Diptism, Church of the Sun and Moon

The Church of the Sun and Moon is the religion historically practiced by the majority of Humans within The Kingdom of Tyvald in The Pious Union of the Awakened.   Within The Kingdom of Tyvald, most adherents refer to it simply as "The Faith" or "The Church." The epithet "Diptism" was originally penned by Elven scholars and came into widespread use by others of the Awakened to describe the Human religion. Priests and priestesses of the Church are known as Rectors and Rectresses, respectively. As the Church has waned in influence throughout The Kingdom of Tyvald, there are many who refer to it instead as "The Old Faith."   The religion centers around worship of the two accepted Human Automaths, Numenos and Kator. These two are revered as the creators and protectors of Humanity, with Numenos typifying the former traits while Kator tends toward the latter. The faith is one of the oldest to formally characterize one of the Dissidents as a heretical or evil figure, as Omil is depicted in Diptist canon as a shadowy figure of lies and temptation that leads people astray. Church buildings are quite extravagant and feature detailed architecture and stained glass. Worshipers attend Church at least once a week, where they are lead through prayers and rituals by the clergy, including a description of how Omil's temptations were resisted through the wisdom and guidance of Numenos and Kator.   While The Church of the Sun and Moon was one of the most powerful organizations in the early foundational period of The Kingdom of Tyvald, acting as state religion and decreeing the King to be a figure who ruled by divine right, its influence has somewhat diminished over the last several centuries. The strict, dogmatic structure of the faith and hierarchy of the clergy had limited appeal outside of The Kingdom of Tyvald. The (pan-Awakened religion) has seen much more success in spreading the teachings and merits of the Human Automaths to other parts of The Union, and thus has gained relatively much greater power and influence within the societies of the Awakened.   That said, holy orders of knights sworn to the service of The Church of the Sun and Moon remain major paramilitary organizations, and the oldest and most revered institutions of higher learning within The Kingdom of Tyvald have their origins in the Church, their original benefactors.