The Cult of the Unfettered God

The Unfettered God

In the Heavens, peace is maintained by an elaborate series of pacts, bonds and promises. The gods and spirits are beholden to each other within millenia old agreements carved into the flesh of ancient monsters by primal claws and hung on the walls of the great Celestial Halls. It is said that one God, the Blazing Sun - the brightest offspring of the Morning Lord - fell in love with the Hidden Moon, the daugher of the Lord of the Night. However, their families were locked into an ancient pact that they must never meet. When one appears, the other disappears and so, for all of time, The Blazing Sun chased the Hidden Moon across the skies. Both were desperately sad and their tears fell upon the world, burning the deserts and flooding the seas.

It was then that a long lost immortal arrived at the gates of the Celestial Halls. No-one knew his name but he asked for hospitality, which was given and he observed the sadness of the couple. Without the knowledge of their parents, he spoke to them both and offered them a bargain. He could release them from their ancient pact, allowing them to meet and love, but they would have to enter into an unbreakable pact of their own. They considered the offer and accepted.

The next day, the Blazing Sun and the Hidden Moon met in the skies and the world was wreathed in darkness as their consumated their passions, and then they moved away and light was returned. The following night, the Hidden Moon bore their first child, the Star of the North and he soared into the sky. However, the pact that they undertook was final. The Blazing Sun would never see his children. The Sun and the Moon would meet thousands of times over the passing aeons and each time a child would be created but the Blazing Sun would never know them. That was his price for consumating his love with the Hidden Moon.

The other Gods saw the horror of the Blazing Sun, removed from his progeny, and the anguish of the Hidden Moon, constantly hearing the crying of her lonely children, and they tried to remove the lost immortal from the Celestial Halls, but he merely reminded them of their promise of hospitality and said that he could remove it, if they wanted, but they would have to pay a price. None of the Gods dared ask the price to be paid and so he remains.

The Unfettered God represents a second chance, a way out of a bad deal but there is always a heavy price to be paid. Converts to his religion will always be relieved on one pact or bargain they have made, but they will be tied in another fashion to the cult - a fashion that is rarely better than that which they have cast aside. Followers of the Unfettered God wear unchained shackles on their wrists as a sign that they have been released from a pact and sigils on their shackles show the world the fate they have escaped - a fate which only a fool who would challenge the Gods themself would attempt to reinstate.

[I'm seeing this as a little life the old druids reverence thing. So, for example, if Morn was captured by slavers, they would release him lest they invoke the wrath of the Unfettered God. In certain circumstances, it allows a follower carte blanche to do or go as they please, but they always have a horrid downside attached. So, for example, a Priest of Healing released from their pledge of lifelong celibacy would be allowed to continue as a priest and be married ... but they would have to eat human flesh on a full moon.] In the same manner, followers of the Unfettered God are sticklers for promises, pacts and boons. You get one chance only to escape your fate - after that you are bound by the Unfettered God to hold your word. For that reason, they can sometimes seem evasive or flighty, as many times they would rather no commit than promise something that they know they would regret later.

Understand that they are not absolutists. If they say they want milk for supper and the milk has curdled, they will not drink the curds rather than change their mind. However, if they promise to deliver something or pay their life, one or the other WILL occur.