Phessus, Lord of Life

Myths say that Phessus created life as a favor to the other gods, who were getting bored with their own entertainments and asked Phessus to come up with something. Whether or not this is true, Phessus is worshipped as the creator of all living things in Estovia.

Seat of the Faith

Phessus is a wholly Estovian deity, although there are those that comment on his striking resemblance to the Pellenji deity Corjuska. There is a temple to Phessus in Falcos, but it is quite small. Most worship of this god takes place out of doors, surrounded by the bounty of his creations.

With the spread of the Dread Moor many followers of this deity have taken up arms to fight the abomination that lies on their borders. Before the appearance of those foul creatures it would have been unthinkable to see one of these men bearing a weapon.

Tenets, Beliefs, and Dogma

True followers of Phessus, to be distinguished from the many who routinely invoke his name or give him praise, will not cause the death of another living creature. Called the "Walkers of Life," these men can sometimes be seen going to great extremes not to step on a beetle. Some of these followers go as far as to protect insects and vermin from extermination, and can make quite a pest of themselves. Habits such as these make the faith of Phessus ill suited to the confines within city walls, preventing the following of this seemingly central god from growing too large.

Followers of Phessus are compelled to wash frequently and to eat only windfall, and meat from sick or dying animals. As such true followers of this god can often be picked out by their spare frames during certain times of the year when such things are sparse.

Relations to Other Faiths

Few if any faiths takes issue with Phessus and his loyal followers. Those who follow him take the brunt of their faith onto themselves, never importuning others, although they can become troublesome when trying to rescue some particular creature from an untimely death...when an untimely death is exactly what others would like to see.

Factions and Heresies

There are some who would contend that the entire religion is a heretical offshoot from the Pellenji worship of Corjuska, but those who worship Phessus stoutly profess otherwise. Within the faith there is so little structure that it is hard to say what is a faction or heresy and what is not.

There was a group that arose around 520 A.B. that was quickly recognized as a heresy by the most followers of Phessus. This offshoot believed that it is sometimes prudent to take a life if one can save many lives in the process. Though the group started off among men who thought themselves being reasonable, and bringing a needed moderating influence to the religion, it quickly became a breeding ground for political assassins and others who were looking for a reason to justify their actions. Using their influence with the Church of Tahg and the High Council of the Estovian knights, the "Walkers of Life" had this heresy declared illegal and punishable by exile or conscription.

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