The Following Of Ithryn

The Following of Ithryn

Far to the west of the elves that worshiped a pantheon of gods and goddesses, west of elves who have long since disappeared from the world, resides elves of a different kind. The High Elf Kingdoms of Arunthryn and Ulhethyr practice a faith that would be considered alien to those who were devout to the pantheon. Elves of the Following believe themselves to be the world’s caretakers, and view their divine mandate in the same light.

Ithryn, the god of the Following, represents the supreme creator of all things. He is not represented in paintings in any form recognizable as elf or man, he is simply portrayed as a guiding light. Contrary to the elves of the pantheon, who are believed to be extinct, the elves of the Following believe that Ithryn created the beings of the pantheon and the power they possessed. As such, they reject worship of Selaria as backwards, and believe her to be a demon of sorts for rebelling against Ithryn’s commands.

The Awakening, as most elves refer to it, happened in a similar way to how it is described in the east. Ithryn created the world of Aethoris, and created Selaria and the others of the supposed pantheon to be its caretakers. When Selaria rebelled, Ithryn created the elves to carry on his mandate. Unfortunately, Selaria and those who followed her corrupted the elves of Reveia, and according to legend, cut them off from the guiding light of Ithryn. Those who strayed from Selaria’s domain would go on to be known as the Followers of Ithryn, and would settle their kingdoms in the west. Knowledge of one another vanished overtime, as both groups of elves resigned to their isolation. In the wake of Selaria’s rebellion, Ithryn awakened several beings who would serve Ithryn as new caretakers of the world. Ithryn’s love of music persisted, and the first of these caretakers was Iaechon, a singer whose voice it is said could soothe the roughest of squalls and the hardest of hearts. Iaechon is said to be Ithryn’s right hand, a servant intended to bring the rebellious Selaria and her followers back into the guiding light. Being a singer, Iaechon is considered to be a mirror image of what Tralurnia was intended to be.

Notable Beings

Ithryn - Supreme creator and god of the High Elves. He is the only being worthy of worship according to the western kingdoms.

Iaechon - Considered the right hand of Ithryn. He is revered among the soldiers of Ulhethyr and Arunthryn, and is a guide for those who strive against the darkness. He is not worshiped.

Othorion - Considered one of the servants of Ithryn, a close friend to Iaechon and the caretaker of the gardens of Arunthryn. Othorion gained favor with Ithryn by defeating Selaria during the War of Tragedy, banishing her from Aethoris.

Selaria - Considered to be a rebellious demon. She is disgraced among the Nytorion Elves

Tralurnia - Similar to Selaria, Tralurnia was cast out by Ithryn as a mark against his creation, and for that he was made ugly. Tralurnia is scorned by all elves of the west, and his music is believed to cause great weather calamities.

Beliefs and Doctrines

The Following of Ithryn is above all a faith of order. Many of their teachings reject those of the pantheon, one of the most notable being the allowance of multiple partners and the reverence of the King of Ilamnia as some sort of church head.

Marriage - Strictly Monogamous.

Divorce - Disallowed.

Open Relationships - Disallowed

Homosexuality - Disallowed.

Homosexual Marriage - Disallowed.

Gender Roles - Gender Equality.

Clergy Gender - Male and Female.

Alcohol Consumption - Allowed only ceremoniously.

Drug Use - Disallowed.

Sorcery - Allowed and encouraged.

Slavery - Disallowed and actively frowned upon.

Other Churches - Open to other followers of Ithryn

Races - Elves of the Following do not view other races as inferior with few exceptions, having forged friendly relations with humans and even lizardfolk at times. However, dark elves and khudaks are viewed with measured dislike and pity, for the elves of Ithryn believe they were twisted by the dark powers and are evil by nature. Whether this view is true, is another matter.