Alkara

In Alkara, existence is struggle, a debt to be paid. Dryads and the Mathari Empire are the primary vehicle of this struggle for good, while Orthodox Desmianism is the vehicle for evil. The promise of victory holds eternal paradise for all of existence; the cost of failure is global destruction and damnation.
Alkara is a philosophy of desperation, hope, and servitude. Every living being is born with debt to the Gods, that they must work off in the struggle to be let into heaven. Animalistic races- Humans, Selkies, Vesper, Haltia, Pearl Pangolin, Kobolds, and Cats- bear the "curse of blood", a great inherited debt that must be worked off in a lifetime of penance. It is the duty of dryads, Prisms, and Solars to enforce this atonement and bring peace to the world through victory in war.

Mythology & Lore

Creation and Loss of Paradise

In the Beginning, there was endless sea, endless sky, endless earth, and endless fire. The sky grew lonely and became the wind, bringing all four together into the center of all things. The wind became Halcyon, the creator of all things and queen of all heavens. The fire became Takira (Goddess of flame and light, whose flower is the sun the endless water became Zama, (Goddess of cold, snow, rain, and water the Earth became Kredea (Lord of the Underworld and seer of all things). Halcyon created the other Gods to help them populate the earth:

• Iadra, Goddess of the Moons, Creator of Magic, and closest daughter of Halcyon
• Redaro, God of the Stars, Creator of riches, and creator of Prisms and Solars
• Natharik, God of Wisdom and Medicine (and later, war and disease)

And this pantheon created the Eternal Paradise, where life existed in perfect harmony and bliss. First the Dryad were made, in the image of Halcyon; then the Solars and Prisms, then the animals and humans.
The Animals, youngest and most boisterous of the residents of Paradise, were given something unique: golden blood. Blood made them rowdy, powerful, and confident. Their boisterous playing became fighting, until Halcyon warned them on the wind and sent Natharik in Dryad form to help guide them. Seeing the vulnerability of a God, the humans grew jealous, hunry, and arrogant. The humans told all the animals to distract Natharik, while they killed him and would take his power for all animal-kind. While Natharik was distracted by the many animals begging for his advice, the humans attacked. The most villainous of their kind, the cruel leader Dorzen, struck the first and last blows. After the humans brutally killed Natharik, the other animals jumped in and helped them devour the body. The Dryads, too afraid to use their claws to protect Natharik, did nothing.
When the animals were done, they noticed that Paradise was rotting. Death, sickness, violence, hate, pain, and all the other evils flew forth from Natharik's corpse. This is known as the Curse of Blood- the sin of Natharik's murder cursed all of existence, leaving a permanent mark on the blood of animalkind, turning it red. Dorzen, writhing in agony, blamed the Dryads, and led the furious animals onto the Dryads to eat them as well. Halcyon, enraged, took the Dryads away to the last piece of heaven- the Garden. The Garden was the only piece of paradise spared from destruction, and Halcyon promised the Dryads that they might return to the Garden in death if they worked in life to undo the crime of standing by idly.
And so the Halcyon became the Tempest: God of Justice and Goodness while in the Garden, God of Punishment while in the corrupted mortal world. The Pantheon formed a great war court, the Empire of Heaven, and as they marched the dryads back to existence they decreed: if the dryads ever stop fighting, or lose their fight against animal-kind, the world would be destroyed for its crimes. If the dryads were to force the animals to submit and seek atonement, Paradise would be restored. In that oath all dryads swore, Natharik was reborn as a God of Veangeance and war, to lead Dryads to victory. Those cowards who refused to look upon the Dread Natharik fled to the corners of the world to hide- and their descendants can be found around the world.
The sky cries blood every year in honor of Natharik's death on The Day of Blood. And that is why we struggle.

Divine Origins

In -1000DE, a global panic struck the world as a second moon appeared in the sky. Cults rose and fell around the world, but one in Desmia was most unusual: a large cult dedicated to appeasing the Demon Gods.
As humans pursued and dryads across Desmia, a group of warrior-dryads had formed: the Mathari tribes. This cult sought out the Mathari for tribute and protection, and brought many aspects of Desmian culture, religion, and philosophy to the Mathari as they integrated. Alkara began as a fusion between the shared Mathari beliefs and human cult worship.
After the Mathari Empire formed in 50ME, much of this cult was organized. Iana the Blue, a mercenary, claimed to be the daughter of Iadra, Goddess of the Moons, sent to organize the March to Paradise. Since then, Alkara has grown alongside the Empire, dictated by its priests, philosophers, and emperors.
While most Alkarans live in Mathari, small groups have set up religious communes in Samvara, the Feywilds, and even in the Southern and Northern fringes of Desmian influence- Boram and Ivedra.

Cosmological Views

In the center of the universe is the Divine Court of Heaven. The Immaculate Throne looks upon the Garden to the left and the mortal world to the right. Halcyon is often depicted as two-headed for this reason: her left face is one of kindness, and her right face is one of rage. The Other members of the Pantheon sit on the other Six Thrones that sit to judge existence. The Path from the mortal world to the Garden goes beneath these thrones, and if one God decides you are unworthy, you are knocked from the path to the Pit of Terror below.
Iadra's Throne is closest to the Mortal World, and answering to her are the Ten Messengers, whose own thrones are gathered around the heavens in the starry sky. The Messengers are the Lunar Pantheon, and they are ranked by rank (closest to Iadra to furthest from grace)

• Lily of Red , Iadra's own child and most beloved of Dryads
• Wimbo  of Many Colors, Personal messenger of Halcyon
• Hiku the Bard of Heaven, Entertainer of Gods, First Prism, and Muse of Mortals
• Haru  the Lightful, First Solar and Scribe of the Gods
• Okun the Blue, First Empress of Mathari and Implacable Spirit
• Jade the Empress, Stubborn and implacable master of foreign Prisms
• Theia  the Transcended: a Human so pure and valiant that she overcame her blood debt, becoming the first Half Dryad
• Agamine  the Empty, Muse and creator overcome with despair
• Orchid of Blue, the Empress of Cowards who has been forgiven
• Ishkibal , Slave Knight of Halcyon- a human warrior captured by Halcyon, Ishkibal must work off his blood debt by helping restore Paradise

Tenets of Faith

• Be Obedient. Your spirit has already disobeyed the Gods. Only by tempering your spirit to obedience can it make it into the Garden.
• Be Brave. The World is full of terror, but terror belongs to you. You are its agent, not its target, so be brave.
• Be Determined. The world depends on you for survival. You cannot give up on those innocents who depend on you.
• Be Dutiful. The correct path has been found, you just need to follow it. Fulfill your responsibilities.
• Be Forgiving. Just as the Gods forgive us, all life can be forgiven. Make sure that blood-cursed life pays its debts to the world for its own sake, but be forgiving and gentle in your guidance.
• Be Loving. Cherish life, as cursed and marred as it is. For the Gods created this world as a garden first. We must cherish and forgive it if we ever expect to return it to its pristine beauty.

Priesthood

Mathari priests wear a multi-colored twisted rope through their clothing, to represent the path to the Garden. The rest of their clothes are typically black or white, in mourning.
Most priests are Mathari Empire bureaucrats charged with civic tasks such as teaching, public sacrifice and ritual, and census gathering. Individual cults usually manage holy sites and more advanced public services- archives, architecture, medicine, etc.

Founding Date

2000DE/25ME

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

Mathari

Demonym

Alkaran

Permeated Organizations

• Mathari Empire

Deities

• Halcyon

Location

Desmia