The Faith of the High Seven
Type: polytheism (very matriarchal)
Involves: many saints/demi-gods
Mythology & Lore
The faith of the High Seven is a collection of smaller religious groups that each worship members of the same pantheon of gods the "Seven" refers to the seven ruling deities that are the strongest and most active deities that have the most effect on the mortal world:
The Goddess of Creation(Luc) Noarae
& the God of Destruction (Str) Vonir.
the God of Time (Dex) Ùine
the God of Prosperity (Con) Milios
the Goddess of Madness and Secrets (Int) Brigedda,
the God of Justice (Wis) Ceartas,
the Goddess of Beauty (Cha) Ailynn,
Cosmological Views
Everything, was created by the creation goddess Noarae, including all the cosmos as such, she is seen as the "Mother Goddess". The only things that exist that she did not create directly or indirectly was herself and her brother Vonir, the god of Destruction.
Tenets of Faith
Tenets vary from priesthood to priesthood of the individual members of the High Seven, serving what that individual values more. However, there are some factors that all parties agree on.
High Virtues that priests strive to serve as an example of would be kindness, tolerance and charity as this is seen to benefit all beings on the planet, while the opposite is seen as sinful
Deadly Sins that should be avoided would be avarice, dishonesty and neglect. With the exception of the priesthood of Brigedda, the goddess of secrets and madness. She does not mind dishonesty, as long as it's used correctly in her eyes.
The clergy strive to welcome as many as they can into their flock and are rather outward focused, trying to help the community as best they can, focusing on the virtues mentioned before. As a result, there is a focus on forming a fellowship with others.
Worship
Worship: joyous individual prayer at shrines & solemn group prayer in public temples
Holidays: very many
Holidays Celebrate: historical events, full moons, the solstices, the equinoxes, prophets, major deities, heroes
Major Holiday(s): involve great feasts
Symbol: A circle containing 7 smaller interlocking circles
Holy Colors:
Varies for priests of each god, but for larger temples of the “High Seven” wear White with Gold trim. Gold to represent the incorruptible and White to represent pureness
Passed Down: via a few holy books with little commentary
Creation Myth Type: world-parent
Mortals’ Origin: children of the divine
Major Myth/Symbol(s): the fall
Associated Artform: tile murals & sculpture
Coming of Age: 20 years old (females only)
Coming of Age Rite: happens at once for a group of similarly-aged
Marriage: occasionally occurs between relatives
Marriage Rites: involve much gift-giving
Death Rites: include sending some of the deceased’s possessions with them
Major Taboo: poor hygiene
Prevalence: believed by most
Outsiders: are thought to be following an equal path
Afterlife: is different for all individuals and can be reached by the living, with effort
Supernatural: benevolent nature spirits, witchcraft (folk magic)
Priesthood
Clergy is open to both genders, although for most sects of the faith, the priesthood is fairly matriarchal with more women appointed to high positions than men, although this is not always the case.
The Priesthood's function in society is to function as arbiters of holiness, historians, spiritual advisers, spiritual guides maintain temples/shrines and judges. Specific priesthoods have more specialized roles, depending on the deity.
Priests tend to leave an above average lifestyle with the amount of money that the faith gets in donations. However many give out a vast percentage of their wealth back into the community to help those less fortunate.
Priests are generally allowed to marry and start families, but this is usually kept somewhat small.
New priests are chosen and appointed by secular leader(s) and higher up priests.
If their individual robes don't give them away as priests, they can be distinguished by a special dietary code.
Titles vary for priests of different deity, but include, The Life-Bringer, The Redeemer, The Beautiful One
Granted Divine Powers
Divine Interaction: only in certain situations (war, healing, etc)
Sects
Sects of the High Seven
Priesthood of Noarae , Priesthood of Vonir, Priesthood of Ùine, Priesthood of Milios , Priesthood of Brigedda, Priesthood of Ceartas, Priesthood of Ailynn
Sects of Lesser Gods
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Permeated Organizations
Divines
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Manufactured Items
Notable Members
