The Myriad
The Myriad is the primary religion followed by Merinians.
Divine Origins
The first signs of the Myriad appeared around 50 N.A., when people were still coming out of the Endless Night and sharing stories of their families and heroes during that time. Some children who were born after the Night ended struggled to conceptualise the event, and many stories within the Myriad's beliefs came around at this point as a result. It wasn't until around 143N.A., however, that the religion was fully recognised as it is today, with the first sects and churches arising around that time.
Cosmological Views
According to Myriadic texts, the First Age (before the Cataclysm) was born from the soil, a wild and chaotic time of metaphorical darkness. Creatures of great power (potentially The Old Magi) roamed the lands, controlling the populace and keeping them in ignorance and fear. The Great Cataclysm and Endless Night are considered to be a cleansing period in which the Gods were able to break through the old creatures' power and manifest themselves on Neria for good, rebirthing the world in a brighter image.
Due to this mythology, the Old Magi are widely seen as "false gods" or devil-like figures.
Tenets of Faith
- Do not wallow in unnecessary despair; instead seek solutions in the light of the Gods.
- Do not take another's life with revenge or spite in your heart.
- Protect the sancity of this land from beasts that would corrupt it.
- The blood which gives you life is a gift from the Gods; respect and love it accordingly.
- Your neighbors are as blood: treat others as you would be treated.
- Do not live on the gifts of others alone; your own gifts are worthy of attention.
- The faiths beyond ours are aspects of the divine; to desecrate them is to desecrate your Gods.
- Though one may speak louder, the three Gods are equal in divinity: do not renounce one as you worship another.
Priesthood
Members of the Priesthood of the Myriad are split into four categories: the Great Priests, Hilene's Eyes, the Nidarri Blades, and Mirae's Hands. Great Priests are responsible for overseeing the general wellbeing of the public, often called for general duties such as marriage, birth and death rituals. The other three Priesthoods are responsible for individual worship; overseeing specific duties depending on their deity. For example, Nidarri Blades are often responsible for responding to instances of Heracy or treason, and act as town guardsmen in some areas.
