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The monarchist faith is that of Broacien, which establishes the king of Broacien as god on earth, in essence turning man into god. It's teachings are codified into a book known, among locals, as [color=black][b]the Book[/b][/color]. Sometimes, it is also referred to as [color=black][b]the Book of the Monarch[/b][/color], although this usage is less frequent among the peasantry and becomes increasingly popular the further up the social ranking you move. Within this book the creation mythos find their place, explaining through lengthy stories that the very first Monarch was also King, and it was proclaimed that he had created earth, and that he shall rule it. 

Every king that sits on the throne of Broacien has, in one way or another, traced lineage back to this first monarch, however dubious that link may be. 

Besides the creation mythos', the book also codified certain rules on life, but as the rules can be altered by the king at will due to their godhood, the rules change from time to time. Aspects that have remained the same, however, are the focus on justice, piety, and generosity. Among those rules that are less frequently mentioned and not as clearly codified are the rulings that rape within marriage is allowed, and rape outside of marriage is allowed if performed on an unwed woman, as well as an explicit passage that codifies that slavery is [i]allowed, but deemed cruel.[/i] 

The additions to the Book under Gregar I have seen an increased focus on bravery, strength and loyalty for men, whereas for women it was considered a 'duty to the Monarch' to bear as many children, preferably boys, as possible. It has been whispered that this addition was in part due to the Kings need for more soldiers in the future, although monarchist priests are quick to dismiss this. 

Internally the Monarchist faith is strictly hierarchical, with a clear division on who is in charge of who. At the top is very clearly the Monarch, both king and god. Below him is the Grand Bishop of Riverhall, who presides over the entire faith in matters that do not interest the king. As such, the powers of the Grand Bishop may vary -- under kings who had no interest in ruling religiously, their powers were omnipotent, under kings that were religious powerhouses, their powers were abysmal.

Under the Grand Bishop are the prince-priests, noblemen that have relinquished their private holdings in favor of taking the robes of Monarchism, and are given (part of) a keep to rule over in religious affairs. Prominent positions are close to the border with the Khalyfate, where they are allowed to engage with Sawarimic heathens on their own volition without needing explicit approval.

Hierarchically speaking, the Robed Swords are beneath the prince-priests, although the powers of the Robed Swords far exceed even those of the Grand Bishop, and the prince-priests as well. Prince-priests can give the robed swords orders in a general sense, unless they are being investigated. For the most part, the Robed Swords are shunned and left alone for fear of attracting unwanted attention from them.

Below the Robed Swords are the other priests, who perform general duties such as tending to their flock, and speaking at masses. Their powers vary from priest to priest, and are largely dependent on the size of their flock. On a grand, national scale, most priests are entirely irrelevant, however.

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[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJc12e7DCgM]Sawarim[/url] roughly translates to 'Swords,' although the Desert Lords proclaim that there is no one sword but the Sword of God (Sawarim), and the Sword of God is equal to the all the swords held by the faithful ummah of the Sawarim. So, the word Sawarim instead could be translated as 'the Sword of God, which is the swords of all believers.' Lacking a proper translation, the Broacieniens have instead reneged to simply refer to it as 'Sawarimic faith' or 'Sawarim.' 

The Sawarim believe in a higher power who they, confusingly, also refer to as 'the Sawarim,' who rules the heavens with his bride. He rides a black horse, she a white horse, resembling death and purity. Death rites are an important, if not the most important, facet of Sawarimic faith. Extensive rituals upon the death of even the most lowly of peasants are common place, and the death of royal family members are often performed with an extensive portrayal of dramatic expositions of large gatherings of people moving from one place to the burial site, often times competing to see who can behave in the most dramatic and convincingly sad way. The body is washed and purified extensively, multiple times over the course of several days, before burial.

Burial occurs either underneath the house in which the family lives (for the poor) to keep the body and memory of the person close by. For royalty, the wealthy, or the noble, burial will more frequently take place in designated burial sites which are often decorated with large temples, adorned with gold and other finery, and sealed with a multitude of large, heavy doors that require several men to open and close.

Besides burial rites, the Sawarim faith also places a large focus on slavery. While slavery is simply 'accepted' in Broacien, it is encouraged in the Khalyfate, this sentiment having only been strengthened since the arrival of the Khalyf. Sawarimic slave drivers are among the most profitable in the entire known world, and can be rivaled only by the horselords of the far east. This focus on slavery is twofold -- first and foremost, because being merciful is an important virtue in the Sawarim faith, and what is more merciful than allowing your captive to live after their surrender or capture? Secondarily, converting infidels is a prime directive of many Sawarim people, and who better to convert than your unwilling captive, who stands to lose everything, and can only gain the one true faith?

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Alfadirsbak is the capital of the faith of the Old Gods, where you may find the most wise priests and the most devout warriors. Alfadirsbak itself is a village that exists of little more than 250 people, with around twenty or so holy men, and the remainder being regular villagers and devout, pious warriors. They wear cloaks made of the fur of wolves, whose heads are draped over their own to mimic the beasts and to show off how they have killed the wolves -- mostly because the wolf is among all the predators the most disliked animal in this pantheon of Gods.

Around the year Alfadirsbak is a quiet settlement, but come winter a massive fleet of Northerners sails to Alfadirsbak to partake in the yearly high blóð, where animals are ritually sacrificed and then [url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/565463108500586497/629032327175077908/mateusz-katzig-mateusz-katzig-odins-tree-1600.png]hung from the giant tree that stands at the top of a large hill.[/url] Among these sacrifices are also humans, who are ritually murdered as well. Most of the time, these are prisoners (of war) or thralls that have no say in the matter, although those that are exceptionally dedicated to the alfadir may choose to be dedicated to the Gods voluntarily.

These rituals are all offered a mixture of mushrooms that, often times, turns the world (or their perception of it) into a whirlpool of events which they can no longer cohesively understand. These mushrooms dull the pain, making the ritual sacrifice more human than without. If the ritual were not to be performed, the mixture would kill the sacrifice regardless, ensuring that the alfadir gets what he was promised.

The reasoning behind the dislike of predator animals is that, prior to the unification of the tribes, hunting was among the chief ways of survival for the Northern tribes. Anything that impeded on hunting, such as poaching (punishable by summary execution on the spot) or predator animals stealing prey could cause the death of an entire tribe if it happened at an unfortunate time. Most wars in the North between tribes were fought over hunting grounds.

The wolf is chief among the 'hated' animals because they hunt in packs and were particularly dangerous to the survival of tribes, because an entire pack of wolfs could decimate hunting grounds on their own. 

Now that farming is more common, this dislike for the animals is slowly fading, but the wolf remains as a symbol of 'evil' among the Northerners. Other predators, like the mountain lynx or bear, have lost this stigma, because they are both rarely seen and not impactful bar maybe eating a few salmons before disappearing for the winter. 

In Alfadirsbak, behind the great oak, there is a giant Northern-style 'church' (goðiholm) that houses the [b]Ten Statues[/b] of the most important gods of the pantheon (although there are many, many more gods depending on what part of the North you are in). Here, people come on pilgrimages to offer items to the Gods and to ask for their favour.

Off the beaten track further behind the goðiholm there is an additional eleventh statue, that has an image of the alfadir stabbing a wolf with a spear while holding it down with his foot by the neck. This wolf in specific resembles evil in its totality. Much further from this specific statue, on a track that is rarely traveled, there is an additional statue that looks much older. On the outer edge of the statue, there is a ring of binding runes, colored with red ochra, that are meant to 'seal' the statue. This statue is of the same wolf, though lacking the alfadir stabbing it this time. The priests dare not approach this statue for fear of it, and only do so to re-apply the red ochre and re-seal them. Nobody ever comes here (in broad daylight) but there have been mumblings of offerings being left to this wolf statue, either to support 'evil' or because they wish to gain parts of the power of 'evil,' and wish to present the offerings as a bargain.