Writings of Dark Faith

The Writings of Faith

By ‘Priestess’ Lucaerna Duskstalker

The following are excerpts from the writings, declared heresy by the Elunian Priesthood. Now held as sacrosanct by the Shadow Cult of Elune.

## On the Nature of Elune

Elune is our Goddess, all powerful within her realm and capable of great things. It is through her mercy that the corrupt are redeemed and it is through her insight does the priesthood guide our people. Elune is the greatest exemplar of purity whose light drives back the darkness as she has done so in ages past since the time of the War of the Ancients and beyond.

She is the source of all life on this world. The lover of the creator of nature and mother to the demi-god of nature who's will sees the defilers of this world beat back. She is our wise mother and bringer of peace. Though she is no pacifist, her wrath is terrible as light can sear corruption away as it soothes the flesh.

She is forgiving. She is a merciful goddess. Those children who act in her name for the good of her world are blessed.

She watches over us all, since the time of Haidene it has been the privilege and honor for the priesthood to serve the goddess directly, bringing forth her light into the physical realm to heal and illuminate the world. Though while her divinity and power are unquestionable, it is not universal, nor does it reach forever.

Since the Time of the Ancients, demons have been a plague upon this world and before even that a stain on reality which seeks to drag all down into the darkness. Azeroth stands as a bastion against the encroaching darkness, but the light cannot reach forever.

## On The Light in the Darkness

Consider awakening in a dark room, huge in size, magnificent in scope, dressed in clothes you have never worn or felt before. There is no light, only darkness. In your right hand is a torch, and in your left is a fire starter. You can see nothing, and thus you wish to rectify it. You strike the torch with your fire starter, and lo there is light. It is warm and comforting, until this point you could not see yourself, you could not know know yourself as you were blind, but now you can see.

Such is faith. All of us carry the spark needed to ignite it in our hearts in our left hand, while in our right we carry the torch into the darkness, we champion Her name. Until we realize our faith and place in the Her eyes, we cannot truely know ourselves. We think that we may, but in truth we do not. We only know what we knew before we arrived at the moment of illumination and make assumptions based off of that.

Now that the torch is lit and the flame lights up the dark room; how far can you truly see? The floor is cold, but the heat of the torch warms it up. You may walk around this vast dark cavern and bring the light with you, as you walk the shadows are dispelled as you approach, you may sit down with your torch and contemplate your predicament and the floor will be warmed by the heat of the torch, but where you were before will grow cold as shadows envelope it once more and the light fades.

## On The Shield of Light

Elune is our torch ignited from the spark of faith. But She, like the torch, cannot reach into the darkness forever. She is not universal. Were she, the thousands of worlds claimed by The Legion would have not been claimed. She is unique and protective of our world, Azeroth.

Our world is a radiant and shining torch in the darkness of which the legion draws to like a flame, yet they cannot approach it without being burned as the moth does when it too flies too close. We are protected by Her light. A nigh impenetrable shield against the coming night.

This mighty shield is impervious to the demon, but it is no glaive or sword. While the demon may bash itself against the barbed phalanx of Elune, her reach is not far enough to counter the true source of the problem.

## On Duty to the Goddess

To have faith is to know duty.

Duty to your Goddess and to your people, who also serve their Goddess. Therefore it is duty that is the greatest exemplar of faith. There are numerous ways to serve the Goddess; four of them stand out above all others.

The Path of Devotion. The holiest and most pure of the paths. The path undertaken by priestesses like myself and many others. This path exudes wisdom and careful deliberation on the part of the servant. Of the dual facets of the Goddess, they exemplar the role of the healer and nurturer as the mother of the Night Elf civilization. Harmony is the role of the priest, to bring balance back to the world by banishing corruption and maintaining the souls of our people. It is one facet of the Goddess.

The Path of the Night Warrior. The second facet of the Goddess. Warrior. To be sentinel over the physical forms of the Elven people as the priestess' watch out the spiritual. To venerate the Night Warrior is to stand in imitation of Elune as she stands vigilant over the spirits the souls of the honored dead as she sends them to ride among the stars. This role is no less valuable then the path of devotion and is merely another route to the Goddess.

The Path of Cenarius. The third path. Veneration of the child of Elune, our Goddess, who masters nature. Wardens of life and devotees alike, their allegience is divided between the pure incarnation and the offspring. The way forward obstructed by trees and by nature and as such limited. They are the defenders of this world in the absence of those who must do what must be done.

The Path of Sacrifice. The least trodden path and least understood but the most vital. Devotion and the Warrior are defenses, they are limited in scope. The path of sacrifice is to be exiled and known as abomination so that you may provide the greatest resource known to the Kaldorei people; Time. The role of sacrifice is to walk through the outer night beyond the warmth and illumination of Elune as a glaive to carve out the enemy. The most important of the duties and most trying route to the goddess.

## On the Necessity of Sacrifice

The Legion comes, eternal and marching. It does not know rest nor hesitation and will not ever stop. To think that faith alone is enough is to know foolishness. Faith alone never solved anything without the will to act. It is the hunters of demonkind who know the true meaning of will.

Long ago, the potent knowledge of magic was cast aside by the bulk of the Night Elven people, and along with it, the ability to truly know that which was coming for them. In contrast to those which would become the young elves, the Quel'Dorei, who knew of the legion and erected defenses against them. Aware of the legion, they were able to live in peace. The Legion only returning as humans, young and corruptible as they are, attracted the attention of the demons once more, but together the two species were able to empower guardians against the legion, and with the hunters acting as well, have kept this world pure. Proactive action has kept this world safe in defiance of the hindrances placed upon us by a people who do not understand.

And thus we return to the dark room, torch in hand, watched the flickering shadows as they creep in at the edge of the light. The room is dark and anything could be in it and thus you are left with a choice;

You may stand there in your light until it burns out as the shadows creep closer and closer.

Or you can move out into the darkness, and find other things to ignite. To find the vile things and immolate their blackened bodies with your flame. The burning bodies of the defeated things which lurk in the outer night will illuminate the darkness. And as your torch burns down and the light recedes, you may rest easy knowing that glowing flame will radiate from the corpses of demons. The greatest veneration you may give and the most worthy of offerings.

But such a thing is only possible with will. Action against the darkness and a willing to move into the unknown is what will bring about Azeroth's salvation. It is those that sacrifice that perform the holiest duty of all knowing that the chances of reward are slim.

It is sacrifice which is the truely redeeming quality which affects Her judgment. Think back to the tale of Goldrinn, a vicious and savage being who was not of Elune's favor. He was judged every night before the two eyes of Elune in the sky. But when the time came for Azeroth to meet the fury of the Legion. He came. A savage thing unloved in the eyes of our Goddess and he fought for Her. He slew for Her. And then he died for Her.

The Hunters mirror this call to action, the wayward children of Elune who act in her name only to die at the hands of the legion and be redeemed in death. This is the creed of the demon hunter as well, to move forward without compromise and to find final reward in falling in battle against the legion...that is all.

That final reward is redemption. For Elune watches over all her children in all the walks of life no matter which path of duty to Her they take. To proclaim otherwise is to propose to know the will of a god when all evidence points to her mercy rather then scorn.

## On Corruption

It is easy to brand those that act outside the light as fallen and corrupt, but the blessings of Elune remain even in the darkness. The blessing of sanity and the sanctification of will that is inherent to all night elves. For corruption may change the body and mind, but it is through the blessing of Elune that the soul remains pure.

Her mercy is infinite as is the blessing of sanity, a blessing given unto the hunters who's will and mind act in Her name. For those few hunters who fall and act against her, this blessing is rescinded and they will fall to madness. But those that seek out her light even as they wander in darkness, far from it, will eventually return to her. As Nightmare dragons can be cleansed of taint, and Satyrs descended from demonkind, so too can the souls of those hunters who do their holy duty of cleansing the legion from this world.

Each Kaldorei body is pure, a sanctified thing, a temple. To take the demon into ones self is not to defile the temple, but hold a vile thing prisoner within. It is to give the greatest insult to the most mighty enemy of the Kaldorei people, and that is to turn it against itself. To be directed by holy form and given holy purpose in opposition to its nature as unholy.

But while the holy body may rot over time as the temples of elune crumble over the ages, the sanctity remains. The pure heart that sacrifices for the world She loves so dearly maintains the blessing of sanity. In truth it is the hunters who are most pure of purpose. Where the druid or the warrior will be of conflicting mind on an issue that affects our people or embroiled in kaldorei politics with the priesthood, it is the hunter who has but one holy purpose and they will follow that purpose with no deviation less the blessings of Elune be rescinded and they fall to madness. There is the good and there is the evil and no more.

## Elunian Prayers of Faith

Spoken in demonic and given new meaning in ritual incantation, these prayers serve purpose to those adherants of the Dark Faith.

### Prayer of Fortitude.

*'And so I do the duty of Elune. For I am her servent. Though I walk through the outer night, I do not fear, for thou art with me. Though I am far from your gaze, you can see me. I act in your name; for you. Bless me, Elune, for my road is difficult.'*

#### Prayer of Dark Mending.

'*Elune. Your child is lost in the darkness. Overcome by pain and suffering. Grant this boon, for they love you still even if their sight is clouded. In death they shall return to you, yet I beg you give them life yet longer..'*

#### Prayer for the Dead.

*'And so we commence a soul to you, Elune. May they have lived their life well. And may their death be of use in your eyes. Though it was cut short and small next to the life of your chosen, watch over it in death as you watch over us in life.'*

### Prayer of Fleshshaping.

*'My body your temple, most sacred and profound. I tear down the bricks and burn down the flesh. And remold it to my will, blessed by your divine breath.'*

### Prayer of Sanctification.

*'Thus do we honor you, Elune, with our sacrifice. In your shadow do we walk and away from your eye do we hunt. Beneath your sight we are judged, and in death are we redeemed. I consecrate this ground for our purpose and pray you will forgive our sins as we push back the outer night.'*

### Prayer of the Faith.

'*Thus with my torch of faith do I drive back the night. With my sword of hatred and spite do I thrust from behind the shield of light. In Her name do I fight and for Her glory do I die so that the legion may be vanquished by Her might.'*

## Dark Elunian Rituals

*"Be healed by Her power...cursed by Her hate...protected in your travels through the Outer Night..."*

Perhaps the most perverse part of the heresy preached by the Dark Faith are the adaption of Elunian rituals into rituals of dark magic. This is done by translating the Elunian words of faith into Demonic and then linking these changed words to spells. It is through these ritual magic spells that great demonic power can be acquired in preparation for the hunters duties. It is the belief of the Dark Faith that to speak the words of the Goddess in the tongue of the enemy is a great insult to the powers they fight and will increase the power of the rituals.

### Rituals of Dark Mending

An adaption of a classical Elunian healing ritual and the most commonly employed amongst the followers of the Dark Faith. The movements and somatic gestures remain the same, as do the common words of power. The source magic is very different and is flawed, resulting in build up of scar tissue over time and a painful healing process as flesh is pulled back together. The power of the healing is dependent on the magical skill and strength of the user.

### Ritual of Flesh Shaping

A perversion further of healing rituals and blessings which would ordinarily strengthen the body and form of the target, this ritual is used to similar effect. Flesh is augmented and twisted into more powerful forms. With enough practice these magics can be used with minimal or no preparation. In addition to spontaneous mending and augmenting, the body of the ritualist can also be changed cosmetically.