Cult of Sha’taurë
Contents
Cult of Sha’taurë
Also Known As: The Keepers of the Spirit-Water, The Lake-Bound, The Rememberers
Associated Deity/Spirit: Sha’taurë
Primary Region: Western Shores of Asha’Tor (Tawar-Nur)
Practitioners: Tawar-Nur Elves, Beastfolk (fox-folk, cat-folk, rat-folk, others)
Human Participation: None
Structure: Non-hierarchical, ritual-based, situational leadership
Overview
The Cult of Sha’taurë is an ancient animistic spiritual tradition practiced by the elves and beastfolk of Tawar-Nur. Despite its name, it is not a cult in the imperial or doctrinal sense, but a living religious practice woven into daily life, seasonal cycles, and communal memory.
At its center is Sha’taurë, the primordial spirit of the Great Lake Asha’Tor. To its practitioners, Sha’taurë is neither god nor beast, but a sentient, remembering presence bound to water itself.
The tradition predates all human settlement in southern Elwindil and is believed to have existed since the Naming of Things.
Beliefs
Followers of Sha’taurë do not believe in commandment, salvation, or divine favor.
Core beliefs include:
The lake is alive and aware
The lake remembers all that enters it
Imbalance invites response
Silence is as meaningful as sound
Sha’taurë is regarded as a witness rather than a ruler, and as a corrective presence rather than a moral judge.
Listening, Not Worship
Sha’taurë does not seek worship.
The Cult practices listening — attuning to the lake through sound, silence, and observation. Rituals are designed not to petition or command, but to align with patterns already present.
Many practitioners state that the lake does not answer questions.
It answers conditions.
Roles Within the Cult
The Cult has no permanent hierarchy. Authority emerges only during ritual or response to imbalance.
Water Daughters
The Water Daughters are ritual singers and keepers of oral memory, most often female elves.
Their responsibilities include:
Leading chant-rituals
Preserving ancient songs
Interpreting changes on the water’s surface
Teaching vocal traditions
Their singing style is ancient, layered, and circular, designed to induce trance and resonance.
Deepbinders
Deepbinders are shamans and vision-walkers who interpret dreams, disturbances, and signs from the lake.
They are known to:
Enter trance near the shore
Undertake vision fasts
Serve as intermediaries during times of imbalance
Rarely leave the western shores
Tidebound
The Tidebound serve as guardians of sacred sites along the lake.
Their duties include:
Protecting ritual locations
Intercepting intruders
Escorting permitted outsiders
Acting only when imbalance is sensed
Ritual Practices
The Ripple Rite
A dawn observance in which singers watch the lake’s surface.
Interpretations include:
Still water — acceptance
Circular ripples — warning
Sudden waves — disturbance or trespass
The Breath Offering
Offerings are made not of flesh, but of sound, breath, and symbol.
Common offerings include:
Chant
Reed instruments
Feathers
Carved driftwood
Rare symbolic bloodletting from the palm
Humanoid sacrifice is not practiced and is considered a profound misunderstanding of Sha’taurë’s nature.
The Great Silence
Once per cycle, the Cult observes several days of complete silence.
During this time, Sha’taurë is believed to listen rather than remember.
The Avatar of the Deep
Cult tradition holds that Sha’taurë may occasionally express intent through an immense underwater being dwelling in the western depths of the lake.
This being is referred to only by titles:
The Deep One
The Mask of the Water
That Which Moves Beneath
It is regarded as an avatar rather than a separate entity. Sightings are rare and treated as omens.
Outsiders and the Cult
Outsiders are rarely welcomed.
Those who approach the western shore without permission may experience:
Disorientation
Altered dreams
Illusory paths
Quiet removal — or disappearance
The Cult prefers avoidance to violence, but will act decisively if the lake is threatened.
Common Sayings
- “The lake remembers.”
- “Do not speak first to the water.”
- “Stillness is an answer.”
- “What sinks is not always lost.”
Summary
The Cult of Sha’taurë is:
One of the oldest living spiritual traditions in Elwindil
Animistic, non-hierarchical, and memory-centered
Rooted in song, silence, and listening
Closely bound to the Great Lake Asha’Tor
Sha’taurë is not worshiped.
It is listened to.
