Cindic Paganism

Cindic Paganism
The faith practiced by the Cindic Reach of Vallenhall is in many ways somewhat distinct from other surviving old traditions of worship. Rather than being a form of proto-druidism and centered upon the worship of Wild Gods or nature spirits, the Cindic faith is derived from the mystic traditions of the Valtheim tribe, which were primarily shamanistic and centered upon a warrior culture. As a result, there is no pantheon of deities recognized within the Cindic Reach, being instead represented by the worship or veneration of ancestors who exemplify particular traits which one wishes to favor.

The Igna
The core belief of Cindic paganism is the concept of 'Igna', an Old Arathi term translating to roughly to 'True Flame'. The concept of a living igna is similar to a soul, though it combines the traditional idea of life force with that of 'will to live'; making a person's igna both their life's essence and their desire to maintain it. Most practices within the Cindic faith exist to promote the upkeep of one's own igna through trials and self-reflection.

The belief system holds that without sufficient desire an igna will wither and fade, leaving the living body as very little more than a shell. A man with no desire is therefor seen as less than a man- a walking corpse in all but the coldness of his skin. It is generally accepted and practiced that living people must always have goals and that it is the ultimate purpose of all to eventually spread their igna's power to others, generally by the formation of a family, allowing a man to immortalize himself by passing his will and desires on to his children.

Warrior Culture
Due to the belief that one must harbor desires and ambitions to be considered truly living, the Cindic faith is one which indirectly promotes conflict and tribulation. One cannot desire a peace he already possesses or wealth he has already obtained; he must fight for these things, gain them for himself, or otherwise take them from his enemies. By the core of its teachings, the Cindic faith encourages young men and women to actively set goals for themselves and attempt to achieve them. While this is not strictly limited to combat- a blacksmith seeking to become a master of his trade could very easily have a powerful igna, for example- war has always remained the simplest of ways to act upon it.

As a result of, or perhaps influencing this, is the belief that joining a 'group' of sorts- whether it be an armed force or a coalition of brothers- is equivalent to starting a family, for the purposes of passing on one's igna. To share your desire with others and to jointly work for them is, within the faith, spiritually equivalent to doing so with one's own children. Because of this, military leaders, warchiefs, tribal heads, and commanders of men are held in very high regard in the Cindic faith. The larger the gathering they've formed, the higher their prestige; some are even held essentially as immortals among men, people who have already begun playing host to an igna powerful enough to span generations.

Ancestor Worship
As a result of the belief in the functional immortality of a person's igna, it is believed that all men who possessed a great will are still represented in the world of the living by what they have passed on to their descendants or others who have fostered their will in the years since their passing. If your grandfather's will is still felt to this day, his desires still recognized and upheld, then his igna is still present in some form- allowing you to call on him for his blessing in carrying out his will in the living world.

This worship is not strictly limited to one's own ancestors, however. Due to the faith's veneration of powerful leaders, this relationship is also carried over across generations and will frequently spread. Powerful military leaders of the past, charismatic Kings or Lords, the head of a highly influential merchant's guild- all of these are acceptable targets for veneration and worship by those still living, for their igna spanned many lives even in their own time.