The Dark Gods
History
During the early days of the empire, the Saikar adopted the The Way of the Weavers as the official religion of their society. While it is not known what led them to this choice, the aftermath of it is written in the stones of every world that they once held. Open practice of any other faith was outlawed within the occupied territories, and members of the Way regularly served on missions to various remote settlements to spread their faith, and their belief in peace and pacifism. Meanwhile, the Emperor's armies were authorized to serve as Inquisitors, ordered to investigate any possibility of banned worship. Temples, altars, and relics of the Dark Gods were burned or destroyed. Clerics and followers of the deities were executed on sight by a method referred to in the historical texts as "Field Beam Exposure". While it isn't known what weapons or steps were involved in this process, the victims are described afterwards as appearing anywhere from "covered in ruptures and boils, as though exposed to extreme heat" to "charred corpses, reduced to little more than the very basic frame of the person" (Royal Guild Historica, Annals of the Golden Age". During the Empire's rule, worship of any deity other than the Weavers was next to non-existant, although practice must have been performed privately, as the banned faiths survive to this day.
Modern Religions
While it wasn't always so, the pantheon now known as the Old Gods, or Dark Gods, is now inclusive of nearly all beings that take on the mantle of a God, as well as some greater beings whose power, though incomparable to the gods, is great enough to warrant small cults of worship amongst mortals. The Way of the Weavers remains the primary faith in the system, so effective was imperial indoctrination, but the worship of other deities is no longer punished by the authorities. It is, however, looked down on by many as a backwards belief in false beings, and those who practice openly are not always looked upon kindly. In the Occupied Territories, places of worship are hidden away in basements, out of town, or anywhere beyond prying eyes. Beyond the boundaries of the Occupied Territories, however, many of the once great temples have undergone repair or reconstruction, offering places of sanctuary, worship, and reflection for those of the faith.