The Cult of Valthan

This religion originated with the Easterlings after they arrived in the Exech Erfset. There they found Mount Dafind, home of Valthan. They settled their first city in the healthy soils surrounding the mountain, the city of "Xunrušt." Under Ruštun a small band of soldiers travelled to the volcano and found a cave at the base of it. Slowly they entered and found a crypt, one from ancient times. The walls were decorated with writing and drawings depicting the gods. The story as they understood it was the split of a god. There were two gods that entered into a lair of cultists, hellbent on freeing the Abreth. There was one god in particular which was depicted as being caught in a great beam of blue light. The single god came out as two, and the goddess traveling with him cursed the cultists. When Ruštun and his group entered fully into the crypt, they found a huge room of dozens of tombs. They looked around, trying to find more information, until the tombs started moving. Out from them crawled decrepit and cleaned corpses, bearing their swords there were the bones of the cultists. They marched on the group of living men, and they fought in a great battle. Ruštun and his group would kill one, but it would keep fighting, and could never die. Suddenly, lava began to trickle in from a crack, Ruštun beckoned his soldiers to flee, but the skeletons defended the way out. The living feared their deaths would be in this crypt, but the lava took shape. A woman stood there, and the skeletons all stopped fighting, and although they had no features, fear was clearly in the air. In an instant the skeletons crawled back into their tombs, and the woman looked at Ruštun, a smile across her face. "I know you all are new to the Star Forest, to live here, you must do good to all, say good words, and think well of one another, else you shall meet doom as these poor souls have." The lava disappeared, and the group all returned to their village with the story. The next day they began to construct the first temple to her, whom they later learnt to be named, Valthan.     The Valthanites believe that Valthan came from within the world's fire. When Dyőssmőt created the world, with the help of his pantheon, they created the mountains, then Dyőssmőt bestowed into some of the mountains some of his holy fire, and that fire took shape as Valthan. She then fell in love with the created beings, living alongside them in the east for many years. However, come the forgotten war, she took no sides. She had a deep hatred for Ankan and his Abrethian gods, but she did not wish to see her beloved Waesws perish. Thus, she went to the otherside of the world, and lived there until the war ended. However, she then saw Ankan and his gods creating a sword. She returned up to warn The Waesws. Throughout the Forgotten Age, she would help О̄ddman with his quests to stop the Abreth's rise, until they both visited Mt. Dafind. О̄ddman was never the same, and Valthan mourned the loss of her friend, living in the mountain forevermore to punish those who broke her friend. Then came the Easterlings.   After the initial encounter with Valthan in the crypt, the Easterlings who followed Ruštun's teachings began to establish a formalized faith. As the cult grew, several key figures emerged who played important roles in shaping the faith and its practices. --EXPAND--   One of the earliest and most influential figures in the Cult of Valthan was a woman named Ârâšteh. She was one of the original soldiers who accompanied Ruštun to the crypt and was deeply affected by the encounter with Valthan. Ârâšteh became the first Ruhan of the cult and was instrumental in establishing the first temple to Valthan. She helped to guide the early development of the rituals and practices. --EXPAND--   A major event in the early history of the Cult of Valthan was the first Orkish Invasion, which struck the Easterlings shortly after the cult's founding. The invasion caused great problems throughout the settlements, as the Orks razed and ravaged as they went. Many early Valthanites were forced to choose between their own survival and the survival of others. According to legend, Valthan appeared to Ruštun in a vision and instructed him to lead his greatest soldiers to the capitol of the Northern Cin Territories (at this point being, Oogd Nor) and never back down. This event culminated in the great battle of Ckufrn Ts, the great battle of the Eastern World. The Great Battle is still commemorated annually by the Valthanites as a reminder of the importance of good over evil, and their courage to always fight for good.   As the cult grew, Ârâšteh created a formalized priesthood to guide and teach the community. She named them the Ruhan, those who were to maintain the cult's rituals and practices. She chose the Ruhan out of the wisest, most compassionate, and those with the greatest commitment to the principles of Valthan within the settlements, and Ruštun, who supported this establishment, asked them to be the educators of the religion.   As the Easterlings grew more populated, and the settlements became cities, it began to attract attention from the Cin in the region. Soon the cult had established a presence in several nearby cities. --EXPAND--

As is customary with Qekámáden syncretic faiths, they believe in the five realms. The Realm of the Sky, Realm of the Earth, The Under Realm, The Realm of Death, and the Otherworld. The Realm of the Sky is where the main pantheon of gods lives, and is a completely pure realm, untouched by evil. Then there is the Realm of Death, part of the Realm of the Sky, which is where you go after you die, and determines whether you are to be eternally punished or eternally praised. The Realm of the Earth is where the mortals live. This realm is the battleground between the forces of Waesws and Abreth. The Under Realm is completely overtaken by evil, and stands as a reminder to the mortals above of what Evil will do to the world. Finally, the Otherworld, the land where the spirits and the rest of the non-pantheon gods live, where Valthan lives, as well as the Realm of the Earth, as it is part of that Realm. They stray from the Qekámáden and all other faiths of the world as they believe firmly in the eventual triumph of good with the coming of Saušan, they are, as of now, the only faith the believe in a messianic figure coming and freeing the world from evil.   They belief that the natural elements are the greatest of symbols, and each one is represented in their temples. Fire is the purest, representing the goddess Valthan herself. Representing all things holy, as well as that of creation. Water is the calmest, it represents the good feelings, the good thoughts, of your mind. Earth is the strongest, it represents the good things, good deeds, you do . Finally, wind is the most free, it represents the breath you use for good sayings, good words, to another. Each of these elements are always represented in the temples to Valthan.   You worship in the temples, referred to as "Spentogi-yo mabagdâne" or, "Mabagdâne-yo Valthan". They are often built in very specific ways, as they must be beautiful structures if they are meant for the Divinity. Temples should not be build somewhere the earth's support would be distanced, such as above tunnels. A hill, where you have a great mass of the soil beneath, but simultaneously closer to the sky, is seen as the most ideal location. This is because there are two basic domains, the realm of nothing but good, the Realm of the Sky, and the realm that must become fully good, the one where mortals live, the Realm of the Earth, the first, represented chiefly by the Valthan, and the terrestrial one, represented by mortals and primarily Valthanites. Sometimes, the Realm of the Sky is represent by the goddess of the Moon, Mísnōkhtes, but this is not commonplace.   Although they are nearly monotheistic (in worshipping practices they only worship Valthan, but they are certainly polytheistic, as they believe the other gods exist), in a henotheistic faith. They are still very dualistic, believing that the enemy they are attempting to defeat is evil incarnate, otherwise known as "Âritân". Âritân created the many evil things in the world, death, disease, chaos, and by proxy fear. As well as that, he created other gods to whom rule over his many viceful creations, he created beasts to hunt and kill the beings of good like Daiva, Illithids, Beholders, Liches, and all forms of evil beings. Âritân lived in hiding in the Under Realm for many years before he felt he was ready to resurface and attempt to conquer the world, so he created the rot.     They respect the stars and astrology/divination. Divination is the art or technique of gaining knowledge of future events or distant states by means of observing and interpreting signs, and in the case of the Valthanites, those signs are often from the stars, however they can be from anywhere. The Ruhan are experts at interpreting the signs from all things, but all Easterlings know and understand basic signs of the stars. The Valthanites tell a tale of an Orkish invasion attempt in which the Orkish general changed his mount four times from four different animals, each becoming less grandeur as time went on throughout his invasion. They use this as an example of one of the signs not from the stars given to showcase the eventual demise of the invasion force due to this entropic mount change. The stars are the easiest to get signs from. The stars are believed to hold both good and evil power and the Valthanites look to them for guidance in scientific calculations of the sky. For many things, calendar work and lunar/solar cycles, but also predictions and various other minor terrestrial things. There are four stars, the brightest in the sky, named the Vaxstâri Zâvâreš are mentioned in the Bundâhish, a collection of Valthanite's cosmogony and cosmology, particularly in regards to the creation.   How do the Valthanites understand the role of the stars and astrology in shaping the course of events in the world, and are there any specific astrological events or omens that are considered particularly significant?   How do the Valthanites believe the five realms interact with one another, and what are the consequences of actions in one realm on the others?

The first words that their goddess Valthan said to them was, "To live here, you must do good to all, say good words, and think well of one another, else you shall meet doom." And since then, that has been the basis of the faith for years to come.   Ruštun taught the methods and nuances to these as:  

• Killing: Never kill, as it is an inherent evil, however if that thing you kill is evil, than it is an inherent good. If you are to kill an animal for food, one must be forgiven, and the food blessed, as to rid it of any evil that became part of it.

• Stealing: Never steal, to steal from another is to allow evil into your heart.

• Lying: Never lie, for it allows evil to grow in your heart, as well as in the hearts of the other for they are now ignorant of the truth.

• Indulgence: Over indulging promotes stealing, lying, and killing, all of which leads to tyranny, which leads to ignorance, keep from this, for it is the gateway to becoming the worst of all people, and thus an inherent evil.

• Tyranny: If your ruler is a tyrant, it is one of the only times where it is acceptable to kill, for evil shall never prevail, else we will all fail in our duty to the Saušan.

• Ignorance: One must always keep from ignorance, for ignorance is the greatest of all evils, teach yourself as much as you can, so that you may forever be free from the evil of ignorance.

Anyone pregnant, whether biped or quadruped, is to be treated with utmost kindness. it is considered a grave sin for worshipers of Valthan to strike or frighten anyone pregnant. The worshipers of this faith are enjoined to care for any such animal until their children are born. Whether human or not.   All mortals must take part in the fight against evil. If you support evil in any way, then you are to be punished in anyway as is just for your crimes. It is believed that every good deed you do helps push the scale against evil on the Realm of the Earth, however, every evil deed done, helps push the scale against good.

The priesthood is called the "Ruhan"   It is the job of the Ruhan to keep the temple four elements alive and well, there are always a minimum of four Ruhans in the the temple, the Âtrâshi, who tends to the holy fire and keeps it lit at all times. The Âbi, who tends to the stream of water in the temple, keeps it clean and clear. The Xakâri, who tends to the corner of earth in the temple, keeping it from being defiled and allowing it to stay healthy. And the Havâni, who who tends to the candles of protection along the temple, keeping them lit, replacing them when burnt out, and speaking the prayer to the candle as to ward off the evil spirits from the temple (they also make the candles).   The Ruhan are the spiritual intermediaries. They help the morally wrong and praise the morally right. They are the most capable in communicating with the goddess. They help people talk with Valthan when they need to, and will always take time to help, even if it gets in the way of their temple duties.   They are appointed based on their morality and their knowledge of the religions they love, The Cult of Valthan, Qekámáden, and the traditions of the The Waesws Cin. They can be removed by the secular leaders if the people all agree that they are not working in promotion of the Valthanite teachings, however, it must be unanimous, and in all other cases, being a Ruhan is not revocable, especially not by some secular ruler.   They are distinguished from others in their community by the wearing of a large necklace with the symbol of their element they care for. Often made of gold, but also silver in more rural areas. The symbol hangs on a thick and loose choker. They often will have the symbols on other parts of their body, as rings, diadems, earrings, and even around their arms as torcs. Their clothing was often very fancy, with silk dyed gold making accessories in their white and blue robes.

Each of the Ruhan are given their own abilities by Valthan.     The Âtrâshi can 'speak' with the fire, and are the soothsayers of the temples. (Specifically for events in a specific person's life.)   The Âbi can '(I don't know yet)   The Xakâri can '(I don't know yet)   The Havâni can 'listen' to the wind, they can predict future wind-related events such as storms or tornados.

there are four main schools of thought, the first two are the most popular:   Those who believe that the world will come to the brink of evil tipping the scale and taking control of the Realm of Earth, and thus taking control of all realms, but they will be saved by the Saušan. They still believe strongly that you should forever do your part in helping support good against evil, but believe that one day the evil will become so great that the only way to survive is their saviour, the Saušan.   There are those who believe that the Saušan will only arrive when the world begins to tip in the side of good, thus allowing for the Saušan to be born. They believe that the only way for the Saušan to be born is when there is more good in the Realm of the Earth than evil, for a being of good can only be created from an excess of good. They teach their subjects that you must always do good, for if they can do this good, then they can live to see the Saušan and watch them vanquish evil.   Then there are the lesser followed groups:   the followers of Qekámáden syncretism that believe in it so strongly that they are often referred to as "Moon-worshippers" rather than worshippers of Valthan. Although they still follow the traditions and ethics of the Cult of Valthan, they seem to worship both Valthan and Mísnōkhtes (The Moon Goddess).   Finally, the least followed, and often rejected by the other three groups are those who believe that there is no Saušan, and that the Saušan was created to promote hope in a seemingly unending war. They point to the fact that the only other faith in the world who believes in anything similar to the Saušan is a religion who also only believes in a single god, thus they don't matter, and in regards to the Waesws, it is distinctly an Easterling concept.     The first three sects coexist comfortably with each other, they have no quarrels, however, much of the time, they deem the last sect to be heretical, and wrong. Although, they do not attempt to destroy it, for that would be evil. Merely prove them wrong through theological debates (which usually leads to no inherent victors).