Faith
Religion is an important aspect in almost all ethnicities, societies and life aspects in Aetheus. Many believe that the gods were a very real and active presence in their lives, something that was not very far from the truth. For this reason, serving the gods was something that most people did as a regular part of their lives.
The people's faith fuels their spirits surround their daily lives and motivates their actions and beliefs.
But for the different pantheons and the 'gods', otherwise known by the term 'Divinity', worshippers and faith were necessary for the continued powers and existence of most deities. The numbers and fervour of a god's worshippers determined in large part the power of the deity. Deities without worshippers or who were fading in popularity faded in power, and in extreme cases could even die from neglect.
GENERAL FAITH
Who is Faithful and in what way?
Almost every sentient creature in Aetheus has a certain faith, as denying the gods existence is literally impossible in a world where they act in a visible way. But while they are all faithful, not everyone follows the Gods to the same decree. The following table shows the most common decrees of religious faith.| SOCIAL GROUP | DEGREE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|
| Every intelligent and sentient creature. | Believes in / knows about the existence of the gods. | Every human knows the gods exist, even if they might not have anything to do with the Gods. |
| Most people | Have faith in the gods of a certain pantheon. | Almost every humanoid in Ankh'hera has religious faith in the Pantheon of Ankh'hera. |
| Many people | Are devoted to a single god or group of gods. | Most people from Ankh'hera follow Pansophia. |
| Few (Clerics, Paladins, Priests, ...) | Are devoted followers/ servants of a single god and actively follow that god's will and tenets. | A paladin, cleric or druid following Pelor. |
A Matter of Faith
Faith, in its simplest term, is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In terms of religion, it can be defined as "belief in a god" or "belief in doctrines or teachings of religion". Within the world of Aetheus, a belief can be a powerful force and influences the world more than what can be immediately seen. If one believes truly and solely, hard enough, it ignites the spark of divinity within the world - which allows the potential for new divinities to bloom and blossom, and continue, in the case of current divinities. Following similar lines such as this:"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."Or:
"Faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists."Faith is the power in which mortals grant and manifest within their divinities and gods, it is the essence to which their immortality and power are tied, but also the power that grants particular individuals power and abilities beyond a normal mortal being. Faith is also something that cannot be controlled. It has no physical form or matter, it is a metaphorical or abstract sense. It cannot be accessed or tapped into freely, in the same sense as magic, rather it manifests in the person themself and faith coalesces with their own will and belief. This power can manifest, and be further empowered through divine magic to those deemed worthy by the gods, sharing a minimal portion of their power to their worshipper to become divine spellcasters. But this manifestation of faith can occur in many different ways, and have different effects or none at all to individuals.
Faith in Foreign Gods
Usually, the people of Aetheus only believe in the gods of their own pantheon, or patron deities. Most of them don't even know the gods of other pantheons. In the cases where a faithful mortal hears of foreign gods and pantheons, they react with one of these following mindsets:- Our gods are the only gods. There are no foreign gods. They do not exist and people who believe in them are lunatics.
- The foreign 'gods' are false gods, imposters who pose as real gods. This is heresy!
- The foreign 'gods' aren't real gods. They are most likely celestials, demons, devils and the like. Their followers are just mistaking them for gods.
- The foreign gods are just other names for our gods.
- The foreign gods might be real, but they aren't my gods, so I do not venerate them.
Being Faithless
Being faithless in Aetheus usually spells a dire fate and eternal suffering, but some creatures just can't be asked to care about the gods. These creatures suffer the following disadvantages:- Afterlife: Your soul will end up inside the inescapable Fugue Plane.
- No support from the Gods: If you don't care about them, they won't care about you either, except if you anger them.
- No Ressurection: Ressurection is a purely divine gift and those without any faith can not benefit from it.
- No Temple Service: The temples of a god won't be able to aid you if you're not willing to accept their gods as your god too.
Type
Metaphysical, Divine
