The Aedinian Chantry

Authored by Elros Trevelyan, Acolyte and Paladin of the Circle

Section I: The Formation of the Chantry

It is from the common theme in all righteous religions of a single being with several personas which The Chantry derives its idea of The Maker, or the Creator. The same ideals that are seen, for example, in the worship of Gwynal and Varesh, of a dark and light force that once led the founding Elders to ponder the true idea of a god which had multiple personalities. They soon found after meditation and deliberation that they all had dreams in which a white robed man told them he was their one true god, the being who created them and the world upon which they lived. This was the discovery, or as the brothers and sisters called it at one point, “The Great Epiphany”.

The Elders were told through dreams and visions that they were to find a young man named Aedin, who would become the prophet of our Lord Maker. And so began the search for this young man, continuing on for fourscore decades, until there was an orphaned boy left on the doorstep of the Revered Mother Cassandra. It was this revered mother that would become forever the holy image of maternal love within the chantry. She raised the young child, naming him Aedin, always with a feeling in her heart that he was the boy whom the prophecies had foretold would become our Maker's voice. Those feelings only grew to be substantiated when Aedin would speak of dreams in which a man in white robes would speak to him, comforting him and calling him "Son".

It is at this time that discrepancies begin to arise between texts, so we are only able to find a general idea of what age young Aedin began having premonitions of the future. Upon hearing this, it came to pass that the Elders reconvened for another ten years upon Mount Therengor to discuss young Aedin's new role and conformation as the true prophet of our Maker. Some power hungry Elders who saw the Chantry only as a way to garner support objected, promising lords who would side with them money and lands. Other loyal lords backed Aedin (now fifteen years of age) and eventually with the blessing of The Maker on their side, they won the short war that rid The Chantry of all said power-hungry Elders. Aedin was named the Son of The Maker himself during a convergence on Mount Therengor, with some scribes saying he took on a voice and demeanor not his own, one far more ancient and benevolent than any mortal, and spoke as The Maker himself declaring Aedin as his prince and prophet.

And so it was that the New Aedinian Chantry was formed, with Aedin at its head. And he reigned justly and benevolently for 300 years, creating masterworks like the High Temple of Mother Cassandra and establishing the New Aedinian Tenets before finally passing on from a deathly and sudden sickness into the grace of our Father, the Lord Creator. Strife arose from our Prince-Prophet's lack of heirs, having gone against the word of The Maker who commanded he create an heir to the bloodline. Some make claims that it was a coup, that the Elders worked with Hadrian, the lord's adviser to slay our prophet who was seemingly in his prime. In fact there may have been some substantiation to the claims of these excommunicated scholars, as it is recorded in noteworthy sources like Auctor Liumn Veralthas' "Words of our Prophet" that in the weeks before his death the Maker gave him dreams of his right hand taking control of itself, as if possessed, and strangling him. Alas, we shall never know, and it should not be taken at full face value the words of those scriptorum and auctors.

Section II: The Words of the Maker

During the reign of Aedin, he constructed many works at the Maker's command and of his own free will, such as the aforementioned High Temple of Lady Cassandra, the Chantry Orphanages in the capitals of all zealous countries, and other works of benevolence. Arguably, however, his greatest achievement was his establishment of the Seven Tenets of our Maker, which outlined the way we should live so that our lives honor the Maker. I have translated and inscribed them below:

• Always put first the many, rather than the few.
• Death is a precious toll, never to be charged without reason.
• Keep forever opened your mind, for that is the only way the Maker may speak to you.
• Those that have strayed from the light of the Maker should be led back to his loving arms.
• Keep oneself healthy, in mental, physical, and spiritual aspects.
• The world is The Maker’s gift to you, what you do in it is your gift to The Maker.
• Your actions are your chant, and your chants should guide your actions.

The tenets remain the basic foundation, although every other decade, Elders converge and ponder the interpretation of the tenets, and occasionally issue edicts providing ideals to attempt to maintain, similar to but not as strict as the tenets.. However, regardless of the interpretations and edicts, the only true and physical guidance we are given directly from the Maker is what many claim to be our conscience, or our moral compass. It is widely believed in nearly every sect of the Aedinian Chantry that the moral compass is the Maker advising our actions. Think of it as a family member telling you a general idea of what they would like as a wintertide gift. We know what they want, but what we get them is in the end, up to us as individuals.

Section III: The Chants

The very name of the Chantry comes from the way that us we as brothers and sisters pray. Much like many mages may pool mana to cast a powerful spell, members of the Chantry will sing or speak in unison, reciting parts of sacred text as a way of increasing not only their own sense of comradery and brotherhood, but also to drive home the idea that we are all equal and together in the eyes of the Maker. I have translated the following Chant (used to open most official chantry events) into the Tyrin Common Tongue, for any who may find it of interest or use:

We speak to you, father, as you spoke to your son,

We follow his path, we chant now as one,

We stand as your guardsmen, for the war hath begun,

We fight as your children, our enemies undone,

We stand by you, Maker, Mother, and Son,

We stand as your chantry, until time is done.

Section IV: The Hierarchy

The Chantry, like most any other organization, has a hierarchy in terms of rank. Typically, people transcend through ranks by doing great services or acts in the name of the Maker, or through pure seniority. The only exception to this is the role of Elder, which can be bestowed upon anyone of any rank by the current Holy Matron. I have them listed below:

1. Prince-Prophet: Left empty since the death of His Holiness, Prophet Aedin.
2. Revered Holy Matron: Originally appointed by the Prophet, but since his death she has now been chosen by her predecessor to lead the Chantry.
3. Elder: Chosen by the Revered Matron from all Cantorus and Chanters, confirmed then by all existing Elders.
4. Cantorus or Chanter: Nominated by their peers at a local level to preside over that specific temple.
5. Scriptorum: Confirmed by Chanter(ess) and nominated by Acolytes
6. Acolytes: Those of rank that do not progress to scholarhood (i.e. Paladins)
7. Inciptium: Those who come to the chantry to begin learning the word of our Maker, Mother, and Prince-Prophet.

Section V: Circle of Paladins

Nearly every organisation (especially religions) have their own “security”, if you will. Whether or not they are the Royal Guard, to the warriors of elvish cults, to the Mages of Tel-Midaris on the thousands of miles away Isle of Renodar, they serve one purpose: to exercise and enforce the will of their organization. The Circle of Paladins in the Chantry are no different. They serve to neutralize threats to the Chantry, to expel heretics and demons, and to hunt down dangerous mages that use blood magic. In times of strife, in the days of corruption, the Elders would command them to act as an army, imposing the will of the Chantry leaders upon the common folk they swore to protect, until those Paladins rose up and slew the Elders, reforming the Chantry's leadership. I, the author of this tome, stand as one of those few, although having left the Chantry to hopefully reform it, and restore and reform what I see as a faltering, misled, shell of a righteous cause back to its former glory.