Rempheros (dead faith of the Bronzemen)

Posted on May 8, 2019 in Steel-Realms

Rempheros is the name of the collective beliefs of the Bronzefolk/Lords of Bronze. It is a way of living, seeing and venerating the natural world. There is little written about it – it is mostly passed down from oral traditions. The first medicine man made mention of in the histories is Rempheros, the first teacher. And so, these teachings bear his name. These teachings were corrupted and began to be lost or corrupted the further the folk of Bronze traveled from their homeland and into Dunstrand Vale. Included in their faith is a deep seated belief in the fundamentals of the great primeval duality expressed by many esoteric traditions of Helca. So much of the faith has been lost because its records were in Dunlupian, and its senior servants of the faith perished.

Because of the divine nature of the Lich Lord’s Cold Bargain, any undead in their service can be detected with Sense Grace.

The Doom of Faith: They were called to the vale by their faith and destiny. Eventually the Bronzemen stopped the progress of the Sea-Kings up the vale along the path of the Nanford River – as recorded of Bronzefolk in Dunstrand in the ancient annals of Dunstrand. So potent was their faith and culture, that they have distinct and powerful manifestations of Bronzemen Spiritus from the Restless Dead of Helca.

Lingering Notions/Lost History: The faith died out with the destruction of the Lords of Bronze. There have been many attempts to synthesize it into the common faiths of Helca, but none have persisted. There was a deep sense of both fatalism and dynamism. That nothing specific was ever set, that the winds could blow in any direction. On the other hand, the winds never stopped, and sometimes, there was no avoiding one’s fate. This gave them both vibrancy and a certain amount of serenity and acceptance in the face of adversity. One must always strive, but accept that there are some things which cannot be avoided -(the “Voices of Fate”) that are part of the natural order. It is not thought that any of the Rempheros affirmed participation in The Godspeak Accord.

Beliefs

The people believed they were of the Bronzed Heavens, the Bronzemen, were deeply attached to the animus of the winds and the stars. When the bones of the dead were stripped by animals, and scoured to dust by the winds they were clean and could return to the Bronze Heavens. Their voices were carried to the heavens, where they spoke forever and their names echoed among the stars. As such, each settlement was steeped in animus energy. This collected and maintained the Spiritus of the dead, and bore witness to the events, deeds, sorrow, and joy that was felt therein. The Spiritus may have a specific set of conditions (triggers) that cause them to manifest and attack outsiders – though like all those with spiritual presence.

>Motto: “.“

Symbol: Green and blue, with mother of pearl ‘clouds’
> Closest Analog: Life Loop/Loop of Life – Ezrilus and Gaia abide by it (their primary gods); core to their belief in the passage and cycle of life and core to the animal archetypes and Lord of Beasts.

Testament to Faith

Core Principles and Goals:

Common Covenant/Tenets:

Observances

Their roots in nature were deep, and every settlement big and small, contained a place where the bones of the dead were stripped by animals, and scoured to dust by the winds. Respect for the sacrifices of their ancestors was key to their perspective.

Music of the Storm: They were said to make music and dance during the worst of storms, to accompany the wind and thunder and lightning and integrate their music and dance. It was said to be uplifting, empowering, and to spend the energy of the storm just as they spent theirs. They are anathema to the followers of Elancil – the storm is to be feared to them, channeled for power. The idea that it is a celebratory experience and can be tamed is abhorrent.

Finding Faith – Discovering and cementing the faith/follower relationship:
> [Initiate] Trials: These are trials that a character may be part of in order to prove their bond to their faith.

1. Affirmation of Authority
2. Affirmation of a Vow

Common Practices and Customs

Ishar – The River That Winds Through the Stars

Ishar is the embodiment of energy, cycles, and their flow through space and time. Ishar brings change, and sometimes eddies into stillness. On it all creatures on borne on their path. The Bronzemen were the first of the inhabitants of Helca to tap into this, and through their use of Ley Lines amplify their magic which took them from a small, frightened enclave to a powerful expanding population. In some texts, Ishar is connected to The Horakhty Heresy. Without knowledge, they had glimpsed and taped into the power of Isharae, the great spirit of the Aelves.

The Vannuun

The Vannuun are the Great Spirits – the demiurges- of the world. They are carried by the winds and see everything, hear everything. If you know their language, they will whisper their secrets to you. This can bring madness and despair, as it most often does, or knowledge and power. There are 5 spirits. One for each compass direction, and one representing the “polar” wind – the chill wind of death. In truth, there is little understood about the fifth wind – it is mentioned only in obscure texts. They have no names, but also correspond to the dual force of peace and violence, creation and destruction. The Vannuun are one of the most ancient and least understood cults of the Bronzemen. Modern scholars link them to the Phelaedea – Lady of the Wind (the elemental goddess), though this is not correct. More likely they are related to the Vanenuaen of the Aelpaths.

The Breath of Stars

The Vannuun brought forth the great beast with no name, the first dragon. This dragon was born aloft into the stars by the winds of the Vannuun. It is from this great cosmic birth that the material creatures came to be in the world. The dragon, who has no true name, is referred to in text as The Breath of Stars. His creation drained the Vannuun, and the stars in heaven nearly went dark. The dragon was the first creature, and from it began the shapes the creatures that would populate the stars. It combined its magics with that of the Vaanuun to make the beasts and beings of the worlds.

Caelestia – The Travelers of Ishar

The Caelestia were born of the stars, made when The Breath of Stars bathed in Ishar. These were scattered far on the current of Ishar, sent to the far recesses of the cosmos. They learned from many, always pouring the knowledge back into Ishar. These children were the “Delivers of Starlight” – from them, the folk learned their faith. Their role was minor though, and they taught the folk much.

Inheritors: As the power of the Vannuun faded after the defeat of the Sea-Kings, the spirits voices were silenced and forgotten in so many cases. The Caelestia stayed with the survivors, teaching them a new way. The folk elevated the few Caelestia, who taught them to be self-sufficient, wise, and to venerate wisdom above all, rather than the entity espousing it. To this day, these entities are all that remains.

Lighe – Child of the Vannuun

In a few legends, there is also a demigod who was born of magic. A daughter of the Vannuun and the Naannun, she is spirit made flesh. Her name is never spoken, but translated as The Green. She is also called Lighe, and associated with the goddess Gaia. Scholars relate the two as mother and daughter, but the Bronzemen never adopted that belief. Lighe was said to be able to make things grow at her very touch. She was said to be able to see Ishar – the great river that winds through the stars. In the myths, she is sometimes the one who shows the Bronzemen how to take the secrets of the Slir and gives them knowledge of the rune of time.

Nemesis – The Unknown

The Vannuun are balanced by their nemesis, an unnamed spirit that translates to “silence” or “quietus”. No matter the word, the inference holds that it is negation. Some have equated it to Mog Creach, but there are many small dissimilarities.

The Naannun

The Naannun are the great spirits of beasts. They are primordial, and are often translated as the archetypal or Davrosian spirits of Helca.

Irrigi (Numinous Rat great spirit)

Posted on February 23, 2018 in Steel-Realms

Irrigi – /The Beast Bringer; The Numinous entity of the Wylde Horde of natural world cycles, predator and prey, fertility, ecosystem and balance, cycles, and associated beast and animals as well as the symbols associated with them.

A species of Giant Salt Rats developed on the Beyne River – ‘giant water rats’. They are almost as adapt at swimming as otters. They dwell in the sewers under major cities along the shore of river. They are now sacred to the goddess of rats – Irrigi and to the sect of the Runnel Rats.

The modern age is heavily defined by the clash of faiths in the “Affray of Darkness and Light” in which the entity plays a tertiary part (mostly guided by Darupet).

Role: The Finders of the Way (Predator & Prey); Secondary foe of those who wish only to conquer and destroy and/or corrupt nature

The great Numinous archetypal animal spirits (the Wylde Horde of the Steel Realms) also have access to the associated Beastwylde Realms, and may draw servitors, minions, power, and materials from it.

Numinous Rat Spirit – “The Scrounger”, “The Pestilent One”; Invoked mostly as/for: Finder, Hoarder, and Hider of things, Pestilence and Scrounging

This Great Numinous Spirit has NOT affirmed participation in The Godspeak Accord of the realms. It has been known to manifest to fight against those who would kill sacred beasts and threaten the the species under their protection without thought or bias to Light, Dark, Grey, or Green foundations. This narrow focus to which few enlist it for keep the ire of other powers n the realms from interceding. Where their allegiance to the greater Wyld Faith enjoins them, they adhere to Gaias’ and Darupets’ own perspectives on issues. The followers of Irrigi are often paranoid and distrustful. They have few alliances, thought the group known as the “Red Hoarders” are said to work closely with the sect of Malek known as Lekam in the Southern Merchant Cities – they rule (self-styled “Lords” and “Ladies”) the under-urban world, are the dwellers of the sewers and alleys. It is said they attract a safe harbor for the shape-shifting wererats. Many of the most powerful followers of this principle have embraced its most powerful primal aspect and are of the ranks of the classic Lycanthropes.

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