Estelley
| Estelley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Pronunciation | Es-te-ley |
| Origins | Presumed roughly 15,000 years ago. |
| Deities | |
| Three greater Gods, 5 Gods, 5 optional Gods. | |
Estelley, or "Estel's Law," is the original faith of most Elves in the world. A moralizing, perfection-focused Religion, it is observed by most descendants of the Allorn (Elven) Empire across the world in varying ways and with varying zeal. Having enjoyed status as the pre-eminent Religion before, and hoping to enjoy it again, despite its struggle to spread beyond the Elven peoples it remains respectably powerful. Estelley worshipers believe that they are opposed in their divine struggle both by those who teach alternative paths to paradise and those who seek to corrupt the world alike, but that mortal heroes carrying the torch will defeat the usurpers and restore Elvendom to the glory it once knew.
Origins
The early Elven peoples were no more than barbaric tribes on the fringes of the Dewamenet Empire, an Asha state poised to conquer the known world. Its hatred of Magic and the ascendancy of a trio of Goddesses led the Dewa and the Elves to clash, and with their divinities' power making victory possible, they declared their own Allorn Empire in its ashes. From there, the various deities were pulled into the Pantheon by the War Goddess Talea one by one. This is discussed further in Expanded Lore.
Core Beliefs
Central Message
The central message of the Estelley faith is that the whole of the world is a flawed creation of the Dragons that is being ordained to a more perfect reality by the Estelley Gods. The Empresses combined to lead a host of Gods and Goddesses to create a more perfect world, starting with the mortal agents of their will, their followers. Through the Perfections of the Gods, mortals learn to strive for a better world, and thus change the world around them. When they die, their soul is weighed by Ammuloa onto the Perfected Balance, to measure their perfection. If they had sufficient perfection, they would pass into the Eternal (Merjan in Altalar, the Elven Language), an afterlife which weaves the faithful into the fabric of reality making them able to change the world like Dragons in subtle ways. If rejected, their souls is passed back to the land of mortals through reincarnation.
Perfected Will
The Perfected will describes the Perfections of the Gods. These are like virtues that mortals are expected to live by, to increase their inner and outer perfection so they too can become perfect world-shapers. Each God has a different perfection. Through the Empresses, Cemaan measures perfection by the amount of people subjugated, Talea by the amount of people defeated in battle, and Sapphora by the amount of people who love and adore the soul. Through the Ordained, Mana measures in kindness and compassion, Aseia in Magical knowledge and ability, Artarel through law-abiding and just acting, Ammuloa to dedication to achieve things before death, Avinla to dedication to experience things in life, and Leyon measures perfection in the desire to solve the mysteries of the ages. Finally, the Vowed Gods, Melca measures perfection through companionship and the protection of others, Sinnavei through the gaining of material and spiritual wealth, Vyrë through respect for that which is greater than the self, Soma through intellect, Gilan through lordship over wildlife, and Suellon over adaptation to change.
The Afterlife
A person can be more perfect in some qualities, and generally speaking not all perfection standards need to be met to have one's soul passed into the afterlife, though reaching all of them is considered a great piety. The Estelley Afterlife is described as a physical realm that is experienced as a perfect land where the souls continue to hone their perfection in the afterlife while mortals and the Gods continue to build towards a world that resembles this more perfect world called the Eternal. It is believed that the souls in the eternal lands of bliss that is the Eternal, still help mortals as well, by gently pressuring reality in the living world to reach such a more perfect state. It is believe that at a certain point, the perfected souls in the Eternal will be so numerous, that they will out-pressure the flawed creation of the mortal world, and merge the rivers of the Eternal and Aloria to become one perfect reality. It is believed by the faithful that Lathan is part of the Eternal as an outer realm of it, and many believe the Eternal to be much like Lathan but more of everything and better.
The Ruindawn
The Ruindawn is an important period in Estelley history that nonetheless has left no records, but many legends and tales. The Ruindawn describes a period during which the Empresses agree in a compact that the world is flawed, and that they will right what has been wronged by a misshapen reality. To them, all living things are condemned to needless suffering by the way the world works, and that they could ordain a better world but by the flawed laws of the world by itself cannot do so alone. Their vision lacked clarity for those who were not in agreement, and so began the Ruindawn where the Empresses would either subjugate by will, or more commonly conquer by force other Gods of minor proto-Elven Religions as well as Religions from other peoples. Sometimes these legends also include tales of Gods who refused and were slain by Talea or had their power absorbed, or those Gods who early on decided to be an obstacle to the work of Estelley and made it their mission to sabotage their efforts, but were eventually defeated and removed from reality. The Ruindawn is in essence a rare concept for Aloria, as Gods of various religions tend to be secluded from one another, it shows a period of active conquest, of one Religion subjugating at least a dozen others and forcing them all into a unified doctrine. The legends focus mostly on how Sapphora convinced some to join, how Talea defeated the majority by the sword, and how Cemaan subjugated a few by sheer pressure of influence.
Avinla's Death
Avinla's Death is in the grand scheme of things not a world-shattering event, but important enough for all faithful to know. Gods do not truly die, but they can approach a death-like state, which has happened to Avinla. The homeland of the Suvial Elves has been terrorized for centuries by massive Magical events called Void-Outs which killed hundreds of thousands. In order to stop the endless suffering and potential eradication of her worshipers, Avinla sacrificed herself, forming a massive network of rings of fire in the skies over the Suvial lands like a blanket of chainmail. This protected the Suvial lands, but had other unintended side effects. Due to their heavy association with her, the Suvial Elves no longer had their Mother of Fire breathing life into their newborns, or passing their souls to Ammuloa for judgement to the Afterlife. As a result, no new Suvial could be born, and each Suvial that was born, was a reincarnation of a long-dead one. No Suvial could die either, as Ammuloa could simply not receive their souls, starting a deathlessness for the Suvial that is living torment for them (read more on the Suvial Page).
Gods and Goddesses
Estelley as a Religion has one unified Pantheon, but not all Gods are treated equally. At the head of the Pantheon are the three Empresses, of which there have only ever been three, and there will always be three. Then come the Ordained, which are Gods that either joined willingly or were conquered during the Ruindawn. Finally, there are the Vowed which similarly joined willingly or were conquered, but who are not considered unquestioningly loyal to the Empresses. As a result, while worshiping the Empresses and the Ordained is mandatory for the religion, worshiping the Vowed is optional. One can worship a single Vowed God, a few, or none at all, it all depends on the person's personal preferences. Note, because a lot of art on this page is still in development, old placeholders are put in place. Do not for the time being refer to these old images for aesthetic inspiration (the temporary images have black borders).
The Empresses
Cemaan, Empress of Power.
Talea, Empress of War.
Sapphora, Empress of Love.
- Cemaan (pronounced say-maan) is the Empress Goddess of power and domination. She represents the will for increased fame, increased influence, and increased legacy. She embodies the perfection of fame, that her followers should not disappear into the crowd, to be forgotten by the world. Cemaan is historically seen as the patron Goddess of the Teledden Elves and the Allorn Empire. She is one other Triarchy Empresses, and even though they should rule the Pantheon, but Cemaan cannot.
- Talea (pronounced ta-leya) is the Empress Goddess of war and conquest. She represents the will of nationhood to expand, she represents the inner desire for societies to clash and establish the better and the elder. She embodies the perfection of conflict, that her followers are able to defend themselves and better yet, subjugate others by force of arms whether it be weapons or magical. She is one of the Triarchy Empresses, and even though they should rule the Pantheon, Talea rules alone.
- Sapphora (pronounced sa-fo-ra) is the Empress Goddess of love and passion. She represents the will to be desired and adored, to be seen truly and to be loved truly. She embodies the perfection of beauty and want, that her followers should always seek ways to mentally and physically please others in appearance and presentation, and thus spread influence through the heart. She is one of the Triarchy Empresses, and even though they should rule the Pantheon, but Sapphora will not.
The Ordained
Mana, Goddess of Kind Nature
Aseia, God of Magic Knowing
Artarel, Goddess of Just Law
Ammuloa, God of the Death Kiss
Avinla, Goddess of Living Fire
Leyon, God of Farsight Keys
- Mana (pronounced ma-naa) is the Goddess of nature and kindness. She represents the whole of the natural world in all its beauty and plant-life. All the trees, all the flowers, and even the grassfields are given nurture by her will. But she is also the Godddess of kindness and compassion, hers is the perfection of empathy that wishes for a kindness received for each given. Seen as the mother of the Yanar people, Mana suffered in the fall of the Allorn Empire greatly to a weakened state.
- Aseia (pronounced a-say-a) is the God of knowledge and Magic. They are the all-knowing of the Gods, who holds deep ancient secrets and arcane power. They are the perfection of the Arcane, teaching that all must seek some knowledge, understanding, or use of Magic, and to be completely devoid of any insight in the matter, is a great personal failing. They also preach for the perpetual training of the mind, to always be learning new things, and to absorb new concepts and literature.
- Artarel (pronounced ar-ta-rel) is the Goddess of Justice and Law. The laws and codes of the Allorn Empire were made by her will, and first to be perverted by her enemies when the Empire declined. Artarel is the perfection of justice, a cruel but just sense of cosmic rightness, that all the stars will not shine brightly until all injustices are excised from the world. She preaches that all followers bear common responsibility for the fair treatment of all, and equality at the end.
- Ammuloa (pronounced amuu-loa) is the God of the dead and the afterlife. He ordains the burial rites and teaches the priests the dogma of the faith. He represents the perfection finality, that all good things must come to an end, and that all bad things must also. He preaches a drive in the faithful to seek enlightenment, or achievement, or service before it is all too late and their soul is lifted onto the perfected balance where he measures their worth for the afterlife, or reincarnation.
- Avinla (pronounced avin-la) is the goddess of life and the motherhood. She represents the future of the people and is the patron of all children and parents who foster new life. She is said to breathe the perfection of enduring into every newborn, to create joy, happiness, and to please the self. To Avinla, life is a gift that must be experienced, and she endears a curiosity for that beyond the familiar, and a wanderlust to those trapped by the confined. Avinla is currently in a death-slumber.
- Leyon (pronounced lay-on) is the God of farsight and seers, and of secrets and keys to unlock them. While he is only an Ordained God, many other Gods in the pantheon see to him for guidance because the Empresses are fickle, and his foresight means he commands greater wisdom than Aseia's library could. Leyon is the perfection of resolution, resolution to problems and to unknown things and to open doors to create new opportunities and find lost things. His oracle dreams are a pathway to this.
The Vowed
Melca, Goddess of Companionship
Sinnavei, Goddess of All Wealth
Vyrë, Goddess of the Unknown Seas
Soma, Goddess of Logic in Time
Gilan, God of the Beast Hunt
Suellon, God of Forever Change
- Melca (pronounced mel-ka) is the Sihndar Goddess of protection and companionship. Melca warns against solitude and loneliness, that all great struggles and trials of life are overcome through togetherness and loyalty, and that no one can overcome their demons alone. Her perfection is the vanguard shield, a demand that the faithful protect each other and their lords in a way she could not do for her people. Melca became an Estelley Goddess when her entire people, the Drovv, were slain in the Void Invasion.
- Sinnavei (pronounced see-na-vey) is the Solvaan Goddess of wealth, trade, and commerce. While this largely covered material wealth like currency and property, it also refers to a richness in opportunity and social means, in essence to be rich in anything that one can have many things of. Her perfection is the seizing of opportunism and the recognition of pathways previously untreaded. Sinnavei is sometimes seen as a traitor Goddess, because she is also a Goddes in the Unionism faith, and has a Demon Consort.
- Vyrë (pronounced vee-ray) is the Fin'ullen Goddess of the vast oceans and the unknown. She commands respect and humility to the followers when faced with the vast unknowns of the world, and to not boldly look danger in the eye with expectation of assured victory. Her perfection is awe and respect for authority, seniority, and power, but to show bravery despite it all. She is sometimes also called the Empress of Seas, implying she might have the power to compete with the other Empresses.
- Soma (pronounced so-ma) is the Abismaï Goddess of time and logic. Her perfection is more esoteric than the others, in preaching that knowing the past and the present allows one to make an intellectual summary of the future. While the other Gods wield much in the ways of knowing, Soma represents the idea that all this knowing is meaningless if someone lacks the mental faculties and insight to understand the world deeply beyond face value. Soma also has immense power over time, competing with Dragons.
- Gilan (pronounced gee-lan) is the Selvath God of the wilds and the hunt. He represents the animal domains that are subservient to the followers created with intellect to rule. His is the perfection of control and submission, to lord over animals but to care for them, to control their population numbers but to do so with grace and respect. To Gilan and his followers, the animal kingdom is a beautiful and respectworthy plaything, and the activity of the hunt is the greatest flattery of it.
- Suellon (pronounced sue-ellon) is the Chantli God of progress through change. He is the only Estelley God that was once a mortal man, who merged with the remnants of a long-dead Avarr God to ascend godhood. He represents the changing seasons, and his perfection is forever progress, the idea that some form of progress or change is always good and that the faithful should not shirk from change just because of discomfort. He is a controversial Estelley God, because he often acts against the other Gods.
Expanded Lore
Estel
The Great Enemy
Va'sil & Mana Trees
Kathira
Leyon's Eclipse
Other
The Expanded Lore section contains additional contextual information about the Estelley faith. This section is not necessary to read to get a good understanding of the lore, just the background information.
- This is still being written.
- Consider expanded lore for each God. More like the old large text format, go wild.
- Consider more explanations of each God, whether they belonged to a proto-Elven tribe, another race altogether, etc.
- Explain how patronage is cool but doesn't ultimately define a God more than their perfection standard which is universal.
- Explain the locations of Temples and give them descriptions of the biggest ones and their statehood relevance.
- Explain the state relevance of each God, which states have their patronage and what it did to those states.
Trivia
- New Trivia Needed
- New Trivia Needed
- New Trivia Needed
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