Kalvely

“*And so 'twere 'i  those days of doubt and fear, torment and brooding over the fate of the world did yet one man step forth and announce his claim to justice.  There stood ere the hysteric crowd the one known as Kalvelius.” - First Book of Kalvelius, pg 2.*

## **Introduction**

Kalvely is a religion of many names, none of which can claim to be official. Kalvely, the Kalvelian Faith, Lyrianism, Grigor, ‘the book’, the Principles, the Path, and many more are all colloquialisms spread throughout the world that invariably lead to one source: the Grigor Lyra. Such is a tome that has been reproduced dozens of times, changed, edited, annotated, misinterpreted, and reinterpreted. It is not one coherent text, but rather a bound collection of ancient lores, tales, poetry, songs, written oral histories, and philosophical musings by the great philosophers and warriors of otherwise barely remembered times. To those who lack faith, the book is nothing more than a valuable glimpse into times long past - but to those who believe, the book is a text that provides an alternative view of the world, a perspective that diverts significantly from the more consolidated and refined temperaments of modern religion.

The Kalvelian does not typically worship a God. Instead, he pays passive respect to all of them, for while recognizing their existence and contributions, he does not recognize them as the ones that truly are behind the greatest mortal achievements. Indeed, the Kalvelian’s worship is directed towards the kings and heroes of ages both long forgotten and in recent memory. The world is shaped by great actors, nations are guided to prosperity and wisdom by great kings of prodigious knowledge and reason. Threats to civilization are brought down by glorious heroes and their noble companions. Wars are fought and won by decisive figures on the battlefield, guided by commanders who have dedicated their lives to the study and advancement of military science. Advancements in science and metallurgy are brought by the scholar and the blacksmith who spent months and years perfecting their craft and experimenting with new methods. Nations are destroyed by the will of great people and rebuilt stronger by the next generation of heroes. Indeed, the Gods may help these men along their way by providing a revelation from the divine font of knowledge, or by providing a prodigious harvest that allows for continuing prosperity - but these contributions would be nothing if there was nobody to receive them. The Kalvelian is at their heart one trying to emulate the great warriors, leaders, thinkers, and scholars of the past. Those who are remembered through the ages as warriors of great skill or as uniters who brought a people together, those who made their mark onto Azura through force of will and purpose. Kalvely is not an organized faith, it cannot be. There is no priest that requires a contribution to please the ancient emperors, there are only tomes, recollections, and songs about their great deeds that one may reflect on to understand and emulate the thought processes and actions of those who built the foundations of the world we walk in today.

## **The Grigor Lyra**

“*You clamor for war so heartily, but do you not know that each of your enemies has lived just as you have, learned as you have, and loved as you have? Each stroke of that sword of yours can change history - can you comprehend that power?” - Second Book of Ecletia, pg 66*

As mentioned, the Grigor Lyra is more of a collection than a book. To that point, it actually contains many books within it. A complete Grigor Lyra, of which there are few, is a truly massive text that takes years of dedicated craftsmanship to create. This means that for most, that knowledge finds its way back to oral history, memorized by scholars and pathfinders looking to spread the ancient tales for both guidance and enjoyment. For those who can read, they are often stuck finding mere pieces of the whole, individual books, or even mere sections of books. When a devotee finds their way to a true copy, they often memorize the parts that are important to them on principle, for it is unknown to them if they will ever have the chance again. This is a great contributor as to why Kalvely is not particularly commonplace in society. Even if you know of it, you are likely unable to drum up the interest to collect the histories for yourself and learn from the ancient wisdom. Thus, the book must rely on its adherents to spread its word, holding faith that those adherents will not twist that ancient wisdom to their own ends or false interpretations. Just a noble may study the decrees of an emperor that brought his empire prosperity, so too could that noble justify his existence under the presumption that it was his status as a ‘great man’ that has led to his prominence and custodianship over the peasant masses - paying no heed to what it is that makes a leader truly worthy of respect and command.

The texts within the Grigor Lyra are split into multiple categories. The most valuable for proper believers and scholars of history are the books contained within. These are long histories or fleshed out sagas of the histories of dwarven and human kings, entire depictions of a hero’s quest to free his land from the tyranny of a legendary beast, or simply a scholar of the time’s work on the laws of the era and the comings and goings of the people of unrecognizable kingdoms. There are also songs, ranging from short hymns of brotherhood or farming work to multiple page-long laments to the collapse of ancient holds and mighty sprawling cities. Much of the populace of Ludwag, Trepheon, Hallmond, and more have unknowingly heard the songs of the Grigor Lyra, passed from mouth to mouth without recognition of the original source. There are also lores, ancient myths that do not claim to be true - these also range from epics to short moral fables on how one’s household should be managed. Many of these have found their way even into common libraries, but most are generally viewed as nothing more than entertaining stories. Most of these cannot stand on their own without the valuable context contained within the Lyra’s pages. Finally, there is the philosophy. In ages past, when the Grigor Lyra was first being compiled, the authors and scholars of the time often put their own thoughts in between the stories that they recollected. Between (and sometimes even implanted into the middle of) some of the epics and stories a reader can find the ancient treatises and thoughts of forgotten scholars. Many are unoriginal, redundant even, simply plucking out the lessons of chivalry from the past tale and writing their own thoughts on it. And yet some contradict the past story, providing an opinion to the contrary for the reader to mull over and form their own conclusions to. The Grigor Lyra is not a single brick that one can read and suddenly be given unequivocal truth, it is a contemplative history that anyone can devote their time to and find an answer in.

Below, some of the most important sections of the Grigor Lyra will be recounted.

* The Song of Clementine

“*...we build and build, and when we are done, we risk all that we have on our own folly.”*

Typically the first thing found in a Grigor Lyra copy, the Song of Clementine is a page long poem that serves as an ode to the repeating cycle of the rise and fall of empires, a song that ends with a question - can the world’s collection of wisdom grow great enough that one day, finally, we can know peace? Attributed to the scholar Clementine, it is called a song despite being more of a philosophical interjection. That being said, it is much easier to read than some of the older texts contained later and serves as a solid introduction to the content to follow.

* The Book of Camaran

“*...upon hearing of the new gold mine, he demanded the palace be entirely plated with gold.”*

The book of Camaran is a book about the titular figure Camaran, who is claimed to be the final emperor of an unnamed empire. His story is one of gross incompetence, and the book serves as a recollection of the numerous mistakes and hedonistic excesses that led to the downfall of his nation soon after his death. It serves as a cautionary tale against overindulgence and negligence in one’s affairs, but ultimately Camaran’s behavior and the wealth of his empire in the modern day is so ridiculously over the top that one can question if it was ever even possible to achieve such exuberance, much less learn from it.

* Barnabus’ Tales

“*...’My son, may you get rid of this fly on mine scalp?’, asked the father.  The son nodded, and seeing the nearest object, picked up his ax.”*

Barnabus’ Tales are the fables of the scholar Barnabus, who was skilled with implanting his moral standpoints into analogies and fables. In his text, he describes various follies that attribute to lessons on how one should conduct themselves in their daily life and with their material possessions. It advocates for stoicism, moderation, and a diligent work ethic. It also hints at morality completely foreign to folk in the present day, famously remembered by when Barnabus proclaimed that an unhappy marriage can only be ended in a trial by combat watched over by a local official. Consequently, most people don’t look towards Barnabus for ideas on law.

* The Books of Ecletia

“...*Fool, power comes by itself to the strong man. I shall rend apart all nations and only then will I be able to bring salvation and law.”*

There are multiple books of Ecletia, something seen only one other time in the entire Grigor Lyra. It is unknown what Ecletia is or was, but the books are a disconnected history of a series of wars and the personalities behind them. Ultimately, it is revealed that all of the wars being conducted by two great kings were for no purpose other than power and land. Although the wars gave rise to many great heroes and warriors on both sides, in the end, both kingdoms are completely spent and broken. The people rot in national famines, and the sense of despair is thick through the text. The heroes are all dead or have gone away in shame, and the moral tone of the nations have evaporated. Another cautionary tale about senseless warfare and bloodshed, and at the end it engages in thoroughly exploring the misery of national collapse.

* Khozurak’s Recollections

*“The utter foolishness that limp-wristed, soggy-headed, faint-hearted, crud-bearded, sod-crusted, crag-faced, coal-smeared, blind-eyed, small-headed, deaf-eared, crack-kettled, pansy-waisted, blunt-nosed, orc-looking, gnome-smelling, shiver-metal’d, high-falutin’, hammer-droppin’, milk-swillin’, cack-smellin’, water-carryin’, elf-chasin’, haggis-gulpin’, wine-lovin’, broke-legged, hump-bustin’, hand-wringin’, dirt-chewin’, brainless, gutless, goldl-.....”*

After the books of Ecletia, the scholar Khozurak wrote a lengthy treatise on his frustrations with the enduring accuracy of the book and a manifesto of his time for how the foolish leaders of his hold were recreating the same exact mistakes. He then wrote a musing on how it would be better if every hold could unite under one High King, providing a meeting place for grievances to be settled but while also providing autonomy to the holds underneath him.

* **The Books of Kalvelius**

*“There was a man born to shake all nations, to wipe away the fear and protect all lands, a hero who gave hope by sheer weight of the rumors surrounding him.”*

 Generating the namesake of the entire faith, the Books of Kalvelius are three expansive books describing the rise, the peak, and the apotheosis of the hero Kalvelius. Giving a complete account of his life, from the era of his childhood up until his uncertain disappearance and fate atop the ‘apex of the world’, Kalvelius’ story involves one man and his companions cleaning up the ashes of the broken world and by his own might righting the world’s wrongs and setting the stage for a new era. Born with no special power of his own, but rather by attaining them through his immense wit and an almost unreasonable work ethic, Kalvelius rose from the son of a peasant family to a hero that could confront great enemies. It is said that the sun and the moon are his greatest conquests, both being the banished bodies of primordial entities that haunted Azuran civilization since time immemorial.

The journey of Kalvelius has been unknowingly adapted and taken from in hundreds of stories depicting the rise of a hero, and it is from his exploits that the original philosophers began to ‘worship’ mortal excellence over divine providence. If a man like that could be born, a hero who through nothing but charisma, intelligence, strength, and honor could save the world, then surely gods, spirits, and such were mere auxiliaries to our heroes. At the end of the tales, it is stated that Kalvelius brought his companions up to the tallest mountain he knew, and he commanded his followers to simply watch as he reached the top. Unfortunately, his companions either didn’t see or refused to recollect what they saw, only telling that in a brilliant flash of light he had achieved ‘apotheosis’. Some say he had become too great, and ascended to the rank of a God himself, while others believe that he instead simply transitioned into some other existence. One of his companions, Petruc, went to his grave stating that one day Kalvelius would return. Occasionally, someone claims to be the reincarnation of Kalvelius themselves, but Petruc stated specifically that Kalvelius was one who was never defeated, even when wounded, sick, or sleeping. For most Kalvelius impersonators, it takes but one good punch to the nose to put their dreams of divinity in the mud. Still, the books of Kalvelius alone can stand as an action story, a borderline creation myth, a dream to aspire to, and a series of inspiring quotations and musings that can provide a young warrior with the motivation to push themselves to the next level.

* Darius’ Commentary on the Nature of Iron / The Principles of War

“*Show me a hero with no weapons or armor. Who makes those legendary blades? Us!”*

There was a time where Kalvelians were in crisis. The entire set of beliefs began to slip into nothing but martial prowess every time, all the time. Kalvelians were seen as nothing but warriors who wanted to do nothing but fight and get stronger, paying no heed to dignity and honor, recognizing only strength. That was when leading scholars at the time made the newest and as of the present last contribution to the Grigor Lyra. A series of texts that first placed heaps of respect upon the blacksmiths, the scholars, and the alchemists. The Nature of Iron is really a call to pay heed to other aspects of heroism other than martial prowess, that is stewardship, diplomacy, decorum, introspection, knowledge, and other virtues. Blacksmiths and master craftsmen who made the weapons Kalvelius used are name-dropped, begging the reader to wonder just how far that great hero could have made it with his bare fists.

The Principles of War is a message for the warriors, a reminder of past lessons, and a grand sweep towards remembering what makes warriors great. Essentially, it is an early form of chivalry that calls for fighters to be respectful and dignified in war, to treat others fairly, and to promise to protect your lessers and those who support you. It is unknown how far-reaching the effects of the books were, but Kalvelian interest expanded to a more diverse field of subjects after these books were implanted.

* Juniper’s Celebration

*“Once more, with years and time, we stood again at the golden gate. The city was ours.”*

Juniper’s Celebration is a short and positive song. Simply, it is a ballad about the tears of joy shed by families returning to their city after it had been captured in a prior war. Important historical details are given about the customs of celebration and enjoyment during the period, as various games and festivities are given mention alongside the general elation of a victorious return home from war. There isn’t really a lesson in this one.

Of course, there is more in the Grigor Lyra that has gone unmentioned. War stories, heroic tales, and prophetic fiction run abound in the sprawling and uncoordinated text, but to cover it all would ultimately be meaningless for anyone but the most devoted scholar. Every Kalvelian has their specific tale that they find meaning in, or that they believe is the most accurate diagnosis for the problems facing people and their kingdoms, and from such diverse opinions, the decentralized philosopho-religious Kalvelian movement is truly formed.

## **Kalvely in Ludwag**

*“Our homeland, our precious homeland. At times welcoming, and at other times torturing, our memories will carry us as far as our legs can move until, at last, we see it again, our homeland.” - Juniper’s Celebration*

While mostly known for its existence among the dwarves of Hallmond, Kalvely does have a meaningful existence in most Azuran continents. The Grigor Lyra itself contains folklore from all around Azura, from the hills of Keleva to the isolated wanderers of Nerius. Ludwag is no exception, and there it follows mostly the same patterns. Due to the scattered nature of even the holy book, it is impossible to follow a traditional church structure. Instead, occasional devotees to Kalvely devote themselves to the custodianship and custody of the rare copies of the Grigor Lyra. Soothsayers and pathfinders memorize the tales, spreading the word to the thinkers and the philosophes, spreading the faith as if it were a doorframe, providing only the opportunity to walk through it if one wishes.

For most, Kalvelian tales are just that, tales. Stories of bravery and camaraderie are passed around the tavern, and the brave men raise their mugs in celebration of the old heroes. But to those who are interested, they may yet be taken under the wing of a speaker to delve into his collection.

To this end, the Kalvelian faith is akin to a secret society that paradoxically anyone can join. Attempting to learn on your own isn’t impossible, but a daunting task that is truly an uphill struggle. It is better to find one who is already knowledgeable and learn from them so that the flow of knowledge can continue to pass from person to person.

As is the case in most continents, Kalvely is most popular among dwarves and humans. The prospect of ancient histories and recollections of lore appeal directly to the sensibilities of many dwarven families, and treatises on leadership, law, and combat are to the interests of many in the human population. While there is no arbitrary racial barrier, patterns throughout history have seen that elves, imps, and avians just seem to gravitate more to their own faiths. This is sometimes reflected in the thought patterns of Kalvelian soothsayers, treating with confusion elves who are interested in learning. As the Grigor Lyra was compiled by mostly humans and dwarves, other races do not find many of their own tales in the bound text.

Unsurprisingly, the presence of Kalvely is strongest in central Ludwag, across the lands of the Lattish and the Nix. The martial cultures of both of these nations often lend themselves well to the proceedings and practices of a Kalvelian scholar, which sometimes leads to a crossbreeding between the practice of Kalvely and the practice of the local faith. A few, in fear of heresy or ostracism, worship their local god loudly and study the Lyra quietly. Such a movement is disproportionately common among scholar nobles, those with an education, resources, and time to delve into knowledge that is ordinarily left sitting dusty in well-preserved chambers or old top shelves of royal libraries. Indeed, for the competition of those with the most to gain from Kalvely rotates between the noble, the warrior, and the scholar as new works and ideas are considered, constructed, and collected by the pathfinders.

## **Kalvelian Tenets**

Although the distribution and interpretation of Kalvely is often vastly different across various schools of thought, there would be no religion at all if there were not common tenets shared by the vast majority of Kalvelian practitioners. Often, these are ripped from the life of Kalvelius and thus the Books of Kalvelius, as the central figure often finds himself the lynchpin for holding the entire faith together despite its differences.

1. One should strive to maintain justice, even at loss to oneself.

*“And a statue was raised  'i  Kalvelius' honor by the local magistrates as the issue of great taxation placed upon the peasants.  Kalvelius gazed upon this and ordered that 'twere  to presently be smelted down and that the magistrates were to be punished.” - Second Book*

2. Perfection is unachievable, thus one must never grow complacent.

*“Then came the assassin Randall to the keep of Kalvelius, only to see that the mighty lord still trained with the sword e'en  'i  the wee hours of the night.” - First Book*

3. War and battle is not a desirable goal, but the last resort.

*“Warmal looked at Kalvelius with shock to find him weeping over the corpse of the slain tyrant lord.  Demanding an explanation, Kalvelius could only say 'it didn't have to end this way.' - Second Book*

4. One should be strong in the belief that life is beautiful, no matter the crises faced.

*“Kalvelius unleashed his fist upon the soldier’s maw, redirecting his gaze to the blooming trees afar.  "You cannot surrender to fear and depression.  Thy life was not granted for thou to throw it away. " - Third Book*

5. Honor your ancestors.

*“And the envy  'i  the town was so overwhelming, that the mere act of Kalvelius leaving a flower for the lost had caused an overwhelming fury that burned into a profound sadness.” - First Book*

6. Learn from the heroes, but especially learn from their mistakes.

*“And the young Kalvelius sat before the elder for three days and three nights, listening to the tales of the old empire - and he learned what had to be done.” - First Book*

7. Never surrender to the temptation of wrongdoing for power.

*“The scholar quoth to Kalvelius: 'you are required to try evil wherever thou go.  To violate thy own identity is the basic condition of life. ' and Kalvelius could doth naught yet  shake his head 'i disappointment.” - Second Book*

**Other schools of thought have different tenets, dedicated to their own ideals of justice, honor, or lack thereof, but a traditional Kalvelian can be expected to value his basic chivalry highly.**