Vayonism

Vayonism, also known as Vayonistic Hexadecism and known chiefly among its adherents as the Faith of the Sixteen, is a continuum of religious denominations with a common origin in the writings of the religious scholar and philosopher Vayon of Aratheda, reconciling the Ancient Elyrian religion with various contemporary philosophical teachings. The term Vayonism is an exonym coined by non-adherants during the religion's early ascendency; practicioners tend to employ the old label of Faith of the Sixteen already in use before the Vayonistic reform.

Commonalities between the majority of self-declared Vayonistic denominations include a monistic theology, the belief in sixteen aspects of the Primordial Being modeled after the gods of the Ancient Elyrian pantheon, and a dualistic cosmology focused on the complementary, interconnected, and interdependent forces of order and chaos.

Fundamental Creed

The Fundamental Creed is a statement of belief holding near-universal adoption by Vayonistic denominations. It was originally adopted during the Synod of 62 AC, which was held by the prominent leaders of the burgeoning movement in an effort to both reestablish a hierarchical structure of the Faith, brought into disarray by the Calamity of Elyria in 1 AC, as well as bring portions of the rump Hexadecist faith into the Vayonist fold. The result was a comprehensive formula describing the fundamental tenants of the reformed Faith of the Sixteen which is still preached in the vast majority of Vayonistic liturgies.

"We believe in the Hexadecatheon, singular in substance and plural in essence, begotten beyond all time and place from The One, intemporal, innominable and inconceivable, beginning and ending of all things".

Noticeably absent from the formulation is reference to the dualistic cosmology of order and chaos upheld by Vayon. Additionally, while the collective term Hexadecatheon (i-e- Sixteen Gods) is employed, nowhere are the Sixteen Aspects refereed to as Gods singularly. Both of these appear like purposeful efforts to arrive at a consensus palatable to all attendees, and they would eventually lead to future schisms to be gradually mended over the following centuries.