Noirdremj's Hunt
Lady Huntress, I ask for strength of blade and swiftness of arrow to strike down my prey. For its last breath should not be one of pain and agony.
Structure
The religion is split between many sects, each of which differ greatly in their worship of the Lady Huntress. However, each of the sects regard the members of Bügendmend Hospital, located in Bambai’s capitol Gol-Duulga, as spiritual leaders. This includes the church's head, Minister Ühksen, and those under her wing, honor their goddess through both their teachings and practice of medicine.
The Reawakened Hunters are another exception to the above trend, as they strictly worship a ruler who is believed to be the reincarnation of the goddess themselves. This reincarnation of the goddess, called the Reinvigored Spirit, is reborn every 66 years and found by the denomination's cabal known as Her Eyes. More traditional believers, such as those of Amidrakh heritage, worship the huntress goddess herself without placing someone else on a pedestal.
The Reawakened Hunters are another exception to the above trend, as they strictly worship a ruler who is believed to be the reincarnation of the goddess themselves. This reincarnation of the goddess, called the Reinvigored Spirit, is reborn every 66 years and found by the denomination's cabal known as Her Eyes. More traditional believers, such as those of Amidrakh heritage, worship the huntress goddess herself without placing someone else on a pedestal.
Culture
Though one might expect a religion based on the huntress to be one of primal savagery, those of Noirdremj's Hunt are respected members of society who honor death and education much like their goddess. Members of Her Hunt often believe in education for all, generously donating to educational institutes across Ezlekh and Alkubraa to "further the(ir) goddess's research" and make education as widely-available as possible. Further to this point, followers of Noirdremj encourage curiosity in one another as they believe those whose lives honor their goddess will continue after death and aid the living by guiding their instincts. These worshippers also hold the value of animals in high-regard, believing that all parts of them be used to honor the goddess, with many members donating often to animal right's institutions such as "The People for the Freedom of Unlovingly-Cared Critters" in Jordmässig.
Demography and Population
This religion is primarily worshipped on the Malnovan continent, with most of Alkubraan society worshipping the huntress. Ezlekhian citizens of the Tagnuul and Bambaian territories also believe the teachings of Noirdremj, as well as many of the Amidrakhan dissidents living throughout Ezlekh and parts of Fiáinetai. All in all, the worshippers of Noirdremj number in the hundreds of thousands in Ezlekh, and in the millions worldwide.
Mythology & Lore
Legends say that when Aekko was aligned perfectly with its two moons and sun, both Noirdremj and her sister Eilifur were created. Noirdremj emerged from the absolute darkness that prevailed for one whole day, while Eilifur was birthed from the ensuing blinding rays of light. After nearly 2,000 years of aimlessly wandering the barren planet's every corner, the sisters discovered that they both had latent magical abilities gifted to them by the astral bodies above them, as well as the planet's insides below them.
Eilifur used her abilities to create creatures and plants which could inhabit the planet with her, while Noirdremj was able to imbue these creatures with consciousness, gifting humanoids their feelings and free-thinking while gifting animals and beasts their cunning instincts. Noirdremj was absolutely obsessed with the creatures her and her sister had created, as they were able to adapt to their environments, like fur to survive cold environments or chitin to withstand attacks from predators, and create things, like the tools early humanoids would use, to help them survive the harsh world they populate.
While her sister ascended to the Realm of the Gods to continue creating new plants and animals to populate their world, Noirdremj began to live among the creatures which she had nurtured thus far. She aimed to learn more about these creatures by imitating their forms and tactics. She began hunting these creatures and preserving their remains for detailed studying, all of which was recorded in her journal called the Fiend Folio. After thousands of years of recording all the planet's creatures in her book she distributed her knowledge to her favorite creatures, humanoids. She chose the humanoids due to their resemblance to the gods themselves. These early humanoids were able to take the cavalcade of knowledge given to them causing societies to advance rapidly due to now knowing how to hunt and gather these creatures as well as how to live with them harmoniously.
Eventually, Noirdremj allowed the creatures that Shatamkai created to live their lives without her godly interference. Some say that she ascended to join her sister, while others believe that she continues her research in Malnova to this day, hidden away from the interruptions of humanoid society.
Though her journal mainly held detailed accounts of Aekko's denizens and their habits, Noirdremj's original copies of her Fiend Folio are said to hold the secrets to creationism and the building blocks of life themselves between its lines. Despite many claims throughout history, a full original copy of this journal has never been found to this date. Though treasured scraps of its original pages are held by her followers throughout the lands.
Eilifur used her abilities to create creatures and plants which could inhabit the planet with her, while Noirdremj was able to imbue these creatures with consciousness, gifting humanoids their feelings and free-thinking while gifting animals and beasts their cunning instincts. Noirdremj was absolutely obsessed with the creatures her and her sister had created, as they were able to adapt to their environments, like fur to survive cold environments or chitin to withstand attacks from predators, and create things, like the tools early humanoids would use, to help them survive the harsh world they populate.
While her sister ascended to the Realm of the Gods to continue creating new plants and animals to populate their world, Noirdremj began to live among the creatures which she had nurtured thus far. She aimed to learn more about these creatures by imitating their forms and tactics. She began hunting these creatures and preserving their remains for detailed studying, all of which was recorded in her journal called the Fiend Folio. After thousands of years of recording all the planet's creatures in her book she distributed her knowledge to her favorite creatures, humanoids. She chose the humanoids due to their resemblance to the gods themselves. These early humanoids were able to take the cavalcade of knowledge given to them causing societies to advance rapidly due to now knowing how to hunt and gather these creatures as well as how to live with them harmoniously.
Eventually, Noirdremj allowed the creatures that Shatamkai created to live their lives without her godly interference. Some say that she ascended to join her sister, while others believe that she continues her research in Malnova to this day, hidden away from the interruptions of humanoid society.
Though her journal mainly held detailed accounts of Aekko's denizens and their habits, Noirdremj's original copies of her Fiend Folio are said to hold the secrets to creationism and the building blocks of life themselves between its lines. Despite many claims throughout history, a full original copy of this journal has never been found to this date. Though treasured scraps of its original pages are held by her followers throughout the lands.
Worship
Due to the religion's age being older than the organized societies throughout Aekko, many different societies have developed different ways of worshipping the Goddess of the Hunt. The religion's most common and consistent method of worship is through funerals, in that the dead are covered in ceremonial balms which preserve the body for future studying while cleansing the soul from it, which is believed to allow for an easy transition into the afterlife. It is also believed that those who honor the deaths of her followers will be watched over by the deceased, becoming part of their instincts.
Worshippers of Noirdremj's Hunt typically have a piece of jewelry on themselves which contains a tooth or claw of an animal which they often use for prayer, though more extreme believers can have larger remains such as skulls or other large bones. This worship can include praying to the goddess's constellation by singing a few quick prayer songs, attending the church's monthly 3-hour service which acts both as a routine service and a celebration of life for those who passed that month, and finally they may show their appreciation for her by blessing their animals and animal byproducts before or upon use.
Members of Her Hunt also read passages by themselves or in church from a book written by previous devout members of the religion called "Of Blood and Bone". The book recounts these disciples and the lessons they learned while hunting and researching like their goddess did, discussing cornerstones of the religion like the sanctity and respecting of animals, funeral practices and their purposes, and the importance of following one's instincts.
Some of the church's denominations, such as The Devslekhi and the Reawakened Hunters, believe that the soul enters the planet upon death, where it may lie in wait for tens-to-hundreds of years before experiencing reincarnation. These believers hold true that honoring their past lives is an integral part of their worship and that living a life true to their goddess's principles, such as trusting one's instincts and seeking education, will not only honor their past selves but also allow their future incarnations to be free of burdens. The most-dedicated of these denominations believe that contact with these past lives is possible either through deep coma-like meditation, experimental planar-traveling magics, or the use of mind-altering psychedelics.
The Amidrakh, a recently-fallen Ezlekhian faction, were said to worship the huntress as their one-true goddess as thanks for her bestowment of instinct and thought to the beings of Aekko. Their society had constructed an innumerable number of idols for the goddess, furthered their research into death and necromantic magics through experimentation, and performed routine sacrifices to appease the lady of death, much like older sects of the church.
Much like the rest of the Gods of Aekko, Noirdremj is represented within the astral bodies above the land. Noirdremj's constellation consists of 8 stars and depicts a sabertoothed tiger on the prowl. The tiger represents a being of pure instinct, something which Noirdremj was herself for the years she assembled her Fiend Folio. Often those who pray to Noirdremj's constellation are praying that those watching them from above who influence their instincts lead them down the correct path, or they are praying to thank the huntress for their lives and the lives of those around them.
Worshippers of Noirdremj's Hunt typically have a piece of jewelry on themselves which contains a tooth or claw of an animal which they often use for prayer, though more extreme believers can have larger remains such as skulls or other large bones. This worship can include praying to the goddess's constellation by singing a few quick prayer songs, attending the church's monthly 3-hour service which acts both as a routine service and a celebration of life for those who passed that month, and finally they may show their appreciation for her by blessing their animals and animal byproducts before or upon use.
Members of Her Hunt also read passages by themselves or in church from a book written by previous devout members of the religion called "Of Blood and Bone". The book recounts these disciples and the lessons they learned while hunting and researching like their goddess did, discussing cornerstones of the religion like the sanctity and respecting of animals, funeral practices and their purposes, and the importance of following one's instincts.
Some of the church's denominations, such as The Devslekhi and the Reawakened Hunters, believe that the soul enters the planet upon death, where it may lie in wait for tens-to-hundreds of years before experiencing reincarnation. These believers hold true that honoring their past lives is an integral part of their worship and that living a life true to their goddess's principles, such as trusting one's instincts and seeking education, will not only honor their past selves but also allow their future incarnations to be free of burdens. The most-dedicated of these denominations believe that contact with these past lives is possible either through deep coma-like meditation, experimental planar-traveling magics, or the use of mind-altering psychedelics.
The Amidrakh, a recently-fallen Ezlekhian faction, were said to worship the huntress as their one-true goddess as thanks for her bestowment of instinct and thought to the beings of Aekko. Their society had constructed an innumerable number of idols for the goddess, furthered their research into death and necromantic magics through experimentation, and performed routine sacrifices to appease the lady of death, much like older sects of the church.
Much like the rest of the Gods of Aekko, Noirdremj is represented within the astral bodies above the land. Noirdremj's constellation consists of 8 stars and depicts a sabertoothed tiger on the prowl. The tiger represents a being of pure instinct, something which Noirdremj was herself for the years she assembled her Fiend Folio. Often those who pray to Noirdremj's constellation are praying that those watching them from above who influence their instincts lead them down the correct path, or they are praying to thank the huntress for their lives and the lives of those around them.
Sects
As a religion which has existed for thousands of years, naturally the church has split into many diverging denominations which each hold different values and ideas closer. These denominations are as follows:
The Scribes of the Huntress: Also known as The Scribes, they are the most common denomination of the Lady's Hunt, composing about 70% of the religion's followers. This sect embraces the values held true by the goddess in humanoid-kind's earliest days. Those being following one's instincts, learning from education, and honoring the gifts which the planet provides. The Scribes seek to learn more about themselves by learning about the planet that they live on and its denizens; all creatures who were given purposes by Noirdremj. A follower’s dedication to Noirdremj’s Hunt can vary greatly within The Scribes of the Huntress. At a minimum they attend their masses once a month but they are also known to dedicate their lives to being historians, educators, or ministers of the church.
The Devslekhi: A sect of the death goddess's church who are particularly obsessed with the physical and spiritual aspects of death, claiming that all aspects of one's life are driven by death, from the loss of skin cells to the death of ideas. This sect was primarily located in the late Amidrakh kingdom. Some of its more extreme members are known to have performed cruel experiments on their tributes to learn when and how death can overtake humanoids, as well as necromantic experiments bent on overcoming death.
Hunters Reawakened: A newer sect of the church, having been formed around 1300 AE, which believe their goddess to reincarnate into a vessel every 66 years, as "with death comes new life". This vessel, known as the Reinvigorated Spirit is relentlessly hunted down by a particularly zealous group of Reawakened known as Her Eyes. Once the Reinvigorated Spirit is found, they are given a lavish lifestyle where they are given whatever they desire and can order their followers in whichever way they please, which has led to much in-fighting between Noirdremj's denominations. They religiously consult their goddess's vessel for answers on the most basic of decisions.
The Scribes of the Huntress: Also known as The Scribes, they are the most common denomination of the Lady's Hunt, composing about 70% of the religion's followers. This sect embraces the values held true by the goddess in humanoid-kind's earliest days. Those being following one's instincts, learning from education, and honoring the gifts which the planet provides. The Scribes seek to learn more about themselves by learning about the planet that they live on and its denizens; all creatures who were given purposes by Noirdremj. A follower’s dedication to Noirdremj’s Hunt can vary greatly within The Scribes of the Huntress. At a minimum they attend their masses once a month but they are also known to dedicate their lives to being historians, educators, or ministers of the church.
The Devslekhi: A sect of the death goddess's church who are particularly obsessed with the physical and spiritual aspects of death, claiming that all aspects of one's life are driven by death, from the loss of skin cells to the death of ideas. This sect was primarily located in the late Amidrakh kingdom. Some of its more extreme members are known to have performed cruel experiments on their tributes to learn when and how death can overtake humanoids, as well as necromantic experiments bent on overcoming death.
Hunters Reawakened: A newer sect of the church, having been formed around 1300 AE, which believe their goddess to reincarnate into a vessel every 66 years, as "with death comes new life". This vessel, known as the Reinvigorated Spirit is relentlessly hunted down by a particularly zealous group of Reawakened known as Her Eyes. Once the Reinvigorated Spirit is found, they are given a lavish lifestyle where they are given whatever they desire and can order their followers in whichever way they please, which has led to much in-fighting between Noirdremj's denominations. They religiously consult their goddess's vessel for answers on the most basic of decisions.
"Sudlakh alakh, sudlakh chamaig"; To study death is to begin to learn of one's true self
Founding Date
Possibly as early as 10,000 years before written history
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Capital
Demonym
Lady's Hunters
Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Notable Members
Comments