The Old Faith

Summary

The Old Faith encompasses many different views, held by various tribes and clans who are predominantly human. Unlike the Green Way, practitioners of the Old Faith typically worship a select few deities, and align closely with their values or the tales associated with them. They don't, however, view their particular faith as important as some followers of the Prime Canon. Many Old Faiths believe that all deities exist in a certain harmony which must not be disrupted, even despite having favor in their chosen ones. Another distinction of the Old Faith is that it is generally more open to the Ones Around, and some Old Faith communities even strictly worship minor gods and goddesses relevant to their traditions. It is important to remember that "the Old Faith" is not a single doctrine, but rather a category of related beliefs.

The Faith in Society

Followers of the Old Faith generally do not believe in any duty-to-civilize passed onto them by the Ones Above, nor do they believe they must form complex societies to help enforce the significance of their chosen deity's values. They tend to live in small, decentralized villages and settlements, which trade and interact regularly with other communities.

Primary Worshipers

The Old Faith thrives especially in rural areas, especially among those without strong connections to any nation-state. These include such peoples as the Wigs and Rhyders of Pharos' southwest, the people of Vestal in the Kcalsbury Continent, and various Druidic cults and covens.
Due to their syncretic beliefs, Forest Elves are sometimes lumped into the category of being an Old Faith. In this view, they make up the largest cohesive group of followers of the Faith. Their beliefs are, however, very clearly influenced by the Prime Canon, whereas the Old Faith is often thought to conceptually predate it, which makes the label flimsy at best.

Historical Perspectives

The creation myths of the Old Faith are as diverse as the composite faiths themselves. Some are remarkably similar to the Green Way, speaking of the deities as protectors which guided the world's evolution, while some are in line with the Canon. Others deviate from both in spectacular ways, even believing that the deities never existed upon Eashavar, and that they are merely observers of a natural development that they can barely influence.
The various belief systems of the Old Faith typically pass on their beliefs verbally, just as in the Green Way, though these concepts are more philosophical and abstract in nature than the Way's traditional fables. Some strains of the Faith, such as the Valsh people's, do chronicle their beliefs, though there is little engagement between them and the Canon.

Interrelations

The Prime Canon's followers have long attempted to convert and eradicate the Old Faith, stemming all the way back to the High Elves' conquests of Pharos in the early ages. Naturally, the least one could say is that this soured their relations. Most believers of the Faith today vehemently oppose the Canon, though they have warmer feelings towards the Green Way as many tribes have historically coexisted with the Fey.

Type

Religious, Primacy