Zellune, The All-Mother

Holy Symbol:
A massive tree that has grown so large that its own branches have grown heavy enough to reach the ground and entangle with the roots, the roots and branches form a rough circle around the tree which often serves as the edges of the sigil amulets; this circle symbolizes the eternal or immortal. While that alone would suffice for the Holy symbol there is a much more ornate version with the background below the canopy holding a sky of stars, the Sun, and the Moon hanging in the sky.


Domain: The Greater Creation/Telamere

             -Ext:
The Church of Zellune holds to the notion that Zellune has created all things and as such her domain is creation and therefore all things are a part under her guidance. They hold fast to this belief and recall tales from their forefathers who speak of Zellune bringing life to all things in the infancy of the realm, creating them with meticulous effort and unyielding piety; naturally the Vicars and Druids alike tell the same tales. The Elves believe something far different, they consider their home realm known as Telamere, also known as the realm of the Fae, to be the one true seat of All-Mother's children and grace. The Seers do proclaim that the All-Mother has created all things, but she has granted Telamere and the Elves absolute sovereignty over the lesser-beings such as Humans and Demons.


Followers: Fae (Elder Elves, Wood Elves, Dullies, Fairies, Pixies), Dwarf (Stone Dwarves, Gnomes, Iron Dwarves), Humans (Lunn'an, Kasparic, Deljian, Karthite)



Paragon: Paragon of Creativity, Grace, and Beauty

             -Mastering: Mistress of Land, Nature, Life, and Creation



Heraldic Colors: Shades of Nature (Dirt brown, stone grey, leaf green)

             -Heraldic Beasts: Plant-life/Elves


Clergy Alignments: Lawful Neutral, True Neutral, Chaotic Neutral



Favored Weapons: Scythe



Current State: The Faith is weaker than the other Paragons brought on by Human domination over the land. The Dwarven system of beliefs has spawned a new branch in the way of Druids composed of various folk of different races. Due to the actions of the Elven invaders during the Great Bloodshed of the Second Era all things considered Elven are heavily discriminated against, furthering the decline of the Elven sect. Since the time of the Great Bloodshed most of the Human capitals of Yandora took to oppressing the church of Zellune; The Kingdom of Greyward has banned practicing the faith and all places of worship in all their lands, the Holy City of Trisoli has done the same, the City-State of New Hisella has only barred the creation of temples and the like, the governance of Salipan has remained uncaring on this topic. The largest damage done to the faith in recent years was a lengthy period of Inquisition held by the order of Roanth in the city of the Greyward to purge the followers of Zellune from the Kingdom as a whole.




The legend of the Goddess of Nature is supposedly one of the oldest in the all the realm, but as with all ancient things in this world the merit and wisdom of it all fades as time consumes it. Unlike the other Paragons which have been well established among the archives of all human annals, never has a religious human spoken of a Mother Goddess or a Nature Goddess or even mention Zellune outside of the name of the world, even human scholars have yet to find any mention of Zellune other than the naming of the great home of humanity. Despite this faith having never come upon the humans of the Mortal Realm it has apparently existed since before their time, the Dwarves of the Felgorie Mountains proclaim they have followed the teachings of the All-Mother since a time before humans and even before their own tomes of records proclaim. This alone would be unremarkable until the calm which ended the hostilities of the Great Bloodshed led to queer discovery, the Elvish Outworlders also followed the All-Mother in spite of both being divided by an entire realm.



Numerous scholars took great interest in this fresh opportunity to study their new fellow mortals when the new-found peace was declared, the discovery of the All-Mother's faith in both cultures was troubling and confusing. Some drew to the conclusion that the Elves and Dwarves were in cahoots, this was swiftly debunked as both sects of the faith have key differences in their methods and both utterly despise after the conflict during the Great Bloodshed. The desire for knowledge over this topic was growing quickly, the Elves and Dwarves both prayed to the essentially same deity, but understand the differences and the similarities of both sects as well as their history was something to be written twice over. A fresh slew of scrolls and tomes were sent out across the land reached every edge of the continent and beyond even that, the intellectual and religious breed of men took exceeding interest in this new-found knowledge. Many rejected Zellune a deity for being associated the Outworlders and the dogma tied to her, even so the concept of a new Paragon did appeal to some but in different ways. Different human religious sects spawned forth from the discovery of the All-Mother's faith; a devout true-believing Druidic cult, false facade temples intent on capitalizing on the novelty, and the most prominent of the lot is a polytheistic movement which have connected the Paragons in a pantheon yet their beliefs vary in a number of ways.



In the current age the following of Zellune has mostly been kept to the Elves and Dwarves, Humans who solely worship Zellune are often ostracized and harassed by the locals and religious for being associated with Elvish culture. The faith remains all-consuming among Elves, but in Dwarves the following has started to wane slowly upon the further intermingling between Dwarves and Humans in the current age; this has drawn some division among the more dogmatic Felgorie Stone Dwarves and their more often secular city-side brothers who take on the mantle of Iron.One of the core differences between the Elven and Dwarven sects of the faith stands on the topic of the holy plane of Zellune, the Dwarves standby the concept of all creation being under Zellune's reach, while the Elves claim only their realm, Telamere, is the true crown of Zellune's glory. Zellune is still regarded highly among her followers and the faithful preach her name to the day, but the question still remain strong in the minds of many; just how did both these opposing and fiercely unfamiliar beings come to worship the same deity?




The tone of the dogmatic command that the faithful has followed for generations strongly varies from the Dwarven teachings and the Elven teachings, but many core aspects remain the same in some regards. Dwarven school of belief holds a more peaceful and simplistic view where as the Elven beliefs instead exemplified Elven pride and strict religious code.



Dwarven~

That which is irrefutable would be the call of the land, the All-Mother does not chatter nor sputter, she does not leave any word to chance. Zellune has command her children so sublime to do unto the realm as they would unto themselves. All that is exists is to be witnessed with awe, this gift immortal and vibrant is your most glorious treasure. Touch upon the realm with a tender palm and a heart of tranquility, this shall be your home for all time. Children of the All-Mother which take a thousand forms, which trod gracefully upon limbs of pairs, who scour their home most hungered, bestill your heart and know that Zellune shall forever provide you bounty and splendor. Know this, all that is shall be alike, kin is all that is.



Nature: The greenery that cloaks the land is alive as you are, it flows with the blood of the All-Mother just as all things in this realm. This is what grants life, the life you live is tied to nature, and even the depths of the sea, the stones, the sands, and the skies on high, it is all connected to you. Seek not to destroy or abuse, seek to create and use, this gift is widespread and masterfully crafted to serve and to survive. Live in harmony with nature and it shall provide to you countless paths to progress into a new age, but take without waste.



Creativity: The true lifeblood of creativity is not found in the brilliance of wisdom, rather it must be drawn from deep within one's spirit, the essence of the creative spirit is stronger than any sword. From the start of all that is known there has been a great need for creation, the void that once held the realm's place was even less lively than a man sent back to the soil. Children of the All-Mother, your duty is that which is most just and most essential to the realm; creation which is simple, creation which is plentiful, creation which is grand, create in the name of the All-Mother and revel in her glory as her most dutiful children. Gaze upon the splendor provided to you all, the realm which you frolic so freely is the very pinnacle of creation, the gift of life that is bestowed upon you is the creation you seek to mimic.



Grace: To act with outward grace is the penchant of the All-Mother, a calmness that is stowed within the eased and comforted hearts of all the children to the realm. Grace goes beyond mere actions entirely, it speaks for your words and thoughts akin to the true inner peace that shall be etched upon your hearts. Children of the All-Mother carry your self with the utmost stillness, never present the boorish ire or bolster the uncouth, tread with grace befitting of the proud sons and daughters of Zellune above all else for it is a blessing to all those who behold thy visage.



Beauty: Behold the beauty of you, your form is crafted by the hands of a being above all else, the All-Mother has provided. She has blessed and graced man and beast alike with unfettered beauty in many ways, shaped the slopes and peaks of mountains and mounds with tender palms, all that is known was created with great care to stand as glorious from the days of old unto the new dawn. Beauty is not forthwith understood by the simpleton, it stands so diverse while spread so widely that a mere mortal may never be able to earnestly grasp beauty in all forms.



Children: Your children are the spawn of your glory, guard them unto death for they are the creation of your life which continues on after you have returned to the All-Mother. Dedicate their lives to the All-Mother so they may craft effigies in honor of you, their predecessors, and continue on to honor the All-Mother and all of her grace. Turn not your hand upon a child, nor your own or that of others for such a deed is vile.



Worship: To bend the knee before the idols of the All-Mother is almighty and glorious beyond words, to turn your blade upon any depiction of the All-Mother is a disgrace unto your entire lineage.





Elven~

Thou stand here as a shining example of creation, fruit of the loins of the All-Mother, thine is a glorious visage that has been shaped to prosper. Children of nature, you are here to serve and labor and attain eternal glory in the name of the All-Mother. Thy path is righteous beyond words, go forward with banners and badges that foretell of thy just ways under the passion of the All-Mother. Thou who carry on to purge the vile and corrupt, ye shall take apart all evil that taints the world for this is thy duty vested upon thee in the name of the All-Mother on high and unwavering as you in turn should be.



Nature: Thou are but a fragment of the realm, a segment in the chain of existence and creation, one of many parts and yet all too vital to all things. The world is bound in a sheet of greenery, foliage, shrubbery, and canopies coat each and ever reach so that all would teem with life, this perfect life. Nature lives just as you do, it is born from thy self as much as thou are born as supple and ripe fruit upon the tree of life, kin as kin would be as is known to thee. Thou may hold sovereignty over all nature, but never forsake or abandon the truth that is the All-Mother and thy bound duty to the realm.



Creativity: The beauty of the realm is a pinnacle of creation, all that holds steady and strong has been led to this point by the loving touch of the All-Mother's glory and grace. Children of the All-Mother, go forth and shape thine future with idols most grand, temples that will last a thousand of thousands seasons, domains that will be home to each man and wife, arts that epitomize all beauty, the keen sense of perfection that has been bestowed to thee since the dawn of thine kin and self shall lead on into a glorious destiny marked by the timeless wonder and brilliance of creation.
As you are formed with care so must you do unto your own pursuits, the gift of creation is one born of grace and wisdom that shall be vested deep within thine hearts.



Grace & Beauty: Bestowed upon thee is true beauty, true grace, glory be thine visage for it shall be forever unmatched. One of the many countless gifts thy must hold dear, these are to be your facets akin to the beauty of the gem glimmering as sunlight bathed it. Gaze upon the realm, the tracks of land which are thine duty to safeguard as well as hold sovereignty boundless, and know with definite and sound wisdom that all the world shall bask eternally in the beauty one shall emanate lavishly. Act upon your inner most desires with tender tidings oft, reject the notion of wroth men and women who wield a bitter blade of savagery for they are to be damned by the will of the All-Mother, accursed pestilence of blight that plagues the world unto thine blade shall dip upon their crowns as should fall with haste and vigor. Hold dearly your gifts, children of the All-Mother, lest you be forgotten as they have.



Worship: To love the All-Mother is thine duty, to obey her tenants is thine guide, to prosper is thine destiny. The All-Mother has given all that is to thee, all that

bounty you revel in so freely has been granted to thee under the compassionate and all-knowing hand of the All-Mother, and in her name thy must be steadfast in faith and spirit. She hath given so very much, ye must worship vigorously to her visage and name in obeisance as penance for her glory and grace, know it within the deepest reaches of thine heart that the All-Mother's name is hallowed above all others and shall never be usurped from thine souls lest a grave folly ye have made on that day. Worship is thine duty, reverence is thine wisdom, and to commit the realm and all its inhabitants to the All-Mother is thine holy mission; never forsake that which is known, children of the All-Mother.





Core Dogmatic laws or guidelines are entirely absent from any Dwarven textual, monolithic, or iconographic archives and records, no evidence has ever been found leading to the concept of divine law having been a part of the Dwarven faith. Even so, the Elven branch of the faith has ten unshakable statutes that are taken as the commands from the lips of the All-Mother, furthermore these tenants include repercussions for violating sacred law which vary between each deed.



I. Thou shalt not burden the land for it stands as the grand testament to the All-Mother's grace that is known, should a child take apart the soil and sod in great merriment then so shall he be taken apart in turn.

II. To look upon the visage of the All-Mother with malice and disdain you must refrain, to turn thine blade to her image shall render your hand in twain.

III. Know her glory by dawn and dusk and eve, morn, noon, and night, say your ode to reverence come the Sun rising, the Sun on high, and the Sun falling; shall ye depart from this task penance must be given for thou are to pray until the next Sun lacking pause til the due is paid.

IV. Spill not the blood of thine kin lest the same fate befall thee.

V. Utter not sacrilege by way of the tongue the All-Mother has granted thee, for as she has given so she shall recall what is her's.

VI. To disparage the All-Mother with disregard of her laws and wisdom is a feat that deserves a no less than a lash for every letter spoken against her ways.

VII. To stray from the flock of the All-Mother's will is to join the legion of heretics that stand to affront her, cast aside these heretics as any other for they have forsaken their brethren.

VIII. Worship none as highly as the All-Mother for there is no faith that shall stand against her, for there is no god who may oppose her, for there is no words that strike her; heretics and fiends alike must be put to the blade for their treachery.

VIV. Reject the flesh of the beast as feast, rather one must make use of their pelt sparingly. To partake in the meats of fish, insects, and plants is fit for your gullet. Should one make consuming flesh of beasts an outstanding habit they must be forced away from the vile act by all means to halt it.

X. Thou shalt honor the All-Mother in every creation brazenly, emblazon her sigil eternally upon thine finest works for all the realm to behold.




Dwarven~

Burial: Return those who have passed into the All-Mother's embrace to her, bury them with soil and sod and mark their resting place with the sigil of Zellune so that she may watch over their forms at rest while guiding their spirits beyond. They are to be stripped of all dressings and adornments, bring them to their rest as they were birthed for they have little need for glories when they return to Zellune.



Marriage: Brought forth between man and woman, both are to be bound by blood and oath before the sigil of the All-Mother so that she may bear witness to their union. They must be given anointment by both liege and vicar in service of Zellune, marked by slurry of soapstone dust and blood of the to be wed which starts below the eyes and slopes down their cheeks as tears would. They must beseech the All-Mother for her blessing and wait until the vicar declares that Zellune has offered not a single objection, once this is done the betrothed shall turn to one another and speak oaths of devotion to one another. When both have come to the end of their oaths and both have accepted each other as speaking truthful both must bind locks of hair with a bead carved by the other, man shall weave the vessel of his affection into his wife's hair and woman shall tie her own into the husband's beard.



The First Born: The first-born child's birth of any person is seen as a sacred event that is to be marked by a day of celebration for the family while a vicar swears the child into the faith from then on. Gifts are to be given to the child to encourage their growth as one would a flower, care and caution around the babe on this day. Should the babe come into the realm unmoving then turn it to the flame for this is a sign of future misfortune for the family who reared it; do not bury the unmoving babe with those who have passed.



Creation of the Vessel: As a child does grow so must their faith and wisdom, into the depths of their will they must go to create a vessel for their faith, a physical object crafted by their own hands which connects them to the All-Mother's accord. This symbol of devotion can be formed out of wood, metal, or stone, a single piece intact and left to hang freely from the neck; holy men are to have a vicar bless the vessel in calm waters beforehand.



Patron's Way: The Ruler of any
land under the will of Zellune must be taught to understand her ways, the way of her vicars, the way of righteousness. To be a man fitting of Mastery one must undergo not a season's worth less than One-Hundred and twenty Lunar Cycles in communion with the vicars of Zellune, with the vicar's guidance one shall learn humility and respect for your kin for a leader must honor not solely himself but rather the All-Mother and his people for he would be nothing without them. Masters of the kinfolks shall not be demanded to vest themselves with the mantle of the vicars, but should he feel the desire to devout his spirit and being to Zellune then so he shall with great piety reborn as a Master of the Land.



Prayer: Pray at leisure but never at ease, prayer must be done once a day come the new dawn. Upon your hands and knees is where you must be, knelt so that one is purged of hubris and want, head bowed in respect as well. Speak the ode to reverence with pride on that moment. The only man who may speak the ode to reverence with head held high is the Master of the kinfolks who has been reared by vicars for no less than One-Hundred and twenty Lunar Cycles.



-Ode to Reverence-

Great Mother o eternal host,

blessed be thy ways and words.

Your children grow strong,

they hold you dear,

within their hearts, and their mouths.



You have given all that is,

we ask your endless compassion,

as we shall spread such kindness unto others.

And take us freely from depravity,

but spare us the will of malice.



Elven~

New Life: Each new life shall be heralded in, bring forth the fresh babe to the hands of a Seer to be graced. The Seer is to strip bare and carry the child in a pool of crystal dew, in the waters that shine both are to be known, the Seer must foresee the child's destiny through its open eyes and dub it justly for the time to come. Should the babe weep so strongly that the eyes remain shut then the fate of this child is to remain shrouded in darkness, misfortune or glory shall upon the babe; the child must be named be given a graceless name in turn.



Harvest's Offering: All that is plentiful in this realm is the fruit of the All-Mother's brilliance, and so one must return to the soil as thee have taken. Come the harvest of grain and fruit craft a wicker vessel to place one of every crop within, bury the vessel with gifts to the All-Mother deep within the recesses of stone and sod, but be certain the vessel is placed within five steps of an ancient tree.


Heretic's Folly: At daybreak all Heretics that have admitted their guilt are to be brought before the eldest tree in all the Greenwood, their hearts must be removed as tribute for their mistakes and misgivings. This may only be done while the Sun is bright in the morn, by Sunsets honey-like glow thine blade be still and rejoice for you have carried out thine duty with distinction.



Patron's Way: The Ruler of any
land under the will of All-Mother must be taught to understand her ways, the way of her vicars, the way of righteousness. To be a man fitting of Mastery one must undergo not a season's worth less than One-Hundred and twenty Lunar Cycles in communion with the vicars of the All-Mother, with the vicar's guidance one shall learn respect for your kin for a leader must honor not solely himself but rather the All-Mother and his people for he would be nothing without them. Masters of the realm shall not be demanded to vest themselves with the mantle of the vicars, but should he feel the desire to devout his spirit and being to the All-Mother then so he shall with great piety reborn as a Guardian of the Land.



Prayer: Prayer must come every dawn and dusk, done on hands and knees in while a strong voice is held steady. Forsaking prayer must be repaid with blood, strike thine self thrice over with a switch in an act of flagellation. Prayers of the Day are done facing the Sun or the East, Prayers of the Night are done facing the Moon or the West. The Ode to Reverence is acceptable as prayer but has fallen out of favor for the Oath to Allegiance.



-Oath to Allegiance-

All-Mother, grant me grace to defeat

all things that cannot be bent,

Will to master the those

who should be changed,

and the might to change

the fools into wisemen.



We grow ever stronger,

under your sigil,

we praise thy name,

unmoving and forever the same.

Ye who have loved us,

cherished us above all others,

blessed us endlessly,

we swear fealty to your name.



O All-Mother,

Hallowed is your name.



The church of Zellune is broken into two divergent denominations, the oft placid and muted Dwarven sect and the stark authoritarian faith-touting Elven sect. While these groups follow the same deity they differ harshly; the Dwarven belief being more focused on humility, neutrality, compassion, and order, the Elven beliefs are set to ingrain certain stigmas into one's mind such as a sense of superiority, fanatic worship of Zellune and nature and Elven-kind above all, and deeming heretics as undeserving of life. The Dwarven sect has managed to flourish somewhat after the Second Era, even starting an offshoot in the form other Mortal-folk taking up the faith and dubbing themselves as Druids in service of Zellune; The Elven sect has remained solely exclusive to Elves for obvious reasons. Both sects have begun to dwindle as well due to the intermingling between the Dwarves & Elves with Humans, the Human Patrons are steadily becoming more popular among the other Mortal-folk due to the prevalence of believers, abundance of places of faith, and granting considerably more lax dogma than either sect of Zellune's faith. Yet, faiths are harder to kill than any man, the Dwarven sect and the Elven sect show no signs of passing on into a simple thought of the past anytime soon.



The Priests of the faith of Zellune are known as Vicars whether female or male, the highest authorities of the faith are the Dwarven Guardians of the Land and the Elven sect's Masters of the Land. Guardians and Masters are only of noble birth, they are brought into the faith by the ritual tradition of Patron's Way which leads them to become heavily devout leaders for their people; neither are required to wear any special garb that flaunts their status as a core member of the faith aside from the sigil amulets which every follower of the All-Mother tends to wear. The Guardians and Master do very little for the faith aside from aiding the Vicars with their troubles and seeking to uphold all of the All-Mother's ways as their holy duty. Vicars preach the faith, lead the believers down the path of righteousness, bless newborns, legitimize marriages in the name of the All-Mother, and preach the creed of the All-Mother above all other deities.



Druids are denizens of Yandora who have forsaken their worldly belongings, titles
, and lands upon undertaking their path to becoming an earnest follower of the faith in mind, body, and spirit; they reject many imposed notions of society such as currency, classes, and fashion in the belief that they are wickedly grandiose. Some of them wield a strange type of magic that is only known to them, this branch of magic is focused upon manipulation and communication with nature and all its forms. All Druids wear special handcrafted amulets of the faith which hold the sigil of Zellune in a circle, it has been noted that these amulets hold a foreign mystic energy, but that may merely be Druidic belief. The Druids have ranks which denote their years of service and skill in the faith, a Fellow is reserved for newcomers who have yet to become a true Druid, a Druid for those who have spent at least four years in practice, and the Elders who have spent no less than One-Hundred and twenty Lunar Cycles being devoted to Zellune's dogma. They take to living in peaceful communes lead by Elder Druids, these communities that can be found in forests, jungles, plains, and mountainous regions of the Yandora. The Druids spend years under the tutelage of the Elders, the Elder Druids are considered the men and women closet to the All-Mother and Nature as a whole so they naturally are looked upon with remarkable respect by those who walk the path of a Druid. 


Temples to the All-Mother are nonexistent in much of the known world, the Dwarves of the Felgorie Mountains and Druids maintain chapels and altars of prayer instead, however, the Elves of the Choking Greenwood claim to have built their own grand cathedral deep in the heart of their lands though it is reserved for Elves. The Elves do maintain that the realm of Telamere has strong temples with crystal peaks that pierce the sky and floors of stark white stone that shine so brightly one could spot their own reflection in the pristine tiles. As these temples are lost to the faithful of Yandora in recent years the Dwarves and Druids have begun the construction of a Holy Site of worship in the Felgorie Glen.