The Church of the Dark Sister
The Narynites occupy the dark altars of the triads, and the serve richly appointed chapels dedicated to Naryne in the palaces of kings. Her orders draw their membership almost exclusively from nobles who support the faith. In many cultures, aristocrats give their lesser sons and daughters—those children least likely to inherit—to the church, to join one priesthood or another. As many nobles are educated and raised by Narynite priests, they often choose the Dark Sister’s church. Thus, members of the clergy usually have noble blood, though they can be bastards, and need not descend from the hundred the goddess blessed in mythic times. Common folk do join the faith, but they are few. Most are holy warriors, called by Naryne to serve for reasons known only to her. Many assume these are great nobles, reborn from the land of the dead as commoners, returning to their proper status in new lives. Narynites serve as the companions and advisors of nobles, and rarely visit their triad altars, preferring to join the clergy of a private chapel, in a noble’s castle. Noble patrons usually build altars to all the gods, but the grandest is usually consecrated to Naryne. Since Narynites rarely dwell at the triads, a variegate priest performs most of her services for commoners, such as helping them pray to ancestors in the land of the dead. Naryne has little time for her church, tending as she does to the land of the dead. As it is, the holy orders of her faith have more in common with Wahilla. She appreciates that mortals work to preserve the bloodlines she established long ago, and she does what she can to aid them without violating the Compact. However, she does believe that when the line of succession is unclear, her servants should not favor descent over worthiness to rule, for she gave crowns of gold to mortals for their actions, not their ancestry.
Tenets of Faith
“I knew a man who many called wise who said to me, ‘Kings exist to take from common folk. How will there ever be freedom when we have kings?’ I called upon the powers given to me by the Dark Sister to make this wise man sleep, and in his slumber, I bound his hands and took him to the docks, which are kept peaceful and tidy by the order of our king, may the Lady smile on him. There I woke this fellow, who many called wise. Before he could protest, I said, ‘In a land without a king, there would be slave ships here on the docks, and I could have sold you to them. How can there ever be freedom in a land without kings?’”
—from “A Life of Service,” by Seneschal Ualda Ionese
In the Journey to the East, Naryne distinguished herself from her sisters with wisdom, intellect, and a talent for command. She guided them through treacherous paths that required thought and moral reasoning instead of physical brawn, or nimble fingers. When she returned to the mortal world, her followers believe she used all she had learned to choose the First Kings and Queens. Yet nobility is not a matter of descent, but character. All but the basest villains keep some nobility in their hearts. Those entrusted by Naryne to lead the mortal races are part of a greater order, able to pass the spirit of true nobility to their children, and their children may pass it further down the ages, to rule with wisdom. This blessing is the Queen of Queens’ to give. Narynites seek out and serve such nobles, from emperors and queens, to the dukes of city-states. They aid landed knights, and even the lord-governors of distant colonies. Certainly, there are petty, wicked and greedy nobles who aren’t worthy of their titles, but the Narynites serve them too, to guide them to the just path. They look at nobility as an institution, and believe that wisdom lost to one generation can be recovered, so long as aristocratic institutions endure. The gods left the world to its own devices, and now watch it, to see how mortals behave without divine stewardship. But the world is a wicked place, and its inhabitants, left to themselves, become monsters, brutally killing one another to take whatever they desire. Only nobility, in the hearts of people and in noble-born leaders, stands between society and murderous darkness. Order prevents mortals from turning to evil. Most practicing Narynites have noble blood, or belong to one of the holy orders founded to serve the nobility. However, many who make a life of service to nobles, such as chamberlains, heralds, footmen, and handmaids, also worship Naryne. The faith tells them they serve the highest calling, promoting nobility in all mortal hearts.
—from “A Life of Service,” by Seneschal Ualda Ionese
In the Journey to the East, Naryne distinguished herself from her sisters with wisdom, intellect, and a talent for command. She guided them through treacherous paths that required thought and moral reasoning instead of physical brawn, or nimble fingers. When she returned to the mortal world, her followers believe she used all she had learned to choose the First Kings and Queens. Yet nobility is not a matter of descent, but character. All but the basest villains keep some nobility in their hearts. Those entrusted by Naryne to lead the mortal races are part of a greater order, able to pass the spirit of true nobility to their children, and their children may pass it further down the ages, to rule with wisdom. This blessing is the Queen of Queens’ to give. Narynites seek out and serve such nobles, from emperors and queens, to the dukes of city-states. They aid landed knights, and even the lord-governors of distant colonies. Certainly, there are petty, wicked and greedy nobles who aren’t worthy of their titles, but the Narynites serve them too, to guide them to the just path. They look at nobility as an institution, and believe that wisdom lost to one generation can be recovered, so long as aristocratic institutions endure. The gods left the world to its own devices, and now watch it, to see how mortals behave without divine stewardship. But the world is a wicked place, and its inhabitants, left to themselves, become monsters, brutally killing one another to take whatever they desire. Only nobility, in the hearts of people and in noble-born leaders, stands between society and murderous darkness. Order prevents mortals from turning to evil. Most practicing Narynites have noble blood, or belong to one of the holy orders founded to serve the nobility. However, many who make a life of service to nobles, such as chamberlains, heralds, footmen, and handmaids, also worship Naryne. The faith tells them they serve the highest calling, promoting nobility in all mortal hearts.
Worship
At the ascension of a new king or other high noble, a great book of prayers is opened that contains scriptures only read for the nobility. The following prayer is read just before the crown is placed on the noble’s head.
“Once there were one hundred crowns of gold, But we no longer have the crowns. Once there were one hundred kings and queens, But they have all of them long ago died. Once we were visited by the Queen of Queens, But she has long since quit this wicked world. Yet you are charged, In the name of Naryne, the Queen of Souls, To remember the crowns, To remember the first chosen, To remember your Queen. Though they are gone, They are not forgotten.”
“Once there were one hundred crowns of gold, But we no longer have the crowns. Once there were one hundred kings and queens, But they have all of them long ago died. Once we were visited by the Queen of Queens, But she has long since quit this wicked world. Yet you are charged, In the name of Naryne, the Queen of Souls, To remember the crowns, To remember the first chosen, To remember your Queen. Though they are gone, They are not forgotten.”
Priesthood
Seneschals of Naryne
Advisors, protectors, and educators of the nobility, the seneschals tie themselves to a bloodline or household for a lifetime. An elven seneschal might serve generations of human kings. They swear to protect the members of the bloodline, educate their children, and give spiritual advice, including guidance on how to honor the gods of the tree, and counsel during successions. Seneschals guard family relics, noble regalia, and artifacts that prove the rights of those they serve to occupy their thrones. Many seneschals travel across the world, often accompanying adventurous young nobles. Some, not bound to a noble family, might venture in search of one, while a few go on quests for the lost one hundred crowns, and the families that once held them. Many seneschals of noble blood end up serving their own families, but some search for a family of higher station to improve their house’s position, or find other nobles to escape conflicts among their own relatives.
Most seneschals focus on proper service to the nobility, caring little about whether the noble they serve is good or evil, wise or foolish. They guide the nobles they serve toward wisdom, but failure does not instill in them a crisis of confidence; rather, they continue to serve faithfully, knowing they must instill the spirit of nobility no matter the difficulties they face. Some seneschals seek out the wisest and finest nobles to serve, tying themselves only to the greatest examples of nobility among the mortal races, or never attach themselves to anyone at all. Unattached seneschals scour the world for the one hundred crowns and one hundred bloodlines, believing that if the crowns and their lineages could be restored, peace would prevail. Many end up attached to Maalite counterparts who seek their lost Sacred Laws. Some say the crowns and the Laws will be found together. There are also seneschals who attach themselves to the most powerful and selfish nobles, teaching their masters how to bleed more from their people, crush their enemies, and ensure the dominance of their bloodlines. These seneschals believe nobles only deserve their titles if they’re strong, and prepared to do whatever it takes to maintain law. If that means murder, torture, war, or tyranny, so be it. Seneschals maintain the titles they were born with, and continue to be addressed by those titles. Since most seneschals are already nobles, this can include “sir,” “lord,” “duke,” or even “prince,” and all their feminine counterparts. They are introduced as “consecrated seneschals of the Narynites” before any noble introductions, such as “defender of the third march.” In the rare case a seneschal has no noble blood, he is addressed as “master:” a non-noble indication of respect.
Joining the Seneschals
Becoming a seneschal requires about three years of education by another seneschal in the mysteries of Naryne, the religious ceremonies of her faith, all religious matters, to better serve as an educator. Upon completing training, the new seneschal becomes a clerics. Seneschals favor maces, which symbolize the scepter Naryne always carries.Sects
Swan Knights of Naryne
The swan knights of Naryne are mostly noble-born, and protect and serve those of noble blood. Some might serve nobles seated on thrones, but many protect children, keeping them safe through youth and adulthood, traveling with them, and teaching them martial matters. Swan knights act as sacred bodyguards to the nobility. They’ve sworn to give their lives to keep their charges safe. To see them is to behold the very flower of chivalry. They wear helms ornamented with the white swans of Naryne, and are laden with shining armor and shields. Fair as they are dangerous, they protect what is truly noble in the hearts of mortals, and would die before letting that light be extinguished.Noble status isn’t enough to earn a swan knight’s protection. They seek out the best, most virtuous charges. This could mean they protect the one good child in an otherwise greedy and wicked family. The darker the lands, the more commonly evil festers in the hearts of nobles, and the less likely one is to see a swan knight.
Swan knights must not knowingly allow their charges to be maimed or killed, must not willingly do evil or allow evil to be done, and must not turn a deaf ear on the pleas of those who are good of heart. Swan knights must not offer services to someone who is only noble in blood, not spirit. Thus, most swan knights are Paladins. A swan knight keeps the company of good nobles, and associates with anyone that noble chooses for companions. The knight might advise her charge to steer clear of evil associates, but if the noble chooses to travel with such folk, so too will she, keeping her charge safe from them. Swan knights who have not yet found a noble to serve (or older swan knights whose charge died without issue) choose companions who can help them meet goodhearted nobles. They are quite driven about this; without a noble to serve, they consider themselves pointless.
A swan knight is addressed by whatever titles he already bears as a noble, and introduced as a “sworn knight of Naryne.” In the rare case that a knight has no noble titles, she will be addressed as “dame” (or “sir”) at the very least.
