Sybbyl
Blessed
| Teachings of the Old Ways |
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| Followers of the old ways, who refer to one another as Guardians, are taught the importance of the true meaning of neutrality. Both in a moral and lifestyle sense, the injection of neutrality into one’s actions is a must. |
| The Guardians are incentivized to not affiliate themselves with any one political body, as an organization largely based on the lawless land of the Sorrows. True devout of the faith understand that they are not citizens of Altera, but instead visitors of the lands. They are not disallowed from taking up residency in the lands of Altera or it’s many nations, but they are required to not take up positions of authority within them. |
| Whilst the Guardians are a body of neutrality, respect is a large part of the following. They are expected to respect the laws of the lands they visit, and respect the gods of the Pantheon and their followers, including those of the grey lady. Should a land reject followers of Skraag or bar them from entry, the Guardians will oblige, and seek not trouble without reason. |
| In the current age where the old ways have been lost to conflict in past centuries, the work of the Guardians will not be easy. It is taught to each guardian, that acts of violence or criminal intentions will only further scorch the reputation. The Guardians have been formed to bring back the old ways to light, and to heal Skraag, who has been influenced by the dark and evil nature of the current following, and the loss of his Chosen child, Dum’ni Plug. The Guardians are warned twicefold, that in the current state of affairs, intentionally breaking and disrespecting the law of Altera will only make our work harder. Criminals within the organization will not be protected, but instead given to the authorities that request them, as the Old Ways have no room for mistakes, for now. |
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The symbol used to represent the Old Ways, a Vyre skull with green glowing inside of it. From which, a black snake ouroboros will orbit for eternity.
| Beliefs |
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In the following of the Old Ways, it is believed that Skraag is a god of True Neutrality. Neither that of Evil, nor good, he does not judge his people nor reprimand them. The following does not praise, nor deny, any people based on their moral standings. A follower may be a slaver, murderer, pacifist or saint/saintess, and will stand on equal footing with all others. In tandem, followers of the old ways do not interfere with the incrimination of wanted persons, though if asked they would not intentionally hide any fact, they do not seek out justice for others without reason, or based only on moral compass. They may do so for themselves or loved ones.However, if a member’s actions are detrimental to the neutral state of the organization, they may be ejected. Whilst nefarious deeds are not reprimanded, becoming a wanted criminal will ultimately cause the following trouble. There is a delicate balance in all things, and it must be considered. 
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| The following preaches patience as one of its virtues, a thing once favored by Skraag. All things will come for those who carefully plan and wait, and the Guardians display this in their actions. They focus heavily on the belief that the state of undeath is the superior form, and patience should be displayed in the wait for one’s ascendance into immortality. Those who do ascend to immortality are considered higher than those enchained by their mortal coils, but all carry the same weight in their words within the organization.
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| One new belief is preached by Dorothy to the young Guardians. That the actions of Skraag over the past few centuries, which largely contributed to the crumbling of the once respected reputation they had, are largely influenced by the growing Evil nature of his followers. In her absence, the following was left to decay and drift away from the Neutral standing, causing Skraag to act in more brutal and evil ways. She teaches each young Guardian that with bringing the Old Ways back into the light, perhaps they can heal Skraag and his grieving soul, and bring him back to the center of the moral compass once more.
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As it was told to Dorothy and Dum’ni by Skraag in the 2300s, the coming of Skraag to bring undeath to the mortal realm is not one to be approached with impatience. Over time, natural life will meet its end of its own natural causes, and the following must patiently await this. For those that are able, reaching undeath of their own accord is a blessing and an accomplishment, but not doing so is no failure. When all natural life has faded from the mortal realm, Skraag will embrace the souls he has collected to wait with him in his realm. These souls will be returned to the mortal realm by his hand, blessed with the highest form of undeath, to live on in a blissful eternity as who they once were, in a world there is no longer any need for death or suffering. No more will we suffer illness, plague or perish. Left to live out our eternity in his praises, in the paradise he creates.This belief is what pre-dates the Guardians of Immortality, who wished to create this paradise with their own hands, this task cannot be completed by mortal flesh. Life is too abundant for any entity without the power of a god to bring about the true paradise we desire, and so it must be left for Skraag. There is no point to putting an end to a life early, as one single life will merit nothing when it can simply be resurrected, its cycle not yet completed. Only when a souls cycle is complete may it be graced with Skraags embrace, to wait in his realm for the end of natural life. Instead, we can work to preserve the flesh of our departed. To bury them where their bodies can wait for their souls to return, after the end of natural life. A small goal of some followers is to perfect the art of preserving a body,with the ultimate goal being to keep it in a state as close to alive as possible. For this reason, a few number of the Guardians were once highly trained physicians.
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| Initiation |
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| Though during the time of the Old Ways, there was not much needed to join the following, in the current age interested persons will need to be vetted. A series of tasks are given, alongside questions and reports, to discern the potential followers' moral compass. If one is leaning too far towards the good or the evil, they can submit to teachings to perhaps join later on after being taught how to balance themselves in the center. If they disagree, they will not be allowed to join, but may freely continue to learn the old ways as they please, without affiliation. |
| Hierarchy |
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| Largely, equality amongst all members is preached within the organization, but there is some hierarchy. Members are taught that whilst there are those with Divine Blessing, it does not give one any higher authority than another. Dorothy being one of the few who holds true authority amongst the organization's members as the High Guardian, she teaches that all have a voice within, and that those who show with their actions true devotion can contribute more to the whole of the group. As unfortunately necessary as it is, she also preaches that whilst the Divine blessed should be respected for their devotion, if they are not a member of the organization, their teachings could be tainted. This applies just as well to the current Exalt. Respect him and his thoughts, but do not take his teachings to heart if they contradict what is taught by the Old Ways. |
Notable locations
Currently, the organization can operate out of a Temple that has been erected by Dorothy in the Lost Frontier. However, most of the public meetings or sermons will occur in a cathedral.| Orders |
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| Whilst there is no true authority to impose these rulings aside from the High Guardian, Dorothy, each Guardian is taught the rulings to follow in their own power. |
| The tenets of Skraag are to be followed in all of one’s actions, do not deviate from them, as they are the divine law. This is expected on the mainlands, and any other lands including the Sorrows. |
| Show patience in all actions, as we show patience in our worship of Skraag. |
| Do not fight with other believers of different divine, it is not our place to impose our beliefs upon them. If they come to you to debate about your beliefs, listen to their words and show that you hear them, but do not fight against them. You must show patience, as in the end when natural life leaves the mortal plane, everything will be his. |
| Do not fight amongst the other Guardians, if you cannot come to an agreement, bring your discussion to another member who can act as a neutral mediator. |
Dress
Relations
| Allied | Neutral | Disfavored |
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Attachments
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