some clans teach that their revered ancestors were not taken by the Fey, but instead became Aes Sidhe willingly. Tricked, not understanding what that would mean, but willingly permitted it.

Just as some clans teach that Chaos killed its foe in an act of mutual destruction, others believe that the second being survived, bleeding but not killed.

Magic

There are no priests or holy men in the traditional sense. Instead, lore is passed down communally, leading to some variation between the various clans. Those of any magical path may be called upon to give advice on the nature of the universe, with the strongest traditions being occult in nature.

Some forms of occult magic are unique to the elves of the cold sea, such as the singing soul-mages who perform dirges to lay the dead to rest. This has a similar effect in preventing the dead from rising as a burial under the Holy Truth.

One of the many duties of a bard is to educate people in religious beliefs, as part of their keeping and passing on the historical record. However, bards are usually considered to be political rather than religious in their actions.

Druids are learnéd mages, who from an Imperial perspective fulfil a role akin to priests. They largely serve as advisors to the heads of clans, and are incharge of any community-wise festivities. Usually druids specialise in some combination of life, fate, and elemental magic, though the specifics vary depending on teacher and what is needed by the clan. Druid is a political position as a senior and magic-practising advisor rather than a description of their specific magics. To help them in this role they will often make a study of history, politics, and medicine. It is customary for an apprentice druid to spend time studying with another clan, so as to learn a wider range of material than their clan’s chief druid can provide alone.

Funerals

In an attempt to prevent the Fey from taking the dead, all human remains are covered by earth. Depending on the traditions of the clan, social status of the dead, and what the local environment permits for this can take the form of an earthen mound, a cairn of stones, or even an especially thick and large slab of rock placed over the grave. Some keep separate graves for each individual person or a barrow per family, while others have one large barrow for the entire community. As a barrow for more than one person must be repeatedly accessed over the years to inter more bodies, it is usual for shared barrows to contain stone-lined graves, with the slabs over each being especially thick.