Convocation of Faith

Convocation of Faith

In Autumn 801 TR the faithful of the Shaper from all across Tirneach and beyond met in Draoid to discuss matters spiritual and the future of the church. Notable in attendance were emissaries from the Everlasting Dominion birthplace of the first Reig. Cummacht Na Reig was offered the job of protecting the meeting but had to turn it down in order to deal with the threat of Mallacht Ua Finnian in Siabhal.

Thankfully the convocation passed mostly without violence with the lone exception being when a single Cinnire attempted to preach to the assembled faithful that the Breaker was the Shapers equal and opposite in spiritual matters and that they should be worshipped together. Those assembled turned violent at this heresy and the cinnire was killed by the resulting mob.

In the aftermath of the convocation news began to spread of what was discussed there. Here are a selection of some of the letters spread in the aftermath.

People of Tirneach, by Andromeda Sagattia Tullia, Emissary to Tirneach from the Everlasting Dominion

People of Tirneach, Two generations past, our people sent a Speaker to bring the light of the Shaper to your shores. A young Leasair that braved the dangers of the turbulent western seas and a strange, undiscovered land; the leader that you now know as the first “Réig”. They brought civilisation and virtue to these lands and united your squabbling ancestors in common cause. They built a strong new nation and shared the lessons of the Shaper. They drove back the Gwyllt that had previously found so welcoming a home on this peninsula.

The rulers that followed them have struggled admirably to uphold their legacy but it is clear to us now that many things have been lost in the fleeting of so many short lives. Without proper guidance the teachings of the Shaper have become diffuse and unclear. They have been turned lightly to this end and to that. I will here address the two most pressing matters. Firstly, it is the duty of all mortals to strive, to struggle, to Persevere. There are many admirable qualities that might guide one through this life but above all others is the virtue of Perseverance. It is foremost in the heart of the Shaper and should be foremost in the hearts and minds of all their children.

Secondly, your people have been left for some years guessing at the Shaper’s will. It need not be this way. The Shaper speaks to their mortal devotees every night and every day, you need only learn to read the signs. Seers are common among our people but the art appears to have been lost completely from Tirneach. Some are born with the talent: seek them out, hone their skills, listen to their words. Others may learn it and we are eager to teach. There may even be another Speaker living among you now, one like the champion who brought the light of the Shaper to your shores, if only you can learn to recognise them. For too long has the Everlasting Dominion neglected its duty to the mortals of Tirneach but rest assured that this time of neglect has ended, our duty to this province will be upheld.

Perseverantia est Victoria

Andromeda Sagattia Tullia Fourth Seer Emissary to Tirneach

Children of the Shaper, by Ciara Gan Ainm

Children of the Shaper,

I say to you, our war can and MUST end.

We have grown complacent.

Our current condition may as well be one of peace with the Gwyllt.

We accept their depravations, their tithe of blood, as the cost of doing business in the Mortal world.

We have no business here more urgent, more important, or more vital than the destruction of the Gwyllt.

Let me remind you what is promised to us when this war is ended: The return of the Shaper in perfect power and glory to the mortal plane.

We stand with blissful utopia offered to us and we turn away in favour of the horrors.

Do not be distracted by the petty dealings of High Families and Tiarnaí.

Remember only the words and cause of the First Réig.

We must drive out the Gwyllt.

We must make ourselves an army, not a kingdom.

We are the Vanguard of the Shaper in this world.

We must make ourselves their worthy heirs, not their spoiled and idle children.

Let every action you take be towards the destruction of the enemy.

Let every thought be of the perfect world to come.

Let every drop of blood be shed in service of the Shaper, consecrating the wretched earth for their Return.

Chastise the fools who say this war can never be won, that it is not meant to be won.

Are the children torn to shreds by the Gwyllt a metaphor? Is the power of the Shaper an allegory?

This fight is not a symbol. It is a real and bloody challenge that we shall overcome.

There will come a day when the Gwyllt is nothing but a memory.

How will you account for your part in the fight?

With Courage and Duty, Ciara Gan Ainm

The Virtue of Conviction, by Úna of House Crashing Rain

Virtuous souls! I bring a message.

Our understanding of virtue is incomplete. The Everlasting Dominion is muddying the waters, preaching perseverance, while new understandings of virtue are within our grasp alone. There is something that dances around the virtues. Our Gallóglaigh swear oaths to it. Some Cinnirí preach it in perseverance, or loyalty, or ambition. But it stands alone.

This, my friends, is the virtue of Conviction.

Conviction is knowing oneself and being true. Of standing firm in one’s beliefs no matter who tries to shake you. Of advocating for oneself. Of speaking up when others won’t.

Conviction is the core of the sometimes neglected fifth oath I swore as a gallóglach. Now, only the gallóglaigh swear these oaths. But do we not expect everyone to follow the Shaper, serve the Réig, support the realms, and support each other? Yet we give little thought to that fifth oath, and I tell you it matters as much as any virtue. Good thoughts are nothing without the strength of will to stand up and ensure that things are done.The Shaper grants us the strength to have faith in ourselves, and we must embrace that gift.

Doubt is the poison that leaves lies unchallenged. Doubt is the poison that leads all to expect another to lead. Doubt is the poison that sees the virtuous divided and unsure while the wicked march forward with blazing passion.

Cast aside doubt, a chairde, and embrace the virtue of Conviction.

Mise le meas, Úna of House Crashing Rain

The Church is in crisis, by Valla of the Hospitaliers

Faithful of the Shaper, The Church is in crisis.

The great forest is further north than it has been in centuries. The vile heresy of the breakers runs amok, sinking its roots into realm after realm. The Five Realms’ faith has been shaken by the Season of Uncertainty, when the masses suffered and now see fit to question the protection and benevolence of the Shaper. A shadow of undeath sweeps across the land. And what is our response? To eat canapés with heretics of the Everlasting Dominion. To pontificate and dither about the ideal number of virtues. To question and doubt the fundamentals of our faith.

This, I say, is cowardice. This, I say, betrays everything we stand for. We must not be irresolute theoreticians, we must be the burning flame of the Shaper that lights in the land. It is time that we forged this Church into the majesty that we know it can be. We must tighten ranks. The Five Orders must stand as one. While all were founded separately, they have grown together and must be even more so. The prelates should not rule their own domains, but the Council must administer the Church entire. Currently, any fool in the realms may declare themselves a cinnire, and spread whatever corrupting nonsense they please. No more. There must be trials. Prospective cinnirí must serve apprenticeships in each of the five orders, and be assigned to the order they are best suited. There shall be no more ambiguity over who speaks for the Church - either you have been proven worthy and are on the books, or you are a peddler of sin.

We must divide truth from lies. It is past time the word of the Shaper was writ, a text compiled that sets out the truth of our faith. For too long have perfidious heresies been allowed to fester within the Church’s walls. From the Crucible perverting the teachings of the Torchbearers, to the Faith of Stone harbouring Draoid’s Breakers, to the Nocturnalists encouraging the faithful to stray into a path of delusion. They must be excised. The truth must be set in writing, and lies burnt out of our congregation.

We must lead this fractured land. The deathstorm rages. The breakers form cult after cult after cult. The graverobber Suiríoch is still at large. And we have done little but hope that this will be dealt with. The gallóglaigh are wasted on the petty squabbles of tiarnaí. The church must rally these sworn warriors, and commission them to take on the great threats that plague our realm. Funds will be needed. From the prosperity of the faithful we shall bring together the money to send out the gallóglaigh and bring peace to the five realms. No one is better suited than we to know what ills of Tirneach must be healed.

The faith must be reforged. The citadel must rise eternal. Yours in courage, Valla of the Hospitaliers

On Orders and their Virtues, from Micheál of the Necromancers

Cinnirí of all orders, There has been much talk at the convocation of grand radical statements. It is clear, I think, that change is required in the church, but we must not throw out the baby with the bathwater. We must look to our roots, examine what makes this church great, and reinforce it. Below are my own thoughts on how we can do this by bringing the virtues more in line with the orders. Are not the Hospitaliers, our healers, pinnacles of compassion? They clearly uphold the virtues of Compassion and Duty.

What fool would say that the Teachers do not spread wisdom? The virtues that are core to their order are truly Prosperity and Wisdom.

The Counsellors weave the realms together with loyalty, it is true. An endless struggle. Encouraging people to take one step at a time, to overcome their struggles bit by bit by bit. This, my friends, is Loyalty and Perseverance.

Is not the war against the gwyllt the greatest, most ambitious fight that ever there was? Can the Torchbearers be said to be anything other than pinnacles of Courage and Ambition?

The Necromancers have many virtues, it is true. But little heed is sometimes given to how we help the people of Tirneach be vigilant. To see things clearly, and to be mindful of the threats they will bring should they stir the dead with grief. Clarity, my friends, and Vigilance. Some of you may find this change too radical, but I speak true. These are the virtues that always should have been assigned to the orders. By recognising this, we can rejuvenate the faith and usher in a new era of worship of the Shaper.

Yours in virtue, Micheál of the Necromancers

On the Nature of the Faith, by Barra, formerly of the Teachers

Cinnirí, This is my official resignation from the Order of the Teachers. I have sat and listened as cinnirí from near and far have squabbled over petty matters of doctrine. As people have droned on about virtues, and orders, and politics. Preaching and pontificating. Weaving webs of doctrine to ensnare themselves upon.

Know this, cinnirí, the faith is simple. For the past thirty years, I have served in the Library of Uaircinn. I have studiously kept records of all matters of faith. In the months before the Convention, we have been busier than ever. Cinnirí have been coming here to research, to shore up their arguments, to consider the debates of old. One question that has been asked again and again is “where does it all come from?” When were the orders founded, where do the virtues come from, what about all our assembled lore and sayings?

And the answer is that we’re not really sure. In the old times, we passed stories on by word of mouth. Eventually, as the church became more formalised, we tried to put a shape on these. We inferred, we extrapolated, we presumed. To be cynical, we made a lot up.

What do we actually know? The first Réig came to us from afar, wielding the Shaper’s power. They told us that the Shaper was a foe of the gwyllt. They taught us that the dead must remain still. That an afterlife awaited us. And they told us to help one another. To be good to our neighbours. To stand together rather than apart.

In my view, we need nothing more than this. Orders, virtues, doctrine! The church itself is a distraction. The Library at Uaircinn is a great work, and collecting knowledge that we may pass on to our children is a task worthy of the faithful. But my time here is done. I am going out into the world, to get away from those dusty old scrolls. I am going to spread the knowledge I have gathered in my life among the people. To smile and help and teach across the Five Realms. I need no order. I need no virtues. I have the Shaper, and I have my sibling mortals.

This path I have chosen for myself. Yours may be different. But I tell you one thing, and one thing true. Do not flatten the leaf between pages of a book. Do not quibble over the patterns in the roots. Do not test the weight of the branch. Instead, look up from the tree, and walk into the beautiful forest.

Barra

Cinnirí, This is my official resignation from the Order of the Teachers. I have sat and listened as cinnirí from near and far have squabbled over petty matters of doctrine. As people have droned on about virtues, and orders, and politics. Preaching and pontificating. Weaving webs of doctrine to ensnare themselves upon.

Know this, cinnirí, the faith is simple. For the past thirty years, I have served in the Library of Uaircinn. I have studiously kept records of all matters of faith. In the months before the Convention, we have been busier than ever. Cinnirí have been coming here to research, to shore up their arguments, to consider the debates of old. One question that has been asked again and again is “where does it all come from?” When were the orders founded, where do the virtues come from, what about all our assembled lore and sayings?

And the answer is that we’re not really sure. In the old times, we passed stories on by word of mouth. Eventually, as the church became more formalised, we tried to put a shape on these. We inferred, we extrapolated, we presumed. To be cynical, we made a lot up.

What do we actually know? The first Réig came to us from afar, wielding the Shaper’s power. They told us that the Shaper was a foe of the gwyllt. They taught us that the dead must remain still. That an afterlife awaited us. And they told us to help one another. To be good to our neighbours. To stand together rather than apart.

In my view, we need nothing more than this. Orders, virtues, doctrine! The church itself is a distraction. The Library at Uaircinn is a great work, and collecting knowledge that we may pass on to our children is a task worthy of the faithful. But my time here is done. I am going out into the world, to get away from those dusty old scrolls. I am going to spread the knowledge I have gathered in my life among the people. To smile and help and teach across the Five Realms. I need no order. I need no virtues. I have the Shaper, and I have my sibling mortals.

This path I have chosen for myself. Yours may be different. But I tell you one thing, and one thing true. Do not flatten the leaf between pages of a book. Do not quibble over the patterns in the roots. Do not test the weight of the branch. Instead, look up from the tree, and walk into the beautiful forest.

Barra

On the Understanding of Virtue, by Naoise Ón Bhruid

My fellow Cinirrí, We ought not be complacent in our teachings. I send to you this missive which recounts the major points of a debate held at the recent gathering of the faithful in Draíod. It was a fascinating and productive enterprise. We have identified a lack of Clarity in how we discuss those Virtues that the Shaper adores and I here invite you to think upon these questions:

Does not Ambition encompass Prosperity? The Ambitious strive to grow and prosper, to rise up, to make more from less.

Does not Compassion encompass Loyalty? The Compassionate will not turn their backs on their fellows, cannot spurn their families, cannot look away from shared cause.

Does not Duty encompass Perseverance? The Dutiful will not abandon their duty, will not give in when threatened, will complete their task no matter the cost.

Does not Clarity encompass Wisdom? Clarity of thought is the foundation of understanding, clarity of speech is the building built upon it and brings its message to all who behold it.

Does not Courage encompass Vigilance? The courageous are ever ready for when they are needed, the courageous cannot turn away from what they do not wish to see.

I encourage you to reflect and to teach of these Five Virtues as the most central to the understanding of our Shaper’s wishes for how we Mortals are to live.

Do Chara, Naoise Ón Bhruid