The Way

The Way is the official state religion of the Kingdom of Wei. It is more of a philosophy than a typical religion, based on the idea of self improvement until one dies. It doesn't revere gods in the conventional sense, but has a number of Saints, mortals who exemplified the teachings of The Way in life, not necessarily knowingly, and helped teach others to follow it. That is not to say that followers of The Way do not worship gods, as there is nothing preventing them from doing so. The belief concerning gods though is that they will help those deserving of their help, not those who beg the gods constantly, and thus most feel that active worship is unnecessary, and that their deeds are the best form of worship.

It is commonly said that The Way is only mastered when one dies, and that until that point its practitioners are merely on their journey. The ideal of The Way is for its practitioners to become the best version of themselves possible, and the method of doing so is unique for each person. This means that what works for one person will not necessarily work for another, which has led to issues over the centuries.

There is a belief of the practitioners of The Way that a messianic figure will eventually emerge who will help everyone learn The Way and usher in a global age of prosperity.

Like many religions, there are a number of denominations, generally split geographically. This arose when Wei sent missionaries into the wider world, particularly the Southern Continent. In a number of the places these missionaries went, they adopted local figures who they decided were Saints of The Way who were ignorant of The Way in their lifetimes while still exemplifying its teachings and inspiring others. As such, beyond the early Saints, different denominations have different individuals they consider Saints, and different denominations will not necessarily agree as to whether someone is a Saint or not.

The Way was founded by Saint Shang the Great, an Aasimar who lived roughly 1,300 years ago, who was also the first King of Wei. The name of the Kingdom, "Wei", comes from the name of The Way in Lung. Both Wei and The Way are named so because of Saint Shang's tendency of saying "This is The Way" whenever things followed the beliefs he laid out.

## Denominations

### Traditional Wei

This is the oldest denomination. It was originally founded by St. Shang the Great in the lead up to his foundation of Wei and his completion of the quest he was sent to Erah to complete. It is centred on the Kingdom of Wei on the Eastern Continent, and the King of Wei is considered the head of the state's religion. It is the denomination from which the others emerged, and officially does not recognise the Saints of the foreign denominations as Saints of The Way.

### The Manic Way

This denomination was created by the missionaries who came to the Southern Continent and settled within the Manian Empire. They taught using the life of Gaius Manius, known to them as St. Gaius the Ambitious, as an example of what a person can do when they live life as best as they can. It is frowned upon by wider Manian society, and it is viewed even less as a religion and more of a philosophy compared to most other denominations due to the general dislike of Gaius Manius within the Empire.

### The Yeman Way

The Way has a sizeable following in the land of Yemas. When the early missionaries struggled in Mano, they thrived in Yemas, particularly in Kena. There were a number of Kenans who they adopted as Saints to highlight aspects of The Way, figures such as St. Thucydides and his student St. Xenophon. In Yemas, hero cults were a major aspect of their religion, and so the veneration by the practitioners of The Way was widely accepted as a continuation of established principles.

### The Saug Way

In the North-Western parts of Saugland, missionaries of The Way taught using the life of St. Chanakya. This denomination of The Way is considered much more of a pacifist denomination compared to others, focusing mainly on creating lasting institutions and helping society as a whole excel than just the individual. Other individuals have been accepted as Saints over the centuries.

### The Kolshet Way

Not much is known about The Way in the Kolshet Empire, but a number of its politics show similarities with The Way, and Keisara is rumoured to have lived in the Eastern Continent before becoming an adventurer, so it is thought she may be a practitioner of The Way. As such, while The Way itself may be relatively unknown in the Kolshet Empire, its teachings are thought to be found throughout society there.

## Saints of The Way

The Saints of The Way are mortals who embodied the religion's teachings and taught it to others before they died, thus achieving mastery of The Way. They are individually low-ranking divine beings after their deaths, but combined have a reasonable level of divine power. While not every denomination agrees on who has achieved Sainthood, those claimed to have done so are the following:

### Universal Saints

These Saints were recognised as such before missionaries were sent to the Southern Continent, and thus are accepted as Saints by all denominations:

* Saint Shang the Great - Aasimar who lived ~1,300 years ago who founded both The Way and the Kingdom of Wei.
* Saint Wu - Sun Genasi who lived ~800 years ago. He is one of the most well known Saints of The Way.
* Saint Rangju - Aasimar who lived ~800 years ago. Thought to have been a reincarnation of Shang the Great.
* Saint Bin the Crippled - Sun Genasi who lived ~600 years ago. A descendant of Saints Wu and Rangju.

### Later Saints of Wei

These individuals were accepted as Saints in the Kingdom of Wei after the missionaries went to other lands. They are generally accepted by other denominations.

* Saint Liao - Bamboo Spirit Folk who lived ~550 years ago. First Saint to teach the theoretical aspects of The Way instead of its practical aspects.
* Saint Shigong - Human who lived ~500 years ago. He is thought to have been closely associated with Shang the Great, though the nature of the association is still debated.
* Saint Qian - Aasimar who lived ~400 years ago. A descendant of Saint Rangju who used the lives of others as a basis of his teachings.
* Saint Liang the Unparalleled - Lived ~50 years ago. Earth Genasi who used many mystics to show that magic also has a place in The Way.

### Saints of the Manians

These Saints are generally accepted only by followers of The Way in the Manian Empire, though some in Saugland recognise Saint Flavius.

* Saint Gaius the Ambitious - Aasimar prince of the Manian Empire from ~350 years ago who launched a short-lived coup.
* Saint Flavius - Human of Manian descent from Saugland who attempted to link the Manian and Saug cultures in a meaningful way.

### Yeman Saints

These Saints are accepted in Yemas and also generally by followers of The Way in the Manian Empire. Saint Thucydides is also widely accepted in Wei itself.

* Saint Thucydides -Triton who lived in Kena ~700 years ago. Responsible for the Thucydidean Walls around the city.
* Saint Xenophon - Mountain Dwarf from Kena ~650 years ago. A student of Saint Thucydides.
* Saint Aristotle the Learned - High Elf from Kena ~650 years ago. Focused more on people as a whole than the individual person.

### Saug Saints

These Saints are accepted in Saugland. Their acceptance as Saints is often met with violence from Yeman followers of The Way, due to the many wars between the Yemans and the Saugs.

* Saint Chanakya - Human from Saugland ~600 years ago. A pacifist who focused on following The Way through the state instead of the individual.
* Saint Nitisara - Earth Genasi from Saugland ~550 years ago. A student of Saint Chanakya.