The holy chronicles

Religious creed

The most important part of the chronological religion is the three different groups that are worshipped, the most important and powerful group is the gods that have massive powers and can change the fate of men just as they can help farmers to get a good harvest or to cure the sick. The second group that is worshipped is the spirits, they are not as powerful as the gods and tends to live in rivers, stones, houses and forests but also in smaller trees or straws of grass if they are not very powerful at all. These deities are also worshipped in temples just as the gods are the spirits worshipped in temples and they are considered able to change things on a local level but they are still considered very important beings and places with a named or powerful spirits living in them are often the target for large amounts of pilgrims and often has shrines of their own built around them. The third group are ancestors, holy saints, and old heroes and those are worshipped mostly at home even if universal shrines exist to the dead but also specific ones raised to the fallen heroes and saints.

The religion is also a very dualist one in it's mindset where different forces are locked in conflict in the material world, however the most important of these holy struggles is the battle between good and evil fought between the spirits and the gods against the sleeping Elderväsendena that created the world as a dead cold plane where the spirits then spread life and warmth. To further support the divine is it the duty of all followers to live good lives with good deeds, good words, and good thoughts to further the cause of good so that at the end of the world will the scales tip in the favour of good in the final battle between the gods and the sleeping creators. There have however been some complains about the religion being very militaristic and archaic in it's mindset with war and killing being praised if it is fought for a just cause and death in battle is still held as one of the highest honours one can achieve. However despite this is aiding the poor, and not living decadent lives also seen as important aspects that cleanses one soul and aid the forces of good.

The Gods

Rasmer: King of the gods and god of wisdom (father of Helia, Lif and Mirviva).
Hirvera: queen of the gods, goddess of wisdom, wife of Rasmer
Bel: The god of war
lif: the first goddess of fertility, dead (sister to Mirviva, daughter to Rasmer).
Mirviva: the goddess of fertility.(sister to lif and daughter to Rasmer)
Framatsier: The goddess of prophecies and the guardian of the tapestry
Helia: The goddess of death and guardian of the damned.(Daughter of Rasmer and mother of Helmer)
Helmer: The champion of death and guardian of the underworld (son of Helia)
Lavandria: the goddess of magic
Drakoor: The god of Dragons
Falnvir: the goddess of sowing (wife of Falnmar)
Falnmar: the god of harvest (husband of Falnvir, brother to Virlavir)
Mirlavar: the ruler of the Anglir and the chooser of the glorious fallen
Arkar: The god of tricks and mischief
Arv: The god of the ocean
Asarl: the god of thunder and rain
Avirl: the god of thunder
Virlavir: the god of seasons (brother to Falmnar)
Nardvir: the god of northern wind/winter (son of Virlavir and Asarl)
Filir : the goddess of Healing (Sister of Fil)
Fil : the god of Herbs, leeches and medicine (brother of Filir)
Hisrir: the goddess of the sun (married to Larim, sister of Silmir)
Silmir: the first god of the moon (dead, brother of Hisrir)
Larim: the second god of the moon (married to Hisrir)
Fir: the god of fire
Adasir: the god of justice
Rimir: the goddess of animals and hunting
Jav: The god of merchants and gold
Hasur: The god of smiths and craftsmanship
Driknavar: The god of mead, beer and alcohol
Lander: The god of lies and theft
Snaffat: the god of messengers
Arie: the god of Music (triplet and husband of Eira and Iera)
Eira: the goddess of painting (triplet and wife of Are and Iera)
Iera: the goddess of Sculpturing (triplet and wife of Are and Eira)
Halfir: the first god of bad luck (dead)
Heirmatir: the first goddess of bad luck (dead)
Rivarmar: the second god of bad luck (dead)
Tramer: the third god of bad luck

Elderväsenden

Ark-irk: "However instead of just accepting their fate so did they do something horrifying, something wretched, they did summon the eternal enemy of life itself and for a moment did every warrior heart fighting for everything good and holy stop as they saw the unholy sight, the unholy one, the dreaded Ark-irk stood on the field of battle, his human shaped starved body that was covered in blisters and sickly scales as the ones found on a snake and the creature was higher than even the tallest tree, his hands had only four long fingers that ended in long claws, his feet were like those of a wolf and his horrid face was like a decomposing sick elk but the worst of him was his eyes, they were not the eyes of anything of this tree, no they were instead of eyes found in our creation a sickly green fog with a horrifying green light behind them were a mortals pupils would be."

Ark-irk even known as the unholy one or the waiting dead is so far the only elderväsen that has awoken from the deep sleep that the spirits put them in is depicted as a force of sickness and decay, it is also the only of it's kind that was slain even if it is said that he will rise from his death in the final war between good and evil.

Ethical Code of Conduct

The holy chronicles have some strict rules of how to act and is filled with examples of what is considered good and proper behaviour, this is often summarised in how and why lowborns should praise and obey their social superiors just as they preaches how noblemen should be kind, protective and not oppressive towards their subjects in return. It also have a strict code of honour and says how you should take revenge on those that have wronged you as well as detailed etiquettes that should be considered both in duels and on battlefields. However it also goes into more general ideas as one should always protect ladies in peril, how one should try to help one's fellow believers when they are down, how guest rights should be respected above all, as well as how one should strive to be kind, and speak well of one's fellow men.

Religious History

The creation of the world

In the time before time, in the distant land of Harmirach, that can be found far beyond the sea of Armidar around the world tree, over the Gashik mountains and far beyond creation where a dark accursed mist can always be found lived nine beings, each more horrid and accursed than the next. they were beings that kept themselves alive and their own realm stable with unholy magic, they used horrid rituals for their own sick pleasure.

Under those nine horrid beings did the spirits live as servants and subjects until the faithful day when those nine beings looked out on the emptiness that surrounded their kingdom and decided that Harmirach was not enough.

So they joined their minds and created all the worlds in creation, the mountains of Gashik rose up out of nothingness, the sea of Armidar was there as if it had always been there, the stars looked down on the worlds that spread out and the world tree rose up in the middle of Amridar.

However that worried the elderväsenden that lived in Harmirach, they did not see life as something good and started to plan the tree's destruction.

As they did this did the spirits explore the tree, they saw the marvels of the worlds that lived in the tree's leaves, they saw the horrors of the darkness that lived in the rots of this mighty tree.

So they all decided to create life on the worlds on the tree, beings large and small stood amongst the different worlds, trees and plants rose up besides them and they all shared this greatness.

This did not however please the nine beings that had created the world and they did with one move strike it all down as they returned to their nefarious planning.

Shocked and disappointed by this did the spirits try again and just as before did living creatures walk on the different realms just as before did plants spring up amongst those creatures however just as the first time did the elderväsen crush it all out with one fell swoop.

So under the leadership of the high spirits did the spirit tribes join together to see what needed to be done, they sat for days and planned and schemed how they could make life stand and how they could protect the tree they loved.

Three months passed before the nine elderväsenden rose up and walked towards the tree to destroy it. for three days and three nights did they chant horrid incantations around said tree.

What they however did not expect was that their servants, the spirits did the same. It was on the forth day, using the power of the tree itself and the elderväsenden's own ritual that the spirits unleashed a horrid spell the like of which all of creation had not seen and with it was the nine put to a deep sleep.

The spirits took their former rulers and locked them in a prison of stone deep under the deepest rot of the world tree and then returned to spread life over their bellowed tree for the third time.

This time did life stay, they saw how animals lived happily amongst the trees and plants, in the sky did the bird fly and in the water did the fishes swim.

So they decided that they should join this glorious creation, the forest spirits became the rån, the elves, the faeries and all creatures of the forest, out of the wind spirits came all wise creatures of the skies, from the mountain spirits did the dwarves, goblins and trolls came and from the plain spirits was the four legged ponies and haflings born. Though from the greatest tribe, from the leading high spirits did the great humans step into this world as they looked around on the lands that was rightfully theirs and their former subjects that now spread out all over their creation and the humans saw that this was good.

The battle with Ark-irk

In the time of gods and heroes did Imer the greats mighty warhost stood outside the capital of the hated and despised Wharen and with him stood mighty heroes, gods and demigods! we are gathered here to celebrate those that fell in those dark days in centuries long past by as well as those that have fallen for a good cause since then!

it was on this very month that the hatred Wharen proved their worth and betrayed all life as they tried to preserve their horrid and wrenched existence from the holy and righteous vengeance from the divine gods and their noble human allies as they boasted their ranks with unholy deamons from the dark underworld. However those were no match for Imer the great's glorious huskarls that ignored their dead and their own wounds as they clashed in a mighty shieldwall with the horrid and wretched beasts that stood before them. However not even the Wharen's unholy and barbaric dark magic could not save them as their battle lines were pressed backwards and backwards.

However instead of just accepting their fate so did they do something horrifying, something wretched, they did summon the eternal enemy of life itself and for a moment did every warrior heart fighting for everything good and holy stop as they saw the unholy sight, the unholy one, the dreaded Ark-irk stood on the field of battle, his human shaped starved body that was covered in blisters and sickly scales as the ones found on a snake and the creature was higher than even the tallest tree, his hands had only four long fingers that ended in long claws, his feet were like those of a wolf and his horrid face was like a decomposing sick elk but the worst of him was his eyes, they were not the eyes of anything of this tree, no they were instead of eyes found in our creation a sickly green fog with a horrifying green light behind them were a mortals pupils would be.

The horrifying, disgusting being that was not of this tree roared and countless men fell down dead and the wharen cheered, they had once again proven that they had no right to live on this tree or anywhere! However as not even the gods themselves had imagined so did not a single man take a step back, with a righteous fury that no being ever had seen did the humans from the lowliest warrior, from the mighty heroes to the massed goblins and trolls that marched under Imers eagle did every mortal man charge forward against the horrifying beasts that had revoked even their right to corrupt our blessed tree with their breaths and the Wharen fell in the thousands to the new fury that the large holy army now showed and Imer the great himself lead a massive attack and with him Walked mighty Bel, Rasmer, Belron, Arkar, Silmir and other gods and heroes that quickly had fought their way to the unholy and perverted being that stood before them.

The battle that decided the entire fate of our world tree lasted for three days and nights and it was first after a horrifying battle where gods, heroes and countless human warriors as well as non-human servant warriors had fallen but finally did the unholy beast show an opening and mighty silverforged Bel struck out with his sword and pierced the unholy being with his sword made out of the same holy silver as himself and took its life from it's unholy and revolting body. However amongst the dead so could even the beautiful and loved Silmir, the god of the moon, lay and amongst the women that came to the battlefield to search for their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers where the goddess of the sun and as the Wharen after this tried to flee but were hunted down everywhere and put to the axe until not a single of their revolting kind were left in this world did she find her brothers body and she cried.

For days she cried and did not raise the sun and nor did the moon fly over the sky as its master had died. So all the gods built a massive city made out of gold and sandstone where honoured Silmir could rest, it was built on the same spot where Silmirs father, Rasmer the first of the gods once had been born and where the divine rose once had burnt, where his memory forever would be honoured and this the fair Hisrir the goddess of the moon agree was enough and she did reluctantly decide to raise the sun each morning again even if she still to this day refuses to raise the sun over the continent where her beloved brother faced his end on the month that he died just as her husband, the blessed and divine Larim were forced to take up the mantle of his brother in law and arms as the new god of the moon!

Founding of the chronically

It is uncertain when the chronically was created as stories mentions individual priests and then small orders, the first one mentioned was "rosen ordern" in 1820 BC but it was uncertain when all these orders were united under a single leadership as the first mentioning of the chronically is a runestone over the grand cleric Adrif that died during a exalted march against the eastern Fairy kingdoms in 1500 BC where he is referred to as "the sixth of his title"

Clerical Ranks

To start your journey as a member of the chronologically so are you as a child allowed to join a temple as a vitkåpa or a "white robe" that is trained to read and write the holy textures, to speak Eldermål as well as a theological education from a senior white robe. The job that awaits them is an easy one and they are supposed to maintain the temple and it's relics. When they are as young children accepted into the church so are they initiated into the church by taking "guda eden" or the god oath where they serve to do nothing more than serve the gods in this life and the next At least one white robe serves the temple as a "khröniokotalare" which is when they have taken a sort of oath of silence and are only allowed to speak by quoting the holy chronicles and other canon books and scriptures, this is seen as a great honour for any aspiring white cloak and most people competes about the position that is appointed by the temple's cleric upon the previous khrönikotalaren's death.

There are three way a white cloak can go when he is done with his education, he can either take up the mantle of a "vandrarpräst!" and wander the land in a brown robe, preaching the words of the gods as trying to help the poor as best as he can, He can also join the holy army and serve his temple as a templeguard and it's protector or he can continue to serve as a white robe and hope that he will be named the successor of the cleric in the temple or be appointed a cleric of a larger cathedral with many fellow clerics under a high cleric.

If a white cloak is named the successor so does he inherit the roll of the cleric and is allowed to take up the red robe of a true cleric of the chronically. As a cleric so are the former white cloak in charge of the temple guard, he is responsible for taking in new novices, overseeing the administration of the temple, being the commander of the temple guard and the man that the temple's commanding officer answers to as well as lead prayer in ceremonies.

Above each temple can one find a high cleric, just as before can a cleric be assigned as the heir of a grand cleric, a grand cleric is not only the cleric of a large cathedral that often have a smaller staff of clerics that serves directly under him but he is also the religious authority of all the temples that he is high cleric of.

Above all this is the arch cleric in the city of the burning rose that is the leader of the entire chronological faith. When the arch cleric dies so do all high clerics meet in the holy city where a one of them is elected to be the new grand cleric. As the grand cleric so is it up to that man to not only organize the vast but very decentralised church but also to make decisions about the holy army, to decide wherever or not a new rosetouched is in fact touched by the gods and to decide if new miracles and stories is supposed to be incorporated into the holy chronicles or not.

Sects and Denominations

The chronological faith can be divided into three major sects "Andedyrkare", "Gudsfaljare" "Draktra" and "jarntra!". These three sects as well as countless minor ones all are officially recognised as part of the same faith that worship the same gods and co-operates as fellow co-religious groups and very often see one another as brothers in the faith minor theological differences aside. Gudsfaljare is the most common one and is worshipped in most of Scandera as well as the federation as a whole and is generally seen as the real version of the faith. It places most importance on the divine gods and places the books about heroes and spirits as secondary importance even if the worship of them is still seen as a important part of the religion.

The second largest is jarntra which is isolated to Jarnarna and southern Erathian and Aster Öarna and Vast öarna in Imeriata, it does just as the religion of Gudsfaljarna places the gods before both the spirits and the ancestors, where it however differs from the religion of Gudsfaljarna is that instead of having Rasmer as the king of the gods so are instead Arv worshipped as that even if Rasmer is still seen as the first god and the god of wisdom.

While somewhat smaller than Jarntra so is Draktra not far behind in numbers. This sect worships the dragon god Drakoor as the king of all gods on top of his mountain outside of Silferheim and sees dragons as his children. Just as in all other sects so is Spirits also an important part of this religion.

The smallest religious minority is Andedyrkare and it is most common on the Vedian border to the northern iceplains and spread out over Vedian, instead of placing the most focus on the gods as the other two parts of the religion does so are the spirits and ancestors seen as the most important parts of the religion and instead of raising massive temples with small glades or ponds where one can worship the spirits so are instead small shrines raised in the glades and besides large lakes.

The only sect outside of Imeriata itself is the Bretro of Breheim. The Bretro, consisting of about 250 000 adherents in Breheim, largely differs from the Imeriatan branches in that it does not recognise spirits of the land, only the ancestors and the gods. The Bretro believe that the ancestors themselves have become a part of the northern glaciers, and they are thus worshipped as a whole rather than in family temples. The second difference is one of the ethical conduct, as the lack of nobility have made the Bretro believe that merit and honour can award even commoners with the qualities of a noble, and is thus to be respected. The Bretro also have a position between that of the High Clerics and the Grand Cleric, namely the 'Breprest'. The Breprest acts as an intermediary between the high clerics of Breheim and the Grand Cleric in Imeriata, as well as the supreme representative of the Chronicles within Breheim itself. The current Breprest is Alfrik Frothissen of Storvik.

Rite and Rituals

The Keys of Chronological Religious practice

The most important part of any chronological ritual, regardless if it is conducted in a temple or in a blessed river, glade or cliff closer to the spirit world is the flame altar and the holy idols. The flame altar is often just a large stone table that is hollowed out to allow for a large flame pit in it, it is here that sacrifices is made, either animal hearts in blot or smaller objects in prayers. The idols, either in wood or gold or stone (with the exception of Bel that is either painted silver or made in that substance), these idols are carved out as statues of the gods themselves and placed in a large half circle behind the flame altar during ceremonies and during blots are blood painted on them.

Also important is the "blotkniv" that is used for animal sacrifices and other religious blood-letting and self inflected wounds in oaths and marriages just as western temples have priests cut themselves to prove their devotion during ceremonies. Other important things are the holy chronicles themselves and the three other holy books in the chronological faith the "ande sägner" and "Hjalte khrönokorna" that deals with the spirit realm and ancestors and demigods rather than the gods themselves. Also used are holy relics that could either be some artefact used by a rosetouched or a local hero.

The Holy Relics

Relics plays a important part of the chronological faith and often are the personal belongings of a great hero or rose touched used as an idol during worship besides the real idols, contrary to Christian faith so are remains of holy men rare and all but none existent and they are often destroyed on sight by the chronology due to the belief that a man is bound to midgard as long as his remains are still here and that the best way to release the soul is to burn the body with what the soul might need in the afterlife.

Afterlife beliefs

According to the holy chronicles so are there not two but four different afterlives that a man or woman can reach depending on how they lived or how they died. The first afterlife is Silferheim that is on the highest branches of the world tree behind a golden wall and connected to the lower branches of the world tree by a large rainbow bridge. The large land itself is said to be a large forest filled with game and edible herbs and plants, large fertile meadows where one can grow all kinds of grains and large rivers filled with fish locked in a eternal spring.

There is also on the same branches Silferhall in Gyllenheim that lies in the centre of Silferheim where those that died in glorious combat goes, it is the castle of Bel the silver forged god of war that is in command of the armies of the gods. The fortress itself rises to the skies above and inside so do the men feast during the nights and during the days do the men fight. After a day's combat so do all wounds regenerate on the men and everyone is ready to compete in the night's feast.

Around the large oceans under the branches of Midgard so can one find the home of Arv and Vattnaheim. In the large underwater city so do the men that have drowned and the dead sailors lives ready to serve the god that aided them in life.

The last and final afterlife is Mörkerheim and that is placed around the roots of the worldtree. It consists of a large system of dark frozen caverns filled with demons and unholy beings ruled over by the dark betrayer Helia. In these dark and cold tunnels so do the dishonoured, the evil and the accursed go after they have died. In these dark tunnels so are they hunted, tortured and forced to suffer under the horrid rule of the demons that lives there in that dark place, they are kept locked in, in small prison cells only to be released to be hunted and eaten by unseen demons and then reborn out of their excrement and only feed flies and with only goat piss to drink.