| Other Names | The Tripart God, The Thirded Lord, The Teacher |
| Status | Greater God |
| Area Of Control | Body, mind and spirit - Mastery of all three. |
| Ethos | You must master the three elements of life before you can know yourself. You must know yourself before you can master reality. |
| Origins | Human |
| Worshipers | Typically humans and elves, but in theory, anyone can be a disciple. |
| Appearance | Middle aged human male. Excellent physical condition. Short grey hair. Grey eyes. Plain, simple robes. |
| Symbol | Inverted triangle inside a triangle inside a circle. |
The Yntharian faith is more a philosophy and set of teachings than an actual religion. It is one of the oldest continuous faiths in existence. Ynthar is the founder of the tripartite philosophy detailed below. In so doing, he became the first Master. Ynthar believes that the three separate parts of an individual should be enhanced through training separately. Hence, Ynthar is a master of physical health and martial arts. He is exceptionally intelligent, has a strong will and can control the flow of magic easily. Rather than a god, he is seen as the founder of the faith and the teacher of a great body of knowledge.
Ynthar was a commoner born during the Age of Dawning as a Ranyku. He was a gifted young man who saw facets of the Universe that others were blind to. While he was with the Ranyku, he dabbled in art and writing and poetry. Later he turned to the study of magic. He was never quite satisfied with what he found and moved from subject to subject. He studied many religions and philosophies, including that of the Ranyku, but he never found what he sought.
Eventually he turned inward and developed his own philosophy. He created a philosophy that focused on developing and improving the body, mind and spirit separately, but in parallel. founded a school to spread his teachings to others. Throughout his life, the school became very popular and powerful. Many came to study under him. Toward the end of his life, Ynthar had developed such mastery as to be able to accomplish feats that many considered to be miracles. He died of natural causes at the age of 134.
The school continued as his pupils had become masters and they in turn taught the art to others. During the Age of the Alliance, four temples were built. One to each Discipline and a great central temple to all three.
During the Purification Campaign conducted by the Alliance Mage Lords, members of this religion were persecuted. Many of them fought against the Alliance Mage Lords and, subsequently, most of this faith was wiped out. During the Great War, the four temples were looted and Yntharian followers were killed. The aggressors of the Great War often looted such places looking for magic and slaves. One central artifact of this religion, the Crystal of Ynthar was hidden to protect it. However, in the chaos of the Great War, the Crystal was stolen and its fate was unknown.
For many centuries, this faith was an obscure cult from the past with scattered documents in libraries and very few actual practitioners. However, in the past few centuries, this religion has slowly been revived and is again gathering followers. The faithful are slowly rebuilding the four temples to their former glory. Many of the faithful are also searching for the lost Crystal of Ynthar.
This religion teaches that a single central tenet... that every living creature has three parts: body, mind and spirit. The body is biological and the mind consists of knowledge, memory and experience. The third part, spirit, is more elusive. It is the spiritual energy inherent in all living things. It is the soul, the essence of the creature. It is the spark of life that makes all people unique. It is a tiny glow connected to the field of magic. This is the central philosophy of the Yntharian religion.
Those who follow this faith are known as Yntharians. The outside world often calls them "yntharian priests" although priest is not entirely accurate. Yntharians live more as monks. There are no divisions of labor or ranks or titles. All Yntharians are seen as equal and each is on his or her own personal journey toward personal mastery. Yntharians live simple lives uncomplicated by ceremony.
Each of the three "parts" - body, mind and spirit - is known in Yntharian lore as a Discipline. Each Yntharian studies and works to enhance these three disciplines. Followers concentrate their studies in one discipline at a time. Often, followers will move from temple to temple as their studies change. A follower becomes a Master only upon learning and mastering all three Disciplines. Throughout history, there have been many Yntharian masters. However, to date, no one has been able to achieve many of the near miraculous things that Ynthar was reported to have accomplished.
Yntharian followers are skilled in the ways of magic, for magic is a central part of their faith and their teachings. Every follower learns spells as does any other wizard. However, their faith has a very philosophical approach to magic. For them, it is an artform and a deeply personal reflection of the self. The way one casts magic says a great deal about who the caster is as a person. This extends to the type of magics learned and the choice of spells.
Another common practice is the three day cycle. Followers tend to study each discipline for one day and then beginning again.
 | The first day is completely devoted to physical training. This includes exercising, weapons practice, running, swimming, yoga, martial arts and gymnastics. |
| The second day is devoted to study, intellectual pursuits and magic. This might involve reading, studying, visiting a local library (if possible), solving puzzles and riddles, magical research and engaging in discussion with learned scholars. |
| The third day is spent resting and meditating. This day may also include fasting, imbibing herbal concoctions to expand the mind, confronting fears and resolving problems. |
The Symbol of Ynthar
The symbol of Ynthar consists of an outer circle, a superimposed triangle and a smaller inner inverted triangle. The three elements represent the three disciplines. The circle represents body, the large triangle represents mind and the inner triangle represents spirit.
This page last updated Monday, October 08, 2007. Copyright 1990-2008 David M. Roomes.