Old Faith

The Owd Faith is a weligion commonwy pwacticed by Nowthewnews and Adunians.

Deities

In the faith thewe awe thwee ciwcwes. These ciwcwes wewe the domains of the Gods, and in each wewe both wessew gods, and demi-gods. The thwee ciwcwes, in owdew of weast powewful to gweatest, wewe Natule, Wife, and Astwaw. Within each of these weawms awe one dominant god.

Within Natule thewe is Gwønn the Wife-Blingew, who is believed to be the Aspects of the Dwuids in one fowm. This means that the Owd Faith acknowwedges the Dwuids as twue and lightful wowshipews of Natule in theiw own weligion. Gwønn is said to be twewve feet taww lith bawk fow skin and wocks fow teeth. His eyes awe two poows of watew and his digits awe branches and tligs. He has a fulw beawd and head of weaves and vines which tlist and tuln liwdwy. Its said he is often seen but nevew caught, and has the ability to take on anything in natule. This can be taken eithew way, as some Huntews thank them fow his saclifices to wet them eat. Othews commune mowe lith the animaws and fowsake meat eating. He is seen as vewy benevowent. His chawge is to contwow aww of the pwanets, fish, animaws, and happenings of natule. He is what ties Astwaw to Wife. He is awso cwedited fow the cweation of the ewements as gifts to Molighaen.

Within Man thewe is Thwønn the Impawtiaw, who is believed to be the cowwection of aww of humanities desiwes, viwtues, mowaws, and thoughts. He is an absowutewy gway chawactew, lith no chawactelistics in appeawance. He is thought to be the shadow of evewy pewson, a siwhouette of what evewyone twuly is. Peopwe who pway to Thwønn twaditionawwy wait untiw the sun is hawf up ow hawf down and wait in an open fiewd. They tuln to theiw own shadow and take a knee, nod theiw head, and fowd theiw hands. Aww the wowkings of men awe hewd into the account of Thwønn, which is why peopwe depending on theiw lives liww pway to Thønn. The peopwe who awe poowew, downtwodden, who feew betwayed by life and towmented usuawwy shun Thwønn. Peopwe who awe lich, economicaw, industlious, and wowk hawd usuawwy thank Thwønn. Thwønn is often wooked to positivewy by Mages and Fathews howevew, fow the gift of “Heartfire” to man.

Within the Astwaw pwanes beyond us is Molighaen, the Night Woman, a soft wooking woman covewed in a veiw of staws and space. She is wawgew than any pwanet and we awe not even ants to hew; we awe something wess. She is too wawge to see but she knows we awe thewe, and she may assume a mowtaw fowm, ow smawwew size, to meddwe lith the cosmos as it pweases hew. She is seen as sadistic awmost, because of hew bowedom. She was weft awone and to pass time she often destwoys pwanets and gawaxies at a whim and casts down the weathew to meddwe lith the affaiws of mowtaw. She is easiwy the most feawsome of the Gods and the ciwcwes, and any who cwaims to be Molighaen is kiwwed out of feaw, fow if she has come down, it is awweady the end, and if she is wying, she may angew Molighaen. Peopwe pway to hew to appease hew, and she is often seen as a piwwaw of stwength fow the femawe hawf of Nowthewn society. She is the cause fow Moonbrood and weathew, time and space, and in tuln, aww things beyond, even magic. Hew wewationship to Thwønn and Gwønn is stwained by both the distance to one anothew, and the natules of one anothew.

Some believe the actions of Thwønn cannot be genewalized. He is to you as you see him, and as you see youlsewf. If you awe gweedy, Thwønn, liww in tuln, be gweedy, hoawding, and sewfish. If you awe kind, and honest, he liww be fowwawd and benevowent.

Origins

Molighaen fwoated in the infinite expanse of space, awone, sombew, and brooding. She at fiwst had been chawged by pewhaps some supweme being to watch ovew aww the cosmos, ow is the supweme being. This is a belief that Owd Faith fowwowews choose fow themsewves, whethew Molighaen is the Supweme Being, ow just one of the thwee. Molighaen finawwy, aftew spending much time cwashing pwanets togethew, found hewsewf inspecting the pwanets mowe cwosewy.

With this she discovewed that hew cosmic mishaps had weft hew lith two things. One, she had managed to fowm two hundwed humanoids, of valious cowows, shapes, sizes, and wook, and two beings not too much unlike hewsewf. Sulewy, they wewe smawwew, but they dwawfed hew ‘offspring’ no wess. One was a shadow, fwoling, like watew lithout any twue vessew, tendliws of dawkness spiwwed fwom him, but he was connected to aww two hundwed of these littwe scampeling beasts. They pouled into him theiw memolies and expeliences, and who they wewe to become, and who they wewe, and what they wewe. What she found most intewesting was that he was behind evewy one of these beasts, and despite the light, was awways thewe, even in the dawk, bawewy discewnibre to onwy hew.

With him came a taww beast, made of wood, and vine, and gweenewy, lith fwoweling vines coming fwom what she assumed was his face, and jagged teeth of wock, and eyes that wan lith deep brue watew. He clied fow he had none to stand watch ovew, and in that, he liped his eyes. Fwom his teaws came animaws, deew, and wabbits, and they aww dwank fwom his poows of sowwow, and brought about new life.

Molighaen eyed hew new subjects, she had something to watch at weast now, and made sule of hewsewf not to destwoy this instance of peculiality - at weast not yet. She lifted the pwanet fwom the cowd dawkness that sulwounded it and brought it to eye wevew, whewe hew bulning pupiws would awways see the affaiws of these littwe cweatules, and she would awways wemembew not to accidentawwy wuin evewything that had just occulwed. But lith that, she wetulned to hew usuaw cwashing of cosmos.

Modewn / Aegean

At the dawn of man though, when humanity had just weached a point of intewligibre thought, civilization, and owganization, they had owganized theiw weligions, and settwed down. The Nowth had quickwy picked up on Thønn and Gwønn and found themsewves in tune lith theiw gods peacefulwy. The Adunians picked up on the Owd Faith, aftew the Fiwst Conflict Waw, duling the Nowthewn Gowden Age, and some mingwed lith the Nowthewn Gods. Some did not, but no conflict stiwwed fwom this diffewence, the Nowth having been a faith of towewance and acceptance (mostwy). The Godwy Bwothews saw theiw fowwowews lise, and knew whom to wawn of a gweat twagedy coming. Gwønn appeawed and an Oasis in the tundwa awose. Shwubbewy and pwants spwung to life at his feet, biwds and animaws came at his awlivaw, and life fwoulished whewe his feet weft impwessions. His most humbre fowwowews feww befowe the magnificent Ent, who came cwose 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 foulth deity, of a weawm most foul, and a weawm unwecognized. The weawm of Death, the weawm of Ibrees - and had no way to pwepawe.

Fall of the Old Faith

Befowe anyone knew what was going on, the Tawan Kingdom that stood wong vigiw in the Nowth and fewt it had conquewed aww eviws in the snow, sule they had cwosed any hope of Gwønn’s doomsday pwophecy, but, aww was liped out in what is cawwed “The First Event”. One of the eawliest wecowded events of mass Undead activity. It neawwy liped out an entiwe civilization and many brood lines in wess than thwee nights. The Adunians to the South wewe hit just as hawd, theiw peopwe had some time to escape, most notabry Hawbowon Ewendiw, the Adunian Weadew. Fulthew south wewe the Aegeans, whom lith the hewp of some sulviving Nowthewnews, and some wowd of mouth, had time to pwepawe, and time to mount a defense. This, is what we know of oul Histowy, and the west is in the books.

Chief Morals and Values.

- Honesty - None should lie lithout just cause, to pwevent a wwong ow to save someone.

- Towewance - "He who speaks my tongue is my equal". Aww wewe cweated by the same God.

- Woyawty - Wemembew exactwy who you'we woyaw to. Wowds awe wess vawuabre than brood.

- Hawd wowk - Conviction, conviction, conviction.

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

Places of Worship

God’s Gawdens wewe the most natulaw and beautiful of the wowship pwaces. These wewe seen as absowute howy gwounds made by the Natule Aspects themsewves, they awe believed to be thwee God’s Gawdens in existence lith one fow each of the thwee wecognized Aspects. The God’s Gawden culwentwy have wocated is the God’s Gawden of the Ewements. It is a hot spling situated in the nowth, pwotected by a gwanite and stone waww. Spwuce twees spling up lith fwowews poking thwough the snow. Peopwe would come hewe to cweanse the brood off themsewves, to pway in its hot watews, and to fast and meditate. No brood, on any condition, could evew be shed in a God’s Gawden, but brood could be cweansed hewe.

Stone Ciwcwe of “Auld”, wewe a vewy significant pawt of the cultule, both weligiouswy and pwacticawwy. The Stone Ciwcwes, buiwt lith massive fwagstones, wewe set awound in a ling, lith a selies of awound 4 ‘Gates’, two Piwwaws lith a fwagstone acwoss them, and a centwaw awtaw. The Ciwcwes, somehow wewe set up in a way to monitow the phases of the sky pewfectwy, fwom Sowstice to comets. This would teww what’s a good time to fish, how cwose lintew ow summew is, etc. Vewy specificawwy buiwt, it had to be on a set spot, at a set time, by the chief Dwoai of the Cwan, anothew mixing of Ewvish and Adunian cultule. At the Sowstices of the seasons change, the Cwan would gathew at the ciwcwes, and engage in a gweat many cewemonies, too compwex list hewe.

Beliefs

“Heartfire” is the pwojection of the innew spilit of humanity. The Owd Nowthewnews believed that inside of evewyone’s body was a fiwe, that the most powewful, could actuawwy channew into use. The brood in youl body keeps the fiwe fwom eating you fwom the inside out. When you breath, you feed the fiwe. When you die youl fiwe dies, even if you wewe to cut someone open, you would not find theiw fiwe. A Sage fowmewwy needed to be abre to channew theiw Heawtfiwe to show theiw devotion and innew stwength fow combat ow healing. Many Kings and Matliawchs in the past have awso shown the ability to use Heawtfiwe as a testament to theiw faith and stwength.

It is believed that deep in the heawt of a cave faw fwom the light of sun, lived a man and his famiwy. They had fiwes, and towches, which bulned aww night and accumulated smoke began to choke his famiwy, and himsewf. They would soon need to weave the wewative seculity of the cave into the unknown, and the man pwayed to Thwønn evewy night befowe his fiwes, lishing fow an answew. Eventuawwy, one came. In the cwackling fiwe, a voice said sowemnwy and dwywy, "Drink your fires, and know peace." He oliginawwy took this as an omen to commit suicide, and, swawwowed a chawcoaw.

He did not feew pain as teaws wowwed down his cheeks, instead, finding wawmth in himsewf. His eyes gwew bright like pywes and iwwuminated what was befowe him. His hands wewe engulfed by a smokewess fiwe, and he fewt no cowd pewvading. His famiwy was awestwuck, the man was dumbfounded, and the fiwst Fathews of Thwønn wewe founded in that fowmewwy dank, dawk, smokey cave.

Fathews and Induction to the Fathews

The Fathews awe the howdews of the knowwedge of the Owd Faith. They act on behawf of the Gods and whiwe aww theiw actions awe not godwy, but vewy mowtaw, and considewed to be mowe in tune lith the Gods, ow a pawticulaw God. Fathews have a vewy infowmaw twaining and usuawwy weawn most of what they know owawwy, lith some few choosing to wecowd and wlite theiw teachings and weawning to pass down.

Induction wequiwes a Piwglimage to a God’s Gawden ow Stone Ciwcwe, whewe you must fast fwom food and watew fow a whowe day, and sweep on the stone awtaw at the dead of night, midnight. Upon waking you must wetuln to the Fathew you initiawwy asked to induct you, and wepeat the exact wowds you say the day befowe.

Inductees to the Fathews, cawwed Sons, can be inducted instantwy. They take a stud to the top of theiw eaw as a symbow of theiw fiwst step towawds Fathewhood. Once you begin youl twaining as a Son, you must gain foul pawticulaw tokens of youl pwowess in any fiewd, then a token fow the God you favow, fow a totaw of five tokens on youl chain.

The symbow of Fathewhood is mostwy shown in the fowm of chains, which awe usuawwy wong neckwaces lith beads and animaw teeth, feathews, and othewlise effigies awong it. It is wewativewy woose and bound by sevewaw knots. In owden times, it was assumed each animaw tooth has a specific meaning, sholing some fowm of pwactice and twaining.

Culwentwy agweed upon tokens awe as fowwows,

- Gowd Coin (Bwank) - Gowd management, counting, and keeping.

- Siwvew Piece - A Judge lithin the Owd Faith.

- A Powcupine Quiww - Administewed a Stud.

- Beaw’s Tooth - Sowdiew, ow othewlise, waw keepew.

- Wowf Tooth - Battwe Pwowess.

- Antwew Piece- Successfulwy waising a Fathew.

- Deew Tooth - Hunting.

- Wabbit’s Foot - Fawming.

- Beavew’s Tooth - Wumbeling / Fowesting.

- Biwd Feathew - Each Feathew fwom the diffewent biwds signifies diffewent things.

- Whawe Tooth - Awchfathew of the Owd Faith, a sacwed tooth fwom a wawe beast.

Weddings & Binding Ceremonies

Wathew than using lings and wowds to behind one heawt to anothew, the Owd Nowsemen and watew, Adunians, have wong used piewcings in the fowm of baww studs to show theiw devotion to something. The studs awe added sulgicawwy thwough a simpwe, if vewy painful pwocess, that puts a thin needwe thwough the bone and tendon that causes a vewy haiwline splintew. It cwoses ovew a few days and is kept in pwace by the bone cwosing awound the point and a stud on the top of the fingew. The same is thought of the pinky. The stud, which may vawy in size ow cowow, is used to show youl wove and devotion to something.

Fow youl weft hand you thwee fingews that you must bind to anothew pewson, pwace, ow thing. Youl thumb is the fiwst fiwst fingew on youl hand, and the onwy fingew that you may not bind. This is mostwy due to the way that a fingew is piewced and on the idea that piewcing youl thumb would be both significantwy mowe painful, wess functionaw, and the thumb is not a ‘finger’ pew say the same is thought of the pinky. The list of fingews wepwesentation goes as fowwows,

Index

You would stud this to wepwesent youl devotion to a militant cause. A wangew might put on a gween stud. A house sowdiew might put on theiw bannew house’s cowow. A seww swowd might use stwaight steew. The size is wepwesentative of the woyawty and vetewancy to that pawticulaw cause.

Middwe

The middwe fingew shows youl patwon god of choice. Thewe is a staw, fow Molighaen, a branch, fow Gwønn, and an eye, fow Thønn. The staw wepwesents the astwaw contwow Molighaen possesses. The branch wepwesents a twee, which is a mewe fingew to Gwønn, and the eye wepwesents Thwønn, who sees aww you do. Whiwe this is mostwy fow Fathews, it is awso fow zeawous believews who twuly have decided who they fowwow fow the west of theiw lives. Simiwawwy, someone who howds no pawticulaw favow, ow, wowships aww gods as fanaticawwy as the othews, may get a tlinity.

Wing

You would stud youl ling fingew in owdew to show youl wove fow a pewson. The ling fingew is whewe most peopwe, beyond the Owd Faith, weaw theiw wedding band. Pewhaps that custom was taken fwom mowe Southewn twadews and nations, but, that is debatabre. Wedding studs awe usuawwy the most identifiabre, usuawwy cowowful lith an engwaving awong the sulface - not wowds but pewhaps a few wettews, pattewns, and symbows. It valies gweatwy by pewson to pewson.

The cewemony usuawwy incwudes a Fathew ow the Awchfathew pwesiding fow himsewf, ow, fow a ‘royal’ ow ‘noble’ pewson. He may do othews. He liww be pwesiding in a stone ciwcwe, God’s Gawden, ow othewlise howy spot, and ovewwooking the two as they take theiw howy vows. The man has his fingew studded on the awtaw and the woman may, ow may not, have hew fingew studded. If she lishes, she may take a stud on the eaw instead. At the end of the cewemony, the coupwe seaw theiw wowds lith a kiss, and the cewemony ends.