Path of Paragons

Introduction to The Path

The Path of the Paragons, better known as The Path to the faithful, is a polytheistic religion with a strong emphasis on ancestor worship. Good real world comparisons might be the Saints of Catholicism, or the Loa of Voudou religion. The values held by the religion are inspired heavily by the Warrior culture of the Imperium of Greater Xavax, as well as the culture of its founder Eoghan of the Ui Briuin family which is steeped in Irish Celtic traditions.

The faith arose within the Imperium of Greater Xavax on the East Continent in 9 I.C.Y. (Imperial Calendar Year) in the realm of Leibo, the Land of Heroes. The founder of the faith was a Lord of the realm of Leibo and Hero of the Imperium Eoghan Ui Briuin. Eoghan began to question the nature of things upon recieving reports the Xavaxian Hero Lord Uthred the Unstoppable's multiple appearances during the Second Great Battle of Leibo which occurred after his death a few months before. After devoting a year to studying the various religions of the East Continent and gathering tales regarding the appearances of Lord Uthred as they occurred Eoghan, with the help of his fellow knight Sir Barahir Ridder, began to piece together what he terms as the truth of this world. The official formation of the religion occured at a ceremony held at the Shrine of the Undying, a monument dedicated to Uthred and his famous unit the Shieldwall, in which he announced the The Path as a faith. The ceremony, witnessed by the Xerarch of the Imperium Selenia JeVondair and the Queen on Eponllyn Kira Coldwater, culminated in Eoghan invoking Uthred's name and the simultaneous eruption of each torch that represented Uthred's fallen soldiers from the Shieldwall in a glorious golden blaze.

The Faith

The Path of the Paragons holds to it a view that there is a hierarchy to all beings. That all came from The Font of Creation, which is the pure source of power and acting antithesis to the Void. There had never been a time in all of time when there had been pure nothingness, but that all that was had been confined to the pure source of power and beyond it was the void. From this Font of Creation came the Gods, and from the Gods came all else. Everything that was and everything that will be was formed from this power of creation itself and when it dies its spark of creation, that which mortals term as the soul, returns to the Font of Creation. There the soul is rended in what is like a great Maelstrom by the pure power of creation itself and stripped of any sense of self so that it might rejoin the source of all creation once more. Some souls are able to last longer within this Maelstrom than others, those that lived exceptional lives or preformed great deeds that live on in memory beyond them can retain their sense of self. This processes is known as cultivating their enech. By being able to withstand the Maelstrom for any amount of time allows the soul to be found by the Gods and drawn out of the Font to the God's realm. There they may act as an Exalted, and serve the God in their realm. Or they can be gifted a portion of the God's divine power and sent to the mortal world as a Paragon to act as an intermediary between the God and mortals.

Letter from Eoghan Ui Briuin

Sir Tharan,

I am happy to see your interest in The Path and I am more than pleased to see the questions you have posed as they are well thought. Now before I delve into them I feel it is important to clarify a specific point so as to clear up any misconceptions. While those who walk The Path acknowledge the existence of the Gods we do not attempt to classify them as good or evil beings. The Gods themselves are primordial, the very first beings to rise from the Font of Creation in which all are born from. They are the great shapers of not just our world but all worlds as they are the only ones who can actively harness the very power of creation itself and willfully give that fathomless power form and structure. In this way there are no Good Gods and there are no Bad Gods, the Gods just are and always will be. When they create they do not create to be benevolent, the create because it is in their nature to do so. When they destroy it is not because they are malicious, but merely because that is their whim. Instead it is we, the mortals, who try to affix unto the very Gods themselves such traits as a means of giving us some semblance of control and comfort. We make claims that we are shaped in the Gods' own image and are therefore greater. But are these not the ultimate forms of arrogance of mortals whether man or elf? We whose scope lies in the smallest sense of the self and the largest sense of nations, can we compare to beings whose scope and vision lay in worlds and stars and power beyond our own comprehension?

So then if the actions of the Gods have no cause for us then why is it they act within our world? When coming to question the nature of the Gods this became one of the most contested points that I had. Yet the answer was already given to us in Lord Uthred as he made his appearances beyond death. When he showed himself in the Second Great Battle of Leibo at various and protected our soldiers from fatal blows, including Sir Barahir himself, only to vanish and reappear on another part of the field. Or in the account of Lady Gia when he appeared and saved not only her life but the life of the Xerarch's son Högni in Lady Gia's desperate bid to see Högni to safety when the Capital was besieged. Finally there is the very words of the Xerarch herself in her book The Ashes of Xavax where she recounts her journey beyond our mortal veil and how Lord Uthred pulled her from The Maelstrom and presented her before a very God whom ultimately brought her back to us.

Because the view of the Gods is so vast they draw on the souls strong enough to withstand the awesome power of Font of Creation to serve them. The Font is to us like a violent Maelstrom that rends the soul of all sense of self and returns everything to a state of oneness with the power of Creation. To maintain oneself within it for any amount of time is already a supremely impressive feat, and worthy of notice by the Gods. So being drawn from it to serve them the souls of mortals become Exhalted, and some of those Exhalted are in turn sent to act within our world as intermediaries for the Gods. These are the ones we view as the Paragons, who have come back with a portion of the God's own power to act as agents for the Gods and guide mortals in their ideals and whom we venerate with worship.

Now then, to your questions. When you die your soul, which is a very spark of the power of creation itself, will return to the source. There it will be subjected to that awe-inspiring power of the Maelstrom and as I have mentioned it will either endure it or it shall be rended of all sense of self. Your choice of worship in one God or another has no barring upon this course of action. Instead it is the deeds you do in life that will affect this. To withstand the Maelstrom one must strengthen their enech, their presence, in this life. By preforming great deeds and spreading your name your enech will grow strong and thus you ensure that the spark within you will grow stronger and brighter. Through the remembrance of the people your soul will gain strength to survive the Maelstrom for longer periods and increase the chances of an Exhalted or the Gods they serve to notice it and retrieve it. Then and only then will you live on beyond death as an Exhalted yourself.

Following one God over another has little to do with this process as they do not care who you venerate. They have sent their Paragons to us to merely show us the Path by following in their example and acting to guide us on behalf of the Gods. It is only by walking this path and making a name for yourself in this life, that in turn will be remembered beyond it, that matters to the Gods.

I hope this clears things up for you Sir Tharan.

May the Paragons Guide you on your Path,

Eoghan Ui Briuin

Knight of Tota

Priest of The Path of the Paragons

– Eoghan Ui Briuin, The First Saoi, on the nature of the Gods and the afterlife.

When you die, your soulspark is returned to the Source of Creation, an incredible font of raw, eternal power that bleeds and consumes pure life force in a constant, spiraling cycle of making and unmaking. We call it the Maelstrom. Once returned, your spirit is pitted against incredible force and shriven to the point that your consciousness that you started building for yourself the moment you were born, that very thing that makes you you and your soul yours, is stripped clean, leaving the pure soul-energy behind to be recycled into the Maelstrom from whence it first came. Some souls, however, last longer than others, and these exceptional people attract the notice of powerful entities that dwell beyond the Maelstrom. These Primordial gods use their power to pluck choice souls from the Maelstrom before they are consumed for reasons known only to them.

We call these people Paragons. And to walk their Path is to strengthen one's soul for the Maelstrom, as they did, in hopes that when your time comes, you will be chosen to live and serve eternally at the behest of named and nameless gods. Paragons are venerated almost unto the point of gods themselves, living saints and aspects of the powers beyond creation

– Selenia describes the Path to High King Rebec

Enech

Enech is a term that in its literal translation means face; but the concept it relates to one's presence within the world. By doing great deeds and preforming feats that live on through out the history of a people one can cultivate their enech. The stronger this presence is within the world of man the stronger the soul becomes as it moves beyond the mortal veil and into the Font of Creation. It should be noted that one can cultivate their enech more easily with virtues such as Justice, Honor, Courage, Charity/Hospitality, Loyalty, and Fortitude as these are universally appealing to all peoples. These virtues are known collectively as The Higher Path. Just as one can use those virtues to cultivate their enech so to can one cultivate their enech with evil actions such as Brutality, Greed, Envy, False Pride, Cowardice, and Treachery. Known as The Lower Path, this might yield the same result as the Higher Path but it is just as easy for it to backfire as the minds of mortals are fickle things, and rarely are people venerated for evil deeds.

Just as people have an enech that they cultivate in their lives so to do nations. It is the role of the priests of The Path of the Paragons to try and guide all nations and mortals along The Higher Path. Those nations and people that corrupt their enech and walk The Lower Path are reviled and condemned almost universally.

The Gods

Those who walk The Path do not hold to the idea that Gods take on the form of humans as some other religions espouse. This is seen as a form of arrogance that mortals carry in viewing that they are somehow special in the eyes of the Gods. Instead those who walk The Path acknowledge that the Gods are ancient primordial beings whose view is so vast that they have little time for the petty affairs of elf and men. While the number of the Gods isn't exactly known there have been a few that have been witnessed and acknowledged by those who walk The Path. Like The Tree of Life, which the elves of the north revere as Iniarbel, or Ora depending upon the faith is clearly one such primordial God. Also in her memoir The Ashes of Xavax Xerarch Selenia wrote of awaking in the presence of a Great Mountain that spoke in a voice that rumbled like a thousand thunders. There has also been shown to be The First Flame, which may or may not have taken the form of a Phoenix to appear in the dreams of some men. These are just some of the Gods recorded by the Path, and there are likely a myriad more that have yet to make themselves known to mortals.

One thing all Gods have in common is their ability to withstand the awesome power of creation and actively shape it as they will. As such anything born from the God's manipulation of the Font carries within it a spark of creation at its core. This is what animates it if the spark is strong, and allows it to exist in just its base aspect. In this way the world, the Sum, the Cosmos, and even the Bloodstars were all made by the Will of the Gods. To create and destroy is their purpose, and they have had eons to do this work.

The Paragons and The Exalted

The next rung within the celestial hierarchy are the special souls pulled from the Font of Creation by the Gods to serve them; these souls are known as The Paragons and The Exalted. As mentioned before these are the souls of living beings who, through cultivating their enech, are able to maintain their sense of self within the violent maelstrom of power that is the Font of Creation. While individual mortal beings are like lone ants moving upon the floor to the Gods, the longer they are able to linger the higher a chance the Gods might take note of them. In being able to withstand such power these souls also prove that they are worthy of the Gods' notice and attention, thus they are retrieved from the Font and brought to the home realm of the God that claimed them. It is possible then for the Gods to reshape these souls to forms that suit them better, while the personality and mind of the soul would linger their body can be remolded to please the God in question. This is once again exhibited in the recounting of the Xerarch Selenia after being restored to life by the power of the God that removed her from the Font at the behest of the Paragon Uthred the Unstoppable.

Now what is it that differentiates a Paragon from an Exalted? In truth they are both closely related in terms of their place among the Gods, and each are worthy of reverence among the faithful. The Exalted though remain with the God that had called them and retrieved them from the Font. They are also noted to keep watch over the Font for potential souls that prove strong enough to withstand its power. In that same fashion they are also the ones who, with the assistance of their God, bring those strong souls from the Font to the God's realm.

Meanwhile the Paragons are restored to the forms that they had in life and gifted with a portion of the God's own power before being sent back to the mortal world. Here they act on their God's behalf, sometimes as messengers, sometimes as protectors, and sometimes as the bringers of miracles or calamities. Having retained their personalities and minds it is quite common to see a Paragon acting within the realms they knew in life. Much like how the Paragon Uthred Mormont has appeared in the defense of the Imperium sporadically after his death. It is important to note that while all Paragons are Exalted, not all Exalted are Paragons. In fact it is quite possible for a Paragon to lose their status as they are recalled to the Gods' side so that a different agent of their will might be sent. This is often determined by the faith of mortals and the reverence shown to the Paragon's legacy as it gives them greater power and relevance to the people, and thus makes them better intermediaries for the Gods.

Mortals

The final rung on the hierarchy are the mortals and living beings. In all forms these mortal beings are gifted with a greater spark of creation that animates them and allows them to experience life. Upon their deaths this spark naturally returns from whence it came and barring the intervention of the Gods it will eventually become one with the power of creation once more. Still living beings do have a talent unique to them and that is the subconscious ability to draw upon the Font of Creation. This being a gift of the Gods that made them, is what allows all living things to reproduce. As the process of creating life requires the new life to have its own individual spark as well to form its soul.

Those That Walk The Path

Much like how there is a hierarchy for all things in existence, so to does the church recognize a hierarchy in its ranks. While Eoghan Ui Briuin is considered the first prophet of the religion there is no actual rank as such recognized within the church itself. Instead the church is broken down into three levels, The Saoithe, The Journeyman Priests, and the Laity. In the same manner as most religious organizations the further up one moves the more responsibilities in relation to The Path one has.

The Saoithe

The term Saoithe, or Saoi in the individual case, means Wise Ones and is the term used by the Elders who follow The Path. Each Saoi is responsible for the upkeep and spreading of the legend of Paragon that they follow. To become one of the Saoi a Journeyman Priest must first find proof of an Paragon acting on behalf of any people. When they have collected evidence of at least three miracles witnessed by reputable sources they may then bring proof of their findings to a temple of the faith and call for a conference of the current sitting Saoithe. At the conference the priest will present their findings to the Saoithe and when finished the elders are to confer among themselves to determine the validity of the miracles presented and the story told. If the Saoithe deem the miracles to be true then the priest is raised to the rank of Saoi of the newly discovered Paragon. In this way each Saoi is the authority of the Paragon they represent as they were the ones to go out and collect their story of the Paragons and to document their miracles. The Saoithe are also responsible for maintenance of the Temples and are to constantly travel between them so as to see to their upkeep, and preach the stories and lessons of their chosen Paragon.

The Current Saoithe

Eoghan Ui Briuin, The First Saoi, Saoi of Uthred the Unstoppable. Based in The Imperium of Greater Xavax out of the Temple of Leibo

The Journeyman Priest

These are the common priests that walk The Path and preach the faith to the people. It is the duty of all priests from the Journeyman to the Saoithe to collect the stories of the great people of all cultures so as to preserve them. By collecting these stories and sharing them with the laity the Journeyman Priests ensure that those souls will survive longer within the Maelstrom, and in turn become Exalted. Should they, in their travels come to find stories of an Exalted appearing within the mortal world they are then tasked with recording their deeds. Should the Exalted in question preform at least three separate miracles witnessed by other nobles than the priest in question might call for a conference of the Saoithe. It is also the duty of the Journeyman Priests to tend to the shrines of The Path whenever they come upon one.

All Priests who walk The Path are responsible for spreading the faith, and helping to cultivate the enech of the faithful by guiding them on The Higher Path. This is often done by drawing on the stories of the heroes, heroines, and great men and women of the past to act as a foil for the present. In this same way they are to do their utmost in guiding the enech of nations as well in the hopes of keeping them from falling to The Lower Path.

The Current Journeyman Priests

Barahir Ridder, Based in The Imperium of Greater Xavax

The Laity

The most populated grouping within the hierarchy of the faithful are those who follow the religion. The ranks (both Followers and Adherants) that fill the laity go from as high as the rulers of nations to the smallfolk tucked away in their little hamlets. By and large the laity have likely the most important role of all, for it is in their following of the faith and worship that the Exalted and the Paragons may gain salvation at the sides of the Gods in the afterlife. For as their stories are told and remembered their enech will remain strong, and if their enech remains strong than they will be able to survive within the Maelstrom long enough to be recovered from the Font of Creation. It is also by and large the laity that manage to determine who becomes a Paragon of the people. For the Gods send to the mortal world intermediaries that resonate with the people. Should a Paragon's story fall away and the reverence paid cease then the Paragon might be recalled to serve as an Exalted while a new one is sent out to the mortal world.

Temples and Shrines

While most of those who walk The Path do so as a mobile priesthood the faith does have temples built for a more rigid structure of worship for the laity. The overseeing of the Temples is often under the purview of the Saoithe as each temple is dedicated to a Paragon of one persuasion or another. It is the duty of the Saoithe to convince the nobility of a realm to build a temple in the realm that a new Paragon is discovered. This is often done due to the fact that Paragons often operate within the realms of their lives. All Temples of the Path that are of small size or larger come with a scriptorium for the recording of Heroic tales and the lives and actions of Great People. Such records are then to be preserved so that the stories of those renowned people may never fade into antiquity.

Current Temples

The Temple of Uthred, A.K.A. The Temple of Leibo

The Temple of The Phoenix, A.K.A. The Temple of Isadril

Shrines are a far more common sighting for the faithful and are often overseen by the Journeyman Priests that walk The Path. The shrines are often set up at the sites of Great Battles or sites where Heroes and Heroines worthy of Exhalted status had fallen. These shrines will often have inscriptions talking about the battles that took place or the lives of the heroes that had fallen. They are considered to rest upon sacred ground for the faithful and pilgrimages to the various shrines are often seen as more important than pilgrimages to the temples.

Current Shrines

The Shrine of the Undying, the Shrine marks the site of the First Great Battle of Leibo where the Paragon Uthred and his famous unit The Shieldwall fell in defense of his Xerarch and the Imperium.

Planned Shrines

The Shrine of the Fallen will be erected on the spot just inside the Palisades of the Imperium of Greater Xavax's capital city on the very spot where Xerarch Selenia was killed in 8 ICY.

Official Prayers

The Prayer of the Fallen

This is a prayer to honor all those who are of the faith have fought and fallen in defense of their homelands. While the clash at Itor Boss is what spawned the penning of the prayer it is to account for all the battles that have led to this point, and all those yet to come. The purpose of it is to show the world that from the highest to the lowest in the hearts of the faithful those who walk The Higher Path shall never be forsaken in death.

Death is nothing at all

For in the end we only slip away to where we all originate.

I am still me and you will still be you.

So long as our names and deeds live on in the hearts of others,

Then that, we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name when I leave this mortal path.

Speak to me in the easy way

which you always used.

Put no difference into your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed

at the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me. Hold me in your heart that I will survive the Maelstrom.

Let my name be ever the household word

that it always was.

Let it be spoken without effect.

Without the trace of a shadow on it,

and I will live forever in the Gods' embrace.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same that it ever was.

There is absolute unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind

because I am out of sight?

Do this for me and no force shall break me,

Keep the light of my life and my deeds burning,

and I will endure all.

Let my story never fade,

So I might be Exalted in the eyes of the Gods and Men forever more.

All is well. The Paragons Guide Me.

End of the Path

1/31/2017

Religion Lost (29 minutes ago)

message to everyone in The Path of the Paragons With the loss of its last temple, your order The Path of the Paragons has lost its powers and influence, forcing it to close down. The order has been disbanded and your membership terminated.

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Resurgence

09/22/2019

A New Prophet message to all nobles of Eponllyn - 11 minutes ago

Baron Gilth II Gildre has founded a new religion called "The Path of the Paragons" and become its first prophet, devoting his life to religion from now on. He has stepped down from all positions.

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