The Saint and the Spirits
Deep within The Armoury, the mountain range at the heart of the continent lies a system of caves. Known as the Communion Caves by the Saint Tupaulian Church, they are regularly visited by tourists and devotees alike. In order to reach the caves, one must first trek through the mountains. While there is a path, it is a particularly narrow and precarious one, where one misstep could see you falling to your death amidst the rocks below.
The Church does have a small way station at the foot of the path that leads through the mountains that also acts as a temple at which someone wishing to make the journey might pray for success. Here a person wishing to make the journey can make a donation to the church and, in doing so, can recruit the services of the Priests to guide them along the path.
After a journey that last three days, the traveller will finally arrive at the mouth of the Communion Caves. What was once a natural opening in the side of the cave has been built upon to become a grand entrance. Partially built into the mountain, at great expense to the church, the entrance features five great marble pillars that hold the roof of the propylaea.
Each of the pillars has been carved into the form of one of the five Tupaulian Spirits, each serenely looking down at the supplicants that have arrived to see such a holy place. Beneath the roof of the entrance, the floor leading to the cave mouth has been smoothed and a mural has been engraved, showing the Tupaulian Churches symbol, a five-pointed star over a circle, inlaid in gold.
Upon entering the cave, the feel of the site changes as the natural elements of the cave become more apparent as the man-made entrance is left behind. Speleothem reach down from the cave ceiling, the largest meeting up with its twin on the ground and thickening around the middle. The only thing marking this cave as being unique from any other, from the inside, are the murals painted onto the cave walls, each one depicting a different scene from the churches origin.
While tourists and the church's followers visit the cave regularly, they are only allowed to enter the caves initial chamber. The connecting chambers are only accessible by any of Magister rank and above from the church. The only exception to this rule is when a Priest is nominated to undergo the trial to become a Magister. The Magister-to-be must make a pilgrimage deep into the cave and remain there in isolation, without food or water for 30 days, just as Saint Tupaux once did. Most Priests collapse after the first few days and need to be carried out by the attendees who monitor their trial. It is possible for a Priest to be nominated again and retake the trial, however.
The Church teaches that this is the holy site in Bastique where Saint Tupaux first spoke to the spirits and received their blessing. Tupaux was a young scholar who was on a journey to try and discover why magic had disappeared from the continent hundreds of years prior. On his journey, he found evidence of traces of magic existing in the Armoury. Following this clue, Tupaux would hike and climb his way across the mountains until he came across a system of caves, the very caves that would one day be known as Communion Caves. Entering the caves, Tupaux would come face to face with five ethereal beings, the five Spirits and the source of all magic in the continent. Wishing to learn all he could from the Spirits, Tupaux would remain in the cave for thirty days and nights without food or water as he spoke to the Spirits. Throughout this time, Tupaux would offer gifts to the Spirits in the form of gold, jewels and other luxuries. He'd also ask them questions about their needs, their nature and their people as a whole. At first, the Spirits found Tupaux to be a nuisance, but as time went on, they began to respect, and even admire, his stubbornness and the forthright way in which he spoke and asked questions of them.
The night of the twenty-ninth day, the Spirits spoke to Tupaux, commending him on his perseverance and bestowed upon him their blessings upon him. On the morning of the thirtieth day, Tupaux walked out into the light of a new morning, buffeted by the cold mountain air, a new man. From that day forth, Tupaux would walk the continent using magic, which had not been seen in hundreds of years, to heal the sick and vanquish evil wherever he travelled. With every miracle that he performed, more people would join him in his continent-wide pilgrimage. These followers would one day go on to establish the Saint Tupaulian Church, building their Cathedral within the very same mountain range where the cave rests.
Historical Basis
While Tupaux was indeed a scholar of magic, the stories that speak of his selfless and kind nature are fabrications. Tupaux was in fact selfish and greedy for power. Having studied the nature of Spirits, he was able to track the last of their kind on the continent to the caves. Here he found seven Spirits, starving and on the verge of death. Taking advantage of their vulnerable state, Tupaux would examine and experiment on them to learn all he could. Finally learning that he could not take their magic from, he decided to make use of a new strategy. Tupaux approached the Spirits and offered them a deal. He would provide them with food and sustenance as long as they give him the power that he craves.
The Spirits, not able to turn down the offer without risking their lives, accepted. From that point on, the Spirits were enslaved to Saint Tupaux, forced to do his bidding and provide him and his ever-growing number of followers with power in exchange for scraps. As Tupaux neglected the Spirits more and more, they began to starve once again, eventually leading to the death of one of the Spirits he had captured. The death of their sibling greatly upset the remaining Spirits, prompting one of them to escape, deciding that if they were going to starve, they would not do so in bondage. With the death of one Spirit, and the escape of another, Tumaux experience a noticeable drop in his power, as well as that of his followers. It was at this point that Tumaux would experiment with his powers in order to create a prison for the Spirits, and move them from the cave to a more secure, central location.
The Archons of the Church of Saint Tupaux are the only people alive who are aware of the true events that occurred in this cave, and they have worked tirelessly to ensure that it stays that way.
Variations & Mutation
While the Church and its followers are quite diligent in ensuring the clarity of their message, some tellings of the Churches origin story do differ somewhat in the telling. For example, there are those who argue about the divinity of Saint Tupaux prior to receiving the Spirits blessings.
A subject of great and heated debate amongst Church scholars, some believe that Saint Tupaux was always divine, even before he came across the Spirits. They argue that it is this divinity that allowed him to survive his ordeal and communicate with the Spirits, deeds which they state should be beyond the means of a mortal man. Others argue that Tupaux did not receive his divinity until after he had spoken to and befriended the Spirits, and that the only reason why he was able to survive the self-imposed fast was via the unknowing aid of the Spirits themselves. The scholars claim that the Spirits, who did not wish to see such a kind, caring and selfless young man die before them. So, using their power, they sustained him until he had earned their trust.
Cultural Reception
Priests from the Church have travelled to both Serpé and Persifon to proselytise and teach them of their Saint and the origins of their religion. The Priests have often found a warmer welcome in Serpé, despite the colder climate, as the soldiers enjoy hearing the story. There are very few converts among them, however, as the Serpéans are a pragmatic and cynical people and it is rare for anyone to put too much stock in the Priests' words.
The Priests who travel to Persifon, on the other hand, do not do so for long. The Natives, whom they aim to convert, are not so easily approached and those Priests that do find an opportunity to speak to them are seldom seen again. The great forests of Persifon are also far too dangerous for any to travel through unless moving with a heavily armed escort.
In Literature
This and other tales told about the life and deeds of Saint Tupaux can be found in the 'Book of Spirits', the holy book of the Church. The book is separated into six parts, each part dedicated to one of the Spirits and the miracles that Tupaux performed in their name. The sixth and final chapter is filled with lessons that Saint Tupaux wished to impart with his flock at the end of his life. While the acts performed in the first five parts make for a great story, it is the sixth part that is most often drawn from during sermons.
In Art
Statues of the five Spirits and Saint Tupaux can be found across the continent of Bastique. Most villages will have at least one statue of Saint Tupaux in the village square, while the city-states will be littered with statues of the Spirits and the Saint, in varying poses and forms. Murals can also be found painted on the walls of every church in every village, town and city-state, most mirroring the murals found within the cave.
Date of Setting
1000 years ago
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