Religion and Magic in Jarra

First came gods, and their power was unbound
They shaped demons in their image
Gods dreamed, that they might know limits.

Next came demons, though they numbered few
They bred with beast and tree
Demons lusted, that they might be gods.

Then came Woman, and her brood was plentiful,
It covered the earth like stalks of grass
Men built, that they might conquer death.

While the gods slumbered.
-Poem transcribed from oral histories in the manuscript of Jabari San, scribe to the Golden Magisters of Namu, c. 3117 by the Ummran calendar.


From the collected writings of Jaali Oko, Golden Magister of Namu, c. 3056:

Worship

Across the known world, from the colonnades of Catagon to the stepped temples of Xi, one finds a marked uniformity of creation histories. The Creators – the Gods – gave birth to both Beia – the world – and the primordial beasts that lived within it. Special amongst these beasts were the created Infernals, or Demons. The Gods created Demons in their images before lapsing into an oblivion that has lasted for thousands upon thousands of years.

During the dormancy of the Gods, Demons ruled over Beia, in their infinite shapes and types, breeding with all manner of living creatures, and transforming themselves through their offspring. Thus it was until the advent of the First Woman, and her human descendants.

There are many stories of the origins of the First Woman. Was she a final experiment of drowsing Gods? The fruit of a coupling between Demon and beast? Or was she a God herself? No matter her origin, the spread of humanity began a rivalry between Infernals and men that spans the world and has lasted for millennia.

To whom, then, can humans turn for succor? On the continent of Jarra, men pay homage to the Ancestors, recognizing that the dead are imbued with the layered power and wisdom of untold generations dating back to the First Woman. That that power flows most strongly through lines of kinship. Other men in other lands also worship Ancestors, or saints, or storied heroes of their past, whether they be kin or not. In Xi and Bhatagur, many pay homage to great philosophers who have passed on to the Underworld. And corrupted men, on every land, worship Demons in debauched cults of the shadows.

On Jarra, all civilized people of goodwill worship Ancestors. A man knows what he can aspire to by knowing the achievements of those who have come before, and he stands upon their shoulders so that he may reach his own heights. There is striking similarity across the continent in the logic of this faith. While the customs of the priesthood and the language and manners of celebration may differ across the realms, the veneration is the same.

Magic

There are three known types of magic.
The magic of the Gods manifests in demonic powers. Demons have the innate ability to commune with plants and animals. They are largely immune from harm from natural sources, wounded only by alloys, such as steel and bronze. Depending upon their species, demons have powers of enchantment, illusion and conjuration.

Witchcraft is corrupt human-created magic, ultimately derived from the creative powers of the Gods. (Witchcraft is not to be confused with herb-witchery, which is an unfortunately named science-based craft.) Witchcraft typically requires a spark, a fuel, and sometimes, a physical implement to serve as a focus. The spark is often recited word or song. The fuel is typically creative fluids of life which hold great power – blood, semen, vaginal fluid, milk, urine, tears, and so forth. Usually these fluids are human-sourced, but in some traditions of witchcraft draw their fuel from Demons. It is even rumored that some debased humans have discovered the a serum of the Gods.

Magic granted by the Ancestors is conveyed by prayer. It typically manifests in blessings and auguries. At its most powerful, Ancestral power is expressed through the standing wards which protect all settlements against Demons, and through true divination.