Holy Orders of Aymara
The Aymarans are thought to have two great holy orders: the fair fellowship (clergy) and the aesthetes (holy warriors). Most believe the fair fellowship controls the lyceums, the members of which are divided into the singers and celebrants. The aesthetes are the “active” order, working against the enemies of beauty.
But a third, secret order called the watchful eye controls the lyceums and leads the war against Hell. The church secretly funds the watchful eyes, whose members include the unsheathed blades, tireless sentries, songs unsung, and unblinking eyes. While the unblinking eyes, heads of this secret order, stand outside the day-to-day functioning of the faith, they do issue commands to the fair fellowship and aesthetes, when necessary. The church keeps the order secret to protect its members and activities from Hell and its minions.
The average lyceum has at least twelve singers and two celebrants in residence. Aesthetes rarely reside at lyceums. One or all the fair fellowship in residence can be part of the watchful eye, as can any number of parishioners.
The Lyceums of Aymara
The lyceums of Aymara, where the Aymarans worship, are sacred and lovely places. Popular among those dedicated to Aymara and others, the lyceums host concerts, plays, dances, and other performances. In major cities, there are events in the lyceums almost nightly. There are few performance halls finer than these. The worship of Aymara is enormously popular, though few dedicate themselves to her wholly. As the goddess of love as well as the arts, people come to her lyceums at least once in their lives to pray to her when they believe they have found love. The lyceums play host to most marriages as well. While those sworn to only one of the gods in the pantheon or members of the Great Church are likely to get married in those other churches, most people get married at either a lyceum or a Rontran foundation. After all, Aymara is the goddess of love, and can bless a union’s romantic heart, while Grandmother Earth is the wellspring of fertility. At either church, the other church’s goddess is invoked during the ceremony. On the surface, the Aymaran faith exists to promote love and the arts. It gives money to artists who are worthy of regard, holds festivals in its halls, praises love, and unites couples under its roof. However, the Aymarans are not content to merely celebrate beauty—they know efforts must be made to make and keep the world safe for beauty. This ethos lies at the heart of the Aymaran agenda. While the lyceums promote love and art, the holy orders of the faith work abroad, opposing the enemies of love and beauty, just as Aymara did in legend. Much of this effort is focused on opposing the work of Asmodeus. That is the deeper, more abiding purpose of the Aymaran faith: to oppose Hell and all its works. For if there is one being in all the planes who Aymara hates, it is him. Aymara takes pride in her church, though she seems to have more interest in its public face than in the secret order of the watchful eye. While she does hate Asmodeus, and comes to the aid of the members of this secret order, she believes her church is at its best when it is promoting beauty, not combat. Aymara has difficulty understanding the mortal need to attack what offends them. Hell is evil and Asmodeus is the greatest evil of all, but why can’t her faithful be content with the joys of art? She gives them great power to protect those who pursue lives of beauty, and they make her proud, keeping artists and their works safe, yet her faithful don’t just rest then, and make art themselves. They remain vigilant, questing against evil even when it’s a distant threat. She admires their courage, persistence, and faith, but also knows their struggle, waged in secret, might take them closer to the darkness than is healthy. Spend too long studying the ways of the beast to destroy it, and you might become it. While Aymara would prefer her church to pursue only love and beauty, this does not mean she tries to move them away from their vigilance and zeal. She simply worries over them, like a mother over her children.Tenets of Faith
Doctrine
“In all the history of the world, hatred and ugliness have never held sway for long. Not once. Though for generations some vile tyrant may seem unassailable, in the end, love and beauty have always prevailed. We must simply hold our faith in beauty deep in our hearts, and its victory is assured, in the end.” —Celebrant Andivae Corallyn, on her 230th birthdayWhile Andivae’s statement might not have been true for the entire world—indeed, there might be evil empires that have stood the test of time—her statement holds the essence of Aymaran philosophy. These are not people who rage against the ugliness of the world, but preserve beauty. Aymaran churches are places of celebration, joy, art and creation. Spending time within their confines, one might never suspect there is misery and ugliness in the world. The faithful do not dwell on such things, seeking instead to keep the lights of delight, love, and art burning brightly against the outside darkness. Each person, in exploring the greatest expressions of beauty she can make, serves to make the world better. The works of most will be forgotten as soon as they are made, but the mere act of making something beautiful, expressing your inner light, makes the world better. The Aymarans believe there is no higher or better force in the world than an individual striving for love and beauty. Most Aymarans sees themselves as a part of a historical struggle against evil, where their part of the battle is to create beauty and appreciate it; and to love, and be loved. Their faith is focused inward, and is based on self-exploration and creation. By being people who bask in beauty, they oppose those who would cover the world with hate and ugliness. “You’re a soldier of love,” is something often said to criticize people for their lack of militancy against wickedness. Indeed, most Aymarans practice a docile faith and meditate on fair things, not the threat of darkness.
Yet beneath this seemingly passive outlook, some Aymarans have a militant side. In deep places below the lyceums, in secret conclaves, they plan their unending war on Hell. Long ago, the elders of the Aymaran faith determined they could do the most harm to Asmodeus and his machinations if they moved against him in secret. Let the more lawful churches march out to war in their shining armor. The Aymarans would use the shadows to their advantage against evil. If the forces of Hell believe the Aymaran faith produces nothing more than meek, happy romantic artists, agents for joy and goodness can move freely, and strike where least expected. Beyond simple alignment concerns, the Aymaran faith opposes Hell for two reasons. First, Aymara never forgot the damage done by Kador to her family, and hates him with perfect spite. Second, Hell would give the narrow-minded and spiritually ugly power; they’d ban beauty and crush delight.
Worship
Aymaran Prayers
The daily prayer of the Aymaran faith says a great deal about their outlook. Each Aymaran strives to accomplish the points enumerated in this prayer each day, every day. It is typically sung or chanted in the morning, upon waking.“Sister of Song, guide me this day.
I seek the glory in my heart,
I seek the beauty in my soul,
I seek the love never ending;
Help me to find what I seek.
“There is a song in all things:
I will hear it, I will hear it.
There is love in all things:
I will find it, I will find it.
“Fairest Aymara, grace unending,
Show me the perfection that eludes me,
Lead me to the pure places of the earth,
Bring me to the unity of all that is best.”
Priesthood
Saints
Most Aymaran saints were talented artists, beatified posthumously, after a life of producing great works. A council made up of the fair fellows of at least three lyceums name the saint. Such councils are called by a unanimous vote of the fair fellows from one lyceum—usually the one where the artist in question worshiped. The process of beatification involves a massive celebration of the artist’s works. The council gathers at the sponsoring lyceum, where the works are displayed or performed for a week or two, depending upon how large the body of work is. At the end, council members must agree to beatify the artist and, if they do, the artist is henceforth referred to as a saint whenever her name is mentioned.
Type
Religious, Holy Order
Demonym
Aymaran
Subsidiary Organizations
Deities
Divines
Related Myths
