Way of the Warrior Saints

The Way of The Warrior Saints was founded in ages past by Knights who found glory on the battlefield. Their wisdom was recorded in a series of Prognostocese, and passed down into obscurity.

In recent years, the dusty tomes containing the wisdom of the Saints have come back into favour with the nobility.

Beliefs

• Origin Story

The Way of the Warrior Saints teaches that The Father of Earth and Stone made the world and all in it. He created a wealth of animals, trying to build one that would rule the others, and maintain order. As he made the animals of the world, he gave life to the creatures, and sent them into the wild. At long last, he settled on a form that could dominate all the lesser forms he had made before, and then removed himself unto the bowels of a great mountain on the far side of the world. This last animal was Man. He gave Men courage and strength, and put in place a Holy Order of Kings, and then He was done with Man, and heard no prayers.

For many lifetimes The Father sat sleeping in the deep stone, resting after giving life to the world. His favorite children, the Earth and the Stones, whispered to him as he slept, and were as his eyes and ears as he rested. With the rise of Man and the world of Kings, the Earth and the Stones grew wary. They saw as man learned of treachery, and corruption. Man trod upon the earth, and the earth felt his steps grow mad. Despite the Holy Order of Kings, men overthrew one another, and mocked the righteous ways, and forsook chivalry and honor. The Earth and Stones warned the Father of coming treachery. They knew that the folly of men would breed horrors and pain.

Angry with being awoken, the Father caused a Great Quake in the lands (The Holy Cataclysm), and sent forth Glory and Power to those who would take it. The Father of Earth and Stones left it to Man to once again bring order to his world, and left His Majesty and Wisdom gathered on battlefields, to wait for mighty warriors to claim it. He then returned to sleep in His Holy Mountain, and there he remains.

Those who would claim the Divine Wisdom of the Holy Cataclysm were the Warrior Saints, and they would be well-known in song and story. Paragons of Earth and Stone, they walked among man for a short while, and left the hard-earned blessing of the Father in the steps.

• The End of Days

It is said that when madness, treachery, and wickedness rule the world, the Earth and the Stones will once again whisper to the Sleeping Father, and awaken Him from His slumber. His rage will be be unprecedented, and He will stride across the earth unmaking all that he has made. There will be no pity or mercy, and the wicked shall be eaten by the Rocks, and the Anarchists will be purged in despair at the sight of the Father they have forsaken. "The Second Awakening" shall be a time of great calamity and suffering, and those who served the Way of the Warrior Saints with honor will rise from the soil where they rest, wreathed in armor of Holy Stone, and once again fight the wicked. The Warrior Saints will march behind the Father, leading the Risen Faithful, and fighting in their final battle for the preservation of Order. At the End of All Days, the wicked shall be rended from the world, and given no rest. The righteous and the faithful will sleep forever, one with the dirt and the earth, slumbering in harmony alongside the Saints and the Father, at long last in peace.

Tenets

Most Prognosteces tend to agree on the following basic tenets:

• The Father of Earth and Stone has planted Valor and Glory in the bones of all men. The wicked must have this gift rended from them by the faithful, lest they use their Holy Power for the subjugation of the righteous.

• Diligence, Valor, and Prudence are holy traits, and should be revered above all.

• Order is preserved when Ignorance, Coawardice, and Anarchy are eradicated by the Righteous. Those are the ways of the wicked, and if they ruled the earth, madness would prevail.

• Loyalty is the chain that binds us to salvation. The Saints sit only one step beyond Kings, and the proximity of Kings to the Most Holy is providence. Respect them and bow to them always.

• Death is a return to the Earth and the Stones. It is solemn, but ultimately the fate of all who walk. Fear it not.

• In death, the wicked will rot and be eaten by carrion birds and forgotten.

• In death, the faithful will return to the earth and stones, loved by the rich soil and welcomed back into the Mountan to be tilled anew. They will be at peace, and at one with their brothers.

• In death, those who surpass their brothers in Valor, and Honor, and Courage; they will roam the earth as Warrior Saints, giving order and guidance to the people who survive them. This is a great honor, and reserved only for the most Holy and Wise and Righteous.

• Have few enemies, but if your brother would harm you or your Lord, make him regret your wrath. Put your enemies to the sword and return them to the soil from whence they came.

• The weak have forgotten the strength of Stone and the Glory in their bones. They ignore the greatest gifts of the Sleeping Father. Regard them not.

• The steel in your hand is like unto your brother, your other self, a soul it's own. Respect it, and it will find salvation for you in the blood of the slain.

• Man exists solely to exert order and vigilance over the earth, and preserve the sleep of the Great Father. Anarchy, and madness, and all that would upset a realm are to be ended, lest the Father Awaken again, and end all madness forever.

The Saints

The Saints are Men and Women of yore who transcended the flesh through diligence, valor, and wisdom. They brought forth the wishes of the Father, and saw His Holy Mountain at World's End. Their words have been recorded and should be studied by the faithful. There are many Saints, and each Noble House has a Patron, whose works they follow above all others. Priests and clergy study all saints, in an effort to praise the Father of Earth and Stones.

The Saints' spirits still roam the Earth, granting blessings and protecting the faithful. They preserve the Earth and Stones so that the Father may sleep inside his Holy Mountain. In the spiritual heirarchy, The father is the Creator above all, and the Saints are his pantheon of lesser Gods. All men (and women) have the capacity to transcend the flesh to divine Sainthood, through diligent study, courage in battle, and walking along the Righteous Way of the previous Saints.

Out of the hundreds of Saints, only a few are still remembered, although through the diligent studies of the clergy, many are being uncovered anew.

Canon Saints, their Patronages, and their Writings:

• Valmyre (The Kingdom of Eston, justice, knights) Song of Kingly Honors, The Quill and The Axe
• Hubbins (worked leather, sturdy boots, travel) The Prognostocese of St. Hubbins, The Book of Leathers
• Jaynke (death, stoicism, the Great Abyss) Visions of Madness from Beyond, The Cold Embrace
• Kostansa (oceans, the South, sailing) Prognostocese of the Coast
• Segarre (Feasts, wine and ale, knaves) The Thousand Sleepless Nights Abroad, Prognostocese from the Jug
• Maemora (literature, diplomats) Psalms From a Sleeping Mountain, The Buried Glory
• Ephrahm (quests, duels, horses) Holy Visions of Saint Ephrahm, The Bloody Path of Holy Pilgrims
• Bael(hunting, archery, night) The Darkness Without Dawn, Purity from the Slain
• Uhrht (gardening, farming, hospitalers) The Father Comforts None, Humble Prognosteces of St. Uhrht
• Geirmihna ("the Lady of Swords") Martial Exercises of Faith, The Book of Noble Talents
• Procyon (stoicism, tenacity, furs) The Importance of Deep Burrows, On the Subject of Insulating Animals, The Stone and the Stoat
• Cissa (nature, forests, woodsfolk) Prognostoces of the Forest, Meditations On the Father's Head
• Haess (laughter, jokes, satire) Haess' Comedies, The Wayward Mule, The Curing Laughter, The Father's Laughter

Saints Awaiting Canonization:

• Marouane (Kingdom of Eston, bravery, strength, loyalty) Searching for writings.

(There are many more Saints, one for almost every profession. They often disagree on articles of faith and doctrine. Due to the scholarly work of the clergy, these doctrinal disagreements rarely fester into schismatic arguments; the faith is one of many respected Saints, all who follow the same Way in the end, after all.)

Rites and Ceremonies

Every family Saint has a different set of rites and observances, and they are as varied and anomolous as the Saints themselves. The only ritual that is observed by all followers is the practice of praying by kneeling in the dirt, and bowing until the head rests on a half-buried stone. Followers are encouraged to meditate in this manner at least twice a week. It is considered a great honor to the Sleeping Father if a warrior holds his weapon against the earth while he prays.

Intensive study of the ancient texts and prowess in battle are considered holy pusuits. Because of this, religious education and combat training are as important to the faithful as prayer.

Certain traditions tend to be established in history with the same essential practices, although there are variations depending on the Saint each family worships. The basic traditions are outlined below:

• Birth

Among nobles, a priest is generally called to witness the naming of a child, and call upon the family's Patron Saint for guidance and preservation. In elder days, the newborn child was laid in tilled dirt, and made to hold a small stone, so that it would know the Holy Brothers (Earth and Stone) before all else.

• Adulthood

Upon reaching their sixteenth year, many of the faithful maintain a vigil overnight between the three rock altars in the nearest temple.

• Marriage

The Way of the warrior Saints has no traditions for marriage. It is seen as an inconsequential act, although those who make vows are expected to keep them.

• Death

Those who died with honor are buried uncovered in the ground, with a large stone placed above them. Often, people are buried with weapons or tools that served them well in life. The truly valiant are laid in caves, under a cairn of heavy stones, with their weapon placed in a temple, to be honored by all.

Clergy and Temples

Priests

Priests of The Way of the Warrior Saints are trained in battle, and do not shy from combat. That is the most glorious manifestation of His Power, after all. They wear simple robes, and carry cudgels. They shave their heads, and forsake adornment. Priests typically spend their days studying the ancient texts, tilling and working the soil, and meditating.

Across the continent, a quarterly conclave of "Temple Majors" (head priests) meets in an ever-changing location to discuss the the teachings of the Saints. What little Church Policy there is is set at these conclaves.

It should be noted that there are two types of priests: Priests of The Way (those who study all Prognostocese and the works of all the Saints, and whose goal is finding the true nature of the Father and earth and Stones, through the veneration of every Saint), and Priests of individual Saints, who have duties in accordance to the Saint they follow. For example, a Priest of Bael will pray exclusively to that Saint, and officiate the dark, blood-ritual practices of Bael's followers, while the priests of the Hubbine Order spend their days crafting strong boots for armies on the march.

Temples

Warrior Saint Temples are hard, utilitarian places, and weapons that have served well in famous battles adorn the walls. Every temple has an adjoined library that houses holy texts.

In the center of each temple there are three altars, made of rough hewn stone, set in a great circle of tilled soil. They are there to be groomed and tended, and serve as a reminder of the Order of Things. Nobles are allowed to pray at them, kneeling in the freshly raked soil, and leaning against the magnificent stones.

The largest (and most magnificent) temples are a veritable museum of famous arms. In the center of these temples, the stone altars are more akin to standing stones, and the dirt circle is surrounded by enormous topiaries and gardens. (The Old Temple at Barad Lacirith had a hedge maze surrounding three stones that were said to be twenty feet tall.)

Like priests, there are two types of temples. General Warrior Saint temples (described above) for the veneration of all saints, and the encompassing worship of the Father, and individual temples, that vary according to the Saint they honor. (For example, temples of Uhrht are houses of healing, with gardens of curative herbs, while temples of Segarre often house brewers, and have ample wine cellars.)