religious information

This is mostly just screenshots:
www.l2rpa.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=2982

A more indepth look at the religion:
www.l2rpa.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=2899

Discussion on why dark elves don't support Dusk:
www.l2rpa.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=2958

These are some threads on L2RPA with some of this information. I've been meaningto compile everything into one post, so here would be a good spot. Not everything me and Olo talked aobut is on L2RPA (like the debate over sacrifices) I don't have time now though as I'm off to work, so I'll work on this later.

There are few problems religion and politics wise.

First one is of course, that Dark elves do not want the old elmoraden empire back, they rather loathe it and are after something different.

Also, as in shown in some npc dialogue as well I believe, Followers of shilen believe that Shilen is the perfect goddess of destruction. They also want to calm her perfect fury, and there is only one way to calm real hatered like that

The idea of being "good" while still following shilen is an nice reach for popularity and ease of mind, but sadly does not have much real substance behind it. There are more streamlined and more extreme factions in shilen church, but none of them are "good" in any way. None of them are seeking real coexistence with other gods and their followers either in the end, altough some might seek one temporarily for their own factions gain.

I believe that the Shillen Temple is after their own interests, and if you look in the lore the dark elves are generally intolerant, cruel, prejudiced, and isolated. Eventide Sentries was the first example I had seen of a "good" Shillen faction, and even though my character follows Shillen, I don't consider her a good goddess. Not for an instant.

For one, it's a videogame. The gods are fairly one-dimensional. Shillen is the goddess of death and rage. She was the mother of dragons. I don't expect following her will exactly lead my character on a merry path through the wildflowers.

Even if it is evil, it is what the dark elves were born into. I am sure you have heard this before, but from a dark elves perspective - no, Shillen is not evil - she is the mother of a society - and good can be born from the most terrible of circumstances.

"Good" and "evil" are relitive things...to most peoples of Aden, the Dark Elves are evil. But the dark elves woudl tell you those people simply fear and hate without knowing, becausethey worship the goddess who controls death and study the dark arts. They other races may fear that, but they do not. They realize death is a gift to the world, as the Tetrach says, Shilen's gift of limited life allows the cycle of life to contiue ever onward. AS all life is birthed from nothingness, so must it return. hate adn fear their religion, but it is what they live by, and their Goddess, as they see it, has always guided and protected them, her children. Why would they not love and revere her?

They do not worship Death, their religion if of the endless cycle of birth, life and death. That is simply what the other races see: one side of the coin. An evil death cult. Following and evil goddess (She lords over Death, after all!), and their actions against the light elves and Humans has been less than friendly. They must be evil.

Or are they just persecuted, feared, hated, reacting in kind.



There are definatley differnet ideologies on worshipping Shilen. The tetrarch describes it as being a reverance for the cycle of life and death that her gift of limited life provides the world. When they speak of her, they speak of her as a loved, glorious mother. They call her holy, your even supposed to purify your mind upon entering the sanctum. Then thre are player embelishments, like Undead and certain forms of necromancy being an affront to Shilen, a violation of the Sanctity of death, and Death as an act of compassion to end a dying person's suffering.

and Looking at the lore, it's not entirely clear how much they know of the true nature of Shilen, or if they'd follow her in that state. Grand Master Oltrin in Aden seems agast that she's become a hate-filled creature of destruction, says we need to calm her fury and send syouto destroy the dmeons born of it.

Magister Xenovia thinks preachers of Shilen's return are crazy madman, and worries about hidden factions int he Temple backing them.

The prelude story says some of the dark elves *did* know SHilen's true nature, they recieved the revelation, but spoke of it only in Whispers, and when the Darkness came, *all* the races banded together against it.


The ancient cult of Elmoraden of course had different views. They purely worshipped the Death Shilen brings, and sought to return a kingdom of death tot he world where Shilen would reign. No doubt there are those who still hold these views, or variations there-of. At least,, view's removed enough from Temple doctrine to be called blasphemous.



I never formed Sentries with intention of being "Good", but with a plotline enough to ally with a clan of friends. I had to look deep intot he lore, and create a conspiracy or two (which finally saw a bit of light with a recent RP <winks at Olo>) to make it work.

Now witht he Guard, it's something a little different. Completely further goals of the Temple, defending it form enemies, within and without, furthering political goals, (the alliance with Legion is for political matters, as they're trying to reform Elmoraden. We dark Elves need to make sure that works in our favors, and...IC I've stated a few time sint he past, we don't wear legion crests IC. There's still some dark intentions at work int he background, but I think it creates a different dymanic than the Rawr! Evil! way of playing Dark Elves.

So you are saying, since I'm a DE, I should start sacrificing people and stuff like your clan is doing?

Thanks but no thanks.

I made Esmera months before I RPed for the first time, and yes it was mostly for looks. And as reasons for not being part of the DE race like other, Es was never raised by the Temple or near other Dark Elves.

And yes, she is close to me, maybe some of you have been RPing for years, but this is my first try, and like I said earlier today in another Thread, I do not think that I'm good at it.

I'd have to agree with Dam. What they do is quite similar. Mak would die protecting his friends and loved one.

And another note, Mak is neither good or evil I guess. He's very caring at times and other times he can be an asshole. Sometimes his temper can get the best of him and he'll start to break shit. Thats fun to do though.