[quote=K-97]
I'm interested. Are there any dominant religions in the world? I'm thinking of playing a monk of sorts.Also could you go into detail about the ''arcane inscriptions'' of the Ithuri? As well as its capabilities and weaknesses.
[/quote]

There are many religions in the world, and most are the product of human thinking and philosophy. The ithuri do not revere any superior being, regardless of whether one exists or not, as they believe that they are above anything and everything. In the Dawning Age, they did revere a pantheon of gods who have been adopted by humans. This pantheon has become one of the dominant religions in the human world. Collectively, these gods are known as the Seraphim.
 
There are two strands of doctrine. There is the orthodox belief, which depicts the Seraphim as winged entities wreathed in fire. It is believed that the Seraphim are preparing for the End of Days, where they must come up against the Red Shadow, an embodiment of the sins of humanity. There are nine entities in the orthodoxy, each representing different attributes:
· Glory
· Death
· Existence
· Mercy
· War
· Hope
· Fate
· Guidance
· Justice
 
The orthodox belief was popular in the Domain of the First Men, and continues to be in Rulaan, Vinosca and Falas Moudaiin.
 
The newest doctrine eliminates the End of Days, and condenses the Red Shadow into the concept of ‘red sin’. Red sin is an umbrella term for all deeds considered evil and inhumane. It is believed that the battle with red sin is a daily struggle and that paradise awaits those who win the battle. There are 11 entities here, presented as human figures.
· Malthe, God War and Flame
· Sirein, Goddess of the Unseen
· Aran, Goddess of Love and Lust
· Nadael, God of Tides, Storms and Winds
· Vinos, God of Vine, Vale and Forge
· Ira, Goddess of the Sun and the Moon
· Erumiel, God of Time, Scripture and the Stars
· Orelia, Goddess of Life
· Talas, God of Knowledge and Justice
· Vaan, God of Music
· Piara, Goddess of the Woodland Realms
 
This is the religion of the Queendom of Audya.
 
There are numerous other religions in the world, and if you would like to know about them, just ask. The Seraphim are the biggest in the human world currently, followed by the Cult of Habdel in Ashara.
 
Onto the ithuri! During the Dawning Age, the ithuri devised an ‘arcane alphabet’ consisting of over 200 symbols called vitali. All ithuri have various symbols etched into their skin by a pencil made of ley energy (called a [i]stele[/i]) by the stelemasters of Dalrenhil. There are a few reasons for this, the primary one being nourishment.

Dalrenhil, the city-nation of the ithuri, is surrounded by barren desert. To compensate for the lack of food, they began utilising ley energy to sustain their bodies. Eventually, this became an addiction, and eliminated the craving for food and water.

However, centuries of over-reliance on arcane magic and ley energy has weakened the ithuri significantly. Their forms have diminished considerably, making them very slender and lithe, with very little muscle. They are able to walk and perform some tasks, however other strenuous and mundane happenings require a lot of effort. Magic is therefore utilised to do these tasks, making magic one of the cornerstones of ithuri culture and activity.

When an ithuri is born, they are inscribed with something called an ‘orb’. This orb is a well of dormant ley energy that grows as the ithuri does, sustaining itself on the energies of nearby leylines. When an ithuri has fully matured, more vitali are added, with lines to link the orb to vitali. Vitali are therefore powered by the constant flow of energy in the ithuri’s skin. There are two types of vitali. The first is ‘constant’. Constant vitali require very little energy to work and are always active. They include minor enchantments to hide blemishes, signs of aging (as ithuri do age) and slight increases to strength, endurance and speed. The second kind of vitali are dormant, and have no energy flowing through them unless activated by the will of the ithuri. When these vitali are filled with ley energy, the ithuri experiences a flow of power. As ley energy begins to wane, so too does this power. These include more significant increases to strength, speed, accuracy and other physiological boons. They can also keep an ithuri warm or cool, bolster concentration, or bolster a spell or incantation.

Hope this answers your questions. :)

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Since there is so much interest, I'm considering adding a second storyline to do with Iaryn... not sure yet. Thoughts?