Of Avelism

Which is a very generic term since it is practiced in a wide variety of ways.

Avelism, in general, hails the god Avelar, whom the world is his to mold. There are no documents of His past, no written books of old, but His existence is felt by all. Because of this people hail Him, but also because of this people hail Avelar in an enormous number of ways. We will focus on Eldamarian religions in this work.

Avelar, for some unknown reason, has all the powers of the universe, and He does not divide them amongst the people. He gives it to whoever worships Him in any multitude of ways, even ways that contradict one another. If one sect upholds evil Necromantic values, as a long as they have an established traditional religion devoted to the One, he will grant the followers those allotted powers, and the same will go for sects that perform opposite ceremonies. Avelar should not be considered a "neutral" god, for He does not strive to balance opposing forces, but grants power, in His mysterious ways, to all who acknowledge and praise His existence. This is Avelar.

Ethalum (Pronounced Eh-thall[as in pal]-loom)
Spheres(Must be adhered by Clerics as well): Major: All, Healing, Protection, Divination, Guardian, Charm, and Necromancy Minor(Not recommended for use by followers): Summoning, Elemental, Combat, and Weather

Core morals(Which replaces alignment): Killing is strictly prohibited unless in cases such as war or attack, and followers may not instigate attack. The Protector is the divine reason for the desert-land's growth in Ethalum eyes, so the follower must regard everything still existing in society and the wild as a result of "The Protector's loving hand," and everything not existing in society anymore as a sign of the Protector's punishing judgment. Respect for all people, no matter what their beliefs, is expected out of Ethalumists, because they still view everything as a protected item of the Protector, and it must exist for some Good reason. Other branch of Ethalum have varied regulations and expectations, but this is the core of Ethalum's moral structure.

Symbol: Two clasped hands emitting a ray of light.

Allied sect(s)- None

Neutral Sect(s)- The Ushey

Opposing sect(s)- The Chsar

Armor- All Clerics and Priests can wear allowed armor, but they MUST have and use a shield

Dogma: Ethalum, which roughly means protection or safety in ancient lore, is the major religion of Noldor, and Ginglith. Its followers believe that submission to Avelar, named the Protector, will protect them from the horrible outcomes of the world. Because of Ethalumist beliefs, Avelar grants these followers all the powers that protect, heal, strengthen, and generally help other characters.

Protection of all living things is of utmost importance to the Ethalumist. Be it living, nonliving, evil, or good- if, by the will of the Protector, it is still clasped in his gracious hands, the Ethalumist will be forced to protect it (They have ways of knowing this). However should one lose the protection of the Protector, then he will face dire consequences with those of the Ethalum sect should they arouse trouble.

But Ethalum is very specific on the nature of killing. A follower may only kill if viewed in such a way that they are not considered to be "Clasped in The Protector's" hand, and will have to fend for themselves. Essentially this means if they attack anyone on good terms with the follower or disrupt peace, they can be killed by signal of the Protector. If one cannot handle battle, it is not expected of him to kill, and it is even encouraged to seek better methods of dealing with people. Those who cannot handle killing or serving the innocent in a violent will by no means be punished, only understood. Ethalum's followers may never instigate a battle. If they are in a party that instigates a battle, then they too may participate, but they must always be inconspicuous during initiation. Followers may participate in non-lethal battles.

Major Centers of Worship: There are temples, but in order to worship, all one needs is some space and an altar, for worship consists mostly of ritualistic prayer and speech by a greater worshipper (Not necessarily a priest). Temples can be found in all of the major cities, and, depending on size, many more than just one can be found. The main purpose of temples is to hold lavish ceremonies and to store records.

Specialty Priests- Shany

Races Allowed- All desert races except for elves and shadows.
Requirements- Con 15, Wis 13
Prime Requisites- Constitution and Wisdom
Morals- to that of the general faith and of their region's branching moral values.
Weapons- Any bludgeoning weapon, for they can also be used as defensive weapons the easiest
Armor- Up to and including chainmail (All in my campaign). The Shany must have a shield and use it during combat- even if they don't fight. The shield should have the holy symbol imprinted on it.
Major and Minor Spheres-All of the aforementioned spheres.
Magic Items- Same as Clerics
Required Proficiencies: None
Bonus Proficiencies: None
Special Abilities:
-In order to be a Shany, a point must be deducted from strength and put into constitution.
-No matter what they're wearing or doing, Shany get +1 for their AC
-Spells cast from the Protection sphere have their effects doubled (e.g., duration, range)
-Aura of Protection: Radius 5'. Duration is 3 rounds per level. Usable 1 time/day at first level + 1 use per every 5 levels of experience. All people within this aura are protected and thus gain +2 to their AC while within the bubble. This bonus does not include enemies or the caster.

The Ushey(Oo-shay)

Spheres(Most priests don't cast many spells, only necessary ones)- All, divination, Necromancy, Creation, and Healing.

Symbol- A design that resembles the triforce inscribed in a circle.

Allied sect(s)- None (For all three, neutral and enemies)

Core Morals- The Ushey are purely defensive- only responding to attacks and harsh encounters, and even then they do not play an active part in any battle. This is because of their belief in not disturbing Avelar's mysterious bidding. The Ushey are not mediators, but more so are they watchers, advisors, knowledge seekers, and help administrators. Alignments of this would include LG, LN, LE, TN, CG, NG, CN.

Dogma- Since they are so peaceful, the Ushey live in almost every country of Eldamar, but they are most prominent in Darthonia. Unlike the Ethalum sect, which believes Avelar protects his creation, the Ushey believe Avelar is still creating, molding, and shaping his creation. To this the Ushey believe that neither guarding their religion nor carrying out their religious practices fanatically are of serious importance, but leaving the "creation" process of the world alone, and in turn studying it immensely. This makes the Ushey a very intelligent sect because they feel that they should study and understand the creation of Avelar. Most countries hire Ushey sect members as advisors. The Ushey take material wealth very lightly, and at one point in their life they are required to leave into the desert for two months to train their minds to become accustomed to the lack of things.

The Ushey are not nearly as magically inclined as other religious sects are. They only call upon defensive spells just for necessary purposes. There is no reason to interfere with the progress of Avelar with spells and magical attacks in their mind, so they hang back most of the time. There is one bonus, however, to their sect. All of the Ushey are trained extensively in the field of martial arts- the ultimate defensive fighting style. Ushey are not to be taken lightly with their skills, since all of them are at least proficient in this style. The Ushey may never start a battle nor finish one- they must always find a way out, otherwise their moral values are crushed.

The Ushey worship wherever they please. There are buildings designed for Ushey gatherings, but although this is nice, all an Ushey needs is a shelter and some space to worship.

Bonus proficiencies- Martial arts, Ancient History (They are taught ancient history since childhood), and Reading/writing.

Special Abilities-
- Divination spells take ½ less the casting time to cast
- +1 intelligence
- +1 dexterity