-------------- Comparative Religions – St Brigitte

The ancient druidic religions of Kibberan, and to a lesser degree, Sonntaglia and the rest of Hesterland, began to wane with the coming of the Avandorian faith. Many things can be said of the Avandorians, but few of those things would be said from knowledge of their homeland. Avandor is shrouded in mists, difficult to reach by sea, and not a destination for any of the airships or paratech aircraft of the Guild. It is said time passes differently there, and there is some evidence to support that theory. It is also possible that Avandor suffered even more than Hesterland from the magical disruptions that came out of the Troll Wars of ancient times. Whatever the reasons for Avandor’s unique nature, what is absolutely known about it is that some one hundred years ago Priests and Priestesses of their monotheistic church began to invade Hesterland and Kibberan. The Church of the Land, once the only religion of the kingdoms of Hesterland, has been supplanted. In Kibberan, the once proud druids of Lugh, Math and Silvanus, were all but eradicated.

But the Avandorian church was not all conquest and killing. They, like any successful imperialistic religion that expands over many centuries, knew to keep some of the local color in their preachings, else rebellion was inevitable. Without overthrowing the kingdoms themselves, the Avandorians managed to spread their influence and control of the will and minds of the people with their message and their insidious ways.

One such example is the ancient Kibberan warrior queen Brigitte. She was legend as a fiery woman whose passions matched her fury in battle. She was defender of the weak, and at length, a martyr against invading Antequerans. Her death rallied her people and the Antequeran incursion was only one of many repelled by the fierce and proud Kibberans. She was deified by her people, but more importantly, brought into the hosts of the Tuatha by Math himself. She was such a popular goddess that she soon began to eclipse all others in the people’s eyes.

Then the Avandorians came with their crosses and their witch trials. The cardinals and bishops of their church could see that keeping Brigitte and showing her to be a convert to their faith would win the hearts and minds of the Kibberans without decades of purging the old faith. It is said that Jehovah personally appeared to Brigitte and bade Her convert. She would not. He showed Her what would be of her beloved Kibberan and Her people if She would not. Crying tears of blood and fire, She recanted and surrendered Herself and Her people to the Avandorian God.

Her power was much diminished and She became a Saint in the Avandorian church. The rest of the Tuatha de Dannan went into hiding, so to speak, for none may reach the isle of Avalon where they reside, and their influence on the world has much diminished. And Brigitte remains. Today She is a symbol to some of the hidden hope that one day She may break the shackles of servitude and rise up against Jehovah and his Angels, and bring justice down upon Him for the many evils done in His name.

-------------- Bridgette

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