Forces of Faith

Taed

 

The hardest Force to love, everpresent in our lives, often reviled - Taed, the Force of Death. Though people might often shy away from the inigmatic and unrelenting Force, there are plenty of individuals who understand Taed as a necessary Force, and hold him close to their hearts.

 

Dogma

 

"Death is inevitable."

Whether you fear it, revere it, or accept its presence, death simply is. It is a part of life that no one can escape. From the mightest of kings to the humblest of slaves, death will visit them all; many of the downtrodden who worship Taed find this aspect of him most appealing. Others stand in awe at the awesome power that is death - life can be erradicated, but death will always have the last laugh.

 

Example Holy Passages

 

Taken from The Tome of Repose:

"As Magdalene burned at the stake, she laughed in exultation - they could kill her, but all they had succeded doing was making the Lord stronger."

 

"Fear not the presence of our Lord, Taed, for his arms are gentle and he welcomes all of his children equally."

 

"There was no suffering, no pain. The Veil that lay like a shroud on the dearly departed conceals a world of peace and enlightenment."

 

"To Taed I commend my soul should I fall this day/To Taed I commend the souls of my enemies/To Taed I beseech strength this day/So I may add to the swell of his army/With the death cries of my foes"

 

Holy Days

 

Fourth Rosa of Septi (once every four years) - Spirit Night: Taed supposedly lowers the Veil that separates the living world from the world of the spirits so that they may have one night of interaction if they so wish. While 'ghost' sightings are not frequent, there are spirits reported to have been seen wandering outside of their normal haunt of Satich on this night.

Second Terra of Zira - The Waking: All who worship Taed spend the whole day or whole night (depending on the preference of the devotee) in remembrance of loved ones who have passed away, or exultation over enemies slain. Though this can be a private function, many priests tend to gather their flocks at their temple and hold a ceremony where people are free to contribute whatever stories they wish.

Second Silva of Solary - Sacrifice: At the height of summer, coinciding with The Revel of Efil and balancing the Efilive, all people worshipping Taed must make a sacrifice of some kind in his name. Though some individuals make sacrifices of immaterial things, most common is a simple slaughtering of prized livestock or the giving up of some greatly valued treasure. This holiday is also often used by darker worshippers to commence with mass murders or suicide pacts.

No Set Date - Ascendance: A usually rare holiday, this is a special day of both mourning and celebration upon the High Priest of Taed's death. A smaller version is often held locally when a Head Priest of Taed dies as well; an elaborate funeral ceremony is held, and much time is devoted towards the eulogy of the priest and readings from the Tome of Repose. Afterwards, a large feast is held, during which the head placing of the table is left open for the departed priest's spirit. They are served a goblet of absynthe and at the end of the feast this is set alight as a final prayer is given for the departed priest.

 

Roles of a Taed Priest

 

Death is often a sad, sometimes messy affair; someone has to deal with it. The Taedians are the undertakers of Naruta; it is their job to tend to the dead, prepare them for their burial, and oversee the funeral. While other priests can do funeral rites and ceremonies, for the most part, the Taedians are the experts and most often used.

 

In some communities, the Taedians are also a type of guidance councellor as well; often, it is these priests that are approached with some of the hardest of questions: What happens when we die? Will my loved ones be watching me? The Taedians are often the ones that bring ease of mind to those who fear death or know that they will be facing it soon.

 

How a Taedian priest goes about their duties is often colored by which 'face' of Taed they revere. The facets of Taed are not a splintering of faith, as they are for some of the other religions, so much as they are a different means to a common end. The following Faces are as follows:

 

Taed the Balancer (or Equalizer) - This side of Taed is seen as the Force who makes all men equal. No matter what standing in life an person held, they will still die, and will still go to Beyond the Veil (or Heaven as some call it) just like everyone else.

 

Taed the Merciful Death - Taed is the one who takes away all the pain and suffering that life has to offer. Once dead, a spirit feels none of the ills that the living do.

 

Taed the Destroyer - Some individuals find themselves drawn towards destruction, the power of it, and the fear it can generate. They feel great awe for the fact that nothing is forever, and life is fleeting under the powerful fist of the mighty Force.

 

Taed the Needed - Often used by priests who also honor Efil or Worg, Taed as seen as a necessary part of existence. Without death, the world would become congested with an abundance of life, causing a chokehold over all possibility of progress. Some say that many of the greatest achievements were borne simply out of fear of death.

 

Transcendance Through Priesthood

 

Transcendce is very simple in the temples of Taed. Higher ranking priests may promote anyone lower than themselves if they feel that an individual is ready for a rise in power. They may promote up to one rank lower than themselves. If someone is promoted to a higher rank, and someone of an even higher rank feels that it was a poor judgment, they may reverse the decision. Example: A novitiate priest (one who looks after novices) brings a novice up to the rank of priest-acolyte. A head priest feels that this was a poor decision, and so demotes the priest-acolyte back down to novice. All disputes are brought to the local head priest. Generally, his word is final; anything of matters weighty enough to contest his decision are brought to the High Priest in Athrug.

 

Relations to Other Religions

 

Efil - Efilians and Taedians have a love-hate relationship. Most Efilians do not like Taedians and the feeling is often mutual. Both are often suspicious of the other's motives, or they are embittered by any number of other reasons. For this reason, the two religions try to avoid each other as much as possible when not waging war.

 

Worg - Worgans and Taedians have a relationship that varies from individual to individual. On a whole, the religions wind up being mostly neutral towards one another. The more violent Worgans, those that seek to expand their own strength at the expense of others, are often looked at with respect while those who act as protectors and benefactors are ignored or frowned upon.

 

Thuoth - This is a neutral relation. Thuothians enjoy speculating over the life after death and the mysteries of it with Taed priests. Otherwise, they do not often interact.

 

Soahc - Taedean and Soachian priests experience a love-hate relationship as well. The Taedeans think Soachians are noisy, troublesome, and altogether not worth the time of day. Soachians think Taedeans are too serious. Both, however, find themselves actively agreeing on the validity of destruction and the usefulness of it in all forms.

 

Etaf - Etaf and Taed priests do not intermix very often. Sometimes they will see one another at the site of a particularly powerful prophecy unfolding - if there is death involved - but this is an incredibly rare occurence.