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Religions:
Church of Dyfed:
Worship many gods that represent things in nature. The church of Dyfed was a fairly popular religion in Caerleon as well as in Patamoi, but has dwindled in numbers due to both Patamoi and Caerleon being mere shadows of their former selves. In Dyfed, the Gods of the Sun, and the Moon rule over the gods of the forests, oceans, and mountains. They identify mostly with the Earth, Water, and Light affinities. The religion is named after a tome said to be given to the world by the Gods of both the Sun and Moon. This tome noted the existence and abilities of the Jewels of Power. Scholars debate the contents of the tome, as it alludes to the existence of multiple affinities that seemingly no longer exist: Yin, Yang, and Tao, and potential destruction a union of such affinities can have. Notably, the weapon Dyfed is simply named after this tome, and is not the same thing.
Church of Pyderi:
Worship a single draconic god that has spread to most of Prydain, with its epicenter in Kameloth’s western district. Initially, they were formed in the eastern district but have since moved due to the hardships that have fallen on the east. They have small churches scattered across both Kameloth and Merovin, but most notably do not have any locations in Avilion. This is due to their rivalry with the church of Arawn, who reside primarily in Avilion. The religion is named after the hero Pyderi who the great dragon Mabinogi granted power to during the war of Ages to craft the Divine Weapons. Mabinogi is the draconic God that is worshiped. They were the leader of the Dragon tribe during the war of Ages. However, there are claims that Pyderi and his allies were not given those weapons by choice, and slew the Great Dragon and used their magic to transform their own weapons into the Divine Weapons.

While the branch churches focus on the dragon Mabinogi, the main head of the church heavily push Pyderi and his warriors’ accomplishments over the sacrifice that Mabinogi made in the first place.

Members of the church operate under a hierarchy. The head of the church being the Oracle, with Cardinals beneath them, followed by Bishops, Monks, and Followers. Bishops are permitted to open branch churches under the recommendation of a Cardinal.

The church maintains an army referred to as the Templar Knights. They are led by the Crusader.

The oracle is referred to as the Lady or Lord Oracle, Cardinals are referred to as Your Eminence, Bishops as Mother or Father, and all others are Brothers and Sisters.

Church of Arawn:
Worship the teachings of Hafgan, a prophet said to be descended from the original angel tribe, and advisor to Pyderi during the war of Ages. The religion is named after Arawn, Hafgan’s first known follower and most prominent spreader of his teachings. Arwan was the daughter of Avilion’s founder Branwen. Notably, though, most who follow the church of Arawn only follow the teachings that Arawn herself spread. She did not spread all of the teachings of Hafgan, but instead picked what she agreed with and omitted what she did not.
Kronos Sect:
Worship the teachings of Hafgan, however exclusively follow the ones Arawn omits in her own distribution. They find her omissions heretic, as they hide the true nature of the great heroes. In them, Hafgan states that he is actually a descendent of the demon tribe from the war of Ages, and states that while he was indeed an advisor to the heroes, this was not by choice. Following these teachings apparently allows them to summon demons from Murk Land, just like the demon tribe was able.
Other:
Various smaller sects emerged that follow the full teachings of Hafgan and consider themselves separate from either sect. Most notably, these followers note that Hafgan is both half demon and half angelic, shattering the image that one side must be good and the other evil. It also paints the Hero Pyderi in a different light, and instead claims he was more of an opportunist and conqueror rather than a true Hero, and used his power and influence to force both Mabinogi and Hafgan into allying with him. The great heroes feared him, and dared not step out of line. The full teachings of Hafgan also state that Hafgan was of Tao affinity.


Legends:
Pyderi - Hero
Leader of the Legendary Eight Heroes and founder of Kameloth. Wielded Caliburnus. Died in Kameloth and was buried in the Royal Crypt with his Royal Sword Clarent as opposed to his legendary blade, which was instead gifted to the Patamoi kingdom to keep safe. A replica blade was made after the fact to honor him and was passed down to his descendants of the same name.

Despite the title of Hero, Pyderi was not beloved by all of his companions, as specifically Branwen and Pywell found him to be tyrannical in nature. Hafgan also described him as less of a hero and more of a conqueror.

Cigfa - Saint
Member of the Legendary Eight Heroes and founder of Kameloth alongside her lover and husband Pyderi. She is the founder of the Church of Pyderi. Wielded the holy staff Talyn, which was housed within the Tower of Ages following the great war. Buried within the Royal Crypt alongside her beloved. They say that every generation she is reincarnated to help lead the Church in the right path.

Following Pyderi’s death, Cigfa turned the kingdom’s more in a theocratic direction, but this was not well accepted by the population. Instead, she placed her son on the throne and had herself as his advisor. This could be seen as a potential grab for power, and it was never stated how Pyderi actually died…

Branwen - Wyvern Knight
Member of the Legendary Eight Heroes and founder of Avilion alongside Efnysien. Wielded Rhongomiant, which became the royal spear of Avilion, only to be used by its rulers. Despite working together to found Avilion, there was no real relationship between her and Efnysien. Instead of being buried, she chose to be cremated with the corpse of her beloved wyvern and cast into the ocean.

Branwen was one of the most outspoken heroes who did not agree with Pyderi’s methods. She found him cruel and opportunistic, and thought of the demon tribe as another race of people, as opposed to monsters. This was not a sentiment shared by many, including by her own children, who were quick to abandon such teachings once she passed. She left Kameloth soon after it was established to create Avilion.

Pywell - Cataphract
Member of the Legendary Eight Heroes and founder of the kingdom of Merovin alongside Rhiannon. Wielded Prydwen, which was later stolen from Merovin long after his death. Despite founding Merovin together and being madly in love, Pywell did not wed Rhiannon, for she refused to abandon her elven heritage and marry a human. She did care for him, but could not find it within herself to marry him. Pywell had a loveless marriage, and he later died somewhat alone and depressed, filled with regrets. Merovin would later be split into an oligarchy, ruled by different rulers of the territories within Merovin.

Pywell had a deep disdain for Pyderi, but was not as outspoken as Branwen. He didn’t really care about treating the demonic tribe nicely, but found issue in Pyderi’s ambitious nature and how quickly he would put the lives of his allies in danger for his own personal gains. He was one of the first to leave the group following the end of the war, alongside Rhiannon, and wandered the land before settling and founding Merovin.

Rhiannon - Highlander
Member of the Legendary Eight Heroes and founder of the kingdom of Merovin alongside Pywell. Wielded Failnaught, which was later stolen from Merovin long after her death. Despite being madly in love with Pywell, Rhiannon refused to “taint” her blood with the blood of a human. She instead forced distance between them, and encouraged Pywell to marry a human woman who had feelings for him. Soon after the marriage, she abandoned Merovin altogether, being unable to be in the presence of the one she truly loved and refusing to marry another at the same time. She died alone in the southern shores of Merovin.

Rhiannon did not like Pyderi, but not nearly to the extent of Pywell and Branwen. She and Pywell left the group together and lived as lovers for years before founding Merovin together. She was also good friends with Goewin.

Mathonwy - Druid
Member of the Legendary Eight Heroes and founder of the kingdom of Caerleon alongside Goewin. Wielded the legendary tome of Dyfed, which went missing after the fall of Caerleon. Despite being an orc, Mathonwy had magical ambitions since he was a child, much to the chagrin of his fellow orc. However, despite this, he became one of the strongest mages in the land and created many of the black magic
tomes that we know of today. Later on, he and Goewin had a falling out, which was never truly resolved by the Orcs and Satyrs of Caerleon, and bled into more issues after the fall of the kingdom.

Mathonwy had a neutral opinion of Pyderi, thinking his words and actions were for the greater good. He maintained a somewhat positive relationship with him, and couldn’t care less about him once the war was over. He did mourn his death, though.

Goewin - Priestess
Member of the Legendary Eight Heroes and founder of the kingdom of Caerleon alongside Goewin. Wielded the legendary tome Coreiseuse, which was later relocated to Merovin. She thought of Mathonwy as a good friend, and wished to help his magical abilities grow over time. However, she felt uneasy around Efnysien, and avoided him for the most part. Despite their strong relationship, she and Mathonwy had a falling out over leadership disagreements and romantic disagreements (she did not approve of the woman Mathonwy planned to make his wife). This was never fully resolved and the two tribes have had issues with each other ever since.

Goewin feared Pyderi, although she did not confess this to anyone but Rhiannon and Hafgan. She sensed something wrong with him, and even though they were allies, she refused to ever be left in a room alone with him. She made sure to never speak out against his actions publicly, though.

Efnysien - Arcanist
Member of the Legendary Eight Heroes and founder of Avilion alongside Branwen. Wielded Laamorz, which was held within the Avilion Royal Archives until it went missing sometime before the fall of Caerleon. Efnysien had no interest in royal affairs or romantic endeavors, and chose to bury his head in magical research. He also aligned with Branwen’s way of thinking regarding the Demon tribe.

However, after some time, he seemingly went insane, and was accused by Branwen’s first son of communing with the Demon realm; a claim Efnysien did not refute. He was later burned alive for being a heretic. He had a secret student-teacher relationship with Branwen’s youngest daughter Arawn, who went on to found the church of Arawn, based on the teachings of her mentor and of Hafgan.

Hafgan - ???
A prophet who appeared before Pyderi during the war of ages and acted as an advisor to him. Hafgan was allegedly part of the Angel tribe, which is why he was willing to ally with humans against the Demon tribe. Following the war’s conclusion, he was made Royal Ambassador for the entire continent of Prydain, and traveled all over sharing his knowledge.There is no record of his death, as it is unknown when it occurred.

Hafgan claimed to be half angel, half demon, and would often travel to Avilion to converse with Efnysien before his demise and Arawn, the then Empress’ daughter.

Mabinogi - ???
The leader of the Dragon Tribe and the creator of the Divine Weapons used by the Eight Heroes. Despite being a Dragon, they often were seen in human form and interacted with humans. This is partially why they were open to helping humans drive off the demon tribe using the divine weapons, despite the fact that their power would kill Mabinogi in order to create. Mabinogi had no specified gender, and sired children with all different races and genders.

There are rumors that despite Mabinogi’s willingness to help humans, the Divine Weapons were created not by their power willingly, but stolen from their very life force. These claims drove a wedge between mortals and dragons, leading most if not all half-dragon children to be killed. Full blooded dragons who remain keep their distance from mortals and their affairs.