#askvermism

Great question! Devout Vermist mages become well acquainted with the concept of decay, and the more they understand it, the more they can craft spells around it. As a result, Vermists have invented many decay-related spells over the ages, and some are very scary!

There is a curse that causes people to physically age faster.

There is also one that causes people to start rotting like a corpse while they are still alive.

There is a curse which causes everything the victim touches to rot.

These spells aren't just limited to people though. They can be cast on different materials like wood or metal to cause accelerated rot and corrosion.

The unicorn naturally harnesses the power of magical entropy! But what the unicorn does naturally, peoples must study for many years to master.

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Lore Masterpost

I've had it in mind for a while, but not enough details to put together an article yet. The religion stemmed from underground-dwelling peoples (trolls and Lamaish cecaelia, mostly) and it highlights the process of organic decay.

So basically these people worship worms, flies, fungus, and so on, because they believe these things are what will break down their bodies and deliver their souls into the next stage of life (afterlife).

The Lamaish branch of Vermism fixates more on the transformation of matter into other matter (leaves breaking down into compost, worms breaking compost down into dirt, dirt becoming food for plants, etc). It's centered around the circular pattern of nature and seeing beauty in rot.

The Unseelie branch of Vermism is more focused on the death aspect, with more emphasis on corpse worship and necromantic rituals. Their idea of "rebirth" isn't waiting around for soil to feed trees, it's using magic to literally raise corpses and worshipping them as deities until they rot away. These branches are two very different beasts in practice.

In short...

Vermism: Hippie Edition

Middayist: Ugh! What is that bucket of slop over there? It stinks!

Vermist: Compost bin.

Middayist: In your living room?!

Vermist: Of course, there's one in every room. They're a free source of heat.

Middayist: It's crawling with flies and roaches!

Vermist: Those are just my friends and family, reincarnated into superior forms.

Middayist: But they're tracking filth everywhere! And...what is that hairy stuff? Is that mold on the floor?!

Vermist: Yes, a prayer mat bestowed by the rot gods :)

Middayist:

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Lore Masterpost

(Translated with Google Translate)

Do the other non-Gorgon peoples of Lamai tend to practice cannibalism? And do they also have female leadership?

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In Lamai Nation, cannibalism is primarily a Vermist ritual. This is a popular religion in this kingdom. Any Vermist, no matter their species, may do this. There are many trollish Vermists, for example.

The native Serpentist gorgons also practice cannibalism for cultural reasons, so there is some crossover here. Lamai Nation has several intersecting groups that just happen to be cannibalistic, which gives it its grisly reputation.

Lamai's matriarchal culture is not necessarily a religious thing, but a cultural one. Local Vermists, Serpentists, and other religious peoples here practice matriarchy not because of their religion, but because they are Lamaish. In this culture, men are regarded as servants to women, and women are considered more capable people than men. This belief crosses all species and religions here.

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Lore Masterpost

LINDISM:

All Lindists acknowledge divine power and immortality. That said, they still don’t approve of divines using magic. Lindists believe that divines should use their powers to commune with celestials and become priests, thus making the faith stronger.

Human divines are revered, but inhuman divines are reviled by modern Lindists. They believe that Gaia would never bless an inhuman with divine powers, therefore all inhuman divines somehow used magic and trickery to “steal” this power from her. That, or they are not really divines at all, they’re just using magic to mimic their power.

They like to cite Mankind’s Disgrace as an example. They push the narrative that he’s not a real divine (which might actually be true), but because he dabbled with “hob magic”, he’s forever cursed with powers similar to one. The House of Humanity uses Disgrace as a cautionary tale of what can happen when humans screw around with magic.

SYLVANISM:

Sylvanists consider divines to be blessed ones, directly touched by Gaia for a higher purpose. They believe that higher purpose is to defend Her, so divines should use their powers to benefit the environment. Using their powers to harm Gaia is considered heresy.

THE ONE:

Divines are believed to be the result of The One’s (Gaia's) fracture. Because its power became unstable, that power redistributed among peoples and bestowed god-like powers onto some of them. The Communion believes that divines are a bad omen. They are to be pitied and not worshiped or otherwise looked up to.

VERMISM:

There are two sects of Vermism: Indigenous Vermists and Followers of Necrom.

Indigenous: Believe that divines are cursed beings because they bypass the ascension cycle, meaning they are stuck in one form forever. Their body will never feed Gaia, and their soul will never transcend into dirt, plants, or animals. Their "blessing" of eternal life is seen as a punishment for some past sin. Divines should use their powers to perform good deeds and atone for their sins, and also defend mortal souls from predatory celestials.

Necromists: Believe that divines are higher beings because they bypass the ascension cycle. They are viewed as Gaia's blessed ones, and they were blessed as a reward for some righteous deed. Divines should use their powers to commune with celestials and aid the Grand Necromaster.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost