Human/Elvish Religion
Humans of Terastios and Elves of Silvamabilia share a close history, and their version of religious stories matches very closely.
According to their mythology, the world was initially created by Dasos, the deity of nature. Dasos is true neutral, reflecting the balance of patterns and chaos of the world. Dasos created the storm and the calm. They (for Dasos is neither male nor female, but all-encompassing) created the land and the sea, and filled each with living creatures.
As all the energy of creation sprouted so many things, so too did three other entities of great power come into existence: Seir, Sidik, and Apatii. Three more gods.
Seir was the god of community. He desired that order be established within the world - though he found it difficult to bring the high levels of society to the low-minded animals.
Sidik was the goddess of artistic expression and creativity, as well as love. She looked upon the world and saw its beauty, but also its potential to hold even more - and she began to create.
Sidik fell in love with Seir, and the two of them, together, created higher-thinking beings. Seir gave them minds to think and desire order, while Sidik gave them the capacity to create art, and a desire to explore. Her creativity was not easily satiated, so she created not just one species, but several - humans, elves, dwarves. Presumably the gnomes and halflings the others would eventually discover - and many believe that Sidik created further unique and wonderful beings on other islands, further away, which had not yet even been explored!
But as they created, and filled the world with goodness, law, and creativity, Apatii looked on with jealousy. He found Seir's ordered communities too confining for his tastes, and Sidik's form of creativity too pure and wholesome. He slipped into these towns, disguised as one of them, and spoke of doubts about the laws, spread unrest and discontent. He promised to teach any who would follow him far greater magics and powers! Apatii was certainly powerful, and many hearts turned to greed and power, taking on his philosophy.
War broke out, as Seir was determined to fight for his people, but Apatii's followers were determined to keep their forbidden magics. Followers of Apatii became physically tainted and changed - humans who followed him turned awkward shades of skin and grew tusks, becoming the orcs. Elves who followed him grew dark in skin color, while their hair turned white and their eyes red - the drow. Dwarves occasionally turned to follow Apatii, becoming the hideous Duergar - but no one remembers what these even looked like, as dwarves were quick to purge the lives of any who turned to such wickedness.
The wars between humans and orcs, elves and drow, became ever more intense, and there seemed no distinct advantage between Seir's people or Apatii's. In desperation, Apatii turned to darker and darker magics for his followers, until they at last hit upon something so forbidden, so atrocious, that it awakened the wrath of Dasos: necromancy.
Dasos had seemed to turn a blind eye, not caring what people did on their world. However, as much as nature might seem chaotic, there is a clear order in some things: one lives, then one dies. And remains dead. When followers of Apatii began to reanimate corpses, unnaturally causing them to live again, though not really living - this was more than Dasos could take. Furious that their creation would do such a thing, Dasos attacked the orcs, driving them deep into the west of where the humans lived, and tainting their land as punishment, to make it difficult to grow food. Dasos likely attacked the drow, driving them north on their continent, until they fled below ground in the northern mountains, presumably forming their own society down there and ceasing to bother other elves. Thus satisfied with their punishment, Dasos returned to the pleasant work of causing seasons to change, and storms to arise, keeping nature in order, yet constantly changing.
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Centuries later, there was a half-elf woman named Vignosa. Because her half-elf, half-human status made her somewhat rejected by each community, she went to an island located between the human and elvish continents. Unbothered by opinions and content with isolation, she began to research. She studied, read every book she could find, and practiced using every sort of magic that she could. Over time, this seeker of knowledge gained followers, from both humans and elves, who came to the island to learn from Vignosa. A great tower and Arcane University were formed, and in time the city of Maginsula was created, a city which spilled into both the human and elvish sides of the island. Vignosa continued to learn so much that she essentially transcended into immortality. This being of ultimate arcane power was viewed as a deity by her followers. At one point, she placed the Arcane University in the hands of her followers, and took off on her own to teleport around and explore the world - and the universe, continuing her eternal search for more knowledge. A church for Vignosa remains in Maginsula, and they pray to her for knowledge and power.
Certain elves hold the opinion that Vignosa was actually a full elf, not a half-elf, as they take pride in her stories and accomplishments and do not wish to admit that such things could have been accomplished by a mere half-elf. However, this view mostly comes from pride, and there is no real evidence to back it up.
Type
Religious, Pantheon
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