[b][u]The Religions of Aerusya[/u][/b]

Angardian Religion:
The people of Angard are polytheistic. Their religion could be coined as paganism, or pantheism. They have strong ties to the land and animals, believing that everything taken from the Creator's Realm, the world in which they live, is sacred and should be highly respected, and treated with dignity. They have ritual animal sacrifices on each solstice/equinox and sacrifice lambs, foals, or calves. The purpose of these sacrifices vary, a sacrifice could be given at a hand-fasting ceremony, at the death of a loved, or respected person, at the birth of each child. More often than not, these sacrifices are used to appease the Gods and Goddesses and rid their land of pestilence.

The Angardians worship four deities:

1. Sarmon - Main God. Sarmon delivers strength and courage to men, although female warriors have been known to seek his blessing during the time of war. He is the bringer of death, war and pestilence. The Angardian depiction of Sarmon is that of a dragon. His season is Autumn.

2. Anora - Main Goddess. Anora is the goddess of the hearth, fertility, love and harvest. She is Consort to Sarmon. Most Angards look to Anora as a Mother Goddess, for all Angards are children of Anora. There is no animalistic depiction of Anora, but rather, she is commonly pictured as a tree-woman, the female counterpart to the tree-ents. Her season is Spring.

3. Lyrem - Secondary Goddess. Daughter of Anora and Sarmon, Lyrem guides hunters, travellers' and adventurers on their journeys. She is seen as the Goddess of the Hunt. The Hunt is a massive hunting expedition that all Angards participate in at least once in their lifetime. The Hunt, covers all of Angard, where hunters come together, and hunt one animal of every species that reside within Angard. Some Angards who worship her call Lyrem, "The Huntress". The depiction of Lyrem in Angardian culture is that of a unicorn, the most pure, and unattainable beast in the Hunt. Her season is Summer.

4. Eradon - Secondary God. Son of Sarmon and Anora. Eradon is a different god in comparison to the others that Angards worship. He is the bringer of peace, compassion, and knowledge. Many magic users in Angard choose him as their main deity of worship. Eradon's symbolic depiction is that of the stag, a beast that is considered benign, but wise in Angardian culture. His season is Winter.

Cherod Religion:
The Cherod people believe that their monarch is chosen by divine right, they have believed this for the past century. It is rumoured that anyone who speaks out against King Oedithil disappears the following morning. Instead of addressing King Oedithil as "His Majesty" or "my King" many choose to address the tyrannical king as, "His Holiness" or "His Royal Eminence".

There is evidence supporting the theory that before the transition of the new "religion" in Cherod, that they too, once worshipped deities similar to those in Angard.

Rakashan Religion:
There are two Goddesses that dominate the Desert folk.
1. Bi'aba - The Fire Goddess that brings the "fire" to the land, that gives them warmth to their fire, strength to their heart and provides them with pride. Bi'aba also determines their fate.
2. Ka'shia - The Water Goddess is opposite of Bi'aba. She provides oasis', shows them peace, and blesses them with shade of the tall trees. She brings the night sky to them, and designed the Darath. Ka'shia also paints their elaborate coats in the womb of their mothers.

Elven Religion:
The Elves have no deities. Instead, they have sacred sanctuaries spread throughout their land, deigned for their scholars, elderly and philosophers. They are very protective of their land and build their cities mirroring nature. The Elves do believe in spirits that reside within every person and being, and they throw large feasts during the changing of a season.

The S'ilthran Religion:
There is no official religion recorded for the elusive S'ilthran people. However it is believed that they worshipped dragons in the Dawn Age.