Faith

Faith in the Jord has evolved different after The Break split the continent in two and making trips from Stakhlian to the South almost non existant.

In Stakhlian they believe in the Creator, a mythical being, that created them, protected them through mankind's infancy. An older, and now dwindling set of the Creator's worshipers, think the Creator was an incredibly power Aura user, that saved Mankind from the Old Terror and created the Inner Sea.

Accepted history

The Creator is a being that came from the sun. When it laid its eyes on the vast empty universe, he felt incredibly lonely. He decided, in his selfishness, that he would create places in the universe as to not feel so lonely. The creation of a planet starts by a thought that the Creator willed into existance. At first, the planets were barren and dull, and this did not sate the Creator's will. For eons, the Creator pondered about a place that would house, what he called lesser beings, to keep him company and that he could lord over them. He then created Jord and on it, created animals. He then watched in amusement as these animals lived and died, but after a thousand years, he got bored. He started alternating the animals one by one, to see what happens.

Eventually he created mankind. For a time, he was satisfiyed, but slowly grew bored. He started evolving humans, giving them powers to make them both interesting and happy. For a time, Jord was a paradise. Soon, human nature overcame the gifts that the Creator has given them and they started using their gifts to kill others. They took the Creator's gift and used it to slowly destroy the paradise he created for them. The Creator founded the Luminous Order and gave them SteelShards to defend themselves.

The Luminous Order failed to bring the order, so the Creator in his rage, split the land in two, ensuring that access from one side to the other is forbidden. He drew away from the world, leaving mankind to its own machinations. With the absence of the Creator's light, the Veil, the Ever-Night began creeping towards mankind. The only defense was the Aura, the Creator's last gift, but mankind soon found the price they would have to pay for their arrogance. Constant fighting to push the Veil away until the Creator comes back. The only thing the Creator left behind was the Book of Light, which describes all of his teachings and creeds, told through various stories.

Alternate history

In the past Jord had been ruled by monsters. These demons, these fanged creatures, used mankind as their pets, as their slaves. It was only due to a great man, who rallied mankind and used his massive reserves of power to slay the demons. The Creator or the First Freed had an intense battle with a demon that, even in the lowest depths of the option, was as high as a mountain, which caused Jord to break, as the Creator killed the demon and caused him to fall to the earth. The demon's fall was so strong, it caused the land to break and sea to flood. This area is now called the Inner Sea and is the resting place for the demon Vantasvart.

Demons

The demons were incredibly big, ranging from the size of a large house to the size of mountains. Their power was equivalent to their size. They were incredibly lazy creatures, but nobody dared to challenge them, due to their power. The demons were completely white, a slight glow emanating from their skin. They appeared sexless, although their voices seemed either female or male. The demons could cast their astral image anywhere in the world and affect how they appeared (they could appear as human). When they projected themselves, their body was exposed, but their thick skin and an incredible healing power could sustain them through any injury. Their power could kill anyone or worse - rob them of their free will, making them prisons in their body. The people trapped that way could not feel what they were doing, could not say what they wanted to - they could only view as from a distance what the demons were making them do. The demons used Direwolves as their messengers, their harbingers of doom. They gave the direwolves special telepathic powers to influence the will of men. They also gave them an increased size and strength, so they could shepherd mankind to do their bidding.

Direwolves

The direwolves broke out of the demon's grasps and were the first to retaliate. The demon's meddling were why the wolves now had superior intelligence and a long life span.

Council of Listeners

LINK

Fables from the The Book of Light

The Lost Victory

• Scene 1

Creator enjoys watching men as they live and die and prosper

• Scene 2

Other Gods (dark) become jealous of the Creator and plot to destroy him

• Scene 3

The Creator finds out about the ploy and tries to reason

• Scene 4

The oldest friend of the Creator was the last to fall and betrayed the Creator and nearly killed him

• Scene 5

The Creator fends off attack after attack, no other God would relent until the Creator killed them

• Scene 6

The Creator fights Vantasvart for six days and six nights

• Scene 7

On the seventh night, Darkness is defeated, but before the Creator could strike the final blow, Vantasvart used a hidden blade and wounded the Creator and robbed him of some of his godhood. With the power he stole, he created the Ever-night, a place where evil could exist and influence.

Want, but not have

The scene reminded Tinor of an old story, where a man committed such heinous crimes, that the Creator issued a special punishment. The criminal was locked in a luxurious mansion in the clouds and was made immortal. The mansion had everything a man could desire. Good food; good company; endless possibilities. As an additional punishment, the Creator bestowed upon the criminal an incredible sense of want. Everything that the criminal saw tempted him, creating an indescribable urge. But when the criminal reached for his desire, it would turn to ash. Thus he lived out eternity, always wanting but never having.

The Creator's Creeds

The priests of the Creator have, from word of mouth, discovered the following creeds that may grant an invitation to the Creator's Celestial Palace:

• Time is what I give you, use it wisely. OLD: Change is the greatest virtue a person can have. Without it, you wither and die
• The Red is a curse and a gift and only the invited shall know which.
• The direwolves are harbingers of doom. Ridding them in my stead shall earn you favour
• Light is the gift I have given you. When you bathe in my glory, know I watch over you. (OLD Only by using it with virtue and honor can you serve me to the fullest)
• Beware of the darkness, the terror. Trust is a delicate thing, use it wisely.

Religious Elements (places, stories, ...)

The places that the Creator has created, either for himself, or for mankind.

• Chapel of Light: The church where they preach the Creator's lessons. It is a small domed structure that let in as much light as possible through stained glass dome. Small Chapels of Light didn't have a dome, but rather a slanted stained glass window that would let in as much light as possible and would be turned towards the west (all chapels were turned towards the west). The preaching would always be done just before sunset, to show the magnificence of the Creator's light (with the sunset) and to show the perils of the Night (when the sun dips below the horizon). The Chapels were hardly illuminated and were dark during the days when the sun was obscured by clouds or there was a storm. The preaching happened every middle of the week, smaller Preachings happened every day, but there was no Pater to tell the stories.
  • Writing example: The Chapel of Light was ordinary. It was too small to have a stained-glass dome, but it did have a window facing the west. With the Grey Wall blocking most of the sunlight, it would be difficult to have sunset prayers in the darkness, so the local Pater created a small illuminae with candles and mirrors reflecting light and illuminating the altar.
• Illuminae: a set of mirrors with a light source to reflect light and have the Creator extend his hand.
• Pater: The main Preacher in a Chapel of Light, commands respect and authority over his subjects. Wears a white robe on one side, with a yellow/golden sun, and a dark on his backside, with an eery white crescent
• Pater Radiant: The highest ranking Pater in all of Stakhlian
• Ever-Night: The hell that awaits, where a person begins dying, but never dies. He is also at the edge of life, seeing the light, but never being able to regain it.
• Celestial Palace: the place where the Creator has secluded himself to and where he ponders about what to do next and when to return to mankind. Only a select few are invited there.
• Jord: the planet that the Creator has given to mankind
• The holy sign of the Light: A triangle made with both index fingers and thumbs

Commonly used Expressions

• Truth to the Creator
• Creator damn him
• Creator help me
• Creator’s light save me
• May the night swallow him
• Walk the light
• I can see the change in you and it is blessed
• Cursed by the Creator (Aura)
• Beloved by the Creator (Aura)
• in the Creator's name

Hymns, Chants and Prayers

• Prayer:to the Light

The sun above,

shines with love,

The Creator's touch,

we gratefully clutch.

We praise the day,

the dark at bay,

the Creator's light,

is truly bright.

--NEW--

The sun above

a sacred love

his glorious touch,

we humbly clutch.

Praise the day

the dark at bay

his golden light

is mightily bright

• Prayer:The Change Within Me
• Prayer:Light feeds the true, not the wicked
• Hymn: Hymn of the lost
• Hymn: Hymn of the Celestial Palace
• Hymn: Praise the Fallen