Religion

All the peoples of Aideena share a common religion, called Faith and its members are The Faithful.

Faith is the only institution that truly crosses all lines of gender and lineage. It operates as a political entity completely independent of the Twelve Great Houses and Guild Brotherhood. Faith’s authority derives from divine edict of The Goddess, who empowered Her prophets to gather unto them the few to ensure the way to Salvation--deliverance from destruction, earthly difficulty and the penalty of sin--and lead all Aideena's peoples to that great reward. Faith centralizes its authority through military force coupled with judicial and legislative powers over the Twelve Great Houses and the Guild Brotherhood.

Faith is its own House, in many ways. Several families and clans whose associations stretch back thousands of years comprise various orders of priesthood. In contrast to the Houses and Brotherhood, Faith’s internal governance is not authoritarian. The Faithful govern themselves democratically with representative oversight.

The importance of religious service, at least historically, is as significant in Aideenan culture as procreation. Not only are marriages arranged within Faith’s membership, but also members are recruited from the general populace. It is not uncommon for secular families to offer their children into religious service, either as a political maneuver or for economic gain.

Its numerous temples for religious studies coexist as educational institutions with secular academies. These temples set the standard for education on Aideena.