Worshipers of Istus

Tenets of Faith

In the strange metaphysics of the worshippers of Istus, the multiverse is conceived of as an intricate mesh of interconnected threads, with everything connected to everything else. They are believers in predestination, although the threads of fate are sometimes slack enough that destiny can be altered in some small way. Because the future is for the most part foreordained, it can be permitted by those with the skills to perceive how the threads are linked. Everything is connected to every other by invisible strands that push and pull overtime. The choices a person makes in life affect the pull of some strands, allowing one to alter fate in a small way, but some of these webs of fate have a strong and inevitable pull that cannot be escaped. The perceptive can come to understand these strands and watch them predict the future. Accepting your destiny is the greatest service you can make to yourself, for dishonesty about your role in the world leads to ruin and disaster.

Worship

Worshippers of Istus tend to be stoic and cynical people and believe in predestination, though these people are few and far between as the faith is seen as unkind and callous. Services to Istus include hangings of gauze, clouds of incense, the music of woodwinds, chanting, and meditation. Typical worshippers of this religion are Cynics, diviners, and stoics.

Priesthood

Clergy: Istus has few true followers. Her clerics tend to be stoic and cynical, having seen all the extremes of mortal destinies. They use divination to discern what fate will bring, and are called upon by nobles and other important people to make predictions about the future. They hold honesty as a virtue and teach the importance of accepting one's destiny and role in the world. Eighty percent of them are female. Clerics of Istus wear gray or black robes. Higher ranking clerics have formal vestments with weblike patterns. They must wear their holy symbols openly and allow their hair to grow at least six inches in length. Clerics of Istus have seen everything from the worst possible fates to best ones happen to others, and are just as stoic and cynical as regular worshippers. They often act as diviners and are brutally honest.