The Secrets (En Cyfrin)

Belief in "The Secrets" is an ancient elvish druidic religion, originating from Gwyddon, in the north-east of the continent. Through elven traders and migrants, however, it spread across the continent, and many local religions are built on its ancient foundations. The cyfrian pantheon is large indeed, as almost every natural point of interest is believed to have a godly guardian. Magic is percieved as an inborn gift, given to men and elves by their divine creators, and thus, those who manage to master its currents are held in the highest esteem by the cyfrian worshipers. Indeed, the highest ranking druids, the leaders of the Inner Circle and headmasters of the religion, are even required to master at least some aspects of magic.

En Cyfrian followers are also known for building megalithic structure, and for their usage in the worship.

## Cyfrian Theory

Cyfrians worship a myriad of Gods, who are divided into two kinds, different in nature and power. Only through their cooperation however their synergy, has the World been made as beautiful as it is. This philosophy is greatly highlighted in their creation myth. According to cyfrian legends, the very existence of our World has only been made possible thanks to a fusion of two primordial pillars of existence. Thus, the theme of the synergy of contradictions is resonating through most of gwyddonian and cyfrian myths and customs.

## The Creation Myth

The following texts are modern interpretations of the works of the early Druids. In view of the earlier use of narcotics in worship and divination, which was abandoned a century ago, please take these texts with a grain of salt (a big one).

***The Secrets***

*In the beginning, there were only the vast halls of Reality. And in these halls dwelled two Secrets, that have brought this Reality into being, and that were maintaining its course. Now, these Secrets bore many names but for clarity, i will only mention a few. The first one was called „Matter“ or „Space“, and its purpose was „being“. The second one was called „Time“ or „ Spirit“, and its purpose was „meaning“. The „what“ and the „how“. Now, each of the two Secrets gave birth to a myriad of creatures/spirits, that were meant to protect them, and that came from the very essence of the said secrets. While each spirit born from the Secrets was different in mind and power, uniting elements could be found among their ranks. The spirits born from Matter were united by the urge to create. The spirits born from Time were united by the urge to maintain. And so it came to pass that a strife arose between the two crowds of contradicting nature.*

*\*Signed Arch-Druid Coch the Insane\**

***Of Matter, and the Creation of the World***

*In that time, before the Earth came into being, the spirits of Matter became bored, and their will to create new things tortured them greatly. Thus, they laid hands upon the Secret of Matter, and shaped it into a sphere. And the spirits inscribed the shpere with many vales and veins, and made great mountains and hills from its matter, for they found great joy and amusement in such creative endeavour. And the Secret of Matter they locked deep below the upper crust of this sphere, in the very heart of this „World“, for that is what the spirits began to call it. But as they continued in the shaping of this World, they found less and less joy in their work, and indeed, all of their labour suddenly seemed meaningless. For beautiful as their work might have been, it was lacking something vital, crucial to its finalization. The spirits stopped their work and sat down in thought, searching for the vitality their World lacked. After some time, the wisest among their ranks came with an answer, and it was as simple, as it was tricky. The essence their World lacked was, of course, the secret of Time. Without Time, without the Spirit and the „Meaning“, it was not surprising, that their work seemed meaningless. And so, the spirits of Matter decided to steal the Secret of Time, and embed it in their World, their Creation.*

*\*Signed Arch-Druid Coch the Insane\**

***Of the theft of the Secret of Time***

*Now as we know, the spirits of Matter have decided to steal the Secret of Time, and to embed it in their World. But such theft was no easy task. Thus, they elected the strongest and most witty among them, a young spirit called Gwynne, to infiltrate the ranks of the spirits of Time, and to deceive them and steal their Secret. And Gwynne, following the orders of his siblings, travelled to the realms of Time, and befriended its spirits. And he indeed managed to steal their Secret, the Secret of Time. But as he escaped their halls, his eyes came upon Arianne, a spirit of Time, and his mind stopped for a moment. And it is said that in that moment, Gwynne, as the first being ever, experienced love, for immense was the beauty and grace of Arianne. But as Gwynne stood and looked upon Arianne, his theft of the Secret was discovered by the spirits of Time, and he would have died, had it not been for his brothers, who charged in to help him, and to escort him along with the Secret back to the World. Now were both Secrets in the hands of the spirits of Matter, but their deeds were revealed to the spirits of Time, and thus they had to act fast.*

*\*Signed Arch-Druid Coch the Insane\**

***How the World gained its Hearth***

*Now as we know, the spirits of Matter had both Secrets in their hands. But they were aware, that the spirits of Time will try to get their Secret back. To keep the Secrets safe, and to give their World the “meaning” they craved. They combined the two Secrets into One, and placed it into the Hearth of their World. By doing this, the Reality was reduced to the World alone. For this reason, the World is the only place that truly exists, and beyond its borders, nothing awaits.*

*The spirits of Time were enraged by the actions of the spirits of Matter, and they entered the World to stop them. This act of rage and revenge was frankly the only thing that saved them from extermination, because minutes after the host of Time entered the World, the rest of Reality collapsed, and they would have all perished. The collapse of Reality fueled the rage of the spirits of Time, and they challenged the spirits of Matter to a battle. The spirits of Matter accepted.*

*From this battle, only a few spirits survived. And so terrible was the battle, that these spirits have been scattered across the whole World, weakened and lost, unable to find each other. Lost were the spirits of Matter, lost were the spirits of Time. But both kindreds, as they explored the newly formed World, now with the Secrets in its Hearth, realized it was beautiful. Masterfully crafted by the hands of the Matter and given life and meaning by the Time, the World was more fair and splendid than anything they have ever seen. Even the spirits of Time came to love it, and many of them decided to help the spirits of Matter in shaping the World into greater beauty. And yet, the differences of the two hosts remained. The spirits of Matter craved to change the World, and the spirits of Time craved to preserve it unchanged.*

*\*Signed Arch-Druid Coch the Insane\**

***Of the Gods***

*On that day gained the World the form we all know. The spirits, or Gods, as the men and elves began to call them, created mountain ranges, trees, animals, plants, rivers and seas, and even the Sun and Moon along with the Stars, who are the embodiments of the Gods. And men and elves, they created too.*

*For our existence, we should be grateful to Gwynne. For he, as the first being in our Reality ever, fell in love with spirit Arianne, and as the only Gods, they bore two children. Arianne gave birth to twins, two boys, who later became known as Gwydion and Annawer. And for their love of the World, Gwynne and Arianne became its almighty guardians. For Gwynne took the form of our Sun, and Arianne of the Moon. Such was their love for the World and their children, that they, the primordial lovers and patrons of love, were willing to separate themselves for long years, after which only a short meeting came, to guard the World from outer and inner threats. And for that reason are the Eclipses the greatest celebrating days of love, as the two lovers in the Skies meet for a fleeting moment, only to continue their arduous task after some minutes again.*

*It is important to mention, that the World was not shaped in cooperation. For each God had its own vision of how to make it more beautiful and lusher. One God, for example, had the seas in his mind. So he created them. Other god wished to see the World bathed in light, so he created fire. And another one in darkness…. Indeed, each element and almost every notable creation of natute in our world has its patron, its creator, who watches over its work with great care.*

*\*Signed Arch-Druid Penfri the White\**

***The Origins of Men and Elves***

*As we know, the Gods Gwynne and Arianne gave birth to two sons, Gwydion and Annawer. It is important to mention, that they were exemplary twins in all aspects possible, and as such, the two brothers ever had a good and strong relationship. Even despite their differences… Now, they did inherit their fathers will to create new things, and they soon became bored of the World as it was. They felt it was empty, and without someone to appreciate the Godly work done upon it. Being twin brothers, they came with very similar ideas of how to solve their little problem. For each of them took a part of their essence (which was doubled in comparison to other Gods, as they were the result of a combination of a Godly pair), and used it to create a form of an “animal”, yet more intelligent and creative. Gwydion, having his mothers nature, created the race of elves, and he made them long-lived, unchanging and slow, for his greatest desire was bliss eternal, and the World frozen in a state of unending joy. But Annawer, his brother, was nothing alike. He, like his father, loved the surprises and thrills of change, and was annoyed with the current stability of the World. And so, he created the race of men, short lived but fiery tempered, capable of using their short lives to create and achieve great things. Far greater than any elf would ever dream of (or wish for). And he, Annawer, also created a new element in this World, that he deemed spoiled by its stillness. He created death. He used his power to bend the whole world and everything within to his will, so every place, creature and thing would bend to the currents of decay. And he knew his deed was good. For what is beauty without ugliness, what joy does the youth bring without the fear of aging and death. And what light is there without darkness.*

*The other Gods, however, were not as pleased with his deeds as he was. Not pleased at all, for they (after eons of separation, they ((for the first time)) gathered in a meeting) all came to a meeting, and condemned Annawer to a punishment fitting his deeds. Despite the pleading of Gwynne, Gwydion and Arianne was Annawer banished from the upper crusts if the World, and was condemned to create and manage the World of the Dead, which would soon, thanks to his invention, fill with newcomers.*

*Thus, he is often being referred to as “Lord of the Dead” or “Lord of the Underworld”, while Gwydion his twin bears the title of the “Lord of Life”.*

*\*Signed Arch-Druid Penfri the White\**

## Cyfrian Deities

Cyfrians, as we know, believe that nearly every hill has its divine protector. Some Gods, however, are believed to be more powerful than the others, and play an important role in the very creation of the World, and in the legends that it would host.

Here is a short list of the most important ones:

* Arianne- Goddess and embodiment of the Moon, mother of Gwydion and Annawer, Spirit of Time
* Gwynne- God and embodiment of the Sun, father of Gwydion and Annawer, Spirit of Matter
* Gwydion- God of agriculture, summer and fertility, father of the elves, first lord of Gwyddon Annawer-God of death, the underworld and winter, father of the men
* Rowenna-Goddess of rivers and lakes, Spirit of Time
* Brenna- Goddess of the sea, Spirit of Time
* Hydrill-Goddess of shadow, Spirit of Time
* Arwn- Goddess of the Spirit, Spirit of Time
* Oridd- God of fire and heat, Spirit of Matter
* Twyll- God of light, Spirit of Matter
* Garrydwn- God of substance, Spirit of Matter
* Godewynn- God of mountains, Spirit of Matter
* Fí-Goddess of the wind, Spirit of Time
* Sisters of Celes- A vast number of Spirits of Time, embodying the Stars

## Cyfrian History

It is said that Gwydion, when he created the elves, made his home in todays Gwyddon (hence the name of the realm). That moment is rumored to be the wellspring of the cyfrian cult, as he taught the elves the lore of the land and the customs they should follow in order to worship the Gods properly.

After Gwydion departed from the land of the elves, the arch-druids, his disciples, continued the practices he taught them, and they continue them until today.

## Cyfrian Practices

Representants of the Cyfrian Church are the druids. They interpret the will of the Gods, read their signs aswell as govern the usage of magic. They locate the focus points of magic, where its currents are the steongest, and build monolithic structures therein, in order to involve its torrent.

Common people often seek aid, council and healing from the druids, and they recieve help aplenty. They also recieve the will of the Gods, which they try to follow...