Ettharnism

Structure

While the religion is overseen by Etthar himself, there are several High Priests who overlook the different temples. The High Priests are the ones in charge of communicating with Etthar as well. Below the High Priests are the Priests, the Clerics, and the Scholars. They all are members of the Temple and work to bring Etthar to as many people as possible. Everyone else outside of the Temple are normal Ettharaners.

Cosmological Views

According to Ettharnism, the World was created when the great unnamed Power gave birth to Etthar, Cortix and Kyamis. The three of them created the other nine gods, wanting company and to test their powers. When all the gods were created, Etthar asked the other eleven about creating the Land. With the Land created, he also created mankind with the help of the other eleven gods. When the Chaos Era came about, and mankind almost completely destroyed, it was Etthar who created Man anew. Etthar gave man freewill and the chance to worship those they found most comforting.

Tenets of Faith

In the First Tome, or the Holy Tome as many call it, there are only three tenets set forth for all gods: The first being that one cannot betray their god, the second being that one shall stay committed to god and what they hold important, and the third one being that one shall not stray from the true path. For Ettharnism, these are the most fundamental tenets in the Universe. Etthar had set forth three more tenets of his faith as well, believing that they would make life the best possible for god or man. Etthar believes that one shall accept life as god intended it to be; that one should strive to cause no harm to any life, including your own; and that you should believe in your abilities as you believe in god.

Ethics

When it comes to the tenants of faith, Ettharnism believes that they are pretty set and straight forward. However there are a few cases where the tenets are left up to interpretation:
The most important of the tenets is that one cannot betray god. For those practicing Ettharnism, that doesn't mean that one has to stay faithful to Etthar and Etthar only. It means that when you make a commitment to a god, you are going to stay true to that god's tenets. It also means that at the end of the day, if someone asks whether or not you believe in Etthar, you respond that you do.
The second tenet, stating that one should stay committed to god and what they hold important is pretty straight forward. To be accepted into the Ettharian church, one must stay committed to Etthar. If someone decided to leave Ettharism, they must denounce their ties at the main Temple of Etthar in Slatefell. With a few exceptional cases, if one denounces themselves at the Temple of Slatefell, one cannot officially return to Ettharnism.
The third one, stating that one shall not stray from the true path is a little more ambiguous. As each god believes that there's a different true path, and each person who follows the gods have different lives and have different paths, it's difficult to see what the true path is. However, many of the scholars of Etthar have come together with the High Priests and determined that the 'true path' in Ettharnism means to live a life full of creation. This also means that most of the patrons of Ettharnism are vegetarians, wanting to only create life and not destroy it. Many scholars also say that the true path could mean living a life of partaking in the arts.
While these three tenets are the most important, Etthar's three other tenets are also important and pretty straight forward. To accept life as god intended it is just as it implies. The Divine Creator has made your life as He sees fit, and you should live your life as he intended it. Going against the teachings or going against the word of god will result in a bad life that won't bring joy to you or those you touch. Still, this one is up for interpretation as one can argue that going against the teachings will lead someone to their true path.
Because Etthar is the Divine Creator and has control over life, his fifth tenet states that one shall not cause any harm to another life, including one's own. That means that Ettharaners are mostly vegetarian unless a species needs meat to survive. This also means that Ettharaners cannot murder people unless absolutely necessary. This also means that people who try or do commit suicide are seen to have gone against the word of Etthar and are seen as sinners.
The final tenet from Etthar is that one should believe in their abilities like they believe in god. This comes from the fact that the Divine Creator gave you the abilities that you have, and that one shouldn't have doubts in one's self or in the abilities granted to them by god.

Granted Divine Powers

While many people pray and wish that the Divine Creator will bless them with abilities to create life, the most common type of blessing that Etthar gives is advanced artistic abilities. The ability to create beautiful pictures or sculptures or even beautiful written word is granted to those who Etthar has decided deserves it. Etthar also blesses some people with magical abilities when it comes to music, giving them the ability to cast spells when the right chords or notes are hit. This is a rare power that only a select few are given, though.

Political Influence & Intrigue

While religion and the gods are a huge influence in the world, the actual presence of religion in politics is very rare. There are laws and sanctions put into place about which gods can be worshiped where and which buildings and locations are used, but the actual organizations hold no power in politics.
For people who live in the Empire, Etthar's influence is not as greatly felt. In politics he is given his rightful place as one of the Eight, and in that he is given Temples and Alters located throughout the Empire. Because of Etthar's presence in the Conclave Empire, there are a few people in political power who follow Etthar, but Ettharnism itself has no hold or sway on the political climate of the Empire.

et nos sumus et erimus

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Demonym

Ettharaner

Leader

Etthar

Deities

• Etthar