Estabanianism/Louism

> A king built sturdier than all other kings, a king whose disciples never truly die, a king to rule the kings.
>
> The Prophet when describing Louis Von Estaban, King of Estabania

## Cosmology

Rathnir is merely one of an infinite amount of worlds and realms, one of the realms being Estabania, where Louis Von Estaban and his disciples originated from. None of these realms surround each other, but must be accessed using long forgotten ancient rituals or magics. Each realm may hold its own properties and is used to describe locations or easily-accessible realms.

There are currently 7 known realms:

**Rathnir:** Our current home and where humans reside.

**Estabania**: Where Louis and his Disciples originated from.

**The Abyss:** The layers between the realms.

**Darkfield:** A gloomy, twisted reality. Seen as a purgatory among followers of Estabanianism.

**Realm Of The Mad God (Crivan):** The birthplace of the Cult Of The Mad God and their leviathans.

**Nether:** Believed to have been normal until tainted by The Mad God.

**The End:** A mysterious plane, very little is known of its true contents.

It is said that the invisible force keeping us from progressing further is because of Louis protecting us from the terror of the Cult Of The Mad God.

## Pantheon

The follows of Louism believe in the following Gods, Deities, and factions.

### **King Louis Von Estaban**

The King of Estabania, frequently portrayed as a purple sheep as when he created the castle with his Disciples a sheep walked beside him, and lay its head against him. King Louis Von Estaban was believe to have been killed by the Cult Of The Mad God in the final battle for the castle, and has since been guiding humans and his Disciples in spirit form. He is believed to favor the kind-hearted, yet stern leaders of the world. His origins are currently unknown.

### **The Man**

One of two Royal Guardsman enlisted to protect Louis, he was believed to be the greatest warrior in all of Estabania. During the final battle for the castle, after all other guardsmen had fallen he continued fighting until his sword turn dull, only stopping once Louis was slain during the fight. He was deemed "The God Of War" during his time serving under Louis, and following his title favors strong-willed, honorable warriors, as well as men with high moral codes. He originated from a battlefield during a skirmish between Estabanian Knights and Cultist Blood Warriors, and served as Lord Estaban's right-hand man after defeating the Cultists in mere minutes. Soon after, Kaiser discovered him, and elected it best to reveal him to Louis. He was dubbed *"The Man"* as he was seen as a looming, powerful figure among all who lives in his realm.

### **Tarot**

A highly intelligent and wise man, serving as advisor and researcher under Lord Estaban. He was responsible for designing the Royal Guardsman armor and many other highly important items. During his time, he had discovered how to create men from metal, which were dubbed *"Titans."* During the final battle for the castle, he had made an attempt to deploy them, but they were cut down by the biting blades of the cultists, and were shattered into fragments which we now call *"Iron Golems."* He's said to have existed for as long as Louis, and believe to be almost equal to him. Despite this theory, he seems to have a calm exterior, and favors men who are kind to others, or make wise decisions.

### **Kaiser**

A cunning strategist and creative man, serving closely with The Man and Louis during times of struggle. He predicted many of the battles for the castle, and created plans to swiftly defeat them. During the final battle of the castle, he had created a plan to defeat the cultists, but was astonishingly thwarted by the undriveable strength of their adversaries. He and Tarot created the escape route used by the Disciples to escape to our reality, which has long since been lost. He was born and raised an Estabanian under the roof of simple townsfolk, and after successfully helping guardsmen during a siege on the castle, was brought into the castle as an officer.

### **Azure Knight**

A Royal Guardsman, not unlike The Man in his strength, though due to The Man's high standing stature and deep rooted affiliations with the others, he was overshadowed and seen more as a side-kick than a brother by citizens of Estabania. Nonetheless, he was a proud and tough warrior, near equal to the man despite being an ordinary Estabanian raised in a nuclear family. It is believed that he had worked hard and tirelessly to achieve his position, and once acquired never lost his tenacity and attitude of perfection. His role in the final battle of the castle was unclear, but it is known for fact he was fighting along-side The Man, as the two were never far. He was the only one other than Louis himself to earn the respect of everyone, including The Man and The Cult Of The Mad God.

### **Cult Of The Mad God (Crivanos)**

Started under the watchful eye of the Mad God, these men were created from ordinary Estabanian's tainted by hatred and greed. The leader of this group was V'orak Ma'll, a leviathan of unparalleled size and strength, tainted the captain of the guardsman known as "Father" and transformed him into a similar beast of pure malice. Their rank structure was chaotic and unclear, though everyone one of them knew Father and V'orak Ma'll were the two true leaders. The leviathans battled with the titans, as the soldiers poured inside.

### **V'orak Ma'll & Father**

Next to nothing is known of these two figures, though it is known Father himself somehow took the life of Louis, it is currently unknown how. They are the leaders of the Cult Of The Mad God.

## Important Events

A listing of important events pertaining to this religion

### **Final Battle Of The Castle**

Known more simply as "The Battle," this was the battle to end all battles in the world of Estabania, it was between all united Estabanian forces and the Cult Of The Mad God. Titans and Leviathans clashing around the perimeter of the castle, and ground forces marching ever onwards towards the castle. The two Royal Guardsmen were ordered away from the king during this confrontation which is believed to be the downfall of Louis. It is believed that this event also caused mass chaos in the other realms, such as an ancient conflict between all people of Rathnir. During this battle, the Cult Of The Mad God was trying to cross into our world, but were stopped by the Disciples.

## Souls and Afterlife

After death, any true loyalist to Louism will be sent to the plane where Louis and his Disciples reside, and prepare for the final battle. Conversing with ancient guardsmen and drinking mead all the while training for that fateful day when the conflict resumes.
Though, for the people that do not follow Louism, their souls will be damned to Darkfield for eternity - or in rare cases - even the void. However, if these men accomplish great things in their lives they will be allowed eternal rest within

Souls are believed to be fallen Estabanian's residing within humans, and they are freed once we die. However, this does not mean humans permanently die, for the Estabanian's are us in a different body.

## The Commandments

The commandments of Louis and his Disciples go as follows:

Thou shall not cheat

Thou shall not praise false idols

Thou shall not collude with the Cult

Thou shall not steal

Thou shall not disobey thy word

Thou shall not praise purple sheep, they are merely animals. Despite representing our king.

## Culture

Followers of this religion try to follow the ways the Disciples act, depending on which Disciple they worship, they may act differently.

### **The Man/Azure Knight**

Followers of these Disciples speak in few words, often stoic and straight to the point. They tend to wear purple and gold for The Man, and blue for the Azure Knight. They believe in strict codes of honor, and follow the commandments to the best of their abilities. Upon failure in combat, these people will take time to construct a small temple or altar, and meditate in it for some time, until forgiven. The Man and Azure Knight are known to bestow honorable men with gifts of Guardsman or even Royal Guardsman gear, though it is rare for such an event to occur, and in some cases may provide them with an "Azure Longsword" or "Manly Cleaver."

### **Tarot**

Followers of this Disciple can often be one of two things; Tricky, or mysterious. They usually spend time at an altar or in a temple, waiting for Tarot to send them preaching of fate. Upon receiving this preaching, they can decide to be tricky, mysterious, or straightforward, however Tarot may provide them with how he wants to spread the news of their fate. Upon being told an important fate and quickly spreading the word, Tarot will oft reward his follower with a card from his deck, these usually take the form of books with the cards name emblazoned on the front, and the meaning of the card inside of the book. There are an endless amount of cards, and each are used to tell fates or bestow wisdom. Tarot may also provide his followers with odd pieces of gear, in some instances a leather cap which was entirely indestructible was given, and there was no reason as to why.

### **Kaiser**

Followers of this Disciple are cunning, intelligent, and often cynical. Using logic and tactics to ensure victory, these followers often act as though they are childish when really hiding their true intelligence. They are not evil, though they may come across as such to their enemies, such as Crivanos. These people take after Kaiser, being excellent strategists and usually working closely with The Man and Azure Knight's followers. Kaiser will reward his disciples for cunning actions by giving them powerful ranged weapons, battle strategy books, or even "The Blade Of The Kaiser" which has unknown properties, since it has never been given.

### **King Louis Von Estaban**

The universal king, followers of the king are usually people who have not yet chosen a sect, or people who elect it best to stay with him. All followers praise him in their own right, and he cares for all his followers equally, no matter who they follow. Followers of Louis adhere to his commandments, and fight against the Crivanos Cult. King Louis von Estaban will reward honor, intelligence, honesty, and strength with an infinite amount of rewards, none usually being combative in nature, in one such case a red flower titled "A memento" was given, and its properties are unknown.

## Temples

Brief explanation of Temples. If no guidance comes, none is required.

**Royal Guardsman:** For The Man and Azure Knight, can resemble a barracks, training ground, or a war torn chunk of land. In order to meditate, there must be an altar constructed of stone bricks, with a sword inside of a frame mounted on it, it must be sizable enough to comfortably move around on.

**Tarot:** Dark, mossy environments. Soul fire is recommended. He is not picky, as long as his altar is damaged or mossy he will enjoy it.

**Kaiser:** A comfortable office in a nice environment, temple must be very well built and intricate. In order to pray you must leave an offering, and he may leave guidance.

**King Louis Von Estaban:** Any building made of stone, resembling a castle or keep. The Estabanian banner must be flown. And a throne is required. To ask for guidance, merely wait for a few moments after entering if no guidance comes, none is required.