Spirit Lore

Spirit Lore

By Kingdom

• The Ash Valley

 The Spirit is an unknowable, unapproachable being for it’s holiness and power, with which it created all things and granted to the races of men the intellect to perceive it in it’s creation and the order therein.  Yet the Spirit makes it’s will known through the enlightenment and empowering of the Patri-Mat, who in the Spirit’s granted graces of benevolence and wisdom then relay and enforce it by decree.  Thus it is that the word of the Patri-Mat and laws of the kingdom find their foundation and authority; firm and changeless as the foundations of the King’s and Queen’s Towers, as impregnable as their walls, perfect as their construction and beautiful in their flawlessness, so are the governances of these exalted heads of the people.  Therefore, any resistance to or subversion of these holy utterances encoded in the law is heresy, and must be purged.  Meanwhile, obedience and submission is rewarded with the hope of eternity in an even more perfect paradise.

• The Foulde

 The Spirit is the omnipotent, sovereign creator and sustainer of all things; holy, just and powerful to judge all men, yet merciful, benevolent and compassionate to call all men to her ways by which she grants her favor.  The Spirit has made itself manifest in it’s creation, but is not contained therein, nor is she in any way nature itself or any created thing.  As creator, The Spirit exists outside of creation, reigning over all things, kingdoms and men in power, authority and kindness.  However, The Spirit has inhabited, as it were, certain places in the world where She has chosen to commune with the races of men and make known her ways of humility, service, mercy, benevolence, generosity and hope.

 In the Foulde, The Spirit is symbolized by the raven, and is known to have manifested itself physically in the form of a white, ethereal dragon.  The former is not worshipped as The Spirit, but is revered as it’s regular harbinger.  The latter’s image is taboo to prevent it’s idolization, but is not forbidden and is used from time to time in celebrations or ceremonies.

 The Foulden teachings in The Spirit trace back to a Gomme named Holmous, originally a Druid of the Emerald Forest who came to the Foulde in the Second Age and was transformed into one of the first of his kind, gaining with his kin immortality and great natural magical powers.  He was instrumental in the call on The Spirit’s aid when she manifested herself as the dragon at the beginning of the Third Age, and taught the Foulden settlers her ways generations ago.  He is one of the most powerful and oldest creatures alive, and likely the closest in communion with The Spirit the world will ever know.  He is rarely seen any more, but is known to council the more mature Druids and Mystics of the Foulde, as well as it’s rulers every couple generations or so.  In him the Foulden faithful have assurance that their doctrine is accurate, and from him comes their best and most basic summary thereof:  “Ihm meth-pa, fah sheth,” (shortened to “Meth-pa, fah sheth” as the still common Gomme greeting), in his own ancient tongue, which is best translated in common, “Do all things in the hope of mercy.”

• Karun

 The Spirit is the all-powerful creator and judge of men, above all to be respected, obeyed and especially feared.  The Emerald Forest is the Spirit’s manifestation to men, making clear to them her purity, power and holiness, consuming any who enter the forest with the slightest impurity in their heart.  The unrighteous cannot withstand The Spirit’s presence, thus all men must atone for their wrongdoings with ritual penance, service and sacrifice of wealth, time or material donations to support the priesthood, whose duty it is to live especially pious lives and represent the less able masses before The Spirit and beseech her favor on their behalf, in accordance with their faithfulness as measured by their performance of the above atonements.

• Moore

 The Spirit is the benevolent and mystical force that has created the world and all it’s creatures, among which the Druids were first.  They remain the keepers of the Emerald Forest, which the Spirit inhabits, causing it’s namesake glow.  The Druids alone dwell in the full presence of the Spirit, having alone maintained their purity through the Fall by the Spirit’s grace.  The Druids are the Spirit’s liaisons with men, teaching through parables, proverbs and magical instruction the Spirit’s ways.  They have also indicated that the Spirit is manifest in the Emerald Forest not just in it’s radiance, but in the form of the unicorn as well.  None have been seen by the races of men there except as recounted in legends of old, when the pure of heart could still be found among them.  The Druid’s instructions are infrequent, often cryptic and indirect, and are catalogued and studied at the Druid Temple in Felton by a group of senior Druid Disciples, calling themselves Acolytes, who pass on their understanding of the teachings to their students.

 Druid Disciples are called in those teachings to a life of simplicity, poverty and service to their fellow man, especially the poor, the outcast, the incarcerated and their families, the fugitive, the exile and otherwise downtrodden members of society, of which there is no shortage in Moore.  Given the difficulties the Disciples sometimes face in the execution of their duties, especially considering the company they often must keep, the Disciples are also well trained in the use of their staffs as weapons, first for the defense of others, and only of themselves in the worst of perils.

 The primary principle of the Spirit’s ways in Moore is hope for the enlightenment of  people’s souls by the goodness and mercy shown to them by others.  This teaching is very much akin to the Foulde’s, and logically so, the Gomme being the descendants of the Druids, and they being the only two races actively teaching the Spirit’s ways to the races of men.

• Castonia

 The Spirit is the source of all wisdom and goodness, her ways of discipline and kindness the best means of knowing them, though she is also pleased with the pursuit of all natural and scientific knowledge since nature and the laws that govern it reveal her character.  Also, since the striving of men to excellence reflects The Spirit’s perfection, she delights in the glory brought her through the exercise of the gifts and talents she bestows upon them, especially when they are used for the betterment of the races of men, and most of all when the lowly are elevated as a result.