Old Faith

The Old Faith is a religion commonly practiced by Northerners and Adunians.

Deities

In the faith there are three circles. These circles were the domains of the Gods, and in each were both lesser gods, and demi-gods. The three circles, in order of least powerful to greatest, were Nature, Life, and Astral. Within each of these realms are one dominant god.

Within Nature there is Grønn the Life-Bringer, who is believed to be the Aspects of the Druids in one form. This means that the Old Faith acknowledges the Druids as true and rightful worshipers of Nature in their own religion. Grønn is said to be twelve feet tall with bark for skin and rocks for teeth. His eyes are two pools of water and his digits are branches and twigs. He has a full beard and head of leaves and vines which twist and turn wildly. Its said he is often seen but never caught, and has the ability to take on anything in nature. This can be taken either way, as some Hunters thank them for his sacrifices to let them eat. Others commune more with the animals and forsake meat eating. He is seen as very benevolent. His charge is to control all of the planets, fish, animals, and happenings of nature. He is what ties Astral to Life. He is also credited for the creation of the elements as gifts to Morighaen.

Within Man there is Thrønn the Impartial, who is believed to be the collection of all of humanities desires, virtues, morals, and thoughts. He is an absolutely gray character, with no characteristics in appearance. He is thought to be the shadow of every person, a silhouette of what everyone truly is. People who pray to Thrønn traditionally wait until the sun is half up or half down and wait in an open field. They turn to their own shadow and take a knee, nod their head, and fold their hands. All the workings of men are held into the account of Thrønn, which is why people depending on their lives will pray to Thønn. The people who are poorer, downtrodden, who feel betrayed by life and tormented usually shun Thrønn. People who are rich, economical, industrious, and work hard usually thank Thrønn. Thrønn is often looked to positively by Mages and Fathers however, for the gift of “Heartfire” to man.

Within the Astral planes beyond us is Morighaen, the Night Woman, a soft looking woman covered in a veil of stars and space. She is larger than any planet and we are not even ants to her; we are something less. She is too large to see but she knows we are there, and she may assume a mortal form, or smaller size, to meddle with the cosmos as it pleases her. She is seen as sadistic almost, because of her boredom. She was left alone and to pass time she often destroys planets and galaxies at a whim and casts down the weather to meddle with the affairs of mortal. She is easily the most fearsome of the Gods and the circles, and any who claims to be Morighaen is killed out of fear, for if she has come down, it is already the end, and if she is lying, she may anger Morighaen. People pray to her to appease her, and she is often seen as a pillar of strength for the female half of Northern society. She is the cause for Moonblood and weather, time and space, and in turn, all things beyond, even magic. Her relationship to Thrønn and Grønn is strained by both the distance to one another, and the natures of one another.

Some believe the actions of Thrønn cannot be generalized. He is to you as you see him, and as you see yourself. If you are greedy, Thrønn, will in turn, be greedy, hoarding, and selfish. If you are kind, and honest, he will be forward and benevolent.

Origins

Morighaen floated in the infinite expanse of space, alone, somber, and brooding. She at first had been charged by perhaps some supreme being to watch over all the cosmos, or is the supreme being. This is a belief that Old Faith followers choose for themselves, whether Morighaen is the Supreme Being, or just one of the three. Morighaen finally, after spending much time crashing planets together, found herself inspecting the planets more closely.

With this she discovered that her cosmic mishaps had left her with two things. One, she had managed to form two hundred humanoids, of various colors, shapes, sizes, and look, and two beings not too much unlike herself. Surely, they were smaller, but they dwarfed her ‘offspring’ no less. One was a shadow, flowing, like water without any true vessel, tendrils of darkness spilled from him, but he was connected to all two hundred of these little scampering beasts. They poured into him their memories and experiences, and who they were to become, and who they were, and what they were. What she found most interesting was that he was behind every one of these beasts, and despite the light, was always there, even in the dark, barely discernible to only her.

With him came a tall beast, made of wood, and vine, and greenery, with flowering vines coming from what she assumed was his face, and jagged teeth of rock, and eyes that ran with deep blue water. He cried for he had none to stand watch over, and in that, he wiped his eyes. From his tears came animals, deer, and rabbits, and they all drank from his pools of sorrow, and brought about new life.

Morighaen eyed her new subjects, she had something to watch at least now, and made sure of herself not to destroy this instance of peculiarity - at least not yet. She lifted the planet from the cold darkness that surrounded it and brought it to eye level, where her burning pupils would always see the affairs of these little creatures, and she would always remember not to accidentally ruin everything that had just occurred. But with that, she returned to her usual crashing of cosmos.

Modern / Aegean

At the dawn of man though, when humanity had just reached a point of intelligible thought, civilization, and organization, they had organized their religions, and settled down. The North had quickly picked up on Thønn and Grønn and found themselves in tune with their gods peacefully. The Adunians picked up on the Old Faith, after the First Conflict War, during the Northern Golden Age, and some mingled with the Northern Gods. Some did not, but no conflict stirred from this difference, the North having been a faith of tolerance and acceptance (mostly). The Godly Brothers saw their followers rise, and knew whom to warn of a great tragedy coming. Grønn appeared and an Oasis in the tundra arose. Shrubbery and plants sprung to life at his feet, birds and animals came at his arrival, and life flourished where his feet left impressions. His most humble followers fell before the magnificent Ent, who came close to one and said,

“Evil lingers in the North. My brother and I entrust you with the most sacred task of all - the defense of all life, from the kind long lost to our touch.”

They had no idea he spoke of a fourth deity, of a realm most foul, and a realm unrecognized. The realm of Death, the realm of Iblees - and had no way to prepare.

Fall of the Old Faith

Before anyone knew what was going on, the Taran Kingdom that stood long vigil in the North and felt it had conquered all evils in the snow, sure they had closed any hope of Grønn’s doomsday prophecy, but, all was wiped out in what is called “The First Event”. One of the earliest recorded events of mass Undead activity. It nearly wiped out an entire civilization and many blood lines in less than three nights. The Adunians to the South were hit just as hard, their people had some time to escape, most notably Halboron Elendil, the Adunian Leader. Further south were the Aegeans, whom with the help of some surviving Northerners, and some word of mouth, had time to prepare, and time to mount a defense. This, is what we know of our History, and the rest is in the books.

Chief Morals and Values.

- Honesty - None should lie without just cause, to prevent a wrong or to save someone.

- Tolerance - "He who speaks my tongue is my equal". All were created by the same God.

- Loyalty - Remember exactly who you're loyal to. Words are less valuable than blood.

- Hard work - Conviction, conviction, conviction.

- Freedom - To be held in highest esteem, none can bound a man, none can chain him down.

Places of Worship

God’s Gardens were the most natural and beautiful of the worship places. These were seen as absolute holy grounds made by the Nature Aspects themselves, they are believed to be three God’s Gardens in existence with one for each of the three recognized Aspects. The God’s Garden currently have located is the God’s Garden of the Elements. It is a hot spring situated in the north, protected by a granite and stone wall. Spruce trees spring up with flowers poking through the snow. People would come here to cleanse the blood off themselves, to pray in its hot waters, and to fast and meditate. No blood, on any condition, could ever be shed in a God’s Garden, but blood could be cleansed here.

Stone Circle of “Auld”, were a very significant part of the culture, both religiously and practically. The Stone Circles, built with massive flagstones, were set around in a ring, with a series of around 4 ‘Gates’, two Pillars with a flagstone across them, and a central altar. The Circles, somehow were set up in a way to monitor the phases of the sky perfectly, from Solstice to comets. This would tell what’s a good time to fish, how close winter or summer is, etc. Very specifically built, it had to be on a set spot, at a set time, by the chief Droai of the Clan, another mixing of Elvish and Adunian culture. At the Solstices of the seasons change, the Clan would gather at the circles, and engage in a great many ceremonies, too complex list here.

Beliefs

“Heartfire” is the projection of the inner spirit of humanity. The Old Northerners believed that inside of everyone’s body was a fire, that the most powerful, could actually channel into use. The blood in your body keeps the fire from eating you from the inside out. When you breath, you feed the fire. When you die your fire dies, even if you were to cut someone open, you would not find their fire. A Sage formerly needed to be able to channel their Heartfire to show their devotion and inner strength for combat or healing. Many Kings and Matriarchs in the past have also shown the ability to use Heartfire as a testament to their faith and strength.

It is believed that deep in the heart of a cave far from the light of sun, lived a man and his family. They had fires, and torches, which burned all night and accumulated smoke began to choke his family, and himself. They would soon need to leave the relative security of the cave into the unknown, and the man prayed to Thrønn every night before his fires, wishing for an answer. Eventually, one came. In the crackling fire, a voice said solemnly and dryly, "Drink your fires, and know peace." He originally took this as an omen to commit suicide, and, swallowed a charcoal.

He did not feel pain as tears rolled down his cheeks, instead, finding warmth in himself. His eyes grew bright like pyres and illuminated what was before him. His hands were engulfed by a smokeless fire, and he felt no cold pervading. His family was awestruck, the man was dumbfounded, and the first Fathers of Thrønn were founded in that formerly dank, dark, smokey cave.

Fathers and Induction to the Fathers

The Fathers are the holders of the knowledge of the Old Faith. They act on behalf of the Gods and while all their actions are not godly, but very mortal, and considered to be more in tune with the Gods, or a particular God. Fathers have a very informal training and usually learn most of what they know orally, with some few choosing to record and write their teachings and learning to pass down.

Induction requires a Pilgrimage to a God’s Garden or Stone Circle, where you must fast from food and water for a whole day, and sleep on the stone altar at the dead of night, midnight. Upon waking you must return to the Father you initially asked to induct you, and repeat the exact words you say the day before.

Inductees to the Fathers, called Sons, can be inducted instantly. They take a stud to the top of their ear as a symbol of their first step towards Fatherhood. Once you begin your training as a Son, you must gain four particular tokens of your prowess in any field, then a token for the God you favor, for a total of five tokens on your chain.

The symbol of Fatherhood is mostly shown in the form of chains, which are usually long necklaces with beads and animal teeth, feathers, and otherwise effigies along it. It is relatively loose and bound by several knots. In olden times, it was assumed each animal tooth has a specific meaning, showing some form of practice and training.

Currently agreed upon tokens are as follows,

- Gold Coin (Blank) - Gold management, counting, and keeping.

- Silver Piece - A Judge within the Old Faith.

- A Porcupine Quill - Administered a Stud.

- Bear’s Tooth - Soldier, or otherwise, law keeper.

- Wolf Tooth - Battle Prowess.

- Antler Piece- Successfully raising a Father.

- Deer Tooth - Hunting.

- Rabbit’s Foot - Farming.

- Beaver’s Tooth - Lumbering / Foresting.

- Bird Feather - Each Feather from the different birds signifies different things.

- Whale Tooth - Archfather of the Old Faith, a sacred tooth from a rare beast.

Weddings & Binding Ceremonies

Rather than using rings and words to behind one heart to another, the Old Norsemen and later, Adunians, have long used piercings in the form of ball studs to show their devotion to something. The studs are added surgically through a simple, if very painful process, that puts a thin needle through the bone and tendon that causes a very hairline splinter. It closes over a few days and is kept in place by the bone closing around the point and a stud on the top of the finger. The same is thought of the pinky. The stud, which may vary in size or color, is used to show your love and devotion to something.

For your left hand you three fingers that you must bind to another person, place, or thing. Your thumb is the first first finger on your hand, and the only finger that you may not bind. This is mostly due to the way that a finger is pierced and on the idea that piercing your thumb would be both significantly more painful, less functional, and the thumb is not a ‘finger’ per say the same is thought of the pinky. The list of fingers representation goes as follows,

Index

You would stud this to represent your devotion to a militant cause. A ranger might put on a green stud. A house soldier might put on their banner house’s color. A sell sword might use straight steel. The size is representative of the loyalty and veterancy to that particular cause.

Middle

The middle finger shows your patron god of choice. There is a star, for Morighaen, a branch, for Grønn, and an eye, for Thønn. The star represents the astral control Morighaen possesses. The branch represents a tree, which is a mere finger to Grønn, and the eye represents Thrønn, who sees all you do. While this is mostly for Fathers, it is also for zealous believers who truly have decided who they follow for the rest of their lives. Similarly, someone who holds no particular favor, or, worships all gods as fanatically as the others, may get a trinity.

Ring

You would stud your ring finger in order to show your love for a person. The ring finger is where most people, beyond the Old Faith, wear their wedding band. Perhaps that custom was taken from more Southern traders and nations, but, that is debatable. Wedding studs are usually the most identifiable, usually colorful with an engraving along the surface - not words but perhaps a few letters, patterns, and symbols. It varies greatly by person to person.

The ceremony usually includes a Father or the Archfather presiding for himself, or, for a ‘royal’ or ‘noble’ person. He may do others. He will be presiding in a stone circle, God’s Garden, or otherwise holy spot, and overlooking the two as they take their holy vows. The man has his finger studded on the altar and the woman may, or may not, have her finger studded. If she wishes, she may take a stud on the ear instead. At the end of the ceremony, the couple seal their words with a kiss, and the ceremony ends.