Deity: The Four-Winged Beast
Scripture: The Book of the Four-Winged Beast
Basic Mythology:
The only deity of the Routhian faith is the Four-Winged Beast, a being who is said to appear to mortals as two-headed leonine beast with two sets of eagle-like wings. It is said that the Four-Winged Beast freed the Phylrouth from subjugation by the previous imperial power, the now-extinct reptilian İstaŋlar. Unable to manipulate essence themselves, the İstaŋlar are said to have made pacts with demonic beings in order to use sorcery for themselves; this unnatural use of essence warped the land and climate, and corrupted the İstaŋlar themselves, to the point where their living bodies rotted and their minds funneled to the single aim of unchecked power. The Four-Winged Beast, who created the universe and who filled it with essence for his own purposes of keeping order, returned from the heavens to cleanse the world of this corruption, leading to the restoration of the planet and the beginning of the end for the İstaŋlar people. As beings with the ability to physically connect to nature, the Phylrouth were appointed as the Beast's chosen people, and the rightful keepers of the planet (which the Phylrouth call "The Rootrock").
Key Tenets:
- Essence is the exclusive domain of the Four-Winged Beast. Use by others causes corruption, both to the individual and the to the world as a whole, and this corruption is accelerated by the involvement of demonic beings.
- The Phylrouth are the Beast's appointed people, who have been charged with the sacred task of maintaining the integrity of the Rootrock.
- It is the duty of the Beast's followers to minimize the level of corruption in the world.
- The Beast's wisdom may be sought by prayer, and his answers will manifest in the eye of the seeker. If the seeker does not find the answer, then their vision has been clouded by corruption.
- A den'Aimbyn or dez'Aimbyn may attempt to cleanse a person of corruption. If the cleansing is unsuccessful, then it is only by the mercy of the Beast himself that the person may be freed.
Clergy:
With the church's doctrine and history intertwined with that the of the Routhian Empire, the Routhian Emperor is also the head of the church. After the Emperor are the dus'Aimbyn, who tend the Grey Gardens, cleanse followers of corruption, and act as envoys between the Beast, the church, and the congregation. Only Phylrouth may be ordained as dus'Aimbyn. Finally, there are the brothers and sisters of the church, most (but not all) of whom are Phylrouth. Their roles range from keeping indoor temples to running the church's charitable or political projects to continuous prayer and contemplation.
Places of Worship:
The primary temples of the Routhian Faiths are Grey Gardens, which are tended by dus'Aimbyn and are only open to the public on aim'Psantzira. Grey Gardens are said to be ritually purified by the roots of their keepers, allowing them to become sacred grounds for communion with the Beast. For day-to-day worship by followers of the church, indoor temples are also kept, typically run by brothers and sisters of the clergy.
