Arawn
Supreme Power of Elysium
The god of virtue, Arawn is neutral good. His titles include the Virtuous,
the Mighty, and the Provider. The domains associated with Arawn are good,
healing, protection, and sun. Followers of Arawn are known as clerics.
The church of Arawn is founded around the goal of spreading the Six Noble
Virtues to all the peoples of Annwn. These include honor, valor, compassion,
faith, humility, and sacrifice, and are said to have been handed down to
the clergy from Arawn himself. As such, the task of each cleric is twofold:
to strive to reach his or her own inner light through self perfection,
and to spread the light of Virtue to those who know it not. As a symbol
of this constant quest for perfection, all clerics of Arawn wear the Ankh,
as a symbol of their faith. The Ankh itself is a cross with a loop at the
top, thought to suggest the infinite and circular path to virtue, and the
desire of each cleric to be the link which closes that path.
Ceremonial dress for clerics of Arawn consists of multi-layered robes of
gold over blue over white, symbolizing the many aspects of Arawn - the
healer, the warrior, and the regent. Ceremonial dress is worn only on special
occasions by most clerics, although, as Arawn allows clerics of widely
different views to enter the church, some of the more stringent, discipline
minded clergy insist upon its constant use, while more simple followers
do not even own a set.
This dichotomy of beliefs within the church is visible in more than just
its clerics’ dress, however. On one hand, there is a strong, centrally
controlled church bureaucracy, second only to that of Heimdall in terms
of grandeur and complication. However, there are also numerous clerics
who work independently to spread the virtues of Arawn. These two factions
rarely see eye to eye, each believing they are the only one interpreting
Arawn’s will correctly. While this is often a cause of internal dissension,
it is also the source of the faith's strength, as it has the widest range
of followers of all the religions, and is worshipped in most areas of the
world. In general, the church of Arawn is believed to be the most widely
worshipped and most powerful religious institution in Annwn. In particular,
the Westmarch kingdom of Arcadia has a particularly devoted following.
Clerics of Arawn are typically reluctant to shed blood, holding all life
to be sacred, and most shun using edged weapons. As such, Arawn's favored
weapon is the mace. However, the use of edged weapons is not prohibited
in church doctrine, and more militant clerics may certainly use them if
they so desire. Despite their reverence for life, clerics are nonetheless
quite willing to fight for the cause of good when the situation requires,
and Arawn has a large following of paladins (who do not feel at all obligated
to avoid edged weapons) who militaristically seek out and destroy enemies
of the faith.