Members of the Order of Arnath are expected to not only have faith in Him, but also be able to channel divine energy. In addition, members are expected to emulate His deeds, fighting evil and protecting others.
An ordained member of the Order is said to be following the Path of Arnath – a set of goals and personal guidelines by which each member lives. They do so with different ways – as one wise cleric said, “Arnath trode a wide path, and there are many ways to walk along it. We may take wives and husbands, we may live forever alone. In the end, all of us seek to emulate His glory”.
Worship
Following Arnath is not blind obedience. Arnath taught that by mastering the Path one can reach their true potential in this life, and thus be best able to do what must be done. Whether it is done or not is up to them.
The Path
Arnath sees the world as challenges for those who battle for justice and defend the weak and innocent. His followers should always act with honor and chivalry, and to uphold justice. Danger is to be faced head-on, with calm and resolve. Those who defeat evil are rewarded with Glory, while those who uphold the tenets are rewarded with Virtue. Arnath’s teachings have been codified in a chivalric code known as the the Path.
The Path consists of three sets of duties:
Duty to the People: This duty stresses courage, justice, mercy, valor, and protection of the weak.
Duty to Arnath: This duty stresses obedience to Arnath himself, devotion to the teachings, generosity, and championing good against evil.
Duty to the Order: This duty stresses loyalty and obedience to the Order, discipline, courage, and service.
There are 11 virtues, or signs on the path of Arnath
- Thou shalt not give into sways of great emotion, but allow them to further thyself.
- Thou shalt carry forward on all thy endeavors, even through hardship
- Thou shalt understand that all things come with time
- Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
- Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
- Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word.
- Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone.
- Thou shalt be always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil
- Thou shalt treat all with the love you would treat thyself
- Thou shalt remain humble even if thy do great deeds, for it is the Path that matters most.
- Thou shalt honor your friends, Order, and country.
Scriptures and Services
Each Cleric, once ordained, has a Tome of Valor started for them that includes their deeds. These Tomes are stored in the Order library after their deaths.
For those non-Ordained followers of Arnath, the major holy scripture is The Path of Arnath. This book, usually around 20 pages long, explains in plain, simple language the tenets of Arnath. While there is some room for worshippers to find their own path, the major themes of being a good person, obeying the law, and making common sense, decisive decisions is prevalent. Those who are struggling are advised to turn to their fellows, and any clerics, for support. Copies are usually written with simple, easy to read block letters and basic illustrations.
Services to Aranth contain strong, spirit lifting songs as well as introspective hymns. The first part covers a section of the tenets of Arnath while the later brings up examples of situations that Clerics have faced, and what a proper response to them was/may have been.
Temples
Arnath’s temples are decorated with red and gold trappings, and often scenes of legendary Clerics triumphant in stained glass along with other engravings of Clerics doing humble work.