The Dustwalkers are followers of a religion and philosophy that is prevalent throughout the Trailblazer Republics and the northern hobgoblin realms of Kad and Vukararn. Though the details vary, with the largest split in thought between the Trailblazers and the hobgoblins, at the core of the faith is a belief in two realms. One, called the Dust, is the land in which mortals walk. The other, the Saga, is a realm of idealized existence, where all ultimately comes from and where spirits go to rest. The Dustwalkers seek to emulate great heroes of the past in order to step out of, or rise above, the Dust and gain glimpses of the Saga.
Edicts and anathema
- Edicts
- Travel as widely as possible, emulate past heroes, seek out places where the boundaries between the Dust and the Saga are thin, protect those who cannot defend themselves
- Anathema
- Abide injustice without action or words, slander or belittle past or prospective heroes, give up in the face of adversity
The Dust and the Saga
In the mythos held by Dustwalkers, all of existence is split between two realms. The Dust is the imperfect physical realm, where all mortals live out their lives. In the Dust all is temporary, conflicting, and unclear. In contrast to this is the Saga, where all is perfect, idealized, without fault, and in symmetry. The Saga is also the destination of all souls upon death, but not necessary their final one. There is no agreement as to what the Saga looks like, or even if it can be pictured at all, as no mortal is truly aware of what it means for a state of existence to be flawless.
It is important to note that other planes besides the Material are almost always considered part of the Dust - the Saga is remote and inaccessible to all except through spiritual ways.
Beliefs and practices
It is the ultimate goal of the Dustwalkers to find a way to rise through the Dust and into the Saga. All do so eventually upon their death, but to witness it while alive is to anchor a part of yourself between the two realms, and therefore to guarantee reincarnation - with one's memory intact if clouded - upon death.
There are multiple ways to glimpse the Saga. The first, and most important, is to tread the paths of those heroes who have done so before. In acting as manifestations of their ideals, particular paragons of strength, good, or determination - depending on sect and line of thought - blur the lines between the Dust and the Saga, thereby offering them a route out of the mortal realm. Those who successfully do so become part of the next set of heroes emulated by future aspirants. Some set out to slay powerful monsters, others to protect the weak, and still others to survive terrible hazards.
The second manner of discerning the Saga is through travel. At liminal places and times the boundaries between the Dust and the Saga are thinnest, and thus by finding those one can progress on their spiritual journey. Dawn, dusk, the moments before a storm-flare strikes, in the immediate path of the Great Tempests, and in places of ancient stone and twisted wood are all cases where a Dustwalker might seek to observe the Saga.
Dustwalkers do not necessarily worship any deities or spirits. Some certainly do - there is overlap between the Dustwalkers and adherents of the storm cults of Qan and A'Qala, for example, and with the hobgoblin veneration of their flag-spirits - but the faith is concerned first and foremost with mortal actions.
Followers
Dustwalkers can be found in much of the central and northern Stormlands. The faith is especially popular amongst the Trailblazers, but it has also found roots in the northern hobgoblin lands of Kad and Vukararn. It is less common, but present, in the Oasis states as well, and in In'khab in particular. With such a focus on travel as a spiritual experience most Dustwalkers are nomadic or itinerant in some way.
Lacking any sort of centralization or religious authority, Dustwalker beliefs can vary widely, with the largest split between the practices of the Trailblazers and those of the hobgoblins. For example, hobgoblin Dustwalkers tend to see the duty to protect others as a commandment to bring them under one's own control and authority, and therefore under the security a strong ruler can bring, while Trailblazers tend to see it as meaning to lead all to personal freedom.