Church history

Humans have worshipped the Seven since before the time of history. Ancient artworks and inscriptions on stone artefacts, at least 10,000 years old, attest to this fact.

As described elsewhere, the thoughts of the Seven, and their publicly revealed answers to our questions, led to the compilation of the Libri Septorum. This sacred text, found in every church and holy place, is studied by all clerics and religious students, to this very day.

Across the nations of Brundonica the Seven are known by different names, and their holy sigils are rendered slightly differently, as influenced by local language and culture. But devout followers of the Seven are generally readily recognizable by their symbolism.

Seen through a wider lens, the Seven are worshipped across Tem, with the understandable modifications because of particular context and culture. It is thought that some cultural groups have fused the role of two or more of the Seven. For instance, Qidra and Oohm may be worshipped as a single entity.

Some very old depictions of the Seven found in Brundonica show variations in interpretation. In some cases, the Gods were depicted as looking like humans, complete with beards, genders, hair styles, etc. These early representations reflect a more naïve interpretation of divinity, reflecting perhaps a rather simplistic theology. For example, Razim might be rendered as a tall, muscular male, or Qidra as a slender, scantily-clad female. It is unclear if the creators of these artworks believed this is what the Gods looked like, or if they were attempting to portray, in their sculptures and paintings, an ideal that a contemporary audience would recognize instantly.

Interview: Joan, Lady of the Moon, historian and High Priest of Sahir

"The Gods, you say? Well, that’s a fascinating question! Probably the most fascinating one ever! Sit, and let us speak.

"The first line in the Book of the Seven, as you may know, is

"Before the waters were being strewn and the sands poured, there was and there was not, the Seven Gods.

"The Book goes on to explain that on an old day, the Gods made the planes of being, the spaces within which things can exist. The Divine Plane is the home of the Gods. The Plane of Afterlife houses the deceased. The Plane of Life houses those who are still to be born. Together, these make up the outer planes. There are also the inner planes: there is the Prime Material Plane which is where our lives are woven together, completing the journey from life to death. Travelling between the planes can be accomplished along the Astral Plane, while travelling across the Prime Material can be done via the Ethereal Plane. Finally there is the Elemental Plane, which is the reservoir of elemental powers. These seven planes make up the totally of existence. And here you and I are!

"Interestingly, we know nothing about what the Gods do, but everything about what they think, which is about opposite with people – we can see what someone is doing, but don’t really know what they are thinking! The reason we know the minds of the Gods is because the Book of the Seven contains the direct dictations of the Gods, and we see that they judge with one voice. So in a sense, we can say that we know the Mind of God through study of the Book.

"If I have to choose a favourite revealing passage, it would be the original formulation of the Path of the Followers:

"Don’t confront when you can walk away.

"Don’t restrain when confrontation will do.

"Don’t hurt when restraint is enough.

"Don’t wound when hurting will do.

"Don’t cripple when wounding is enough.

"Don’t kill when crippling will do.

"Now, you may not be familiar with this original formulation, and that’s because the Path was amended when the Book was revealed anew. Our earliest copy of the Book, of which we only have fragments, comes from before the days of time. It was found in an ancient temple in Muhjan that was flooded at some point, and is today preserved in the All-Gods there. It is this version I’m quoting from. Then, very shortly after the cataclysm, the followers of Arawn were given the power to prevent the dead from rising, which at that time, sadly, were all too common. Since the undead are an abomination unto Arawn, their eradication was also mandated. With this new power, the Book was renewed, and an additional verse added to the Path of the Followers:

"And do not destroy when killing will do.

"It may seem confusing to the casual reader at first, who probably equates death with destruction. But in the context here, “destruction” simply means removing all spiritual components of a person to the Plane of Afterlife. This is accomplished by performing the prayer known as “Arawn’s Eternal Rest”, which is now taught to even the lowest of Aranites and is now central to all funerary services. By the blessings of the Seven, the risen dead are no threat.

"In addition to the Book, the Gods reveal themselves in a variety of ways. For instance, there are seven days in a calendrical week, which reminds us daily of the Seven. Since one God is no more important than any other, one day is no more sacred than any other, and a particular God is not associated with a specific day of the week.

"The Gods, of course, are not always subtle. Sometimes they appear in a human form directly to the spirit of the believer. Sometimes they appear as an animal avatar. At other times they take the shape of an elemental-like presence. In all cases, their divine nature is blatantly clear. Oohm, for instance, reveals a soul spirit that appears feminine. Sahir may appear as a crow, while Arawn may manifest as a candle flame or a roaring column of fire. Traditionally, there are certain months of the year that we associate with the Seven, when special observances are held and coming-of-age rites performed. Over the centuries, holy symbols and signs have been adopted to represent the Seven. For example, Oohm is signified by two wavey lines, symbolizing the intimate connection between water and life.

"Other peoples elsewhere on Tem have different customs and unique ways of representing the Seven, but all peoples are children of the Seven. As a loving parent, the Seven are just and good, looking after all aspects of our lives, providing guidance and answers when called on. As children we learn about the Seven; as adults we worship them equally.

"Some of us are drawn to a particular God, for we are free to choose in all things. If blessed with the talents one could become a cleric of that God, joining the official ranks of the church and helping like-minded worshippers carry out the will of God and do the good work.

"If the rigours of training to become a priest are too taxing, then one can volunteer as a lay preacher and serve in that manner. A lay preacher has far more liberty than an ordained cleric, but has received some advanced ecclesiastical training and is often able to perform basic rites.

"The majority of people are neither clerics nor lay preachers, but everyone walks with the Gods daily, invoking whichever God is relevant at the moments of life.

"For more formal worship, there are shrines and holy places throughout Kalderesh that one can visit. Even the smallest hamlets have an All-Gods temple, which is a place to worship the Seven. Here, you’ll find lay preachers and sometimes one or more clerics in attendance, who live and work at the All-Gods, largely supported by donations from the community. Larger settlements may have, in addition to an All-Gods, a temple dedicated to a specific God, or even several temples. Cities will have several All-Gods and multiple temples.

"Another way to serve is to become a paladin. Paladins are members of the devout and faithful who have more skills in the fighting department. They are champions of the Gods. Each God has their paladins, and as they are the military executive arm of the clergy, they have specific and unique duties. Probably the most famous paladins are those of D’Aad. They are heavily armoured, even their horses don shiny metal armour. These virtuous cavaliers seek out oathbreakers across the land, guided by D’Aad and a singular sense of duty. Paladins of Razim, on the other hand, are almost unheard of in Kalderesh since we’ve never experienced actual war. But elsewhere, such as in Malanthea, they are well known and often publicly honoured.

"It is not only us humans who worship the Gods, because we are not their only children. The Book of the Seven tells us also about our siblings: the Amoi, the Droch, the Galub, the Nar, the Nis, the Schild, and the Shog. All the children call upon the Seven when in need. In the same way that Nubians worship the Seven in a different style than the Agopeans, so the Amoi worship differently from the Shog.

"Whilst every living being is free to choose, not all choices are wise, and not all choices are good. The Book teaches us that it is everyone’s duty to prevent wrong-doing no matter where it is encountered, in so far as such preventative action is lawful and within the power and estate of the individual.

"Some of us have an additional imperative, namely to seek out wrong-doing, but this should only be undertaken with the necessary training and support, if it is to be done responsibly and honourably.

"These values are central to the Path of the Followers, and is made extremely explicit in the Oath of the Seven, which is recited at all formal and important occasions, and always with at least one witness. The oath is as follows:

"I, <oath taker’s name>, do, in the presence of the Seven, promise, vow and undertake, as far as lawfully I may, with my Life, Power and Estate, to 

"<details of actions to fulfil the oath>.

"(perform the Sealing of the Oath while saying)

"This I shall do in all just and honourable ways.

"The Sealing of the Oath is a gesture, as follows: The oath taker brings their hands together, fingers spread and thumbs pointing up to the heavens, interlacing the fingers and then curling them closed, and then bringing the thumbs together. Notice that between the fingers of each hand are three gaps, when the hands are brought together, these six gaps are closed, and when the thumbs touch in unison, the 7th gap is closed, sealing the oath.

"I do not wish to turn this into a sermon, but I would like to share some other phrases from the Book that have been particularly meaningful to me:

"“The paths to the Gods is through internal spirituality and connection, not through external rules and laws.”

"“Everything that passes unattempted is impossible.”

"“One must have strength in order to judge the weakness of others.”

"“It is the duty of the living to make meaningful the sacrifices of the dead.”

"“We carry treasures and wonder inside us, yet we insist on searching for them outside.”

"So! We will now end our little chat. May the shade of the Seven’s good fortune shine upon you!