The Bright Queen
The Sun always rises. Darkness always falls. -- A common Devkarti exchange when dealing with Hardship.Amelia is the Devkarti Creator Goddess. Often associated closely as being the very sun itself, Amelia is known for being a loving, yet temperamental Goddess. While all life is important to Amelia and she values the idea of men loving one another, she is also very well known -- if not notorious, for being a deity that highly regards warfare and battle. Those faithful to Amelia are expected to seize matters in their own hand when necessary, and to never flinch from the heat brought upon them by life...for cowering beneath the heat of the sun will only get you burnt.
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Unbeknownst to many Devkarti worshipers, Amelia was once the wrathful Goddess of Fire in the Goblin pantheon. Her name then was Vlaew. The collapse of Goblin civilization has lead to this phase fading into the annals of history, until she was eventually reshaped into the Devkarti ideologies and renamed to Amelia. Vlaew was a bloodthirsty Goddess; sacrifices of fire and blood were made in her name. Few goblins remember this as well; for their civilization's collapse leaves only tattered ruins and hieroglyphs as clues to their past.
Structure
Ra: The highest standing member of the Devkarti faith is the Ra; they are treated as if they are children of Amelia herself. Those who are given the esteemed title of Ra have it added to their last name; for example: Izmat Hesslar becomes Izmat Ra-Hesslar. To be Ra is to be considered the highest form of nobility, standing beneath only the Queen and Amelia herself.
Rao: The warrior priest or general of an order. Rao is similar to Ra in that it is tacked onto the last name to honour their new standing. The Rao is simply used to honour warriors that have proved themselves as exceptionally powerful fighters. Only a Rao may anoint another person as a Rao.
Bright Priests: Almost exclusively for Priestesses, the Bright Priests preach of both the current going events and Amelia's intentions for the Devkarti people. They lead the lesser and are essentially the equivalent of a Church's High Priest. Bright Priests are named for the taboo of looking upon them too long; for they dress in provocative or suggestive clothing as a testament to their beauty. To look upon beauty too long is to stare upon the very sun itself, and to touch is to risk burning -- or losing, that limb.
Recent trends have also lead to the Bright Priests adorning exceptionally garish, almost reflective swaddling yellow robes that literally cause them to appear as if they're brightly glowing. Such a trend has only recently occurred after Tregaron expeditions.
Mythology & Lore
Amelia's faith stems from the believe that the world was once a vast desert without water or life. It was quite literally, a gigantic ball of sand with nothing but windswept deserts. Amelia, whom drifted through the Cosmos shortly after the creation of Sheol. Sheol, once a beautiful land of life had become a fractured Hellscape due to the demonic inhabitants that began to spawn there. Wishing to reclaim her home, Amelia sought to rally her own army outside of the Demon's prying eyes. This army would be used to slay the demons, and return Sheol to the beautiful landscape it once was.
She roamed the cosmos for days, weeks, and in time found herself lonely, longing for the companionship of her people. She knew the demons would inevitably slaughter everyone she left behind, and in time, found Veska in its sorry, dry state. Reminded of what could potentially become Sheol, Amelia mourned her people's fate and found her tears dying the sands ruddy and brown. The first rivers began to run from the Goddess' tears, and from those rivers, she saw the clay beginning to fashion itself from the sands. In her solitude, Amelia began to mold this clay, and soon found that her will alone had breathed life into these tiny things, creating the first men and women on Veska. They were all given the task to serve as her soldiers, and taught how to battle the demonic threat infesting Sheol.
When the demons saw Amelia's actions, they invaded. The Demons slaughtered and proved to be more than a match for her creations, and though her people managed to stave the onslaught off, mountains of corpses were made, leaving Amelia to once more mourn her dead. Oceans of blood were created from the war, and her tears -- once making rivers, had soon began to flood the world beneath an ocean, drowning the demons while also nearly wiping her creations to extinction. Despite the immense casualties, man had triumphed over the invasion -- and yet, there were still endless amounts of demons that lurked within her home of Sheol. To reward humanity for their valor, she granted them Veska, blessing it with her gift of life and allowing them to live out their years until death, where she welcomes them into her garden to train until the day she inevitably decides to invade Sheol and go to war with the demons.
Divine Origins
The religion comes from the original Devkarti people, who lived their lives mostly reclaiming the ancient ruins of lost civilizations. Due to the civilization's convenient locations, they grew to believe that a higher power had created these bastions of hope for them, and in time, Amelia's faith was discovered.
Tenets of Faith
The Tenets of Amelia are very simple: Be brave, be bold, and show one's valor to the very end. The tenets are also known to regard women higher than men. Amelia's tenets are meant to be followed to their fullest.
All women are built upon Amelia's image. To strike a woman is to strike Amelia herself. You will never fly too close to the sun. Be bold, and you will not burn. Darkness always falls. Do not give in to the face of defeat. Always rise to challenge your enemies. One may always look upon the sun. To walk naked is to simply embrace how Amelia intended. You may look upon a naked man or woman, but to touch either without permission is punishable by dismemberment of that limb. A slave committing this act is to also be gelded. You shall not rape or murder. Rape or murder is punishable by execution. Slaves may be taken. Slaves are to be as valued as the grains you eat. Slaves are to lose their former last name. They are to be called a Grain, for millet does not speak for itself. Only the master may speak for them. A slave may not speak, but they may act. Should their actions be judged worthy in the eyes of their master or a Ra, they may be granted a last name, and no longer be Grain. A Master must speak each of these tenets to their slave. Multiple husbands or wives may be taken, and husbands may take husbands, while wives may take wives.
Ethics
Although the tenets of Amelia do not specify the value of a slave for murder or rape, it is known that mistreatment of a slave will lead to the master being gelded, should evidence prove that slave to be a victim of abuse. The value of being treated as grain is meant to be very literal; to mistreat your food is to spoil or ruin it, and thus, slaves are still expected to be treated with at least a modicum of decency. This varies from city to city, however. Some cities, like Nag-Mizra, have no limits as to what happens to a slave, while others, such as Olziir, establish fixed rules for their treatment.
Public nudity is not only allowed, but encouraged by those higher up in the faith. Staring or looking upon a Bright Priestess or high-standing noble in this way however, may risk removal of the eyes should that person feel threatened enough. Similarly, unwanted touching is punishable by dismemberment of the victim's choosing, typically either gelding, or whatever limb they happened to touch them with. (the hands or fingers, most likely)
Fleeing from battle is quite simply punishable by death.
It is expected to announce one's name when performing a courageous act or partaking in battle. This is because doing so allows those nearby to know of your name and potentially honour it should obtain glory through the act. It is also a method of flaunting one's titles.
Worship
Worship of Amelia is observed through prayer, while church service lead by the local Bright Priests and Priestesses are held every Sunday to honour her name.
Bright Queen's Hallow: The Bright Queen's Hallow is a salacious event that typically occurs within the royal palace or city hall. During this time, all nobility is to dress in whatever they may desire, so long as they wear some sort of mask, helmet, or other piece of headwear that obscures the face. It is essentially a grand masquerade party that nobles gather upon to indulge in various depraved acts. Each act is considered to be under the guise of that mask.
During the Bright Queen's Hallow, naming someone taking part in full means that they must remove their mask should it be true, where they must remain unmasked for the period of the masquerade.
Demon Slaying: Demons are considered the 'great enemy' in Devkarti culture, much like how they are considered the great 'tempters' in Tregaron culture. Hunts are often made to exorcise and root out demons wherever they may be.
Priesthood
The Devkarti government and the worship of the Bright Queen are kept closely knit together. Thus, those in high standing in Devkarti nobility are treated with high regard in the faith.
Bright Priests: For the most part, Bright Priestesses lead the flock of the Bright Queen's worshipers. Priests are exceptionally rare and seldom hold this position, though they aren't unheard of. Every week, a Bright Priest or Priestess recounts all past events that have occurred over that period of time. They also speak of the intentions of Amelia and act as speakers on her behalf.
Pygmy Priests: A recent development of the faith are the Pygmy priests; whom guide not the Church, but the slaves of the community. The Pygmy priests are similar to Bright Priests in the fact that they are given the task of recounting weekly events. They are also tasked with the ownership of unclaimed slaves.
Slaves are allowed to apply for an indentured servitude as a Pygmy priest, so long as their master, or Ra, allows for it.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Quite simply, the entire Devkarti Government is the religion. Everything coincides together; to have high standing among the faithful is to have high standing among the Devkarti people, and to have high standing upon the people, is to have a high place within the church.
Sects
The idea of separating into sects is often seen as strange or undesired to Amelia's faithful; and yet despite that, there is a single separate sect of worshipers found in Olziir.
The Sunseekers are a sect dedicated more towards the less fortunate, and are lead by a Pygmy priest. The Sunseekers focus less on the concept of war and slavery, and are much more focused upon self-improvement and taking action to bring them out of their current state. This sect encourages all people to be truly equal in the eyes of Amelia, while the downtrodden are expected to obey their followers, they are also just as expected to take actions and seize the means necessary to elevate their status beyond where they are. Most of the Devkarti cities often see the Sunseekers as inherently strange, but due to their peaceful nature, no ire is placed between them and the main branch of the faith.
Founding Date
Grew in popularity around the founding of the Devkarti empire; 1600 BH. (Roughly 1,640 years ago.)
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Capital
Alternative Names
The Bright Queen, The Burning Baroness, Lady of Light
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Vlaew Nilogea
Leader
Economic System
Barter system
Currency
Devkarth uses a system of minted silver and gold. One gold is equal to ten silvers. Gold is called 'Suns', while silvers are called 'Stars'. Barter system is generally the main way of trade, however.
Location
Related Ethnicities
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