Elementalism (Alter)

http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/8459/wendelflagix3.jpg

Alterian Elementalism (also known as the Holy Wendelian Church of the Goddess) is the predominant religion on the world of Alter-Mana. It shares many things in common with the Mana Dimension brand of Elementalism, though the Alterian faith is both Polytheistic and Animistic (where Mana Elementalism is purely Animistic), and Alterian Elementalism does not encourage hedonism.

History

The origins of the Elemntalist faith in Alter go back to the close of the Ancients War, in which three powerful immortal races (the Elves, Mavoles and Jumi) fought a devastating centuries-long conflict. Late in the war, the Ancients developed new magical talents, becoming able to summon elementals and use their power in battle. Each race drew on the powers of a different and unique type of elemental: the Elves called Dryad, the Mavoles favored Shade, and the Jumi were aided by the powers of Gnome.

When the Ancients stopped fighting, several of these elementals were left stranded on Alter-Mana, with no way to return to the Pureland. Some found their way into the villages of a young race whose population was on the rise. These were humans, and in time they would come to master the art of dealing with the elementals. Through taming elementals, the humans would come to know the Mana Goddess. And through the Mana Goddess, they would come to understand the fundamental truths that the Elementalist Faith preaches.

Infrastructure and Clergy

The religion is centered in the Holy City of Wendel, where Wendel's Bishop presides. The Bishop sits at the top of the Church's strict clerical hierarchy, and sets forth church law and doctrine.

The lowest rank among the priesthood are the Clerics. Clerics are typically initiates in the priesthood; those that have only begun their seminary studies and have not yet learned to call elementals. Clerics fill out the ranks of the City of Wendel's defense forces, traditionally restricted to weapons that do not shed blood (maces, flails, clubs, staves) or cause permanent harm (stun guns, freeze rays and the like).

Above the Clerics are those with the proper rank of Priest (or Priestess). Priests have learned to summon Wisp, and use Wisp's holy light to invoke healing and defensive effects. Each Priest presides over an individual parish, leading in daily ritual and weekly worship with the aid of the parish's Clerics.

Above the Priest is the Sage. Sages have mastered the conjurations of two or more Elementals, and are charged with overseeing several parishes within a certain region (typically no larger than a city with multiple parishes).

Above the Sage is the Praetor. Praetors are special agents of the Bishop, assigned either as diplomatic envoys to represent the Church's interests within a specific government, or to oversee all regions and parishes within a larger region (as large as a country).

Major Sites

There are three significant temple complexes in the Wendelian Church.

Wendel's Temple of Light

The holiest site in the Elementalist faith, the Temple of Light lies at the center of the Holy City, and is the seat of power of the Bishop.

Meikiv Temple

Located to the East of Wendel, on the mid-point of the trade road between the Holy City and Laurent, Meikiv lay in ruin for centuries. During the War of Threes, it was occupied by an avatar of Lightgazer, the Holy Elemental Mana Beast. Following her ascendancy, Bishop Charlotte ordered Meikiv's reconstruction.

Clerics who are ready to become Priests are required to quest alone, walking the path from Wendel to Meikiv, before being gifted with the ability to call on Wisp's magic. In addition to being the goal of an initiate's pilgrimmage, the Meikiv Temple houses a number of important holy relics, including a host of holy weapons and armor accumulated by the Bishop in her time as an adventurer during the war.

Meikiv Temple is overseen by Praetor Anuella Fire-Eyes.

Gato Grotto

A mountaintop abbey on the Isle of Glass. The Grotto was built as a garrison fortress by the Forthenans who were fighting to put down the armies of Drakonis the Dragon Emperor. After Loki Ferrant and Richard Mambrino slew Drakonis' physical avatar, the Elementalist priests vowed to watch over the island from the grotto, and they turned it into a house of worship. A sacred order of warrior-monks and paladins is stationed here to keep an eye on the ruined Lair of Drakonis and ensure nothing emerges from the still-steaming cave entrance.

Gato Grotto is overseen by Praetor Matilda Holloway.

Beliefs and Practicies

Core Beliefs

Alterian Elementalists believe that to live a life as the Goddess intends is to live a balanced life. The Goddess is the personification of balance: she is all things at once, all elements and all opposites. Thus there are no prohibitions within the religion, though gluttony and hedonism are often frowned upon. (even though, when the philosophy of the religion is taken to its extreme, one must concede that if the Goddess embodies all dichotomies, then it is reasonable to assume that she is also both moderation and gluttony... but the church establishment does not follow this line of reasoning)

Above all else, the principal virtue for an Alterian Elementalist is harmony. To be at peace within oneself, and with one's surroundings, is to live as the Goddess intends. Only through harmony and lack of excesses or imbalance does one's soul remain pure enough to return to the Purelands as Mana, to be returned to the cycle and given new life by the Goddess. It is interesting to note that, unlike most religions which believe in reincarnation, the goal of Alterian Elementalism is to continue perpetuating the cycle of rebirth. To an Alterian Elementalist, it is not desirable to get off the merry-go-round: the only exit is transformation into an impure Shadole, and that is the faith's equivalent of eternal damnation.

Worship Routine

For the priesthood, worship must be offered every day of the week. The week on the Wendelian calendar is broken into seven days, each of which is named for a different elemental: Lundi (Luna's Day), Saldi (Salamanda's Day), Unti (Undine's Day), Dredi (Dryad's Day), Djindi (Jinn's Day), Nomti (Gnome's Day) and Mana'a'di (Mana Holy Day).

On the first six days of the week, priests are required to perform a brief ritual of observance for an elemental on its day of the week. Rituals typically involve meditation on the element of the day and chanting (or singing) the Song of Mana.

On the Mana Holy Day, midday services are held within the churches and temples of the faith. Here direct worship to the Goddess is paid.

Vestment and Symbolism

Mana Priests of the Alterian Elementalist Church typically wear colorful robes and hoods or turbans. Their robes are usually plain, though Praetors often have them made of fine fabrics like silk or sarha. Most robes are a simple smock, lacking any decoration or features to them. Over the robe, a priest will wear a tabard, upon which will be emblazoned a symbol of the faith. Most priests choose the symbol of the Four Branched Tree (depicted above), though a more simplified Mana Cross (representing the Goddess at center, with the Elements at each cardinal point) is also used. Symbols of the individual Elementals are also acceptable tabard decorations.

The priesthood sees great significance in numbers, and so numerological analysis is something a Priest would practice on a daily basis. Things that come in threes, fours and sevens immediately alert a Priest to the presence of an omen from the Goddess, though any recurring event or pattern in any number tends to draw a Priest's attention, and through analyzing the event and how frequently it recurs a Priest may still (according to scripture) divine the Goddess' intent.

Local Variations

In some parts of Alter-Mana, the church has a specific focus dictated by local tradition or custom. Some cultures and races favor certain elementals over others: the Beastmen, for instance, tend to favor Luna over all other Mana Elementals (because moonlight lends strength to their lycanthropic powers), while in Altena the Churches reserve special reverence for Undine and Maorid.

The Church authority in Wendel does nothing to discourage these practies, so long as the Mana Goddess receives proper tribute on the Mana Holy Day.

Mythos and Cosmology

Alterian Elementalism is a mixture of several different kinds of faith. On the one hand, it is monotheistic: the Mana Goddess is the one true deity, the origin of all beings, the embodiment of all things. On the other hand, it is animistic: like Mana Elementalism, Alterian Elementalism venerates personifications of the natural elements, beseeching them directly for favor. And on yet a third hand, it is polytheistic: each personification within the religion's cosmology is deified through worship petitions that are offered up routinely as part of daily life.

The Mana Goddess

The central figure and object of worship in Alterian Elementalism is the Mana Goddess. In scripture she is said to be the personified spirit of the Mana Tree, which lies at the heart of the Mana Pureland. She is the originator of all life, energy, magic and power. She encompasses everything: love and hate, good and evil, life and death, all dualities and dichotomies are whole in her person.

The "Moon" Gods

The Mana Goddess' first set of children were gods of the planets (which the Alter-Manans had called "moons" before they learned more of the cosmos. There were six of them, and the scripture says that they quarreled and quarreled over control of the physical world until they were gods no more, and instead became beasts.

• Tryne, the Water God
• Zea, the Fire God
• Barlen, the God of Gold
• Libleyt, the Nature God
• Morphes, the Earth God
• Ghazel, the Wind God

Though the Moon Gods lost their nobility when they became Mana Beasts, the Alter-Manas remembered them by calling the celestial bodies that were once their homes after their former names.

Elementals

Beneath the Mana Goddess are the Elementals. These are the Goddess' children, each taking the form of one of the elemental aspects of the Goddess' physical creations. Scripture is never entirely clear on whether each elemental is an individual personality with several avatars, or if each elemental type is a distinct species unto itself. Regardless, here are the elementals that are reckoned by the Alterian church:

• Luna - Moon Elemental; taking on, in the modern era, aspects of the heavens and outer space.
• Salamanda - Fire Elemental; analagous to the elemental Salamando in Mana Elementalism; associated with fire, volcanoes and dry, arid environments.
• Undine - Water Elemental; associated with the sea, snow and ice.
• Dryad - Nature Elemental; associated principally with trees and plantlife, but also generally with life and life cycles.
• Jinn - Wind Elemental; analagous to the elemental Sylphid in Mana Elementalism; associated with wind, lightning and thunder.
• Gnome - Earth Elemental; associated with underground places and precious minerals.
• Wisp - Light Elemental; analagous to the elemental Lumina in Mana Elementalism; associated with light, holy powers and healing.
• Shade - Darkness Elemental; associated with shadow, night time, the undead and death.
• Aura - Gold Elemental; combines the aspects of the elementals Sola and Ofanite in Mana Elementalism; associated with wealth, trade, mankind, precious metals and the sun.
• Maorid - Weather Elemental; in the mythos, these elementals are cross-breedings of Jinn and Undine; associated with all manner of weather and atmospheric occurrences.
• Daorid - Fertility Elemental; in the mythos, these elementals are cross-breedings of Gnome and Dryad; associated with fertility, especially of soil and farmlands.
• Jaonid - Music Elemental; in the mythos, these elementals are crossings of Jinn, Dryad and Aura; Jaonid is said to be one of the Mana Goddess' favorite elementals, because it was the first to sing the Song of Mana. Jaonid is associated with musical instruments, singing and magic.

While most often the Mana Goddess receives direct tribute and worship, sometimes specific elementals are prayed to when their specialties are most appropriate. A farmer, for instance, would pray to Maorid for rains, and Daorid for good soil. A merchant might pray to Aura for favorable trading, and a miner might pray to Gnome for safety and a good haul. For Mana Priests of the Wendelian Church, Wisp is the most basic of all the elementals, and priests all learn to channel Wisp's powers first.

Mana Beasts

In addition to the Elementals, there is a Mana Beast associated with each element in the cosmology, with the exception of weather and fertility. Where the elementals are servile creatures that use their powers at the command and for the benefit of others, the beasts were created as guardians of the powers deemed too great for mortal use (especially the mythical Mana Stones, the physical sources of elemental power). The beasts are not friendly with mankind, nor indeed with anyone other than the Mana Goddess herself. As symbols, they represent the dual nature of all elements in the physical world: fire, for instance, is both a tool and a danger, water can both give life and drown.

Several of the Mana Beasts were once Moon Gods. It is not specified by scripture where the rest of the Mana Beasts came from.

• Dolan - Moon Beast; associated with shapechangers and madness. Appears as a gigantic horned wolf.
• Xan Bie - Fire Beast; associated with the destruction caused by fire and heat. Appears as a horned phoenix's head wreathed in an aura of fire. Xan Bie was once the Moon God of Fire, known as Zea.
• Fiegmund - Water Beast; associated with drowning, strong waves and harmful cold. Appears as a large six-legged cross between a fish and a lizard. Fiegmund was once the Moon God of Water, known as Tryne.
• Mispolm - Nature Beast; associated with thorns and natural poisons. Appears as an enormous mass of vines with the head of a jack-o-lantern. Mispolm was once the Moon God of Nature, known as Libleyt.
• Dangaard - Wind Beast; associated with hurricanes, tornadoes and electrical storms. Appears as a large two-headed gryphon: one head fringed in blue feathers, the other in red. Dangaard was once the Moon God of Wind, known as Ghazel.
• Umber - Earth Beast; associated with earthquakes, cave-ins and landslides. Appears as an enormous stone giant with gem-studded fists. Umber was once the Moon God of Earth, known as Morphes.
• Lightgazer - Light Beast; associated with zealotry. Appears as a large one-eyed sphere.
• Zable Fahr - Shadow Beast; associated with soul-draining and face-melting. Appears as three disembodied demonic heads which all share the same shadow.
• Boreal - Gold Beast; associated with greed, gambling and eclipses. Like Dolan, he appears as a large horned wolf, but his horns and claws are steel, and his fur is actually several masses of razor sharp metal bristles. His tongue is always depicted hanging out of his mouth, and it is glowing silver, tempting the greedy within reach of his decapitating bite. Lodan was once the Moon God of Gold, known as Barlen.

Mana Dragons

The Mana Goddess is said to hold court with four large, powerful dragon-like gods, each of whom has an elemental aspect. These dragon gods are sometimes objects of worship themselves; in effect, they are something of a cross between Mana Elementals (helpful to mankind) and Mana Beasts (to be feared by mankind).

• Vadise - The White Dragon; associated with Wisp and Dryad. Vadise is benevolent and kind, and is a friend of the Elves of Diorre. She is said to be the mother of the White Dragons who sometimes serve as aerial mounts to humans.
• Akravator - The Blue Dragon; associated with Jinn and Maorid. Akravator's main shrine on Alter-Mana is in the Norn Peaks on the island of Bucca, which is said to be his protectorate.
• Jajara - The Bone Dragon; associated with Shade and Gnome. Jajara is calculating and cold, and gives favor to undead creatures. She is a friend and ally of the Mavoles of Mindas.
• Drakonis - The Dragon Emperor; associated with Salamanda and Aura. Drakonis is the most evil of the four Mana Dragons, and once attempted to kill the other three Dragons to become powerful enough to usurp the Mana Goddess' place in the Purelands. Drakonis was defeated by the combined efforts of his siblings, and was imprisoned in the Underworld. He has only one shrine on Alter-Mana, on the Isle of Glass, in a series of caves long since desserted.

The Seven Wisdoms

As intermediaries between the spiritual and mortal worlds, the Mana Goddess has, at several points through human history, elevated certain individuals as "Wisdoms" -- equivalent to sainthood in the Elementalist faith. Sometimes worshippers pray to the Wisdoms rather than the Elementals: the Wisdoms tend to be more empathetic to humanity, since they each were mortal themselves at some point and can understand human emotions.

• Gaeus - This Wisdom was actually a small mountain that gained awareness of itself through listening to the prayers of Elementalist priests at its foot. Gaeus is noted for his ability to listen to any problem. As the oldest of the Wisdoms, he has listened to and heard many things over the course of millennia, and so knows the answers to many questions.
• Tote - This Wisdom takes on the form of a large tortoise. It is unclear whether Tote was an actual tortoise in mortal life. Tote is known for his limitless patience, and uncanny knack for prognostication.
• Rosiotti - This Wisdom takes on the form of a great jungle cat. In life, it is said that Rosiotti was a legendary archer and hero among humanity. He often aids hunters, but also sometimes aids animals that are being hunted (especially if they are being overhunted).
• Pokiehl - This Wisdom appears as a bird-like humanoid with spindly stork's legs, wearing a red cape and a wide-brimmed hat that comes down over his eyes. Birds will sometimes nest inside the top of his hat. Pokiehl in life was a poet, who was said to have lived his entire life without ever once telling a lie. He is a patron of honesty, and of poems and song.
• Olbohn - This Wisdom appears as a muscular humanoid, with six arms and an onion-shaped head. His face is blank, save for three large eyes. As a mortal Olbohn was the greatest swordsman to ever live, and to prove his greatness he travelled down deep into the Underworld to slay the Fairy King. Upon completion of this quest, he was made a Wisdom, and given charge of the Underworld. Olbohn is the guardian of the dead, the patron of swordsmen, and the patron of all warriors of honor.
• Selva - This Wisdom appears as a tiny, round-bodied man wearing a crown. He carries the wind in a large sack that he wears across his shoulders like a cloak. Selva hears all news and rumors because he can talk to birds and the wind.

Places in the Universe

Alterian Elementalism teaches that there are three planes of existence: the physical world (where mortals dwell), the Purelands (where the Mana Goddess rests, the Mana Tree grows and the Elementals play), and the Underworld (where the souls of dead mortals go to rest).

The Purelands is a sacred place, where all Mana elements exist in their purest forms. The Elementals, Mana Dragons and Wisdoms (with the exception of Olbohn) are all said to live here, along with the Mana Goddess and Mana Tree. The Mana Beasts are also somewhere in the Purelands, but they are always asleep unless they are called upon to protect their charges.

The Underworld is ruled by Olbohn, and is home to the souls of mortals who have died. Most mortals do not end up in the Underworld: those that lived their lives without offending the Goddess pass their spiritual energy back into Mana, to be reincarnated. Offenders must languish under Olbohn's care until their souls have been purified. Those souls wich are beyond purification are transformed into Shadoles, mischievous spirits who are consigned to the Underworld forever.