Aldrin

Aldrin The Swordbearer
Domains	War, valor, violence, military, guardian of the fields, soldiers, strength, victory, bonds of fellowship, dogs, falcons Entente, Demigoddess of Understanding and Unity (his daughter by Cyra) Athesia, Demigoddess of wisdom and war (creation of Nul, and lover to Aldrin)
Subsidiaries:	*Victory, Athesia's winged messenger (daughter of Aldrin and Athesia) Kretos, Demigod of strength in battle, carries the shield for Aldrin (daughter of Aldrin and Athesia) Zealos, Demigod of glory, bears the standard (daughter of Aldrin and Athesia)
Additional Symbols	Shield, Hound, Sunrise, Battlement, Chariot
Colors or Aesthetics	Blue and Silver

Basic Overview

Aldrin is is the patron god of war and warriors, but also of defense of home and land. He is wise in the ways of battle, but fierce and unrelenting, and associated strongly with the bonds of fellowship that develop between soldiers, as well as the traits of loyalty and obedience that are so important for a conquering army to maintain. These virtues are symbolized by the loyal hound, and dogs are beloved of Aldrin and his followers for these traits. His fierceness and glory in battle mean he is also symbolized by the falcon.

Mythology

Aldrin is the child of Erixx and Collen, and is a prominent figure in stories about wars the gods have fought against one another. He is bound by the restraint of Verax and Vindikari, though they are younger than he is, because they were created to rule to Gods, but is always depicted as being at the very edge of his lead demanding battle as a solution to all conflict. He is exceptionally good at winning battles, but not at forging peace.

Aldrin spent a time as the love of Cyra, goddess of beauty, pleasure, and celebration. This union was passionate but could not last, as she took no joy in his bloodshed. She bore him four daughters, three of whom stayed with their mother to become the Graces, and one of whom chose to go with her father and serve him. Aldrin's daughter Entente is the the demigoddess of Understanding and Unity, and she serves her father by seeing that the hearts and minds of people come together to support causes, and that soldiers act as one. She has other interests as well, but her skills are well suited to armies.

The great love of Aldrin's eternity sprang whole from the mind of Nul in response to a conflict Aldrin himself was creating, and her name is Athesia. Aldrin is eternally devoted to winning her affections, but she is not always well pleased with him and his rashness or carelessness. Athesia is the demigoddess of wisdom in warfare, and cautions her suitor to better actions. When he heeds her, she is well pleased with him. When he does not, she scorns him for a time. Athesia has born Aldrin three children, who serve one or the other of their parents, though Athesia is technically inside Aldrin's own auspice. Athesia's first daughter, Victory, serves her as a messenger. Her two sons, Kretos and Zealos, are themselves emblematic of strength in battle and glory. Kretos carries Aldrin's shield and serves him in battle from the same chariot. Zealos carries the battle standard for his father, and cries aloud the deeds of the great.

Worship

Simple Devotions

Before battle, Aldrin might be invoked in prayer and his banner is flown by armies that feel particular affinity and wish for his blessing. There was an ancient tradition of sacrificing a dog to gain a blessing of good fortune for the battle to come, but this has fallen out of fashion as blood sacrifice became less popular, due to the declarations of Emperor Constantine in the year 310. Instead, a general at the outset of a campaign might make a gift of his best guard dog to the priesthood, who instead of sacrificing the animal keep a kennel and maintain the dogs in relative prosperity. This does not yield an exceptional number of dogs, given that major military campaigns do not start every day and it is not a custom related to more common invocations of the god. When a minor blessing or invocation is required, it is not uncommon to cut a lock of hair and leave it at a shrine, light a candle and speak the name of someone in need of protection (a child that is desired home from war), or to make charms in the shape of simple crafted shields. Minor common shrines to Aldrin typically feature a sword and shield crossed over a small altar or stone which will accumulate candles and minor offerings and may over time become decorated with many small decorative shield charms.

Major Religious Centers

There is a major temple in city of Zadar in central Saimonia, where Aldrin is a common god to worship, largely because the region sees a great deal of conflict. Another noteworthy temple can be found in Calais, Malay, of a very different look and feel. There they focus more on the celebratory aspects of the religion. There is also a technically subsidiary priesthood of Athesia in Atherens, as she is the patron of the city. While it is common to invoke Aldrin when going to war or entering battle, he is not a strongly favored god for building sites or temples purely dedicated to his worship, and so tends to be found celebrated in major cities as one of many temples, but not often having rural temples. Most capital cities in former Thracian territory do maintain a priesthood of Aldrin, but it is rarely the largest or most prominent such in a given place.

Formal Orders

Priests of Aldrin call themselves "Shields of Faith". In addition to clerical duties, they provide martial training to acolytes of the faith and young people who have been taken on through gifts or tithe for early training. While there is no formal overarching or ruling organization that controls the Shields of the Faith, there is a devoted order called the Knights Errant composed entirely of devotees of Aldrin who feel called to go out into the world and serve in war or civic defense to honor the god. Membership is fairly exclusive and particular, requiring a period of service in the temple and demonstration of significant prowess and ability in the arts of combat. When a person has achieved what a local temple considers the right level of achievement, they are sent as a petitioner to the nearest temple particularly favored by the Knights Errant - usually in a capital city, with many Shields of the Faith there being drawn from retired and senior Knights Errant. There, the petitioner must fight a formal bloodless duel with a chosen champion, recite paeans of devotion, and assert their desire to become a squire. If accepted, formal oaths are sworn, more time is spent in service to the Knights Errant, and then the squire is formally Knighted by the senior-most of the local order. The Knights Errant are more interconnected than the temples themselves, and the upper echelons meet quadrennially to elect (or reaffirm, more usually) a Patriarch of the order who is their highest governing authority. He does not wield power directly over the temples of Aldrin that house the order, but the influence is broadly felt in any case. Knights Errant travel and serve in various martial capacities, typically alone, and report back to their 'father' temple on a regular basis. They might be officers in an army, serve with similarly minded mercenaries, or simply work to defend the helpless. Welcome at any temple to Aldrin and most to other Thracian gods, they may earn only their living and may accumulate no wealth that is not martial equipment. They are addressed as "sir" by those wishing to honor Aldrin and it is a courtesy they are usually afforded even though it is not a knighthood of fealty or association with the local monarchies.

Presence in Alba

Worship of Aldrin is very common amongst soldiers, mercenaries, and guardsmen throughout Alba. Aldrin is invoked at the commencement of all military academies and schools in the nation. When Alba is at war, the banner of Aldrin is flown directly below the Alban standard. This is known as “flying the sword” and is often the first outward sign that the Monarch has chosen to go to war. The church of Aldrin only has two full sized temples in Alba, one in York, and one in Avalon, which has been rebuilt since the Regency Period (2001-2002). There are smaller temples in Carfax Abbey, Skye, and Manchester. Many small shrines exist throughout the land, usually at the sites of major battles.

Most non-warriors who call upon Aldrin do so in his aspect as defender of the weak. His name is invoked in hopes that some threat will be averted or that some wrong will be righted.