The Undying Court

The Undying Court
Varies, but the symbol above is used to represent the faith as a whole
Alignment	3E/5E: Neutral Good 4E: Unaligned
Pantheon	Eberron
Portfolio	Glory, history, patience, revelation, obedience
Domains	3E: Deathless, Fate, Good, Planning, Protection 4E: Fate, Knowledge, Undeath 5E: Grave, Knowledge, Life
Worshippers	Elves, half-elves
Favoured Weapon	Scimitar

Spirits of the Past
Alignment	3E: True Neutral 4E: Unaligned 5E: Chaotic Good
Pantheon	Eberron
Portfolio	Glory, battle, bravery, honor
Domains	3E: Destruction, Elf, Protection, Revered Ancestor, War. 4E: Protection, Vengeance, War 5E: War
Worshippers	Elves, half-elves of Valenar
Favoured Weapon	Double Scimitar

The Undying Court acts as both the chief faith of the elves of Aerenal and their leading authority - and unlike most of the religions in Eberron, whose existence is mostly a matter of conjecture, the court is a very real group of spooky not-undead elves that runs the government. In a funny way, this has the pointy-ears steal the whole ancestral worship gig that dwarves usually have to themselves.

However, because we're talking about a race of pointy-eared racists, that means that no other races get to join this special club. All the other races as well as those absolute failures of elves. Above them is the typical elf, who don't become Deathless because they're not the legendary heroes - their fate is to linger on in the world of the living for a little longer as spirits. At the top of this pecking order is the Court itself, who have been chosen to live beyond their lifespans to guide their descendants.

The Least Evil Undead

The chief thing to understand about the Court is that they're not exactly undead in the traditional sense. While they are indeed dead, the members of the Court are not resurrected by any means but are instead placed in a manifest zone (A place with a strong connection to another plane) to the Plane of Positive Energy. This turns anyone inside them into not-quite undead called the Deathless. This allows the honored ancestors to still talk to their descendants and guide them. This is best shown in Aerenal's capital, Shae Mordai, where the ruling council is entirely comprised of Deathless elves.

It should also be known that the Court is decentralized; though the council of Shae Mordai govern the whole government, there are other courts comprised of the countless noble lineages and families throughout elven history. From there, just imagine all the courtly politics and all their intermarriage and scandals and whatnot, only now the grudges each house has can last beyond death.

The Court's generally dismissive of all the other faiths, considering each to be just a flight of fancy with little understanding of what happens after death. Conversely, the Court sees the Blood of Vol as a bastardization of their preservation, their claims that all humans are inherently divine an absurdity, and the undead this results in as monstrosities. Naturally, this means that devotees of the court spend their time hunting down and destroying the undead.

Variant Sects

Considering that each court is essentially a very extended family, it's only natural that there would be a grand variety of different interpretations of the basic faiths of the Court. That said, however, there are some versions that stray from the norm in very grand fashions.

• Death-Eaters: Very much heresy to the other elves, this particular faith doesn't show any real respect to the dead. Instead, they eat the souls of their dead in the hopes of absorbing their wisdom. Naturally, this leads to the normal elves hunting down and exterminating them.
• Dynastians: Probably the most typical variation of the Court, Dynastians believe that since the Court is so decentralized to begin with, each ancestor pretty much counts as a deity in their own right. Of course, since there's a ton of Deathless, only one has to rule them all - and that one happens to be their ancestor.
• Tairndal: These guys don't believe in becoming deathless. They still honor their ancestors, but they believe that instead of becoming fodder for resurrection, their ancestors should instead be allowed to reincarnate. By emulating their great deeds, the Tairndal seek to connect with these past lives and perhaps eventually become something more than just an elf.
• Valenar Ancestor Worship (aka Spirits of the Past): Considering that Valenar is so far away from the homeland, the bandit-elves instead take a different approach to their faith. It's pretty close to the approach the Tairndal take, seeking to worship and emulate the acts of ancestors past without the ability to bring them back from the dead to pester them.