The Luthurn

The Luthurn is the national religion of the Lorentish Kingdom but also has followers in other nations. Mainly in the southern hemisphere of Rathnir.

History
In the beginning there was nothing but the void. Nothing but endless emptiness. No live and no conscious being beside the void itself.

Until the first gods appeared and with that the world around them started to form, splitting the void and creating a place friendly enough for others to thrive and grow.

Time passed and a world with various kinds of lifeforms formed. But their creation was far away from perfect. Species were fighting each other for land, for gold or just for prestige. Some fought for the god they believed in and while some gods just wanted to spread the kindness in each others hearts, some just enjoyed seeing them fight each other to death, spreading misery and pain.

The False God
Long before Lutherius and his vampires came to the lands of Lorent. The people praised a different god, attracted by his light they offered him the most precious and valuable gifts. Thus the god shared his light with them and the sun shone down brightly on their land. Blinded by his light, they did not notice that in the course of time their land became dry and barren. The god used them and took away from the earth all the energy it was able to give.

When the people noticed how dry their lands has become, they begged their God to shine less brightly and bless them with rain, but the God became angry: how could they turn against him and his bright, perfect light? Had he not given them the light they needed in order to see? Had He not given them what every living creature longed for? He did not think of making it rain more, and so the great drought began. Then, when the people had already lost all hope, a new comer reached the land. The first vampire Rience De Relmont had heard about the suffering of the people under the false god and under the leadership of Lutherius he wanted to help. After initial distrust, the humans asked him for help, and Lutherius heard them and rose from his home, the underground.

When the Sun God saw the appearance of Lutherius, he felt an unprecedented hatred, how could a blood god and ruler of the undead dare to oppose his fire? And so it came to the battle for the supremacy of the region between the two gods. They fought for 7 days, thunder and lightning struck the earth, strong winds felled the trees and people had to seek shelter in caves and mountains. There they waited in the darkness for the world to calm down again, and after the seventh day it stopped. At first they didn't believe it was over, and when they left the cave, they looked at a brightly shining moon surrounded by stars and Lutherius appeared before them. His scythe sparkled with a glowing essence.

"The false god is defeated and banished from the lands. I demand, not your allegiance nor offerings. But that you remember what has happened and not fall for false words again. May the glow of my moonlight guide you through the darkness when you suffer and lead you back to the right path when you have lost it. Remember not to seek harm and not to spill the blood of others when it is not necessary, for your blood is the most precious thing anyone can sacrifice."

And with that, Luhterius was gone. What remained was some of his blood, which had dripped onto the ground from an open wound.

The people were relieved and although he had not asked for their worship, they began to praise Lutherius and follow his words. Henceforth, the name of the Sun God was erased from any history book and it became a taboo to speak his name. Only the ancients remember him vaguely, but they will never reveal it. This was the beginning of the Luthurn religion, which is still alive today. In the course of time, the people elected Rience De Relmont as their leader and thus it became a tradition that the people of Lorent are led by the vampires of his family.

Path of Godhood
Treading this path requires utmost devotion, loyalty and sacrifice. Only the most faithful followers of Lutherius are given the opportunity to take this path. Only those who accomplish great things and whose will is strong enough to survive death will succeed in the end and become a lesser god. However, the path cannot be completed without death. Everyone must die in order to realize the true meaning and receive the wisdom needed to become a direct servant of Lutherius.

Not everyone who enters the path to divinity while alive will successfully complete it upon death though. Those who do not succeed are denied advancement after death and remain stuck between this world and the next. After a certain time, they usually manifest themselves as spirits and wander the world. Because of this, only very few choose this path.

Those who ascend are not worshipped by Lurien, Lusiphis or Luth, but are merely asked for help from time to time. They serve as the right hand of Lutherius.

Prayer through Action
Lutherius, in contrast to other deities, is uninterested in traditional prayer. Words can often be befuddled and confused, whereas one’s actions speak clearly. Prayers and speeches are empty without action, so the prayers of Luriens serve to focus their thoughts for implementation and spur introspection. "“Words are full of deceit; I shall note the actions of the worthy before the words of the wise.”"

Delusion of Good
For the Lurien, absolute goodness is the greatest deception. While the sun brings life, it also ends it; an overabundance of good, in the absence of evil, loses its value. It ceases to be good. Instead, a harmonious balance is ideal. The moon's phases are told to mirror this, representing the flow of life... the continuous journey of night and day, life and death, the seasons, months, hope and misery.

Essence of life
It is the believe that blood is one of the most value possessions one can have and gift, it represents the live energy and it is the essence that distinguishes between the dead, the undead and the living. Therefore it is forbidden to spill blood without a reason. One shall value their own and others blood and therefore shall not seek harm to others outside of greater meanings, such as rituals. Or in order to defend your close ones from harm. Blood magic is considered sacred and those who use it are highly respected Lusiphis or Luths. Under no circumstances may the blood be taken by force for magic, as it would contaminate it."“One shall value the vitality of the Living, not spilling their blood except to please me.”"

Full moon ceremony
During the ritual Lutherius contributes some of his power to the vampires of the Luth family. As compensation they sacrifice them self in order to be reborn. This ritual gives them the opportunity to walk below the sun. The ritual follows the believe that every power comes with a sacrifice.

New Moon Ritual
New moon is widely regarded as a bad omen in Luthurn or rather as an ominous night. The light of the moon that lights the way through the darkness for the living and the dead is not visible. On these nights it is forbidden to make offerings or use blood magic and any other sacred art. It is believed that otherwise the honor is not paid to the moon and thus Lutherius, but to the darkness and death, which are important components, but as such are not worshipped in the main religion. Lutherius carries the epithet "Bringer of the Night" because he defeated the nameless sun god, who withered the land, this fight and the following influences also brought him the epithet "Bringer of Death". However, along with the night, Lutherius also brings light, the moon to guide us under the cover of darkness. To counteract the darkness and create a point of reference for the night wanderers, this time not a candle but a large flame is lit in a fire bowl. While the fire is lit, the following words are traditionally recited: The moon may be darkened, obscured by clouds or not visible due to other cause' But our souls, shines forth bright and clear and strong.

May this fire shine in the night, illuminate it and outlast it.

May the flames burn away our resentment and hatred, and may our spirit sleep in peace and find rest.

Flames, burn bright and through the night!

Candles
The candle represent a guidance of people of the faith. Even in the darkest hours and days of a person, that the candle which is lit can allow Lutherius to help us. We understand that we need the sun for growth but we you not worship it. We accept and understand those who are not just human, such as the undead. Those who seek shelter and a welcoming home shall be welcomed within our halls as long as they don't carry hate and grief within their souls or seek to harm others.

Coversion
Start in a sanctus site ask the participant:"Priest: Do you *name* accept the call of Lutherius to join the faith?"When they say yes continue and give red potion this is traditionally Grape Must(Berrys in a cauldron)"Priest: Drink now the might of Lutherius!"Then when drunk, finish the ritual by saying "Priest: May Lutheriuse guide you. Praise and follow his words."

Sanguine initiation
Blood of the birth. The blood/fluid of birth is one of the most nutrient rich fluids in life therefore the blood of the birth is important, the blood should be used to make magic runes on the child(as they will already be bloody when born) for protection and blessings and some(small amount as small as a thimble full) should be taken to a temple and sacrificed to add them to the religion.

Lutherius' last blessing
When a Lurien dies their blood shall be drained and taken to a temple for use in ceremonies, the body is to be burned and the ashes taken and used to make a great work based upon what they did in life, if they were a warrior or black smith the ashes will be used as carbon in the forge to make a special weapon, only to be wield by the best warriors, if they were an Academic their ashes shall be used in dye to make a great writing or art piece or something related to the dead, if they were a humble farmer their ashes shall be used to fertilize the ground and provide a harvest for a holy ceremony.

Sanguine Bond
Since blood is so valuable for the Lurien it is a common tradition to gift their beloved one a special ring with a jewel made out of their own blood, when they ask them to marry. Once the marriage is confirmed the other partner shall craft such a ring as well. During the wedding both rings receive a magical bond, so that when one of the holders dies or recieves harm the other ring will start to glow or get cold. It is also said that that it breaks into hundred pieces if one betrays the other, since someones blood who betrayed a loved one isn't worthy Lutherius bless. However, it is possible to repair the ring again. This is revealed by bright red lines, fresh blood. that reconnect the original parts. Furthermore the ring will dissolve into dust if the couple ever divorces.

Luth
A person who owns the title of a Luth, has received a weapon blessed by Lutherius himself as well as a certain trait, that they carry from now on. So far there are three existing traits, such be refereed as blood, soul and mind.

The blood aspect is represented by Abby she can heal wounds or open them with her artefact “Death Biter”.

The mind belongs to Cole, he owns a lot of charisma wich makes people more willing to listen and follow him.

And last but not least the soul, possessed by Lindorm. That trait is concentrated on the inner wishes and believes of people. Making it easier for her to detect lies or convince people from her side.

Lusiphis
People with the Lusiphis title have the second highest rank inside the religion. They studied the holy books and know how to execute every ritual, including the full moon ceremony.

Lurien
Lurien is the name of all followers of The Luthurn. They execute rituals like the candle ones on a regular basis.

Denominations

 * The Bone Cult
 * Bambis
 * Keepers of Luthurn

Involvement in Lorent
As mentioned fulfills the royal Family two roles. One leading the Lorenthish Kingdom and second being the high priest. Therefore The Luthurn is highly spread throughout the Kingdom and barely any other religion is represented.

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