Yirhug and the Faithful


#1

contributed by Nicolas D. Schapira

After the battles of Drewsport, Yirhug had learned so much about the tribes of Der’al. Instead of being enemies, the Dead Unit respected them. The social contract that the people of Drewsport shared between Pirates, Dead Soldiers, Immutables and Earther civilians was impressive to his impressionable mind. He felt it could be spread across Der’al if the Olgogs were only open to it.

Then he realized that he didn’t really understand a single thing about the faith of the Shield of the Redeemer, the Church of One, the Drummers of the Thunder Gods, or any of the other faiths practiced in Drewsport.

So he sent a messenger asking: “What is your faith?”

He set aside a place where those who would come in the name of peace could share their thoughts and faith. Yirhug expected visitors, but not all at the same time. A few came, but none wanting to talk. They were waiting to learn, just like Yirhug.

The first to arrive was Yawgmond, of the Devotion of Krodnock. Yawgmond looked upon the building in which this meeting was to take place. It appeared to have once been a large ship, but was now set much farther inland than the docks of Drewsport. No longer did it carry passengers and cargo across the seas, but now housed them on dry land.

He snapped his attention back to the mission at hand. He hadn’t come to Drewsport to look at buildings. He was in town, and in front of this building, on an invitation. Yawgmond had come to Drewsport to spread the word about the Devotion.

He walked in.

Yirhug greeted everyone as they walked in, asking them to sit or stand, whatever made them comfortable. He asked those that gathered to be patient, allowing an audience to build and speakers to arrive.

Looking around the lobby where Yawgmond was sitting, there were a few chairs set up in a semi-circle against the back wall. The only chair occupied at the moment was the one he was sitting in. There was a small gathering of civilian 'gogs near the front of the room, who had gathered to learn about the newer religions in the lands.

Yeung Ling was posted in Drewsport. He had a mission (or two). First, keep an eye out for irregularities. Second, to take care of the ‘toy.’ So the tall man in dark robes was standing, minding his business, when he heard of a gathering formed of people talking faith. Being curious, Yeung followed the trickle of locals entering the meeting space. As he entered the building, Yeung’s dark eyes narrowed as he removed his dark hair off his forehead, revealing skin that has seen much of the sun in its time.
He did not say a word, but instead kept his thoughts to himself as he was seated, waiting for something interesting to happen.

The next to enter was an Earther. Khalid Phoenixkiller looked at the veritable pup who called together the meeting. He knew a red fur when he saw one, had even led them into battle a long long time ago. Now this red fur was walking the path of the Bladed Sun? Khalid didn’t expect him to survive long. But he needed a little help and he would need allies, and Khalid knew just the rogue Quall Queens to contact. It would take a little convincing and Khalid almost felt bad for any easily impressionable youths in the audience.

Khalid’s thoughts were interrupted when Kolgol entered the room, accompanied by an imp servant who padded along behind him, carrying a large bag of supplies. The little creature had a hell of a time lugging the overly large bag around, and it cursed in an alien tongue. Silencing the imp, Kolgol glanced around the room, making note of who was there, and settled quietly into the back, wanting to listen to those would speak before him.

The final two guests arrived at the same time.

The first was a giant blue skinned cambion, known as Rogarth Daesdamon, who felt uncomfortably tall as he stood alongside the Olgogs and other faithful as he entered, particularly alongside Sir Mag’Nrs, the Morgothian. Their reasons for attending couldn’t be more different. Rogarth wished to serve the Balance; Sir Mag’Nrs was working in Unen to treat those hurt in the Pirates War and establish the ministry tent provided by those that he saved.

Rogarth was attending the gathering to share information, Mag’Nrs was fulfilling his duty as a Morgothian while learning about his native culture during his stay in Unen. The Olgog language itself was new to Mag’Nrs, and the young dark paladin was surprisingly excited picking up any pieces of it, such as the meaning of Der’al and how it expressed the origin of the Olgog. This pilgrimage was getting better and better. The irony of entering the building at the same time as Rogarth was lost on him.


#2

It took only minutes, but the gathering space was filled relatively quickly.

Yirhug, abruptly began, “Thank you everyone for coming. I hope you are all ready to listen and to learn. Remember, violence won’t be tolerated. And if you don’t like what you hear, I’ll remind you where the door is.” Yirhug pointed to only doorway in the building.

“To make it easy, we’ll go around in the order in which we arrived. So as I look at you, please feel free to speak up. Otherwise, we’ll pass you and move on.”

Yawgmond was the first to speak when addressed.

“Well then,” he said, standing and moving to the center of the semi-circle of chairs. He lowered the hood of his cloak and put his hands behind his back. “Hello, everyone. Right now, I am going to talk to you about the Devotion. It’s a new religion that has recently started attracting followers. Right now, we have a church in Simonsburg, but I believe that, depending on how this meeting goes, we’ll be looking to expand, and get ourselves set up with a church here in Drewsport.”

Yawgmond paused. “The founder of our faith is an Olgog named Krodnok. And he isn’t necessarily the founder of our faith. Just a focus…”

"You see, Krodnok isn’t like you, in the strictest sense. Krodnok doesn’t technically live. He’s a Dead, and was once in the service of the Evil known as Warmonger. Once he broke free, he wandered for a time, not sure with what to do with his existence. Recently, within the last year or so, he has dedicated himself to the eradication of the Warmonger and his minions.

"Those of us who count ourselves among the followers of the Devotion, followers of Krodnok, believe in him. Of the things he can do. We believe in what he will do. And that is all the Devotion requires. To believe in Krodnok. To believe in Krodnok is to believe in his cause. And his cause, is to see to it that the Warmonger is removed from existence.”

"There is a contingent of warriors, soldiers who share the same beliefs as Krodnok. and who have dedicated themselves to taking a more, uh, direct stand against the Cult of Warmonger. Those who number among his soldiers are volunteers. And those he has freed from the Warmonger, who seek to put a stop to the atrocities committed in the name of the Warmonger. While we do not actively seek more warriors, volunteers are always welcome.”

“Faith is all we ask. There is no request for donations. We do not seek more warriors. All we need is faith. Belief in Krodnok. Faith in his cause. Those who wish to join the Devotion, see me after this gathering. There is a prayer that we speak, once a day at dusk, that you must learn. For those of us that need to think about it, who need to mull it over, once you make up your minds and wish to show your devotion to Krodnok, we have our church in Simonsburg that you may travel to to learn this prayer."

Yawgmond waited, and watched as the 'gogs in the crowd whispered to each other about the things that he had just said. The crowd grew quiet once more. He spread his arms wide in front of him, and he continued. “In Krodnok we put our faith, our belief, and our devotion. To us, there is no higher cause than his.” He let his arms drop, and he bowed his head. He turned and returned to his seat.

Yeung Ling was a well learned man, so he knew how to hold his own in a conversation about faith. He waited through Yawgmond’s speech. During this speech, he grinned stupidly, knowing that his desire to contrast the upstart religion with a speech about the Church of Shadows would get him killed, no less than by the large blue cambion he knew to be Rogarth. It would have made for hilarious conversation, however. Since he couldn’t start a fight, at first he didn’t want to engage in the conversation at all. But when it was his turn, he couldn’t help himself and had to refute at least some of the major religions on Refuge.

Without introduction, Yeung Ling began. "The world is filled with violence. Violence feed’s the world’s negative energies, one that cannot be counteracted by the actions of any single creature, being, or person. There are races that would subjugate the universe to it’s will, nations that wish to establish their dominance over others, and faiths would would bring darkness into the world and have us be their slaves. This violence, however, cannot be counteracted with violence. No, only love, compassion, and empathy will overcome these forces.”

“But everyone can be redeemed. They must be given the opportunity, and we must love them as if they were our brothers. Defend them with honor, and show them honor above all else. We must peacefully meditate, bring our energies together, and make ourselves grow strong with love and harmony. But above all else, we must accept others as they are. Show no hatred, offer no war, and understand them for what they are. Only by seeking this knowledge will we become enlightened, find ascension, and become one with the universe. Do no violence, accept and learn from others, and show compassion to others, even if they don’t deserve it. That is the way of the leaf, and how we bring balance back into the world."


#3

Yeung Ling paused for a moment before continuing. "There are a great many folk you can believe in, I’ve studied them all. The Lord Azrael, Joseph Blank, Matthew, a Pope, Lord Falos, the Qual N’drone, or even Camarel… all hold power, and all are worthy focii of devotion. But I say this, I do not put my faith in a single being. Beings, no matter how powerful, or how knowing, all serve their own purposes. I believe in myself, and what I can do for others, not in an entity to save me or fight someone else for me.”

Yawgmond wondered if this speaker was purposefully trying to make him look bad. Mag’Nrs had more honor than to interrupt, but this olgog’s speech had none-too-subtly disregarded Morgoth. The others present had mixed reactions as Yeung Ling continued.

“Individuals tip the scales, one way or another. Serve others, and let that love serve you back. Love, not hate or war, overcomes all. I do not have any forbears, and I don’t claim my philosophy has any divinity. But it also means I can practice it anywhere, do it with anyone, and no single place or person defines my actions. Forgiveness transcends origin, purpose, or location. Redeem the ill actions of your brother or sister, and there will you find your salvation. One love, everyone, one love."

Yeung Ling smiled at all those gathered as he finished his speech. He knew some of those gathered would be rankled, but he didn’t care. He would have offered his name, but it was better if he did not share who he was. Good ideas are better without a name, otherwise, he’d be no better than Candy, Morgoth, and other faiths who became cults of personality as opposed to serve a greater purpose. He smiled, ironically, knowing that few would be able to tell his true belief in his speech. However, he hoped he’d inspire some to do good deeds, and ignore that whole “let’s pray to kill” thing that often lead to the path of Warmonger. He wondered what his friends would have thought of his speech, as he waited to hear the next in line.

Yirhug thanked the nameless speaker, wondering if he should require names of speakers and faiths. But since this was a sharing of ideas, anonymity would be welcomed.

Next in line: the Earther, who stood up and started abruptly.
“Ahem, please hold your boos until the end”
“I am here to speak of the Cult of the Horned Dog. Our goal is largely a noble one. I believe that most people deserve at least an extra hundred years of life. They deserve to live without pain, without sickness. They deserve constant love and attention and positive reinforcement. These are the tenents of the Cult of the Horned Dog.”

“It is about achieving oneness and finally achieving enlightenment of the distant shores. No one loves as deeply or lives as fully as a Horned Dog practicioner. But it means choosing which faction of Horned Dog worship to follow, and that means finding the proper Dimension Walker to follow.”

“A dimension walker searches the distant shores for worthy beings who should be given the choice of becoming a Horned Dog. Each faction of dimension walkers serve a different Quall N’Drone Hive and are considered apostles of the faith. The dimension walker is at the right hand of the Quall Ndrone Queen.”

“The founder of the Cult of the Horned Dog under that name was…myself. Before I joined the group it had no true name and the Dimension walkers were free agents. I organized them across hive lines and had them work together between allied hives. And helped them destroy rogue hives from the inside out…”
The crowd hushed, unsure of how to react. Khalid continued, finishing off his speech by discussing the holiest site of the faith he helped create.

“The holiest site of the entire Horned Dog cult no longer exists. It was the obsidian temple of the Progenitor Queen which was destroyed by missile barrages during the Siege of Refuge… or Der’al, as many of you call it. There are rumors of a “hell” a place of punishment which exists only in the Hiveminds’ collective unconsiousness known as the Temple of the Rogue Hivequeens but I have never seen it myself.”

The crowd remained silent. Khalid was seated, knowing he had nothing else to say. In that awkward silence, Kolgol walked to the front of the room and cleared his throat, acting as if nothing were out of the ordinary.


#4

“Hello. I am Aufgog Kolgol, of the venerable tribe of Ka’Rhug. Some of you may have already heard of our faith, it is a secret by no means. We call ourselves the Children of Kalok, and we are no more than that. Kalok is our creator, the patron deity of our tribe. We believe that it was he who appeared in blazing radiance to lead our ancestors to the volcano we now call our home. This action saved us from the harsh winter of Auf Kol, and gave us defense from our enemies, living and dead.”

The crowd warmed up, more familiar with this faith.

“The Tenets of our religion are quite simple really. For starters, it is required that one wear a brand on his or her body to symbolize faith in the fiery One. This is done based on how devoted one is to the religion, and can range from a small mark to a complete face brand. Secondly, it is common policy to burn the bodies of the deceased after they have died. This is typically done in the temple of Kalok, located conveniently at the top of our volcano home. Note, this means that resurrection is strictly forbidden. To reanimate a corpse is to steal a soul from Kalok’s warm embrace. Lastly, you are required to spend 2 seasons of the year in service to Kalok. Whether it is serving in the Black Legion or simply keeping the temple clean, you are required to serve.”
Many in the crowd winced, not liking the thought of servitude.

“You may wonder, ‘who started this religion?’ or ‘How do you know this Kalok exists?’ The answer is: nobody. They are beliefs that have run in our tribe for generations. However, it was only some years ago, when the Krato worshiping section of our tribe left, that I put these tenets into solidity. We know he exists just as the Church of One know their god exists. It is faith that creates and fuels him, just so with Kalok. As to the holy places of the Children of Kalok, it is anyplace where Kalok’s radiance bursts through the living rock to meet the open skies. Commonly put, Volcanoes. None more so than our own, Mount Rhug. Thank you for listening to our beliefs, and I hope it has enlightened you. May you walk in Kalok’s warmth and shun the eternal cold.”

Aufgog Kolgol took his seat. Yirhug was disquieted. There was an uneasy hush among the crowd as many gathered did not like the things they were hearing. Others, however, were nodding in approval. And then Yirhug made eye contact with the massive, hulking blue-skinned creature.

Rogarth had waited for his turn. He was an assassin not a missionary, but felt this planet could always serve the balance better.
So when it was his turn, he cleared with throat and said, "Greetings I am Rogarth who once served the Druid Council of Lestastral. I have done many things in my life but some of my proudest moments have been serving as a Balancer.”

Standing tall, he towered over all who were present. “The Balancer faith proposes that all the universe is balanced between Good and Evil, Law and Chaos, Order and Disorder.” His voice boomed, “Every sentient chooses by action, not thought, do they push the balance in one direction or another.”

“When true Balance is reached both Good and Evil become tools for the universe to direct the actions of sentient minds.” Pause. “There is a place for both good and evil in the universe.” Pause. “The balancer believes the most malignant force is neither good nor evil but senseless warfare. In senseless warfare the good is perverted and the evil is weakened to normalcy. All die, all are ravaged, and the sentient mind recoils in horror.”

“In our desire to stop senseless warfare there are times when a Balancer will assassinate a single specific being who threatens to create warfare to feed the Warmonger. We do not view this action as good. It is an evil that we live with every day of our lives.”

Pause.

“When we die we must suffer the deaths of all those we eliminated over and over again. In experiencing their pain and fear we atone for snuffing out a sentient mind.”

Pause.

“Balancers must expose ourselves to all elements and equally understand the pain and benefits they cause.” This time, Rogarth paused longer than usual. It wasn’t for emphasis, either. When he finally continued, he had changed track.

“Our only holy site is the great Tree which holds the Druids council on the Prison Dimension of Lestastral. And our founder was none other than the Dimension-creator who calls itself the Balance who is the worldstuff from which the prison dimension is formed.”

Pause.

“We do not judge sin because the only true sin is serving the Warmonger. All other lesser sins are signs of the shortsightedness of the sinner. I am a killer of men and gogs and countless other beings. But in serving the Balance I seek to achieve a greater future for all."

Rogarth had not spoken like this in ages and stepped back with a deep breath.

He then added, “The benefits of the Balancer are great but so is his or her burden. No freedom. No self guidance. And yet full freedom and endless choice.
It is the hardest path to walk because all will view you as enemy. All will view you as danger to their leadership and governance and no home or nation will be open to you.
Balancers are wanderers and only can keep the family they create.”


#5

By now, he had attracted the attention of all present. Many waited to hear more, but instead the large cambion sat down.

Meanwhile, the young, dark paladin olgog waited and listened. Some he respected, others required him to swallow the bile back into his throat. While he respected Rogarth, he was ready to fulfill his duty and promote his own faith.

"Greetings to worshipers of the many faiths of Der’al. I am Sir Mag’Nrs, a humble paladin of the Morgothian faith. As a Morgothian, we believe in honor and power as the most important things in life. We are often known as dark paladins, as a product of our mastery over nightmares and tough reputations. I have grown up serving brave paladins as a squire of the faith and am now a paladin myself, searching for my own answers.”

He looked through the crowd, trying his best to entertain, “I have heard tales of paladins traveling to distant shores, and even witnessed paladins of different species working together, who would normally not even stand together. They have done this in service to the founder, our Lord G-d Morgoth; and follow the strict code of honor that he set.* It is known that Lord Morgoth freed the Peacebringers from their enslavement, and I believe that it was the Lord Morgoth that came to save my people during the genocide by the Church of One.”

Many in the crowd nodded, other spat at the mere mention of the Church of One.

“It is for this reason that I willingly accepted the mantle and have joined the ranks of the Morgothian Paladins. Now in command we follow the word of Morgoth’s heir, Lord Starsmith. As a paladin … it is like a wandering brotherhood of those that you can depend upon to fight with you for honor and the status quo being set right!”

“I know that in these lands we hold dear to the Ruins of Morgoth, which lays at a crucial point between the Northern Kingdoms and the Colonies. I have heard tale of the greater presence of our forces, living and protecting the Dimension of Lestastral…”

Sir Mag’Nrs had just about finished what he was saying, and was going to close out his thoughts when there was a large rumbling coming from outside, as if a herd of mal’ie were being chased. Many ran to the windows to see what was going on. Outside, the shadows of a large furry creature could be seen in flashes as the herd scattered and the rumble came to a stop.

Most of the crowd became agitated, looking around. The speakers, however, remained calm and alert. Then it became frighteningly apparent that the creature was making it’s way to the meeting place. “There’s a creature… and it’s making it’s way here.” And then the crowd scattered. But it was not necessarily in fear.

A musk spread about so thick that everyone could smell the stink of wet fur. The large beast’s shadow cast before the entryway, and without any hesitation popped in a tiny but familiar looking bastard. For those that had seen him before, it was Scout (as most knew him across the planes).
Scout, apparently, had a certain appeal for making an entrance. As he walked toward the center of the room, those gathered could easily spot that the bastard’s hair was slicked wet, but that definitely did not account for the musky smell from his entrance.

Not caring who was next, or whose turn it was, he began speaking with a natural easygoingness of any bastard. His hands playing almost as if they have a mind of their own as they rolled a number of joints of the most aromatic fragrance, flicked open and closed a fine zippo lighter and twirled a small ornate harmonica between his tiny by daft fingers. It was highly distracting.

"Hey all, it is great to see you … or just Rogarth. I guess if we’re having a discussion of faiths it’s good that the rest of you are all here. Sorry for getting in so late, I just heard word of the meeting while passing through the Gob… these GREAT lands. I came running from Unen, and boy are my legs tired.”

He looked around, as if he expected a response, but continued as if nothing happened.

“Anyhow, for those of you who don’t already know who I am, my name is Scout. I work with the Cult of the Tsoga, I’m considered part of the pack. We started as brave soldiers during the K’ias Wars, who took suicidal missions that forced us to never return home. We looked to the apex predator of Refuge, the native tsoga with powerful jaws and claws for hunting and whose warm fur can endure any climate or water temperature. We broke ourselves, becoming known as the beast faced warriors who were never to be trifled with.”

His casual nature about breaking himself was surreal. “We followed the leader of our pack, known only as Black Claw … and he was pretty damn cool. Afterwards, it turned out that many of the soldiers never died on their missions, but now had nowhere to return home. Black Claw and his hottie mate got us all together, and found us a new home north of the Northern Kingdoms. It was forged for the beast faced warriors to call their own, the Aerie of the Tsogari.” He nodded emphatically, as his fingers continued to juggle an impossible number of things.


#6

“We have continued our efforts, weeding out the evils and injustice within societies. The Tsogari were formed to fight against the K’ias, but now actively challenge the vampyrs, bandits, less-than-just rulers … and lets not forget the Qual N’drone. So in conclusion, I wouldn’t really trust the word of someone that follow the evil Quall N’drone; Morgothians can generally be d-bags and speak with forked tongue, but Rogarth and the druid Cykus are AWESOMMMMME. Wow, so that must be the balance here! So in conclusion, Tsogas rule! And I think that’s everything I have to say about that. So umm…would anyone care for some cheese?"

The crowd chuckled at the bizarre nature of the Bastard’s oratory. Rogarth shook his head at Scout. As expected, the crowd burst into a frantic discussions due to the incendiary words Scout had spoken. What began as a peaceful discussion threatened to violence as many started taking sides. Yirhug tried to get people to calm down, but the crowd was no longer listening.

Rogarth kept shaking his head. There were other speakers who were waiting, and now would never get to speak. Just like a Bastard to start a fight they had no intention of fighting, he thought. Very suddenly, Rogarth stood up. The chairs around him fell over and bounced on the floor. The movement started the crowd, and everyone looked at him.

“There will be no fighting today.”

Simple, yet effective… the crowd nodded.

Knowing there would be no further listening, the crowd dissipated on it own accord and left the gathering. While Scout was tempted to goad the Morgothian, he didn’t want to upset Rogarth, so he left things alone, but Sir Mag’Nrs looked at the Bastard hard, as if imprinting the image of the Bastard in his mind. The rest of the speakers left as well, until it was just Yirhug, once again alone, his mind filled with information and thoughts about the world he lived.

He had learned much today. But how does one know what to believe, he thought to himself as he rearranged the chairs in the warehouse. He had more questions than answers, and nowhere to turn to find greater truth or knowledge. Perhaps this was the greatest truth he learned today…


#7

:cool: Rewards :cool:

Yirhug gains 1 level of Devotion in Balancer, Morgothian Knight, and can choose either 1 level of Krodnok or 1 level of Kalok once those are created.

Krodnok gains the previous reward discussed at Running GAGG.

Kolgol and Krodnok may each develop a Devotion level 1 and submit them for approval as Devotions for Kalok and Krodnok respectively.

Sir Mag’Nrs gains +1 lvl to his Morgothian Devotion, and + 5 followers (FS 3 olgogs)

Yeung Ling gains Balancer Devotion (see Border Wars Aftermath)

Khalid Phoenixkiller gains +10 new squires (FS 3 Olgog Horned Dog wannabes)