Religions

Followers or Kheldir are the most lawful of the religions – its citizens are very concerned with truth and justice, often utilizing any means necessary to see that justice is brought. The Knights of Kheldir are bound to a strict code, though the strictness of this code varies greatly from temple to temple.

Kheldirism is a monotheistic religion, and followers of Kheldir consider any other gods to be false and malicious. While Khelidirism is most common in the Kingdom of Ebrya, it is not unheard of for citizens of other countries – particularly idealistic young men – to split from their nation to join the Knight’s cause.

The Knights of Kheldir aim to spread the religion to all parts of the map. While they consider themselves to be good and just, many communities that have encountered the knights consider them to be bloodthirsty and nefarious.

Followers of the Twins don’t have a specific name for their religion, preferring to instead refer to themselves as “the Devout.” Rather than worship one deity or the other, the Devout consider the Twins to be bound and inseparable in worship.

Fayeth is, for lack of better term, the goddess of life; all that is new and young and bountiful is attributed to her. Nethia’s position as goddess of death is not an ominous or violent one, however, as the Devout know that death is necessary to pay for all life. Worship of the Twins involves celebrating death as happily as one would celebrate life, and in lieu of funerals the Devout hold intricate feasts that can last weeks.

The symbiosis of death and life plays into the Devouts’ daily worship as well. Farmers pray to Fayeth as they sow seeds to wish them bountiful growth, then pray to Nethia for bountiful harvest. Fayeth is believed to influence the fate of those who are sick or injured; Nethia is believed to influence the efficacy of the medicine healers prescribe.

Betong is the religion and the name of the essence that is believed to exist in all living beings, plants and land. It is an essence that binds this physical word together.

Betong believers praise The Elephant Constellation as well as a Betong High Priest known as Lord Ach, rumored to have recieved Betong powers through the constellation.

Betong beliefs include a lot of, commonly described as odd, rituals that include burrying goats alive to feed Lord Ach, jumping into fire to carry the burden of another’s sins, public beatings to correct someone’s behavior and drug infused brawls to initiate new members into Betong Communities.

Amongst Betong communities the one most famous were The Betong Disciples who were all rumored to have been blessed with special skills such as, speaking to trees, infusing wooden objects with Betong, contacting Lord Ach and other special skills. Lots of Betong beliefs were shared by them and their Betong Domain was said to have been glorious, but their story had a dark ending. The day their leader was to become King Of The East island of Dunsparrow, a violent ritual where a great amount of horses were slayed was followed by the coronation of King Leon.

As the writtings say, King Leon gave very strong drugs to all the Disciples and guests, but one of them, the most honored and heroic Disciple, Claude, fell into a never ending limbo. The rest of the Disciples, enraged against Leon, attacked and murdered him, marking the end of his short lived reign. Nowadays their Betong ghosts are said to roam the desserted Betong domain and many hardcore believers make the long trip to Dunsparrow to witness them and worship the Betong Idol. However all Betong believers insist on Betong being the religion of peace and love.

Though ancestor worship is most common in the Siraye Islands, it is practiced – usually quietly – in every nation. Customs for observing ancestor worship vary widely by region, but generally involve household shrines, community offerings, and parades and festivals celebrating ancestry.

Families generally only worship ancestors from their own line, but many regions recognize certain ancestors and houses as worthy of community worship.