Excerpts from The Nature of Faith, by Factor Ghardmi Rarnva of The Fraternity of Order:

"...The Powers gain their power from the faith of mortals. This is an indisputable fact. Even the Athar will admit this (although their opinions on the Powers receiving this faith are well known). The more faithful worship a Power receives (or the more worshipers a Power controls), the more powerful that Power becomes. This may be easily demonstrated by correlating the number of worshipers a Power has to his (or hers or its) rank (Demipower, Lesser Power, Intermediate Power, or Greater Power). The following formulae are generally utilized..."

"...An apparent discrepancy in the laws of faith is the existence of the so-called 'Near-Powers'. These are beings of Power-like status which are not actual Powers and include such entities as the Abyssal Lords, Slaadi Lords, the Onioloth, and so-forth. None of these beings receive the minimum threshold level of faith energy to provide Power-status of any kind, as may be demonstrated by the previous formulae. In order to understand this, one must first examine the nature of faith itself.

"Faith is a form of belief. It differs from the more common form of belief in that it is a motivating force. Simply put, faith is belief which produces action. As any force which produces action generates power, faith is therefore a form of belief which produces power..."

"...In accordance with the Rule of Threes, there are three types of faith. These types are (1) faith in an entity, (2) faith in a force, and (3) faith in a philosophy. Each of these types of faith will be dealt with in their own chapter..."

"...Faith in an entity is a motivating belief in any entity or object which is perceived as an entity. This entity may be the individual providing the faith or the recipient of the faith. Faith in one's self enables the seemingly impossible feats of skill, prowess, or strength that some individual mortals prove capable of. Faith in another being enables the same feats in the individual the faith is vested in; at it's most extreme, this type of faith becomes the 'fuel' which empowers the varying ranks of Powers...This type of faith may be considered the most 'pure'. The energy provided by the faith is channeled directly to the recipient, without being diluted in any manner..."

"...Faith in a force is faith in a specific concept, such as Good, Chaos, Death, Entropy, Nature, and so forth...This faith is not considered as 'pure' as faith in an individual for purposes of this discussion. Although the power generated by the faith is equally as powerful, it is not directed at a specific object or entity...This results in the faith energy being accessible to any entity who possesses the knowledge of how to draw from this energy, and a nature which will allow them to do so. Many Powers draw from this more generalized field of energy (it is believed that this is how the Krynnish Pantheon is staving off extinction in the face of their core power base beginning to disappear from the Multiverse), and it is also believed that this is the primary source of power utilized by the Near- Powers...Abyssal Lords, as an example, draw upon the generalized energies of faith in Chaos and Evil."

"...Faith in a philosophy is faith in a specific set of goals and ideals...In many ways this is the type of faith-energy most residents of Sigil are familiar with on a daily basis. This type of faith is the source of power for the unique abilities members of the disparate Factions of Sigil possess...Because this third 'pool' of faith energy is so type- specific, it is difficult to utilize to any large degree. The amount of power which may be drawn from this field is in direct proportion to the degree to which the individual drawing the power conforms to the source of the energy; the more an individual conforms to the philosophy, the more energy may be channeled..."

Of the Nature of Faith, By Harim, Factol of the Fraternity of Order

A commonly misunderstood concept in the Outer Planes is the power of belief. Many assume that it is one of the three great truths. It is not. The three great truths are The Center of the Multiverse, The Unity of Rings, and the Rule of Threes. Nevertheless, the power of belief cannot be ignored, as it has an impact on the three great truths and on all lesser truths of the Outer Planes.

The greatest misunderstanding of the power of belief is a fundamental ignorance about how the power of belief operates. Many Planars think that this is a simple thing, that a casual acceptance of a thing can make it true. This fallacy can be easily demonstrated through the use of an example, in the form of any of the gate-towns. All gate- towns ultimately slip through into the Plane they contain the gate to, an established fact. All residents of a gate- town have a casual acceptance of this fact; they are aware that someday their town will become part of another Plane. This does not move the gate-town. It only moves when their belief in the nature of the "adjacent" Plane becomes strong enough for them to behave in a manner consistent with that Plane.

This information allows us to present a very basic statement about the nature of belief. Belief alone does not carry power; belief which motivates a change in nature or action carries power. This form of belief is more difficult to maintain, and is analogous to the belief which priests maintain in their Powers. For this reason I will henceforth refer to belief which motivates a change in nature or action as faith, and will refer to the power of belief as the power of faith.

The Rule of Threes calls for three types of faith, and indeed there are. These types of faith consist of faith in a specific entity, faith in a concept, and faith in a philosophy. Each type of faith carries the same amount of potential energy. However, the energy is less focused, and is therefore harder to utilize, the further along the types of faith one goes.

Faith in a specific entity is, simply enough, believing in a single being enough to allow that being to change your nature or your beliefs. This type of faith is typified by faith in a Power, but it does not end there. Any being may receive this kind of faith. Many skilled individuals, whether craftsmen or warriors, have this kind of faith in themselves when it comes to their specific fields of expertise. This faith, while small when measured against the faith the Powers receive, is sufficient to enable them to perform deeds which would otherwise be beyond them.

Faith in a concept is believing in an idea enough to allow it to change your nature or actions. These ideas are the pure forms, the archetypes of existence. They include life, death, good, evil, and so on. For the Powers and the near-Powers, this type of faith represents a second source of power. The faith is not as specific to them as faith in them directly would be, but it is far more omnipresent. Any Power or near-Power may harness the faith in concepts which coincide with their natures. Mortals may also harness this source of power, inasmuch as they represent the concept that receives the faith.

Faith in a philosophy is believing in a set of goals and ideals enough to allow them to change your nature or actions. A primary example of this is the Factions of Sigil and the Sects of the Outer Planes. This type of faith is the easiest for mortals to utilize, as it is the simplest to understand and to embody. All mortals have a particular pattern of ideal which they follow; their faith in these ideal energizes them, and allows them to persevere and continue to obey them, even when it seems difficult. The Factions focus this power, bringing together many individuals who accept the same goals and ideals. Because many accept the same goals, their faith reinforces and energizes the others who have the same beliefs, as well as the individual.

In summation: the power of faith is not one of the great truths of the Multiverse. Despite this, it has an impact on all three great truths, and influences the lesser truths as well. An understanding of the nature of faith and the power it brings is essential to any who would study the Multiverse.