Assembly of the Four Corners
Assembly of the Four Corners. Individually, the cults are referred to as the Earth, Fire, Air and Water Corners, respectively.
AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW...
“You know what? I have heard more rumors about the Assembly of the Four Corners than I have of anyone else, but I still know nothing. They worship the elements, right? I mean, they worship them all for a while, and then they choose one to worship solely. Sounds strange to me. But then again, it takes all kinds.”
A PRACTITIONER’S VIEW...
“Each corner views its opposite with some suspicion, but we all worship the same goddess, so there is still some mutual respect. We follow the most fundamental of all gods, the goddess of the elements. She is everywhere, as are the elements that are her domain. Therefore, the Assembly of the Four corners strives to maintain a balance of the Mother’s elements, while also maintaining our duties to our chosen aspect.”
Culture
Favored Weapon
Bow (Air), Sling (Earth), Scimitar (Fire), Trident (Water)
Raiment
Clergy of the often harsh patron goddess of the elements perform most of their ceremonies and services outside, so they tend to wear clothing that is durable and, during winter months, warm. All Keepers of the Four Corners are required to wear a medallion depicting their symbol – a circle divided into four equal parts, each of which depicts one of the four cults: earth, air, fire and water. A Keeper of the Four Corners wears durable robes of the appropriate color for his or her cult: brown for the earth corner, silver for air, red for fire and blue for water. They must keep their heads unadorned.
Foreign Relations
Ethics
ADVANCEMENT
Advancement within the Assembly of the Four Corners is based on helping to maintain the balance of nature. The Assembly is organized such that all clerics must declare an allegiance to a specific cult in order so gain a church title above Cleric of the Four Corners. Until this declaration is made, clerics are all members of one cult. Level titles follow with (Cult) representing the element to which the cleric is devoted.
Worship
SACRIFICE & FREQUENCY
Once per month, but the precise day varies by cult. The last day of the week is when sacrifices must be made to the Mother of the Elements. The cults rotate this responsibility in the order of earth, air, fire and water. The sacrifice for the Earth Corner is small gems. The sacrifice for the Water Corner is a waterdwelling creature, an intricately carved fish-bone statuette cast into the water or pearls. The sacrifice for the Air Corner is a flying creature or small crushed aquamarines sprinkled into the air from a high place. The sacrifice for the Fire Corner is a burning piece of coal or small fire opals.
Priesthood
The Keepers of the Four Corners
The Earth Corner is bound to protect the natural state of rock and soil throughout Tellene. However, many Keepers of the Earth Corner believe this mighty terrain will defy any paltry efforts that people make to change it. Therefore, another goal of the cult is to provide balance to the lives of the people inhabiting Tellene.
The Water Corner believes that water, the source of all life, should be respected and kept clean. Anyone caught blatantly defiling a water source is taken far offshore and cast into the water to be judged by Wave Crusher. Keepers of the Water Corner also guard the waterways and those who use them. Many followers of Wave Crusher are sailors, fishermen or merchants.
Keepers of the Air Corner often live in the wilderness. These clerics believe that fresh air is the best thing in life. Therefore, they love to be outdoors among the fresh scents of flowers.
Although outsiders misunderstand the Fire Corner as having evil intentions, this cult simply represents an important part of nature. They have been known to destroy by fire both those areas that have become overrun by chaos and evil deeds, as well as those areas bound by the constraints of law and goodness. Blacksmiths, who make a living using fire, often call upon this cult for its knowledge of making hot and efficient fires. The Keepers of the Fire Corner are also called upon after large battles to consume the dead in great funeral pyres. Their most holy days are in late summer (fourth quarter of Siege-hold) when a great fire was said to have swept the countryside. They anticipate that their master may cause this to happen again and continually prepare for the day by keeping themselves ready for travel to the elemental plane of fire. As a result of this legend, the Fire Corner keeps an everlasting flame burning in all of its temples. They believe that this will allow the Grand Incinerator to enter Tellene.
