Akwal

During the First Deiotakas, denizens of Templehelm were said to have been beset by all manner of unfortunate events as the Sired Divines were born. Mortals were known to have been swept away by the rivers and seas only to vanish forever until Akwal was actively worshipped. Akwal has always been a very passive god, one that has often been seen as weak or uncaring. Especially following the Great Upheaval this view of the Sea God has become increasingly mainstream, as its followers have often followed a very isolationist model of living.

Akwelsh Political Unions
There have been a number of Akwelsh political unions and states throughout the history of Templehelm. Very few have amounted to much and those that have dared to reach for greatness have usually collapsed in catastrophic failure.

Seatopia
Seatopia was an Akwelsh state in the days prior to the Second Deiotakas, during the age of Adovadri, Sandura and Winterstar. It was based in an underwater city of the same name and was exclusively Akwelsh until that period during which the gods began to share their children, during which it allowed others as members of its citizenry. The nation was short-lived, unable to handle the stresses involved with interfaith skirmishes, notably with the darklings of Winterstar.

Tranquility
Tranquility was an Akwelsh state that existed both prior to and after the Second Deiotakas.

Whitecrest
Whitecrest was a majority Akwelsh state that existed both prior to and after the Second Deiotakas.

Tranquil Accordance
The Tranquil Accordance was a confederacy comprised in equal parts of Akwelsh states and states devoted to non-traditional gods (Kae and Mycelyix).

Tranquil States
The Tranquil States were a very loose confederacy after the decay of the Kingdom of Tranquility lead to a complete collapse of Tranquil law in the region of the Tranquil Sea and culminated in the sinking of the capital city, Oceanus. The confederacy has not existed as a political institution since the rise of Aren as a major player in the Tranquil Sea.

Isle Dubiety
Isle Dubiety was one of the two most populous and structured islands among the Tranquil States and operated as a democratic libertarian state with Trace Richards as an informal figurehead until the Serenes sacked the island and the town fell.

Seal Isle
Seal Isle was the holding of Mystiko de Montecristo and hosted a quaint town of his supporters and subjects until it was seized by the city of Thyvor under the rule of Quan Do O'Grant. The population never left, though there is little rule of law on the isle and it is a notable site of piracy in the Tranquil.

Freedom Isle
Freedom Isle was one of the first islands settled by the Tranquils and was settled so by frontiersman and explorative folks. They live and continue to live in relative peace and anonymity. This isle is also a notable location for its hosting of pirates.

Oceanus
After the city of Oceanus fell, all that was left was the town forum and some monuments on the sea floor. There is still a contingent of the ultra-devout who live their lives on the massive raft of the forum which has been converted into a a meager tavern.

Aren
Aren was founded by Jason Reilev, the prior king of Whitecrest, after his city fell to the Cult of the Countless. It grew to be a major power in the Tranquil Sea region after the collapse of the Tranquil Accordance and the Thyvorian Consulate lead to a power vacuum in the region that a slew of nations attempted to fill. The city of Aren'e-kel fell into ruin after Jason Reilev abandoned it and Aren grew to be another example of the failed Akwelsh state in Templehelm.

Isle Serenity
I don't know much about this, please write stuff here - Downy <3

Sreabadh
Ditto ^ - Downy ;3;

Holy Order of the Drowned
Not long after Tonn had unified himself with Sreabhadh, had people from Msamaki come on pilgrimage to Faoi. The holy order of the drowned until finding Lord Akwal in Templehelm, considered themselves atheists. It was Templehelm, and Lord Akwal which had swayed them into religion, having finally found a God they deemed worthy to serve. Thus, the Holy Order of the Drowned took pilgrimage to Faoi, but never left. Their name was coined as they never leave the waters of Faoi.

Many are disturbed by the order, as members bloat in the depths, their eyes become more distant, and they look to all intents and purposes as drowned men. This however is considered a look of true faithfulness to the order.

Faoi Philosophies and Beliefs
After finding home in Faoi, the Holy Order use their sway over Msamaki to push their beliefs into the mainland, and into the ears of Lord Akwal's faithful as far as they are able to reach. These are some of the most important beliefs and philosophies they believe they have penned.

Ocean Tenets
The Ocean Tenets are dogma created by the holy order of the drowned. Although Lord Akwal has never approved or disapproved of these tenets, the order believe a follower of the faith should live as close by these tenets as they are able.

The Ocean Tenets.


 * Lord Akwal holds infinite power over his domains, yet holds more infinity over the oceans. It is better to live in his oceans than his lakes and streams.


 * To live a true life of faith, servants of the ocean should submerge themselves once a day, and offer gifts to Lord Akwal.


 * Measure your faith through the air and the water you breathe. If air fills your lungs a great deal more than water, your faith is shallow.


 * To break bread is to live off another faith. Show true devotion by breaking fish.


 * Pilgrimage is as important to faith as food to the starving. There are many sites of faith one must visit.

Purity of the Blue Abyss
The order forged the purity dogma, and spread the Purity of the Blue Abyss ideals to the rest of Sreabhadh. The Purity of the Blue Abyss is the concept that the deeper one floats into the ocean, the more potent and pure Lord Akwals powers are. Thus, in the deepest depths Lord Akwal may find himself to hold vast expanses of power, which the order believe is why Lord Akwal calls his followers to the oceans, and not to river or streams. It is the purity of the blue abyss theory that caused one of the ocean tenets to be written.

The Beach Philosophy
The beach philosophy again, are musings from the order of the drowned. The order determined that although Lord Akwal calls all expanses of water, and the beaches which border them his own, the beach is actually the most impure of Akwal’s domains.

It is often explained by referring to all of Lord Akwal’s domains as his lands, the Ocean would therefore be the heart of his land, the rivers and lakes similar to states and cities. The beach would therefore be considered the borders to other lands. In this instance, cities and the heart of the land are considered to be more powerful than a border; and a border to another land can be wartorn, and its ownership can be swayed through war. Thus, the order believe that the beach is the impurest of Lord Akwal’s domains, and a true faithful should flock to the Ocean.

Founding
The Athenaeum of the Briny was founded by the unifier, Tonn Ecsiu, it was founded as a last crevice of Templehelm that is truly devout to Lord Akwal. In its first founding, Tonn believed to keep the sanctity and purity of the faith, only one truly faithful servant of Lord Akwal would enter in any one lifetime. Each of these specially chosen would work to fill the shelves with sacred relics, and precious Akwal literature.

Scholars of the Ruined Pages
Soon after Sreabhadh breached into Templehelm, Tonn let the knowledge of the Athenaeum spread. Tonn became worried that this would destroy the purity he had built, but instead Msamaki took the Athenaeum into good stead. Many joined to create a new order, the ‘Scholars of the Ruined Pages’ were made. These are glorified librarians, who aim to keep the sanctity of the Athenaeum in place.

Notable Tomes

 * The Big Fish by Tonn Ecsiu


 * The Giant and the Bangfish by Tonn Ecsiu


 * The First Prayer by Tonn Ecsiu


 * Fisherman's Guide by Tonn Ecsiu


 * Theories into Ocean Debris by Tonn Ecsiu


 * Piety to the Father by Tonn Ecsiu


 * Athenaeum of the Briny Founding by Tonn Ecsiu


 * The Ecsiu Family Book I by Tonn Ecsiu


 * The Ecsiu Family Book II by Tonn Ecsiu


 * Guide to Cooking Fish by Tonn Ecsiu


 * Through the Maelstrom by a Poet of Lord Akwal


 * Never Really Here by an Akwallian Philosopher


 * Cresian Royalty: Book I by Rabol the Mad


 * Cresian Royalty: Book II by Rabol the Mad


 * Prayers to Akwal by Quintus Umbran


 * Shades of Blue by an unknown Akwal follower


 * A Tale of Akwal by an unknown Akwal follower


 * Akwal in my Eyes by Uisce, of Thyvor

Philosophy of the Tortoise
This particular branch of Akwal worship is a religion and lifestyle founded by the orkish prophet Ran'akak'flam and developed by others on the island that the ork had once called home, Dubiety. The ideology is based upon the teachings of Ran'akak'flam, the reported communions that the prophet held with Akwal and the life of the prophet as reported by his close friends and disciples. The Philosophy of the Tortoise is distinct from other varieties of Akwal-worship in a number of ways: it is explicitly libertarian, anti-statist and even anarchic; it holds an extreme disdain for the mainland and anything related, Akwal is held above the other gods of the Helmian pantheon, it holds highly a libertarian-esque non-aggression principle regarding other Akwhales, it is patriarchal, monogamous and socially conservative, and it lacks any strong organizational structure.

Communities
Communities of those who follow the way of the Tortoise span the lot of Templehelm's seas though they are small and scattered across them. There is little communication between these communities so local custom may alter the interpretation and practice of the faith in a given location. The earliest communities of this particular branch of the faith were born in the last years of the Age of Accordance in the Tranquil Sea, especially the island states among the body of Tranquil States. Dubiety Isle, Seal Isle, and Freedom Isle- among others- are some of the earliest sites where the philosophy was adopted by significant portions of the populace. By the time that Rand's teachings had actually become a philosophy in and of themselves, the city of Oceanus had already sunk beneath the oceans.

In the Southern and Frigid seas there are even fewer communities who hold the teachings of St. Rand as law than in the Tranquil, mostly due to the separation between these bodies of water and the Tranquil sea imposed by the continent. Those that do exist live nearer to the southern mesa, the frozen waters of the Frigid Sea and away from the Bay of Akwal- in order to avoid apostates who come to make offerings at the Temple of Akwal. There are also many nomadic groups of Akwhales that hold to Rand's teachings in the south. The original followers of the way in the southern waters are those Akwhales who were involved in the planning and initial work on the construction of the unifying canal between the Tranquil and the Bay of Akwal before Akwal denounced the project and agents who informed upon the operations of Glacikaldr to Tranquility and the Accordance that settled in the southern two seas after the collapse of both of those institutions. They often have a broken understanding of the philosophy and limited access to the actual written teachings- mostly keeping only the writings which Rand directly wrote, rarely those of his disciples.

Recently there has been an increase in practice of the Philosophy of the Tortoise in the Southern and Frigid seas, coinciding with the fall of the Dubiety to Serenity.

Dubiety
Dubiety was, until recently, the most populous and important site in the faith and teaching of the words of Ran'akak'flam. Both the prophet and his disciples who made the most contributions to the literature of the faith have called the island home. The isle was homogeneous in its patterns of worship according to the teachings of Rand and Trace. When the state of Aren failed the island went through a brief period of growth and prosperity when the population boomed and food and goodwill was plentiful. The people of the isle had always imposed isolation upon themselves from the outside world and they did not know of the ascent of Serenity and Sreabadh as regional powers until a war party of Serenes sailed upon and sacked the city. It is unknown where any of the inhabitants of Isle Dubiety are now, but the place itself is little more than a ruin.

Important Figures
There are two primary figures in the movement that is the Philosophy of the Tortoise and both are currently thought to be dead. One is the prophet Ran'akak'flam who founded the movement and the other is Trace Richards who expanded upon and spread the teachings of the prophet.

Ran'akak'flam
Ran'akak'flam, aka Rand Steel-flame, was an Orcish sailor and devout of a sea deity praised along the north west Setlian coast known as Akkawhale for most of his life. Some time near the beginning of Lesh's onslaught upon Templehelm, he and the others on his ship found themselves trapped in Templehelm. He grew to associate the local deity, Akwal, with his own god and he laid the blame for his imprisonment in Templehelm upon the deity- whom he viewed as responsible for ensuring that no ship can leave Templehelm by sea. For some time the ork allowed himself to fall into Rot abuse, vagrancy and other slovenly behaviors until one awakening after having fallen to one of Lesh's minions when he realized that the Templehelm Effect had left him injured and bleeding, rather than restoring his health. It was at this moment that the ork began to seek out Akwal and it is an integral point in the foundation of the Philosophy of the Tortoise.

Rand was on pilgrimage at the Temple of Akwal when the Great Upheaval remade the world. He watched the temple collapse into the sea and heard, as many Akwhales did, his patron's voice speak a warning to him, "Prepare yourself!". When the Upheaval stilled, the ork sought out the Akwhale Jason Reilev whom he had heard was a devout. Upon meeting him he found that the Ichthy had taken up a devotion to Pallus in the swamps. It was here that Rand made his first communion with Akwal. Jason abandoned his devotion of Pallus after Rand's communion and the two began gathering the children of the sea god to aim for unity and security amidst the wreckage of the world. This party would later devote themselves to King Leonad Storm of Tranquility. Rand took a leading role in building the new Akwhale state at the right hand of Leonad and worked out of the city of Oceanus build a true nation of pious sea-dwellers.

As Oceanus grew in isolation, Jason and his comrades from Old Whitecrest tired of the project and abandoned Leonad and Rand to rebuild along the coasts. This would create a rift between Rand and Jason that would birth two separate sects among the Akwhales of the Tranquil- the Jazad and those of the Tortoise- and would impact regional politics far beyond even Rand's life. It was after Jason departure that Rand made his second communion with Akwal. Realizing that the cause of Akwhale unity was failing, Rand sought out the leaders of the four major nations around the Tranquil Sea- Tranquility, Whitecrest, Thyvor and the Afflicted- and forged the Tranquil Accord, an agreement which bound the two major Akwhale nations in the region with their two closest neighbors. This agreement would ensure the isolation of Oceanus and the protection of the region from the outside, two worries Rand had from his second communion. During this period, also, Rand sought to dig a system of canals and expand rivers between the Bay of Thyvor and the Gulf of Akwal in order to connect the Tranquil and Southern seas. Akwal forbade this in the third communion.

Oceanus prospered and Rand sought other things in life aside from faith. It is in this comfortable time that Rand made his fourth communion with Akwal. At this time as well, the ork began the construction of a town on an island he had named Dubiety. Outside of the Tranquil, wars raged between Wintivals and Desermen but Rand kept the Accordance uninvolved, though he was highly critical of the Glacikaldrian's role in the wars- as was Jason Reilev. It was also during this time that the prophet grew to have a reputation as a pious ork of Akwal outside of Tranquility. A man named Quan who had broken the seal of Akwal during Lochlan's shenanigans sought out Rand to help him in understanding what Akwal wanted of him. This was Rand's fifth and final communion with Akwal. Quan returned to Thyvor and continued to live as he had, despite several warnings from the prophet. This would create a rift between Rand and Quan that would eventually play into the destruction of the Accordance.

After some time living on Dubiety, Rand would be abandoned by his fiance Arlian shortly before they were to be married. He would grow increasingly involved in the castigation of the baser activities of the mainland and in preaching against Glacikaldr's ever-expanding role in the wider world. This would be exacerbated by Quan's ascendance to the Regency of Thyvor, increasing friction between Whitecrest and Thyvor and the tendency of Thyvor to flout Accordance laws and hide behind the foreign power of Glacikaldr to do so. He left the Isle Dubiety in the care of the chief custodian there, Trace Richards, and began a life of meditation and prayer in the depths of the sea. He began to write down his teachings, the basis for this philosophy, and took upon himself the title of "Tortoise". Jason Reilev and Mystiko de Montecristo would ask Rand's support in a coup of Thyvor, to unseat Quan and he is though to have hesitantly lent his support. The prophet would appear to strangers only once after his retirement in the ocean, chastising Quan in the heath while the Regent of Thyvor argued for greater involvement in combating the Cult of the Countless. As the 1st Coup of Thyvor unfolded and, ultimately, failed the prophet Ran'akak'flam was found dead in the hull of a Thyvorian vessel moored in the harbor.

Trace Richards
Trace Richards, a native of Templehelm, was first introduced to the core tenets of the Philosophy of the Tortoise when he joined up with the contingent of Akwhales under Rand, Jason and Leonad post-deiotakas. It was during this time that many of the core ideas of isolationism and Akwhale-superiority first came into the minds of those present and these foundational themes to Rand's teachings were fostered in the city of Oceanus where Trace served as a guardsman. Later, Trace would be selected to move to Isle Dubiety along with Bailey Sobachson to work together as the primary custodians of the prophet Rand's personal holdings. It was here that Trace grew close with the prophet and began regularly practicing his Akwalism according to Rand's teachings.

After Ran'akak'flam retreated into the oceans to take up his mantle as The Tortoise, Trace took up the mantle of leadership on Isle Dubiety. Beset by grief over the misfortunes his master had faced and at the loss of the one whom he had loved to what he thought were mainland assassins (Darklings), the Tranquil Guardsman expelled all non-Akwhales from the isle and began voicing a radically nationalist stance to his peers across the Tranquil States. When Rand was found dead in Thyvor, Trace put out the arrest warrant for the man thought to have murdered him- Quan of Thyvor. As Dubiety fell out of contact with much of the world, Richards began work on his own scriptures detailing the prophet's life as well as refining the law passed down from him. Trace maintained the Isle of Dubiety through the epochs of the Accordance, the Aftermath and Aren until the rise of Isle Serenity, when the Serenes razed Dubiety to the ground. He is currently thought to be dead.

The Five Communions
Throughout his time in Templehelm, the prophet Ran'akak'flam communed with the god Akwal on any number of matters. The Philosophy of the Tortoise holds five, though some contend only four, moments of communion between the prophet and Akwal as defining moments in the foundation of the faith.

The First Communion
The First Communion occurred as Rand liaised between Akwal and Jason Reilev. This was the first time that Rand heard the voice of Akwal privately. Rand and Jason had prayed to Akwal seeking guidance on a new practice that Jason was taking up- prayer and reverence to the swamp deity Pallus. It was in this communion that Akwal revealed that he had cast off his subservient relationship with Pallus and that none should be honored in place of him. This is thought to be the primary establishment of the belief that Akwal is a higher deity than the other gods of Templehelm.

The Second Communion
Troubled by Jason Reilev's advent from Tranquility to the mainland and what he viewed as increasing connection between the Akwhale people and the mainlanders, Rand made his Second Communion with Akwal. It was here that the most well known and celebrated dogma of the Philosophy of the Tortoise was born. Akwal instructed Rand that the Akwhales must "Take refuge in the waves" and "Beware the darklings". As a result of this interaction, the word 'Darkling' entered into the common lexicon of the Tranquil region as an insult and derogatory term for Wintivals and Zeolites. The extreme isolationism and want of separation from the mainland found in the Philosophy of the Tortoise is a direct result of this communion.

The Third Communion
Seeking to unite the Southern and Tranquil seas by a canal created in collaboration with the other states of the Accordance, the prophet made his third communion with Akwal. It was during this communion that Akwal forbade the project, stating that he had no wish to take of the realms of the other gods- as would happen by expanding rivers and digging canals. This has formed the basis of the faith's disinterest in and even aversion to the faiths and problems of those of other gods. This further solidified the idea that Akwal is above the other gods and their struggles for power.

The Fourth Communion
Seeking to wed an elven woman by the name of Arlian who lived among the Tranquils, the prophet sought Akwal's blessing of the union in the Fourth Communion. Akwal bestowed upon Rand a ring decorated in lapis lazuli which has been taken as a celebration of the prophet and the aim of the project at Oceanus in general. Later, after Arlian's betrayal, some among the faith have argued that this event illustrates Akwal's love for all of his children, even apostates and traitors. This communion is sometimes dropped from the list at the Isle of Dubiety and nearby settlements. It is argued that Akwal did not speak and so it is not a legitimate communion though some say that Trace Richards tried to eradicate this event from the records due to his own biases.

The Fifth Communion
The fifth, and final, communion occurred as Rand liaised between Akwal and Quan Do O'Grant. Quan had felt that Akwal had been neglecting him and he came to learn how he might change his ways to better serve the lord of the seas. Upon communion, Akwal stated plainly that he had commanded his children into the depths of the sea and that this would absolve Quan of his mainland life. Quan, wanting to remain in Thyvor where he had lived for quite some time, asked if he might continue to do so under Akwal's blessing. Akwal responded that he might still live among the Thyvorians should he pray daily but that if he, or any other Akwhale, were to war and struggle upon the mainland that he would lose his father's support and blessings. This is the basis for the disdain the faith has for those who live upon and engage in the business of the mainland. This directly spawned the infamous line of the prophets later sermons, "Apostates shall drown." as any Akwhales who turn away from their god to the mainland quite literally were promised with a loss of their blessings from Akwal- including their ability to breath under water.

Holy Texts
There are a number of texts written by Ran'akak'flam, Trace Richards, and other practitioners that are held in varying degrees of esteem by those who try to follow the Tortoise's Philosophy.

Volumes of the Prophet
These are works written wholly by the Prophet Ran'akak'flam. They are the written basis for the Philosophy of the Tortoise.

Words
The Book of Words is a transcription of the words and gestures granted by Akwal unto the prophet throughout his time in Templehelm accompanied with Rand's commentary on these messages and the circumstances surrounding them.

The Book of Words can be found here.

Laws
The Book of Laws is a tome of dogma and tenets held strictly by Ran'akak'flam during his life. The prophet lived by these guidelines and wrote them down so that others might learn to live the life of piety.

The Book of Laws can be found here.

Volumes of the Drowned
These are works written by disciples of the prophet, based upon the stories and parables that he told them orally. They are cautionary tales, meant to dictate the ways by which a faithful Akwhale might fall by the wayside into sin and apostasy.

The Shark
This is a book focusing on the Akwelsh King, Quan Do O'Grant. It is a warning against ignorance and egotism. It was written by Trace Richards.

The Book of the Shark can be found here.

The Fish
This is a book focusing on the Akwelsh King, Jason Reilev. It is a warning against engagement with and dependence upon the mainland. It was written by Trace Richards and Pateno of Tranquility.

The Book of the Fish can be found here.

The Eel
This is a book focusing on the Akwelsh King, Mystiko de Montecristo. It is a warning against dividing the faith. It was written by Pateno of Tranquility.

The Book of the Eel can be found here.

The Whale
This is a book focusing on the Akwelsh King, Leonad Storm. It is a warning against passivity and an unwillingness to act. It was written by Quenten Marre.

Volumes of the Disciple
These are works written solely by Trace Richards, without direction from the prophet. They build upon the prophet's teachings and illustrate a life lived in faithful service under Akwal, in contrast with the Volumes of the Drowned.

The Tortoise
The Book of the Tortoise is Trace Richards' biography of Ran'akak'flam and is meant to illustrate the life of the prophet in a way that is understood as a continuation of the Volumes of the Drowned.

Upheaval
The Book of Upheaval describes the Second Deiotakas from the point of view of a devout of the way of the Tortoise. This event is only touched on briefly in any of the prophet's own writings and it is thought that Trace wrote this piece in order to refute any claims that even the prophet Ran'akak'flam could not explain the callous slaughter by the hands of the gods that took place.

The Book of Upheaval can be found here.

New Laws
The Book of New Laws are Trace Richards' own tenets- adaptations of and expansions upon the Book of Laws written by Ran'akak'flam. Many of the tenets are inspired by and taken from non-religious law of Akwelsh institutions or drawn from portions of scripture that were no already codified in the Book of Laws.