Beliefs:

Sallyra (Church of the Swan, Graysonite): There are several virtues one must embrace to lead the good life: innocence, charity, justice, mercy, kindness, defense of the weak, and so on. Innocence is revered, the perfect state of all mortality, until the evil of the world taints and ruins it. Giving and generosity are keys to personal happiness. Justice is the mortal tool to fight evil in the world, and mercy is the mortal tool to preserve good. Kindness is never amiss, and the weak are to be defended--they are the innocent of this world and they are not to blame for their weakness. Improve them if you can, but never fail to defend them.


Afterlife:

The believers in the Swan Faith believe that when they die, they will be judged. If they are pure and good, they will ascend to the Promised Land and achieve true Salvation. If they have not been perfect, as most have not, they will go to a purgatorial realm to be purified so that they might enter the Promised Land eventually. If, however, they are evil, they will be cast down into the Hells, where they will be punished for their sins for all of eternity.


*The 12 Virtues*: They oppose the 13 Sins, which are the Srisian 13 Webs.

1. Innocence: embodied by the Vestal Virgins, the virtue of Innocence is the lack of evil in the mind, body, soul, and heart. It is the belief in goodness untainted by vile actions. It opposes Temptation and Manipulation.

2. Diligence: embodied by the Tender of the Holy Herd, the virtue of Diligence is the dedication to one's duty in face of all opposition, the recognition of one's duty when it might be obscured, and the fortitude to do one's duty despite any inherent dangers thereof. It opposes Corruption.

3. Humility: embodied by the Pebble, the virtue of Humility is the understanding of your own value--that is, that you are a small part of goodness, and that others should come first. Humility is knowing that there is strength in serving. It opposes Vanity.

4. Charity: embodied by the Keeper of the Alms, the virtue of Charity is the act of giving to others. It is knowing that you should come last, since others are deserving of goodness, and that giving is the ultimate act of kindness. It opposes Selfishness.

5. Prudence: embodied by the Leonine Sisterhood, the virtue of Prudence is the use of practical knowledge and sound judgment, thrift, and caution in the face of trouble. It opposes Extravagance.

6. Sanctuary: embodied by the Paladins of Light, the virtue of Sanctuary is the protection of those in need, of the meek, the weak, and the sinful. It opposes Intimidation.

7. Justice: embodied by the Keeper of the Staff of Justice, the virtue of Justice is the righting of wrongs, the righteous sword of light cleaving the evil of the world. Justice teaches the hard lessons. It opposes Abuse.

8. Mercy: embodied by the Warden of Mercy, the virtue of Mercy is the withholding of justice from those worthy of redemption, the tender kindness to those in pain or anguish, and compassionate leniency to all. It opposes Brutality.

9. Sincerity: embodied by the Shining Bard, the virtue of Sincerity is a clarity of demeanor, a truthful expression of emotion and meaning, a certain innocence to one's personality that goes beyond a mere lack of evil and into a lack of deceit. It opposes Deceit.

10. Patience: embodied by the First Golden Dragon, the virtue of Patience is endurance under difficult circumstances, the ability to refrain from action until such time as action is called for, and the will power to resist temptations. It opposes Ambition.

11. Piety: embodied by the Scion Swan, the virtue of Piety is the devotion to faith and goodness, a religious state of mind that gives unto the Goddess what is the Goddess's. It opposes Blasphemy.

12. Kindness: embodied by the Shepherds of Kindness, the virtue of Kindness is the compassionate reaction to all other people, the choosing of the beneficial response, the opening of the heart. It opposes Cruelty.

*The 13 Sins*:

1. Temptation: embodied by the Succubus, the sin of Temptation is the allure of evil in any of its forms. It is the exploitation of the weakness of want and lust. It opposes Innocence.

2. Corruption: embodied by the Dread, the sin of Corruption is the ruining of that which is good. It is the active altering of good into evil. It opposes Diligence.

3. Vanity: embodied by the Incubus, the sin of Vanity is shallow pride, love of one's self, arrogance. It is the belief in one's exterior perfection. It opposes Humility.

4. Selfishness: embodied by the Neron, the sin of Selfishness is the belief in one's deserving all things, a lack of giving. It is the active keeping of resource that others might benefit from, without cause. It opposes Charity.

5. Extravagance: embodied by the Tartaran, the sin of Extravagance is excessive use of resource. It is not the lack of giving, but the extreme consuming. It is the active use of resources beyond a fair scope. It opposes Prudence.

6. Intimidation: embodied by the Horror, the sin of Intimidation is the exploitation of weakness for personal gain. It specifically refers to exploiting the weak, but it can apply to any exploitation. It opposes Sanctuary.

7. Abuse: embodied by the Punisher, the sin of Abuse is the harming of the weak, without cause. It is the active causing of pain (mental, spiritual, emotional, or physical) to another, sometimes with the intent of altering them, but often simply out of frustration, but without cause. It opposes Justice.

8. Brutality: embodied by the Violence, the sin of Violence is the use of force for evil purposes. It is tormenting another, use of torture, and excessive use of violence of any sort. It opposes Mercy.

9. Deceit: embodied by the Dread, the sin of Deceit is the use of lies, half-truths, misdirection, or other forms of dishonesty in an effort to gain power. It opposes Sincerity.

10. Ambition: embodied by the Imp, the sin of Ambition is the driving force, the emotion that causes one to seek power over others. It is the vile coronation of evil impulse into action. It opposes Patience.

11. Blasphemy: embodied by the Fallen Angel, the sin of Blasphemy is disrespect to goodness and the Divine. It is a denial of the rights of others, a breaking of the natural state of things. It opposes Piety.

12. Cruelty: embodied by the Pain Knight, the sin of Cruelty is the sadistic enjoyment of the pain in others and the exploitation of that pain. It is the active causing of pain for the sake of causing pain. It opposes Kindness.

13. Manipulation: embodied by the Malevolence, the sin of Manipulation is the exploitation of others in order to gain power over them, through them, or despite them. It is the use of people as things. It opposes Innocence.

This topic: Shem > Graysonite
Topic revision: 07 Sep 2012, BillyRayStupendous
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