#religious lore

After the Rift a lot of people lost their faith. Some people believed that the rapture or some other apocalypse had occurred. Regardless not many people were showing up to church after realitg collapsed.

However in the wake of the rift, beings that could easily be mistaken as gods or spirits showed up and began performing miracles and granting boons. People desperate to find something believe in immediately began to worship these new godlike beings, dubbed Eoten. Now the religion of what was once the United States looks something more akin to neo pagan than Christian or any sort of monotheistic religion. With some Eoten claiming to be ancient beings such as Zues, Horus, or Odin. And some may be telling the truth.

Christian sects still exist. You'll likely run into the occasional Catholic. However the most common are Mormons, who rejected the worship of Eoten. Most Mormons live in Deseret, previously known as Utah. Now a ridged theocracy that threatens harsh punishment to those that worship anything that isn't their lord and savior.

Many people avoid traveling through Deseret because of this, going South through Arizona or North through Idaho and Wyoming. Signs warning worshippers of Eoten dot the borders of Deseret, some becoming shrines to leave offerings to local Eoten.

Eoten themselves are mystical embodiment of physical landmarks and locations. Most will bind themselves to a physical body in order to appear and act in this world. This vessel will often be a tree, statue, or in some rare cases a person. Which is an honor to those that receive this rare gift. As becoming the vessel of an Eoten comes with the gift of magical ability.

Besides Eoten and Mormons there's also Yeshuites who believe that Jesus, who they refer to as Yeshua came to free humanity from the shackles of the Demiurge. Otherwise known as God. As such they fucking hate Mormons and Deseret. Believing both to be agents of the Demiurge. Most Yeshuites also believe that Lucifer ane Jesus are one in the same, and eating the apple of knowledge gave humanity the gift of psionics. Most Yeshuites do know some form of psionics, even if it's just parlor tricks.

These are mostly aph-specific since no one religions the way she does lmao. Except for the coin-chain, that's a little something she starts doing that ends up being a cultural thing for Phoenix Drop because surprisingly the way rulers dress does persuade their people to dress similarly.

Coin Scarves are a Scaleswind thing, and quite an old-fashioned one. You're more likely to see a little old lady (or man, it isn't gender specific) in church wearing one than your average individual. Only hair that is longer than shoulder length is typically put beneath them (hence Avra's little microbangs being out) however in some parts of Scaleswind it is seen as more proper to cover the entire top of your hair regardless of length.

Different colour + metal combos refer to different divine, and multiple can apply to a singular Divine. People often wear them based off of the divine they follow most of all (Irene, for most), however those who only wear them for prayer will wear them according to the divine they're praying too. Pre-O'Khasis/Scaleswind war, royal-blue and gold was the most common combination as those were the colours most associated with Irene, however they're also associated with O'Khasis, so it changed to white and gold when the war began.

Avra gets hers during her little excursion to Scaleswind. Those who worship the Destroyer often thought of her quite highly for reasons, and she is quite recogniseable, so when she was just walking around a little old woman pressed a red and cold coinscarf into her hand and walked away. Red and Gold are colours associated with Shad only by his worshippers, however black and silver is more often used by the gaggle of elderly folk in Scaleswind that dare to worship him as they aren't ashamed of their religion. It is however seen as heresy, so any youth that continue the practice + worship Shad will often wear the red variant.

Avra honestly just thinks its cute (she is wearing it in my recent Shadmau/Shavra drawing :})

This is a coin veil, inspired by catholic veils because they're so goshdarn pretty. They're the predecessor of coin scarves and while coinscarves are made with opaque, typically thicker material, coin veils are made with lace or sheer fabric.

It is not practiced anymore, it kind of went out of fashion when the elaborate worship of the gods was replaced with the more humble and accessible worship of the divine. Coin scarves were kind of made so the church could try and make those that were fond of veils convert away from the gods, under the idea that 'they're basically the same thing anyway!!'.

Avra gets hers because it was a practice she partook in during her life as Irene, so she kind of was drawn to it. For Donna and Logan's wedding, she had an excuse to wear fancy stuff, so she asked Cadenza to help her make a coin veil. She doesn't remember what it's meant to actually represent, she just thinks they're pretty and comforting. Cadenza makes her a red one, using a bunch of lace she had already made, and it is very long. Avra only typically wears it for events or whenever she's stressed and needs to chill out.

Similarly to coinscarves, colour and metal indicate certain gods, but so does lace pattern and veil length. Worship of Judgement/Death (The destroyer/shad) was often indicated with long black veils with golden coins and the lace covering the face as well as the hair, with the lace usually having patterns of wilted flowers and animal skulls to represent the very decay they worshipped. Of course, this could only be afforded by the very rich, however the rich were often patrons of his temples in larger communities and would supply them with veils for the worshippers to wear. The addition of coins to veils was thought to have started with Judgement/Death worship, as it was believed that if someone was buried in their veil and brought back, you would be able to hear them by the chiming of the coins. Which was good because you didn't want an SK sneaking up on your ass, even back when Shad was thought of highly.

Worship of The Mother (Irene) was done through medium-length white-lace veils which were usually not adorned with coins (though were still called coinveils) but had beads instead, and were typically tied or pinned closed around the chest. The lace usually had floral patterns on it, though not always. Irene herself wore one, however due to lace being very hard to carve, most of her statues depict her wearing a hood instead.

In the Beginning

Digital painting

Eveydeetart

Religious lore for a D&D setting

The Hasanic Pantheon (Part One)

The old gods of Edenfell have died in the eyes of the Hasanic community. In their stead, the inhabitants of Al-Hasan have achieved apotheosis. Men now walk as gods in the mortal realm. Or at least, so they claim. To most, they seem nothing more than nobles with too big of egos. But in Al-Hasan, their names remain immortal, their power indomitable, their divinity indisputable.

Simdan | King of the Gods As the Sovereign of Al-Hasan, Simdan rules both the country of Al-Hasan and the entirety of its religious pantheon. His word is law, not to be trifled with or questioned. He commands the respect of both his soldiers and his citizens. Although no specific domain lies within his jurisdiction, he oversees the national impact of his cult. Thus, instead of one domain, he has providence over all.

Medea | Goddess of Life and Death Simdan’s daughter and religious figurehead of the Hasanic Pantheon. Although Simdan serves as the ruler of the gods, the people of Al-Hasan have chosen to worship Medea instead (with their Sovereign’s blessing, of course). Medea judges her people as she sees fit, blessing them with the power of life in one hand and the power of death in the other.

Zahira | Goddess of Nature and Monsters Simdan’s wife and Sovereigness of Al-Hasan. Zahira possesses a special power to tame the monsters of Edenfell. Whether this is a unique manifestation of Dominion or not, no scholar knows for sure. However, Zahira is the key to Al-Hasan’s military strength, providing its armies with monsters to send out in battle and to ride in combat. Although she cannot necessarily speak in the tongues of monsters, they seem to have an affinity for her nonetheless, and listen to her commands.

Hala | Goddess of Fate and the Afterlife Simdan’s deceased sister. Despite her departure from the mortal realm, Simdan honored her with a station in the pantheon. Simdan claims that Hala controls the fate of those in Al-Hasan. Thus, honoring her - and her family - would be in the best wishes of slaves and nobles alike. Once the people have passed from the living world, Hala will guide them through the afterlife.

Abdallah | God of the Mind Simdan’s father and former Sultan of Al-Hasan. Abdallah originally created the Hasanic pantheon, having claimed the king’s seat for himself. However, due to his recent disappearance, Simdan claimed the throne and granted him a new title - God of the Mind. This supposedly reflects Abdallah’s sudden enlightenment to the knowledge that men are the true gods.

The kingdom of Al-Hasan has suffered from faiths both saintly and sinful. The prominent religion has shifted more times than the sands themselves, ever changing to accommodate the needs and desires of the current king and his people. From the Sealed God to the Goddess Ashera to Hasan himself - not a deity in existence has yet to enthrone themselves in Al-Hasan.

Now, there are no gods, only men playing an immortal game.

In the span of time before the events of Kingdom Come, Al-Hasan served the Sealed God alongside of its two neighboring kingdoms, Aeonor and Via Evelis. After a national catastrophe, the people had turned towards other gods to save them. However, when no help came to them, they instead called upon the power of the Sealed God. Instead of silence, the Sealed God responded - or so the people claim. Soon, the catastrophe ceased, and all the people returned to the worship of the Sealed God.

However, as always in Al-Hasan, the momentum of religion soon died out under the unforgiving conditions of the desert. Crops withered. Cattle perished. Children starved, men toiled without recompense, and the faithful wept on their hands and knees before vaults that refused to respond once more. The people pleaded with their king to seek out other gods for them to believe in, but Sultan Abdallah feared the wrath seen poured out on former rulers who turned from the Sealed God. Thus, he stayed the course, even as his citizens drifted.

Until his daughter fell ill. Hala, first princess of Al-Hasan, eldest daughter of Abdullah, and older sister of Simdan, held her people’s heart in her hands. Wise with her words and her deeds, she had claimed her kingdom’s affections as swiftly as she had stolen her father’s. Yet, despite her power, she could do nothing to save herself when illness stuck its claws in her.

Desperate, Abdullah commanded the entire kingdom to fast and beseech the Sealed God for healing. Regardless of their religious orientation, the entirety of Al-Hasan obeyed, for they feared the potential loss of their future queen. Yet, despite their devotion, no answer came. Hala - and the hope found within her - was lost to Al-Hasan.

In a fit of madness, Abdullah forswore the Sealed God. He declared that, if a so-called almighty deity could not save one innocent soul, then He was no god at all. There were no gods but men themselves.

Abdullah turned the nation on its head. Nobles became gods, the royalty their ruling pantheon. The Sultans became Sovereigns, yet the slaves stayed in chains. The newly-entitled Sovereign issued a decree: any found following the Sealed God would be put to the sword immediately. Hundreds of the faithful were found, sold out, and betrayed. Decapitated disciples soiled the sand with the blood of the martyrs.