Shu-Dereth

Shu-Dereth is one of the major religions on Sel.^{[citation needed]} Shu-Dereth is an offshoot of Shu-Keseg, but focuses on the equality of obedience, rather than the equality of mind. Shu-Dereth is based on the worship of Jaddeth, a God who is said to slumber in the earth, waiting for a time when the whole world worships him to return and rule the world. Shu-Dereth is a highly militaristic religion, and is based on a regimented ranking, known as the Great Chain. The leader of Shu-Dereth, who acts both as Jaddeth's prophet and regent during his entrapment in the earth, takes the name Wyrn as a title upon his ascension to the position.

Followers of Shu-Dereth are known as Derethi, and the religion's holy book is called the Do-Dereth.

The Great Chain

The Great Chain is the chain that links all living members of Shu-Dereth to Wyrn and then to Jaddeth. Masters were always called hroden, and but there were two different ways a servant could serve a master. One way was to swear to be someone's odiv, which was irrevocably binding. Krondet was a less binding oath, where one listened to the counsel of their hroden, but were not morally obligated to do what they say. In the priesthood, everyone in the Great Chain were odivs and bound to do what someone higher in the chain commanded.

• At the bottom of the chain are the common people; they serve the arteths and the dorven.
• Dorven are the lowest level of the priesthood, they served the arteths and the gradors.
• Arteths are the lowest level which may lead a chapel by themselves, they served the gradors.
• Gradors are the level of the priesthood directly above the arteths, they generally lead the chapels in the larger cities.
• Ragnets are the level directly below the gyorns, they generally oversaw a region of Derethi followers.
• Gyorns served Wryn directly, they were the highest available level of their priesthood other than some of the gragdets.
• Gragdets were the leaders of monasteries, they were outside of the direct chain, although some of them had positions of authority of the gyorns (The gragdet of the Dakhor monastery for example).
• Wyrn was at the head of the church, and was able to serve Jaddeth directly, the Wryn had direct control over all members of Shu-Dereth.

Monasteries

Entering Derethi priests joined one of many monasteries. They each serve as religious training as well as train them for various tasks:

• Dakhor Monastery is a mysterious monastery with violent stories attached to it. They train the Dakhor monks.
• Rathbore Monastery trains assassins.
• Fjeldor Monastery trains spies.
• Other monasteries mostly train simple warriors. One such monastery was Ghajan Monastery, which Hrathen was assigned to after not being able to stand Dakhor.

Notes

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