Vishalaan

The Vishalaan faith is a Daunasic tradition which has stood as the most dominant religion among the Jhasdic peoples for centuries, with its rise tied to the once-mighty Karadatra Empire. Vishalaan as an organization traces its roots back to a number of pre-Daunasic faiths among the Jhasdic peoples, which eventually coalesced into one central belief structure with various local and regional traditions which overlap into the cohesive whole. Over time, it has grown into a complex and expansive pantheon of various gods, heroes, and demigods, all of whom are claimed to hold authority over the mortal life. However, most aspects of the Vishalaan faith are not set in stone and may vary from person to person because the Vishalaans believe that only certain ancient texts contain the truth, with all human-authored books being fallible and therefore subject to debate. The Vishalaans believe that each of its precursor religions contained part of the truth of the world, and that these religions coming together into one symbolized the union of all beings. Having ancestors from one or several of these groups is what makes an ethnicity Jhasdic to Vishalaans, which means that even groups not actually ethnically Jhas may be considered as such nonetheless, if their religion was later incorporated into Vishalaan. Specifically it is thought that the Mīⸯyuān and Jhasanhian peoples, who are not considered Jhasdic by any other group, join the Indhiri, Rabasaji, Dharasī, and Ghuraki peoples in the cultural grouping.

Although all of its traditions existed before its rival Daunasic faith of Adhavāda, which is by far the second largest of those religions, the Vishalaan religion was essentially decentralized, localist cults surrounding smaller pantheons of gods and spirits before its rise. During the purview of the Dudurian Empire, Adhavāda swept across the land, supplanting the pre-Vishalaan faiths in many cases, though various pre-Vishalaan religions remained popular with the lower classes. These religions were spread across the land as their more popular traditions unified, and the traditions came together to form the Vishalaan religion. Although many of these early religions were already unified or largely defunct by this time, the religion only coalesced into its final form during the Dudurian state. This new religion combined a devout populace with the popular folk beliefs within the Empire and led to the new faith rapidly supplanting Adhavāda among the populace, leading to destabilization. With the decline of the Karadatra Empire, this position has largely been reversed, with the Karadatran elites remaining staunchly Vishalaan even today and the lower classes wavering in their faith as the Empire crumbles. Much of this is due to the Vishalaan faith promoting the current hierarchies, something opposed by most peasants. Still, the Vishalaan faithful remain as a strong minority outside the Empire's borders and is totally dominant within.

The Vishalaans believe that the gods reside in a heavenly plane populated by those who have achieved enlightenment, where there is no strife or conflict, and that this plane is a place of great learning even past enlightenment. In some traditions it is believed that the gods are instead those who achieved enlightenment, and that the plane is a home of such beings. Either way, what is important to Vishalaans is that they reach enlightenment and grow past a mortal consciousness. Vishalaans believe that every person and animal is trapped in a cycle of reincarnation, where bad deeds see one relegated to lesser life forms and good deeds see one elevated. They believe that being blessed with a life of luxury will allow that person to spend more time dedicated to reaching enlightenment, and therefore consider prosperity to be essentially a blessing from the gods. One's lot in life is determined by their actions in a previous life, which reinforces hierarchies and traditional organizations. This attitude is a driving force behind the Jhasdic caste system.

Vishalaans primarily differ from other Daunasic religions in that they believe following in the example of the gods to achieve enlightenment. Much of this relates to two main themes: emulating their actions and praying for guidance. Many of the tales of the various deities have been recorded in historical books, poems, and via word of mouth, and there is a wealth of literature interpreting and postulating on their examples and the morals of their stories. This is supplemented by epics regarding mortal leaders whose virtues and sins are also part of the teaching process. Vishalaans, however, do not rely solely on emulation and learning, but also believe in the power of prayer. Although it is usually assumed the gods are rarely active in mortal lives, all Vishalaans agree that praying to the gods can help clear one's mind and establish a connection with the divine, easing their passage to enlightenment.

There are several distinct schools of Vishalaan thought; though not all of them hold the same prestige or legitimacy they are all recognized as different strains of the same belief. One can follow multiple different strains of Vishalaan at the same time by worshipping in multiple ways, as long as they do not conflict, a popular action by peasants who seek to double-dip and increase their chance at a better life (being illiterate and therefore unable to determine the truth by reading)

Kyvashnism: Worship the god Kyva as a leader of all other gods as the lord of creation and destruction and the driver of the natural cycle of growth and decay. They believe that Kyva has a number of distinct forms he takes on as he passes through time non-linearly, and that each form influences the world in different ways

Separdism: Worship the god Sephardu as the supreme order of the universe, believing that through conflict there is peace and through strife there is innovation, thus moving people through time and closer to heaven

Ymarinism: Worship the mother goddess Ymarine as a representation of the world, seen as the energy which infuses all mortals and which may form into a deity or person as it wills. Usually represented as the consort of whichever deity is primarily worshipped/seen as the ruler of the universe, Ymarinists believe that energy is what really should be venerated, and without it all gods would be empty husks

Praenetism: Worship the god Praenetu, which is believed to be an agender figure that contains all love and sin in the world. Seen by most other sects as an avatar of Kyva, Praenetu is considered by Praenetists to represent emotion. With emotion key to enlightenment, they assert it is also the divine representation of enlightenment

Ruajism: Worship the god Praenetu as the literal sun, believing that the struggle between night and day mirrors the human soul

Braamarism: Worship all gods as equal pieces of the world itself, believing each holds domain over a part of life and is therefore key to rising to heaven; the closest to other polytheistic faiths

Sudareeism: Believe the Vishalaan faith should rise to incorporate all deities of the world, and only when the world is unified under this multi-religious belief can people ever truly escape the cycle of life

Doorism: Believe the three main deities of Praenetu, Sephardu, and Kyva are all one, united by the force of Ymarine, and that other gods are merely enlightened people who arose past the cycle of life

Important Vishalaan Deities

• Kyva: Kyva is the god of creation, destruction, growth, and decay, who is recognized as having various different forms, which may be considered separate gods or merely parts of him. He is a strongly male figure associated with the "natural way of life" and therefore also with traditionally male activities and the larger caste system as the prefect cycle. He is variably believed to be either the lord of the universe or as the force which enforces the will of the universe depending on the sect.
• Kyvastaon (Kyvan gods): The Kyvastaon are the many different forms of Kyva, each of which represent a different piece of him
• Praenetu: Praenetu is the god of both love and sin, seen as a representation of emotion itself. Praenetu also represents the sun, either metaphorically or literally depending on the sect and personal beliefs, seen as radiating life. Praenetu is viewed as an agender figure due to love and sin being evenly balanced between people of all types. Most sects see Praenetu as one of the Kyvastaon, and it is considered the most important Kyvastaon because it represents Kyva as he emerges from the cycles of life and ascends to the heavens once more (his/its ultimate form). Although Kyva is a male deity, Praenetu is not, because it has become enlightened beyond the concept of gender.
• Gangaar: The first Kyvastaon, Gangaar is the god of primal rage and violence, seen as the personification of the wild and of storms and natural disasters. Seen as the lowest form of Kyvas, he is nothing more than a brute, and is viewed as one of the most troublesome gods, with most prayers aiming to spare people from his wrath. Gangaar is represented as a raging boar or elephant.
• Suanatu: The second Kyvastaon, Suanatu is the god of calm and meditation. Seen as a particularly important god for reaching, he represents those who reflect on their actions and sins and wash them away before starting anew, a necessary process to becoming free of sin, as all humans are fallible. Suanatu is also the representation of inwards perfection. He is represented as either a man blue from tears or as a contemplative elephant.
• Krisanga: The third Kyvastaon, Krisanga is the god of collapse- both figuratively and literally. He is seen as tearing down buildings, people, and dynasties and causing them to fail and falter. This is not always seen as bad, though, because sometimes failure is needed for success. Krisanga is represented as a man-headed tiger which is entirely black.
• Sumara: The fourth Kyvastaon, Sumara is the god of buildings, architecture, and monuments, and is seen as the god who built the first temples to meditate within. He is also the god of outwards perfection, and is represented as a burly man who nonetheless contains an air of mysticism.
• Kshlar: The fifth Kyvastaon, Kshlar is the god of decay, corruption, disease, swamps, and mires. He is seen as the sinister force which causes all living things to wither, and is therefore also the god of age. A common curse by elders is to demand Kshlar give them a few more years of strength and wisdom, before their mind and body decay. Kshlar is still venerated by many, however, because he represents change, which even if not for the better, can make a person better overall. He is represented a large mosquito or as a thin man with black eyes.
• Bagnaan: The sixth Kyvastaon, Bagnaan is the god of growth. He is said to be responsible for crops and the growth of life, and therefore of children. A bustling god said to be filled with joy, Bagnaan maintains the gardens in the heavens, where it is always blooming and he need not worry about death- but without Kshlar to occupy him with rot on earth these gardens would grow to choke out the heavens. Bagnaan is represented as a cherubic figure, appearing somewhere between six and ten years old, though of course much older.
• Sephardu: Sephardu is the god of both conflict and peace, as well as both strife and innovation. He is seen as either the manifestation of order within the universe or as a patron of warriors and inventers. Even those who do not follow Separdism see him as a prominent figure in the pantheon who maintains balance, and of course he is especially venerated by soldiers and conquerors.
• Ymarine: Ymarine is a goddess of energy, and seen as the force animating all people. This means that every person has a part of Ymarine within them, and that she can be reached within the mortal plane, if she so chooses. As a motherly deity, she is taken as a comfort to those who have doubts or fears, seen as comforting those who worry over the future. In her manifestation as a deity, Ymarine is seen as the wife of one or all of the Getaraon (the gods Kyva, Sephardu, and Praenetu), but whether she is in an equal partnership or as the liege or subject of them within these matches remains hotly debated.

Other Deities:

• TBD