Andrithanism

Expanded from original ideas from Karl Schinke (Ardith). Symbols for aspects other than the Mother, along with the artwork, were contributed by Myron Wyles (Halaren).

Andrithanism and its variants are the dominant religion in Rang and the surrounding kingdoms. Within the boundaries of Rang, it is very similar to medieval Christianity, immensely powerful, and vaguely monotheistic. It is ruled from Duerstadt by the Ecclesiarchy, and any order put forth by them is seen as the word of Andritha. However, there are branches of Andrithanism which don't consider themselves bound by the Ecclesiarchy.

In theory, Andritha's religion demands moderation from its followers and requires a “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” way of life. The faith requires neither chastity nor poverty, but only moderation in all things, and that one consider the consequences of one's actions, and the sanctity of life, and the desire for the triumph of good over evil.

Priests of Andritha are often seen as untouchable, and thus are able, to a large extent, to do as they please without fear of reprisal from mundane law. Priests of Andritha are entitled to be tried in church courts ⁸³.

The basis of the religion is the myth of Andritha. According to the myth, Andritha is the All-Mother who bore the god-children by her consort, Hartung. Those children in turn became the progenitors of the Kindred Races. The legends say that Andritha and Hartung overcame, in a monumental battle, the Evil God Zinkor when he and his sister, Grita, tried to un-make the world.

In Rang, the focus of the religion is solidly on Andritha, and the other gods are seen as insignificant. There are varieties of Andrithanism in other kingdoms that place the focus elsewhere.

Andritha is presented by the Church in four aspects, and there are temples dedicated to each.

The Mother is the aspect which provides for people, animals and the land. It allows crops to grow, and the sun to rise.

A High Priest of the Mother is addressed as Mother or Father.

Symbol: A circle, usually made from copper, with a small black circle, usually onyx, in the middle. The symbol is usually worn as a necklace pendant, and must always hang outside the clothing.

The Healer is the aspect of life and death. The stories say that, in the distant past, Andritha used to grant powers of healing to her favored priests under the guise of this aspect.

In temples of the Healer, the Master Healer's word is law, and is not to be questioned ⁴⁰. The hidden knowledge of medical practice has been passed from Healer to Healer since the beginning of time. The Healer wears formal robes, belt and head-dress at all public appearances. Apprentices wear brown tunics and yellow ribbons ⁵².

Andrithan burial ceremonies are presided over by a Healer when possible. They take place early in the morning, in the presence of the most immediate family, and of a single apprentice healer who has been officially trained in burial rites ⁴⁴.

Symbol: A downward-pointing metal triangle, usually of copper, with a smaller, upward-pointing triangle of red, usually spinel, bisecting each of its sides. The resulting symbol appears as a single triangle made out of four smaller triangles, representing the alchemaic four humours of the body. Some symbols are etched in passages or markings from the secret texts.

The Lover is the aspect of love and strife – the forces that draw people together and push them apart. Interlocked rings are presented to the woman during courting. An ill fate is predicted if the rings should separate. When married, the couple wears the rings on their chests to display their status. For the woman, a yellow gemstone may be fastened in the intersection, oft thought to increase fertility, but technically the yellow signifies strife.

A High Priest of the Lover is addressed as Contraspect.

Symbol: Two metal rings, usually copper, interlocked. Where they intersect hangs a tear drop of yellow stone, such as mimetite or a yellow variety of quartz.

The Fighter is the aspect of war. Lords pray to this aspect before entering battle.

A High Priest of the Fighter is addressed as Holy Commander.

Symbol: An octahedron of blue crystal, such as lazulite, entwined in thick metal wire, usually copper. The stone represents fortitude, while the metal represents power. One end of wire is longer than the other, and when presented long-side up, it represents war, while long-side down represents peace.

There are no strictures against eating, drinking or merry-making of any kind, and at the various Feasts, there is quite a bit of all of that, both by the lay people and the priests, and it is sometimes joked that the priests of Andritha are moderate in their moderation at the Feasts. At Feast Day, in regions where Andritha is the principal religion, people dress in costumes and dance in the streets. One can see people of both sexes, masked, dancing naked on the Feast of the Lover.

There are four main feasts:

• The Feast of the Healer is celebrated on the new year, which is the first day of spring and of the month of Aed.
• The Feast of The Lover is celebrated about the time when the trees blossom, on the first day of Garinon.
• Meideldaw, The feast of the Mother, is celebrated in the fall, when the foliage is near its brightest, on the first day of Farinon ^{31, 32, 40}.
• The feast of the Fighter, although it is a minor holiday, occurs on the first day of Ziotheddon.

The Last Blessing 42 is said over the dead.

Mourning 44: The Andrithan period of mourning lasts five days. Mourners wear a dull red sash as a sign of mourning, and they do not comb their hair, bathe, or put any care into their physical appearence during that period.

Acolyte: Someone studying for the priesthood. An acolyte of the Healer is called an apprentice ⁴⁰.

Preceptor/Preceptress: A person learned enough to teach acolytes. Usually the title is conferred upon a senior priest who has distinguished himself in some way, but also used for the teachers at seminaries.

Priest/Priestess: An ordained person.

Deacon/Deaconess: A lay person who assists the priests.

High Priest/Priestess: A person who has become master or mistress of the art of priesthood. Usually put in charge of major operations in a large Temple, a group of towns or villages or, in some cases, an entire barony. A High Priest may be the assistant to a Rector. In specialized temples, a High Priest is referred to by specialized titles.

Mother/Father: A High Priest of the Mother.

Healer: A High Priest of the Healer.

Contraspect: A High Priest of the Lover.

Holy Commander: A High Priest of the Fighter.

Rector/Rectress: A person in charge of a large Temple, or a political district, such as a barony, marquisate or duchy. Only a High Priest may become a rector. When speaking to the Rector, several forms of address are acceptable. “Your Holiness, Fred,” or “Rector Fred,” or “Your Grace, Rector Fred” (this last is in disfavor because “Your Grace” is also used for political figures of stations equal to or above Baron).

A specialized rector (of these there are very few), or one who attained a great deal of respect as High Priest, or had widely-acclaimed accomplishments, might be addressed along the lines of “Your Holiness, Healer Fred.”

Ecclesiarch: A member of the Ecclesiarchy, the ruling body of the Church. Members are referred to as “Your Eminence” or “His Eminence, Torval.”

This religion, dominant in Terradia, bears a strong resemblance to its ancestral religion, with the following major exceptions:

• The Four Feasts are not celebrated. Neither are most of the lesser-known Andrithan holidays.
• Many of the original holidays from the Church of Carsius are still celebrated, though most have taken on Andrithan overtones.
• The Ecclesiarchy in Rang is not accepted as the absolute rule. Instead, policy is dictated by a large number of individual priests in their local areas. This has given rise to a slew of minor variations on the religion, many of which fight fiercely with each other over issues that would seem trivial in other contexts. The Rector of Terradia, while he nominally has some say over the direction of the religion, really only controls a very small region, and a few towns scattered throughout Terradia. There are those who want to increase his influence, and those who want to keep him as isolated as possible so that they don't become like Andrithans.
• The Aspect of the Fighter is more strongly emphasized than any other. In that guise, Andritha is also seen as the keeper of peace.
• Strength and unity are idealized in Durramanian regions. The irony of Terradia's chaos does not stop this from being the case. Instead, it focuses the efforts of many sub-states to conquer other regions and unite Terradia.

Not so different from Traditional Durramanism. These Durramanists have a somewhat more focused leadership, though not as large or structured as the Andrithan Ecclesiarchy. They celebrate a few holidays differently, add a few and take away a few. They also have a total of seven fasts scattered throughout the year, where one may drink but not eat from sunrise to sunrise. Orthodox Durramanists have been trying to establish their own calendar, which starts with the arrival of Durraman in Terradia, but it has been difficult to promote it except in those areas where their religion is that of the political leadership. Orthodox Durramanists do not believe in the Zioth.

Consortists worship Andritha's consort, Hartung, as the primary deity. Their holidays are therefore wholly distinct from those of any other branch of Durramanism. Their primary holiday is the Feast of the Sun, which occurs on the first hot day of summer. They believe that while Andritha causes the Zioth (her only responsibility, really), Hartung will stop her if the world is ready. Naturally, they believe the world is ready this time around, but it's never too late to convert the unbelievers and thereby increase the chances that they're right.

The Aspectless do not believe in Andritha's four aspects. They also do not attribute any importance whatsoever to Hartung. Effectively, they are monotheists. They speak metaphorically of beings called the “moon-children,” which, although powerless, seem to have some important place in the universe. The Aspectless might have some connection to Zahiranism.

Members of the Ecclesiarchy are chosen by ballot from all clerics above simple priest or priestess, and must be at least 12 in number. If a member dies or becomes incapacitated, and the number of clerics in the Ecclesiarchy drops below 12, word is sent to each Rector to nominate someone to replace. Ideally, each Rector then responds with a nomination and a letter of recommendation. In practice, fewer than half of the Rectors usually respond, and it is not at all clear that all nominations are considered. After all letters are received, the ecclesiarchy sits in council and considers them.

A meeting of the Ecclesiarchy is called a Gathering. The Ecclesiarch who presides over such a meeting is known as the Key Speaker.

Acarim is from Diuria, a large village in the Royal Estates. He is powerful and wealthy, and is often Key Speaker during gatherings.

Ardis is a rectress from Duerstadt.

The Church teaches that Baldor was found all alone in the Riswal Mountains, which are on the border with Gallia, collecting stones to build a shrine. The High Priest of Riswal (all of Riswal – it is a lightly-populated area and is home to only four priests, including the High Priest), whose name has since been forgotten, spotted Baldor from a valley and took him for one of the mountain-men who are occasionally seen in that area. What surprised the priest was that, although he was concealed by trees, Baldor seemed to stare right back at him from a thousand feet up. At night, the priest returned to that spot, and found Baldor, still staring at him through a halo of light that made a circle around his feet. Baldor, it was later found, was from a family of High Priests of the mountains, and was fully educated as a Priest of the Lover. The High Priest took Baldor into his own church, and trained him as a successor. As soon as he was satisfied that Baldor was capable of High Priesthood, he petitioned his Rector to recommend Baldor for the Ecclesiarchy. It took fifteen years of petitions, during which time Baldor attained the title of Rector, but he eventually became an Ecclesiarch.

Bildath was a rector from Smilla, a town in Elgony.

Bistrin was a rector from somewhere in west Rang.

Cald is the son of a long line of Ecclisiarchs. He was born in Duerstadt.

Durraman is held in high respect by several members of the Ecclesiarchy for his wide-ranging knowledge and understanding, and was even asked for council occasionally by Torval himself. He is a fine rethorician, and has represented several of the highest-ranking Andrithans in court. Several times a year, he serves as judge for the most severe or difficult crimes committed in Duerstadt. Durraman is from Darnien, the capital of Ostmark.

Gisald is the only member of the council in its history who never held the title of High Priest. He was picked up by Torval on a mission, over fourty years ago, from a fishing village on the western border of Terradia. He is generally quiet and unassuming.

Orgathor is the second-oldest member of the Ecclesiarchy, being aged seventy one years. He comes from Cour-du-Roi, the capital of Mezonee.

Silima was a rectress in Ectavia, a town in (unknown).

Torval is the best known member of the Ecclesiarchy. He is highly respected. Being of rather extreme age, he has been ill for a number of years, but he still sits in council. Before his infirmary, he was Key Speaker for most Gatherings of the Ecclisiarchy. Torval was born in Duerstadt.

Although he has an imposing appearence, being unusually tall, thin and long-faced, with a pointed greying beard, Zilgard is generally quiet, and very little word of him gets around. Zilgard was a rector in Zadothar.