Trios

Myr

Trios, sometimes known as the Thrice-Blessed Faith, is a religion worshipped mainly in Essos, most prominently so within the Triarchy of the Three Daughters.

## Basic Beliefs

Followers of Trios believe that there are three planes of existence, the junction between each guarded by one of Trios’ heads.

* The Mortal Plane, where mankind and all other creatures shaped by Trios dwell. The head of the black snake stirs above the Mortal Plane, consuming the dying and transporting them to the Abyssal Plane.
* The Abyssal Plane, a featureless and infinite ocean of water through which all must pass. Coiled around the tail of the black snake, the yellow head watches and guides the faithful to the land beyond. Heretics and heathens alike may never escape this plan and must swim forever - or be confined to drown for all eternity.
* The Heavenly Plane, a land filled with mountains and forests without end - a paradise for the faithful to rest until they have strength enough for their rebirth onto the Mortal Plane. When an individual is ready, they look for the emerald gaze of the third head and upon locating its source, they will make the journey to the mortal plane, once more born anew. The flow of time between the Heavenly Plane and the Mortal Plane is not even, for some return moments after their prior demise, others will not make the transition for centuries or millennia.

The three snakes do indeed have proper names, however they are only known to the High Priests who use them in sacred ceremonies. The majority of followers thus refer to the heads simply by their colour.

## Aesthetic

Owing to the serpentine nature of Trios, twisting serpents are used prominently throughout their temples and shrines, along with the colours of yellow, gold and green - most commonly corresponding to the black iron, patinated copper and yellow gold used to depict the heads of Trios.

Priests are often referred to with the title *Irūdan*, meaning Giver or Provider, for it is them that take responsibility for the offerings made to Trios and ensure they are suitable and appropriate. They wear black robes that display their status, with High Priests decorated with yellow sleeves and hoods, priests have bands of yellow and green around their cuffs and collar.

In addition to this, those that serve in the Temple are granted two kinds of tattoos. The first is that of twisting snakes wrapped around the wrist, with additional parallel tattoos spreading up towards the elbow for each year served. Yellow snakes mark years served as acolytes, green for priests and black for time spent as the High Priest of the city. In addition, individuals bound in slavery are given a forked tongue tattoo sprawling from their lower lip across their chin.

## History

### Creation Story

The first place where life came about was the Island of Serpents, though it was a mountain rather than an island at the time. Trios touched the mountain and lo life came to be in his own image. Once shackled to the forests of the land, vines and branches twisted and writhed, springing free of their vices and entities in their own right - breathing, moving, living. The First Children of Trios - vipers, adders, pythons, and constrictors.

### Nature of Trios

Trios is sometimes depicted as a single body with three heads, other times as three distinct snakes. The former depicts his position as three aspects of a singular being. The latter represents how each aspect operates independently of the other. While each head of Trios has different tasks and duties, each one thinks the same thoughts and makes the same judgements. The heads never disagree and act in unison, though each head has different acts and different domains.

### Apocalypse to Come

The world has seen two cycles of rebirth. The first came when a man named Toh-Ixin defied Trios and cursed the First Children. He drove the snakes away from the cities and villages, and manipulated the people into thinking his cause was right and just. He travelled from the Shadow Lands to Westerlands, dispersing snakes from settlements. This angered Trios and he brought about a great storm, which darkened the sky for years and brought floods to all the lands. The true believers were told to take refuge at the site where life first came, among his First Children. The nonbelievers died in the flood and the storms, while the true believers were consumed by the snakes and reborn once the storm had passed.

The second cycle of rebirth was a mere 90 years ago, when the skies again darkened. It is not known what angered Trios, but the people of Westeros were punished this time as the darkness came and they suffered. Wars across all the lands in the world were what caused the deaths and rebirths for this cycle but Trios guided those faithful back to life once.

The end of the current cycle, the third, is yet to come. Some believe life will be reborn yet again, others believe it will be the final cycle, and Trios will devour himself. His black head will swallow the tail of the yellow, the yellow will swallow the tail of the green, and the green will swallow the head of the black.

## Worship

### Holy Places

* It is traditional for temples to Trios to be carved from tapered grey bricks reaching a three-faced point, not dissimilar from the pyramids occupied by the Ghiscari of Slaver’s Bay - albeit with triangular bases and three outward faces in place of the Ghiscari four.
* Smaller temples are often tipped with a point of copper - blue-green in hue against the grey-black stone of the temple proper. However, the Temples of Lys and Tyrosh, the latter being the largest shrine to Trios in the Known World, are topped with a point of solid jade, transported from the Golden Empire of Yi Ti when the city was still little more than a fledgling outpost of the Valyrian Freehold.
* Depictions of each of the heads of Trios are found outside of temple, one at each corner of the building. Wrought from black iron, patinated copper and yellow-gold, it is traditional to make an offering to each head in turn before entering the temple.
* The Island of Serpents is a sacred place in the religion of Trios and the grounds surrounding each temple are cultivated to emulate it. In place of gardens, thick forests of vine-laden trees and meandering streams flow - the air beneath the canopy thick with the scent of sweet fruit. Following the winding paths cut through the forest lead the faithful to the central temple.

### Holy Services

* Dawn - Instead of being a service of rebirth celebrating the transition from the Haven Plane to the Mortal Plane as many believe, the Dawn service held at the Temple of Trios instead focuses on finding the Haven Plane as guided by the yellow-gold head. Punctuated by clouds of rich incense, the priests mark the faithful with a forked tongue of resinous sap matching the shape of the traditional slave tattoo given to servants of the temple - all are servants before Trios.
* Midday - Donning traditional veils of enameled green scales, priests and priestess preside over the retelling of the creation story by slaves owned by the Temple. When the sun reaches its peak in the sky, it is reflected through the crystalline channels within the point atop the place of worship, bathing the heart of the Temple of green light.
* Dusk - Lit only by embers so that the flames might not drive away the darkness that must come for all in time. As the evening draws close, offerings are made to each of the three heads as per ritual and prayers shared by the faithful. During this service, pledges of zealotry are made by those willing to truly put their faith into action.
	+ Snakes, including large constrictors and deadly vipers, are held by priests and even sometimes those that attend the temples. This is done to show that Trios protects them, and the relationship with his First Children is so close they can have peace without any words. Wine laced with venom is also drank to show that Trios offers his protections to the faithful.

### Sacrifices and Offerings

All kinds of offerings made by the faithful are acceptable to Trios.

The most traditional among such offerings is that of blood - spilled upon the sharpened fangs that inhabit the maw of each of the three heads standing guard outside the temple. It has become customary for the rich to instead make gifts of coin - the higher value they place upon their blood, the heavier the pouch.

### Holy Days and Weeks

**Fourth Moon**

The Week of Mourning - An annual event for followers of Trios, where followers mourn those that they’ve lost in the previous year. Worshippers wear plain black robes and black veils for the week and refrain from participating in any activities that may bring joy. People write letters to those they mourn, then drop them into the ocean as the sun sets on the last day of the week. If they’re illiterate, they’re encouraged to simply whisper their message into the sea. These messages are meant as a form of closure for the mourners, and after the week is concluded it’s expected for their mourning to be over and to be able to live happily after their loved ones have passed away.

**Eighth Moon**

Greeting Festival - Just as the second head of Trios greets the dead, the second yearly festival for Trios worshippers revolves around meeting new people. Worshippers are encouraged to find two other people they’ve never met before, and to spend the whole day with them. There is no set standard for what is expected to be done for the day, but in general it is meant to be a way to make new friends and gain a better understanding of other people.

**Twelfth Moon**

Rebirth Ceremony - Held during the final day of the year, and the first day of the next, followers of Trios celebrate their life and wish for good fortune for the year to come. On the first day, the prayers for good fortune are made at the temple. Sacrifices are encouraged to be presented along with this prayers. On the second day, a large celebration is held with parades, feasts, mummers, bards, sorcerers, and more. The second day is intended to celebrate life and all it’s given as a form of gratitude to Trios for answering the prayers made the previous year and for watching over his followers.