Jólnir

> ***"We cannot become what we wish to be by remaining what we are." - Ravaya Tian***
>
>

### Description and Depiction

Jólnir's full title is Jólnir the Unwritten, and he is the god of the forge, knowledge, protection, strength, and war. He is the oldest out of the four gods of Huldain. Jólnir's teachings say that we should strengthen ourselves and others, protect those close to you and always try to better yourself. He instructs his followers to be respectful to enemies in battle and to help people better themselves. Jólnir says you should always acknowledge people’s hard work with compliments. Though he does instruct his followers on crusades as acts of revenge. He never starts one against followers that haven’t provoked him as he appreciates his siblings too much. Jólnir is depicted as an elder man who is bald but with white mutton chops, wearing a leather blacksmith's apron and eye-patch. He is rather tall and muscular but with a hunched back. He also has chains around his neck like a necklace. His common symbols are anvils, hammers, molten metal, shields, wisdom and wolves.

### History

Jólnir was born before Huldain, just like the other gods. Jólnir was the one who created Huldain, Aestas, however, was the first to start a religion, then Ostara copied Aestas but perfected it with the use of candles, Aestas and Jólnir then copied Ostara. The three gods then convinced Lord Samhain to join in. Jólnir gains his power from his followers' candle ceremony, he is very proud of the atmosphere of his celebration and so he tends to do a lot of miracles during the service because he doesn’t think things through and gets overwhelmed with pride. Jólnir can reach Huldain by way of a tower called Otsum Tower, a tower he built himself. Jólnir was the third god to use this tower, and he used it to go to Essapin, once there he was able to convince a High Elf to worship him. This High Elf then grew the religion from there. Jólnir to begin with had a minor following but a loyal one in Essapin, this is because Jólnir didn't truly grasp how to expand his audience. But he went back to the drawing board and changed it by being stricter, it began as a religion that was too loose, which lead to people leaving the faith as it promised nothing and had no consequences for leaving. Then once Jólnir's following got to Norfvice it spread like wildfire and quickly overthrew Norfvice's original religion, Aestas’ religion. Jólnir is determined to preserve this following because of his weak start.

### Relationships with the Other Gods

As the oldest of the four gods of Huldain, Jólnir feels like he has a responsibility to look after his brothers and sister. This means he doesn't interact with his followers that much. His followers’ excuse for this is that Jólnir is leading by example, showing that family is the most important. Jólnir felt a bit bad kicking his brother out of Norfvice but not too bad since Aestas already had a following in Kygan. Jólnir followers believe that Lord Samhain is equal to Satan, Aestas is Jólnir’s son, and Ostara is a temptress and daughter of Lord Samhain.

### Jólnir's Congregation

The branches of Jólnir's religion are Nicholas Klaus, the Jarls, the Gothi and the monks, they take residence within Norfvice's Hofs. The main Hof is located near Nicholas Klaus' house. The leader of Jólnir's religion is the demigods, which at the moment is just Nicholas Klaus, this is because they are the direct descendants of Jólnir. The demigods are prophets and can speak directly to Jólnir, though no one knows if Ms. Claws can still talk to her father or not, or even if Jólnir still supports her. Jólnir's religion is a part of Norfvice’s power structure, Nicholas Klaus dictates the teachings and orders of Jólnir to the Jarls, who then interpret that. The Jarls have a group of advisors called the Gothi, and the Gothi’s underlings are the monks. Being a Jarl and Gothi is a full-time position but being in that position means you are supported by the community and Nicholas Klaus. Though monks still need a job to live. The monks usually wear simple clothes having only a chaperon hat to differentiate from the general public. The Gothi wear a bit more expensive clothes with somewhat intricate designs and slightly rarer colouring, all their clothes have high collars wrapping around their neck. The Jarls wear whatever they wish but with large capes made of heavy furs. The ceremonial garbs for Norfvice are to wear something similar to what was previously described but out of different animal furs/hides, typically white animals. The holy site of Jólnir is the Natalis Tree. Jólnir's congregation believes the sins are cowardice, complacency, and betrayal and that righteous action is improving and strengthening yourself. Jólnir has a few sacred songs but many more Holy Scriptures. The hierarchy of the religion is Nicholas Klaus at the top, then Jarls under him, then Gothi, then monks and then Norfvice residents at the bottom.

### Worshippers

Jólnir is worshipped mostly by the inhabitants of Norfvice, they believe that Huldain was created by Jólnir in his image by his mighty hammer. Though they are correct; their version of events is definitely highly exaggerated. His followers appreciate Jólnir very much since they are surrounded by such harsh conditions they need someone to guide and protect them. If you are a Jólnir follower, you are not allowed to change religion. Jólnir's followers are not required to make sacrifices, but if they attack an enemy, they must finish the job by killing them. Jólnir’s believers say that bad luck and bad days are tests by Jólnir so you can prove you have bettered yourself since the last one. They worship Jólnir by praying to him for good crafts and battles, they tend to do this at Hofs but occasionally do it inside their homes. Jólnir's followers regularly attend Hofs on Thursdays or whenever they need spiritual assistance. Jólnir's followers are always watching their enemies (anyone that isn’t from Norfvice) and preparing for attacks, they are unlikely to start a war, but they will definitely end it. Jólnir usually gathers followers by teachings from his congregation or from his books, there are also carts with travelling monks that spread spirituality. When Jólnir followers die, they go to the Dralhen, the hall of ancestors, and are then judged by their ancestors and by Jólnir on whether they can join them in the hall or let their soul die. Birth is celebrated by leaving the baby in the snow for an hour if they die they were too weak to survive in the harshness of Huldain. Marriage is celebrated by a ceremony in a Hof by putting a hot poker to your partner as a show of your promise to each other. Death is a slightly dull affair for Jólnir believers, they gather family and friends and reflect on the dead person’s achievements. The corpse is then melted down into a mold of whatever was stated in the will or by the family, which is then given to whoever was noted in the will, to aid them in life.