Fist of Rhalgr
As the seas continued to rise without ceasing, the people who could escape the continuous floods were desperately seeking a way to survive. It was then that a comet was seen in the sky, a bright beacon that traveled visible through the rising waters and rains. And so the survivors followed its trail, solace their hope in where the comet seemed to lead. The trail led them to the mountains of Gyr Abania. Believing the celestial event to be a sign of deliverance from the Destroyer, gratitude for their survival became fervent reverence and worship, and the breaker of worlds became their patron god and savior since the foundation of what would become Ala Mhigo.
United faith in Rhalgr splintered into differences of ritual and methodology, but the greatest of these factions would be named the Fist of Rhalgr.
Culture
Life in Gyr Abania was punishing and cruel, limited, and difficult. Providing the base necessities was a struggle, and due to this result, the Fist of Rhalgr teachings would spread as both in observance of faith and survival. Training both mind and body took priority, and the training resulted in strength to survive no matter the nature of their need. Conditioning also provided self-defense against the beasts of the region, leading to the eventual development of the well-known fact in Eorzea of Gyr Abanian mercenaries' fortitude.
Public Agenda
Membership steadily increased and the more who joined the faith, the more powerful the faith became in the region. Their presence would start influencing Gyr Abanian society as a whole. Instead of attempting to quell this rising power, the Ala Mhigan royal family accepted them as advisors and after enfolding the faith into their court, made the Fist of Rhalgr the state religion.
Disbandment
King Theodoric sent the military to raze the Temple of the Fist and kill any worshipper on the grounds, no matter who they were. Monks were massacred and their order was left a smoking ruin.
Mythology & Lore
The etiological myth behind the Fist of Rhalgr is the same as all the other Rhalgr dedicated faiths that originated in Gyr Abania: the comet that was followed into the mountainous region that was interpreted as a sign of the breaker of worlds to deliver the refugees from the Sixth Umbral Calamity.
Tenets of Faith
Meditation
Physical Discipline
Martial Technique: Growing out of their dedication to mind and body training techniques, they were able to apply their strength developed as a result to engage in both political conflicts as well as against the aggressive beasts of the region.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Popularity and practical application of the faith to daily life led to a steady increase in their influence. Before long, the Fist of Rhalgr became a common facet of Gyr Abanian life.
Contrasted with the current regent, King Manfred, whose authority was largely in question due to the Autumn War results, their rising presence was felt by the royal family, recognizing the people turned to the faith more for their political decisions over the current occupant of the throne.
Instead of suppressing this rising influence, the royal family decided to incorporate it into the affairs of the state, and the Fist of Rhalgr became synonymous with the government, monks answering the needs of the nation both as advisors to the throne and as members of the state's military.
When King Theodoric rose to the throne, the monk elders were against his decisions. The monarch sought to usurp them by proclaiming his authority delivered by the divine will of Nymeia, whose hierarchal position in the Twelve was above that of Rhalgr. He demanded the kingdom to worship him, and as expected, the monks of the Fist rejected this request.
Elders of the faith were arrested on grounds of treason, subjected to torture that caused them to confess to plans to abolish the throne, which led to their execution. Theodoric was still unsatisfied, and in the year 1552, razed the Temple of the Fist to the ground, uprooting the faith in its entirety.
Sects
Sect of Light
Sect of Shadow
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