The Old Faith
Also known as Astavera, Senang or Tua'tuai, the Old Faith is a complex belief system that breaks down the nature of the universe into a polytheistic religion focused on animal worship, eight gods with broad domains, and many elements believed to compose the world and its creatures. Each group of practitioners views the religion's mythology in a slightly different way, blaming different pieces of the pantheon for the state of the world as it is today and placing greater veneration on some aspects of the faith more than others. For example, some Tuai worshippers venerate the animal spirits more strongly than the pantheon, while others place greater meaning on the elements and their connection to Fa'lao and Na'vao, Life and Nature. Meanwhile, the Senang-eo resent the role of Byeonhwa, Change, due to the constant threat to their way of life, and have embraced Mabeo and Jeonjan, Magic and War, in order to prepare their people to defend their beliefs.
While a majority of Ji-laani citizens have fully adopted the new Zegadoskan faith of their dwarvish and gnomish allies, there are sects faithful to the Old Faith still within the Kingdom's borders, especially in the southwestern province of Senan. Surrounding groups of humans unaffiliated with the Ji-laani Kingdom are committed to the Old Faith.
Astavera is practiced by maglud and plalud human/shifter clans in the Mistwoods surrounding the Ji-laan Basin and the Chilled Steppes in the foothills of the Crescent Mountains. Senang is practiced by senan-e humans in the Ji-laan Kingdom's Senan Province, but was once more widespread across the nation. Tua'tuai is practiced by taga'vai and taga'vaoma human/shifter tribes of the Moontangle Jungle and the Arrow Coast.
Mythology & Lore
The Pantheon
The eight guiding forces of the universe in the Old Faith are life, death, magic, nature, war, change, and the sun and moon. Their names are as follows for the three variants of the religion, with the Astaveran name first, Senang-eo second and the Tuai name third. Included after the names are the domains of each god:- Life: Zivota, Sanyeong, Fa'lao; Life, Unity
- Death: Umijran, Jug-eum, Malu'i; Death, Trickery
- Magic: Magia, Mabeo, To'gati; Arcana, Knowledge
- Nature: Prirdona, Jayeong, Na'vao; Nature, Tempest
- War: Mirzda, Jeonjan, Tau'a; War
- Change: Promena, Byeonhwa, Sui'ga; Forge, Order
- Sun: Senka, Taeyan, La'sulu; Light
- Moon: Meseka, Weolwan, Si'mana; Twilight, Grave
The Elements
The Old Faith relies on the idea that each creature is sculpted from a mixture of sixteen elements by Nature and brought to life by Life using the essential element of Breath, with some births touched by Magic, which is considered both a god and an element. The elements are further divided into Material elements and Essence elements. Material elements are the ones used to sculpt the form of a creature, while Essence elements are used to hold it together and fill the shape with purpose. It is believed that all beings hold at least some of each of the sixteen elements, with the quantities of each determining personality and physical traits. Someone who is strong and rash might be described as having more of the Material elements of metal or stone in their construction, or more of the Essence elements of fire or lightning.Material Elements
Below is a list of the names of each of the eight Material elements in Astaveran, Senang-eo and Tuai, respectively, along with a sample list of traits associated with them:- Earth: Zemla, Jigu, Lalo'gi; adaptable, constitution
- Metal: Gvozda, Geumso, U'amea; strong, stubborn
- Wood: Dirvo, Namu, Pa'lau; unyielding, healthy
- Stone: Kamena, Dolam, Ma'ala; slow, methodical
- Ice: Leda, Bingeo, Sa'ila; sharp, imposing
- Snow: Sneja, Nun, Ki'ona; infirm, frail
- Rain: Kisa, Bi, Ti'mua; fast, quiet
- Ocean: Okea, Daeyang, Sa'vala; fluid, powerful
Essence Elements
Below is a list of the names of each of the eight Essence elements in Astavera and Tuai, respectively, along with a sample list of traits associated with them:- Lightning: Muna, Beonga, Ui'lao; intensity, energy
- Fire: Vatra, Bul, Afi'o; recklessness, temper
- Frost: Mrazik, Seoli, Su'lua; guarded, awkward
- Light: Svetlos, Bichyan, Ma'lamala; cheerful, friendly
- Shadow: Senka, Geulim, At'aloa; mysterious, quiet
- Heat: Toplota, Yeol, Ve'lava; kindness, hospitality
- Cold: Hludnoca, Chubda, Ma'lua; aloof, rude
- Wind: Vetar, Balam, Ma'tagi; witty, flighty
Breath & Magic
Set apart from the other elements are Breath and Magic. Breath is known as Disanje to the Astavera and Ma'navo to the Tuai. It is the only Essential element, as it is the very essence of the spirit, gifted to each creature by Life herself. Creatures have Breath from birth until death. Natural death is believed to occur due to a constant sapping of Breath by Death due to his eternal vow, while a premature death can occur by damaging the vessel, allowing Breath to be snuffed out quicker by Death. Magic is known as Magia or To'gati, the same as the god of magic. It is a chaotic element all its own, made up of energy tied to the god of Magic himself. His essence permeates the world and sometimes seeps into creatures as they are given Breath by Life. This infusion allows them to resonate with his essence in the world, giving them the ability to weave it into powerful spells should they learn to control the gift. Some humans learn to do this intuitively, while others require careful training and constant learning, depending on how much or how little of the element infused them at birth.The Animal Pantheon
In addition to the eight primary gods, there is a pantheon of animal spirits that are believed to have been birthed from the interaction of the energy of Magic and Change with that of the other six gods. From these spirits springs lycanthropy, which can be seen as a gift or a curse, depending on the culture. Below is a list of animal spirits and their names in Astaveran, Senang-eo and Tuai, respectively:- Wolf: Vuka, Neugdae, Lu'koa
- Fox: Lisika, Yeou, Kala'fa
- Tiger: Maki, Holang, Ga'tau
- Lizard: Zmaia, Domaba, Pi'lia
- Boar: Svina, Sutwae, Ve'au
- Bear: Mevedu, Gom, U'ula
- Owl: Sova, Olppaem, Liki'luo
- Hawk: Jastra, Mae, Ku'hau
- Eagle: Orao, Dogsuli, Tu'awe
- Leopard: Primea, Pyobeom, Pa'lue
- Bat: Sismio, Bagjwi, Ti'pau
- Snake: Zmia, Baem, Gat'au
- Rat: Pacovi, Jwi, Kio'ta
- Shark: Ajkula, Sangeo, Ma'lie
- Dolphin: Felavi, Dolgwa, To'malu
- Whale: Kitrava, Golae, To'tola
The Ancients
In addition to the countless animal spirits found above, there are eight ancient spirits that seem even more closely tied to the gods. Fittingly, they are also associated with forces of creation and destruction, their names spoken in awe and fear. Their awakening foretells the coming of a turning point in the struggle between the gods. Their forms are described as unlike anything else found on Tanju, though their likeness can be seen in some of the creatures invading from a plane beyond our own among the boughs of the jungle. Below is a list of the eight ancients with their names in Astaverani, Senang-eo and Tuai respectively and their associated force, as well as a brief description from the legends (WIP):- Ancient of Life: Rodena, Saeleun-tan, Fanau'mai
- Ancient of Death: Zetvu, Majima-eum, Sele'lue
- Ancient of Magic: Istene, Eneo-segye, Fa'aumata
- Ancient of Nature: Rastavo, Jeong-won, Tupu'tua
- Ancient of War: Osene, Ssaum, Alea'gau
- Ancient of Change: Demontira, Daebyeon, Ma'logau
- Ancient of the Sun: Zorazore, Haedo-byeog, Ta'eao
- Ancient of the Moon: Sumrak, Oneun-bam, Go'tole
Cosmological Views
The Birth of the Gods
Sun and Moon were the first to exist, floating in the Empty Skies Beyond. Moon was said to be larger then, for it had yet to fracture into the many moons and the world we know today. This fracturing was the work of Magic and Change, who had been left in the wake of Sun's twinkling path of stars, the result of pieces of its light being left behind as it traveled the skies with Moon. Magic and Change thought the skies were boring, being the young and capricious spirits they were, and they sought to create something new. Change saw possibility everywhere, while Magic was able to bend possibility into reality. Working together, they believed themselves capable of anything, but quickly learned that even Magic's power came with a price. While they had hoped to create a new construct such as Sun or Moon from nothing, they realized too late that something cannot be made from nothing after all. Their reckless actions drew upon the only source of material for this new construct available: Moon's body. Moon was broken into pieces by the vast power Magic wielded, and in the end Moon was left in one large and seven smaller fragments, what would become the planet and its seven moons. Moon survived the ordeal, but even its very spirit was torn asunder into four additional pieces with power shaped by Magic and Change. Life and Nature were born of Moon's kindness and love for Sun's light, while Death and War were born from its anger and pain. Death and War rushed to attack Magic and Change, who were forced to flee from Moon's vengeful spirits.The Birth of a World
This left Nature and Life with Moon's broken, weakened body. Unable to make Moon whole again, they instead resolved to shape the largest fragment into something new and beautiful that Moon's seven smaller pieces could watch over for eternity. Together, the two gods began to shape the world as we know it. They used their wondrous gifts to shape the land and sea before sculpting mountains from the soft earth. To add color for Moon, they added the greenery of trees and plants, and to keep Moon company, they began to craft creatures to live upon this new world. To accomplish this, Nature sculpted forms from mixtures of the world's elements before allowing Life to give unto these forms her breath. For a time, the gods and their creatures lived happily under the watchful gaze of Sun and Moon's seven fragments.The Poisoning of Mankind
But it was not to last, as Magic and Change circled back to the young world with haggard and tired Death and War. Magic and Change were awed at the world's state, fascinated by the efforts of Nature and Life but eternally tempted to meddle. However, Death and War could not understand why Moon's body could not be repaired. The world Life and Nature had created was an affront, and they vowed to destroy the world and its creations, deaf to the weakened pleas of Moon. While Life and Nature were certain that Death and War could not accomplish such a task, they were soon to find that the two gods were poison to the hearts of their most intelligent creations: humanity. With Death's vow, Tanju and all its creatures would learn to fear him, as Death is ever on the hunt for the breath of Life, waiting for it to falter enough to snuff it out. Meanwhile, War's vow crept into the hearts of man, poisoning them with hatred, greed, and vengeance such that they would never live peacefully with one another, aiding in Death's quest for the breath of Life. Even Magic and Change, with their purest of intentions, began to unwittingly aid in the efforts of the malicious gods. Change's ideas crept into the minds of man, showing them the possibility to build complex and safe societies, while also the possibility to create devastating weapons of war. Magic's volatile energy also seeped into the world by his very presence, charging the land with his very essence, which humanity harnessed for healing and for destruction. To this day, Life and Nature create each new life on Tanju in a fervent effort to replace those lost to Death and War. Death continues to hunt the living, while War will forever continue to feed the desire to kill and destroy. Change drives man to ever greater heights in all things, while Magic touches the souls of the newly born with the gift to control his very essence for good or for ill. This endless cycle is constantly watched by Sun, who can merely comfort Moon as she helplessly observes a struggle born of what she once was.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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