The Well Devoted

Divinity: The Well of Souls itself, treated as a Divinity
Adherents: Those who follow the Well as a faith rather than a comfort
Doctrine: Reincarnation, and return to the Well when this life ends
Symbol: Water — a fresh start at its mildest, the lifeblood of the soul at its most devout
Rituals: The Fresh Start; the Tea Ceremony

Most of the continent believes in the Well of Souls while following some other Divinity. The Well Devoted are those whose belief in it is strong enough that the Well functions as a Divinity in its own right.

Devotion varies. At its mildest it is reverence for the Well itself; at its most committed it extends to every well the believer encounters, each treated as a connection to what lies beyond. Water is the shared symbol throughout — a fresh start to the casual believer, the lifeblood of the soul to the devout.

Whatever the degree, two beliefs are common to all of them: that you go to the Well when this life ends, and that you return.

The Fresh Start

Held at a new year or a new season, by a household or a whole community. Everyone writes their current worries on parchment. The papers are collected in a basket, and the basket is sent down the river or cast into the well.

The Tea Ceremony

Also practised, alongside rituals that vary from place to place.

In their own words

Illona Torok, A Collection of Thoughts

A Satisfying Conclusion

The Well of Souls is a nearly universal comfort to those on the continent. Having a semblance of an answer in regards to what becomes of someone when they draw their last breath is alleviating, at least in this humble writer’s regard. Many folks believe in the Well while following the teachings of another Divinity, but some have such a devout belief in the Well that it almost acts as a Divinity itself: Those who tread this path are called the Well Devoted.

While the exact amount of devotion can fluctuate among the Well Devoted, these folks truly hold reverence for the Well of Souls, some even carrying that veneration for all wells they encounter as a connection to the great beyond. Because of this, water is held in high regard, seen in its more casual believers as the symbol of a fresh start and in more devout cases as the lifeblood of the soul. This same spectrum of extremes carries through most of the religious practices held by the Well Devoted, especially the rituals, but one thing that all Well Devoted individuals can agree upon is venturing to the Well when your current life ends and the belief in reincarnation.

The Religion in Practice

While I am sure there are many rituals based on your locale, the two rituals that I have seen in practice were the Fresh Start and the Tea Ceremony:

The Fresh Start is a larger scale ceremony that can take place in households or entire communities. Normally taking place at a new year or a new season, folks gather together with their current worries and woes written on parchment. One by one, their frets will be placed in a basket and, once all are collected, the basket will be “sent down the river” or “tossed into the well.” This could be an actual body of water, or perhaps the basket is floated down the river of believers in a flowing line through town that is finally splashed with water as a symbol of the end of its journey and connection to the Well of Souls. This ritual symbolizes the belief of trusting the Well with your worries, and the faith that you will be shown the right path because of it. Some use it as an aptly named fresh start, while others consider it a way to talk to someone who has made their way to the well before them. Perhaps the message sent with care will find the soul that they miss so very much.

Another ritual rumored to contact those on Aropria with souls that reside in the Well is the Tea Ceremony. With the Well Devoted’s strong esteem of water, there are many that believe that with the right blend and the right intentions, folks can connect to the Well over a good cup of piping hot tea. In fact, there are a few church-sanctioned apothecaries throughout the nations that sell certain blends of tea to aid in whatever folks are trying to accomplish through the ceremony, be it inner peace, connection, or even inspiration. I was lucky enough to partake in a Tea Ceremony that used a rather expensive Inner Peace blend and found that the tea brought just as much peace to my body as it did to my soul. Perhaps that was thanks to the gilco grass and dried harbin fruit in the blend, but for the argument of spirituality, I’ll say it was the connection to the Well that soothed my weariness. While I didn’t have any connections or conversations with those who had ventured to the Well, or the Well itself, from what I could gather, many have claimed to do exactly that, and the Tea Ceremony is held in the highest regard. It’s even been mentioned that many of the great philosophers of our day have had tea ceremonies to ponder some of the bigger “What ifs” that they’ve faced in their musings, and that the ceremony has helped them to find their answers.