The Dead Paths
The Dead Paths is a collective, sometimes pejorative term that refers to the ancient cults of the lands Kakon north of the Cliffs of Margathra until the emergence of Aethanism. Today, only those outside of the Ethelan Empire continue to follow it, save for those deeply traditional and rebellious groups such as the Vadhan'Tariik.
There were twelve Divines in the Dead Paths. These Divines were believed to be the creators of the myriad species in Kakon. As such, adherents near-universally lived in service to their species' creator, and seldom graced the shrine of -- let alone worshipped -- another Divine. The Divines maintained a special relationship with the homelands of their offspring, particularly with some kind of sacred place wherein the their presence was closest. It was under these pretenses, in fact, that many ancient Kakon civilizations waged war against each other to increase the territory of their Divine.
Additionally, it was believed that each Divine, along with being a parental deity of one of the sundry races, also laid claim to one of the moons each year. When a deity's month had arrived, they found their power strengthened in Nedia. Their followers typically celebrated their deity's month with sacrifices and, should the penchant be present, warfare. Each Divine was also said to have laid claim to a unique Realm.
The Dead Divines
- Andulra - God of Nature and Wanderers
- Vadha - the Great Deceiver and Trickster
- Lenkeya'Shmeya - Dirt Eater and Herald of Worms, and God of Agriculture
- Thanras - Bringer of Day, God of Gods, Spring and New Life
- Kaasvi - Goddess of Light and Wisdom
- Scadan - Bearer of Change and Day, God of Magic
- Espekko - Friend of All but Known by None, Goddess of Twilight and Transition
- Dhruva - God of Earth and Stone, Craft and Beauty
- Fenu - Bringer of Night, Chief of Evil, Fall and Decay
- Dinsherah - Bearer of Holy Fire, and Hoarder of Metals and Gems
- Uzozughoro - God of War and Avarice
- Mular - Wavemaker and Goddess of the Sea, Storm, and Ice
History
Julmut Era
During the Savage Years, followers of the Dead Path usually devoted their lives to one of the Dead Divines. This devotion usually manifested itself through offerings and sacrifices made at the numerous shrines and temples scattered across the continent. These offerings were as diverse as the peoples who made them, from fruits and grains, animals, precious metals, war-prisoners and slaves, and even their own children. The severity of the sacrifices was often dependent on the Divine, the particular cult, the season, the supplicant, and the gravity of the petition.
Tuval Era
Since the rise of Aethanism in the Becalming, public opinion of the Dead Paths in the Empire soured to sentiments ranging from disapproval to outright disgust. Some resent the vicious warfare caused by the archaic belief system, while others view the system as primitive compared to the Imperial religion. Moreover, early Imperial law banned the cults altogether. Later legalization still included a prohibition on adherents from holding office or conducting business. The Dead Paths, therefore, were quickly removed from urban centres, voluntarily or by force, and only enjoyed minimal adherence in the countryside and borderlands.
To date, it is assumed very few people are devoted to a Divine within the Empire's borders, considering followers will rarely publicly claim ownership of their Divine in fear of ostracization. A notable exception to this is the Vadhan'Tariik, who see their spiritual allegiance as an act of rebellion against the Empire.
Mythology & Lore
Despite the numerous varieties of cults, the Dead Paths shared common mythological themes and stories. For instance, as mentioned above, all of the cults believed that their gods were the progenitors of the humanoid races, and the homelands of these races were the seats of power in the physical plane for the gods. The cults also believed in a sense of the spiritual, understanding that beyond the physical realm were other planes inhabited by many beings which could access the physical. Interestingly enough, most cults (with a few exceptions) did not view their gods as any more transcendental than other spiritual beings, unlike other religious systems.
Cosmological Views
Although each dead path had its own mythos, there are common themes across them all, notably the beginning of the creation story. In the beginning, there was no time, nor was there land upon which to tread. There was only the sea, boundless and deep, and endlessly churning.
After a time, the churning produced a foam which floated on the surface of the waters. From this foam rose the two great gods Thanras and Fenu. They gathered the foam and cast it into the sky, making the clouds upon which they made their home. Thanras and Fenu thence went into the sky and resided there above the churning waters where there was great light and joy.
Thanras and Fenu looked upon the waters and were grateful for its churning. They begot two children then, Andulra and Mular. Andulra was enamored with the creation which the sea had brought, so he brought forth from the waters a great land whereupon he could make life from the mud which the sea produced. Mular, instead, was captivated by the sea itself and went below it, wherein she made her home, learning of its ways. And so it was that the waves crashed upon the land, sent by Mular, and made mud which Andulra used to populate the land with all kinds of plants and animals that wandered the land.
Thanras and Fenu became afraid, for their children had become powerful as they. So they brought forth Lenkeya'Shmeya and Dinsherah to oppose their children, who buried themselves in the land as two great worms. Lenkeya'Shmeya tilled the soil and making it to grow orderly. Dinsherah brought forth a fearsome fire from the depths of the earth which burned away the sea, causing it to make vapor and mist.
Deep below the earth, Lenkeya'Shmeya and Dinsherah met together and were mystified by its beauty, so they set about making a world for themselves. They bore two children of their own, Kaasvi and Dhruva. These grandchildren of the two great gods were amazed at the world they were born into, and set about exploring it. Dhruva made his home deep in the earth with his parents, endlessly crafting and shaping the stone into beautiful works of art that glistened and shined. Kaasvi ventured to the surface and made names for all the lands and its creatures, and bathed in the beauty of the heavenly light from above.
And so it was that the Gods explored and inhabited the world, making all manner of creatures after their own image. What follows is contested, being different from culture to culture. However, the common order of events is that after a certain time, there emerged the two gods Uzozughoro and Vadha who came to sew discontent and greed among the other Gods and their creatures. From where they came is controversial, with some cultures claiming they originated from Thanras as another way of bringing balance, other cultures blaming Fenu for their creation in an attempt to be the sole ruling Great God, and still others saying they were born of the union of other Gods. Regardless, Uzozughoro and Vadha brought warfare, deceit, and conquest to the lands, and a great war was made between the Gods.
This war reached even to the Great Gods in the heavens, making the First Gods come to despise one another. After a great fight that gave the other Gods pause, Fenu was cast from the Heavens into the sea and below it, where he discovered darkness and his new home in the depths. Thanras with his mighty power sundered the land and the Gods, casting them far and wide and shattering the land so that the Gods could never return in their full power.
When the world was shattered and the Gods scattered, there came about two new Gods, Scadan and Espekko. They were born of the war and the shattering and the casting down of Fenu, and they were Gods of Change and the Arcane Ways. They stayed upon the land and were weaker than other Gods. They taught the living things on the shattered worlds of magic and the passing of time. Together they made many creatures in the world sentient.
When the creatures had awoken, Thanras and Fenu saw that they were powerful in their land and raced to overpower them and be worshipped by them. When Thanras was over the land, there was Day and when Fenu came to power, there was Night, and many creatures followed them and worshipped them. But the sentient creatures came to love and worship the Gods that had made them, the Orcs to Vadha, the Dragons to Dinsherah, the Elves to Kaasvi, and the Dwarves to Dhruva.
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