Church of Sul
The church of Sul is the oldest church in existence, worshipping two deities, Sul and Duk. Its practices are surprisingly well known, considering it was based on The Forgotten Continent.
History
The exact founding date is unknown, but worship of Sul and Balance are thought to have started shortly after Humans were created. Originally it was unorganized as most things were, but when the Forgotten Kingdom was created that swiftly changed. The Queen decided to worship both Sul's birthday and the date the soul was created as the beginning and end of the Cold month. On both dates large celebrations would be held, with ongoing celebration throughout the month. Both getting pregnant on Sul's birthday and giving birth on the date Sul made the Soul were considered very good signs for the mother, and children born on the latter date were called the Soul Gifted and expected to do great things. Throughout the Universal War the church took on a militaristic role, and when Duk switched sides, worship of him was also incorporated. Worship of Duk as a lover was the least organized part of the church for a long time, since the Queen didn't know how she was supposed to handle it, the King eventually stepped up, organizing Duk's worship and changing the status of Aasimars from something to be pitied as something that belonged nowhere, to being seen as potentially superior and more manly. When Balance died, the church did not know how to react. Many people kept worshipping her as if she was alive, but most stopped celebrating her holy days, which are now mostly lost, without stopping daily worship. Very few stopped worshipping her altogether, and there are still some that worship Balance, but they are considered odd. Since then, most practices have stayed the same, but it decentralized after the The Forgotten Continent was cursed.
Mythology & Lore
Divine Origins
The religion originated in the Forgotten Kingdom.
Cosmological Views
Understanding of the structure of the Universe is less important than the understanding of the immortality of the soul.
Tenets of Faith
Ethics
They believe that it is important to maintain the dignity of all beings with souls, and to not harm them. However, any being without a soul is considered to be beneath them, and not deserving of true protection. Certain branches that still worship Balance always believe in protecting wildlife and nature, though less as individual organisms and more as a whole. More radical believers believe that the Human soul is the purest and best, any others being flawed replications at best, and cheap mockery at worst. Most agree that Diana is a god to be distrustful of, since she has damaged souls. Followers who take this to the extreme believe dreams to be temptations towards evil acts and seek either never to remember their dreams or gain dominance over them so that no evil influence can enter through them. Followers are also wary of Eater, Isa, Geltham, and the Elemental Chaos, due to their supposed abilities to manipulate and damage the soul.
Worship
Ways to worship Balance are archaic, but descriptions include going to a place of natural beauty and baring yourself to it, which many take to mean being naked. Other ways of worship include making statues of Balance, singing to her, or simply spending a few minutes in silent contemplation and prayer to the being, not even necessarily praying to her as she is remembered to have said that everyone needs to simply think sometimes. Worship of Sul is very undirected, with worshippers simply told to bare their soul to her. Many pray, telling her their secrets and sins, while some take it to be more literal, getting naked, and a very few see that as insufficient and cut themselves, believing the wounds let Sul see deeper. Many worshippers combine those elements. Worshipping Duk is not considered as important, and mostly men pray to him. Followers will generally reserve endings for dusk, starting a game or burning a candle and sustaining it until it is about to end, then resuming or relighting it at sunset and letting it finish. Executions, butchering, and other ritual sacrifices also generally take place at sunset. Followers will also avoid beginning new things, like drawings, a job, lighting a new candle, or starting a new game at dusk.
Priesthood
Granted Divine Powers
Along with the normal powers of a cleric, priests are believed to have the power to heal a soul.
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