[Sanguine415]

History:

Since the moment of Grimnir's death, there has been discord amongst the faithful of Vdalion. Countless sects rose up worshipping the fragments of the shattered god of the giants, but only one looked at what was instead of what is. Spurred by the belief that the hero god of the Giants was an avatar of Ymir in giant flesh, these zealous souls forged bonds in searing chains and brutal sacrifice with the ambition to restore the faded blessing of giant kind through any means necessary. A brutal, fundamentalist faith rose from only the most ruthless and determined of the sons of Ymir, for it was a grim progress that would take eons to achieve for the shattered god to be pieced together again.

So it was the first of the Zealots forged a sect in the name of the shattered god, striving to commune with the dead deity through sacrifice of body and mind to the embers satiated by their blood, that the blessing might one day spark anew in their veins in earnest. Brutal rites were created to scourge all pleasure and fear from the devotees of the flame, each initiate broken down and remolded through suffering to become a weapon and mouth of the zealous. They were called many things, whether it be mad men, beasts, obsessive fools, but one thing was always certain; their devotion to Ymir was absolute to the final breathe, no matter what ostracization they faced.

In the modern day, the sect maintains amiable terms with the hero cult of Grimnir through their idolization of the fallen emperor as an avatar of the shattered god, but are notorious for their contemptuous relations with those viewed as unworthy of Ymir's legacy. Their brutal and public displays are considered a common sight in Vdalion, though there are whispers that their acceptance of necessary evils on the path to restoring the lost god has made them no better than a cult of savages. Yet, in the land of Vdalion, where might makes right, who can say if one could be anything but savage to achieve their aims?

Rites:

The Rite of Ymir's Suffering - One of the most well known and brutal rites of the Zealots, each initiate must emulate the suffering that Ymir experienced in his division. A ceremonial whip composed of ten scalding chains of cold iron is used to scourge the back of devotees for ten days and ten nights, ensuring the ten chains are branded permanently into the back of the faithful. While the endurance of giants has ensured that very few perish from this rite, non-giant devotees have been known to perish by the score during this rite. Those who survive it know no true pleasure nor pain, for they have lost true sensation of both in the agony experienced.

The Rite of Kindled Flame - Devotees of Ymir that have survived their initiation are oft known to commit to self-flagellation over burning embers to feed their blood to the flame, as Ymir's blood filled the fountain that Grimnir drank from in distant past. This is a common form of prayer and discipline to clear the mind of distraction, and is oft believed to be done most commonly by those that indulge in the necessary evil of dark arts to cleanse their soul of corruption. The fire consumes all evil and good, leaving only solemn determination to fulfill what must be done.

The Rite of Blackened Hands - As keepers of the flame of giants, the Zealots are well known for their mastery of metallurgy, such that the forge is considered a place of prayer as much as a station of work. Yet, for one to be trusted with these duties, they must ensure they never again fear the flame. Their first weapon must be created with their bare hands using no equipment, shaped searing hot by their digits to perfection. If any shakiness or weakness is found in the assembly, they are compelled to continue again until their hands are scarred by the flame and the heat of it never leaves. Those that become Black Hands of the Zealots are known to use their zeal and burning soul alike to work wonders, though they are notoriously picky about who they chose to bare them.

Ranks:

Initate - Those that have yet to undergo the rite of Ymir's Suffering, these devotees are tasked with gathering resources and learning from their elders in preparation for their scourging. 

Zealot - An initiate that has survived their rite becomes a full fledged zealot, welcomed into the monastic brotherhood and offered deeper insight into the ambitions of the temple. They are offered more responsibilities towards their place in the order and Vdalion as a whole, but with it they gain access to the sacred tools forged by the Black Hands.

Black Hand - Those that have mastered the kindling of the flame and not lost their hands in their rites become the forgemasters of the Zealots, focused on advances in metallurgy and tools of faith and warfare alike in their determination to ensure Vdalion's ascendancy. They are few and far between, but their skill and faith is rarely questioned.

Bodi - The upper echelon of the faith, those that form the council of Bodi within the temple. They are the guiding hands of the Zealots, and serve as much as historians as they do religious figures for the people of Vdalion. One amongst them is regularly selected to lead the faith as the Hofgothi, the tender of the temple and its needs as well as the future of Vdalion.

Hofgothi - The Bodi chosen to lead the Zealots, spiritual head and guiding hand of the faith. They are the most common administrator of the rites of Ymir upon initiates, teacher to the other zealots, as well as the representative of the faith amongst the Moot when called forth for counsel. They are the temple's steward, and its successes and failures are shared completely by them.

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[Sanguine415]

The Rite of Ymir's suffering, the first of many in the new millennium of Vdalion, is completed with the sounding of great mammoth tusk horns. Watched over by the blackhand Eitr and one of the graybeards, nine initiates rose and became full Zealots of the temple after enduring ten days and nights of flagellation in a single hour through time dilation. Rumor has it three amongst their number were Nephilim, the distant connection of giant's blood in their veins sparking forth with their dedication to the shattered god.

With this new generation of zealots, only time will tell what comes for the devotees of Ymir. But what is certain is the young devotees are ready for whatever they must endure, for nothing will rival the agony they suffered to reach this point. Ymir, blessed be his name.