Pantheon of Nightbreak
Overview
The Pantheon of Nightbreak holds its following strongly within Unsvi. Where it used to consume the Eastern Sea and all its islands it has since shrunk to remain solely on the main continent of Skålnir. The Pantheon of Nightbreak leads a strong focus on recollection and reflection of oneself, devout followers of the Pantheon will meditate nightly for an hour when the moon is at its highest in the night sky. Practicers of this Pantheon are often called Night Apostles or Nightlings.Deities of the Nightbreak:
- Selûne Our Lady of Silver - Goddess of the Moon
- Tyr - God of Justice
- Kelemvor Judge of the Damned - God of the Dead
- Helm The Watcher- God of Protection
- Eldath The Green Goddess - God of Peace
- Deneir - God of Writing
- Torm - God of Courage and Self-Sacrifice
The Sins of the War
When the Royal Cleansing concluded the religions of the world were shaken. Especially on the main continent of Skålnir where the old faiths were shunted from society (read about that here), with no Gods or Goddesses to pray to the countries of Unsvi fell further into chaos.Word spread that from the east the war ending Prince Manus had abdicated his throne to found a new religion to fill this hole left in the world. Pantheon of Dawn the was about looking to the future and seeking positive change. The people of Unsvi saw it as a far too optimistic light for the very dark lands they lived in. Since Unsvi went many years longer than Telmia without a coherent faith to bring people together and stray away from the chaos, Unsvi's lands were in a much more anarchic state than Telmia's.
This anarchic state climaxed with the death of The King of Monter at the hands of the Roglian Empire. At this point in history, some unity was starting to form due to military intervention and cities and towns were starting to rid of the constant growing crime rates. There was still yet to be any spirituality in the newly developing nations until a diary of the King of Monter was discovered by one of his daughters. This diary conveyed what is now the Pantheon of Nightbreak, it recorded the events of the King's contact with the Pantheon of Dawn and how he saw it as a faith that needed improvement. It depicts the King's internal suffering and guilt from the war he was a part of and how he wanted this new faith to be a way to help those suffering guilt from the war.
This new faith had a heavy emphasis on reflection and becoming at peace with oneself. It explained how best to meditate, when to meditate and also included a list of Deities the King found would be good outlets for reflection. The King's eldest daughter used this diary to help heal her damaged country into a place of peace and sad reflection.
Inevitability of Passing
Death
One of the first teachings the Old King sought to incorporate into his life was that death's inevitable certainty meant seeking any preconceived understanding or concept of what it is would be pointless as no matter how much one knew of death it would not allow an individual to cheat it. An attempted understanding of death led one down an existential path of living life in the most metaphorical way, where one would attempt to live their life in such a way that the state of their death would be changed. Living a life of honesty and good work leads to the same hellscape as living a life of betrayal and distrust, this is the outlook those who follow the Night Pantheon have. Whether a Nightling believes in an afterlife entirely is left to the individual although they will never give it a thought or weight in how they must live their lives.Life
One must ask, why should they live a life of good over evil when all results in the same. The Old King stated that there was no reason to live life in any predetermined way under any predetermined rules but instead to live a life of contentment with one's headspace.An understanding of the past leads to good judgment in the present and ultimately a healthy and positive outcome for the future.The Old King's final days were days of bleakness and false hopes and so many criticize the Pantheon of Nightbreak for not teaching those of living a good life. However, as the faiths and practices were adopted Nightlings found that because of their dedication to reflection and self-improvement they found that their communities naturally started leading good lives without being told to.
In Solitude With the Gods
For a Nightling, praying and meditating are one and the same. It is a time of peace and solitude from all other life, where they may connect with a diety and reflect on their past day, week, or year. Disrupting someone whilst they are meditating is seen as one of the highest forms of disrespect with some saying it's akin to insulting a god, because of this prayer rooms are often locked and signs are big and obvious if there is someone occupying the room. When one prays, their relationship with the diety is not one of praying to the diety but is instead prying with or alongside the diety.The Common Deities
The Pantheon of Nightbreak has 8 common deities who the vast majority of practitioners follow and pray toward. Nightlings will often pray to various gods or goddesses depending on the type of reflection they wish to commit to for their session.Selûne, the Moonmaiden
When one wishes to reflect on the direction their life is taken, either metaphorically or physically, Selûne is the Goddess to pray with. She helps provide a sense of clarity and a view of a bigger picture for those who wonder if they are happy with how their days have shaped. Or more literally, for travellers and adventures, she helps one to understand the stars and sky providing help to those who have lost their path.
Selûne is the patron goddess of the nightbreak as, without a relationship with her, a night apostle does not have the ability to come at peace of mind.
"Turn to the moon, and I will be your true guide"
Tyr
Tyr is the God of helping those find Justice and helping those to rehabilitate for their errors. Often prayed to by those in roles of law, whether it be judges, soldiers or Kings, Tyr provides one with the clarity to see through lies and to find the truth, and then to provide the reasonable repercussions required. A Judge who must decide between the death penalty and lifelong imprisonment will often spend many days along with Tyr to help guide the decision.Kelemvor, Judge of the Damned
Death is but part of life: fear it not, evade it not, and view it not as evil. To fear death delivers you into the hands of those who can bring death down upon you. Die with dignity, neither raging nor seeking to embrace undeath. Do honor to the dead, for their strivings in life brought Skålnir to where it is now, and to forget them is to forget also where we are now—and why.When the damned have lost their connection with Tyr and their sense of right and wrong it is said that their soul has created an eternal bond with Kelemvor. It is largely believed that one is most at peace the moment before they die. And it is during this time that it is said Kelemvor will ease your mind, take your hand, and swallow your soul so that your death may not be felt.
Murderers, pedophiles and adulterers are the sought of criminals who will seek to find a relationship with Kelemvor as they know their deaths are soon to come and there is no reason to ask Tyr for guidance. However, Kelemvor is not inherently bad. He holds no true morals and will hear all out regardless of what sin they have committed. This unbias opinion also leads him to be great to reflect with when death comes to those close to you, he understands the dead and those who pray with Kelemvor know that Kelemvor was the last entity who would have been with the fallen.
Helm, The Watcher
When peace is thrown out the Embrasure and the songs of battle fill the air, help comes in the form of Helm. Prayed with in times of war and physical conflict Helm is a great warrior and guardian who looks over his friends on the battlefield providing protection, guidance and alertness.Outside of battle, Helm is often prayed with by new parents who seek help in protecting and teaching their newborns.
Eldath, The Green Goddess
The grass is greener on the ground of battle where those who have fallen in battle bless the earth and give rise to new life. Eldath, the goddess of peace, helps the distressed come to terms with reality and helps those who have seen war first-hand come back to a sane mind. She is prayed with when one is in a drastic state of mind that cannot be healed with medicinal practices.Deneir
Writing is a largely popular hobby for those practising this faith, it acts as a way to place one's reflections, goals and epiphanies down so that they may be easily revisited. As well as writing Deneir helps artists be inspired and create their artworks, within Unsvi the several artforms are heavily derived from the Night Pantheon with Caligraphy, Glyphs and literature being the high sought out art.Auril, The Frost Maiden
Auril goes by many names both in Unsvi and also Telmia, she has been known as The Cold Goddess, Icedawn, and The Frost Sprite Queen. She is seen as the embodiment of the cold that plagues the northern continent. To Telmians she is seen as an evil spirit who freezes crops and brings illness but to Unsvians she is simply an unfortunate being that cannot live without the frost. She has become a symbol of perseverance through hard times and so when prayed with, will bring one to peace with the conflicts they cannot help but to avoid.Torm
A god of loyalty and dedication to a cause. Torm overseas celebrations (or rituals) of long-lasting connection. This could be the joys of matrimony or the induction into the military as well as a pact with a befallen spirit or a total surrender of will to a cause.Trivia
- Followers of the Night Pantheon often have separate small praying spaces with thick walls and heavy doors that aim to act as a room of solitude to separate themselves from the world.
- Some Nightlings will pray every hour.
- When a big event, either positive or negative occurs, a Nightling will often leave to pray and reflect on it as soon as possible
- Those who betray the pantheon are seen as sad souls who have lost their relationship with Selûne.
- When a night apostle dies in the act of self-sacrifice they are rewarded the Torm-Star, an engraving on their tombstone with a special gemstone indented in it.
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