Deoch Mass 8-28-2019

It is an honor to stand here, giving praise to Deoch once again.


When the Mundanes speak of our deeds -- our ‘legend’, as some are wont to call it -- you can learn a great deal. The mundanes whisper of fantastic beasts Aislings have slain, sing about storied political careers, and tell tale of visits to far-off places. Sometimes mundanes are quite verbose about certain individuals and have a long list of deeds about them. Some bits more interesting than others. Mundanes, such as they are, cannot experience Temuair in these ways so they tell tales of Aislings instead… thus our legends are born.

But when the Mundanes speak of our legends, that is only a small part of our stories. There are the intangible things that they never speak of that could fill volumes. 

The examples are nearly limitless...

The path from stranger to trusted friend, circumstances always different but amidst the same backdrop that you bring to each relationship.

Long evenings in the tavern drinking with friends and guildmates; bringing joy to one another’s hearts in this land of darkness.

The revelry of competing in the arena and forming camaraderie with your fellow combatants.

And although they are quick to talk about who loves who… maybe their favorite topic to exchange word of… what is unsaid tells the actual story as the title of love is meaningless compared to the act of it. How that love came to blossom and how you show one another your affection.

None of these moments… these feelings... will you ever hear the Mundanes gossip about. From the heartwarming days to times of unthinkable sorrow. When you share experiences with others, you feel one another’s emotion. The joys of being an Aisling.

These things tell more about each of us than the talking of the Mundanes ever could. They are the long journeys that bow away to the celebration of the destination.

Let that unsung journey be the true legend that defines you. Not the murmuring of the Mundanes but the feeling you leave in the hearts and minds of the peers you encounter through your time in Temuair. When this world eventually fades away under the waves, it will be those things that you will truly be remembered for… not the ‘legend’; the person.

Deoch Mass 8-21-2019

This is the second in a pair of simple thoughts about Deoch’s allies. This double-moon... Sgrios, the God of Death, Destruction, and Decay.

The mundanes themselves speak of Sgrios in terrifying terms, they call him an abomination who feeds on the living as well as the god of plagues. But his status in the minds of Aislings is not as hard set. Thoughts about Sgrios are wildly varied and the view that holds control within the temple itself has changed hands repeatedly throughout the ages, sometimes creating intrafaith power struggles.

In the early Deochs, the worshipers of Sgrios embraced dark impulses and he granted them the ability to indulge. Summoning attacks were common and deadly as worshipers saw it as glorifying Sgrios and providing him sustenance. It wasn’t long before the worship of Sgrios became synonymous with the worship of Chadul. Even as Sgrios’s power to summon waned, acolytes banded together into large summoning armies to continue this dual worship by slaughtering as many Aislings as they could with surprise attacks on peaceful gathering places.

Over time, however, a softer view of Sgrios that was the minority started to rise. To these people, Sgrios was worshiped not as an ally to Chadul or as an evil force at all; but instead as an essential part of all life: the end; the completion of a cycle. Some also see his role as that of a protector; sending Aislings back from the dead with a mark of reminder upon their souls. It is these people that tempered the view of Sgrios much to the chagrin of some and to the relief of others.

These days, hearing that someone is a worshiper of Sgrios doesn’t instantly draw suspicion. Perhaps a credit that a milder view of Sgrios has won the great debate over time.

As an outsider who has watched these opposing sides and many shades in between clash over the cycles, it is difficult for me to fully commit myself to any one view. And maybe that is the point that we can learn from looking at the Sgrios fellowship. How one group worships should not prevent anyone from worshipping their own way.

For myself, I have come to believe Sgrios represents an ever constant reminder. It is certain that one day death itself will come for Temuair. On that day, Sgrios may likely be euphoric in his feast. But to worship Sgrios means to respect him and his domain over Temuair’s inevitable denouement. With this in mind, he becomes less of a predator waiting to pounce and instead our companion. Reminding us that we must cherish each moment fully. Because these moments do not last forever. Death comes for us all in the end and what we leave behind is not as important as how we lived each of our moments.

When Sgrios delights in the spread of Death granted to him at the end times, may it pale in comparison to the joy and happiness we have shared with one another thanks to Sgrios’s reminder that none of this will ever come again.

Deoch Mass 8-14-2019

It is an honor to stand here, giving praise to Deoch once again.

I am just returning from some traveling so as I get settled back, these next two sermons will be a little different; musings on Deoch’s allies: Glioca and Sgrios. Not that you needed a reminder, but I am a Deoch priest. I do not speak for the clergy of any other temple; so what I may say here over the next double-moon does not necessarily reflect the beliefs of those fellowships.

As we are told, Glioca is the daughter of Danaan. To put the legends simply, Glioca is an essence that sprang from Danaan and formed into its own. We know that she is gentle, she does not know hate, and her love is eternal and never yielding.

Of all the deities Aislings choose to follow, those that devote themselves to Glioca have the most expectations laid upon them. Being the followers of the goddess of compassion, others look to them to show this kindness… often times en masse.

As a follower of Deoch, my brothers and sisters of Glioca are the ones I look toward for inspiration to keep improving myself. For when I look at them, I see their ongoing attempts to better reflect the light of Glioca’s moon. They put so much effort into being compassionate, responding to hate with kindness, and attempting to be unfailingly patient and kind to everyone they meet. It can be a humbling experience for me.

Inevitably, I also see their disappointment when they do not always live up to Glioca’s example or when their efforts are met with hostility from others.

It is our nature that sometimes we expect too much of ourselves. We can forget that the gods are deities for a reason, they are capable of states that we ourselves can only dream of. Falling short is not a failing to Glioca, she does not ask for or expect perfection. Glioca loves every effort expended and finds success even in what we consider failures.

Maybe with this in mind, Gliocians ability to recover with ease is what inspires me most of all. To them, showing love and kindness is its own reward and because of it they are rarely without a reason to get back up after being knocked down.

There is no more difficult a deity to aspire to than Glioca; I pray that we all continue to try regardless of that fact. Those of us here in the Deoch fellowship value our Gliocan allies, our stalwart companions on the path of Light.

Deoch Mass 8-7-2019

I have only a few short words today, more of an endcap to my previous sermon.

After seeing so many old friends and bright sparks that appeared recently, I confided in a friend that it was all very bittersweet.

How exceptional it was to see and talk to those bygone Aislings who have influenced Temuair in such significant ways. To once again share a laugh with friends who I thought were gone forever is a treasure I will carry in my heart for another twenty cycles. All of it brings to mind precious memories that harken back to a brighter age.

But these thoughts can carry a slight sting of pessimism when the veil fades away. Knowing that the state of Temuair is not quite as it was. That feeling is not entirely unwelcome, however. It gives us a purpose and a goal to strive for.

Our future is created through our choices in the present. Just as the harvest grows through the nurturing of the seed; future Aislings are raised on the inspiration and kindness of their peers. If we do not foster a proper environment for newly sparked Aislings to grow, they never will.

We stand with a simple choice. We can choose to struggle to create a better Temuair; to provide sustenance for those that drink in creativity and crave imagination so that they may bloom and in-turn provide nourishment for others... or we can choose not to.

The choice determines our future. This land can reflect the greatness of its past if we choose to make it so. 

((No screenshot due to my laptop being terrible))