The Eight Labors
A religion spread throughout Ilica, the Eight Labors venerates gods of craft and toil as the foundations of society. With no leader, the Labors are instead a collective of temples dedicated to individual gods. These temples act as guilds for the respective professions of their gods, places of refinement and study. Cities build splendid temples to their most popular patrons: White Port boasts a grand temple dedicated to the Sailor, and the greatest master of the Caretaker’s teachings resides near Aurochs Rock.In the countryside, wandering priests and wayside shrines can be found, humbler dedications offering guidance and respite.The religion is especially popular among the commonfolk of Altalusia, and certain northern Free States. Less so, with the nobility. Priests have been known to petition local lords when labor conditions don’t meet the standards of their doctrines. Crafters who follow the Labors often come into conflict with those who do not. Some worry that the temples give away too many trade secrets, and that their mere presence undercuts the value of entire professions.
Hierarchy
Priests and Priestesses are those who have chosen to dedicate their time tending to a temple. There is no official induction into the Labors, but followers are expected to practice the profession of their patron god. Master craftsmen often retire to the quieter life of a priest, spending time training apprentices and committing their knowledge to writing. While young men and women wanting to improve their condition might spend years at a temple learning a new trade, only to leave before swearing the oaths of a Journeyman.Apprentice Priest/ess: Living communally with their peers, apprentices are expected to dedicate their waking hours to learning their craft and upkeeping the temple.
Journeyman Priest/ess: After some years of study, an apprentice can choose to dedicate themselves wholly to their patron. Journeymen have swore oaths in accordance with their respective craft, and spend their lives dedicated to their temple and their Master.
Master Priest/ess: Only one Master presides over a temple, and competition for the title can be contentious. Followers will travel great distances to study under famous Masters. Larger temples in city centers have been known to recruit talented Journeymen from lesser known temples, to ensure the quality of the temple’s craft is maintained.
Core Tenants
Largely a folk religion, with little organization, the Labors have few tenants written in stone. Instead, its priests consider craft to be an ever-growing thing, meant to serve a community. A temple is only as good as the priests who live inside it, and doctrine only meaningful to those who use it.Still, some core concepts are shared:
- Those willing and able to work will never be turned away from a temple’s doors.
- Knowledge and skill are meant to be shared for the betterment of all - libraries remain open, and no trade secrets can be kept within temple walls.
- A worker must always be willing, and all agreements transparent. Forced labor and slavery is strictly forbidden.
- Breaking one's word is a cardinal sin.
Temples are not just places to learn a craft - they also act as sanctuaries of rest & respite for laborers. A place to meet others of the same ilk, and re-forge forgotten ideals.
One valuable service a temple provides is transcription, a rare skill in rural Ilica. Priests are taught to read and write, and will log the experiences of visitors. They will also notarize contracts. Two copies are always made, one for the visitor and the other for the temple’s annals. Records are carefully preserved, even over hundreds of years. Each temple has its own repository of knowledge, with the oldest temples housing the longest records.
History
EoM 900s- At the end of the Era of Many, slaves of the Empire practiced their religions in secret, holding on to their worship of the moons. The names are changed, the meanings veiled, but many of the practices and beliefs remain at the core.
- Worship and Practice of the Eight are outlawed within the Empire.
- A network of resistance spreads through the furthest reaches of the Arshakan Empire, using temples of the Eight Labors as sanctuaries and staging points.
- It is believed by many that the First King of Altalusia arose from the slave rebellions, which would later lead to Altalusia’s independence.
- The Influence of the Eight Labors maintains a steady presence throughout Ilica.
- Temples of the Eight are often found at the center of political turmoil, sheltering the small folk from the tyranny of petty Lords and would-be Sovereigns. Some Temples rise to political prominence, while most maintain their role amidst the peoples.
- Master Priestess Yunka Armayan, devoted to the Builder, Vies to Unify a swath of Temples, betwixt nascent Altalusia, and the Free City of Saex.
- This is rejected by most.
- The Dead Wave washes across much of Ilica, and Temples of the Eight find themselves at the heart of much of the restoration efforts which take place.
EoD - Present Day
- Whilst Altalusia and other states declare the Dead Wave dealt with, the Priests and Priestess of the Eight maintain a network of communications across Ilica, passing on sightings and information regarding residual blight and corruption.
- Many temples of the Eight act as places of refuge for people, far flung from their homes by the many conflicts and disasters that dot Ilica.
- Rumors of corruption about famous Masters and the larger temples spread, shaking trust between temples once bound by cause and purpose.
- Prominent Temples, and their Priesthood vie for greater influence, and fractures within the Temples are vulnerable for exploitation.
The Work of the Eight
Each of the eight moons is thought to be a celestial God, who wrought the heavens and keeps the skies in order with their eternal toil. The earthly movement and toil of mortal kind reflects the cycles of the Gods, and through their contemplation greater achievements and better conditions can be made. The Gods are known by multiple names and titles, often poetic. In cultures outside of Altalusia where the religion has taken root, the Eight may adopt the local names of the moons.
The Soldier, Ahyiid the Unyielding
Elemental Affinity: Fire and Wind
Moon: The Beloved
To be a soldier is to dedicate your life to something greater than yourself. To lay your life down in the name of others. Long before Lords and Ladies, it was the soldiers, mustered from a people’s number, who set out against raiders, and would-be warlords. Never alone, the Solider embodies a cooperative spirit, and an understanding that together, people can achieve feats far beyond their own reach. Even if it might cost them their life, it shan’t be a thing wasted.
Elemental Affinity: Fire and Wind
Moon: The Beloved
To be a soldier is to dedicate your life to something greater than yourself. To lay your life down in the name of others. Long before Lords and Ladies, it was the soldiers, mustered from a people’s number, who set out against raiders, and would-be warlords. Never alone, the Solider embodies a cooperative spirit, and an understanding that together, people can achieve feats far beyond their own reach. Even if it might cost them their life, it shan’t be a thing wasted.
The Sailor, Ghanga the Farseeing
Elemental Affinity: Wind and Water
Moon: The Wayfarer
Far and wide, a sailor sails. Guided by the wind, the stars, and those currents that take them to distant shores unseen.To the promise of adventure, of something new, of the simple joy of seeing the ocean blue, or hauling in a catch, large enough to feed the village. Many are the Sailor’s motivations, yet all require much of them. Ingenuity, cunning, the ability to meet the shift in currents, the death of wind, or the storm that comes unbidden. No matter the destination, the Sailor must keep their balance, and their wits.
Elemental Affinity: Wind and Water
Moon: The Wayfarer
Far and wide, a sailor sails. Guided by the wind, the stars, and those currents that take them to distant shores unseen.To the promise of adventure, of something new, of the simple joy of seeing the ocean blue, or hauling in a catch, large enough to feed the village. Many are the Sailor’s motivations, yet all require much of them. Ingenuity, cunning, the ability to meet the shift in currents, the death of wind, or the storm that comes unbidden. No matter the destination, the Sailor must keep their balance, and their wits.
The Builder, Harunh the Scheming
Elemental Affinity: Wood and Earth
Moon: The Sovereign
High are the walls, and long are the halls which keep the people safe. Shelter them from the elements, as well as any who would cause them threat. The Builder plans, drafts, and constructs the homes in which the people live, the mill which churns the grains, the gates which keep the dangers out. From grand citadels that guard entire cities, to simple bridges that span creeks, the builder’s schemes improve the people’s lives, help guard them, their work, and their secrets.
Elemental Affinity: Wood and Earth
Moon: The Sovereign
High are the walls, and long are the halls which keep the people safe. Shelter them from the elements, as well as any who would cause them threat. The Builder plans, drafts, and constructs the homes in which the people live, the mill which churns the grains, the gates which keep the dangers out. From grand citadels that guard entire cities, to simple bridges that span creeks, the builder’s schemes improve the people’s lives, help guard them, their work, and their secrets.
The Caretaker, Sitha the Renewing
Elemental Affinity: Fire, Water, Wood
Moon: The Mirror
Come the crackle and hiss of the warm fire, and so come the gentle ministrations of the Caretaker. Whose touch renews the weary soul, whose meal, fresh from the fire, fills the pit in one’s belly, and gives the bones something to stand on. With deft hands and gentle disposition, the Caretaker renews the downtrodden, the travel worn, the spent and threadbare. Their craft, attentive to detail, each pluck and pull measured twice, practiced thrice, and passed down by those before them.
Elemental Affinity: Fire, Water, Wood
Moon: The Mirror
Come the crackle and hiss of the warm fire, and so come the gentle ministrations of the Caretaker. Whose touch renews the weary soul, whose meal, fresh from the fire, fills the pit in one’s belly, and gives the bones something to stand on. With deft hands and gentle disposition, the Caretaker renews the downtrodden, the travel worn, the spent and threadbare. Their craft, attentive to detail, each pluck and pull measured twice, practiced thrice, and passed down by those before them.
The Herder, Gobinh the Tending
Elemental Affinity: Earth, Wind, Wood
Moon: The Beast
Far afield, with not but the scent and sound of beasts about, the Herder watches their flock. Accounts for each head, and takes measure of the land. Where the creek water is sweetest. Where the grass grows greenest, and where the herd has helped the land turn the most fertile, so that they might tend it later. So grows the new crop. So grows the flock, neath the tender stewardship of the Herder.
Elemental Affinity: Earth, Wind, Wood
Moon: The Beast
Far afield, with not but the scent and sound of beasts about, the Herder watches their flock. Accounts for each head, and takes measure of the land. Where the creek water is sweetest. Where the grass grows greenest, and where the herd has helped the land turn the most fertile, so that they might tend it later. So grows the new crop. So grows the flock, neath the tender stewardship of the Herder.
The Sculptor, Akmal the Dreaming
Elemental Affinity: Earth, Water
Moon: The Fiend
But from the darkness of slumber come the visions of something more. Something that needs saying. Needs showing. A vision that can express the beauty of a single moment. A fleeting bloom long lost to the cold winds of a biting winter. An act of bravery that inspires the countless to come. The tragic loss of a love so deep, that all would hold each other closer, at the mere memory. So that they might save themselves from the bitter chill, so they might remember that flower bright in those days of spring. So the dreams of the Sculptor take shape.
Elemental Affinity: Earth, Water
Moon: The Fiend
But from the darkness of slumber come the visions of something more. Something that needs saying. Needs showing. A vision that can express the beauty of a single moment. A fleeting bloom long lost to the cold winds of a biting winter. An act of bravery that inspires the countless to come. The tragic loss of a love so deep, that all would hold each other closer, at the mere memory. So that they might save themselves from the bitter chill, so they might remember that flower bright in those days of spring. So the dreams of the Sculptor take shape.
The Smith, Tapan the Hammering
Elemental Affinity: Metal, Fire
Moon: The Sage
Strike. Sparks. Ring. Strike. Sparks. Ring. The Smith labors away at their piece. Made from the earth’s most precious minerals. Materials hard won and hard gathered. Pulled from the stone through great effort. Grabbed from the bottom of lakes with great breath. Strike. Sparks. Ring. The Smith pounds out the imperfections of ploughs, beams, shoes and swords. Strike. Sparks. Ring. Their work must be of the highest quality, for the work serves the lives of those who wield it.
Elemental Affinity: Metal, Fire
Moon: The Sage
Strike. Sparks. Ring. Strike. Sparks. Ring. The Smith labors away at their piece. Made from the earth’s most precious minerals. Materials hard won and hard gathered. Pulled from the stone through great effort. Grabbed from the bottom of lakes with great breath. Strike. Sparks. Ring. The Smith pounds out the imperfections of ploughs, beams, shoes and swords. Strike. Sparks. Ring. Their work must be of the highest quality, for the work serves the lives of those who wield it.
The Scribe, Satyavati the Seeking
Elemental: Wood, Water
Moon: The Thief
So say the Scribe, seeker of the Truth, recorder of history, and teller of tales. Their quill traced across parchment, the ink let free from silver nib, so that it might dry, bound in books, and be read by many more.
Elemental: Wood, Water
Moon: The Thief
So say the Scribe, seeker of the Truth, recorder of history, and teller of tales. Their quill traced across parchment, the ink let free from silver nib, so that it might dry, bound in books, and be read by many more.
Contributors: Garuda, bees?
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