A Whisper of Night

The Eight Faiths

THE OLD FAITH (Valigen)

The Old Faith came to Valchtnallan from Phaenos, the Eastern Lands. After Cerovar the Conqueror annexed Skeynvald and formed the kingdom of Old Skeynvald, he gave the Isle of Twelve - the most fertile land of the kingdom - to the Valigen for their contribution to his victory. The Old Faith is the most common religion in Valchtnallan and Old Skeynvald.

The Valigen believes that there are Twelve Noble Battles in life, and one nameless deity to guide each fight. The High Priest of the Valigen has neither a face nor a name; the twelve Priests below him each guide a hundred and forty-four Novices, each specializing in one of the Twelve Noble Battles. The Valigenstamm, also known as the Militant of the Old Faith or the Faith Militant, consists of a hundred and forty-four thousand of the strongest soldiers in Wyaernos. 

THE NEW FAITH (Farksgen)

The New Faith evolved from the Old Faith around five-hundred years ago. It is dominant in the east of Old Skeynvald and the west of Scorvald. The Farksgen believes that the Twelve Noble Battles are all part of one Great War between the Lightgiver, or the Greatness Above, and the Evil Below.

The New Faith follows the structure of the Old Faith, although its Militant numbers only a hundred and forty-four men.

THE OLD RIVER FAITH (Valagen)

The Old River Faith began in Stromvald, where it is still dominant - but slowly dying - in the rural parts of the River Kingdom. The Valagen has no temples, nor any hierarchy of Priests or Novices. Rather, it focuses on individual prayer to a multitude of deities, each of which helps with farming, agriculture, hunting, or family.  

THE NEW RIVER FAITH (Nyalgen)

The New River Faith is a combination of the New Faith and the Old River Faith. It is dominant in the urban parts of Stromvald, and believes in the Great War between the Lightgiver and the Evil Below. However, the New River Faith approves of worship to smaller deities for problems that may be considered insignificant in the Lightgiver's eyes. 

The High Priest of the Nyalgen has the ability to redeem a man in the name of the Lightgiver, and he himself is considered sacred. Recently, he has been accused of corruption by the Reformed Faith. Because of these accusations, and because of the tensions between the New River and Reformed Faiths, the Militant of the New River Faith, or the River Children, has been growing. 

THE REFORMED FAITH (Sihgen)

The Reformed Faith came from Phaenos only a few years ago. It has become extremely popular among the poor of Stromvald, due in no small part to the charisma of the High Priest and his accusations of corruption towards the High Priest of the Nyalgen. The Reformed Faith rejects all deities save the One Above, and believes that evil is not created by a deity, but by man himself. 

Recently, the Reformed Faith has been forming a Militant, known as the Soldiers of Light, which is infamously aggressive towards the New River Faith. 

THE FAITH OF FIRE (Balgen)

The Faith of Fire is dominant in Scorvald, and it has remained unaltered by any other Faith throughout the years. The Priests of the Faith are all initiated at the Nightfire Isles, which used to be the birthplace and training grounds of dragons and their Riders, and travel to Scorvald upon receiving their Priesthoods to help the people. 

The Faith of Fire is closely entwined with the monarchy of Scorvald, and preaches individual salvation (it believes in the Lightgiver as a guiding force, rather than a true deity), the necessity of law, and harsh punishments in the face of breaking the law. The Militant of Fire, or the Balgenstamm, is also the royal army. 

THE STONE FAITH (Lyagen)

The Stone Faith is dominant in Slagvald, but is more of an ideology than a true Faith. The Lyagen values loyalty and kindness, as well as respect towards elders and the maintenance of peace through law and punishment. The Lyagenstamm, or the Militant of the Faith, rarely takes up arms due to the relative stability of Slagvald. 

THE GLASS FAITH (Vergen) 

The Glass Faith is the only religion in Svanvald. The men of the Vergen do not seek salvation, but Truth. The High Priests, Priests, and Novices are all initiated at the Crown of Ice, the tallest mountain in Wyaernos, and seek to find Truth for their entire lives through study, self-deprivation, and compassion. 

The Glass Faith is famous for being the most tolerant of all the Faiths, because they do not believe in laws or deities created by men. Their Militant, the Vergenstamm, has never taken up arms in the history of Wyaernos, largely due to Svanvald's isolation from the other kingdoms.