Hedatism

**Hedatism** is a polytheistic syncretic pantheon where followers worship and consult multiple gods, primarily Vertigorn the Allfather (or simply the Father) and his son Talorgan. In legend, Talorgan drove the various spirits and creatures off of the Hales, and taught his honor code to the druids of the land, which years later they made into "the Commandments".

## Tenets

### The Commandments

The commandments are as follows:

1. One shall not kill a man in dishonor,
2. One be humble before the Gods,
3. And one shall honor pious men as they do the Gods.

There is sometimes reported to be a fourth commandment, being that the first three must be followed at all times, though it varies from sect to sect. The commandments are one of the only consistent things throughout the various sects of Hedatism.

### Sects

Hedatists in each region of Hallengard are slightly different from one another. In the southern regions, rites such as human sacrifice are heavily frowned upon, and similar violences disliked. Vertigorn and Talorgan are overwhelmingly worshiped above all else, but gods fall in and out of favor at times. Some northerners hold rites such as human sacrifice and raiding to heart, often raiding as they please, and burning criminals and captives by the stake. They also mainly worship Albiorix, whom they believe themselves descendants of, rather than Talorgan. The interpretation of the Commandments can also be wildly different from region to region, with clans often getting into disagreements over them. The moment a Druid steps in, however, is the moment the disagreement stops.

### Practices

The Hedatist gods are honored by a variety of rituals, mainly consisting of sacrifice, idol worship and other offerings. Most druids rely on ancient tablets and carvings depicting the gods and their exploits. Druids are highly respected members of the Hedatist faith, and serve as moral compasses to their kinsmen, providing them with stories of the old gods as depicted in the ancient scripts of their ancestors.

### Deities

Along with the Great Father, there are various other deities that have control over some aspect of life. However, like many other things in Hedatism, the number and what these deities have control over varies drastically from sect to sect, with some saying as few as three and others saying as many as hundreds. Of these though, four are primarily accepted throughout the religion:

* Vertigorn, the God of the Sky, the God of Lords and the God of Death (known more commonly as the Allfather or Great Father)
* Monenna, the Goddess of the Moon
* Rheged, the God of the Sun
* Cobhlaith, the Goddess of Water

Other deities that commonly appear within the pantheons and myths of most Hedatist sects include:

* Bres, the Goddess of the Earth and wife to Vertigorn
* Talorgan, “the God of Men and Heroes", son of Vertigorn
* Albiorix, the God of War and the Forge, son of Vertigorn and Bres
* Satyer, the God of Trickery, son of Monenna and Rheged
* Amigulth, the God of Storms and Lightning, son of Monenna and Rheged
* Maive, the Goddess of Fertility, daughter of Vertigorn and Bres

These deities have control over separate matters, and usually see no overlap. The obvious exception to this is the Great Father, who is the god of the deities, though who is also sometimes ascribed to being the god of the sky as well. The deities are ascribed to being created by the Great Father, like everything else. Other gods, such as the Andophic Judge, are sometimes equated to deities already in Hedatism; sects very rarely deny the existence of another god entirely, choosing instead to associate with already existing deities.

## Legends

Hedatist stories are instrumental to their faith. Various holy sites throughout the Hales tell the stories of the Gods in an ancient elder tongue few today can truly translate. Luckily, long ago, they were recorded. The greatest legend by cultural impact is the story of Talorgan. By some accounts, Talorgan was the child of a human woman and Vertigorn. Others claim he was of legitimate birth, between Bres and Vertigorn. No one denies his exploits, however. Talorgan led an army of gods and men alike against the giants who plagued the Hales up until that point. Some say, Vertigorn spared his enemies no quarter, vanquishing them unto the last mother and child. Others say he killed most, and let some leave, a sign of mercy. This act of mercy and honor has come to drive what most in the southern portions of Hallengard consider the basis of the commandments.

### Creation of the World

Hedatists believe that the first Gods and Giants were born of a dragon named Siedehar, who lived at the very top of the world. Siedhar slept soundly at the top of the world, but resided over a glacier of "the thousand souls." Vertigorn, the first born among his siblings, one day teamed up with the rest of his siblings to wake up the dragon. After they all struck it at the same time, the Siedehar awoke. She bellowed a roar which shattered the ice, and blew her fire onto the glacier, melting it down. The souls spread down all the way to the bottom of the world. The souls spread evenly, and this is thought to be the basis of all life. Enraged, the dragon attempted to kill it's kin. But the Gods and Giants together slew the dragon. It's blood formed the sea, and it's carcass formed the earth. The Hales are often thought to be the remaining eye of Siedehar.

### The Creation of Man

It is said that before man, Vertigorn would often watch wolves and bears hunt. He particularly favored a pack of wolves, who worked together one day to kill a bear. Vertigorn thought, and after some time he went on a journey between worlds to seek knowledge to bestow on this pack of wolves. He traveled to the land of the giants, who have not been slew yet. He sought the sage advice of renowned giant sage, Leorix, who helped him carve the first tablet in the elder tongue, the language of the gods. Leorix granted the tablet immense magical power. But in return for this, Leorix required Vertigorn's blood. For four weeks, Vertigorn shed blood from his own veins into a giant vat. It is thought that later on, Leorix served this blood at a feast, where upon drinking the blood, his guests would become eloquent poets, able to spout the best of prose with ease. This drink is to be understood as wine. Meanwhile, Vertigorn finally bestowed the tablet to the noble wolves, who upon reading it, much to Vertigorn's surprise, the wolves appeared as Vertigorn and Bres. He bestowed upon these new men all the knowledge he could give them for all eternity, so long as they remained his people.

### The Brothers War

Albiorix is the first-born son of Vertigorn and Bres. It is said that when he was conceived, the mountains bellowed smoke and fire, and the earth shook violently. Vertigorn was gravely concerned, but his mother was not. When Albiorix was grown, it is told that he would regularly blot out the sky with ash from his fiery mountains. This angered Rheged, god of the sun. He was angry because Monenna, his wife, lived on earth, and each time he blotted out the sky, Rheged could no longer see his wife. Rheged one day confronted Albiorix about this. Enraged, Albiorix decided to deal with this the best way he knew how. Albiorix threw Monenna in a volcano, and caused it to erupt. She was thrown out of the earth, to live with her husband. Rheged was angry, but did not pursue revenge, because he could now spend eternity with his wife. Albiorix also is said to have slew the remaining dragons, descended from Siedehar, with the help of Giants and Men alike.

Vertigorn one day grew even more concerned as Albiorix roused the support of the Giants, who felt that they should be just as powerful as the gods. Albiorix would regularly aid the giants in wreaking havoc among men. For this, Albiorix was allowed to marry the daughter of the chief of the Giants. His descendants, half-Giant, and half-God, were scorned most of all by the Gods. These beings were the final straw for Vertigorn. He found a chieftess, after much searching, and sacrificed the sight in both his eyes to bestow upon the woman a baby. The Great Father said to name this child Talorgan, and to raise him well, for this child would be the God of Men.

And so she did. Talorgan was only sixteen when he commanded his first battle. He defended his home city from a Giant raid, and went one step further by laying siege to a prospering giant town. This got Albiorix's attention. He arrived with an army of his descendants and was supported by the Giants, but did not arrive in time to save the city. This was Talorgan's first victory, and he was revered by men for this. For this victory, they made him High Chief of Men. He led his soldiers to valor against the giants and descendants of Albiorix. In the final battle between the two siblings, they encountered each other on the field, and finally clashed. It is said the duel took a week to conclude. What is known is that Vertigorn stepped in to save Talorgan during the duel, bearing the blow of Albiorix's spear, which impaled him in the heart. As their father fell below them, the accounts differ on what happened next. Either Albiorix and Talorgan declared a draw, or Talorgan took the opportunity, in his brother's shock, to cleave him in half with his great axe. Either way, the war ended soon after. Albiorix abandoned the war, and also left his descendants to fend for themselves among the scattered giants. Some took up arms against the giants with the men, while others fought till the end, or escaped with the remaining Giants.

Hedatism is the primary religion in Hallengard and Ostar.