Religion in Duvrin

An awkward middle-ground

After the Banishment, worship of divinity in Duvrin was abruptly cut out of citizens' daily lives. And although authorities feared that paying any type of reverence would awaken entities they had barely vanquished, it soon became obvious that, in order to keep their healers, sages and monks, nations would need to find a way to conserve a form of faith without linking it directly to divinity. In the present day, religion in Duvrin is still a fine balance between faith and devotion and outright worship of unknown entities.

Jadia

Considering Jadia's history as a fallen theocracy , its citizens are more reluctant than any others to adopt any form of devotion, reminded of a time where false gods and their mouthpieces ruled them. As such, many tribes have passed on mythology and lore through oral tradition, often stories recounting the exploits of Jadian heroes or sages. They have no formal faith or creed, preferring to put their respect into the hands of their fellow comrades, and paying respects to those with enough wisdom to acquire the knwoledge necessary for healings and boons. Those people are named Whisperers, and they are among the most important members of Jadian societies.

Lautia

Not much is known about Lautian worship before the Banishment, most writings dating from before the Age of Mortals having been lost to time and battle. However, modern Lautians place their faith and devotion in astral objects; stars, sun, moon and constellations. Many stars have been given a name and a domain of patronage, and constellations are often conceptualized as major deities, watching over the floating city. As such, the main place of knowledge and wisdom in Lautia is the sanctuary of the Starkeepers.

Menestia

In Menestia, 7 values, represented by pillars, are used as objects of devotion. Named the Creed of the Seven Houses, this faith is often passed down through families, with each family choosing to represent a specific value considered essential to Menestian life and culture. Temples and shrines to these pillars are common in Menestia, and sages of each pillar dedicate their life to the furthering of their pillar's influence and morality, often secluding themselves in dedicated monasteries. In short, the traditional concept of religion and worship was kept in place, simply replacing sentient entities with abstract concepts.

Tamynia

With Tamynia's extensive technological development came a quick solution to the lack of religious powers: Martyr's Water. An alchemical substance, it gives to anyone who consumes it significant arcane powers. In order to maintain control over those who obtain those powers, Tamynia requires all those who ingest the substance to take a vow of fealty to their nation and its people. If this vow is broken, the boons can easily be taken away, and any crimes committed severely punished.

Zilvra

Zilvran society itself having developped around the Silken Tree, then believed to be a natural manifestation of divinity, the shift away from religion was an important social crisis. Zilvran spiritual leaders, faced with the fact that their most revered symbol was not, in fact, a divine object, arrived to one conclusion: only Nature, in its most powerful and beautiful form, could be responsible for this sacred tree. As such, Zilvran spirituality slowly went back to its ancestral roots: a religious-like reverence for nature. Since the Banishment, all references to Deities were wiped off, sometimes directly replacing old Banished names with those of natural elements or symbols. The Thalrans now revere the Silken Tree as their guide and protector, making it the center of their spiritual conception of the world.

The Gods are not what we thought they were. All those centuries devoted to what we thought were merciful masters, Fathers and Mothers of all our most ancient societies, of all the creatures who walk these lands. We have been played, like the Mortal fools we are. We were never their children, simply their puppets. And now that we see through their tricks and lies, their cruel nature, the one we have all tried to turn a blind eye to, will truly be revealed. There is no escape from this world, there are only two options: their Banishment, or our Extermination. I would pray we have the strength to fight, but there is no one or nothing left to pray to but ourselves, and I am reluctant in placing my faith in Mortality. My only hope is that what lies on the other side, at the very least, will not be their kingdom. In Death, we might finally be free.

Heretics

If religious faith in Duvrin had mostly been destroyed, and often outlawed, there are still some who believe in the Old Deities. Their motives, as well as how they acquired any information related to them, are diversified and often unknown, but most of them agree on one thing: the Gods are still alive, and they are still as powerful as they were all those centuries ago. Heretics often live their faith in secrecy, fearing ostratization and punishment for their outlawed beliefs. It is rare, almost unheard of, for them to meet of form groups; the danger of being inflitrated or revealed to the authorities is too great, and the consequences would be dire. Some of them are hermits, living far from civilization, while some of them could be your neighbour, hiding an altar to a Banished deity under a floorboard.