Torenism/Tor

The being known as Tor is the supreme ruler of the known universe, and it was he who gave birth to our world and is responsible for the nature of man. Tor is totally beyond the comprehension of imperfect beings such as humans, and as such none - not even Tor's prophets - should believe that they can truly know what Tor is. However, some details are known. Tor is eternal. He has existed since before the beginning of time, in an existence outside our own. He has always been, and will always be. A famous saying of Torenists is likely the most accurate description of Tor – “In the beginning, there was only Tor... and the beginning has a lot in common with the end."

Origins

Painting of The God Tor, commissioned by High King Fisc Arylon shortly after the founding of Torenism.

The origins of the being Tor are beyond any earthly understanding. It has been said that Tor has always existed, and will always exist - thus he has no specific beginning or end, but rather is eternal. Any who claim to understand the origins or existence of Tor are blaspheming, for no human can know. His origin will always remain one of the Great Mysteries of Torenism.

The Creation of the World

In the void before existence, there was only Tor. An omnipotent being of limitless power, Tor was isolated and alone - he wished to create an existence made in his own image, with beings that contained shards of his own spirit holding dominion over the world. And so it happened, Tor poured all of his being into the creation of a world of great significance, containing large island continents of land, fierce beasts and impressive landscapes.

On this world, Tor created man. He instilled the people he molded with sparks of his own essence, what Torenists today call the living will of Tor, and gave them the ability to tame the land, sea and animals of the world, to establish their dominant control.

But Tor did not simply create human beings for the sake of creation. He wished to see the race of men develop from the lowly tribal bands of hunters into noble and fearsome beings, dangerous and powerful. He wished the weak to perish and the strong to prosper. He wished the defenseless to be slaughtered and the powerful to dominate.

And so in the early form of the world, Tor did meddle in the affairs of men. He would encourage war, destruction and chaos - because in so doing, those humans who were weak, foolish or stupid would be targeted and destroyed, and those who were left standing would be strong, wise and intelligent. Tor saw that doing this advanced human civilization - facing hardship, war and conflict promoted technological advancement, philosophical progress, the formation of strong and efficient governments and the evolution of all mankind from a period of darkness into that of noble spirit and achievement.

Tor’s Interaction with Men

The first prophet of Torenism, Phear Fantom

Though Tor attempts to keep himself out of the affairs of our world, he has had a great deal of interaction with men. Tor is seen by many on South-East Island as the bringer of victory. In historical epics, Tor has been known to occasionally be the instigator of wars, and is said to have been able to start wars by simply throwing down his sword between neighboring armies. Sometimes Tor has influenced the battle toward the end that he desires, when he feels his name has been honored, or denigrated.

Tor has even been seen (though rarely) appearing on the battlefield, sitting upon a crystal throne outside of the reach of the warring factions. In the past, Tor has only done this when a battle is so monumental that it likely will change the fortune of all inhabitants of the island.

When a noble has died in the service of war, and has acted honorably in the prosecution of his battles, Tor welcomes the great dead into his hall of the slain. These fallen are assembled and rewarded by Tor for the sacrifices they have made in the name of war, and are granted the gift of eternal peace in paradise. Thus, Tor gives warriors who fight hard, and with honor an eternal gift for their actions – regardless of the realm they inhabit. Tor has been known to balk at warriors from Toren upon their death, and raise up warriors from other realms, despite Toren’s dedication to his name. Tor rewards people, not just realms.

Tor’s best known interaction with the inhabitants of South-East Island is his history of using his wrath to destroy most of the island itself, beating back all nobles and armies back to their original city homes, to begin their quest anew. Tor takes this action for a variety of reasons – either when it becomes clear a particular realm has become too powerful and threatens to unify the island and end all wars. His anger is especially intense when a realm achieves this dominance through means he deems to be dishonorable. It is because of Tor that no realm will ever achieve ultimate victory – his thirst for blood and destruction is too great to allow conflicts to cease.

Connection to the Mountains

The great mountain range in the central region of western Dwilight

The holiest earthly symbol for the religion of Torenism is mountains - specifically the peak of Toren Mountain which still barely rises above the water of the great sea, and the Mountain of Betrayal, where Tor identified his Messiah. Throughout the history of man's contact with Tor, it has seemed that he has only revealed himself on mountains. Theologians have speculated that mountains represent a metaphor for everything that Tor has directed to man - the terrain's roughness, the lack of decadence and extraneous details in the landscape, and the harsh treatment of the weak a mountainous environment can have on men. Others believe that the mountains allow man to be closer to Tor, who they see as residing in the heavens above the world.

Most religious symbols in Torenism have some kind of connection to mountains. Flags, tattoos and branding during religious ceremonies, robes and many other objects and signs tend to have stylized mountains integrated somehow. Pilgrimages are made to the Mountain of Betrayal, and Torenists view all mountains as having great religious significance.