Tirishval

Tirishval, meaning the Cycle of Four, is an ancient religion dating back thousands of years to a civilization far from Eldham. The High Priestess Grey brought this religion to Eldham after she found herself lost at sea during a storm and was taken into Yunria. Some of the holy texts did not survive the journey, but Grey preserved some of the texts and built a holy site at Shelgorim. Followers of Tirishval (“Tirishvalim”) believe that the world was created by four Gods who are each responsible for one aspect of the cycle of life, known as the Four Stages. Tirishvalim worship the four Gods and follow the tenets of the religion as written in the holy text.

Gods:

Nalror - goddess of creation. This powerful goddess has multiple pairs of arms and the head and feathers of a chicken. She flies to the Realm of the Dead in order to retrieve Remains from Uldor to create beings, buildings, and even nations.

Siniror - keeper of the Realm of the Living. His body takes on the appearance of dirt and rocks, with hair made of flowing vines. He watches over the Living to make sure that may live long and prosperous lives until Televor is ready to take them away.

Televor - god of destruction. Jutting strands of spiky, fiery hair cover his creeper-like head. When he decides that a being is ready to enter the realm of the dead, he reaches out and touches the being with his hand to hold onto it, then uses his explosive power to propel them both to the Realm of the Dead.

Uldor - keeper of the Realm of the Dead. His skeletal form is devoid of any skin or hair, but he wears a helmet and robe to distinguish himself from the Remains around him. Uldor receives the remnants of dead entities from Televor and keeps them in the Realm of the Dead until Nalror retrieves them.

The Four Stages:


 * Creation: the Stage that lasts from the beginning of an entity’s life to full maturity.
 * Stasis: the Stage that occurs at an entity’s full maturity and lasts until death.
 * Destruction: the death of an entity, lasting from death to the end of the journey to the Realm of the Dead.
 * Dormancy: an entity’s time in the Realm of the Dead, up until the entity’s remains are reshaped into a new entity.

Tenets:


 * 1) Respect all life, and that includes your own. You were created in the image of the Gods, and intentional destruction of this creation is sacrilegious.
 * 2) Every entity deserves to reach maturity. This means that any human, animal, plant or building must be matured/completed before killing or destroying. If, for example, an animal is killed in its infancy, or a building is entirely destroyed before it is ever finished, this will throw off the natural continuum of the stages and anger the Gods.
 * 3) The plans of the Gods should not be met with curses. If you are upset at the death of a friend, do not be angry with Televor. If the crops are not growing, do not blame Nalror. The Gods have a plan for the stages of each entity in this world, and sometimes their plans do not match our plans.
 * 4) Senseless killing is forbidden. Televor will take a being away when he is ready. Trying to rush this process will anger him and throw off the stages. The only acceptable reasons for killing any living creature are for food and other animal and plant byproducts, or for self-defense.
 * 5) One must come to know the Gods through faith, not through conquest.Spreading the faith through force is not in the spirit of the Gods.
 * 6) Mortality is a blessing. Eternal life is not in the plan of the Gods, for they have experienced the sorrows of immortality firsthand. Cheating death is against the Gods’ wishes. Be grateful that you have the chance to be reborn and live anew.
 * 7) Respect nonbelievers, for they know not their misfortune.