“The breath of the gods is not wind, nor flame, nor tide—

it is memory.

It is what we choose to remember, and who we choose to become.”

— Opening words of the SaLoran Invocation

Welcome, to another chapter in our epic tale of Burghandia. Today… we do not battle foes, nor crown new kings, nor unveil hidden treachery. Today, we explore something more intimate and pervasive: Faith.

In the era called the Blind Times, life in Burghandia was a fleeting flame—few lived past thirty, and despair shadowed every hearth. Official temples rang with oaths to a Nine-Fold Pantheon: Isla the Sea-Mother, Agüeybaná the War-King, Maquetaurie Guayaba the Harvest Trickster, Opiel Guabiron the Beast-Guardian, Yocahu’s Heir of Light, Atabeyra’s Heir of Tides, Guabancex’s Sentinel of Storm, Jurakan’s Forger of Flame, and Moboyas’s Keeper of Night. Yet even these venerable Sanctum-Halls seemed distant in a land gasping for hope.

Into this darkness strode an unexpected light: Krassus, a humble peasant whose only claim to note was his generous kindness. When Krassus discovered two abandoned babies—Aeliana and Treelius—under a moonless sky, he did not call upon gods or miracles. He simply saw two children in need and opened his door, his home, and his heart.

Under Krassus’s care, Aeliana and Treelius grew strong and curious. There were whispers—fields seemed a touch greener where they played, ailments eased when they tended the sick—but these were small miracles, born of compassion rather than divine decree. Neighbors shared bread, healers offered potions, and Krassus found a deeper purpose: to protect these two souls and guide them toward a future brighter than any he had known.

As word spread, simple villagers began murmuring prayers by dawn’s first light and by ember’s final glow. They spoke of the Nine as guardians of every path—light in the dark, storm in the stillness, harvest in the hovel—but it was Krassus’s gentle resolve that gave their faith new shape.

Though Coronism had long honored the Nine-Fold Children in grand hymns, it was now woven into everyday life:

Dawnfire Rites at Skyspire: farmers kindle nine lanterns—one for each aspect—to bless their fields.

Conch-Prayers at Tide’s Edge: fishermen offer nine shells to Isla before casting nets.

Storm-Dances in Steppya: villagers circle nine stones chanting Guabancex’s ancient verses.

Ash-Walk in Domo’s forges: smiths trace nine embers across the coals before forging steel.

Nightdrift Vigils in Surkia: families light nine bone-lanterns in memory of those passed beyond.

From Blind Times to a Shepherd’s HeartOrdinary WondersThe Nine-Fold Tapestry