For the Algaia, faith is paramount. It is the one thing that binds the nations of the empire together, that gives them all collective purpose. Noble or peasant, faerie, beast or human, all walk in the light and shadows of their Goddess and Hunter, whichever way they choose to interpret their message.

Overheard in a Tavern...

Come, traveller-friend. Sit here a while, with me. There’s nothing to be wary of. We are all creatures of The Goddess, after all.

Ha! That confuses you? Yes, I understand, you are not of the Algaia, you have your own gods. Of course. I believe in them too, only…

They are not Gods my friend, not truly. Now, now, before you rise to anger, I mean you or them no disrespect. I did not say they were false, for it is true they are mighty beings, worthy of their place as The Goddess’ first champions. Oh, do not take that as a slight, cousin. For in my eyes, that has elevated them above what you think of them as, not brought them low.

For she is the source. She is the one who created the world, the wellspring. The Goddess whispered into nothing and yearned for companionship, a son, brother and lover all in one, and so he answered with a birth-roar. She pushed back the void and filled it with bright stars to create the shadows that he could hunt within, to provide for her. But a hunter’s task is not merely to stalk prey and bring food. He protects. He strengthens the herd. He singles out weaknesses and ends them before they become infectious. A hunter is patience, a hunter is knowledge, a hunter is death.

But death that begets life. Her life. Your life. She is the wheel that turns. She is the rain upon your crops and the seed that grows, but do not see her as just sunshine and smiles, cousin: she is also the flood upon the plains and the blight upon your fields. Yes, she is the mother’s love: but love can be hard as well as easy, cousin, and from it is often born vengeance. A hunter may kill, but the goddess can destroy.

We must keep her cycles. She ordered everything into its rightful place and any – any ­– attempt to disrupt or overcome this is sacrilege. Necromancers, summoners, are our enemies, no matter who they are. To bring them to our plane is to think yourself her. You are not.

But you are her child, and if you have faith in her, she will welcome you to her, and he is the one who will bring you, the guardian of your spirit, taking you on a final glorious hunt across the plains in the sky. It is said, if your life made the goddess shed a single tear in joy, you will be reborn. If it made her shed two, your next life will be sweeter. If three…you are blessed, cousin, for you will forever be joined to her. But if this is true, the opposite is also. Only the truly evil are ever eternally soul-ended: three tears in grief marks such folk. Make sure you are not one of them.

Ah, how you ask? It is simple really. There are tenets people follow, some think laid down by the goddess and hunter themselves, others that we did, trying to shape their demands in a way that we would understand. A few, even, think the tenets are not all equal in importance. That one should do what one knows to be right in their heart, above all, and this means free will should never be inhibited. Me? Ha, hmm, my rule is simple.

Walk in her light, and his shadow. If you don’t, well, the light is blinding, and the shadows fearful.