Old Religion
They came from starlight...
The Veiamic people worship a pantheon of gods. The greatest of all the gods is Iameina, the mother of the cosmos, who is not present in the world but lives among the stars. Her presence is indicated by the aurora, which follows her in her dance. She created nine other gods out of starlight, and sent them to earth to create the world.
Alongside the nine greater gods are a number of lesser beings, variously called manifestations, aspects, or spirits. They are products of the gods working their magic in the world, until some of it solidifies into a distinct entity. These include beings like Uhäälvakin, an aspect of Juuto who personifies plague and famine, or Onsi, Väästa, and Turksi, aspects of Kaif who personify sowing, growing and reaping.
Aspects are not directly prayed to. Worship is directed at the main god they splintered from, either to ask the god for their aid or to plead with the god to intercede and pull the manifestation away.
The Greater Gods
The greater gods are ageless beings who came from beyond the stars. Each god has a tausai of their own, represented in a constellation. Each is also associated with a specific instrument, which is what they channel to affect the world. These are the instruments that are most effective at using their signature domain in magic.| Name | Domain | Music | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vatokäi | Sea, the waves, life | Drum | The Sea Turtle |
| Kelfan | Sky, storms, rain, weather, wind | Bagpipe | The Eagle |
| Kaif | Meadows, flowers, crops | Ocarina | The Doe |
| Arkara | Fire, volcanoes | Fiddle | The Boar |
| Vääs | Earth, stone, mountains | Vocals | The Moose |
| Juuto | Disease, decay, death | Harp | The Raven |
| Lietai | Turning of seasons, time | Horn | The Hare |
| Mätta | Freshwater, swamps, lakes | Hornpipe | The Salmon |
| Karu | Forests, trees, wood | Lute | The Lynx |
Creation
In a time long ago, the primeval sea stretched across the whole of the world. There was no wind, no sun - the smooth surface was a perfect mirror of the endless sea of stars overhead.
Iameina, the mother of the cosmos, the lady that danced between the stars, passed overhead. The sky burst into waves of colour that emanated from her presence. She danced from one end of the sky to the other in an endless cycle.
Then, she chanced a look down to see her reflection in the sea. She saw how beautiful she was, and how alone. With no audience, her eternal dance was meaningless. So Iameina began to sing, and she pulled nine drops of starlight out of the sky and fashioned them into children. She sent the nine drops of starlight down to the sea with only one command: create.
The first light to take form was Vääs, who sang the earth out of the seabed and pulled it to the surface. His deep voice reached the roots of the mountains and pulled them into peaks.
The others came to the land Vääs had created and emerged. The land was good, but it was dark, empty, and cold. Lietai fashioned herself a horn and blew a blast to beckon in the sun. Kaif created an ocarina and planted the seeds of grass and flowers, covering Vääs' dull earth in things that grow. The others rejoiced in the beauty she had created. Then Karu, jealous of her attention, took his lute and created his own green things - things that were tall, and strong, and covered the world not in flowering meadows but in dark woods.
Next, Arkaran fiddled a fire, but Kaif's meadows were dry and the sparks began to spread. Fire threatened to rage across the entire world, until quick-thinking Tutiaf fashioned himself a bagpipe to tame the sky, form heavy clouds and then pull down the water. The fire was extinguished, and freshwater covered the land. Mätta used a hornpipe to organize the water and lead it to flow back to the ocean, creating all the world's rivers, marshes, and lakes.
The world was good, but it was empty, so Vätokai placed his stone drum by the shore and pounded a beat that sent vibrations into the sea to become waves. The waves pounded against the shore, picking up the beat for him. The beat of the waves became the first heartbeat, and he sang life out of the ocean.
But each life had only so many heartbeats, so the last of Iameina's children - Juuto, the wisest of all - plucked his harp and created the decay that clears the old out of the world and makes space for the new. The song of his harp calls to the spirits of the dead, drawing them back to the sea.
Thus was the world made.
Iameina, the mother of the cosmos, the lady that danced between the stars, passed overhead. The sky burst into waves of colour that emanated from her presence. She danced from one end of the sky to the other in an endless cycle.
Then, she chanced a look down to see her reflection in the sea. She saw how beautiful she was, and how alone. With no audience, her eternal dance was meaningless. So Iameina began to sing, and she pulled nine drops of starlight out of the sky and fashioned them into children. She sent the nine drops of starlight down to the sea with only one command: create.
The first light to take form was Vääs, who sang the earth out of the seabed and pulled it to the surface. His deep voice reached the roots of the mountains and pulled them into peaks.
The others came to the land Vääs had created and emerged. The land was good, but it was dark, empty, and cold. Lietai fashioned herself a horn and blew a blast to beckon in the sun. Kaif created an ocarina and planted the seeds of grass and flowers, covering Vääs' dull earth in things that grow. The others rejoiced in the beauty she had created. Then Karu, jealous of her attention, took his lute and created his own green things - things that were tall, and strong, and covered the world not in flowering meadows but in dark woods.
Next, Arkaran fiddled a fire, but Kaif's meadows were dry and the sparks began to spread. Fire threatened to rage across the entire world, until quick-thinking Tutiaf fashioned himself a bagpipe to tame the sky, form heavy clouds and then pull down the water. The fire was extinguished, and freshwater covered the land. Mätta used a hornpipe to organize the water and lead it to flow back to the ocean, creating all the world's rivers, marshes, and lakes.
The world was good, but it was empty, so Vätokai placed his stone drum by the shore and pounded a beat that sent vibrations into the sea to become waves. The waves pounded against the shore, picking up the beat for him. The beat of the waves became the first heartbeat, and he sang life out of the ocean.
But each life had only so many heartbeats, so the last of Iameina's children - Juuto, the wisest of all - plucked his harp and created the decay that clears the old out of the world and makes space for the new. The song of his harp calls to the spirits of the dead, drawing them back to the sea.
Thus was the world made.
Tenets of Faith
The greater gods of the Old Religion do not make many demands on behaviour. Their primary concern with humans is that they respect nature and, by proxy, respect the gods who hold dominion over it. Adherents of the Old Religion do not believe they will face cosmic punishment for murder, but they will for over-cutting lumber or polluting water supplies.
The minor gods are slightly more involved with humanity. For example, Tuuhara, goddess of war, expects warriors to maintain a level of honour, chivalry, and bravery. Warriors who fail to meet her expectations not only will not receive her blessing, but will receive dreadfully bad luck in battle.
Worship
Adherents of the Old Religion largely go about their lives without being actively involved in religion. When one feels the need to ask for a blessing or forgiveness from a certain god, they seek out the nearest druids. Druids maintain shrines and perform music and rituals throughout the year to keep the gods' favour.
Shrines are located in nature, away from urban settlements, and most often in the groves of trees. All it takes to mark a place as a shrine is to sacrifice a deer in the name of a certain god, and bury the deer's heart accompanied by some small token representing the god. The token might be a carving, a figurine, a piece of embroidery, etc. Once the items are buried, the grove is continued consecrated ground and dedicated to the name of the god.
This is all it takes, but often round stone structures are built on top that are decorated with images venerating the god. They also usually have a brazier where votive offerings can be burned, though offerings could also be buried or thrown in a lake. Druids regularly sacrifice animals, and laymen seeking atonement or a blessing will come with expensive items to offer.
Many old and ancient shrines were left behind when the Forest took over, and shrines now are scattered and haphazardly put together.
Priesthood
Druids carry out rituals, perform ceremonies, and serve as advisors and spiritual leaders for their communities. The only way to become a druid is to be accepted as an apprentice by one, and undergo 9 years of study and practice. Musical ability is a must for druids, who are expected to be able to play at least 3 or 4 of the 9 main instruments used by the gods.
Druids are particularly practiced at Dreamwalking, in which their panai leave their body in a meditative trance and seeks knowledge, even communing directly with the gods. In this way, they can directly intercede on an individual's behalf.
Druids do not take money for their services to the community, but if you seek the aid of a druid, it is expected to bring them food in repayment.
Sects
Druid circles are traditionally independent. Keitism is a system of organized circles that respects the wisdom of a Deep Circle. This sect became prominent along the coast around 700 years ago, and in some countries (name, Kaleina) it is the primary form of faith.
Those not part of Keitism consider it overwrought and unnecessary, and feel the organized circles gets in the way of individual druids' connects directly to nature.
Spirits
There are countless aspects and manifestations. Some are distinct entities with minds of their own, while others are more vague like a powerful storm or a sacred rock formation. Some of the most distinct are:
Permeated Organizations
Divines
Related Myths