Priests of Mastery
The Priests of Mastery is a complex and multifaceted organization dedicated to understanding and harnessing fear, embracing personal transformation, and using ingenuity and self-interest for constructive purposes. They serve as guides, teachers, and advisors, helping individuals confront their inner demons and become masters of their fears.
Priestly Vestments:
Priests of Mastery often wear dark, flowing robes adorned with symbols of a dark black stallion, representing a "Night Mare," signifying the transformative power of fear and nightmares.
Structure
- High Hierophant of Fain: The highest-ranking leader of the Priests of Mastery, responsible for overseeing the entire organization and interpreting Fain's will.
- Fear manipulators: These priests specialize in helping individuals confront and transform their fears, guiding them through the process of personal growth.
- Ingenuity Acolytes: They focus on the use of ingenuity and creative problem-solving for practical and constructive purposes, such as problem-solving and achieving personal goals.
- Self-Serving Advocates: These priests teach individuals to harness self-interest as a driving force for personal and societal development.
- Fain's Propagators: These priests are experts in understanding and interpreting nightmares, helping individuals derive insights and growth from these unsettling dreams.
Mythology & Lore
In a time preceding the Whispers, when the world had not yet known the first stirrings of dreams, the lands and seas of Glosmordin lay untouched by the divine secrets that the Mother had yet to reveal. Yemoja, in her wisdom, understood that the profound Whispers of the Mother had yet to grace this realm and only she knew they were upon that precipice. It was a time of anticipation, as the whispers were yet to be shared upon Glosmordin's canvas of existence.
Yemoja knew that, with the arrival of the Mother's divine creation, destinies would be interwoven within each new life. She yearned to shape a realm that transcended the physical and material, where the threads of fate could be woven into an intricate tapestry, a tapestry where the images of destiny would play out alongside the beauty of dreams. In her pursuit of this vision, she turned to the ancient wisdom of Mother, Majka, the Goddess of Creation and Balance.
Majka, with a knowing smile, recognized that she had whispered these desires into the very fabric of Yemoja's existence. She welcomed Yemoja's aspirations and revealed the sacred art of weaving the threads of creation. The essence of existence was composed of countless threads, intricately connected to every living creation. Yemoja yearned to master this sacred craft and craft something entirely her own within the tapestry of existence.
Majka, however, shared a crucial insight with Yemoja. She explained that the threads of fate were most potent when woven closest to the material plane of existence. If one ventured too far from this realm, the threads became fragile and tenuous, rendering the creation of such a tapestry nearly impossible. Majka, with a gentle wisdom, instructed Yemoja to enter a deep slumber, urging her not to awaken until she had dreamt the very first dream, for within that dream, the secrets of her creation would be unveiled.
Yemoja ventured into the limitless expanse of the dream realm, where the essence of existence flowed like ethereal threads of cosmic tapestries. Here, she began to gather the iridescent strands of dreams and the subtle threads of fate that danced within the ever-expanding boundaries of her mind.
As she wove the tapestries, Yemoja infused each with her own divine essence, interlacing the desires of creation, the essence of kindness, the thirst for knowledge, the shapeshifting nature of fears, and the vivid hues of dreams. She whispered the secrets of existence into each thread, and the dreams of mortals and immortals alike became the threads of her divine tapestries.
From the tapestries, three divine beings emerged, each taking their unique form:
Tirris, the Dreamweaver: From the tapestry woven with the threads of compassion, dreams of kindness, and the colors of selflessness, Tir emerged. The Dreamweaver embodied pure-hearted intent, with a heart as kind as the kindest dreams and a soul that yearned for understanding and benevolence.
Torrun, the Scholar of Realities: Crafted from the tapestry of knowledge and the threads of curiosity, Tor was born. The Scholar of Realities carried within him the impartial curiosity of the universe. His essence thirsted for understanding, bridging the chasm between dreams and the material world.
Fain, the Shapeshifter of Fear: Fain was woven from the tapestry of nightmarish visions, the threads of jealousy, the shapeshifting nature of fear, and the colors of self-interest. Fain's essence thrived on the transformative power of fear, understanding its potential for profound change.
Yemoja whispered to her children the secrets of the tapestries, allowing them to read the threads of every living creation, just as she had learned from Majka. Each of her children became an embodiment of the dreams and fates of all beings, destined to guide, inspire, and transform those who dared to venture into the dream realm, the Realm of Dreams, Alfalon.
And so, the Children of Yemoja became the guardians of the dream realm, their presence intertwining dreams, fate, knowledge, and fear. They wove the intricate tapestries of existence, inviting all to explore the threads of their own lives and embark on journeys of self-discovery within the boundless realms of the dream realm placed just below “The Ladder” to the celestial Realms.
Tenets of Faith
- Confront Your Fears: Embrace your fears, face them head-on, and learn from the transformative power they hold.
- Embrace Ingenuity for Growth: Use cleverness, resourcefulness, and creative problem-solving for constructive purposes, seeking to overcome obstacles and achieve your goals.
- Self-Interest as Motivation: Harness your self-interest as a driving force for personal and societal development.
- Fain's Nightmares as Teachers: Learn from your nightmares, for they hold the keys to your deepest desires and fears.
- Empower Through Disappointment: Use jealousy and disappointment as motivators for personal growth and change.
- Share Knowledge of Fear: Teach others to confront and transform their fears, guiding them towards self-mastery.
- Engage in Acts of Ingenuity: Employ creative problem-solving and resourcefulness when needed, but never with malicious intent.
- Promote Healthy Selfishness: Encourage individuals to prioritize their own needs and desires while respecting the rights of others.
Worship
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies:
- Nightmare Revelation: A major ceremony in which followers come together to share and interpret their nightmares, seeking insights and understanding.
- Fear Confrontation Rituals: These rituals involve facing and embracing one's fears through various challenges and symbolic acts.
- Ingenuity Celebration: A festival where followers celebrate the use of creative problem-solving and resourcefulness, featuring puzzles and intellectual challenges.
- Self-Interest Empowerment: A ceremony focused on recognizing the importance of self-interest and using it to motivate personal growth.
- The Great Manor of Essential Valor: The central temple for the worship of Fain, where followers come to share their nightmares, seek guidance, and learn the arts of fear transformation.
- Fain's School of Ingenuity: An educational institution for those interested in mastering the art of ingenuity and creative problem-solving.
- The Fearforge Sanctum: A retreat where followers engage in intensive fear confrontation rituals.
Priesthood
High Hierophant of Fain: The highest-ranking leader of the Priests of Mastery, responsible for overseeing the entire organization and interpreting Fain's will.
Fearshapers: These priests specialize in helping individuals confront and transform their fears, guiding them through the process of personal growth.
Ingenuity Acolytes: They focus on the use of ingenuity and creative problem-solving for practical and constructive purposes, such as problem-solving and achieving personal goals.
Self-Interest Advocates: These priests teach individuals to harness self-interest as a driving force for personal and societal development.
Fain's Nightmare Propagators: These priests are experts in understanding and interpreting nightmares, helping individuals derive insights and growth from these unsettling dreams.
Specialty Priests:
Fearshaper: Specializes in helping individuals confront and transform their fears.
Ingenuity Acolyte: Focused on the use of creative problem-solving and resourcefulness for practical and constructive purposes.
Self-Interest Advocate: Teaches individuals to harness self-interest as a driving force for personal and societal development.
Nightmare Propagators: Proficient in understanding and interpreting nightmares, helping individuals derive insights and growth from them.
"Fear is a teacher, not a tormentor."
Type
Religious, Sect
Ruling Organization
Parent Organization
Location
Notable Members
Related Species
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