Post by Greed on Jun 2, 2012 18:16:20 GMT -5
Religion of Kyril
Religion in Kyril is something that hasn't been fully explained as of yet, at least not in any formal thread or anything. There will be three main sections to this thread; Gods, the the way the world works, and the afterlife.
Gods
There are three known gods to the majority of Kyril; Arcturus, his sister Lilith, and the fallen god known only as The One who Was.
The God of Order - Arcturus: Arcturus is the god of order, justice, law, stability, strategy, honor, pride, and physical strength. He is depicted as a giant man with pitch black skin that consumes light, shining white hair and irises, and wearing a black half-robe of the same appearence, decorated with white markings. A black and white ball and chain sits on his right foot. Arcturus' followers are far less plentiful than Lilith's, due to how he is portrayed as the colder (and more cruel) deity. And they'd be right, because he kinda is. Most people in Kyril who worship Arcturus also worship Lilith because of this; very few worship him solely. Arcturus is generally not worshipped by Elves, Lamia, Arachne, or Humans.
The Goddess of Chaos - Lilith: Lilith is the goddess of chaos, uncertainty, cunning, creativity, love, emotion, and magical strength. She is depicted as an exceedingly pale skinned woman in a white dress, which is adorned with a blue bird. The inside of her sleeves, and dress, shine with every color of the rainbow, as does the flames that wreath her long white hair. Lilith has no shortage of followers all over Kyril, especially because she is in part the goddess of love and creativity. Also, in religious readings, she is depicted as a being of joviality and good humor. She is most especially revered and worshiped by Elves, Orcs, and Lamia.
The God of All - The One who Was: The One who Was is... aptly named for one. He (It?) is the original god, who existed before Arcturus and Lilith, and who held all aspects of creation within his being. He is also the deity who gave rise to Arcturus and Lilith's existence. He is often reviled and described as a fallen god by those who know of him, as he once tried to wipe all life from the face of planet Varrus, which is the event that gave rise to the rebellion. Arcturus and Lilith loved the people of the world, each in their own way, and gifted them the knowledge of eternal existence, which was used to make the Eternity Crystal, known by many different names in many cultures. Because The One who Was attempted to wipe out all sentient life on Varrus, and start anew, Arcturus and Lilith slew him, devoured his conscious mind, and tore his body to pieces, using it to fuel their own powers, as they helped lift Kyril into the sky, and off of the blighted earth.
The Being of Forever - Eternity: The Eternity Crystal is the being that exists at the core of Kyril, keeping it in the sky, and at the same time providing the life force of the world, Mana. This being was made by man with knowledge from the gods, sacrificing the souls already dying from The One who Was' blight. The resulting consciousness was a child-like and naive entity that has arguable caused just as much damage to the ecosystem of Kyril as it has caused good. While this being holds as much power as a god, it is immobile, anchored in a pale blue crystal chamber in the core of Kyril.
The World
The planet Varrus is a wasteland, drained of life, or even the capability of storing life by The One who Was. Kyril was granted overflowing life of a richness not found anywhere else in the universe by the powers of Eternity, Arcturus, and Lilith, who watch over the floating continent to this day. Eternity is incapable of interfering in the affairs of man, and Arcturus and Lilith only intervene according to their own whims.
Eternity's mana is Kyril's life. Mana is the primordial energy of Varrus, purged from the surface, and now produced by Eternity instead of the planet. It elicits change, grants power, and allows the impossible to become reality. It is the energy of possibility, and the power of the gods, granted unto Kyril's people. The mana flowing from the Eternity crystal does countless things to make up for the lack of a planet beneath Kyril; everflowing water from Lake Eternity and Equality, as well as countless other places. Abundant clean air, veins of ore that replenish themselves in a matter of months... these are all boons from the eternity crystal.
This is maintained by mana, as it always has been, from time immemorial. Life, death, and the soul... all are maintained by mana. New souls, whether feral or sentient, are birthed from the endless mana of Eternity, and as such there are at times more souls than there are bodies in the world. Mostly, these just face back into the swirling mana. Some, however, gain self-awareness, becoming spirits or wisps, and roam the world aimlessly, before fading back into mana.
The Afterlife
The afterlife of Kyril is split into three main domains; Purgatory, The Realm of Darkness, and the Realm of Light. Purgatory is the state in which the soul is trapped on Kyril, bound by some means or another to the world. In this state, a soul would either be a wisp, a spirit, a phantom, a wraith, or a ghost. Purgatory in some cases is artificial, and in others, it is as a sort of damnation.
The Realm of Darkness is also known as Arcturian, the domain of Arcturus' faithful. It is the realm of darkness and order, where everything is kept running from the shadows. It is commonly depicted as an endless dark void, oddly filled with featureless pillars; a land of absolute minimalism. Those faithful to Arcturus in life go here when they die, remaining at his side for eternity...
The realm of light is also known as Lilanitus, the domain of Lilith. It is a realm of light and chaos, where the world is kept vibrant and chaotic from. It is commonly depicted in a heavenly sense, rife with bizarre and extravagant structures, and rife with vibrant color; a land of chaos, and absolute excess. Those faithful to Lilith go here when they die, to bask in endless radiance. Of course... there is the final cog in this machine of the afterlife, something that was unforeseen.
When Necromancy was created, the gods were originally absolutely furious. However, they realized quickly that the control these necromancers held over life and death was a gift forged from man, whom they loved, and thus they accepted it, on a condition. To be a necromancer means informally forging an absolute pact with the gods themselves, to be allowed to bring the souls of the dead back from their domains. In exchange, that god demands unwavering loyalty from the necromancer in question until the day they die, upon which they are claimed to become an eternal being alongside the god they've pledged themselves to. Those necromancers who forget this are damned to Purgatory when they die, an absolute isolation where they go insane, and become Elementals, one of the most dangerous beings on Kyril.
Because the gods permit necromancy, they also but some natural limits on it that necromancers themselves aren't entirely aware of. Without a true, concentrated effort and a heft supply of mana, a necromancer cannot pull the soul he or she wants from the afterlife domains. The mana serves two purposes; as a payment to the gods, and to keep the world in balance. Paying a small amount of mana will more than likely raise a soulless monstrosity, and larger amounts have a higher chance of doing a proper resurrection. Amounts high enough to potentially kill the necromancer, in some case.
Nothing can be gained from the afterlife by necromancers without considerable effort. This is a law.