The Faith of the Nine

## History

Worship of the Nine is said to have existed long before The Great Convergence, but fell out of favor when the world tore itself apart. New species appeared that had little to no knowledge of the Nine, and the few races that remembered the old ways were quite keen to leave the atrocities of the past behind them.
The Age of Upheaval found itself in the midst of the religious void, and in that the people, in their near-barbaric state, turned to the Spirits of Nature; communing with the spirit energy that permeated the planet allowed them access to some of the Ley Lines of Tymarel. It wasn't until well into the founding of the Arkhosian Empire that a more organized religion began to form. The citizens of the Empire, so enamored with the Golden One, began to worship their Dragon-Emperor as a god made flesh. This small act was the catalyst that would spark the eventual downfall of the Last Great Empire of Tymarel.

With the War of Ruin well in hand, the denizens of Tymarel bore witness to the power of the Pantheon, and when the dust settled, a new religion was formed. Paying homage to the nine gods of the pantheon, the Faith of the Nine was born and quickly spread to the farthest reaches of known world. To this day, whether out of piety, tradition, or fear, the Faith of the Nine is still practiced in all corners of the world.

## Beliefs

While immortal, the gods are not all-good or even all-powerful. They must obey fate, which permeates everything in the Astral Sea and overrides any divine powers or wills. The gods are not infallible, with Dumat championing the cause for gods being judged for their misdeeds. Able to take mortal form, the gods do so to sparingly, they typically interact with their faithful by manipulating their domains and regions of influence, however they have been known to bestow boons and even allow the manipulation of divine magic by their most devout.

### Current Pantheon

* Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon - God of Protection, Justice, Loyalty, and Honor
* Decima, the Eye of Fate - Goddess of Winter, Fate, Seers, and Death
* Morduin, the Anvil of Creation - God of Art, Civilization, and Smithing
* Aelmar, the Flame of Vengeance - God of Summer, Sun, Crusaders, Vengeance, and Strategy
* Xanathos, the Cloven Trickster - God of Vices, Thieves, Shadows, the Moon, and Lies
* Kalgoros, the Bastion of Victory - God of Autumn, Soldiers, Battle, Courage, and Wrath
* Valythria, the Seed of Life - Goddess of Spring, Magic, Music, and Fertility
* Lathorius, Archon of the Hunt - God of Sailors, Spirits, Fishermen, and Hunters
* Eladarath, the Ever-Seer - God of Arcane, Lore, Scholars

### Fallen Deities

* Dumat, the Oath Breaker - God of Tyranny, Slavery, Pride, and Contracts

## Practices

### Styles of Worship

Temples of the Faith are nine-sided buildings, with each wall dedicated to one of the nine aspects. Followers of the Faith gather in the temples for group prayer, which frequently involves singing hymns of praise to the Nine. There are also monasteries, where smaller numbers of worshipers gather who have taken a monastic oath. Monastic orders often have taken vows of silence or other requirements, and are places of quiet contemplation.

### Knighthood

Mounted warriors known as knights dedicate themselves to a code of behavior known as chivalry, heavily influenced by the Faith of the Nine and its principles. The will of the Nine is said to favor the victor in a trial by combat.