The Basics of Worship
While different teachings come from different gods, all of them bid that the best way to worship is of a group, which is called a Fellowship.
There are eight fellowships, and each god represents a point on the Octagram. There is great meaning of how each god is related to one another from this holy symbol.
By the relationships of the Octagram are set each singular god’s enemies, allies, and opposite. As an example, look at Deoch on the Octagram. Next to his point are his two enemies, Luathas of Gnosis and Fiosachd of swiftness and wealth. Gramail is his exact opposite, which fittingly is the opposite side of the Octagram from his point. To find two allies, trace from the God to the other side of the Octagram. As our example, Deoch traces to Glioca and Sgrios, which are his allies. Using this same process on the Octagram you may find out easily who are enemies with whom, their allies, and who their opposites are.
Degrees
A fellowship of worshippers is attached to each god or goddess, and has their own hierarchal structure. This structure is defined in ‘Degrees’ or rankings of the different kinds of Worshippers. This listing is from the ‘lowest’ considered position to the ‘Highest’ but the path up is not easy and requires much faith and devotion.
Worshipper:
These are the core of the fellowship. Aisling and Mundane both show their faith and worship in a god, normally by undergoing the rite of initiation from a Priest or higher of that temple who then may choose to make them a part of the Fellowship. They attend mass and worship the deity normally once every Double-Moon. They are the most numerous, and with a proper relic (prayer necklace) can pray to give thanks for receive the blessings of supplications to their deity. The same is true for every member of the fellowship.
(Each higher degree holds the same power as the lower degrees, unless otherwise noted)
Abilities:
Prayers, Supplications, Entreatments. (Note: If your faith is above divine faith, it is best to entreat, if it is lower, a supplication is the most faith efficient prayer)
Give Thanks: This is a worshipper gain faith and insight by reverently praying a day to their deity. The insight rewards vary from degree to degree.
Praise Another: This calls praise upon another pious member of the trinity in the name of their deity, and will raise the faith of the person praised considerably.
Seek Guidance: A prayer given in the hope a divine image and lesson or words of wisdom from the deity will help the Worshipper through hard or difficult times with more teachings of their faith.
If you are a member of a fellowship, you may also pray at an allied god’s temple for giving thanks, or other prayers.
Acolyte:
They are servants of the Priests and Priestesses. They have a greater understanding and higher faith in the deity than a normal worshipper, and are often times collecting enemy items for Priests, announcing a mass across Temuair, or assisting newly initiated Worshippers with basic theological or logical questions. While it differs from temple to temple, normally a task or religious geas must be completed showing their faith and aberrance to the deity before they ascend to this Degree. This position offers a few more abilities than a worshipper. This is the highest position one of any path but Priest may have in the fellowship. A mark on their legend will show which deity they are Acolyte of, and which Priest assisted their prayer to advance the Degree from worshipper. (Degree, Acolyte)
Added Abilities:
<Deity’s name> Summon: this prayer uses great faith and summons minions of the Acolyte’s deity to protect the Aisling if harmed. There are three kinds of summons for each god, depending on the amount of faith of the summoner. Lowest faith of all summons will always bring forth rats. The mid ranged and high faith summons vary from deity to deity, and are described later in this tome.
Lesser Desecrate: This prayer allows an Acolyte to take an item blessed by an enemy deity, calling upon the power of their god to remove the enemy’s consecration to the item. This takes one day of labor but can grant the Acolyte more faith in their deity. Once an item has been lesser desecrated it may be consecrated again to any Deity of the Octagram.
Instigating Heresy: This Acolyte specific ability allows Priests or other Worshippers to be branded a heretic of the fellowship by oath of a lead and active Acolyte who must be forty-one insights or higher. The Acolyte must then have twelve supporting ‘votes’ from any other members of the faith, of any insights. Then the person targeted is branded a heretic and cast from the fellowship. This is sometime used when a Priest goes on a banishing spree of their home temple.
Priest(ess):
They serve the Fellowship, Worshippers and Acolytes primarily. Priests are both Priests of their Deity, and of the Priest path among the Temuair paths. A Bard of Medeina may still hold their power as Priest or any position in the Clergy regardless of their new profession title. They have upheld the teachings of their deity and have either advanced to this degree by themselves from Acolyte, or have been assisted by a Priest in the Higher clergy. Priests assist all worshippers and allies of their temple who come to pray and pay their respects to the worshipper, and are often called upon to help with decision making
Added Abilities:
Mass: This holy rite may be performed by a Priest once each Double-Moon. Normally a sermon, story, discussion, or other teaching of the deity’s ideas will be spoken, and after a prayer or ritual the rite will be invoked. The Priest may choose to have an assistant to the mass, to increase the invocation of the rite. An amount of insight can be gained from taking in part of the rite, depending on the faith of the Mass Priest. As the Priest can hold only one mass per Double-moon, so is it those who attend cannot gain insight or be ‘touched’ by that deity again until a Double-Moon has expired.
Consecrate: This prayer imbues the essence and blessing of a deity in an item that is un-enchanted. It takes an amount of faith proportional to a greater desecration. Seek a fellowship’s page in this tome for what the blessing of their god will achieve in a consecrated item.
Greater Desecration: This accomplishes a similar removal of an enemy deities’ blessing except the item in question is totally and completely destroyed. This form of desecration is a very effective way to gain faith for all Priests and higher. The item that will gain a Priest the most faith, an enemy deity’s prayer necklace, will also be destroyed, and offers a great boon of faith to the desecrater.
Initiation: The ability to initiate a Worshipper, Probate, or assist someone to Acolyte. A Probate is someone of ten or less insights. Once they are of eleven insights, they may become a proper worshipper. However, few Priests will initiate probates since the first circle is so short.
<Deity’s Name> Order: The ability to summon the will of a god to banish any Aisling who is not a Priest or higher from the temple for eight Temuair day, or forgive that banishment. This also enables the admittance of fragile Aisling into the temple by speaking to the mundane attendant.
Cleric:
They serve both as servants and assistants to Ministers and High Priests, but also help to guide Priests and new worshippers alike. They have an ear to the fellowship at all times, and are able to relate issues of the fellowship to higher Clergy.
To become a Cleric, the Aisling in question must be of Clave Recognition of a Mundane contest. The Priest must also have initiated forty worshippers into the fellowship to become a Cleric on their own. If they have assistance of a Minister or High Priest, only twenty initiations are need.
Added Abilities:
Creating a Holy Symbol or Holy stave: The Cleric will learn the secret of asking divine relics, symbols and staves unique of their deity. Normally to receive one or both of these items, a Priest or Acolyte of the faith must complete a difficult geas, or holy quest.
Slate Administration: The ability to delete and manage postings made on the fellowship’s slate, which are located outside of each temple, with exception to the temple of Sgrios, where the slate is also inside their shrine.
Minister:
They serve the fellowship by helping the High Priest(s) by keeping temple slates full of doctrinal and other religious writings that help all manners of Aisling and Mundane to keep abreast of temple policies, holy rites, and procedures for advancement such as Acolyte ship.
To become a Minister: Eighty initiations unassisted, with assistance from a High Priest, only forty. You must be at least Village Recognized by the Mundane to become a Minister.
High Priest(ess):
They are the leader of the Fellowship. They serve all. Setting or helping to introduce the major guidelines of the fellowship with other Clergy input, they head the fellowship and emulate the teachings of their deity at all times and commonly hold the most visited mass each Double-Moon. They listen to all, and manage the Priests and other Clergy members. They have the great responsibility of having to decide who has fallen into malice and strayed from their deity’s path, when excommunication should be invoked.
To become a High Priest (ess): The Aisling must be at least Village recognized. One hundred-sixty initiations unassisted, or eighty if assisted by another High Priest or Priestess.
Added Abilities:
Excommunication: This is the last resort used when a Priest or other worshipper has shown ill intent to the fellowship or great disrespect to the deity. The High Priest, with a Cleric or higher assistant may forcible strip all powers from an offender or heretic and have them cast out of the fellowship. Their legend will then have an orange mark, reading ‘Excommunicated by <High Priest’s name>’
Now that the structure of each Fellowship in the Octagram is related, it is time to show what makes each temple different from each other in location, belief, and teachings. Turn the pages as you skip from temple to temple to temple, learning the intricate relationships between enemies, allies, and opposites. If you seek specific lore, as what the minions summoned of each deity, simply turn to the tab of that fellowship have been created for your ease of use. I hope my wandering from temple to temple, and Worshipper to High Priest will help to guide your path.
~Zyleci Mimori
