The Gods of Aerinor
The Aerin valley was believed to be a desert long ago. Through the blessing of 5 deities, it was lucky to become a vibrant series of plains, rivers, and forests. These 5 deities become the gods of the Aerinor and through simple acts of farming, fishing, or everyday activities, people continue to worship them:
- L'nor the Field Mother - Goddess of Life, Agriculture, and Animals
- Nera the Raven Queen - Goddess of Death
- Vinra the Water Weaver - Goddess of Water and Weather
- Karo the Forger - God of Volcanoes and Craftsmanship
- Jinro the Scholar - God of Magic
Structure
Priests and Archpriests are scattered across Aerinor, running temples for either teaching or worship. They consider themselves the highest rank but they are quickly swept aside when a Cleric or Paladin of their faith appears. Oracles have the true power above the priests despite how rare they are. Oracles are often under guard as they travel around the region, offering divination when it is required.
Public Agenda
The Aerin faith is about the worship of their gods and the continued safety and prosperity of the lands of Aerinor. While each god's follower might view this in different ways, they can unite around that similar goal.
History
The Aerin faith has been a stable part of the world for millenniums. It was first passed through oral traditions long before the Elder Invasion but soon, actual scribes began to record the supposed tenets of the faith. The first clerics of the Aerin gods were instrumental in these affairs as the followers of L'nor, Vinra, Jinro, and Karo combined into one faith. The Raven Queen, while said to be the 4th to join in the story, was the last one to be added to the Pantheon by her followers migrating into the area.
Despite their attempts to keep unity, the rise of the Crystalian Empire and influence from more warlike cultures soon caused the rise of a second interpretation of the Aerin Faith. While they accept it, the difference in tenets has caused a schism and further built a divide between Western Aerinor and Eastern Aerinor.
Mythology & Lore
What would become L'nor's Fields used to be nothing but desert at first, scorched to black sands by a heretical faith and the phoenix at the center of it. Life was barely able to survive in that land and the people who wandered the desert struggled to survive. The goddess Vinra tried her best to bless the lands with plenty of water but the land was cracked and dry, unable to trap her gift.
In desperation, she sought out her peer, Karo, and asked him for aid. The craftsman analyzed the situation and came up with a solution, Loshill Lake. A large body of water fed by the mountains that would flow out to the sea. With a river running from it, he was sure it would turn the fields green... He was only half right.
The banks of the lake and river did turn green but not the rest of the land. The people of what would be Aerinor settled around the river and lakes. When these hunter-gatherers turned to farming and agriculture, their goddess had to change as well. This relatively smaller goddess became L'nor, the mother of agriculture for the Aerinor. It was through her blessings and prayers to her the land was able to be cultivated.
With help from Karo and Vinra, she turned the rest of the desert lands into the L'nor Plains. But with all this life, it called forward the Raven Queen to keep the balance.
The two formed the cycle that keeps the Plains living to this day. The Aerinor farm, graze, and live on the plains and everything that dies, even them must be buried in or kept on top of the soil so they may fade and feed the land they live on. With the blessing of weather from Vinra, and the blessings of ash and craft from Karo, the 4 of them keep the balance of the land.
However, a 5th god joined their ranks in the form of Jinro. Supposedly a wizard who founded his own town, he turned to magic to the fields from dying when farming ravaged the land too much. He bent the rules of nature and when L'nor and the other Aerin judged him for it, he used lost and dangerous magic to ascend to godhood. A member of the pantheon, he serves as a symbol that even arcane magic can give life, pushing against the supposed power of divine magic. Regardless of their feelings on each other, these 5 serve as the core pantheon for the Aerinor.
Divine Origins
The Aerin faith was born from a crossover between different faiths that entered the region. L'nor was believed to be from tribes who settled the region, turning from a god of just hunting and gathering to a goddess of agriculture of life. Due to that, she turned from a minor footnote to a major facet and even leader of the pantheon.
Vinra was in the same case as she was believed to have come from followers of Varri the Current Weaver from the Argorn faith. She doesn't change much in the transition but becomes more of a water and weather goddess than a goddess of sealife. On the coast, Vinra and Varri will fuse into an amalgamation of their qualities.
Karo came from two places: Kalida Yaru of the Argorn and Zirun the Neurotic of the Vazidur due to the volcanoes being in proximity to Aerinor. However, the volcano side takes a backseat as most see him as a god of crafters and invention, due to his supposed part in teaching his followers how to use tools.
The Raven Queen, going by Nera in the Aerin culture, is a goddess who appears across the world in different faiths. It is believed followers of her came from across the world and even other realms, cementing her as a major figure in the pantheon due to her role in death and the afterlife.
Jinro's origin is heavily debated and even controversial in some circles. One theory points to wizards and spellcasters in the past having their own separate god who was brought into the pantheon to better integrate spellcasters into normal society despite their rarity. The other theory says that Jinro is actually an aspect of the Lurker, brought by his followers to spread his teachings and eldritch influence to another faith. As a result, Jinro has been banned in several major regions across Aerinor.
Cosmological Views
The Aerin faith goes little into the cosmology of the world, focusing more on the region in which the people live. This is a common trait as they believe L'nor protects their lands, not the world as a whole. The only mention is the Raven Queen who transcends the other deities into other faiths to make sure the dead, no matter who they are, ascend to their deserved afterlife.
Tenets of Faith
- Never forsake the gifts you are given
- Be fruitful and prosper but always be prepared for and accepting of the end of your journey
- Never burn or defile your dead, gift it back to the land so it may reward you in turn
- Magic is just as much a product of nature as a tool of it
- Hone your craft, never shirk the skills you've been lucky to obtain
Ethics
Honing crafts always varies from region to region, especially in urban vs rural environments. Rural residents will always have an easy stream of skills through agriculture and even hunting, focusing more on their physical skills. However, that starts to change as areas urbanize. From merchants who have to haggle to noble diplomats and scholars, some people start to focus more on their mental skills. If it weren't for Jinro's inclusion in the pantheon, it's very likely mental skills would have a far more negative outlook than physical ones.
Priesthood
Technically, anyone can become a priest of the different gods. Teachers of the Aerin faith are at most people who studied the faith and books of specific gods they wish to follow. There are temples scattered across Aerinor to aid devout followers and even teach how to read and write to devout followers who don't know how to. They even send out missionaries to smaller villages that house a temple to the gods for those who can't afford to travel to the major settlements.
Technicalities don't always equal reality, though. Some priests who were taught at these larger temples look down on the "rabble" that can't attend and preach to the faithful. They believe the "lower" priests are misinterpreting the words of their gods and can't be trusted. This has spawned incidents where priests are sent to villages and towns and attempt to oust or overthrow the local temple hierarchy and install themselves as the new head or influence.
Incidentally, the only group that doesn't have this issue appears to be Nera. The Raven Queen's followers read her books if they want but it is simple to understand that life must always come to the end. Priests of her never have power disputes amongst themselves and simply provide their teachings and aid to everyone.
Granted Divine Powers
The greatest divine powers ever instilled by the gods were those obtained by Clerics. Based off the domain, Clerics can heal or feed entire towns or fight off threats to the faithful that must be destroyed. Clerics are a rare sight and those who claim to be Clerics of the gods are sometimes viewed with skepticism until they can prove themselves. Some consider druids on this level but due to their worship of nature itself, that isn't a mainstream thought. Common domains include:
- L'nor - Life, Nature
- Nera - Grave, Life, Twilight
- Vinra - Tempest
- Karo - Forge
- Jinro - Arcana
The next tier of divine powers are the Paladins. While Paladins gain power from their oaths, sometimes the gods are the ones who set them down their path, supposedly giving them the taste of power and responsibility to come. Sacred and holy warriors, Paladins can spread the faith of the Aerin gods through their actions whether they know it or not. Paladins are viewed with both awe and fear, depending on the oath they bind themselves to. Common oaths for Aerin Paladins are:
- L'nor - Ancients, Devotion, Redemption
- Nera - Watchers, Vengeance
- Vinra - Ancients, Open Sea
- Karo - Crown, Vengeance
- Jinro - Watchers
Above the priests and the last tier of divine power are the Oracles. They are given divination powers, serving people to see the possibilities of outcomes. Most oracles of the Aerin faith are based around prophesizing the coming harvests, future weather, or even the signs of a volcanic eruption. The rare few oracles of the Raven Queen will tell of death if it is important enough to be told.
Political Influence & Intrigue
While the religion itself doesn't political intrigue on its own, the major political influence it has is the divide between the kingdoms of the East, particularly the Crystalian Empire, and the kingdoms of the West. With the inclusion of two gods of war, many Aerin followers believe the eastern faith is now heretical, focusing more on conquest than protecting the land. It is one of many reasons touted by the Empire on why they wish to unify the region under one banner.
Sects
The Magic Sect
While Jinro is meant to be a minor part of the pantheon, there are groups who focus on him the most. The few Arcana Clerics and spellcasters that follow him focus more on honing their craft and the protection of Ley Lines that run through the region. Most people will ignore the Magic Sect unless they dip into the deeper part of it where followers of the Lurker and dangerous magic users exist. These are people who believe crafting and improving their magic is most important. This has led to several disastrous events caused by magic users with no morals. Jinro priests are quick to denounce them but some believe in their ideals.
The Raven Sect
While this is considered a "sect," the followers of the Raven Queen don't act like it. Her followers spread her faith into every pantheon. This sect focuses on the Raven Queen and on the chief ideas of living life to its completion and welcoming death when it comes. They absolutely despise undeath, particularly rabid undead and those who cheat death. And since her faith is cross culture, the Aerin faith can have a tough time accepting those that are radically different from them.
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Alternative Names
Aerin Faith
Demonym
Aerinor
Permeated Organizations
Deities
Related Ethnicities
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