Parem'Zel
Admin
Posts : 116
Points : 4124
Reputation : 2
Join date : 2014-07-08
Age : 30
Location : Colorado, USA
Character Profile
Name: Parem'Zel
Race: Angelkin
Class: Warrior
 | | Subject: Religion & Mythology Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:04 pm | |
| - INTRO TO THE FAITHS:
As recorded in the holy book of Illumic:"In the beginning the light entered the world and brought low the primordials of old. Banishing each of them to a physical form, forced to wander the mortal realm for eternity. Then the light established a divine order of beings that would manage this creation. The Celestials would act as guardians of the various aspects of this world. With the Eternals being the greatest and most powerful among the celestial race. But this balance was not to last. When the eternals had consolidated their power, six beings with an evil intent made a pact with the dark to establish their own dominion, an army of demonic creatures vast beyond number. So the dark rose against the light and declared war upon it. Thus began the many thousands of years of divine conflict..."__________________________________________________________ There are two very different religions regarding in this divine war. Illuminism, which believes in the lights dominance in the war and Shadarism, which believes in the darks dominance in the war. Both of which believe their faith to be supporting the winning side. In addition to this there is a host of lesser beings who claim the right to receive worship from mortals. This includes the fallen primordials, the elementals and various other demi-gods and titans of great power.__________________________________________________________ 
- ILLUMINISM:
The religion of Illuminism, often called the Church of Illumic is the dominant religion of the continent of Panthea. A major teaching of the Illumic Priests are the seven great virtues. Justice, Courage, Hope, Honor, Truth, Creativity & Wisdom. It is taught that those who swear a lifetime commitment to the seven great virtues will be awarded in the afterlife. The priesthood of Illumic is divided into numerous ranks and various councils that govern the organization of churches in a specific region. In addition to the grand cathedrals dedicated to the light scattered across the land, hundreds of smaller shrines dedicated to the eternals are also used as a place to bring prayers to the guardians of the world.
___________________________________________________
The Eternals (Also call Grand Celestials, or Arch-Angels) are as follows:
___________________________________________________
PATRONEL
Arch-Angel of Law, Order & Justice
Patronel is well known by many cultures as the chief Eternal of the heavenly realm, the enforcer of the seven great virtues. Patronel teaches that there is a place for everything, and everything should be in its place. He is always well dressed, and his posture is impeccable. When he must speak with mortals his word choice is very precise, formal, but never flowery. His servants strive to follow a similar pattern in their lives. Followers of Patronel are often record keepers, and often aid law makers and those who enforce the laws. Paladins of Patronel ensure that all criminals are brought to trial, and that the punishment is equal to the crime. His temples and altars are always built according to precise formulas. They consist of large, vertical columns, open, spacious corridors, and the clergy always follow precise schedules. To facilitate this, the temple often has a large bell which is rung at regular intervals. Patronels holy symbol is a perfect square, located within a circle with each corner touching the circle. The circle is in an equilateral triangle, and touches each side.
HAVOKEL
Arch-Angel of Strength & Valor
Havokel teaches that battle is an honorable pursuit and to always fight for what you hold dear. He is always represented as a knight-general, with brilliant armor, and only a sword in his hand. It is said he once had a shield, but gave it to Vilthael to protect her, since she refused to carry a weapon. His priests are few, but his paladins are many. They are the most active in the land, seeking to battle evil wherever it may be. They take great pride in their combat prowess, and rarely resort to magic. His paladin's are often accompanied by a priestess of Vilthael who provides healing and protection. As a Eternal he is known as commander of the celestial army, it makes sense that Havokel's holy symbol is a sword.
VILTHAEL
Arch-Angel of Healing & Protection
Wife of Patronel, Vilthael is seen as the defender of peace. Vilthaya teaches that violence is never the answer, and to harm none. Only in the defense of yourself and others should you ever take up arms against another and only as a last resort. Vilthaya is represented by a young maiden in white. She is often seen sitting on a shield, with some usually aggressive animal sleeping softly beside her. She is kind, compassionate, and understanding to all who seek her out. Her priesthood consists mainly of healers, and those skilled in protective magics. Her paladins are few, but dedicated to the cause of peace. They will rarely resort to violence, and prefer non-lethal weapons.
IRETHIEL
Arch-Angel of Travel, Dreams & Prophecy
Through dreams the truth is revealed. You may hide from the waking world, but in the sleeping mind all is revealed. Irethiel is the mistress of all divination and grants her followers visions in their sleep. Irethiel is represented as a young oracle, each with only a single eye open at any time. It is said that she dwells in a heavenly fortress made of dreams, and her followers strive to find a way into this place. Those who worship her often take poisons concocted to give them vivid dreams. Their temples are sparsely decorated, but filled with beds for the faithful to sleep in. While her followers are few, she is respected as the patron of travelers and a shrine to Irethiel can be found on every road.
TAESOEL
Arch-Angel of Wealth, Prosperity & Royalty
Taesoel is the eternal of wealth, because mineral wealth was found with kings. Many kings & queens of aerth often pay tribute to Taesoel on the day they are crowned. For it is believed that all political and noble power belongs to him. He has the ability to raise kings and allow them to fall. As the patron of prosperity and he rules over the material treasures of the world. His sacred writings teach of methods to gain wealth and live a prosperous life. His followers are typically tax collectors, bankers and filthy rich aristocrats. Typically prayed to via small wells found in banks and taverns. At these places one can sacrifice something of value and pray for something two fold in return.
GENESIEL
Arch-Angel of the Elements
The power of nature is absolute and beautiful, and the followers of Genesiel both believe and exemplify this ideal. Represented as a Dryad wearing a robe made of all the elements, she is the mother of the Elementals, and therefore she is the source of their power (elementalists will never believe this and refuse to accept this as truth). She communicates with her followers through the natural world. Her followers are more often druids than priests, and her paladins are few in number. Her sacred places are scattered throughout the wild, and they are not built but discovered. Anywhere that the elements exists in balance and harmony is a temple to Genesiel, and all the world is her domain. Her holy symbol is any natural object created by the elements interacting, including cooled magma, collected rain water, a stone made smooth by a rushing river, etc.
PELIOSEL
Arch-Angel of Day & Illumination
Each day is a new beginning, this is the teaching of Peliosel. He once bathed all the world in light, until the dark stole half of it from him. He has been chasing the night ever since, yet each second he reclaims a piece of the world, the demon of the moon steals the same amount from behind him. Peliosel is represented as the sun itself, and when he must take human form he is represented as a phoenix with golden eyes. His followers work tirelessly each day to make better the lives of their friends and neighbors, and it seen as a sin to waste a moment of daylight. His holy symbol is, not surprisingly, a sun.
- SHADARISM:
The Church of Shadar is not as organized as its Illumic counterpart. The various demons, pit fiends and devils are worshiped in various ways. However the core belief of Shadarism is that "The Dark" is the ultimate primeval force of evil. The six Arch-Devils are just six parts of a whole. Put collectively they form a power that even the light can not stand against. The church of shadar teaches in the beauty of chaos and freedom from the strict and ridged order of the light. The Arch-Devils that rule over the forces of darkness are thought to be mysterious beings. The truth behind their origins is known only by them. Althought it is clear that they were once beings of light in the distant past.
_____________________________________________________
ABADDON
Arch-Devil of Destruction & Chaos
Lord of the Felkin
Very little is known of the origins of the arch-devil known as Abaddon, although rumours abound. Some say that he was an extremely powerful eternal who became lord of the dark during the great rebellion against the light. While others believe that he is a manifestation of avarice and gluttony crafted by the Creator to punish the sins of mortals. In any case, one thing is clear: Abaddon is the ultimate Nihilist. He believes that all things in the universe exist to feed his literally all-consuming hunger. To that end, he created the Locust Swarm, an army of mindless drones commanded by his clergy, with the ability to consume any material and feed it directly to Abaddon, no matter the distance or barriers.
BELIAL
Arch-Devil of Suffering & Corruption
Great Belial, the Lord of Pain and Suffering, is considered one of the greatest losses to the celestials of the Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia. Once a great Planetar dedicated to healing and mercy, Belial was always filled with secret, dark desires. He would heal and aid those in need, but only after watching them wallow in anguish, begging for him for his help. Most of his victims, incapable of believing that a Celestial could engage in such sadism, fancied the occurrences as dreams or hallucinations. On the few occasions word of Belials acts reached the Celestial Host, he would worm his way out of further questions through the use of his glib, trustworthy tongue. So great was his ability to speak, so great his ability to seem trustworthy, that he helped corrupt many lesser Celestials into joining the dark.
MAMMON
Arch-Devil of Greed & Betrayal
If greed had a face, it would be Mammon's, the Lord of the Third. There are few beings in the cosmos more covetous than Mammon, and none can claim to have as much in their personal hoard as he, not even the Great Mal Dragon. Mammon's past is an enigma. Many texts claim that he was once a powerful celestial who was part of the great fall along with Abaddon & Belial. Yet, others scoff at such a notion. Before the rise of the dark, Mammon was the greatest servant of the Terrok, the elemental of earth. A guardian spirt of the wealth of the deep. An ally, albeit an untrustworthy one, to Scorde, the primordial god of evil.
KYROS
Arch-Devil of Sorcery & Shadow
Kyros is often consider a dark and ancient being, existing long before the arival of the light. The greatest general of the ancient god of evil, having joined the other arch-devils in their rebellion during the rise of the dark. Worshipers are spread far and wide, usually no more than two dozen in one place. Despite their isolation to one another, they are organized. Their god is, as they say, true and pure evil. Since the beginning of the rebellion, Kyros has been planning to overthrow Abaddon as the greatest of the six. Then he will use this power to absorb his master's primodial spirit. Kyros is considered a similitude of the dark lord. He is both shadows and darkness. He is venerated by cultists and does not ask for prayers, only secrets. For it is only in the shadows that knowledge remains hidden. As he wishes to be secret, his temples are rare. The rite of secrets is the most common rite. It involves writing the symbol of Kyros on top of a piece of paper with a secret on it, and dropping the paper into shadows. When the paper is picked up, the secret has changed into one the writer wants to know.
PHAALOS
Arch-Devil of Malice, Fear & Tyranny
He is a powerful, violent and temperamental force of evil that acts upon His own accord to fulfill His own desires. Phaalos teaches that fear and anger is the ultimate source of power and eternally crusades to remove those who refuse to believe it. Those who aid in spreading the knowledge of this power and converting another soul to the path of hatred are rewarded. Phaalos has a passionate distaste for those who attempt to thwart his will, taking great steps to establish dominion over them at all costs. The more hate and fear that his followers pour into the world, the stronger he becomes and in times of peace and prosperity, Phaalos rages to a tormented boil, ready to lash out at the world with cataclysmic wrath & horror.
TARVIK
Arch-Devil of Lies & Deception
No one but the mad worship Tarvik as the dark god of lies. They will express the side of him that is the god which brings justice to those who deserve it and provides ways for freedom fighters to strike at those too strong for them head on. The truth is this malicious arch-devil feeds on discord and backstabbing, and promotes it under a kind face. Tarvik is portrayed as a tall black figure with lizard tail, claws, and spiny hair. His face is white and smooth, appearing to be the face of a handsome kind man or beautiful woman. He enjoys egging on greedy thieves, political dissidents, and quarreling friends alike. Sorcerers be cautious when evoking the presence of the arch-devil Tarvik, for he will bend the rules to his will.
_____________________________________________________
LESSER DEMONS COMMONLY WORSHIPED:
_____________________________________________________
THE FELKIN: Servants of Abaddon, they are 13 nameless demon princes. It is said that they can be called upon by their master to bring judgement upon those whom he deems unworthy of existence.[/b]
- ELEMENTALISM:
 Followed primarily by the dwarves of Errondur, as well as being the core belief of many druids. Elementalism is the belief that all of existence can be divided into four elements. Watching over these elements are the elementals. Though gods and demons may battle for power, elementalism teaches that they but a small part of the elementals domain and power. These elementals have no physical form, but according to the druids of elementalism, they are the ultimate beings in the cosmos, 2nd only to the light, or as the dwarves call him, "Ippaldos Tui Clohdil". Which when translated is called "Spirit of Life", commonly shortened to "Siel Gozur" or "Soul Giver". According to elementalism, this immortal, all powerful being is the the creator of the elementals and the incarnation of existence.
- TAOISM:
RELIGION OF TAOISM
A popular religion followed primarily in the Isles of Eon. Taoists are naturally reincarnated, and lose most of their memories in the process (though some have regained those memories through magical means). No one has determined how the location of the reincarnated spirit may be found.
To be a Taoist, you must be of the "Fighter" class. There have been occasional Taoists who discovered paths through books or even spontaneously, but they are very rare. Taoists believe that there is one perfect path, though none is sure what it is, and that once you have walked it, you will cease to be reincarnated and will achieve enlightenment.
There are many schools of Taoism, each of which tends to believe that its path is the correct one. Only Taoists are able to unlock the powers of Psionic magic. The Monastery of Elders, in the Isles of Eon, follows the teachings of the legendary fighter Nathios. The monks of the monastery train their followers to believe that meditation and nonviolence, except for defense, are the ways to enlightenment. Monks are adopted from orphanages as infants and trained their whole lives to use their psionic powers to great effect. When the monks reach age 16 they go out into the world to experience as much as possible, and return in their old age to tend the gardens, write poetry, and teach the arts to their young students.
- SPIRITISM:
RELIGION OF SPIRITISM
There is a wide range of beliefs for Spiritists, depending on what they believe have spirits. Some believe that everything has a spirit (Animists) while other ascribe it to only plants and animals, only animals, only sentient beings, only great ancestors, and many other possibilities. Worshipers of undead or of so-called "ancestors" are Spiritists as well. Spiritists' spirits inhabit in nature in some way consistent with their beliefs. Spiritism is most common among nature centered or tribal civilizations. Spiritist religions are unlikely to be the least bit beaurocratic and often are not even written down. They tend to be family, clan or tribal based word of mouth religions.
- AGNOSTIC:
AGNOSTICISM
Agnostics either do not care about religion, are not intelligent enough to have an opinion, or believe in a combination of faiths without choosing any one as the primary object of worship. No one knows where Agnostics go when they die. Many people in Aerth, attempting to prove that they simply vanished from existence, inadvertently proved that they did not when a group of sorcerers created an epic ritual that brought back to life an Agnostic who would have faded long ago as an atheist. Unfortunately the ritual did not retain memories from the afterlife. Agnostics tend to be the least philosophical of all religious people. Some wander from faith to faith haphazardly while others just don't care one way or another. Sorcerers are often Agnostics, and for all intents and purposes, animals are always Agnostic.
- CULT OF DUROCK:
The Cult of Durock
OFFICIAL SEAL OF THE GRIM PRIESTHOOD
The cult was established almost 1800 years ago. Focusing on the worship of the Grim Reaper, named Durock. Durock is believed to be death incarnate. Born as one of the primordial forces of darkness during the 1st age. During the early years, this cult was made up primarily of Graveborn. But over the past few centuries, all races including humans have join their ranks. The priests of Durock are called Grim. It may seem a weird concept to worship death incarnate, but actually it makes since to their followers. Durock is believed has dominion over the Realm of Death. All races go here when they die to be judged and depending on how they lived in life. They would be sent to an eternity in either the lower parts of the realm or the higher parts of the realm. The Grim priesthood teach that declaring supreme loyalty to Durock will guarantee you a place in the highest parts of the realm of death. By enforcing the cycle of life and death. Seeking Immortality is a major sin to the Grim priesthood as it is seen as an act of defiance. The more you put yourself in harms way, sacrificing your life in the name of Durock, the better. This is also the reason why there are so few Vampire who are members of the cult.
Last edited by Parem'Zel on Sun Sep 14, 2014 10:28 pm; edited 11 times in total | |
|
Parem'Zel
Admin
Posts : 116
Points : 4124
Reputation : 2
Join date : 2014-07-08
Age : 30
Location : Colorado, USA
Character Profile
Name: Parem'Zel
Race: Angelkin
Class: Warrior
| | Subject: Re: Religion & Mythology Sat Sep 13, 2014 8:11 pm | |
| LESSER KNOWN TITANS OF POWER
(More May Be Added Over Time)
_______________________________________________________ - XEXVIS (God of Heroes):
XEXVIS
The Mortal God, Mighty Hunter, Empowered Defender & Hero of AgesHis name is known all across the world, a mortal man who many say, upon his death, was ascended by The Light to god-like status. He is the ultimate hero & adventurer. The many legends and stories of his heroic deeds act as a boarderline. A line that was set by Xexvis long ago and now determines a true hero from they that simply seek glory. 
- GURAD'NURL (God of Giants):
GURAD'NURL
God of Giantfolk & Slayer of DragonsAccording to the stories, about a thousand years ago, a mighty giant once traveled to land who was stonger then any other. Slaughtering every dragon in his path, even to the point of near extinction. His name was Gurad'Nurl. Seeking vengeance against all of dragon kind for the death of his clan and family. Ascended to godhood soon after, he is responsible for ending the dominance of dragons. Commonly worshiped now as the patron of giants and monster slayers. 
- GORE (God of Beasts):
GORE
God of Beasts & Creator of the BruteOne of the fallen primordials, banished to a finite physical form after the ascension of the light. Although this fallen god has lost his divine form, he still retains his immortality and fierce power over the beasts of the world. In ancient times, before the primordials banishment, Gore created the race of Brute as an act of defiance against the light. 
- MAL (God of Dragons):
MAL
God of Wrath, Honor & Dragons
While not immortal, the Great Mal Dragon has been worshiped as one for that past thousand years. Although rarely seen, Mal is thousands of years old, he is the strongest, the fastest, the biggest, the most powerful of all dragons on the mortal plane. Demanding respect from all his followers, which primarily include Drake. Long ago, Mal establish a code of honor that has since become the holy writings of the Priesthood of Mal. 
| |
|
