Iridescent Tones

The Iridescent Tones is a polytheistic religion practiced in Hallandren on Nalthis. This religion teaches that the Returned are gods.
== Teachings ==
=== Peacegiver and Kalad ===
Peacegiver has a central place in the Iridescent Tones. He is often referred to as Peacegiver the Blessed, although some priests call him Lord Peacegiver. Many Hallandren also consider him to be a god of gods. Peacegiver is sometimes, though not always, considered to have been the first God King. The Hallandren consider his name to be holy. They also consider Peacegiver to be the one who gave them life.
The Hallandren believe that Peacegiver returned to life with a specific purpose: to stop the conflict between men and to bring peace to Hallandren. They also believe that he gave them the Light of Peace, telling the Hallandren to keep it safe, as well as to never use it. In their theology, Peacegiver died to give his Breaths to the Hallandren. However, he also demanded that it be held in case he should Return again and need it. The Hallandren believe that it is very important that the Breath isn't used.
The Hallandren view Peacegiver as a holy figure and a god because he protected them from Kalad, driving him away and saving the Hallandren people. He also brought peace to the world by stopping the Manywar.
Kalad also has a central place in the Iridescent Tones. He is considered to be evil and destructive. The Hallandren believe that the Royal Family of Hanald aligned themselves with Kalad, ignoring the will of the people and seeking the war with bloodlust. 
He is the creator of Kalad's Phantoms, a new and more powerful type of lifeless. Although nobody remembers what kind of lifeless they were, they are considered to be frightening and terrible. Many people believe that after Peacegiver sent them away, Kalad's Phantoms still roam the jungle, waiting for Kalad to return.
=== The Iridescent Wave and the Afterlife ===
The Hallandren believe that when a person dies, they leap across a thing called the 'Iridescent Wave.' When a person decides to Return they leap back across to the world of the living, although this process leaves the memory fragmented.
There is an afterlife or heaven, and people are at peace there. In the afterlife, the future is visible, like a scroll.
=== Holidays and Curses ===
There is a holiday known as Gods Feast, on which people take the evening off and feast together. The Wedding Jubilation is a weeklong holiday in which the Hallandren celebrate the marriage of the God King. During this time, the queen is not allowed to leave the palace. At the end of this holiday, the queen is officially presented to the Court of Gods.
The Hallandren often use curses related to Colors or the Iridescent Tones. The Hallandren don't curse with the names of their gods; this is because most gods don't like their names being used as an oath. Known curses include:
* How in the name of the Colors
* Colors!
* By the Colors
* What in the name of the Iridescent Tones
* for the Colors' sake
* Kalad's Phantoms!
== The Returned ==
=== Returning ===
Some people die in a way that exemplifies the great virtues of human existence, like bravery or honesty. These people are then sent back by the Iridescent Tones. The Hallandren believe that the Returned are sent back to act as examples, and as gods, to the living. The religion teaches that each god represents an ideal related to the way they died.
=== Duties ===
When a follower seeks a blessing, they can send an offering to one of the gods, usually the god corresponding to what the follower wishes. These offerings usually take the form of a painting or some other type of art, such as a poem. The priests both record the god's actual words and make an interpretation of what the god thinks, be it for good or for ill, and deliver these to the patron. Even just sending an offering brings you a measure of good fortune, although the better the rating your offering gets the more good fortune you get. Most patrons don't make their offerings themselves, instead paying someone to do it for them. This means that the more a patron is ready to pay, the better their offering and the more good fortune they get. Offerings are made specifically for the intended god, and only they, besides a few of their priests, are allowed to see them.
Another duty of the Returned is receiving petitions. Anyone can come and petition the gods. Usually these people request healing, although not always for themselves, and sometimes they ask for other things, such as a job. The petitions offer a final, although unlikely, hope, because one day one of the followers will receive a miracle. The petitions are supposed to help the gods remember why they Returned.
The Returned also provide leadership to the Hallandren. This manifests as the Returned voting on issues. The gods are divided into subgroups, each having responsibility over a certain area. Some gods are in charge of civic issues; others govern agreements and treaties. They vote during assemblies. During a main assembly, all of the gods get together and vote on an issue. The outcome is known as the Will of the Pantheon. The Returned have the right to disobey the Will of the Pantheon.
=== Abilities ===
The Hallandren ascribe many abilities to the Returned, some fictional and some factual. Examples are things like controlling the rain, but also being unable to go mad or to have headaches. The Hallandren believe that the Returned have goals they want to accomplish.
Denying a request from one of the Returned will cause great peril to your soul. The Returned are believed to be able to take your soul, although this is different than the Idrian belief of them sucking Breath from people. It is also considered improper for a Returned to stoop.
It is also believed that the Returned have prophetic dreams, which is at least partly true. The high priest of each god writes down the dreams of their god the moment that god wakes up. The Returned are also considered to be wise. As the Returned are oracles, it is very important that they don't interact with the subject of their predictions, for if they do it could unbalance a great many things.
=== The God King ===
The first God King is believed to have received his Breath and life from Peacegiver himself. Since that day, each God King has fathered a stillborn son who then Returned and took his place. It is unknown to the Hallandren how Peacegiver made the first God King, as Breath does not make the recipient divine.
The God King is special, beyond being a Returned. The doctrines teach that the earth itself is too base for him. He achieved transcendence before he was born, but Returned to bless his people. The God King also represents all Colors. When a new God King is chosen, all of his servants are replaced.
The God King's will is law; due to this, he needs no reason or justification for what he does. No one, except for the queen and a small number of dedicated servants, is allowed to touch him. It is believed that God Kings can heal more than one person, as opposed to a normal Returned.
== The Priesthood ==
The Iridescent Tones have many priests. These priests have mostly religious responsibilities, although they also rule the empire in the name of their king. The main job of the priests is to care for the Returned. This includes making sure that the Returned have enough food and drinks to enjoy, dressing them, and other such duties. The priests organize the interactions between the Returned and the citizens, including the weekly offering of Breath that the Returned require to survive and the daily hearing of petitions. Usually, there isn't a moment when a Returned is without his retinue of priests. Priests are also allowed to argue in the arena, a happening which serves to keep the gods informed of the common people's opinions. Priests don't take pay for their services. Priests can't say anything about the life before their god Returned. It is a sacred tenet that the servants of a god don't repeat what they hear in confidence. 
All priests wear robes, and some priests, likely the more important ones, wear miters. It seems the more important one is the more intricate one's robe and miter becomes. The robes of the priests are the colors of their god, with the God King's priests wearing different colors every day. All priests take oaths when they join the priesthood. These oaths include, among others, oaths that make the priest obligated to answer any god's questions.
The priests of the God King know that the God King cannot bear a child. Instead, they pronounce the queen pregnant and act like she gave birth to a Returned baby, who previously Returned somewhere else in the empire. 
=== High Priests ===
Each of the Returned, including the God King, has a high priest. These priests wear intricate robes and miters. Their robes are the same colors as their god. To become a high priest, you have to study theology. The God King's high priest is formally addressed as "Your Excellency." It is unclear whether all high priests have this title, or just the God King's high priest.
The high priests are almost always near their gods. They are also one of the few priests allowed to see the offerings. Some high priests argue in the arena, although this isn't restricted to high priests, and they aren't obligated to. During a main assembly, the high priests are responsible for communicating their god's opinion to the public and to the other gods. It is customary to kneel down in front of their god and ask for an answer. When they have an answer, they will join the other high priests, carrying either a green flag for a favorable response or a red flag for dissatisfaction.
== History ==
=== The Manywar ===
The Hallandren believe that sometime around the year 0, Kalad Returned and aligned himself with the Royal Family of Hanald, seeking war with the other Nalthian Nations. He made a large and terrifying army of lifeless called Kalad's Phantoms, who lived on in Hallandren mythology. 
Eventually, Kalad seized control of Hanald and declared war on a number of nations, starting an incredibly destructive war which played a major role in Hallandren mythology. Lore held that it was during this time that Peacegiver Returned. He then defeated Kalad and seized control of Kalad's Phantoms. He immediately sought to end the war with diplomacy, in which he succeeded, saving Hallandren and a number of other nations from doom.
The Hallandren felt betrayed by Austre, whom they believed had abandoned them to Kalad; because of Peacegiver's actions, they started worshipping the Returned. During this time, the Cult of Returned, which was already worshipping the Returned, rose to prominence and eventually evolved into the Iridescent Tones.
=== The God Kings ===
Eventually Peacegiver bestowed his Breaths onto a priest called Susebron, ordering the priesthood to keep his Breaths safe and never to use them until he came back and reclaimed them. This priest became the first God King. The priests took Peacegiver's command seriously, cutting out the tongue of the God King, and continued to do so for the next three hundred years.
After this first God King, four more God Kings reigned, each of them called Susebron. Each God King would bear the Light of Peace and add to it.
== Notes ==