Old Swareli

History
At the beginning of the Second Age of Man, over 1500 years ago in a time barely recorded, the Swareli Church was founded in the Old City of Bothokeven. The religion it founded, Legionism, was based around a pantheon of warrior-gods called the Divine Legion.

At the forefront of the Divine Legion is Jesevriel, Lord of Gods. It is said he wields a blade forged in the sun and armor wrought from the core of the Earth. When his fist strikes the ground, the earth quakes; when his gaze falls upon the waters, tsunamis strike the shore. At his side on the front lines is Althezin, his general and commander of the skies. Other prominent gods include his wife, Maza; his son Saldonor, the trickster god Occorun, the wild god Orok, the earth god Balinir, and the sea god Naesgoroth; but each Legionist Church keeps an extensive list of canonized members of the Divine Legion, often numbering in the dozens of gods.

Beliefs
It is believed that once, before the First Age, the gods were human, and lived as great rulers of the kingdoms of old. However, the world was threatened when an army of demons arrived at the shores of Pallacia in boats of steel, from another world far away. There was a great war, and the demons were winning. To save humanity, Jesevriel, then king of a nation called Calabrios, entered battle with the lord of the demons. Though Jesevriel was mortally wounded, he was able to take the demon king's power. He assembled a council of the greatest rulers of the land, and used the power to bring them all to godhood. With this, the Divine Legion was formed.

It is believed that whenever an honorable soul dies, they are brought to heaven to fight in the armies of the Divine Legion, who use clouds as warships. Legionists believe that every cloud carries a host of soldiers. Storms, they say, are battles between the forces of the Divine Legion and the demon armies. It is said that Althezin uses lightning bolts to transport the gods between the earth and the sky, and the fiercest thunder storms spill out onto the earth itself.

As the original Legionist church, the Old Swareli Church does not recognize the Arcane Sin or the death of Jesevriel, and maintains that the God King leads his armies against the demons even still, with both Althezin and Saldonor by his side.

Modern Struggles
The Old Swareli Church in the modern day is little more than a shadow of its former self. With fewer followers of the faith than at any prior point in history, and having lost the leadership of Legionism to the Atheshi Church, the Swareli Church has largely descended into a din of corruption, with the primary focus of most members of the clergy being collecting tithes, and near open bribes and misuse of funds being common. The Church is led by the High Priest, a title which bestowed by a council of Elders. It is a fairly open secret that the recipient of the title is usually determined by highest bribe, and the High Priest's power is now greatly diminished, with most of the power divided between the Elders.