Laethonite

== Laethonite ==
Laethonite (in Ashalic: Laethonŷt) is a religion, originating from southern TalasiTalasi. In summary, Laethonite is the belief in the mythology, that is widespread in the culture of the Ashali peopleAshali people. This mythology is said to be told to an unknown Ashalian in a cave in the Coralis mountain range by the messanger spirit Talnic. In the span of three weeks the mythology was compltely told to the Ashalian who then spread it in Ashalisk. The belief has lasted for hundrades of years in the Ashalian culture and it is one of the most important parts of their identity. The religion is said to promote physical strengh, improvement of self and betterment of society over one's selfish goals. Laethonite is practiced today only in the region of Ashalia and its place of origin is the city of Ashalisk.
=== Discovery of Laethonite by the first Ashali settlers ===
Hundreds of years ago, a dwarven exploration ship crashed near the stony shores in an unknown land. The icy waters and strong winds caused the crew to lose control of the vessel as they veered directly into an iceberg. The ship’s hull cracked in half with a deafening sound. The men and women of this ship rushed to secure their cargo, and fled on rowboats to the shore. On shore, a makeshift camp was constructed with great difficulty. Nothing could be dug into the ground, as it was frozen solid, and fires were difficult to maintain with the roaring winds. Conditions looked bleak for these explorers. Three scouts were sent to explore the terrain and find a more suitable location for survival. The fate of the first two scouts is unknown. The third, a young man whose name is lost to time, returned many weeks later. 
The young man traveled due north of the camp’s location, climbing the steep Coralis mountain range with few supplies. As he climbed, he noted the features of the landscape, attempting to draw a crude map in order to direct his crewmates. Many trees and rocks made the trip difficult and confusing, and he quickly lost his way. As night descended, the wind picked up and the man knew he must find shelter. Looking around, he spotted a small cave. The cave seemed to be drawing him near, almost glowing. As he cleared the rubble and entered the cave, the man sat down, exhausted. 
He awoke many hours later to the sounds of whispering and bright lights floating around the cave. The sounds and lights drew him further into the cave, which grew brighter the deeper he went. The sounds grew clearer until he reached what appeared to be a corpse. 
The corpse had no eyes nor nose, but spoke through an opening that resembled a mouth, beckoning him closer, despite his best judgement. “I am Talnic, spirit of messengers,” whispered the creature to the man. The man was frozen in fear, but listened with intent. The spirit continued, “Your opening of this cave has freed me from my prison. As such, I shall reward you. What do you seek, boy?” The man attempted to speak, but couldn’t. Still, the spirit seemed to understand. “I shall provide you what you seek, but listen close,” whispered Talnic. “This tale shall lead you to your new homeland, and your people will prosper.” 
The spirit proceeded to tell the man of the creation of the world, the spirits Froshae, Sucad, Shaxes, and more. At the story’s end, the man once again fell asleep. When he awoke, the spirit was gone. The man, feeling rejuvenated, left the cave to continue his journey. When he unfurled his crude map, he found it had been replaced with a detailed map of the region, with a star marking a spot near the mountaintops. Next to the star was the name “Ashalisk”. 
The man returned to his people, who appeared shocked to see his return. What he thought was just an overnight trip actually lasted several weeks. Still, the people celebrated his return and traveled to the site of their new promised land, the city of Ashalisk.
=== Mythology of the Laethon ===
The following is a direct translation of the book "Laethon" to English:
==== Creation of Abexilas ====
Before time as we know it, the lone spirit Froshae wandered the aether, coming upon a world of pure heat. The lands were encompassed with fire and lava, a desolate place. Froshae, tired of their solitude, saw this place as an opportunity. She breathed the cooling winds of freedom and life onto the flames, causing them to cool and form land. This land from then on became known as Abexalis. 
Unsatisfied, Froshae blew life into the land once more. Froshae’s second breath brought with it nature and beauty to the now-cooled lands of Abexalis. Froshae explored their new lands, but the sense of loneliness endured. 
Once more, Froshae breathed life. This time, twin spirits sprung forth from Froshae’s breath. The intertwined spirits, Sucad and Shaxes, battled from the beginning. Froshae separated the two in an attempt to end their fighting.  Once separated, the two could not be more separate. Shaxes exuded an unfamiliar feeling, that of calm and peace. Sucad, however, brings with them restless feelings of hatred and madness. For an amount of time incomprehensible to humans, Froshae attempted to control Shaxes and Sucad. Froshae grew tired of their bickering, and freed the two spirits. It is from this point that Froshae is known as the spirit of freedom.
During that time, a multitude of minor creatures and spirits were created by the three major spirits. Eventually, humans were spawned by Froshae, who bestowed upon the humans the gift of freedom. The creation of humans gave way to a new battleground for Shaxes and Sucad. They sent fragments of themselves into humans, creating a cycle of war and peace, of violence and calm. 
Dissatisfied with this cycle of human warfare, Sucad crafted a plan to rid Abexalis of Shaxes for good. To do this, Sucad created a beast called Toziash. First, Sucad crafted the beast’s body from the earth itself, imbuing it with the power of the flames that once consumed Abexalis. Next, Sucad stole the scales of a dragon for the beast’s armor. For arms and legs, Sucad stole these from a human. To give the beast the power of flight, Sucad stole winds of flight from Froshae. Finally, Sucad gave the creature part of their spirit.
Once born, the creature, Toziash, immediately ripped through the landscape, with a lust for blood that was unquenchable. Heading straight for the realm of Shaxes, the beast was met with a large army of spirits. A fierce battle broke out, ending with Toziash torn into three pieces, returning to Sucad with shame. 
Sucad raged for ages. Their scream ripped the lands apart, creating oceans, rivers and canyons. Toziash begged for forgiveness, explaining that the messenger spirit, Talnic, informed Shaxes of their plan, describing the spirit army. Sucad knew this to be true, but punished the creature in spite of this. Toziash was banished to the realm of the cold. 
The realm of cold, that very point from which Froshae breathed life into the earth, remains frozen year-round as a result of Froshae’s powerful breath. For many years, Toziash wailed from hunger amidst the mountains of the realm of the cold. 
One fateful day, Talnic arrived to Toziash with a message. The spirits of the world tired of hearing Toziash’s cries. As an offering, the spirits re-formed Toziash, so that they may use their powers of fire to warm the region for half of the year. During this time, Toziash may feast as they wish, so long as their cries are gone. However, during the other half of the year, Toziash must slumber, bringing the return of winter. As the feasting period begins, and enduring throughout, a bright star is visible in the East, known as Elinae. The star is bright enough to wake Toziash from their slumber.
=== Laethonite spirits ===
The following is a list of spirits and their official and unofficial affiliations (Unofficial affiliations are accepted but considered not as important as the official affiliations, mainly for the sake of brevity):
==== Major spirits ====
===== Froshae =====
* Official affiliations: Flight and freedom
* Unofficial affiliations: Life, enlightenment, breath/air
* The main teaching of froshae is freedom. While Froshae has blessed the humans with freedom, many believe that it is but a low level of freedom, and that in order to be truly free (and truly one with Froshae), one must resolve to give up all fears, worries, and concerns.
===== Sucad =====
* Official affiliations: Hatred and madness
* Unofficial affiliations: War, violence, and rage
* Sucad is part of the sacred cycle of war and peace. Many sacrifice to Sucad to gain advantage in war. Prayers for Sucad’s spirit to descend upon warriors before a battle are common.
===== Shaxes =====
* Official affiliations: Peace and Calm
* Unofficial affiliations: Silence
* Shaxes is the other part of the sacred cycle of war and peace. Prayers to Shaxes are often made in times of war in hopes of ending the war. Shaxes is also prayed to in order to ease the mind and nerves.  
==== Minor spirits ====
===== Toziash =====
* Official affiliations: Savagery and Bloodlust
* Unofficial affiliations: Summer, heat, and battle
* Toziash is one of the only spirits with a constant physical form. Toziash takes the form of a winged dragon with the arms and legs of a human man. Toziash is prayed to in a large festival at the beginning of summer, once Elinae is spotted in the sky. Large sacrifices are made in Toziash’s name in order to quench their hunger and bloodlust.
===== Talnic =====
* Official affiliations: Messengers
* Unofficial affiliations: Speed and communication
* The messenger spirit, Talnic has no official form but takes a physical form when communicating with humanity. Talnic is most often venerated for their delivery of the creation myth to humanity.
===== Elinae =====
* Official affiliations: Luck
* Unofficial affiliations: None
* Elinae, the spirit of luck, shares this name with the star that signals the beginning of summer. Elinae grew from this star, descending upon humanity to bestow luck to them. Followers pray to Elinae for luck, and some claim to have a lucky fragment of the star that has fallen to earth, often in the form of jewelry.
=== Laethonite Organization ===
==== Laethonikum ====
The main religious authority is composed of a council located in the religious center of Laethonite. The council can be composed of 2-5 individuals who display devotion to Laethonite and a deep understanding of the Laethon. The council, known as the Laethonikum, is in charge of the following things:
# Organizing and approving religious ceremonies and events
# Training missionaries to spread the word of the Laethon.
# Ensuring proper interpretation of religious texts. 
# Managing the Laethonite priests.
## Ensuring that priests are spreading the word of Laethon with the proper interpretation.
## Ensuring that priests maintain religious activity in their specified region and keep up religious fervor.
## Replacing priests as needed in case of illness, vacation, death, or misconduct. 
==== Priests ====
Priests of Laethonite must be well versed on the Laethon and fervent followers of the spirits. Priests are assigned to conduct ceremonies and spread the word of the Laethon in their specified region, which may contain multiple small cities or one large city. The following responsibilities are expected of priests:
# Conduct ceremonies on major religious holidays or as requested by the Laethonikum.
# Spread the word to the people in the assigned region.
# Uphold the values of Laethonite. 
# Be upstanding citizens (No/minimal history of improper conduct as stated in the Stoneworks Rule book).
Category:Religions