The Pristine Path

Before me lies a field of alabaster white.
In the distance, I see storms that must be weathered.
In the distance, I see mountains that must be crossed.
In the distance, I see a Red Eye that must be spurned.
I question whether I can overcome these things.
But with the Shepherd as my guide.
I walk the Pristine Path.

- Song of Truths, Verse I
The Sacred Hymnals

While the Known Realms is home to many religions, some of which hold only shades of difference from others, it is the Pristine Path that dominates the land. It is named for the biblical story of the path with which the first man ascended to Paradise and became the first Shepherd.

Deity(ies): The Shepherd, The Caretaker, The Wolf

The Shepherd is the One True God, as spoken by the Sanctuary and the Hymnals. The Shepherd watches over mortals lives with painstaking care and careful planning, hoping to see his wards learn and grow and be good to one another. He teaches the Virtues: Compassion, Empathy, and Kindness. He protects the weak and ensures Justice and Fairness are the prevailing law of the land. He is revered by all who follow the Pristine Path and is said to guide mortals to their final resting place in Paradise.

The Hymnals also tell of the Shepherd's Cane, a verse of which refers to how the Cane is passed onto another at the end of the Path. To most modern religious scholars, this implies the existence of another Deity that watches over mortals in Paradise, now commonly referred to as the Caretaker. It should be noted that nowhere in the Hymnals is this other deity named, however, and whether the Caretaker is in fact a separate entity, or simply another aspect of the Shepherd, is a subject of heated debate amongst many scholars within the Holy City, Mecca.

The counterpart to the Shepherd is Fenrir, the Red-Eyed Wolf, or simply The Wolf. He is so named for his wicked attempts to cause pilgrims to stray from the Pristine Path, upon which he devours their souls and sends them to the Restless Abaddon. The existence of radical and heretic cults devoted to his cause have shown that Fenrir values selfishness, violence, and injustice. The Hymnals sing that he is forever on the hunt for souls who waver in their piety, and delights in dragging down devout followers of the Path.

Several captured heretics and worshippers of the Wolf have claimed that Fenrir is not the devil that he is described to be, despite all evidence and teaching to the contrary. They claim that he is another aspect of humanity - one of individual expression. freedom, and even love - and that he should be given the same respect and worship as the Shepherd, if not more. Most of these heretics recant these blasphemous ravings, however, under the Sanctuary's "purifying" fires.

Religious Institution: The Sanctum Penitent

The Teachings of the Pristine Path are proliferated by the Sanctum Penitent. The Sanctum Penitent operates chiefly within Mecca, the Holy City. All who teach the Path are required to journey to Mecca at least once every few years (depending on their mission and current location) in order to pay respects and receive the latest divinations of the Sanctum. Medina is located governed by the highest ranking priest within the Sanctuary, referred to as High Father. In order to spread the teachings of the Pristine Path, the High Father delegates Ministers, Healers, and Redeemers to be the Shepherd's eyes, ears, sword and shield within the Known Realms.

Ministers are the Shepherd's words made law, and they often serve as arbitrators of disputes, leaders of congregations, and judges of holy law. Ministers are accepted within the Sanctuary as leaders, though the Hymnals do not give its servants rank. The wisest and most reverent of Ministers provide counsel to High Father within Mecca, but even those not so stationed are afforded great respect by everyone from commoners to Kings.

Healers do as their title implies, but they offer more than healing for the flesh. Healers are also the Sanctuary's Confessors, who receive confession from penitent pilgrims and absolve sin from the soul. They answer directly to the Ministers.

Redeemers are the Sanctuary's sword and shield on the mortal plane. Redeemers are knights, vigilant and honorable, sworn to uphold Sanctuary and Pristine Law. They answer to the Ministers. A large contingent is always present in Mecca to defend it from invaders, though in recent times the realm has found more Redeemers outside the Holy City as well. They are so named in the hopes that even the most vile of criminals and barbarians may be reformed and taught to follow the Path.

Those who follow the Pristine Path, but do not serve within the Sanctuary's ordered ranks are referred to as Pilgrims.

Symbols: The Broken Cane

Priests, including all Ministers, Healers, and Redeemers, are required to wear the symbol of the Broken Cane in deference to the Shepherd. The Hymnals sing of the ancient story, how when the Shepherd first came to encounter Fenrir.

For most of the early times, sin was unheard of, vice was nonexistent, and evil was impossible. This paradise on earth was soon ruined by the arrival of the Red-Eyed Wolf, however. Fenrir brought sin to the land, teaching men to covet, to be jealous, to use violence to take what is desired by force. The Shepherd soon realized that his Paradise was being filled with corrupted men.

Thus, he went to entreat with the Wolf, hoping to show the vile beast the error of his ways. In return for leaving his wards alone, the Shepherd offered the Wolf friendship and companionship. Fenrir laughed, and told the Shepherd he had no need for friends. The Shepherd tried again to treat with him, this time by granting the Wolf his own afterlife to rule, what would become known as the Restless Abaddon. The Wolf was content to prowl these empty wastes for a time, but soon grew discontent and began to prey on mortals once again.

The Shepherd went a final time to plead with the wolf to abandon his vile ways, offering his most prized possession - his Golden Cane. The Cane was said to harbor extraordinary power, though only to those who could control it. The Wolf greedily seized the Cane, but its nature and intent violated the spirit of their bargain. It is said the Golden Cane wrested itself away from the Wolf's grasp and smashed itself against the vile beast, breaking in half and losing all of its power. The Wolf ran howling back to the Abaddon, and the Shepherd taught his faithful a valuable lesson: redeem when possible, but defend when necessary.

I will discuss the minor Faiths in my next entry.