The Church of the Red Sister
People who seek personal perfection practice the Canellan (cuh-NELL-uhn) faith. Even though most hold the faith in high esteem, few seek out its clergy for advice or guidance. After all, personal perfection is a private process; people develop personal relationships with Canelle, praying to her in the mornings before they exercise. Some seek Canelle’s aid to overcome personal weaknesses, such as a chronic injury. Those who require victory in massive athletic competitions or in battles, might also seek aid from the Canellan faith. None of these instances are common enough to form a strong church, and like the other Sisters’ faiths, the red altars of Canelle are often quiet and ignored, tended to by a lone variegate priest. Triad altars are the most commonly found Canellan places of worship. Most athletic venues, however, have small shrines or altars dedicated to the Red Sister. Often, the altars stand before statues of Canelle and the Lonely Runner, depicted racing together. Most Canellans do not require these altars, since they believe their bodies are temples to the goddess. Canelle is almost as involved with her faith as Shalimyr is with his, but she does not violate the Compact, as her involvement has little effect on the world. She sends her horses to race against her worshipers’ steeds, disguises herself to compete against the faithful, tests their commitment to their paths of personal perfection, and in other ways, challenges Canellans constantly. Powerful members of her faith have certainly encountered Canelle, through signs or personal interactions. Her interest and involvement come from the fact that her faithful truly understand her. She does want mortals to achieve personal perfection and looks forward to more races like the one she had with the Lonely Runner. She finds her followers endlessly fascinating and entertaining.
Tenets of Faith
“When the Red Sister comes for you, will you be ready? Will you run your greatest race? Or will you plead for another chance? There is only one race, and you are running it now.”
—The Red Master Rindon, “Make Ready Your Soul”
While the Journey to the East stands at the heart of the triads’ theology, the story of the Lonely Runner is the core of the Canellan faith alone. It echoes many of the Three Sisters’ adventures, or Canelle’s part in those adventures, and brings one lesson to the forefront: Mortals die, but they should first truly live. Everyone dies in the end, but within every person lies the potential to become almost godlike in strength, speed, and power. This is not hubris—Canellans do not preach becoming. gods, or greater than the gods. They believe if people strive their whole lives to perfect their bodies and self-discipline, they can experience divine joy, and feel oneness with Canelle and the other gods, as the Lonely Runner felt when he ran in step with the swiftest god of Heaven. Devotees of the Canellan believe the gods want every person to gain personal strength and discipline. The Compact proves it, for it trusts mortals to master themselves. To reject the gods’ will is the worst folly. Canelle watches over mortal efforts at self-mastery, guiding them to victory and personal perfection, so that by running his swiftest race, or enduring mortal pains for the sake of self-improvement, people might please her, and the other gods. Thus, the body is the only essential temple to Canelle, for it is where the struggle for victory takes place. Holy places merit respect, but one can worship without ever visiting them. When everyone achieves self-perfection, peace and joy will spread across the world. Canellans believe the cause of most evil is craving of things without being willing to work for them, and hoarding things for no reason but greed and status. Physical perfection would reduce needs to a minimum, and living without luxuries would leave plenty for everyone. On the way to personal perfection, all Canellans must obey these laws.
• A Canellan must work to improve his body daily
• A Canellan cannot imbibe spirits (beer and ale are fine), smoke tobacco, or use other intoxicants
• A Canellan must always obey the rules of fair competitions and contests
• A Canellan must never purposefully lose a competition for any reason
• A Canellan cannot gamble on or against himself in any competition
—The Red Master Rindon, “Make Ready Your Soul”
While the Journey to the East stands at the heart of the triads’ theology, the story of the Lonely Runner is the core of the Canellan faith alone. It echoes many of the Three Sisters’ adventures, or Canelle’s part in those adventures, and brings one lesson to the forefront: Mortals die, but they should first truly live. Everyone dies in the end, but within every person lies the potential to become almost godlike in strength, speed, and power. This is not hubris—Canellans do not preach becoming. gods, or greater than the gods. They believe if people strive their whole lives to perfect their bodies and self-discipline, they can experience divine joy, and feel oneness with Canelle and the other gods, as the Lonely Runner felt when he ran in step with the swiftest god of Heaven. Devotees of the Canellan believe the gods want every person to gain personal strength and discipline. The Compact proves it, for it trusts mortals to master themselves. To reject the gods’ will is the worst folly. Canelle watches over mortal efforts at self-mastery, guiding them to victory and personal perfection, so that by running his swiftest race, or enduring mortal pains for the sake of self-improvement, people might please her, and the other gods. Thus, the body is the only essential temple to Canelle, for it is where the struggle for victory takes place. Holy places merit respect, but one can worship without ever visiting them. When everyone achieves self-perfection, peace and joy will spread across the world. Canellans believe the cause of most evil is craving of things without being willing to work for them, and hoarding things for no reason but greed and status. Physical perfection would reduce needs to a minimum, and living without luxuries would leave plenty for everyone. On the way to personal perfection, all Canellans must obey these laws.
• A Canellan must work to improve his body daily
• A Canellan cannot imbibe spirits (beer and ale are fine), smoke tobacco, or use other intoxicants
• A Canellan must always obey the rules of fair competitions and contests
• A Canellan must never purposefully lose a competition for any reason
• A Canellan cannot gamble on or against himself in any competition
Worship
The runner’s prayer is said just before a competition of any kind.
“Red Sister, arm of the Three,
Lend me your strength.
Fleet-footed Canelle, Runner of Heaven,
Lend me your speed.
I run to please you;
By your grace, victory is mine.”
Priesthood
Red Masters of Canelle
The red masters train, guide, and inspire those who need or seek victory. They advise leaders and support the near-perfect athletes, warriors and a smattering of others who’ve proven themselves adept at some challenging pursuit. Red masters must have already excelled in some personal sport or vigorous art, so few of them are young. The order is for athletes and other disciplined folk, not those who merely aspire to become such. They seek out people who can be elevated to greatness and, by achieving that greatness, do good in mortal society. For instance, a mighty athlete who serves as an example to many mortals should be taught spiritual greatness, for her victory inspires others to strive for perfection. These red masters rail against any effort to force people into societal roles or deprive them of opportunities to achieve their potential. For instance, a society strongly divided between nobles and serfs requires the serfs to work all day in the fields growing food. The serfs stand little chance of testing their potential; they must be free to leave the fields and seek personal perfection. The more restrictive the society, the more ardently the red masters oppose it. Several victorious revolutions have been supported by cadres of red masters who wished to help peasants achieve perfection.Some red masters, only slightly less common, take a step further, leading massive groups of people to sports and other physical arts for physical self-improvement. They organize schools and gymnasiums, travel to the countryside to train peasants in military drills, and support many sports. They believe the order should raise as many as people as possible toward physical betterment. Many fighters from rural settings first realized they possessed special physical prowess when a red master came to their community and trained them.
Few red masters care less about the betterment of the people than they do about contests and victory. They oversee gladiatorial competitions, delighting in struggles between mortals. They revere raw competition and love the thrill of victory. These red masters train and bless gladiators and pit fighters, even those that are enslaved, believing that by participating in such contests they come closer to divinity than most free men could.
Students address red masters as “teacher,” or “master,” and this is the title they maintain for the rest of their lives. A red master is introduced as, for example, “Red Master Garonai of the Canellan Altar.”
Joining the Red Masters
To become a red master, one must have won a major victory of some kind, such as a great athletic contest or major battle. One then trains for a year with a red master (tracking one down can be quite challenging). Upon completing their training, red masters become clerics with the Battle Doctrine. Red masters typically carry bows and spears to emulate their mistress, who is always shown with these weapons, though she never uses the bow for any purpose other than target shooting.Sects
Purified of Canelle
Canelle calls the purified to achieve personal perfection and, in their quest to constantly improve their bodies, struggle against evil. They believe that their bodies are temples to Canelle, walking vessels of holiness, and that they’re charged by Canelle to use their bodies’ power to battle the enemies of self-mastery. The purified have no formal structure and, like the red masters, are free to go and do whatever they like, in their efforts to live up to the order’s ethos.Once one of the purified becomes a pure brother or sister. She is addressed as “pure sister,” and introduced by this title. This is the only title the purified ever attain in the order, as purification matters more than social rank.
The purified seek personal perfection through daily rituals and grueling exercises, but channel the resulting abilities against evil. The purified also abide by the laws of the Canellan faith, and mustn’t knowingly use their strength and power to commit evil acts, or allow them to happen. They are living, holy vessels. They enjoy the company of all good people, but cannot tolerate evil companions.
