The Cult of the All-Father

In the days before the Accord, before even the Wars of Ambition, it was fashionable among the Noble houses of the Land to imitate the Tzalin Kings. That is, it was fashionable to hold no God above the others, and to worship all of the Six equally.

So it was with the great houses of Gal Sidar. Of these houses, the house of the Baron Otho Gal'Lek was widely acknoledged as the most pious, the most pure. House Gal'Lek tithed to all of the churches, worshiped each god on the appropriate Holy Days, and visited each of the six churches for mass in turn. The men of Gal'Lek took oaths by the Six and were ever careful to live on the path of Moderation acknowledging each god as master of equal part of their lives.

So it was for years, as each Baron Gal'Lek passed the traditions of the Six down from father to son. Though they were raised in the lands of the Summer Men, they were taught to worship all of the god as one. So it was until the 18th year of the son of Otho, Chariun Gal'Lek.

Like his father, and his father before him, Chariun set out on his 18th birthday to spend a month alone in the hills to the North as a test of his courage and cunning, a test to prove him worthy of the Gal'Lek Barony. Some say that on this quest, he had a true vision. Some say he ate some poisoned mushrooms; others say he was Touched by the Finger of the Breaker and doomed to insanity. Whatever the cause, Gal'Lek saw something in those hils. Something that he later recorded in his accursed book, The Book of the AllFather.

Excerpt from the Book of the AllFather, Chapter 3 --- The Revelation

And a glorious apparition came to me and its voice was the voice of the Land and its face was the face of Man. As it spoke, I doubted its claims, but I came to know the truth, and the truth was revealed to me.

``Why do you worship the demons at the ends of the Land?''

``They are not demons, they are the Gods and Lords of all men.''

``They are demons, I tell you. They lie and deceive, and all to gather men away from the Light and lead them into the Pit of Despair.''

``No, the are the Perfections, the Incarnations of the Six Ideals, the Perfect Essenses from which the Path of Moderation is wrought.''

``Perfect and Pure, are they? Think clearly, my son, do not be blinded by the words of the Demons. Are they truly Pure in their Paths? Are they really Perfect in thier Ideals?''

``Yes, of course.''

``No. My son, I have chosen you. You are the one to whom I reveal myself. You seek the Center Path. Then you seek me, I am the Light and the Dark. I am the Flame and the Frost. All things are mine, and I have given myself to all things. The Demons are not my essence personified, they corrupt my Perfect Creation and claim they do so in the names of Pure Ideals. Know this, and see the truth of it. Go out into the world and seek these answers, and you will know that you have been deceived. The demons have betrayed their "Perfect Trusts" and you must uncover the proof for yourself, before you are ready to accept me.''

Then the vision was ended and I passed into the oblivion of perfect slumber. As I slept, I heard the voice again, repeating over and over the six questions that would one day lead me to the truth.

``What did the Ender Begin? What did the Creator Destroy? Who does the Red Lady Fear? Who does the White Lady Hate? What Oath does the Breaker keep Solemn? What Man did The Grey One drive Mad?''

It is said, that like any sensible man, Chariun ignored this vision as a fever dream brought on by his isolation. He continued to follow the Gods and take his place as leader of his family. It wasn't until the Day of the Unnamed Lord two years hence that he remembered the words he heard in those hills.

Excerpt from the Book of the AllFather --- Chapter 5 --- The Quest

As I had every year of my life, I spent the last day of that fateful year in the Temple of the Dark One in worship. I did not think of myself as still in the grip of the demon for then I still believed thier lies and that they were Truths unto themselves. As the priest droned the Litany of the Dark one, he came to the Lord Below's participation in the Creation of the world. ``And the One who Waits reached into the Land and gave all things their Endings, Creating Time.''

Suddenly, the voice was there. I became wrapped up in the Perfect Sound, and felt the power of the Answer to the Question. Heedless of those around me, I cried into the void, ``Created Time?! How can the Ender Create? It is true! All true. The Dark One is not Perfect! He defies his own being and is not worthy of our worship! I deny him and deny all of the Gods!'' As I cried, the stunned priests and the angry worshippers carried me bodily out of the church. Even so, I tried to tell them the Truth. I had finally seen the truth of the AllFather. But they were not convinced. One Answer was not enough. To convert them I would need all six. Thus, my quest began.

Thus did Chariun set out into the world abandoning his Lands, his family and his Gods. As he travelled to every country and province in the Land he preached to the people he saw. Most drove him away, many tried to kill him, but he always escaped as if he was protected by chance or something greater. He gathered the answers to five of the Six questions, though they are not recorded for any man to see. His secret writings, which are not part of the Book of the AllFather are said to be passed down from one PAtriarch of the church to the next never to be revealed until all six are found. Its is said that any man confronted with all six answers must accept the truth. It is also said that Chariun relized the sixth answer on his deathbead but was unable to tell his sucessor.

Each year, the Leader of the People of the AllFather hears petitions from many who have claimed to find the sixth answer. They are taken into the church, but invariably they possess knowledge already known and are sworn to secrecy.

Thus the Patriarch of the church to this day seeks the sixth Answer while his followers must believe with only the first revealed. For until the Truth can be revealed to All, it is said that the Answers must be kept from those still deceived. It is said that their revelation caused one of the bloodiest of the Wars of Ambition as the knowledge was scoured from the Land, but that is another story...

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