Way of Beasts

The Way of Beasts is a very foreign concept the Empire. Most of the animal races of Terusha at least pay homage to The Beastlord. This a totemic religion is centered around ancestor worship, spiritual guidance, and the hunt. The Way of the Beasts emphasizes that the animals and plants of the forests are gifts, and not to be stolen.
Originally the Way of Beasts was a peaceful tribal order, however, after years of persecution and desecration of their forests from the The Eight-Pointed Star, and the Final Empire, the Way has become increasingly hostile to outsiders.

Structure

Priests must cultivate harmony between humans and the spirits, which takes the form of offerings of food and drink, heroic deeds or other offerings. Priests are often hereditary.
The church of the Beastlord is loosely bound and without a central hierarchy. It is organized around the concept of the Hunt and consists of local, independent cells. This makes it all the more difficult to counter or remove. Huntmasters are the informal religious leaders of the church and may be clerics, druids, rangers, or shape changers. They decide the locale, time, and prey of the ceremonial hunts of the faithful. The office of Huntmaster is won by challenge--a fight to the death if the incumbent does not resign.
Huntmasters who do not care for their area or violate the fundamental attributes, may be challenged by other Huntmasters or their own priests.

Tenets of Faith

The Way believes that spirits reside in all things, particularly in animals. The spirits are to be appeased, and the Beastlord oversees these spirits.

In a very practical sense, they have four fundamental attributes:
Tradition and the family: Understanding that family is the foundation for preserving traditions.
Love of nature: Holding nature sacred.
Ritual purity: Ritual bathing to cleanse oneself spiritually and physically.
Respect: Worshipping and honoring the Beastlord and ancestral spirits, which includes using all parts of a hunted creature.

Ethics

The Way tends to focus on ritual behavior rather than doctrine, tending to focus not in things that should be, but in things that should be done.

Worship

The Beastlord resides in Shrines inscribed with the Triple Triad. These shrines serve as a gateway between the “mortal” world and “spirit” world – this is both literal and metaphorical. This gateway serves as a doorway to the more powerful members, while it is a reminder, to the weaker members, that the world is not vital, the spirits are those who look out for the devoted.

Granted Divine Powers

The clergy of Way of Beasts takes has access to the Nature, Life and Hunt domains.

Sects

For every different race there is a smaller sect. The Aracockra worship the Father of Raptors, the Tabaxi worship the Royal Lion, the Gnolls recognize the Chittering Death, etc. All of these are the same deity and have different styles of worship, though each have the Triple Triad.

Beware My Power

Associated Fighting Orders:
Order of Claws
Order of Fangs
Order of Talons

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

Church of Feather, Fin and Fur

Deities

• Beastlord

Common Sayings:

• Beware My Power
• The World is Connected in Every Way
• Ancestors be Proud

Colors: Red

Official Religion

Way of Beasts

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Order of Fangs

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