Teachings of the Tides

The Teachings of the Tides are the collective beliefs, scriptures, and philosophy of the faith of the Tides. At least one temple of the Tides can be found in most settlements along the Shatterglass Sea coast, while the main Temple is located in Il Umbral. The Order of the Tidesages inhabit and maintain the temples, as well as serving as its spiritual leaders. The leader of the Il Umbran Temple is called the Amphidrome, and has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over all other temples.

#### **The Tidemother**

*The Tidemother - A maternal, creator figure, regarded to have dominion over all other gods in the Concordat, as without the seas and the Tides, the Concordat would be destitute. She is, in a way, a patron goddess to the region. Every village, town, and city of any size has a shrine to the Tidemother, though the size and richness of the temple varies in accordance with the locals’ dependence on the sea for their livelihood. Umberlee, Sehanine Moonbow, and Deep Sashelas are, depending on the myth, either the children or creations of the Tidemother, known collectively as ‘The Tides’ and together form the personification of the varied moods of the sea/ocean.*

* Order of Tidesages

#### **Umberlee**

Umberlee, the embodiment of the raw power of the sea, is regarded as the eldest of the three Tides, created first. She is capricious and proud, and as such is regarded by many within the Concordat with reluctant respect and veneration, rather than admiration, though her followers fiercely defend her as being misunderstood. Those who are able to claim her favor, however, enjoy immense power and enjoy the envy and awe of all. Umberlee holds dominion over the forces of wind and storms, deep waters, and is heavily associated with fate. She is said to respect few of the other gods aside from her siblings, with, strangely enough, the exception of Garl Glittergold, who supposedly amuses her, and Hestia, who is said to be the one deity capable of calming her in her rages. She and Dol Arrah are said to have a particularly contentious relationship, which extends to their earthly followers, who frequently butt heads.

#### **Sehanine Moonbow**

Keen-eyed Sehanine Moonbow, the second-eldest of the Tides, it is said, was created by the Tidemother when she realized that the mortal races were helpless in the face of Umberlee’s raw power. As level-headed and logical as her older sister is emotion-driven, Sehanine holds dominion over the moon and other celestial bodies, and uses their power to tame Umberlee’s wild seas. Her ties to the moon give her control of the tide and currents, and she is held to be the one who introduced mortal races to celestial navigation, assisting in the creation of the astrolabe and sextant. Those who find themselves lost at sea after one of Umberlee’s storms can call upon Sehanine Moonbow for aid and find the stars leading them swiftly home. Unlike her elder sister, Sehanine finds worshippers even far from the sea, as the stars and moon remain stalwart and undimmed over land and her methods of navigation remain accurate.

#### **Deep Sashelas, the Dolphin Prince**

With Umberlee more enamoured of the deeper waters and more primal forces of the sea, and Sehanine Moonbow occupied countering her sister’s whims, the Tidemother found herself in need of someone to tend to the gentler aspects of her domain. Thus it was that she created Deep Sashelas from the curling foam of the waves breaking over the reefs near present-day Coralkeep. As warm as the sun-drenched shallows of the Shatterglass Sea, Deep Sashelas has a deep and abiding love for all life and seeks to protect and provide for those that live in and near the water. Their domain occupies the shallows, where the sea meets the land, and they hold power over animal and plant-life, populating even Umberlee’s chill, wild depths and Sehanine’s reliable channels with all manner of beauty and life. Fishermen especially revere Deep Sashelas, knowing that the youngest sibling can be relied upon to shield them from getting caught in the conflict between their two older sisters. Avatars of the Dolphin Prince are said to appear regularly in the Concordat, and their appearance only ever signals good fortune and times of plenty ahead for those they meet. Yet, for all their gentle aspect, their rare fury is said to put Umberlee’s to shame, should they meet with cruelty to those they protect. Additionally, it is said that the only thing that can make Umberlee and Sehanine set aside their long-standing rivalry is the need to come to the aid of their younger sibling - woe betide any who do so and unite the whims of the Tides.

#### **What The Tides Have Taught**

If you hit water while moving quickly - say, by falling - it is as if you strike solid ground. If you enter that same water slowly, it envelopes you gently, peacefully.

Evil has momentum in a person's soul. It drags on the heart. Cling to your wickedness, and the Everflowing Waters will destroy you when it comes your time to plunge in - and everyone's time comes, eventually. But acknowledge and renounce your wrongdoing, and you will stop that momentum instantly. Cultivate harmony within yourself and the world, and there is no wrong that the Tidemother won't wash away from you. She is peace, and providence, and life.

She does not ask us for worship, or supplication - we give that of our own overflowing joy and love. She asks only that we honor the life and the world she has given us. To savor it, fully and virtuously, and to steward it for all her children, present and future.