The Way of Stone

The faith of the  Men of Mountains  is as old as they are, and as mysterious. There are no temples nor churches for the Way of Stone, nor any books; beliefs are passed on by word of mouth. While other races claim to consort with greater, ethereal powers, the Men of the Mountains do not hold with such nonsense. Their gods are the mountains that keep their lands safe from invaders, the mountains that provide cool streams to water the valleys, the mountains that throw men to their deaths for placing a foot carelessly. There is no further proof needed for divinity; than that which controls life.

The Way of Stone is an old faith, with beliefs that can still be seen vaguely in the  Church of the Storm  and the faith of  Sauinh , both of which may have arose from it millennia ago. The adherents believe that in the dawn era, great giants the size of moving cities awoke in the far west, and dragged the sun east on their backs, creating life and beauty as they went. However, as they passed and left, the life withered without the sun. When they finally reached the easternmost point of the world, they looked back and saw their creations dying. The strongest of them, Karl the Elder, threw the sun so hard that it came around the world, over and over, every day. After they saw their creations thriving, the giants were pleased, but tired. They lay down to rest, and became still like statues, hardened into stone. They became the mountains, the great mountains that guard the east from the west, and all that they had made there was safe.

Ceremonial Practices
Holidays in the tradition of Stone are solitary, and practiced alone or in small groups. Generally, only fasting and vigils are involved; pilgrims will travel to small shrines in the mountains to pray and worship. They will do so at their own discretion, following their own rituals. A family or a village may share the same ritual days, but there are no universal holidays, and a man might make a holiday out of any day he pleases. This is the ancient way; and no upstart priests nor zealots will sway it.