Tyrist Stance

In the great schisms and scandals that bombard the Church of the Holy Light, a few have taken on a radical, if not entirely heretical, way of Light worship. Generally hidden out of either fear of reprisal or to avoid causing  issues for friends & family, those of the Tyrist Stance (also known as Tyrism) worship the Light & revere the legendary figure known as Tyr while rejecting the Church's doctrines detailing sin & reverence for the Three Virtues.

Origi ns
Although exact details of when reverence for Tyr almost like a deity began is unknown, Tyr has been regarded by many humans, dwarves, and even high elves as a legendary hero who personified the Light's ultimate virtues. Tomes and scant pages regarding criticism of the Three Virtues are 'banned' material, not by the Church but by many Kingdoms. As such, it is unclear if the movement is new or has simply remained underground.

Philosophy
The movement (although hardly called such as only a few individuals have claimed to be Tyrists) are entirely faithful souls devoted to the cause of the Holy Light with a high regard for the mythic figure known as Tyr. They focus on the core concepts of the Light, primarily one of self-improvement. Some believe that it is their duty to create internal reformation within the Holy orders while others may wish to see them dismantled outright.

Reverence for Tyr is to see him beyond as simply a mythic hero who was an exemplar of self-sacrifice. They see him as the ultimate paragon of the Light's followers, a warrior-hero who battles the darkness until the Light triumphs, never yielding in devotion & faith to the power within regardless of personal cost. To walk in Tyr's footsteps is to walk the path of self-improvement

Opposite of what they believe, they reject many of the core beliefs of the Church & the Argent Crusade. Namely, the Three Virtues, the concept of sin, and 'putting aside differences for common unity'. The Virtues are seen as constrictive, for the most part, although rejection for them & for belief in sin varies dramatically for the individual. The belief of putting aside differences with an enemy to take on another enemy (primarily, siding with the Forsaken & Orcs) is also a key issue with Tyrism. As Tyrists are primarily humans, they tend to have zero faith in the word of the Forsaken & see any attempts to prove otherwise as another way to move closer so they can perform another 'Wrathgate incident' & criticize the Argent Crusade for doing nothing to stop the Forsaken as they began using Scourge creatures in their armies. For Orcs, opinions vary drastically but most tend to agree that the Orcs, given the chance, will rise back up to fight again & will lead to more deaths of Light-followers.

There are no Grand Masters, Archbishops, Highlords, etc. of Tyrism nor are there Churches. Such titles are not necesary and there is no hierarchy for membership. Joining simply requires a total rejection of the Church of the Holy Light's teachings & belief in their authority and acceptance of the way of Tyr.

Since the philosophy promotes inner reflection & self-improvement, each and every Tyrist will have differing opinions on many issues, but for the most part, the above is absolute.

((OOCly speaking, you cannot be a Tyrist if you also believe in the Three Virtues or sin. You can hold Tyr to a high regard while believing in the Three Virtues, but you will not be a Tyrist. Tyrism requires rejection of the Three Virtues & belief in sin.))

Current Status & Misconceptions
Although the movement does not publicize itself & prefers to keep a low profile, it has not stopped rumors in some circles about the movement. There are no documents detailing its mission or beliefs although there are some books that detail 'early Light cults that worshipped Tyr' as well as groups marked as heretical.

Common Misconceptions include:


 * Worship of Tyr as a god is a common misconception. Tyrists still place higher faith in the Light & simply wish to emulate Tyr for the sake of growing as a better soldier, a better person, and a better faithful of the Light.


 * The desire to destroy the Church as an organization. Although some Tyrists have in the past advocated for the disbandment if not outright destruction of the Church, most Tyrists hold no ill will towards the Church but simply could not in good conscience continue following the Church's lead.
 * Tyrists are solely Tyrists because they are ex-communicated. Again, although some members were ex-communicated from the Church prior to becoming Tyrists, the majority simply left of their own volition.
 * That members of the Tyrist movement are a secret society who wish to undermine the social fabric of Human Kingdoms for a variety of unknown reasons. Tyrists simply want to better themselves, free of constrictive & suffocating moral guidelines.
 * That Tyrism is Scarletism. Entirely untrue. Although pro-humanity and anti-undead, Tyrism does not promote zealotry or wanton destruction of innocent lives (emphasis on 'innocent' and 'lives'. They hold the undead as neither innocent nor alive).
 * That Tyrists want to engage in eternal holy war against the undead & demons. Again, simply untrue. Tyrists firmly believe that a holy war with the undead will only end up with The Light winning & will not last an eternity.