The first two major pre-set religions are done. Explanation of how religion works: In this world the current deities (Which are real and thinking beings that live in a celestial realm) are younger than the actual physical world. Every one thousand years the ruling deities or pantheon are overthrown as part of the millennial cycle, a process in which ascended mortals become servants of the ruling god(s), grow in power and eventually overthrow them for any reason (Usually for justice or power). Some of the more intelligent gods have attempted to avert the cycle, however as they did not create the world (They simply overthrew the last pantheon which overthrew the pantheon before that in turn) they do not actually know the intrinsic laws of their own domain and power. As such, no matter what the gods do they always get ascended mortals whom their powers do not work against, resulting in inevitable rebellion and the cycle continue's. The current group of gods are not united into a single pantheon as the previous one was and as such the mortal realm is divided into numerous religions, cults and denominations of the same faiths. Following the brutal overthrowing of the previous Aestrosian pantheon 220 years ago by Consenarius (Now known as Justinian Magnus, the God of Order and Justice) in what is now known as the Aestromachy, the world went through a period of mass crisis of faith and upheaval until the rise of the Darkness 20 years after the Aestromachy. The sudden rise of the darkness following this event (Which has never happened in recorded history) have many mortals rumour that the Darkness is the direct result of the Aestromachy or even led by remnants of the old pantheon to get revenge. [hider=List of religions and gods] ---Religion Name: Justinianism ---Religion Holy City: West ---Name/Titles of Deity: Justinian Magnus (Known by its followers), Consenarius (aka the "Voice of Consensus", was the name given to it by the previous pantheon), The Ordered God, The God of Many, The New God, The God of Heroes ---Religion Form: Monotheism + Spritualism (Christianity with a catch) ---Summary of Deity: Rather than being an all powerful omnipotent creator god, this otherwise Abrahamic style benevolent deity was formed from the ascension of mortal spirits into a higher plain of existence, in particular heroes fighting heavenly proxy wars in the material world. As the heroes ascended their identities and powers fused together, converting their magical and heroic power into a collective divine will. The god they created soon after overthrew most of the previous gods in the deicidal Aestromachy and formed a new benevolent order. This god is potentially the most powerful god of the four because as the war against the darkness becomes more and more lost, this god becomes more powerful due to the death of further heroes bringing more ascended individuals into its collective will. ---God of: Order, Stability, Justice, Life, Light, Heat, Death, Morality, Civilization, Sacrifice, Altruism ---Celestial Embodiment: Reborn Heroes, Saints, Avatars, Divine Intervention ---Chosen People: Humanity and Heroes(Of all races) ---Deities Personality and Style: Justinian Magnus is a being that has simultaneously lost its individual humanity and empathy but gained an almost inconceivable sense of enlightenment and morality. As a fusion of countless ascended formerly mortal heroes of all denominations, Justinian Magnus has unconditional love for all living things however it can no longer comprehend individual relationships. Its highly idealistic and convicted sense of morality, justice and righteousness is what motivates it now. While mortals worship Justinian Magnus as a he, technically speaking the god itself views itself as "Us" and still refers to itself as "Consenarius" or simply "We" or even "It". Its extreme ideals but lack of direct emotional ties results in a being that has draconian notions of justice. While it is the most openly benevolent being, it is also the most fanatical. ---Worshiped For: Salvation (Justinian Magnus promises to save all life, protect it from harm, ensure order and give paradise after death) ---Worshiped Through: Prayer, Sacrifice, Destroying the Darkness, Defending the innocent ---Religious Caste: Priests, Heroes, Monks, Crusaders, etc ---Religion Name: Yuwanite Aestrosism (Or simply Yuwanism) ---Religion Holy City: East ---Name/Titles of Deity: Yuwan'asyiel (Known by her followers), Yuwan (Shortened, regular name recognized by everyone), The Temporal Goddess, The Dreambringer, The Pathfinder Goddess ---Religion Form: Monotheism (Formerly Polytheism) ---Summary: A member of the Aestrosian Pantheon that survived Justinian Magnus' Aestromachy, Yuwan'asyiel continued the pantheon by turning her small pantheon cult into a formal and major religion among the mortals. Dispensing wisdom to the elves and knowledge to the dwarves (Beings that though she did not create were considered her favorite beings) she is worshiped as the mother of all information, time, perception and idea's. She talks to mortals through whispered dreams and visions, guiding them with secret glimpses of knowledge unknown to the rest of the world. The goddess herself is a master planner and indirectly leads the mortals to military and political victories for an agenda that is mostly unknown. Some suspect that she is secretly controlling the darkness, however her followers say this is nonsense due to most of her visions giving information and warnings as to how to fight it. ---Goddess of: Knowledge, Wisdom, Dreams, Visions, Time, Secrets, Mystery, Lies ---Celestial Embodiment: Wisps, Prophets, Oracles, Visions ---Chosen People: Elves and Dwarves ---Deities Personality and Style: Manipulative, secretive and a schemer, many non-believers suspect she is a malevolent deity (Particularly those who follow the newer faiths that despise the old fallen pantheon) however those who do not actively consider her the mastermind behind the darkness must admit that many of her interventions with the mortal world have been invaluable. Most notably among the dwarves, she is considered a deity of technology and innovation, the single most important being to the current renaissance. ---Worshiped For: Enlightenment (The true realization and meaning of all things, the desire for meaning and purpose) ---Worshiped Through: Creativity, Painting/Art, Singing, Dancing, Thinking, Debating, Problem Solving, Dreaming ---Religious Caste: Philosophers, Inventors, Oracles, Wise-men, Wise-women, Doctors, Savants, Artists [/hider]