RELIGION in MIR

THE TRINE and the HOLY WHEEL

Followers of the Trine believe in the Divine Presence, a sublime entity that is beyond human understanding, and so requires clerical mediation to engage with. Long ago, it was foretold that three prophets would hear the call of the Divine Presence, and bring understanding of the holy path to humankind...

• The First Prophet was the Aesosian sage Ethaeles, who was a famed scholar and spiritual figurehead in antiquity.
  
  
• The Second Prophet was Darmaeus, a warrior-king of far-off Talumia, who was a wise ruler and protector of his people.
  
  
• The Third Prophet was Braius of the North, a holy child who bestowed healing and preached mercy to all.  In this part of the world, it is Braius who remains the most significant figure of the Trine, owing somewhat to his status as the 'last prophet'.
  
  

The role of divine interlocution is of great importance in the churches of the Three Prophets. This is achieved through an ever-expanding pantheon of Saints who are believed to hear the prayers of the faithful on behalf of the Trine, who in turn commune with the Divine Presence.

The panorama of Trinic Saints govern an array of different domains. They may have tiny chapels devoted to them, or grand cathedrals depending on their importance or popularity. In truth, most of the faithful of the Trine devote more prayers to the various Saints than to the Three Prophets.

Some of the figures officially recognized as Saints of the Trine are said to have roots in earlier pagan traditions, though it would be heresy to suggest such a thing openly.
                               

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A Mirsk icon depicting the Child Prophet Braius, with the Wheel of the Northern Church

The Last Prophet Braius was martyred over 1000 years ago, when he was still a child. A heathen king ordered his body lashed to a cart-wheel and hoisted to the sky, where exposure, the burning sun, and the pecking of birds would finish him.

The child suffered, but would not die. The birds did not harass him, and some say, even brought morsels of food and water to sustain him. On the 8th day, the Prophet's body vanished without a trace - according to the priests, he was reclaimed by the sublime. To this day, the faithful of Braius honour the symbol of the Holy Wheel, as a symbol of devotion and transcendence.

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It is increasingly rare to find temples devoted to all three prophets. In Duatha, the other two prophets of the Trine are respected, but sit in the shadow of Braius. The Church of the Holy Wheel is all-powerful.

Even so, the Church of the Wheel has many schisms of its own. Most significant is the divide between the decentralized Northern Church of Braius, and the extremely hierarchical southern Church of the Holy Wheel administered by the High Pontifex.

Pendants of the Wheel of Braius, displaying the 8 spokes of the Northern Church. This differs from the Southern Chuch of the Holy Wheel which observes the orthodoxy of the Four Spokes. Officially, only three wars have been fought over this schism.