Divinity of the Sky Whales

Divinity of the Sky Whales
Majestic, aren't they?
Founded at	Tiber
Type	Decentralized sect
Members	Small but culturally significant minority on Tiber

The Divinity of the Sky Whales are a decentralized sect of the Repentant Faith, native and largely exclusive to the planet of Tiber, homeworld of House Eridanus. Though the details vary, they worship Tiber's native Sky Whales, and see the path of Repentance as first and foremost repentance for things certain humans have done to the Sky Whales and nature in general.

Doctrines and Practices

The only truly widespread and uniquely Tiberian Repentant sect, the appreciation for the planet’s majestic dirigible cetacea lacks a defined orthodoxy or unified doctrine. For many, Sky Whales are the first nobles of Tiber and are to be respected for their grace and fortitude. Fewer would argue a specific divinity inherent in the whales, but it is common enough that it is not waved off as unthinkably heretical by locals.

The Divinity of the Sky Whales has never been particularly organized as a sect, in part due to the Church of Humanity, Repentant having discouraged such overt institutionalization so as to not cause consternation amongst the Eridanii leadership, as the Repentant church highly valued its overall pragmatic working relationship with the agents and collectors of the house.

As a result, there is a variety of practices and beliefs and only informal leadership amongst the sect’s adherents on Tiber. One more common practice is the use of open-air temples. This custom likely began in areas where doing so allowed temple-goers the chance to see actual sky whales migrate over their heads, but has spread to adherents across the planet. In some areas the temples are open to all nature, and might have a lounge of Lacertiller hanging out on the temple grounds as commonly as any worshiper.

However, the main thing keeping the sect from being a complete cacophony is the annual festival at Balaeterium.

Baleterium

Balaeterium is one of the most ancient Tiberian cities, the site of a terrible event early in the history of Tiber.

An illegal hunting safari of Sky Whale poachers, in apocryphal versions of the tale associated with the Lavstrosky’s, but according to surviving records just a group of young Aquilan and Reticulum nobles from otherwise long-forgotten families, had bought a shuttle and were prowling the area, located in one of the planet’s highest mountain ranges, for a Sky Whale kill. They had just caught sight of several Sky Whales flying together, when the local authorities arrived. Details as to what followed are unclear, but something went terribly wrong, and at the end both the poachers and law enforcement shuttles had crashed, and the Sky Whales lay dead on the ground.

The event became a scandal, reverberating around the planet and leading to increased funding for anti-poaching enforcement. Yet, for some, this was not enough. They built a temple in the dead Sky Whales’ honor, and mounted the bones on top of them, as an everlasting memorial to the terrible events that happened here. Over time, the temple grew, and a town developed around it.

To the Divinity of the Sky Whales, it is the memory of these kinds of horrific deeds of sacrilege towards the Sky Whales and nature in general, above all others, that humanity must repent for. As such, sect members have taken to organizing a yearly festival to pay respect to the Sky Whale bones, and ask mercy for their ancestral deeds. Many otherwise High Church adhering Tiberians also visit these festivals and participate in some of its rituals and celebrations, turning Balaeterium in a popular local tourist destination whenever festival season comes around.