Religions: Archons and the Afterlife - Shadowbane Lore Archives

Religion: Archons and the Afterlife

There is a hint of alliance between the Elves and Aracoix. Each of them pretty much hates every other race, and both want to be masters of the world. On a meta-plot FC level, some of the most powerful Elflords are negotiating with he Aracoix to form a military alliance. Magic was really the Aracoix's only weak spot the first time they tried to invade - why not draft Aerynth's best wizards? As for the Elves, numbers and raw military strength are where they fall short, and the Aracoix have both in spades. If an alliance is reached, they two races will agree to split the world, but probably try to ensure that their partners take the most losses in the war, and get rolled over when it's all done. Treachery is an ancient art among both the Firstborn and the Birdmen...

Ah, but the sea is green! At least, some sea is. You've obviously never seen the Gulf of Mexico...
I was given a palette of colors, and went from there. It was a lot easier to link blue with the icy north than brown or green, so that's what came of that. Now, I suppose the forest Elves could've been green, but that would leave us with brown sea Elves? You see the issue. Green for the ocean is fine. Think Beatles if all else fails.

The Blademasters are indeed envisioned as wandering masters. The Crouching Tiger allusion is right on the money. They may congregate in certain places into monasteries and fighting orders with rules and regulations, but I expect such groupings are rare and very scattered geographically.

What happened to the Anomani? That would be telling... As for that Aelfborn, I wouldn't worry about him. He's almost certainly dead by now, right?

Okay, that's what you asked, here's what you didn’t: I've gotten LOTS of queries regarding the Archons and the issue of the afterlife in Shadowbane. So, If you'll permit me, I'll expound into a more public mouthpiece.

Archons

There are lots of Archons. Lots and lots of them. Each is an aspect towards a particular concept: Strength, Grace, and Peace are the few we've encountered so far. I can give you a few more: Nandramiel is the Archon of Judgment, also known, as the Herald of Pandarrion, and Uvoriel is the Archon of Fire (you can imagine who might be interested in learning his name. Dangiriel is the Archon of War and General of Heaven. Volmiriel was once the Archon of Valor, but he was killed by several Chaos Lords during the War of the Scourge.

Have the Archons chosen a side in the schism of Holy Church vs. Temple? Yes and no. They have not intervened personally on Aerynth since the Turning (indeed, they are bound by the All-Father's law not to enter the world except at His command), but have lent their divinity to spells and communicated with mortals on both sides. Some Archons tend to fall on one side of the fence or the other (Uvoriel is only invoked by Malorn's flock, it seems) while Dangiriel is prayed to (and has been said to answer) both Templars and Crusaders. There are rumors of turmoil in Heaven that some Archons want to break with tradition and try to save lives, while others cling staunchly to the Law. Sometimes you just have to do what you're told, and if the Boss isn't there to tell you, you wait for him to come back. It's just that simple. Could differences of opinion in Heaven have ripples on Aerynth? Hmmm... it'd make a Hell of a story, wouldn't it?

Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife

Oh boy, this is a big one. Some Background: There are two fundamental forces in the Shadowbane universe - Law and Chaos. Each of them plays upon the matter generated by the five elements and spins it into everything there is. Souls are concentrations of the fifth element, Spirit, just as boulders are concentrations of Earth and lakes concentrations of Water. There are "Higher Realms" outside the Universe, planes of pure Law and Chaos: from these arise the Archons (Law) and the Demons (Chaos).

Now, what happens when you die and is there a Heaven or Hell? The answer varies from race to race, culture to culture. What follows is the official All-Father oriented "churchy" view (which, incidentally, goes for both Church and Temple, as well as the Centaurs and Dwarves).

There is a Heaven and a Hell. When a person dies, the Spirit that animated their material body is set free, and enters the Black, a kind of void. Early on, these spirits would degenerate into nothing, or turn into wicked, malevolent entities that would jump into dead flesh and rise as Undead. The All-Father, however, crafted the great Gates of Heaven and Hell, portals that channel dead spirits to their rightful reward. Heaven is the Elysian plane of Law, where there is no want, where peace and stability hold dominion over eternity. Hell is the realm of Chaos, where tumult and constant change make existence unbearable, and Demons feed on souls like candy.

Just how a soul is guided to the proper destination varies, depending upon whom you ask. Some believe that Ardan takes you where you deserve to go, others that the Archons weigh each dead person's soul. Some schools of thought have put forth the idea that ascension unto heaven is the predestined fate of an Elect few (the Holy Church used to be big on this idea, but it's fallen into some obscurity), while others believe Nandramiel keeps a careful record of each and every deed, and that each soul picks its own fate through deeds and intentions. Can a soul escape from Hell and be redeemed, moving up to Heaven? Some theologians in the Holy Church are very big on this idea, while the Temple dismisses it as the Heresy of the Hopeful Sinner. Hell is the ultimate destination of Sin, and it is eternal.

Now, since the Turning, the Gates have closed, and the All-Father's greatest gift to Aerynth has been revoked. The Trees of Life now serve to rebuild bodies and anchor the souls to Aerynth, saving them from the Black. Can the Gates be re-opened? The Archons are ominously silent.

Other religions and cultures will look at things differently. Druids, for example, claim that all spirit is re-born into a different arrangement of elements through an endless cycle of reincarnation. The Irekei believe that the Inner Flame leaves the body and rejoins the Sacred Fire in the heart of the Dragon. Non churchgoing Elves... they probably think that dead spirits are doomed to an immaterial life, watching all that they knew wear away. More than you asked for, eh? I hope this helps!