As penned by Illynora Sylvaeri and Avyndriel Aurë'naerï in the One Hundred and Eightieth Year of the Second Age.

The Creeds, or Ways, are schools of thought which guide how Aspectists should live their lives. They are not alternative interpretations of the Aspectist religion; the core Aspectist tenets of prayer and offering, bodily purity, and upholding the balance are absolute and cannot be broken by the tenets of a Creed. The Creeds provide guidance on morality, ideals, and spiritual practice, enriching the Aspectist faith and culture of the Mali’ame as a whole.

To join a Creed is to devote oneself to a lifestyle guided by that philosophy, swearing an oath of absolution and dedicating oneself to the spreading of its teachings. It is not a decision taken lightly.

Some of the Aspectist Creeds may be better described as Creeds of the Wild Faith, or as Druidic Creeds. However, as all five of the existing Creeds bear the marks and structure of an Aspectist Creed, they are included for the purposes of this document.

History

The first Aspectist Creed was the Emerald Way, scribed by the Oracle Awaiti Aureon (later Sirame). She took to the wilds during a time of great strife for the Mali’ame, as the priesthood of the Naelurir cracked and crumbled around her. The Ichor Way, formed by the Oracle Valor Caerme’onn, soon rose in direct opposition. He disagreed with Awaiti’s teachings and wished to shed light on his interpretation of the will of the Aspects and the sacred balance.

Recognising that a Creed was highly influential and would guide Aspectists on their journeys of faith, Awaiti and Valor came together to ensure all future Creeds would follow a standard structure and remain true to the core Aspectist tenets. Together they scribed the Creed Pact of 1663, which will be heavily referred to in future sections.

Seven years later in 1670, the Owl Druid formed the Way of the Sage. Whereas the Emerald Way and Ichor Way stand in direct opposition, the Way of the Sage was founded as a middle ground, a way to seek acceptance and understanding.

Many years later in 1734, Miklaeil Arvellon formed the Creed of the Sanguine Fire. In this period of history, true Aspectism had already long begun to fade, with the Wild Faith rising in its stead. The Creed of the Sanguine Fire openly devotes worship to the Mani as a pantheon of gods, holding the Aspects not as deities, but rather vast forces of nature upholding the eternal balance.

The Way of the Mother is the most modern of the Creeds, having been formed by Illynora Sylvaeri in 1938 (142 S.A.). Illynora was a peer of Awaiti, and had even begun to walk the path of Emerald before the breakout of the Elven Cold War between Aegrothond and Gladewynn, spurred by the assassination of King Abelas Caerme’onn in 1679. The Way of the Mother is a loose collection of beliefs and teachings, but at its core it seeks to bring reverence back to the Mother and revive true Aspectism in the modern era.

[!] A depiction of Creed Prophets Valor Caerme’onn & Awaiti Sirame.

Creed Structure

The Creed Pact provides that the structure of a Creed should be simple, with only three positions. There is the Prophet, the creator of the Creed. The Prophet holds the power to oath new members, change the Creed, and add to it.

Next are the Heralds, teachers of the Creed and masters of its philosophy. They teach and guide new members of the Creed towards a higher understanding of the tenets, and have the ability to oath new members. The Creed Pact does not explicitly forbid someone from being a Herald of more than one Creed, but it is implicit in our understanding of the role of the Herald and the purpose of the Aspectist Creeds that this cannot occur. A Creed should not mirror another Creed too closely, meaning that while there are many compatibilities between the Creeds, there are also fundamental differences which makes it impossible to wholly devote oneself to more than one way of life. Because of this, while a Herald can follow more than one Creed, they are incapable of being masters of two philosophies.

Finally are the Disciples, who spread the faith. They are responsible not only for spreading the tenets and words of the Prophet, but also bringing in new members to walk their path.

Formation and Joining of a Creed

Creating a Creed is to create a new way of life that will guide the everyday actions and beliefs of large groups of Aspectist society. Thus it is not a right to be abused at will. It is expected that only an Aspectist of a great deal of wisdom and knowledge of the faith as a whole would ever be able to create a true Creed.

The Creed Pact is clear that to join a creed, a new member must take an oath before the Prophet or a Herald. For the oath to be legitimate, the member must have proven themselves to be aligned with the Creed, either through a series of initiation tasks or by the judgement of the Prophet or Herald. They must be of age, an Aspectist, and an elf. If these conditions are not met, the oath is deemed to be illegitimate.

Noting that there are occasionally Aspectists and druii of non-Elven heritage, it is unlikely that an oath from a non-Elven Aspectist would be widely considered illegitimate, though elder elves and Aspectist fundamentalists from the era of the Creed Pact may disagree.

Interaction Between Creeds

All Creeds must be unique and not mirror too closely the ideals of any other existing Creed. However, some Creeds share ideals. It is not uncommon for more than one Creed to have a similar tenet or belief, such as both the Emerald Way and Way of the Mother sharing the belief that worship is to be given to the Aspects alone and not to the Mani. Other times, Creeds will be diametrically opposed, such as the Creed of the Sanguine Fire openly shunning Aspect worship in favour of the Mani, who they consider as Wild Gods.

Even when the beliefs and teachings of the Creeds do not align, the Creeds Pact makes clear that slander of the other Creeds is strictly forbidden. Respect must be kept at all timse, for a failure to do so is a violation towards the very foundation of Aspectism. If a Prophet or Herald is found to be slandering another Creed or otherwise provoking infighting, it is open to the other Creed leaders to deem that Creed illegitimate.

Dissolution of a Creed

Once a Creed leaves the lips of the Prophet and comes into the world, it takes on a life of its own. Followers inevitably add to the Way as an ever-growing belief system and way of life. Therefore, even if the original Prophet were to declare the Creed dissolved, it would not stop followers from continuing to follow the Creed and spread its teachings.

An exception to this is where a Creed leader repeatedly breaks the mandatory rules set out by the Creeds Pact. Repeated disrespect of these rules means that Oracles, other Prophets, and priests as a whole can declare the Creed illegitimate and heretical towards Aspectism. In this case, Creed followers are openly condemned from following the practices of the dissolved Creed.

The mandatory rules are:

I. All oaths must be legitimate, with the conditions of the oath met.

II. All Creeds must remain true to the core Aspectist tenets of prayer and offering, bodily purity, and upholding the balance (or upholding nature, as it is sometimes interpreted).

III. Respect of other Creeds is mandatory and slander is forbidden.

Existing Creeds

The Way of Emerald

The Way of Emerald teaches the values of indomitable will, great courage, emotional resilience, and foresight. It preaches the core belief of will; that its disciples must have the will to face all that may come, bolster their courage in the face of fear, and seek clarity of mind and soul.

Prophet | Awaiti Sirame

Heralds | Avyndriel Aurë'naerï | Irrin Sirame

The Ichorian Path

The Ichorian Path preaches action and condemns passivity. It focuses upon survival and suffering as nature suffers, embracing that pain as a way to build fortitude and constantly strive for greater. It is a Creed that embraces facing one's fears and fighting fiercely in the name of the Aspects, shunning the comforts of civilisation and never being afraid of taking extreme action.

Prophet | Valor Caerme’onn

Heralds | Ghilean Alhanavir | Lysanthir
Sonna Vulnrith (before the rule on Creed Heralds)

The Way of the Sage

The Way of the Sage is for Aspectists who seek wisdom and understanding of all sides of nature, be that chaos or harmony, without losing oneself to either extreme. Followers of the Way of the Sage believe that true control of both sides of nature and oneself is where strength lies, and that the flow of balance is key. It is a Way concerned with seeking the truth and constantly embracing knowledge.

Prophet | The Owl Druid

Heralds | Roylan Sirame | Revian Winterleaf
Sonna Vulnrith (before the rule on Creed Heralds)

The Sanguine Fire

Better described as a Creed of the Wild Faith, the Creed of the Sanguine Fire offers devotion to the Mani above all. Followers of this Creed uphold the natural balance by holding vigil over wild places where the Mani may walk, keeping these places free of unnatural taint. At the core of this Creed is passion over temperance; every emotion, good and bad, is felt and acted on with intensity to better protect the natural world.

Prophet | Miklaeil Arvellon

Heralds | Lilyana Caerme’onn | Zaelyn Arvellon | Taliyun’orrir Sirame | Valmir Lorenthus

The Way of the Mother

This Creed is a disparate collection of beliefs informed by the interpretation of Cerridwen’s will. At its core, the Way of the Mother preaches societal balance over inner balance, wholly embracing the gentle, healing nature of the Mother and neglecting the warlike passion of the Father. This is the Way of healers, and also has many tenets surrounding family, marriage, and children, deeming this to be Cerridwen’s domain.

Prophet | Illynora Sylvaeri

Heralds | -