Darmons Doctrine

“Each one of us is as different as the many faces that adorn the coins of countless nations. To judge one man by the actions of another is as foolish as valuing one coin by the weight of another.” —High Wayfarer Vexx Dragonsaddler’s

interpretation of Darmon the Traveler’s oft-recited statement, “I am not gold; I am more valuable yet.” When someone seeks advice from a high wayfarer, the response is often, “That is a very good question. What do you think is the right thing to do?” The Darmonites encourage free thought, self-reliance, and wit. Darmonites who are serious about the teachings of their god understand that life is too short to be miserable.
Joy and laughter should fill one’s days; mutual understanding and friendly debate are infinitely preferable to violence. They think of trade, diplomacy and the many other teachings of Darmon as the best ways to encounter as many cultures and people as possible. They crave new experiences, knowledge, and awareness. Slavish devotion to dogma is unheard of, and any who cling to doctrine would be subjects of scorn and ridicule. All of them agree: Darmon wants them to be free, happy, and prosperous.
Beyond that, the faith is as varied as the houses that observe it. If one were to try to categorize a universal Darmonite doctrine, it could best be described with four principles: debate, aphorisms, names, and freedom of organization.
Debate The Darmonite faith is a constant quest for self-discovery and insights into the secrets of the spirit. On the surface, and as practiced by most casual participants, it is a simple religion that teaches mutual respect, love, joy, and freedom. Beneath that lies endless debates between its elder practitioners, in a quest to understand the countless teachings of Darmon of the Many Faces. Sometimes, learned members of the faith seem to enjoy thorny questions more than they do good answers, and one can commonly find a group of Darmonite elders debating some particularly obscure issue well into the night over many, many goblets of wine.
Aphorisms The Master of the Road had thousands of encounters with mortals before the Compact, and in each of them he offered mortals tidbits of advice meant to enlighten them on matters of trade, love, happiness, career, and piety. Many of these sayings were captured in writing, but serious Darmonites might debate their meaning for hours upon hours, endlessly discussing why the Lord of the Ways chose this word over that, this phrase instead of the other. It is this principle of the faith that most easily transfers from house to house. All Darmonites delight in learning a new saying of Darmon’s, and discussing its meaning.
Names To better understand Darmon and his teachings, more mystically inclined Darmonites take new surnames at various times in their lives. These names are either based on or duplicates of the many names Darmon took while walking the earth. In her youth, Krys might be called Krys Boneblade because legends say Darmon called himself “the Blade of Bone” when he taught people how to fish. At some point in her life, Krys will learn why Darmon took that name—perhaps she sees a bone in an ancestor’s skeleton that looks like a blade, and understands Darmon was saying that all things die, and we shouldn’t fear the end. Perhaps she has some other epiphany, but whatever it is, she’s learned something from that name, and now takes another
Freedom of Organization Debate and taking on new names are important to most Darmonites, but not all. Many see the religion as a system by which to justify their poorly lived lives. Thieves often understand Darmon’s teachings as “Have a good time, live out your passions, and die young.” This completely misunderstands of the Champion of Heaven, but without any centralized authority, there is no one to crack down on such errors. Indeed, the freedom of the houses to determine their own structures and beliefs is the very heart of the faith, but it means one is just as likely to find a high wayfarer who preaches, “The rich have had too much for too long, and it’s time they get what’s comin’ to ‘em,” as one who says, “We are all of us brothers, and should strive for joy and mutual benefit.” The former is common in more chaotic locales (in the city of Freeport, for instance, Darmon’s house worships him as the god of pirates), making the Darmonite faith unpopular with authority figures.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion