The Way

Creation

In the beginning, there was nothing, save Trigu, and all was perfect, for Trigu was all that there was. Yet of all the things that an omnipotent, omniscient deity can do, there is one thing that He could not do. He could have no worship, for a being cannot truly give itself praise and glory. Thus was the world and all that is in it created, and it was found to be good in Trigu's sight.

For a time, all was well in the world, with men and Rhin (angelic servants created by Trigu to give aid to humanity) both giving their worship to Trigu. But with free will and it's unique potential for true worship also comes the potential of rejection, and therein lay the fall of both man and Rhin. There was a Rhin named L'ruhk, and he was the most powerful of all creations, stronger even than man with his enormous potential. L'ruhk was the Guardian, his sole purpose to safeguard existence. Yet his power was too much, and L'ruhk became prideful, and sought to overthrow Trigu and establish himself as Ruler over Creation. His fall from grace, and his subsequent corruption of both mankind and many Rhin, drove a rift between Mankind and God, one which no man could ever hope to cross. Trigu was far too Holy to even look at those who were less than perfect, and all of Creation seemed on the verge of destruction.

Yet hope was not lost, for in a divine prophecy, 500 priests of Trigu uttered the same words at the same time:

'In darkest night, when all hope has fallen, the Corruptor shall be overcome by a man not of the world.'

It is this prophecy upon which the Way looks to the future, each member praying daily that this would be the day that the promised one would come to bridge the gap and restore the lost paradise on Tyren. However, in preparation for that time, there is still the matter of ska to attend to. Ska is your bad deeds; only perfection is tolerated by Trigu. Therefore, one must find a way to 'cover' ones ska. This is done with a yearly sacrifice that rolls back the ska debt for another year. The exact ritual is detailed at length in the Trigium (the Tyrenian holy book), but at it's most basic level it involves the sacrifice of a untainted firstborn sheep.

There are a few special days honored by followers of the Way, most concerning the actions of Trigu upon the world. They include Sending Day, a celebration of the sending of the 5 Elemental Defenders to stym the tide of evil during the Demon War; Summer Feast, a celebration of Creation; and Shatter-Glass, a day of somber remembrance in recognition of the end of the Demon War, when the world was broken into three continents. Then of course there is the Day of Repentance, when the yearly sacrifice is performed in every major city, and most minor ones.

The Trigium (tr-ihg-ee-um) lists out in detail what is and isn't allowed of Trigu's followers; in essence, it tells what is ska and what is not. The specific passages are too numerous to list, but all of it can be summed up in a single word or phrase: Love. Love God, and love others.

Some specific examples of prohibitions include: no worship of pagan gods, no human sacrifice, no drinking of blood or canibalism, no fornication, and no murder.

The Priesthood is not a higher class of people, in the sense of being 'better'. They are no more or less important than commoners, they just have a different purpose in life: the task of teaching, guarding, and guiding others of the faith. Each of them is just as human as anyone else, grace-fallen and, in some cases, worse than others. No-one is immune to L'ruk's corruption, and the clergy are no exception.

Healing
Even so, there are certain members of the clergy who are empowered by Trigu as living testaments of faith and His Power. Accordingly, the truly faithful of the priesthood have at least some ability to invoke divine healing, but true faith is rarer than it might seem at first glance. However, this healing comes at a cost, for part of the healing comes from Trigu, but the rest comes from the person themself, as an acceleration of their body's natural healing. This normally results in extreme hunger and temporary weakness in otherwise healthy people.

Exorcism
Certain followers of the Way have been known to cast out demons and destroy undead, having been divinely empowered to do so by Trigu. Such an ability is available to those who call upon Trigu in faith, but most followers do not have the faith required to have any effect upon undead larger than a common house rat. Major exorcism is a true test of faith, and proof of Trigu's blessing.

Gifts and other Abilities
There are other abilities granted by Trigu to the best of the best who follow Him. To date, only 3 people have ever recieved a Gift, but theoretically an infinite number could exist. Each is unique to the Gifted. The three Gifts given so far are:

• The Holy Aura, bestowed upon St. Sayn. It tremendously weaked both undead and demons who were near the Saint, sometimes resulting in the exorcism of minor demons simply by Sayn's presence.
• The Brightest Light, gifted to St. Trayl. This Gift allowed St. Trayl to see through deception of any kind, dispelling illusions and falsities for the Saint.
• Purifying Tears, granted to St. Gyle the Healer. When he poured water over a wound, it could heal even the worst of injuries and sicknesses.

It is the Ultimate Honor to be given a Gift by the Creator, and those who are so Gifted are very well respected amongst the other Followers.

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While not detailed excessively, the corruption of some Rhin has resulted in the ability of pagan clerics to heal and otherwise perform miracles. Those Rhin are ones that are the 'least' corrupt, and thus have set themselves up as 'Good' deities. Obviously, the worst of the lot are evil deities of bloodshed and abominable practices.

Followers of the Way will respect to a good extent clerics of 'good' faiths, and will most likely fight with those clerics of 'bad' faiths, but will worship the gods of neither, for all deities aside from Trigu are pagan gods, and thus forbidden to be worshipped.