[@Sedjwick] I'd be happy to! There are four religions primarily in Aerion, but the Council of Nine is the main religion everywhere except Miraheim, Rastra, and Palaven. I'll probably post this in the main thread up top. Here's the breakdown: [hider=The Council of Nine][B]The Council of Nine [/B] [I]Founded:[/I] Dawn of Time; or an unknown date in HA [I]Countries that practice the religion:[/I] Ethora, Falke, Ellessar, Mindirion, Miracia [I]Belief:[/I] Belief in "The Nine" is to believe in a council of nine divine beings that had a part in the creation of the world of Aerion. The children of the supreme being Vesmir are believed have created the world in a vision bestowed upon them by Vesmir. Each Council god represents different aspects of the world, both physical and abstract. As a result, each god or goddesses is worshipped in different capacities, and worship is a very personal act. For example, sailors worship Atlantia as she is the goddess of the oceans while aspiring heroes would worship Fortis instead. Lives that are deemed worthy and filled with respect for the Nine are rewarded with passage to the higher plane of Astrum, while lives dedicated to Dabel (more so than the others) were sent to the depths of Infernum. [B]The Nine include:[/B] Andal: God of order, honor, truth, nobility, light; Ruler of Astrum Dabel: God of Chaos, corruption, desire, darkness; Ruler of Infernum Tella: Goddess of nature and peace Atlantia: Goddess of water/oceans and earthquakes Makara: Goddess of magic and knowledge Fortis: God of heroes, courage, resolve, honor and loyalty Divum: Goddess of storms Thordain: God of war, violence and conquest Flamma: Goddess of fire [B]Other figures:[/B] Tempus: God of the Sun Lumes: Goddess of the Moon [U]The Creation Myth[/U] In the beginning there was nothing. The universe as you know it was little more than a black abyss fueled by darkness and chaos. However, a being known as Vesmir, the creator of all, emerged from this chaos and brought with him order and salvation. He shaped the abyss and brought form to the universe. Within this form came the world, the sun and moon, the stars, the sky, the grass, the tress, the oceans, and all life as we know it. The labors put a great toll on Vesmir despite his vast power. To maintain the balance he sought to achieve in the universe following his labors, he created a number of powerful children. These children would continue to shape the world in his absence with the hopes they would honor his wishes and achieve his vision. His children at the time were 7 in number: Andal, Dabel, Tempus, Lumes Tella, Atlantia, and Makara. And for a time there was peace and order, with each maintaining their domains. They mingled amongst each other, giving birth to new beings of power. From Andal and Tella, Fortis and Divum were born and from Dabel and Atlantia, Thordain and Flamma were born. Tempus and Lumes were absent from this mingling as these two were responsible for the cycle of day and night (respectively). In order keep order, Andal decided to bring the beings into council. This was when the Nine were born: Andal, Dabel, Tella, Atlantia, Makara, Fortis, Divum, Thordain and Flamma. It was then that the Nine decided to take Vesmir's vision to the next stage. Tella brought life into the world in the form of nature itself and her dreams of peace. Atlantia created the waters of the oceans, lakes and rivers and her wrath brought earthquakes. Divum became the created of the sky, and her various dances brought weather and storms. Flamma created fire and its many uses. And Makara was the bringer of intelligence, wisdom and magic. Andal crafted the ideals of order, honor, truth and nobility as well as bringing the light of heaven to the world, which angels acting as the guardians of peace and order. Dabel created opposing ideals of chaos, corruption, desire, darkness as well as being the lord of the underworld, with his foul devils, demons and monstrosities seeking to spread destruction. Fortis created the ideas of heroes which would embody the qualities of courage, resolve, honor and loyalty. Thordain brought with him nothing but war, violence, bloodlust and carnage. Tella wanted to share this wonderful creation upon its completion. Then the Elves were born. The Elves were a beautiful and fair race with a deep admiration for nature. They were immortal like the Nine if only because Tella envisioned them as a being of nature and one that should live with the earth until the end of times. The Elves lived in the world, alone and at peace. The Elves worshipped Tella, calling her a "God" in their native tongue. However, Thordain grew jealous and wanted a people of his own. Working his sister, the two created their peoples. Thordian created the Dwarves and Flamma created the dragons. Dwarves were a small but strong race. They were hardy with muscular bodies with strong constitutions. They had a love of valuables, war and drink. The Dragons were a mythic and powerful race, capable of flight and fire. However, these beings were crafted in secret and in due time grew separate from the world. The dragons flew to the north where the dragon kings would unite them as a single race. The Dwarves retreated to mountains and caves, having little contact with the other beings, fueled by their greed and lust for wealth (and the craft of mining was soon born). The Dwarves became a conflict seeking race, often at odds with Tella's Elves. But peace was soon achieved, much to Thordain's dismay. Dabel grew curious of these creations, but was unable to craft any original beings. He was a god of chaos and nothing is created from chaos. Using his talents of corrupting, Dabel twisted the minds and hearts of Elves, Dwarves and dragons. Thus arose the Orc-kin and the dark dragons. These manifestations ravaged the land. Orc raped and pillaged the land, murdering all stood in their way. Fire rained from the skies as Dragons unleashed their rage upon the world. Elves and Dwarves attempted to fight back, and succeeded for some time. Elves reclaimed a small corner of the world to call their own while the Dwarves had invented weapons to defend themselves from the Dragons of the north. However, both were overrun. Soon the world would be swallowed in flames. Fortis and Makara looked at the world in pity and with Andal's guidance, they created Men. Men were to be an adaptable race capable of many feats at the cost of short life in comparison to their peers. Blessed by Fortis, the Men drove the Orc-kin into the deep bowls of the Earth. Many dragons were killed following the rise of men and like the Orc-kin, were driven into mountains and caves. Though many are believed to have retreated north, or simply left the world entirely. This is how the world was born (so say the followers of the Council of Nine). [/hider] [hider=The Church of One][B]The Church of One[/B] [I]Founded: [/I]600 FC [I]Countries that practice:[/I] Palaven, Ethora (10%) [I]Belief System:[/I] The Church of One's tenants as outlined in the Book of One believes in a singular god who created the world of Aerion with nothing more than a few words. As the supreme creator, the followers of the One dedicate their lives to the One. True believers ascend to Astrum while non believers burn in Infernum. The Theocracy of Palaven follow their variation of the Church of One, which was established by followers of the One who fled from Ethora and other countries. Palaven follows the Voice of the One, who is said to be the ‘bridge between the One himself and the world of Aerion’, as said by their holy scriptures. Citizens of Palaven worship the Voice as he himself is thought to be divine, a direct descendant of the One. It is illegal to approach too close to the Voice, speak to him without first being addressed, touch the Voice, speak up against the Voice, or harm the Voice in any way, whether physically or emotionally. All such actions are punishable by death according to the laws of Palaven and those of the Holy Scriptures. The Voice is said to have divine gifts that he could unleash anytime he wishes, and that through obedience, the path to enlightenment can be found. [/hider] [hider=Shugalism][B]Shugalism[/B] [I]Founded:[/I] Unknown exact date, potentially as old as the Council of Nine. [I]Countries that practice:[/I] Rastra [I]The Belief:[/I] Followers of the Sages of Wisdom. Their religion, called Shugalism and therefore their followers Shugalians, instructs the followers to physically and spiritually embody the qualities of the first Sage of Wisdom, whose name has long since been forgotten, but who is said to be the founder of Shugalism. It is said that the first Sage ascended into the Realm of the Deities (their version of heaven), and followers of his beliefs and values can also ascend into the Realm if they are good Shugalians. [LIST] [*]Shugalism advocates the pursuit of salvation through personal meditation on the names and messages of the Sages of Wisdom, which is written down in their holy book, the Hilarkan, the combination of the manuscripts of their teachings. Their teachings primarily are open-minded, allowing for pursuit of whatever paths of life one desires, so long as they do not intentionally harm others. However, their teachings do illustrate the need to be moral, as well as humble, good-intentioned, and peaceful. [*]Shugalism allows room for the deities and worships of other religions/Gods. They do not find that all other religions are wrong, but rather that the deities and beliefs of others are only an extension of the beliefs of the Rastrans, and that the gods of others are apart of the thousands of those that linger in the Realm of Deities. Shugalism, therefore, is accepting of other religions, even new ones that recently pop up. However, direct denouncement of the Sages is considered highly insulting, and those who do so are considered lost or tormented souls damned to anguish as their spirit is doomed to wander the world until they prove themselves a true Shugalian again. [*]The Sages are said to all be a sort of reincarnation of the first, whose spirit ascended into the Realm of Deities, but whose powers were passed on to the next sage. Upon the death of a previous sage, a new sage will be born. It is unknown when exactly the next Sage will be born. It could be a year after, or a hundred years. However, the Rastrans known when that Sage is born, as the eyes of the first Sage's statue, located in the Temple of Truth, (the Sages’ official home), begins to glow. It is then that 3 ‘Watchers’, who are servants of the Sages of Wisdom, scour the kingdoms in search of the new Sage, and once they are found, they are taken to the Temple of Truth, where they are said to be taught their powers from infancy. From then on, the Sage of Wisdom guides the people of Rastra as their leader. [*]There have been 11 Sages of Wisdom in Rastra. The current one has been ruling for 12 year. [/LIST][/hider] [hider=Ragnel][B]Ragnel[/B] [I]Founded:[/I] Around 200 FC [I]Countries that practice:[/I] Miraheim [I]The Creation Myth:[/I] It is said that originally there was a chasm, a great abyss known as Ginagap, bounded on either side by fire and ice. When the fire and ice met in the center, they combined to form a great beast known as Rumir. From the void was also said to have created the High God Isir. Rumir, from his mouth, shaped and created the species of dragons. High God Isir created the other gods, and then it is said he created man. Isir and Rumir lived together as brothers, but it was apparent from early on that the two beings' children could not get along, and it was then that the Great Battle had occurred, ultimately ending in the death of Rumir by High God Isir. From Rumir's dead body, Isir created the world. Rumir's blood was the sea; his flesh, the earth; his skull, the sky; his bones, the mountains; his hair, the trees. The new Rumir-based world was named Aerion where mankind would live. Following Rumir's defeat, High God Isir created separate realms as to keep his children safe. Aerion was the realm of men. Vigard became the home of the Gods, but was also the afterlife for man should he die worthy. Hielheim was the realm of the dead for all others who were not deemed worthy. The dragons were banished to the newly-created realm of Ormurheim, where it is said they still reside forever. Dwarvenheim was said to be created for the dwarves, and Alfenheim for the elves. Travel between the realms could not normally be done, save for the Enebrus, the lightning bridge. It is legend that once a large thunderstorm is present, someone is passing between the realms. Long ago, Isir was said to unleash such a thunderstorm to seal away the dragons, and bring dwarves and elves into the land. Ragnel also foretells of “The End of Times." It is said that in a certain number of years, a great battle will take place. At this time, the realm containing the dragons of Ormurheim will break, and the dragons would come to invade Aerion. High God Isir will gather the other gods and great men and women who reside in Vigard, and the Great Battle would begin. It is a battle High God Isir knows they cannot win, but it must be done nonetheless. In the process of the battle, every hero and god will eventually die, including Isir. However, it is said that a lone male and a lone female will have survived the conflict to repopulate the human realm, and from the ashes of the battlefield the gods will revive. The worlds will restart anew, and on the back of a black dragon, hope and life is brought into the world, but also pain and suffering along with it. The cycle begins anew. [i]Gods of Ragnel[/i]: [LIST] [*]High God Isir: Major god in Ragnel, ruler of Vigard, and the god of war, battle, victory, death, and wisdom. One of the three gods of creation, who made man, known as “High”. [*]Rosen: The god of stone and wood. The builder of the Enebrus, the lightning bridge. [*]Ven: god of innocence, beauty, peace, and rebirth. One of the three gods of creation, who helped make man, also known as “Just as High”. [*]Dargan: God of dawn, justice, inspiration, fish and the skies. One of the three gods of creation, who helped make man, also known as “Third”. [*]Fiera: Goddess of fertility, love, and winter. [*]Ullur: God of skill, hunt, anger, and duel. [/LIST][/hider]