Ceiltean Druidism

The Grand Order of Druids (Ceiltean: Ord Mór na nDraoithe), also known as the Ceiltean Order or the Druids, with 23 members in the home Ceiltean territories in the Union of Collectivist Council Republics. The Grand Order is headed by the Rí na Ríthe, the King of Kings, who has always traditionally been the head of state of the High Kingdom of Ceiltea and the subsequent Union of Collectivist Council Republics. While the Rí na Ríthe is the nominal and ceremonial head of the Order, the Order is effectively headed by the Archdruid who heads the Grand Conclave of Druids from the Liathdruim, south of the Folkscapital of Melevorgrad.

The Grand Order teaches that the Rí na Ríthe comes from the bloodline of Erses, the Elder King of the gods, and thus is given a divine mandate from the heavens. The Archdruid is handpicked by the Rí na Ríthe from the Grand Conclave of Druids, from among the clergy as the effective head of the Order. The Grand Conclave is comprised of all Druids who serve as clergy and so there is no limit on how many can be in the Conclave. To become a Druid one must undergo education at the Grand College of the Order.

The Grand Order is polytheistic which has long been passed down through oral traditions, but finally codified in Ard Saileach at the Liathdruim by Rí na Ríthe Melevor Murascaillbach around the establishment of the High Kingdom of Ceiltea. The pantheon of the Order is split between the Higher Thrones and the Lower Thrones, with the major gods sitting on the Higher Thrones and compulsory to worship. The Lower Thrones include the lesser gods who, while not compulsory to worship, are often worshipped in certain circumstances and at certain festivities.

Worship by followers of the Grand Order is often held in private, though there is instances of public chanting and singing both in times of crisis and in celebrations. In official state ceremonies and open clearings in forests or around standing stones conducted by official Druids. The holiest site in the religion is south of Melevorgrad at the relocated Liathdruim where ancient antiques relating to the gods. At the relocated Liathdruim open aired courts and areas for worship and the Grand Conclave are planned alongside a memorial dedicated to the family history of the Murascaillbach Dynasty.

The Higher Thrones
The gods of the Higher Thrones are the more powerful of the, in total, 11 Ardaithe gods. Among them sits the Elder King of the gods, Erses and his wife Ymis who are the parents to all the other of the gods of the Higher Thrones. It is thought that the reason the children of Erses and Ymis sit among them on the Higher Thrones is because of their immense powers and capabilities inherited from their parents' combined powers.

Erses
Erses is the main god followed by the Grand Order, worshipped as Elder King of the gods, Father of the gods, the Solar god and the god of rightful Kingship. Erses often takes the form of a large Ceiltean Elk, whose earthly lookalikes are believed to be another type of his offspring with Ymis and thus treated with reverence, respect and with piety in Ceiltea. Erses is the father of Edarr, Udros and Rhadohir, and husband to Ymis. It is also believed that Erses fathered the Murascaillbach Dynasty as the perfect humans to lead the Ceilteans, and before, the Pyrrhians forward in line with the gods.

Another name given to Erses is "Solar Elk", as his terrestrial form as previously mentioned, often was a large Ceiltean Elk shrouded in sunlight. Erses along with being the solar god, is also the god of treaties, oaths and rightful kingship. Erses is often portrayed as a warrior and a master craftsman, often working alongside his son Edarr and Gyorr the god of the forge.

Ymis
Ymis is a major god, and the wife of Erses. She is attributed the title of Mother of the gods for her role in the creation of the other gods among those who sit on the Higher Thrones. Ymis is the goddess of healing and the home, often being worshipped for family members, healing during war and being the patroness of marriages. Ymis' appearance is that of a humanoid looking tree with emerald green leaves, similar to that of an Ent, who are credited as being offspring of Ymis and Erses.

Edarr
Edarr is a major god, and a son of Erses. He is the god of war and combat, and entrusted with the role of delivering fallen warriors to the halls of Erses in the ethereal realm. Edarr is often worshipped before battle by warriors and generals alike, praying for victory, strength in battle and an honourable death. Edarr takes the terrestrial form of a Ram with fiery wool and bloodied eyes. Edarr was born after the Age of Ancients, after the War for Existence.

Udros
Udros is a major god, and a son of Erses. He is the god of the oceans and fish, whose domain is entirely the seas and the weather surrounding them. Udros is worshipped both by fishers and by sailors before either casting their rod or setting sail respectively. Falling on the bad side of the giant Octopus-like creature which Udros takes as his terrestrial form, and has reportedly appeared rising from the oceans during long voyages near Ceiltean waters has never ended well. Udros was born after the Age of Ancients, after the War for Existence.

Rhadohir
Rhaodhir is a major god, and the only daughter of Erses. She is the god of the underworld, death and darkness and is entrusted with inflicting curses and retrieving the souls of those who die under dishonourable circumstances or commit great crimes against the gods. Rhadohir takes the form of a great spider, manifesting as the worlds' most terrifying creature in goliath size, often spinning her webs around those who she is bringing back to the underworld with her. The spiders which roam the world are thought to be offspring of Rhadohir and an unknown entity from the void beyond Existence. Rhadohir is not often worshipped due to her dark nature, though there are some rare cults, particularly those centred around death and assassination which worship the monstrous spider. Rhadohir was born after the Age of Ancients, after the War for Existence.

The Lower Thrones
The gods of the Lower Thrones are the less powerful of the, in total, 11 Ardaithe gods. These gods are unrelated to Erses and Ymis, but serve them faithfully in the occupation of elemental and skill-centric patronage. They all participated in the war against the Void during the Age of Ancients, and were granted physical forms by Erses following his consumption of the Flame of Creation.

Arasil
Arasil is a minor god. He is the god of travel, transport, trade and sport, protecting those who use the roads and granting stamina to those participating in sports. Arasil is worshipped both by mainly travelling merchants and athletes, not only for protection and patronage both on the road and during sporting events, but also for success in business. Arasil takes the terrestrial form of a Horse, given to him by Erses, which represents the stamina, speed and travel that he is patron of.

Thygohr
Thygohr is a minor god. He is the god of flight and flying creatures, lord of all birds, he is skilled in espionage and scouting. Thygohr is worshipped by those flying with an elytra, and those assigned to scouting duties in armies. Thygohr takes the terrestrial form of a Falcon, given to him by Erses, which is most known for it's keen eyesight from far distances.

Raenar
Raenar is a minor god. She is the god of food, scavaging and hunting, mistress of the wild hunt. Raenar is worshipped by hunters who are seeking food for their families. The only forbidden creature to hunt is the Elk, in reverence and respect to the Solar Elk Erses, doing so will inflict great misfortune and curses. Raenar takes the terrestrial form of a Wolf, given to her by Erses, which represents the hunt, which some believe she does on cold and windy nights as the wind howls and the hunting party moves across the sky.

Rhireus
Rhireus is a minor god. He is the god of knowledge and wisdom, patron of many different institutions of education in Ceiltea. Rhireus is worshipped by academics and aspiring students, alongside scientists and other researchers who pray for his gifts of knowledge and guidance. The Great Old ones of the Swamp, who live in Mudtown, are believed to be spirits with the patronage of Rhireus for their great knowledge and wisdom. Rhireus takes the terrestrial form of an Owl, given to him by Erses, representing his knowledge and success.

Gyorr
Gyorr is a minor god. He is the god of the forge and metals, acting as the patron god to many blacksmiths and soldiers. Gyorr is worshipped both by blacksmiths and soldiers, praying that their metals be strong and not break in the face of combat. Many blacksmiths have created great weaponry and armour under the blessings and guidance of Gyorr, and so it is tradition to have a large statue of the god facing an anvil for good luck. Gyorr takes the terrestrial form of a Monkey, given to him by Erses, representing his craftiness and skill with his hands.

Akbris
Akbris is a minor god. She is the god of culture, festivals and celebration, and is also in control of the darker aspects of these such as vice and addiction. Akbris is worshipped by a large portion of the Ceiltean population who are consumers of large amounts of alcohol and have many festivals and celebrations throughout the year. Akbris takes the terrestrial form of a Bee, given to her by Erses, representing the Spring, joy and celebration through honey.

Creation and Destruction Myths
The Grand Order has preserved both the creation and destruction mythos of the faith, which for a long time, until the codification under Melevor Murascaillbach, was passed down through oral tradition as it was thought too important for outsiders - potentially corrupted by the powers of the Void - to gain knowledge of.

Creation Mythos - War of Existence
In the beginning all of Existence was covered in fog, shapeless and formless. From this, both nothingness and somethingness arose, the Void was the lack of space, it consumed vast areas with darkness and emptiness, while mass and light started to form where the Void could not be found. From this cosmic essence arose the first beings, Erses and Ymis alongside other less powerful spirits and entities which would later become the gods of the Lower Thrones. These entities came to be known as the Ardaithe, beings of Existence, material, essence, mind and body, while the all-devouring Void began birthing it's own entities to counter the Ardaithe. The Díghrádaithe would be entities tasked by the Void to engage in war with the Ardaithe, and to consume all that they created on behalf of the Void. This would lead to an almost reality-ending war, in which the Díghrádaithe almost consumed the entirety of Existence, but were stopped by Erses who saved the last light from the Díghrádaithe by hiding it on what is now Earth. This last light came in the form of a small flame, barely surviving, but managing to do so. While the last light was hidden away the Díghrádaithe only got more erratic, their power dwindled as they starved, the light being their last food source. With the Díghrádaithe weakened, the Ardaithe retaliated against them, eventually destroying all of the entities through the use of the newly created Arcane. Banishing the Void beyond the walls of reality, upheld through Arcane magic, the gods were finally secure, though Existence was heavily scarred through the war and required healing efforts by the gods.

Thus planets came to be. The lack of Existence between different masses of form gave rise to many different masses spread across Existence far apart from one another. Returning to the last light, the spirit Erses consumed most of it, and assumed it's powers of creation upon which he bestowed his fellow Ardaithe powers, skills and abilities. Ymis created trees, flowers and shaped nature, while Erses created life in the form of Elks, and the Sun to shine His light upon Existence. The gods of the Lesser Thrones were not bestowed with powers of creation and so specialised in elemental matters and in the specification of skills for the new life created by both Erses and Ymis, humanity. It is believed that this was done from the site which housed a small part of the last light, the flame of creation, known as the Kiln of Creation

Yet, from beyond the walls of reality the Void continued to influence activities throughout Existence, manipulating and turning humanity against it's masters, corrupting many who turned their backs on the gods, worshipping various different idols and Void-inspired beings. This corruption of their creation horrified the gods, and so it was decided by Elder King Erses that a noble line must be created of his own blood to guide the faithful in The Way, and to wage bloody wars against the corrupted. Thus was created the regal line of Murascaillbach, ending the Age of Ancients, and beginning the Age of Heroes.

Destruction Mythos - The Great Consumption
After the faith has been restored fully on the Earth, an age of peace, stability and growth will occur with all under the watchful and glorious heavens. The gods will reign supreme over land, air and sea, projecting their will through their vessel of the Murascaillbach Dynasty. This age of peace will last for millennia until it is shattered by a great blasphemy by growing underground Void worship as the gods look elsewhere, believing the Earth to be secured. This blasphemy will cause many wars between the faithful and the corrupted, until the corrupted finally commit their greatest transgression, mass sacrifice to the Void, strengthening it until it is able to breach the walls of reality.

Rebirthed, the Díghrádaithe would wreck chaos on all of Existence as the Void slowly consumed behind them, following their path towards the gods. Taking the form of hideous creatures of colossal size, the Díghrádaithe would consume entire galaxies slowly and one by one, growing stronger all the while. The Ardaithe gods would ride out to face them, causing further destruction as they clashed against one another repeatedly, destroying galaxies, systems and planets alike. Great Erses would take his form as the Solar Elk of colossal size, and pierce many Díghrádaithe with his strong antlers, blinding them with his light.

The Great Consumption, as it would be called, would reign for an age, as the Ardaithe and the Díghrádaithe would be trapped in a stalemate. The Earth would be destroyed many times over by consistent natural disasters, wars and eventually the arrival of the Díghrádaithe, though the Flame of Creation would remain safe and concealed inside the Kiln of Creation, protected the most from Díghrádaithe influence. Growing desperate, and not wanting to lose like they did before, the Díghrádaithe would launch a full-scale assault against the Kiln of Creation with legions of corrupted humans, Void creatures and other corrupted lifeforms facing the full pantheon of the Ardaithe, those faithful remaining humans and the beasts of the gods. This would result in the most colossal battle in the history of Existence, the Cath na gCath, while inside the Kiln the Solar Elk Erses would commit to using the Flame of Creation against the Void in a final attempt to push the balance towards Existence.

Employing the Flame of Creation, Erses would burn the mammoth-sized hordes of the Void, plunging into the heart of the accursed nothingness which was overhead watching the battle happen. Suddenly, the Void and the heavens would burst into flame, the Flame of Creation would consume all of the Void, and all of Existence, destroying all.

Existence would be rebirthed, cleansed of nothingness and the Void, as the Ardaithe and their faithful looked upon their new existence they would begin to create majestic music which would fill the new Existence with life.

History
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Foundation and the Age of Heroes
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Codification
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Central Beliefs and Practices
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King of Kings and Mandate from the Heavens
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Erses Primacy
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Natural Conservation
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Culture of Honour
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Hierarchy
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Rí na Ríthe - King of Kings
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Archdruid
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Grand Conclave of Druids
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Organisations
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Grand Conclave of Druids
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Grand College of Druids
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Holy Sites
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The Liathdruim
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