Religion

The Church of Telgard is the official religion in Lirynn, as well as the most widely-practiced. However there are several factions within the kingdom. Three of these are sanctioned sects, each with their own set of followers and believers. Information on them can be found in the Religions section, under Sects. The fourth main sect is seeing a revival, but must operate in secret as its very presence has been outlawed.

 

The Cult of Winter-
Special mention must be made of a religious sect, particular only to Lirynn.

The Cult of Winter has always been present in Lirynn. The nature of its message has, however, changed over time. Prior to the Race Wars, the Cult concerned itself with funeral activities, and felt responsible for ushering elves into the afterlife. Rather than bringing death, the Cult concentrated upon activities associated with the natural death of a sentient being. At this time, the Winter Tree still had leaves on it, but the leaves were those of a tree at the beginning of winter, with most of the leaves being brown, but red and yellow leaves could also be seen on the tree.

During the Race Wars, an elf rose to power in this Cult and changed the focus of the Cult of Winter. This elf's name has long been forgotten, having been deliberately expunged from the Lirynn histories. The Cult of Winter was no longer a funereal cult that commemorated death while celebrating life. Under the leadership of this unnamed elf, the Cult of Winter became a true Death cult, wishing to deal death to the lesser races. It was at this time that the bark began to peel from the Tree of Winter, leaving it a stark white color, but the leaves remained on the tree. Initially, the Cult concentrated upon the destruction of the lesser races that resided within Lirynn, a very popular notion at the time. Their most significant activity at this time was the removal of the Dwarves in the Barrier Mountains. The leader of the Cult of Winter is said to have called forth a great evil to assist in removing the dwarven presence from Lirynn. The Cult did not publicize their efforts, nor did they seek to hide them. After the dwarves were gone from the Barrier Mountains, the Cult established a secret stronghold in the Barrier Mountains, occupying the buildings that used to belong to the dwarves.

After the Race Wars had ended, the Cult continued to play an important role in Lirynn politics, with their leader establishing a political wing to the Cult. The Cult leader continually challenged the Elven Hero on a number of issues regarding the ruling of Lirynn. Ultimately, the charismatic leader of the Winter Cult challenged the elven Hero's right to rule. The leader of the Cult felt that the elves should exterminate the other races one by one, until again the elves had all of Telgard to themselves. It was argued by the Cultists that the other races were abominations created by the Dark One, not creations of Dargotten. Many suspect that the Cult leader used dark magic to kill the Hero.

Luckily for Lirynn, the charismatic leader of the Winter Cult was killed during the goblin invasion. Less radical factions gained control of the political arm of the Winter Cult, while a less charismatic leader gained control of the Cult of Winter. After the goblins were defeated the Cult of Winter fell into disrespect, receiving much of the blame for the events that had befallen the elves. The new rulers of Lirynn did not immediately banish the cult. This event did not take place until after the Scourge. Like many groups prior to the Scourge, the Cult of Winter taught its members how to use magic. After the Scourge, this did not change. During the Scourge, the Cult of Winter argued for the elves to stay out of the war and let the Dark One exterminate the other races. The mighty elves would then, according to the Cult, be able to defeat the Dark One himself. That was, they argued, Dargotten's Will.

After the banishment of the Dark One, the Cult began to study the seals that protected the Wizard's Isle, with the intention of gaining access to the knowledge stored therein. When this was discovered, the Cult was banned from Lirynn, and those members who refused to renounce their beliefs were sealed within the Winter Tree. As the leaders of Lirynn were unaware of the Cult stronghold in the Barrier Mountains, those cult members residing there escaped persecution. After the Cult members were sealed within the Winter Tree, all of the leaves fell off of the tree, and have never regrown. It is said that the voices of those imprisoned within the Tree can still be heard from certain rooms of the Tree.

It was thought that the Cult had been destroyed at this time. The ruler of Lirynn decreed that the Winter Tree would be left standing as a reminder to all of the evils of the Cult of Winter. The remaining Cult members did not stray from their stronghold in the Barrier Mountains for along time after the Sealing of the Winter Tree. One hundred years after the Sealing, a small group of Cult members returned to Silverdawn to reclaim the Winter Tree. The Cult was able to move back into the Tree without any problem. The Winter Tree was thought to be haunted by most elves, and avoided for that reason.

Today, the Cult has two centers of power, though a third center as recently begun to develop in Thornmist. One is the Winter Tree, and the other is Langoleeg in the Barrier Mountains, renamed by the Cult as Galdor. Once an elf is admitted into the cult, he/she is required to shave all of their bodily hair off, and forced to renounce association with all non-Cult members. This is done for two reasons. First, the lack of eyebrows and the bald head easily identifies one as a member of the Cult of Winter. Second, the enforced isolation keeps non-Cult ideas from 'polluting' the minds of Cult members.

A few priests, called Anair, or the seekers, are allowed to regrow their hair for the express purpose of mingling with and spying upon the inhabitants of Lirynn. The Anair mingle with other elves for three reasons: One, to determine how best to convince the other elves that their goals are the goals of Dargotten, and in the best interest of the elven people. An Anair had made major strides in convincing the Tekal that other races were despoiling Lirynn. A second objective of the Anair is to spy upon the Lirynn government so they are aware of any action being planned against them. The final task of the Anair is to look for new recruits to the Cult.

 

Winter Tree
(from the journal of Adwiedan, scholar)

The fourth Tree is not actually thought of as a part of the city. Its bony, gray-fingered branches reach skyward, but this tree bears neither leaf nor fruit at any point in the year, hence the name Winter Tree of Sianthylèsari. A sullen chill hangs around this tree, no matter the season.

It is speculated that it was once the home to the now defunct Cult of Winter, the fourth sect of the Lirynnian Church of Telgard. Most elves will not even mention the tree, and try with all their might to forget about it. Members of the Cult of Winter, who have been said to once worship at the tree, have disappeared entirely from Sianthylèsari. They are said to worship Grytl, not Faeterna or Dargotten. No one knows for certain whether the cult has been entirely abandoned, or if its members have merely gone underground.

The Cult of Winter was formed a long, long time ago, before any other race besides the Elves and Dwarves walked the lands. The elves in this cult were intent on magic. The other sects of the Church of Telgard certainly did not hold these cultists in high esteem. the Winter Cultists were evil, unnatural, and should be exiled.