The Ordering
The Ordering is the state religion of the Water Tribe, comprising a set of traditions, beliefs, and mythology. While there is no singular, unified doctrine, The Traditions of the Ordering, compiled by Chieftain Urist, is considered the authoritative text on the subject. This work is divided into five sections and includes information on the creation of the world and the Nine Realms, the forces of Tui and La, Push and Pull, the rise and fall of different races, the origin of bending and the Spirits, and primordial chaos. The Ordering has no formal hierarchy or standardized practices of worship, but followers (known as the Ordered Ones) are often expected to show obedience to two figures: the Leader (traditionally identified with the Chieftain of the Water Tribe) and the Sage (usually local clergy).
Beliefs
The Ordering does not have a clear distinction between the "age of Creation" and the "age of Man" like the Church of Fire does. Instead, it recognizes five eras: the Primordial, Agricultural, Dominance, Post-Dominance, and Ettin. The Primordial era begins at the end of the mythological age and describes a frozen world in which villagers lived as hunter-gatherers, worshipping animal spirits and ancestors. This changed with the rise of agriculture and the introduction of dualism, which posits the eternal push-and-pull balance between Tui (the divine order and Leader) and La (primordial chaos and the Sage). The Pillagers, who controlled the Water Tribe from their base in Lasthold, imposed a new religion that included the Nine Realms, the Ettins, and the World Tree. However, this attempt at religious unification ultimately failed, as the villagers blended the two religions into a hybrid faith. During the anti-Pillager resistance, led by Agna Qel'a, the three traditions blended together. It is at this point that the theology and traditions began to converge into what we may call a religion proper, rather than folk philosophies or fairy tales.
The present day is the fifth era, that of the Ettins, during which Ettins and zombies have risen again, proving that creatures from the past can return to the present. This has a significant impact on the daily lives of followers, who view themselves as part of a new chapter in the religion rather than the end of a story. The Ordering, therefore, has a practical influence on the lives of its followers, rather than being seen as a set of fictional tales from the past.
The Beginning
The first section of Traditions of the Ordering opens up immediately on the religion's theme of dualism and an ontology of motion-defining permanence, stating that pre-creation was primordial chaos filled with "little eddies and whirpools", yet "the whole was still". The Bringer of Order is then introduced, the figure who effectively began Creation by restraining the Chaos, who has a dualist nature: Tui, pusher, bringer of Law, like ice, the Leader; La, puller, bringer of Harmony, like water, the Sage. This introduces a vital correspondence between the religious and political, arguing that the ordered society is requiring of both law and harmony, exemplified by the Leader who invokes and cultivates Tui and the Sage who invokes and cultivates La, continuing the theme of dualism.
The Bringer of Order is opposed by the Bringer of Chaos, He Who Stills, who represents death and decay. While this figure does represent and cause evil, he is not himself evil any more than death is evil; without death, there can be no life. As the animal eats the plants and then dies of old age, its bones fuel the ground and bring life in new plants. The new plants are eaten by other animals, and such the cycle continues. The hunter takes life from the prey, but the prey who successfully flees takes the hunter's life with them for the hunter will starve. Thus, the Bringer of Order is no more evil than the Bringer of Chaos is good. The birth of either Bringer necessarily entails and causes the other - were one to be destroyed, they would grow inside their counterpart and reemerge - "So there was order created in the chaos, but that order was contingent on creating ever more chaos".
The integration of the tree-worship of Pillagers and of the Dualism of villagers is introduced very early on as we are revealed that the chaos of the world grows and consumes, called Níðhöggr. At the World Tree, rumoured to be an actual tree buried deep within the tundra, Níðhöggr is a dragon who lies underneath its roots, always growing and always consuming, always creating more chaos. Not to be confused with the Bringer of Chaos, Níðhöggr is the literal embodiment of Chaos itself - he is the stilling that "He Who Stills" is bringing about. While some may view this as thematically at odds with the philosophy thus far, which verges on a sort of religious metaphysics, this is not the case. The Water Tribe's identity is inexorably dualistic - villager culture has had to coexist for centuries with pillager centuries in the Dominance Era. It would not do to assert a univocal dualism, for the duality of being must seep even into the pre-being.
The Creation of the Realms
The creation of the Nine Realms is described in the second section of the "Traditions of the Ordering". According to this text, the realms were created from the body of the Great One, a mysterious being who is not further described. The first two realms to be created were Mutspellhome and Nuelhome, which represent chaos and fire, and order and water, respectively. These realms were opposite in nature, with Mutspellhome being hot and chaotic, and Nuelhome being cold and rigid. Between these two realms lay a temperate zone, where the Great One was born. Upon the Great One's death, the Ettins were created from his body. These Ettins, also known as gods or demigods, were the first benders in the Nine Realms.
The Ettins, god-like beings that were the first benders, used their powers to create the world from the Great One's body. Earth was created from the Great One's flesh, air from his breath, and the sky from the dome of his head. The oceans were filled with water from Nuelhome, creating the End, and Mutspellhome was placed below the earth, forming the Underworld. The resulting world, a mixture of the Great One's body and breath with the order and chaos of the first two realms, was named Midgard.
The section elaborates that originally, all three realms were very close to one another and could be easily traversed, until Strife and division among the Ettins and other beings led to the creation of two additional realms: Osgard and Wennhome. Osgard is home to the Osar, the gods of divine order, while Wennhome is home to the Wennar, the gods of primordial chaos. Another race, known as the Little Ones, also played a role in the creation of the realms. Their infighting resulted in the creation of Swarthelfhome and Elfhome, realms aligned with darkness and light, respectively. These realms are home to the spirits.
In the war between the Osar and Wennar, many of the ancient Ettins were slain and "their bodies lie in the ground to this day". What few survivors remained fled, creating a new realm called Ettinhome. Ettinhome is described as "tougher and harder to live in than Midgard", albeit being far more peaceful after suffering the horrors of war (it is likely that this invasion narrative is informed by the experience of villagers being forced into the frozen wastes during the Illager Wars). The beginnings of the Water Tribe's RRSP and socialist model are also seen here, as Ettinhome is described as so harsh that "it is common for people to rent their labour out to others in order merely to survive".
At the current count, there are 8 realms:
1) Mutspellhome, the Nether,
2) Nuelhome, the End,
3) Midgard, the World,
4) Osgard, home of the Osar gods,
5) Wennhome, home of the Wennar gods,
6) Swarthelfhome, home of the Dark Spirits
7) Elfhome, home of the Light Spirits
8) Ettinhome, the last refuge of the Ettins
The final realm is Hell, described only as the realm of destruction at the roots of the World Tree. Presumably, such a realm is so horrifying that it does not merit discussion.
The Return of the Ettins
With the rise of humans, the fourth era of villager independence in the Post-Dominance has subsided for the era of the Ettins, the villager name for humans. Having returned from Ettinhome, the humans are described as capable of great monuments, still holding the ability to manipulate the elements, and even to block the flow of chi in living beings - these are the benders and chiblockers respectively. The ghosts of those Ettins who died in the first war remain, the Elves, who remain divided as Light and Dark, torn away from their connection to the Great One with the loss of physical form. With the return of the Ettins, the NPCs consider the zombies (who bear a striking resemblance to us) to be the revived bodies of those Ettins who fell in the first war.
The Ettins are considered dangerous at this stage - the apocalypse is probably not coming right away, for we are relative newcomers, but the fallen Ettins, or zombies, return during the depths of night to hunt the villagers. For their protection, villagers are advised to construct the iron golems who defend their villages, with the text giving explicit instructions. Those Ettins who are friendly, the humans, must be pleaded with to provide protection, light, and order. Entering into servitude is recognised as an unpleasant yet ultimately necessary relationship
This last section has an unfortunate implication that benders of the modern day are the descendants of the Ettins and thus the harbingers of the apocalypse. Indeed, this would explain why the villagers were able to organise a coordinated resistance to preserve their way of life against the Illager occupier, and yet has complied with the Polaris government without incident, in particular during the Zombie Crisis that left villages across the world depopulated, including Polaris. Whether this is to be *the* final age, as the undead Ettins rise with Níðhöggr to consume the world, or the next in a long progression with yet new actors and realms rising and falling, remains unknown. All we can do is tell each other these stories and counsel one another on how to remain decisive yet wise; to push, and pull; to bring order yet respect chaos; and to stay warm and see beauty in a world that is so dark and cold.
Practices
These sections explore the sociological/political and aesthetic/social aspects of the faith, specifically in exploring how the Leader ought to exemplify Tui and how the Sage La. The style takes a direct turn away from the more account-like writing style of previous sections, recounting tales of the world, and instead approaches a more poetic style, as the tone of the work shifts away from descriptions of events towards prescriptions of action and advice.
While this section can be interpreted as a guide for each figure to best help their community, this would be a premature conclusion. The Ordering is a religion, not a manual. The work is designed to be followed and consumed by all. Those of us who are neither leaders nor sages must seek to approach both simultaneously and appreciate both, as law and harmony are in each of us and both must be properly cultivated. Notably, both sections state that is the role of the leader/sage to bring order. While the parallels are abundant otherwise, this rooting of a common opening line is not a coincidence.
The sections also contain explicitly theological concerns, rather than purely mundane ones. In describing the ideal Leader and ideal Sage, the text reveals to us what exactly Tui are, do, and must be. In wrapping the two together, it becomes clear that the two parts must be integrated into the whole. Indeed, the texts directly parallel one another - "When Tui speaks, all nature listens" vs "What La says, all nature hears". Dichotomies will emerge all over - leader/sage feeds into law/harmony, action/waiting, heavy/light, ice/water, people/world, push/pull; Tui and La.
The Leader of Tui/The Sage of La
The Leader of Tui
The leader is portrayed throughout the section as being the force of action. The wise leader is one who must bring order through a heavy hand, listening but not bowing to others, bringing action when it is required.
As Tui is the embodiment of Law, and the leader is the embodiment of Tui, it is the duty of the leader to bring Law to the nation. When Tui speaks, all of nature listens. When the leader speaks, all of the nation listens. This introduces the concept that nature is, to some degree, actually an ordered state of affairs and not one of chaos as it is Tui's domain in the same manner that the nation is the leader's domain.
In describing the leader as opposed to killing, the text takes time to clarify that the leader does not *enjoy* killing but will do what they must in ensuring that Order remains. Passion cannot make a good leader, only Action. Not only does this advise the leader to practise realpolitik in their behaviour, it is a general counsel of patience combined with decisiveness. The leader may be that of Ice, but they must not be frozen in place.
As the leader is firmly rooted in the camp of achieving specific goals through action via the law, we see the first example here of not what a leader *is*, but what they are *not* as the text explains that "it is like pulling teeth to motivate a denier", a task best left to the sages. An interesting implication arises here insofar that permission to defy the leader has been tacitly granted - the sage is expected to convince others, acknowledging that opposition to the leader/sage government will always exist, and yet there is no condemnation as such or view that they are aligned with order. This implies freedom of speech is not only to be expected to be demanded as a political reality, but is something that is innate to the social fabric as much as the leader is, as much as Tui is to nature.
The next verse continues on the theme of pushing, actualizing, motivating, and Doing on the leader's part. They are not here to keep check on the stragglers, they must push when they are needed. When they are not needed, they must make themselves scarce. The leader's presence is to match "the firmness of ice", like Tui, and Tui itself is identified here as that which animates and motivates nature. It pushes, it motivates, it actualizes.
Those who do not follow the Law are cast into the ranks of Chaos at the final verse, as Law is of the Divine Order and thus to not follow it is to be opposed to said Order, as Chaos is. Law stands firm against debasement, as the dualism of Order-Chaos realises a hierarchy, and the leader's final duty is summarised - "The leader guards their followers against debasement".
The Sage of La
The parallel poem begins and proceeds in an identical structure to that of *Tui,* directly calling upon their duality. The sage is portrayed throughout as the cultivator of order as harmony, equally obliged to bring order like the leader, corresponding to those times where action is unnecessary and yielding is primary. Where the leader is heavy, the sage must have a light touch, and where the leader guards from the world, the sage must trace the ways of the world. The sage bends with the world, waiting to advise in times of waiting.
Whereas the leader brought about law as the nation's Tui, the sage brings about harmony as the nation's La. "What La says, all nature hears" reflects the difference between law and harmony quite succintly - whereas law is commanded, harmony is advised. The sage's duty is to speak to all, be with all, but never *at* all. The instant the sage assumes a dictatorial or moralistic framework, their authority fractures as they attempt to encroach the Leader.
The sage must oppose enmity as the leader opposes killing, as enmity represents the lack of harmony, the presence of discord, within the community. Order stands against enmity. The sage must necessarily realise, however, that their preaching will be met with resistance and thus, they must be passionate but not with action. Whereas the leader is bound to a cool mindset of actualising goals, the sage is bound to a passionate drive towards leadership through realising the community that is always to come. They must preach, and they must preach harmony.
The implications of La are realised at this stage, for while Tui has already been show to bring about the movement and animation of nature, La provides for its free will. Passion, realising the non-existent, and the harmony of all things is La's domain and naturally counters the will-to-power ambitions of each natural thing that has been animated. La's advice clearly must be heeded in much the same way that one must pay attention to one's environment in order to survive. One always has power, but power is meaningless without the competition. "It is like plowing a rocky field, to advise the unhearing" provides a useful metaphor at this point to explain as to how one may approach those who reject or do not care for the Sage's advice - they are best to be left to the Leader, who is the only figure capable of Action to compel attendance of the Sage's wisdoms - but also showing the specific differences between the two. The leader who tries to *convince* enemies will be like pulling teeth - lots of effort, no results - so it is delegated to the Sage. The sage who tries to *advise* nonbelievers will be plowing a rocky field - normal effort, no results - so it is delegated to the Leader. This choice of metaphor is apt as it shows the problem of reasoning in the sage's domain of the moral and ethical: they may not rely upon statements of fact or empirical claims, like the leader may in their domain of realpolitik. Inversely, the leader can never appeal to "should", only "could", stranded in the domain of action from the aesthetic world.
As La is identified with water, so is the sage; wielding immense strength and power, yet always yielding, always giving way, as our petty ships carve through the waves. La pulls, advises, and realizes. When the pulling is required, the sage will be present, but make themselves scarce when it is not required. It becomes clear here what the relationship of the sage and leader precisely is: the Leader must Push forward, striving towards expansion, the growth of the community, expanding stores and improving security. The sage must necessarily pull back, retaining cohesion, ensuring stability, making sure everyone is well fed and with one another. The famous communitarian spirit of the Water Tribe is realised through the Sage.
Much like those who oppose the Law, those who do not live in Harmony are shamed and thus cast down to those who follow the Primordial Chaos, those who oppose the Divine Order. The poem ends in demonstrating that where the leader must guard their followers from debasement, it is the duty of the sage to lead them away from it. They cannot survive without each other.
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