The fae have a wide pantheon of gods worshiped many ways throughout the Courts. In some faiths, some of these gods are viewed as the “true” gods, denying all others as lesser or evil. Others recognize the pantheon as equal and spread their modes of worship out throughout the year or as life events deem necessary to gain their favor. These gods have many names that vary from region, Court, and even within other faiths.
Followers of the Summerlanders or Children of the Sun worship Shaevwa, the fae god of the sun and the mother of creation, and her husband, Rii’ii, the god of the sky and air. The gods keeps watch over all fae and maintain a special garden, called the Summerlands, where faithful fae can go to await reincarnation.
Summerlanders deny the validity of other faiths, maintaining Shaevwa and Rii’ii as the true gods of the fae and the rest as false gods and evil imposters.
GODS
Shaevwa, God of the Sun and Creation
Shaevwa is described as being a being of light whose beauty is so profound as to surpass even fae understanding. When depicted, she is portrayed as a beautiful, glowing fae woman of white and gold, with a halo of hair like the rays of the sun. Shaevwa is a motherly figure: patient, understanding, and wise.
Sacrificing her body and remaining beyond the barrier protecting the fae from evil gods, Shaevwa is forever separated from her children. However, she runs under the sun over the barrier made by Rii’ii. There, she is as close to her children as she can ever be, warming the Summerlands that Rii’ii made for them.
Rii’ii, God of Sky and Air
Rii’ii’s body became the sky that protects the world from the gods of death and evil that once plagued the fae. He is often depicted as shades of blue to black with outstretched arms that encompass the world.
While Shaevwa held the evil gods at bay, Rii’ii used his body to make a barrier to protect the fae. He also gave his breath of magick to create the leys and made the Summerlands, a garden in his arms for devout fae to await reincarnation close to where Shaevwa runs around the world. He is forever separated from his wife, but feels her warmth and takes care of their children.
The Banished Gods
Kept out of the world by Shaevwa and Rii’ii, these gods live beyond the world and are always plotting the downfall of the fae. A few of their servants, called imposters, came through inside the fae crossing Shaevwa’s bridge, and through them the banished gods continue to prey upon fae suffering.
These gods are portrayed as dark beings with many eyes, peering through the night sky when Shaevwa is the furthest in her journey around the world. They cannot speak through Rii’ii’s barrier, but they create anomalies in the night skies to communicate with the impostors and guide them in their never-ending quest for evil.
The Impostors
Seeds of evil that were carried into the world inside the fae, impostors work with the banished gods to corrupt the fae and undermine their connection to Shaevwa and Rii'ii.
THE ORIGIN OF THE FAE & MAGICK
In the world prior to this one, there were many gods. Of them were those of night and death who wreaked havoc and sowed grief in the lives of the fae. Shaevwa and Rii’ii created the fae, but their protection alone could not spare the fae from the forces of evil.
Hearing the pleas of her children, Shaevwa sacrificed her body to build a bridge to another world for them to escape the evil gods. Rii’ii ushered the fae into the new world but Shaevwa stayed behind, holding back the evil that tried to cross over. She destroyed the bridge between worlds and used the last of her magic to hold back the powers of death and darkness. Rii’ii created a barrier around the world with his body to forever keep evil at bay. Shaevwa was unable to pass through the barrier, however, and she remains beyond this barrier where her children can never hear her voice.
In the new world, Rii’ii created the leys, a whispered word that spread through the land to give life and vitality to his children. He then built a garden in his arms, the Summerlands, revolving around the world in the light of the sun where his children could go to be close to Shaevwa in death before reincarnation. It was bright and warm and their children only knew joy and warmth and freedom as they awaited their time to return once more to life. Though she could not pass through the barrier, Shaevwa runs across Rii’ii’s back to always keep the Summerlands bright as day goes into night.
Not all forces of evil were kept at bay, however. Hidden in the hearts of and on the backs of fae, some crossed Shaevwa’s bridge into the new world. Small imposters, they work to torment the fae and undermine their trust and faith in Shaevwa and Rii’ii. They stained the hearts and minds of the fae through trickery and deceit, and communicate with the banished gods through anomalies in the night sky.
To protect the children and the Summerlands, Rii’ii was forced to deny those who had been tricked or who betrayed their faith from entering the garden. But because good and evil are never as clear as black and white and even good exists in the night, Rii’ii also made a special place for those who came close to the glory of the Summerlands. These faithful ones would never know the real joy and peace of basking in Shaevwa’s warmth, but they would feel glory as the colors of twilight heralding her to and from the sky.
DEATH & REINCARNATION
Reincarnation Through the Leys
Like all other fae
religions, Summerlanders believe in reincarnation through the magick of the ley lines. Brought from another world, fae souls are made from the same
aether Rii’ii first breathed life into, and they will return to that aether in death. Through this process, they are washed clean of their worldly burdens and made new in rebirth.
The Summerlands
A garden made in Rii’ii’s arms, following the sun and Shaevwa’s path, where the truly faithful fae can reside after death before reincarnation. The Summerlands are a wide garden where fae become otherworldly beasts and spirits to run and play forever in Shaevwa’s warmth and love. They forget all parts of their life and only know happiness and peace in the garden with their gods.
Twilight Runners
Sometimes the fae must break Rii’ii’s laws to protect their world and those they love from the forces of evil and darkness. For those who live devout lives but are guilty of some sins, Rii'ii may choose to spare the from total oblivion through the leys to have a special place in the sky serving him and dwelling in the glory of Shaevwa. In this afterlife, souls await reincarnation as the colors of sunrise and sunset, heralding the coming and going of Shaevwa’s light.
TENETS OF FAITH
Life is Sacred
All life on Arethil is sacred and worthy of respect. From the smallest insect to the greatest
dragons in the sky, everything is necessary and beautiful. For Summerlanders, there is no greater sin than murder, and the faithful all adhere to vegetarian diets.
For those who must kill in service to their faith, working to gain a place as a Twilight Runner is still a noble cause. These practitioners must continue to abide by all other laws of their faith to gain their place in the afterlife.
The Natural Order of Everything
All life may be sacred, but it is not equal. There is a natural hierarchy to all things, divinity in action to keep the perfect cycle of life moving ever onward. This is not only true in nature, but also society, and never as relevant as in fae society. Social and natural hierarchies must always be obeyed. The universe makes no mistakes.
Love is Sacred
Shaevwa and Rii’ii taught love by example. To love is to come closer to understanding their sacrifices.
Honor
To live without honor is to live with the seeds of darkness in one’s heart. Truth and integrity are lauded and holy, and one who cannot live honestly can never run free in the Summerlands.