Church of the Tidemother
Official Church of Sturgeon, The Tidemother
Mythology & Lore
In the beginning, when the world was fresh and new from its inception, the three Primordial Gods were the first born among all the Divines, having sprung forth from the dying body of their father, the Progenitor God Atlas. These three Primordial Gods, having come into being before all other life in the Planescape, were special beyond compare. Moradin, The youngest of brother gods, was given domain of the Ground, Law, and all that lays on and beneath the earth. Bahamut, the second eldest of the three brother gods, sprung forth and took domain of Sky, Morality, and Justness, while the eldest of the three brother gods, he who came first and he who ruled above all his brothers, was given the divine right to rule over Water, Life, and Creation itself.
The firstborn brother used his immense power to shape the Planes and give birth to all manner of life as he sculpted it from the dead flesh of their father, Atlas, like a potter sculpts a pot out of clay. Using his mythical Anvil of Creation to smith the oceans, the skies, the ground, and everything else that has and will ever exist while the Soul Forge was used to create the sentient life that would inhabit the worlds and Planes created through the Anvil of Creation. In this way, the first dregs of life were birthed within the waters of the Prime Material Plane, the first Outsiders came into existence on the infant Planes of the Outer Realms, and the world was truly cemented into shape from its primordial chaotic nature thanks to his efforts.
However, after all had been established and the three brothers had begun to guide the emerging forms of life on the Prime Material Plane, the first and greatest Primordial underwent a catastrophic transformation and fragmented, his divine spark breaking apart because of this unnamed catastrophe and eventually giving life to two new gods: Leviathan and his wife Sturgeon, two oceanic deities to take the place of their father who had died. Each is said to have taken on the duty of representing a different part of the ocean.
Divine Origins
The Church of the Tidemother traces its origins back to when all races were yet in their infancy, when races with as of yet wholly developed minds looked out onto the endless waters of the ocean and saw that, though they could be violent and destructive at times, saw that they could also be gentle, kind, and nurturing as well. They saw the kindness with which the ocean's infinite waters provided them life-giving water, ample supplies of food for them, and served as an ample defense against those who would seek to harm them...and in this massive expanse of water, they saw a great and vast mother which they perceived as being infinitely caring though strict, desiring for them to live their lives with clearly ordered and careful control with which this vast, vast ocean so carefully switched between its violent and calm natures.
In this way, they looked to the faithful of The Tidefather as they began to venerate the obliterating power of the destructive ocean and, much like their divine matron, saw partners that needed guiding and protecting in this world that was so much more harsh and uncaring than they. They began to see themselves as the caretakers of others, and began to strive to care for those in need as the ocean did, providing for them as they were provided for by the life-giving waters in their youths.
As a result, the followers of this "Tidemother" which they had taken to referring to as Sturgeon began to look to the other races appearing throughout the world and saw countless children in need of care, guidance, and supervision. In this way, they looked to the waters of the great ocean for guidance on how to accomplish this task...and much like her counterpart, The Tidemother looked at these small, fragile creatures that had taken to her ways and her nature on the surface and saw creatures worthy of love, of guidance and of protection...and in this way, she decided to teach them of her so they may better care for her oceans and those in need. It is said that out of this love and care was the holy book of The Tidemother born, a codex made of seaweed for paper and bound with string that the followers of The Tidemother treated as the written gospel: The Tidemother's Writ, the holy book of The Tidemother.
Cosmological Views
The Church of the Tidemother believes that the Great Original God, Atlas, gave birth to all of reality with his sacrifice during the dawn times and the Primordial Gods and countless other powerful creatures from his corpse...and as the corpse of Atlas died and became the Planescape, the life that had been birthed from him was the first thing to act.
The Primordial God of Water and Life, seeing the chaos now roiling all across the newly birthed Planescape, decided to forge it upon their mighty Anvil of Creation...and thus were the planes forged into their current, defined forms from the raw chaos they had been, their mighty anvil pounding the chaos into shape.
As the last hammer blow fell upon the anvil, it is said that the Primordial God, his job done, willingly fragmented himself and abandoned his very existence, following the example of his father Atlas and letting his death give birth to two children, Leviathan, the raging dragon who grew to embody the wrath of the ocean and disaster itself, and Sturgeon, the mother to all who was born to embody the gentler and more nurturing aspects of the oceans. Together, it is believed they represent the whole of the ocean and carry on the legacy of their own father, The Primordial God.
With them in control of the oceans, it is said they worked alongside Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon and Moradin, The Allfather to lead the Planescape out of its infancy.
Tenets of Faith
The best cure is kindness. All deserve a chance at salvation and redemption, and all are owed the kindness of mercy.
Conquer the waves. Blaze new trails, carve new routes, and master the world atop and just beneath the waves. They are my greatest gift to you.
Use, not Overuse. Cherish the bounties afforded to you, but do not hoard them. Punish those who gather in excess or who plunder the bounties of others.
Suffering knows no borders. Care for those in need and never turn away someone in need of help. You are on the side of people - not the countries or creeds that claim them.
Strength through unity. Help bring others together, never let another bear a burden alone, and protect those who stand at your side. Make their goals your own and further the community you ascribe to.
Ethics
Though they are much more united than other organized religions, The Church of the Tidemother is not a place without its disagreements. Though they all generally agree on the necessity of helping and caring for those in need and the necessity of keeping family or community together and intact, there is no small amount of debate over other matters.
To the faithful of The Tidemother, no sin is greater than that of giving into your baser emotions and letter them burst forth in an unrestrained manner, for to give in to such base instincts is seen as barbaric and uncivilized and most definitely not the hallmark of one dedicated to helping others...yet, there is some contention just how far one's emotions should be restrained. Some believe it completely fine to show emotion so long as it is controlled in some way, others yet believe it fine to even show extreme emotions, while others still believe that only through a complete lack of expression and emotion can one truly act upon logic and help those who need it most.
To a lesser degree, there is also a small degree of contention on how furiously the followers of The Tidemother should defend the life of the creatures that dwell within the Ocean's waters. Some believe that the simple act of keeping the ocean life safe is enough, while others believe more radical ideas, and think that only through the radical destruction of anyone or anything that would attempt to exploit the resources of the ocean can the word of The Tidemother be carried out.
Regardless of their disagreements, the followers of The Tidemother often travel the world and leave their temples behind to go on long journeys of discovery where they strive to help all those they encounter on their travels on land or over the water, as they believe that by doing so that kindness will one day come back around to them or another in their time of need as it also betters their souls through the mere act of helping. They are also well-respect mediators, and often try to see the best in everyone before ever deciding someone is beyond salvation...indeed, it's common for followers of Sturgeon to never give up on those they see as someone suitable for their attentions, and even when all others have written them off as irredeemable, useless, or worthless...the followers of Sturgeon can be said to able to see worth in them.
Worship
The Church of the Tidemother places heavy emphasis on rituals in their daily lives, and have several ceremonies or rituals ready at any given point for a myriad of different of events...to them, ritual, law, and adherence to order is what gives life its vibrancy and holds back the primal nature that dwells inside all, so they go about their daily lives performing the rituals and trials needed to conduct their activities. Healing the sick, contacting The Tidemother to wish good dreams on someone having haunting nightmares, or perhaps wishing a ship well on its voyage...all these things are of great importance to the faithful, and thus they must be done through careful ritual and ceremony to ensure they are done well and their prayers are heard.
These rituals are not like the rituals of other gods, however, and the faithful often strive to not let them get out of hand so they feel like things being done for the sake of ceremony alone...indeed, their rituals and ceremonies are often quick, short, and to the point but highly sacred.
Priesthood
In direct contrast to their more chaotic counterparts, the faithful of The Church of the Tidemother are organized into careful hierarchies, though unlike other organized religions they make no distinctions among their number for which part of the Church they belong to...healer, warrior, or simple traveler who ascribes to the ways of The Tidemother, all are welcome equally within the Church of the Tidemother.
Generally, those who hold higher ranks within the church are those who have proven themselves dedicated to the faith through long years of faithful service in the name of helping those in need, guiding those in transit, or guiding those who require it...though a very common theme among the higher echelons of the Church is that of Marriage. Sturgeon, while not strictly a goddess of love, is widely considered the Goddess of Marriage and as such this act of committing one's life to another is seen as one of the highest acts of faith one can perform, and one that symbolizes a soul that has "leveled out" from their more chaotic youth to become one truly capable of giving shelter and comfort to others.
Otherwise, "Rank", while it is absolutely integral to the Church, is never allowed to get in the way of allowing all the faithful to be as one within the walls of the Church as family...and while it may be a common conception to believe that only females have an interest in joining this Church, that could be said to be highly inaccurate, and countless men count themselves among Sturgeon's faithful despite their reputation as the Church of "Mothers".
Granted Divine Powers
The Tidemother most commonly grants protections to her followers, and has been known to grant a ship safe passage through a storm, to see a caravan safely to its destination, to keep a rowboat safe even amidst a horrible maelstrom...all these things are attributable to the grace and blessing of The Tidemother's blessing.
She often grants blessings of fertility or supernatural health to children born to her faithful, and commonly visits her faithful in their dreams to speak to them, grant them visions, or grant them other boons. She has often given a boon to a psychotic madmen to cleanse the sanity from his mind, healed a dying man of his terminal and mysterious illness, blessing a couple unable to have children with a baby, and lifted a curse from a family...all these things are the blessings of The Tidemother, and she is revered far and wide for her compassion and gracious boons.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Ironically, despite their highly lawful and organized Church structure, the followers of The Tidemother rarely, if ever, get involved in the political machinations or struggles of the nations they find themselves placed within as more often than not, they believe that their desires to see help given and the weak healed would be better served independent of involvement in any political struggles. As such, it is incredibly rare for followers of The Tidemother to get involved of politics of any sort, and it is often tradition that all temples or churches to Sturgeon be granted the right to be treated as sovereign ground free of politics when they are established in any civilized nation.
Due to this belief that they do not ever flout but quietly enforce, the followers of The Tidemother are often seen as a welcome sight in highly political nations, as they often see their duties done best when the word of the local politics is ignored...not to mention, their open door policy to help all who seek it means countless souls seek asylum in their temples...which, due to their nature, the followers of Sturgeon rarely turn away.
Cool heads prevail, and kind hands heal.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
The Tidemothers
Demonym
Sturgean (Stirge-ay-an)
Divines
Controlled Territories
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