The Religion of Velherr (Vel-HAIR)

A Goddess's Vision

Written by J. L. Gryphon

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Ambient sounds courtesy of tosha73 and EminYILDIRIM

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Greetings to those below. I am Death, though Azrael is the name that makes me happy. And so we have come to it. The Religion of Velherr. Certainly we have examined its most important players these past weeks, and we have, as well, touched on the beliefs involved, but what we haven’t explored yet is what lies beneath those shiny titles and tales of divinity.

What of the worshippers and those preaching vyash? Just as a tower may only stand if built on a strong foundation, so too must a religion stand on the faith and devotion of its followers. Exactly how does this religion function? How is it structured? How is it spread? Is daily life as great as it sounds underneath the Veldriss’s sheltering wings?

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Function

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by creatifrankenstein from Pixabay

The Religion of Velherr is an organized thing, well-oiled and . . . polished . . . into efficiency. There is the primary Temple of Velherr found in the capital city, Atheliona, where the goddess resides. Specifically it is found in the Dragon’s Court district just across the bridge from the Veldriss’s own palace, the White Citadel.
Then, there are of course smaller temples that may be found in each of the main towns throughout the kingdom of Rhyastil. Townsfolk may visit these smaller temples for the general things like prayers, offerings, and the like; but, if one desires a true divine blessing or a chance to meet with the Veldriss’s Ear—or even the Veldriss’s Voice should you be “lucky” enough—it is believed you must travel to the primary temple to . . . show your devotion by means of . . . commitment to travel.
(Bear with me, those below. I’m doing my best here.)
Indeed, once a month, it is . . . uh, “requested” . . . that everyone travel to the primary temple for a special religious service also named Velherr. This service is observed on the first day of every month with a special ceremony occurring at the start of each new year.
Otherwise, the religion is not too invasive to everyday life. There are no special eating customs, behavior disciplines, or flowery rituals to complete. Really, it is a very low maintenance belief system when you consider others that exist, especially some of the ones where you hail from, those below. However, there is the tiny requirement that a mirror must be placed in each room of every home. These are referred to as the “goddess’s eyes,” and they are believed to be the way in which the goddess guards and protects her adopted children. To know the goddess is always watching—and I do mean always—is a great comfort, and the mirrors are a welcome sight to any loyal believer.

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Structure

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Speaking of believers, that brings me to the vyash. An equivalent understanding for you, those below, might be priests or priestesses. The term “vyash” applies to any and all members of the religious body who serve in the temples. This means the Veldriss’s Voice is also technically a vyash, though very few would refer to him as such.

The Veldriss's Ear

by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

Rather, the person most people consider to be at the top of the vyash—technicalities aside—is the Veldriss’s Ear. The current Veldriss’s Ear is Cylliaj Luzell. You would refer to her as Holy Listener most likely, though, if you were an assassin, you might refer to her as Lady Minister instead since she also serves as one of the six Ministers of Sicarius alongside her husband.
Essentially, Cylliaj’s role is to safeguard the temple. She listens to the Veldriss’s Voice and obeys the goddess’s word, spreading her message to her Hands and Eyes so they may do her bidding.

The Veldriss’s Hands & Eyes

The Veldriss’s Hands and Eyes are what you might consider normal priests and priestesses.
The Hands, specifically, “reach outward” and extend the goddess’s holy message to her adopted children. These are the most likely individuals you will encounter on the street. So, too, if you attended one of the smaller temples in the various towns, would it be governed by one of the Veldriss’s Hands. They are qualified to preach, offer aid, visit homes, and serve as missionaries.
The Eyes, however, do not preach or “reach outward” unless accompanied by a Hand. In fact, you might consider the Eyes to be Hands-in-training. They are above the acolytes, certainly, but are still considered a lower rank. Indeed, while the Hands reach outward as hands are wont to do, the Eyes, naturally, watch. They observe the mirror network and search for souls in need, and . . .
Oh, never mind. Yes, those below. The Veldriss’s Eyes is a fancy way of saying “the Veldriss’s spies.” They are the . . . brute squad . . . if priests can have such things. Priests with daggers. Is that too much of a contradiction?
Yes, very often, if a Hand is visiting your home, the Hand will smile, act pleasantly, and offer you a polished speech or two. But the Eyes, though you will not see them, will certainly be skulking about outside . . . watching. Because of course there are those trusty mirrors you hung in your home. Completely by choice.

The Veldriss's Heart

by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

One point of comfort, though, is that the Eyes are not assassins. The Eyes are just . . . passionate about their beliefs. Assassins, though . . . they are a different story, which brings me to the Veldriss’s Heart.
The Veldriss’s Heart serves in the chapel located in Sicarius. Like the Veldriss’s Ear, there is only one. Currently, he is, rather surprisingly, Eyren Kezydur, one of the younger brothers of the Five Sisters. Well, I should say the only younger brother still alive. That’s why it’s a surprise he has attained success like this, since the sons of House Kezydur have a habit of dying young. Very young. But, wouldn’t you know, Eyren has survived, and rather than become an assassin, his mother Telemzet sent him to the temple to study as a vyash. After claiming the coveted position he now has, I imagine Telemzet is quite happy with her choice. We can only hope for Eyren’s sake she remains happy, but I digress.
The Veldriss’s Heart maintains the assassin initiates in Sicarius since they are not permitted to leave the grounds. Indeed, for the monthly Velherr ceremony, the Veldriss’s Heart holds a separate one for the initiates to maintain their solitary training. As such, he serves a vital role in shaping these initiates into being the goddess’s most valuable and sophisticated weapons.

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Spread & Beliefs

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by J. L. Gryphon via Inkarnate

All this to say, the Religion of Velherr has spread throughout the kingdom of Rhyastil. It is tightly governed, organized as you can see, and quite influential.
In the past, I have said this religion was founded by the hearts of orphans, and that remains true to this day. Indeed, there is no true creation myth for the Religion of Velherr because of this. Le Sair, my master, is acknowledged within the Velherr Tenants, however briefly, but it is vague what he was like or who he was—is. What is understood is Le Sair created the world of Orosta, created the dragons, created the Sithuwaye, and then abandoned the world to its own devices. All the races that came after are believed to be either subsets of these first two creations, scientifically created abominations, or supernatural creatures and demons known as anathema who came into the world shortly after Le Sair abandoned it.
In contrast to Le Sair, Vānima the Veldriss is understood to be a loving, protective, and most importantly present deity. She is celebrated as their savior who guided them out of the desolation of the Battle of the Royals Dead. While she is freely acknowledged not to be the creator, this detail is thought to be unimportant. The Veldriss is hailed as the adoptive mother of the world and all the people in it. Orphans looking to the future rather than the past. So while it is understood that the Veldriss is not the only divine being (technically), she is the only goddess worth worshipping; therefore, she is the only goddess.
A fascinating series of mental gymnastics that is, isn’t it? But, that has become the belief across all of Rhyastil. It has even begun trickling into the pixie kingdom, Rhyxie. However, I wonder how comfortable everyone would feel if they knew the clock was ticking on all this. Not just because my master has decided to make his move, but also because . . . well, let’s just say secrets long buried have a nasty habit of unearthing themselves.
Until next time, those below. Perhaps we should all grab shovels. Hmm.

Signed your gardening narrator,
Azrael the Star of Death

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Book Information

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To learn more, hop on over to the books page OR hop on over to the teaser and get a sneak peek of Chapter 1! For more articles like this one, have a peek at my Worldbuilding Journal and explore Orosta.

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Image by Evren Ozdemir from Pixabay
Modified by J. L. Gryphon

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

• The Religion of the Veldriss
• The Religion of Vānima
• The Goddess’s Religion

Predecessor Organization

• The Children of Le Sair

Leader

Vānima Anastil

Currency

Kessa coins

Parent Organization

The Children of Le Sair

Deities

• The Veldriss
• Vānima Anastil

Divines

• The Veldriss
• The Veldriss's Shadow
• The Veldriss's Voice
• Vānima Anastil

Location

Rhye

Notable Members

• Cell
• Ssā the Snake
• The Veldriss
• The Veldriss's Shadow
• The Veldriss's Voice

Related Species

• Abomination
• Elf
• Jeenta
• Scáth
• Tressian
• Undine

Related Ethnicities

• Gigantes
• Hag
• Hok
• Rhyonian
• Rill
• Sithuwaye
• Zurrinaih

Related Myths

• The Black Unicorn
• The Goddess's Banquet
• The Morsus Swamp
• The Tressian Myth

The Realm of Velherr
The Void
Official Languages

• Zishlyn
• Orostian