Heralds of Obeah/Sermons

Requested Sermon Topics

The Morality and Consequences of Magic

How the Heralds should Interact with Other Faiths

A Herald's Top 5 Duties

The Fundamental Differences and Similarities between a Templar Herald and an Inquisitor Herald

Why it is paramount that only the faithful may advance in our society, and why only priests may rule.

What Heralds should do when confronted with hatred by other, non-Netherworld aligned humans.

Why the Study of magic and its Mysteries are critical to Human Survival and Continued Supremacy.

What makes Obeah different/ Why worship the Veiled Goddess

A Herald's Place in Peace and War

Can Violence in Obeah's name be Just?

The Veiled Goddess and the Oracle

Roleplay from Rania Eastersand JeVondair

Message sent to everyone in the region Keffa (8 recipients)

"Obeah is a goddess of Magic. The Heralds believe that life itself is magic, and that humans, unique in all Creation, can channel the power that is their very existence to other planes, and draw power from these planes, in the form of magic. Even among Daimonkind, only their greatest are able to cast even the least of spells, with the rest of their souless legions being little better than the more common 'destroyers' that have walked the earth since time immemorial. Magic in nature though they are, they lack the potential that humanity represents. It is this uniqueness, we believe, that is why the Daimon Lords of the Netherworld so covet our death or devotion, our very souls. Every single one of you represents a source of great power, through the power of your faith, your prayers can channel that power. This is why the Daimon priests have worked so hard to foster and foist the false faith of the Portal everywhere they go. It is how they regenerate their strength and power so quickly. The Herlad's mission, first and foremost, is to serve humanity by eliminating the Worship of the Portal altogether, thus significantly weakening the Daimons of this plane by cutting off a large source of their power, making them easier to destroy once and for all. We we believe that by directing the power of our faith to Obeah, our patron will draw strength enough from us to maybe, one day, enter this plane in physical form. A living mother goddess of Light and Magic who will use her powers to safeguard humanity from Jomorosh, Akkan, and their ilk. "I am Obeah's Oracle. I have been tasked with interpreting the Goddess's will through signs and visions. It was one such vision that lead me to confront the Daimon Lord Akkan in Ete City not so long ago. In the ultimate test of my faith, I faced down certain death. but the thin golden thread of devotion that linked me to Obeah was enough to safeguard my soul and summon Humanity's protector. Through magic the likes of which we have never seen before, and may never see again, Keffa, and I, were delivered from the depths of evil. The City is protected, divinely so. Obeah's power made manifest in the Daimons you see guarding the city. her magic binds them, forcing them to serve and protect. Fear them for what they are, Daimons, but rejoice in what they represent: That a greater power can command and defeat them. A power that is fueled by you, the good people whose faith is the root of Goodness." "Obia'Syela, Obeah's Heaven, is to be made a place of worship and faith, of magic and study, a refuge to all from war and terror, and a second chance for many. From here, we will wage war of holy ideals against the Portal. I name the people of the Daishi as brothers and sisters in this fight. And all those who join us as allies. Through study and through Faith, may we find victory against the Infernal Darkness."

Rania Eastersand JeVondair

The Nature of the Daimon

Daimons are not native to this plane, but to the Netherworld. The Veil between our world and theirs is thinest here on Beluaterra. Thin enough, on occasion, to be pierced. These are what we refer to as invasions, and this is not the first. Their coming is proceeded by monstrous hordes without end, beasts and undead ariae from the muck in their hundreds of thousands, laying waist to human kingdoms. Take the Shattered Vales, for example: A moniker adopted when those hearty people were very nearly wiped out and are only now beginning to recover. Furher, Whenever The daimons return, they construct shrines and Temples to their fell worship, called The Portal.

Daimons draw great power from suffering and death, but their lifesouce stems from mystical energy. Thier home plane roils with it, if thier is any truth to their words. However, they cannot sustain their physical form through their Netherworld link alone. They must feed on the faith, bodies, and souls of man. They feed on our flesh to nourish their bodies. They consume the magical power generated from the faith of their worshippers. They exchange mortal souls to the Netherworld like coins, making dark pacts in exchange for reinforcements. We Heralds must understand that every mortal we convert is a soul spared and a Daimon weakened. But every one we kill before we can save is just one more soul for daimons to pass and consume. One of the primary purposes of the Inquisition is to root out these heretics and purify their souls so that they may be saved and sustenance denied to the Netherworld. The Heralds redirect the mystical power of faith from the darkness of evil to the light of Obeah instead.

Through this war and my journeys within it, I have encountered three kinds. The first and weakest of these are the Lesser Daimons: chittering tyrants little better than beasts and just as widely varied. Some skitter like Beatles or fly like gargoyals, others swim or slither like great snakes. Their only unifying feature besides their rage and thirst to inflict human suffering are their eyes which bien like twin sunsets; some say a mirror reflecting the evil light of their infernal home plane. These wretched feed more on flesh than faith, thief small intellect requires leadership lest they swarm over friend and for alike. They do not discriminate and attack in their hundreds, every one of them being as strong as two men at least.

The second type is the Greater Daimons. These creatures are less bestial than their lesser counterparts, often humanoid and even adopting human affectations like clothes and weapons. Each is half again and more as tall as a man, their bones wrapped thick with muscl and their forms enriched by the pathetic faith of the conquered. They form distinct troupes of rarely more than a score, and I have seen ONE of these troupes through back entire armies of humans. Rather than fight with their claws, Greater Daemons often fight from the rear of their armies, lobbing globes of elemental force to decimate their foes, though I pity those who go sword to claw with them. Peasants die in their thousands.

The highest caste in the hierarchy of the netherworld are the Daimon Lords. These are their commanders, their priests, and their sorcerers, and their ruling councilors. These are the mighty that whisper promises onto the ears of weak mortal kings to seduce them with power. These are the ones who can create and cast scrolls seemingly from nowhere. Worse, the more magic that human mages cast in a region, the more the Daimon lord can draw from the miasma of power that we ourselves unleashed. An invasion is only ended when all the Daimon lords are killed. Thanks to the valiant efforts of the mainlanders, most of whome were Daishi, there is only one Daimon Lord left, the strongest, their Overlord Jomorosh.

I have fought Daimon lords spell for spell. I have rotted in their dungeons and suffered their tortures. The unspeakable things they did to me would have destroyed my will to live. My fight was personal, and it was how I first came to know Obeah. Without Her, I would surely have fallen. Through the grace of our Goddess, I have enslaved and commanded both greater and lessor daimons and pitted them 'gainst their own kind. And so it is that Jomorosh hates us with a special intensity, but stays far from the borders of the Sacred Realm.

Finally, there is one entity that I have yet to mention. It is rumored that the daomons have a queen, Demons, who it is said once walked this world long before my time, but was thankfully banished and chained to prevent her return. I suspect the Daimon lords direct the mystical energy of faith from their Portal worshippers as part of a Grand Rite to fuel her unholy return. Which is why we Templars must destroy them even at the cost of their souls to prevent her return, if she is real.

There is no weapon or magic I know of that can kill a daimon lord. Their bodies are too closely tied to their font of power: the Netherworld. Daimon Lords are the most difficult of all to slay, but are most susceptible to ambush and capture during the rising and setting of the sun. We do not yet know why this is, but every daimon lord that has ever been captured has been in human lands during these times. Therefore the surest way i know of to slay a daimonlord is to lure them into human lands and hope they make the mistake of greeting the sun at the wrong time. Though I have never witnessed it, but I know what must be done. They must be taken by surprize or wounded in battle, outnumbered, and arrested. Priests subject their mortal forms to holy rituals to ensure that once executed, they stay dead. I have heard rumors that they can be killed in battle, but this has not happened in my lifetime.The last to be destroyed in this manner was the Daimon Lord Akkan when he was captured by soldiers of Ar-Agyr. The entire continent felt Jomorosh's wrath when his brother daimon was executed.

– The Oracle

Letter from Jarra Bennet (21 minutes ago)

message to all nobles of Obia'Syela

Fellow nobles, brothers in faith,

Whatever would happen to a nobleman captured by netherworld? Has anyone in our realm suffered such fate and has a tale to share?

Jarra Bennet Steward of Athol Margos

---

Letter from Rania Eastersand JeVondair all nobles of Obia'Syela Yes, Steward Jarra. I have.

It was years ago, before my daughter was born. I came to this continent after the death of my twin sister, the Silk General Mavia Eastersand who defended the Ivory Vales until she was betrayed and killed in a duel. I tracked her killer to Nothoi and confronted him. He is no more. It was on my return journey from Nothoi to the now-Shattered Vales that I was captured.

I did not believe in hell before the week I spent in the clutches of Daimons.

The Daimonlord Akkan was my personal torturer, and he visited horrors upon my body and spirit that I will not repeat. My whole world, every breath, held a thousand stories of pain writ in blood. I was bound and suspended with chains of magic that burned flesh and spirit alike. My screams were his music, my tears were his water and my lifeblood was his wine. Had his attentions not been disrupted by the war, I might have died there alone and forgotten, never knowing that I was pregnant at the time. It was in my greatest suffering, however, at my lowest point that I was graced with a vision of serenity and deliverance that allowed me to escape. Akkan and I never stopped hunting one another after that, battling several times. It was with great joy and relief that I learned of his death.

From all accounts, Overlord Jomorosh is even worse. But he has not strayed toward Obia'Syela since we've grown in our power. I hope that none of you ever have to go through what i did and, if you do, I pray that Obeah grants you the strength she granted me.

I pray that this captured knight is spared the woes of those that have preceded him.

Under Her Eye,

The Oracle of Obeah

– Rania Eastersand JeVondair to Jarra Bennet

Discovering Obeah

Roleplay from Rania Eastersand JeVondair, Oracle of Obeah, Grandmistress of Sacred Obia'Syela

Message sent to Maya Tandaros, Empress of the Shattered Vales, Wolf Queen of Melhed

You answer to the invitation and deliver the sermon to Maya Tandaros, Empress of Shattered Vales, Royal of Shattered Vales, Ambassador of Shattered Vales, Duchess of Wohdichil Forest, Margravine of Fheuvenem in private. How vast is the whole of creation? From the great Seas to the expansive Sky, to the tress and mountains whose roots grasp the bones of the Earth. From Ant to Eagle to all the things large and small on Earth, Under heaven, and beneath the Sea are millions of miracles at working, coexisting in natural balance. But of all the beings of creation on this earth, none are so marvelous, so miraculous as man. For alone and above all, it is man that possesses the very spark of divinity within: The Soul. That animating lifeforce born beyond the Veil. Tis what sets us apart and lifts us above the natural beasts of the world, for with that sacred spark lies the very font of magic. Alone in all the world, we humans are able to cast and control the forces of magic. No Lich or Dragon can compare, Such is the strength of the light within us all. It is no wonder then that daimons, infernal beings outside natural creation, covet our souls with such vigor, seeking to steal our power to enhance their own. They gather their strength for years to pierce the Veil and pour forth as a scourge upon the land, forcing the weak to worship them. And so the Heralds of Obeah study magic, the better to know themselves and to glimpse the unknowable beyond. In my war against daimonkind, I’ve cast many magics and studied deep secrets. I learned while in the service of the Shattered Vales that Daimons are not alone in the infinity beyond the Veil. Nor are they alone in recognizing the significance of man. In that deep vastness dwell other beings of incalculable power: Gods. Not just the nameless, impotent Armored Gods of the Daishi, but more beyond scope or comprehension. Our faith strengthens them, draws them near, and in exchange for our faith, the covenant is that when our spirits again return from whence they came, we are not doomed to wander and dwell alone, but are instead guided and safeguarded as a shepherded does a flock. Obeah, the Veiled Goddess, is one of these celestial powers. But no god is closer to man then she. Did we not see her power when she interceded in the Battle of Ete City against the Daimon Lord Akkan? Did she not manifest herself by dominating every daimon in Keffa and wresting the city from the Netherworld’s control? Did she not empower me, her servant, to clear Wudenkin of daimons and rogues with powerful magics alone? Did she not, in her wisdom, pave the way for her faithful to inherit the City of Moonlight and grant dominion over this corner of the world to the primacy of her Temple? I can name no God, no Titan, no Hero of Old or new to have every so powerfully interceded on behalf of her own. And so I worship her with all my heart, in hopes that the strength of our faith will grant her the strength to continue to guide and protect us. And, one day, to cross the Veil and walk the land with us, ending daimonic invasions for all time. There is no cause more worthy than that, no goal that is higher or more noble, for in her worship do we drive toward the very salvation of all mankind, regardless of class or creed. I am the Oracle of Obeah, but she does not speak to me as I to you. She speaks to all of us from beyond the Veil with hints, like a weaver on a tapestry of fate does she tie strands of destiny and magic and moonlight together to show us the way. She did not tell me to go to Rines, she worked through others to show me the Path. She did not tell me that she was Good, twas the hatred of Jomorsh towards her acts and her people that showed me thus. She did not deliver knights to serve as Templars and Inquisitors in her name, but inspired me to in turn inspire their service and loyalty. Look upon Obia’Syela, a thousand miles from the nearest trade routes, alone and cut off amidst a sea of monsters and undead. Impoverished, starving. With nothing more than a sliver of hope and our unbroken faith in Her did we build this Sacred realm. Without her, none of these things, not of these miracles would be possible. She has done more for us, for humanity, than any other. But to affect things from beyond the Veil comes at the price of great energy. It falls to us to spread the faith while she convalesces, the better to strengthen her and hasten her arrival. When a million voices cry out her name, only then will she be returned to her strength. Through hard work and dedication and righteous action will we prove ourselves worthy of her coming. Every day, we must prove our devotion. For when the day comes that she’s empowered enough to come through the veil herself, she will weigh our acts against our sins. If we have proven worthy, then peace, prosperity, and salvation everlasting will be our eternal reward. Empress Maya shows some interests in your words and further invites you to stay for a dinner. You accept her hospitality, hoping to see if she will talk about converting into your religion on the dining table. And remember: both of you need to remain in Rines for this to continue.

Rania Eastersand JeVondair, Oracle of Obeah, Grandmistress of Sacred Obia'Syela

A Sermon on the Nature and Treatment of Non-Believers

There will be none to question the natural order of mankind, of the superior role of the nobility versus that of the lowly peasant and as such there will be none to question that the nobility, in whom the commonfolk place their faith and livelihoods, therefore imbue the nobility with a greater aura of energy. Therefore the nobility, whose inherent right it is to safeguard and lead the commonfolk, who should themselves aspire to noble rank the better to become beloved of the Veiled Goddess. As such it logically follows that the treatment of Nobility and peasantry differs in some regards, even in terms of faith, save that the former should inspire the latter in all ways to place their faith in Obeah and the teachings of Her Oracle.

Neither the treatment of nobility, nor of the peasantry has been decreed as of yet. This sermon will elaborate on the only possible treatment of none believers. The people, both noblemen and peasantry at large can be divided in three different groups. Firstly, the believers, secondly the ignorant non-believers, and thirdly those who would deny and oppose Obeah's sovereignty on the mortal plane. Under the Eye of the Veiled Goddess, Heretics come in several additional different subdivisions, such as:

Apostates: Those priests demagogues of other faiths who preach against Obeah; Who are to be captured whenever found, imprisoned whenever possible to the satisfaction of the Inquisition. Infidels: Those who bear false witness against Obeah, her priesthood, or the teachings of the Faith; Whose names are to be submitted to and tracked by the Heralds in their ongoing efforts to educate and convert in Obeah’s name. Defilers: Destroyers of Temples and Shrines dedicated to Obeah; Killers of Obeah's Faithful and thieves of their livelihoods. These are to be hunted down and destroyed without respite or mercy by all who cherish Obeah. Others: Of course, the heretics also include those who openly denounce Obeah and praise the name of other deities, channeling power away from the veiled goddess and thus sabotaging her coming. The Treatment of Ignorant Non-Believers

It is crucial that all worship Obeah to ensure her coming, to free us of the threat of daimons for all eternity and bring prosperity to our world. However, the ill educated cannot be faulted for not knowing what was not explained to him. It is the role of any noble, and certainly every priest, to actively seek out unbelievers in both the nobility and the peasantry in order to explain them the truth of Obeah.

The Treatment of Heretics in the Peasantry

The simple mind of the peasantry cannot be made to see the error of their ways through simple logic. While the nobility possesses such capabilities and thus can be reasoned with, once the peasantry has taken up a misguided belief it requires a combination of measures to educate them. It is crucial that priests take pains educate the peasantry and reach those ignorant, but it is equally crucial that they purge those who sabotage these attempts. Those people who openly hail the names of daimonic entities or deities hostile to Obeah’s faithful, who through their words seek to counter the truth and lead people astray, those are to be purged from this world to ensure the spread of the truth, so that all may channel their magical aura to Obeah's return. Every priest therefore requires the combination of sermons and creative methods, to both educate the people and remove those who oppose the coming of the Veiled Goddess.

– Goriad II Gabanus, Grand Herald of Obeah

The Theory to end all Invasions

The workings of our world

During the last invasion there was one other power who truly aided us, who wielded its power against the daemon kind and slaugthered hundreds of their foulest of beasts. That power identified itself as Obeah, a great powerful entity from another world who saw out peril and offered aid. She spoke to our Oracle when she gave her the strength to slay the daemons in Keffa. I tortured some daemon worshippers in the past, and through it and through other means we have learned a few things.

We all know that there is a veil between our worlds and others. It is what prevents the daemons from simply entering our world. They need dark magic and portal magic to create a large enough rift in the veil for them to travel through and even then they remain restricted. This last invasion the daemons proved most powerful when magic was cast in the area and also demanded human worship, it took a while to understand why. You see, in our world there are a great many magical flows, fabrics of power flowing losely through everything. Humans play an integral part in this flow as we have a connection with these flows like no other. It is why the daemons demanded worship, as through manipulating that human power of their worshippers they could effectively steer and control the magical flows to further weaken the veil and summon more of their foul beasts. But now that we know this, the power of the human soul in controling and steering the magical flows we can use this against them. We can use this power to weaken the veil between our world and that of Obeah. With her power we can do something we have been unable to do so far, ensure that the veil between our world and the Netherworld is strengthened so much that the Daemons may never enter our world ever again. For do not be fooled, as those corrupted fools now celebrate, they care not about the fact we all know, if we do nothing the Daemons will return again. They have proven that time and time again.

Then I was asked the following: "I am not a believer and I have concerns. Demons have pretended to be gods and beings in the past in order to gain sway over humans and use them to enter our realm. How can we be sure that this is not happening once again?"

And replied: So you do believe her existence, just question her motives I see. Well that is the first step, although it is difficult for an intelligent person to miss what is so clear of course. Daemons seem to consider themselves our betters yes and you can call that any way you want, yet they've been beaten back every time. Last time, we had help however, help we needed when Akkan came with his great hordes. That help came from Obeah, where through her power hundreds daemons lay dead.

To explain that scenario, perhaps I should add to my previous explanation of the magical flows. You see, you know as well and did not contradict that these portals depend on magical energy, as do the daemons. These flows are everywhere and the Daemon Overlords take control of these flows in part due to their power, but also for a great part due to the human worship they demanded which strengthens them as explained before. The creatures they summon forth from those portals likewise depend on this same connection and it's why the overlords so effectively control entire hordes of the foulest of beasts. Now!

The most important thing to note is that these flows are not owned by the Daemons, yet merely steered in a desirable direction. Once severed however and the flow of the magic altered, one could disrupt the power of the Overlords over their minions. As humans we have some influence in this, but we seem to lack the understanding and strength to disrupt these flows, but others from other worlds can and can use our power to disrupt the hold of the Overlords. To think there is only one other world is ignorant and foolish, as if you'd claim we only have 1 continent on our world. It was due to the devotion of our faithful and the hight of magical power in Keffa at the time that Obeah could help to remove the Daemons' connection to their Overlords and create chaos among these creatures, so that those who didn't die, killed each other. That battle in itself, that one intervention, only possible due to very limited circumstances, completely changed the war and wiped out a large part of the daemon army. While the battle of Keffa was lost, it weakened them so much that we ultimately managed to destroy them entirely. That was possible due to her help, that of Obeah. Without her we may well have still been fighting them by now, or more likely be dead at this point. She fought the daemons, she ensured their invasion failed. On top of that, during the connection where Obeah channeled the power of the faithful our Oracle saw her heart, her being. I can assure you, she is no daemon. In fact, she saved us from them and in time she will ensure our safety to prevent another invasion.

I was asked yet another question: "If what you say is true, and I am by no means convinced yet, then why does she need our aid? Why doesn't she just close off the demons permanently? How is she going to stop another invasion? Especially when forces of Darkness resurrect people from the dead and open portals to invite them in?"

The reply All knowledge to answer that question has been given to you. Our world is shielded from the other worlds out there. Neither we nor they can pass while the Veil is strong enough. But it has been proven that there are ways to weaken these veils, through magic and the steering of the human energy. So far only those wicked souls loyal servants of the daemons have attempted this and they target the veil between our world and the Netherworld.

But up there, up there is another world. That of Obeah. Like all other worlds there is a veil between ours and hers. To weaken it, a vast amount of magical energy must be released alongside an enormous concentration of human power of the soul. For while the Veil to the Netherworld has grown weaker during each invasion, the veil to Obeah has grown in strength. As such the Daemons are making it increasingly difficult for her to aid us and for us to ensure her entry into our world. They are great enemies of each other in this sense as well.

Just as the daemons weaken their own veil and strengthen hers, Obeah will be able to strengthen the veil to the Netherworld once she is here through guiding our power and the magical flows. But before she can do that for us, we must first enable her arrival. With the veil to the Netherworld strengthened once more the daemons will need a much larger following and concentration of power before they can return. Thus effectively blocking any future invasion.

– Goriad II Gabanus, Grand Herald of Obeah

The Truth on the Southern Monster Hordes

First the monsters tried everything they could to hold back the Shattered Vales and Obia'Syela from moving south. Any time we would walk into Ardmore we were met with huge hordes of undead unseen previously and gone right after. I now know why.

I learned that it were the daemons who pulled up this line of undead and monsters in the south during the last invasion. They wished to hold down the south and pressure us. But as we all know and learned before, their power comes from controlling and steering the magical flows.

For years now however their control has been weakening, because of us. Our devotion to the veiled Goddess weakens the veil between ohr world and hers, but it also takes away from the daemon's control of the magical flows. These attacks on our nations was their last attempt to hold us back from expanding our faith and thus weakening their hold on this world, destroying their control over the southern magical flows.

The collapse of the portal to the Netherworld in Ardmore showed the waning control the daemons had left on the magical flows. Ardmore is filled with faithful to Obeah and it stopped this dark portal. Now only a short moment after this, the Daemon-created-chains holding these monsters and undead south has been broken. It seems the daemons lost their last bit of power in the south when they attempted to open a portal to bring us to our knees. Many of you may have suffered, but we are stronger than ever.

The rise of Obeah comes with the fall of the daemon's power. Proof is added time and time again.

– Goriad II Gabanus, Grand Herald of Obeah