Asitir

Asitir is a religion originating from the Rathniri continent of Southern Syltör, with the earliest known worship being among the ancient Seraan Confederations as a formalization of the generalized belief system shared between the many tribes that composed the Seraan civilization. Its has been worshipped continuously both by nomadic and centralised societies, with the structure of the faith being shaped by the environment in which it is worshipped. As one of the largest religions in Stoneworks, it encourages devotees to study and immerse themselves in religious texts and debate.
Asitir is highly polytheistic, with various deities being able to reign over the same concepts, and has some elements of animism, as many Asitir believe every living and natural thing is inhabited by some form of spiritual being and the like. The way each of these deities are venerated varies widely throughout the history of Asitir, and is often heavily influenced by how centralised the faith is at any given time.
Asitir has never been a religion limited to one area; as a faith with deep nomadic roots, the Asitir faithful can often be found in many nations around the world or on the roads as part of Seraan Caravans. However, at multiple points in its history Asitir has become centralised and found a religious 'capital' in a centralised urban setting; in the Kingdom of Olarã, then in the Lirgal, then again in the Celestial City-State of Kaliné. The mysterious cycle of settled Asitir civilisations forming, rising, and falling is an obscure and somewhat taboo topic amongst Asitir scholars.
==History==
=== Rathnir ===
==== Seraan Confederations and the Kingdom of Olarã ====
The Asitir religion was the result of the coalescence of various practices exercised by the several Early Seraan Confederations. Every single Confederation had their own practices considered Asitir, but the centralization of the religion began within the the capital of the Kingdom of Olarã. It thus organized itself around the central deity, the World-mother venerated by all variations of the Asitir religion, the Moon goddess Asi.
The religious texts were not unified until the Conference of Divines hosted by the High Edaiship in Olarã. Every city in a confederation had their own divine, and each divine had their own interpretations and versions of the myths and lessons of the Asitir religion. In a conference that lasted three months, the divines agreed upon a formulation of the Adaere Namu ("Road of the Righteous") that from then on became a paradigm of the religion. This conference also culminated on the creation of the title of Valyre ("Lightbringer"), a ceremonial title also referred to as the "High Divine", that was tasked with lorekeeping, divination, and scholarship of the Adaere Namu. Even with the presence of the Lightbringer, the divines of the different cities held a high level of autonomy, being able to choose the interpretation for certain teachings.
The religious centre of Asitir was traditionally located in the capital, where the Great Asi Temple, or "Asitunmãe" ("House of the Moon Goddess"). When the Kingdom of Almador invaded the Kingdom of Olarã, the Asitunmãe was ransacked, the idols burned, and its structure felled. It was one of the first buildings to fall, as a representation of the triumph of the Celestial Elves and the Almadorians over the Asitir religion. The fall of the capital city did not mean the end of the Asitir religion though; the various wandering clans of the Seraan people continued to practice and spread the religion.
==== The Lunar City-State of Lirgal ====
In time, a large body of the wandering clans came to settle in southwestern Alteniquia, founding the city of Lirauagal, later known as Lirgal. While it was a thriving Asitir city, it too was eventually lost to time-until it was rediscovered by explorers, and resettled by returning Asitir faithful. As Lirgal continued to grow in size and population, many new converts to Asitir began to settle in the city. With new citizens came new ideas, and new ideas evolved into discussions and debates about all manner of topics. One such topic was Asitir itself, specifically the history of the religion. The efforts of Aldara Ellan to translate old Seraani holy texts had allowed the song of Asi to reach many more people than before, and soon Asitir could be found all over Rathnir. The effort to revive and preserve the religion soon became an effort to manage its growth; as more and more people became followers of Asi, the greater the strain on the Lunar Council to oversee the transition of individuals, groups and even potential governments into adherents of Asitir. 
Discussions began pertaining to how the issue could be resolved, whilst outside the government some of the Asitir faithful were taking part in debates of their own. The Temple of Asitir's doors were sealed with the first time in history, as theologians within its walls began a debate which lasted several days. The period leading up to this meeting, and the outcome of the meeting itself, are referred to as the Lirgalyn Reformation; the Asitir faith was structurally overhauled, with a spiritual leader-the Valyre-appointed, alongside the Deralynor, to serve as the Valyre's representatives and as leaders of Asitir. This marked a restoration of the old Asitir hierarchy, carrying on from the ancient traditions of Kaliné. 
As Lirgal continued to grow both in size and influence, Asitir became an increasingly popular faith; wayward nomads returned to the fold and new converts were found in those dissatisfied with more dogmatic or rigid religions. By the time that news of a Comet approaching Rathnir arrived in Lirgal, Asitir was one of the largest known religions. The period following the sighting of the Comet is one shrouded in mystery-much like the fall of Olarã. All that is known for sure is that some form of cult emerged in Lirgal, which openly advocated for the end of days. This, combined with geopolitical instability in the face of the Comet's arrival, ultimately lead to a great battle for the Lunar City-a battle which the denizens of Lirgal lost.
With the fall of Lirgal, the Asitir faithful were scattered once again, taking to the roads in enormous Nomad Caravans, seeking a new home for their faith.
=== Abexilas ===
==== The Celestial City-State of Kaliné ====
While it isn't known exactly how much time passed between the Fall of Lirgal and the foundation of Kaliné, Asitir as a faith had undergone yet more changes. Generations on the road as Nomads had allowed the faith to drift and evolve as various Asitir communities travelled further apart; old practices were revived and new practices were founded as the faith evolved on the roads.
When the Seeran Nomads finally settled and founded the Celestial City of Kaliné, many disparate groups of Asitir faithful came together at once-leading to the emergence of three broad sects of Asitir within the city.
== Sects ==
Within Asitir, there are 3 'Sects', or groupings of Asitir faithful. Not divided along strict dogmatic lines or in devotion to any particular cause or leader, the Asitir Sects are better described as differing ways in which Asitir is practiced. Almost all Asitir faithful belong to one of the Sects; those who don't are generally informally classed as adhering broadly to either Those of Balance or Those of Change. 
==== Those of Balance, of Order, of Being ====
Those of Balance, Order, of Being, are the Asitir faithful who believe that the future of the faith is intrinsically tied to how well its tenets and belief systems are protected. Popular with those who aim for stability, study, and an aversion to radical change, Those of Balance is a Sect which hopes to see the Celestial City establish itself as the "religious capital" of Asitir in both title and actuality; a beating heart in which the faith will always be protected, with an established hierarchy of Asitir officials, from whom the tenets of Asitir can be taught and shared. 
Opposed to radical or sudden changes to society or the faith, they aim to safeguard against any chaotic influences that could put the Celestial City-or their role in it-at risk. They have a matronly view of Asi as the chief deity within the faith; seeing her as a firm but protective mother of all beings and forces in the world, and seeking always to expand and preserve the presence of Asitir wherever it flowers.
Associated Deities: Asi, Essan, Autlen, Tali, Réaltaí.
==== Those of Change, of Motion, of Flow ====
Those of Change, of Motion, of Flow, are the Asitir faithful who believe that constant (and often radical) change is necessary to the wellbeing of the world, and of its people. Far from a chaotic or structureless dogma, Those of Change is a Sect which hopes to see Asitir remain close to its Nomadic roots; harnessing the vastness of the Asitir faith to try and fully understand both the world and the forces within it. 
Favouring an evolutionary approach to the faith, they constantly study both written texts and influences in the natural world to seek sources of innovation or inspiration; anything which can strengthen the Asitir faith or its footing within Kaliné and the wider world. They view Asi not as a tangible deity or person, but as a natural phenomenon with an intrinsic link to the One; while still the most central aspect of Asitir, she is not venerated in the same way that other deities are.
Associated Deities: Asi, Néa, Daur/Lerá, Merine.
==== Those of the The One, of the Infinite Quiet, of the Threshold ====
The smallest and most obscure of the 3 Sects, Those of the One are the Asitir faithful who believe that the physical world we reside on is but a veil, a shroud, and often a misrepresentation. Their exact goals are often regarded as a mystery even to other Asitir theologians; they believe that, after Asi first arose, She witnessed boundless perfection; an immobile Order of the highest form, the Light of the One, and through the act of perception She gained omnipotence over it - yet even she was unable to percieve the finer details of the world. Thus, it is the ultimate ambition of Those of the One to find a way to lay eyes upon that which Asi was unable.
They know that the real essence of the world is of layers; the physical world that we know of is but a mantle that covers the rest. Those of the One are often great theologians in their own right; having devoted their lives to theological debate, study of Asitir texts, and the observation of the forces of the world around them-however they reject the notion that the answers to their questions can be found strictly in the tangible and worldly. They place tremendous importance on the study and practices of magic, intution, spiritualiam and other esoteric endeavours in order to further their understanding of the world. This places them on the fringe of many Asitir communities; regarded by the curious as eccentric occultists and by the critical as misguided lunatics, they hold no particular reverence for anything but their ultimate goal.
Those of the One do not venerate any individual deities; all things hold a place in their worship, but are mere fractions of a whole. The sole exceptions to this are perhaps Lai and Moi, primordial Light and Dusk, both of which represent all which Those of the One seek to master.
==Religious Texts==
Asitir possesses a developed theology. Though most of its religious books are in the Seraani language, the Asitir Templekeeper Aldara Ellan worked on translating several of them, among them the Adaere Namu, the Lirgodal, and the Valvatlan. Though further books are being translated into Traveller's, these currently form the bulk of the knowledge of Asitir by those who follow the religion, but do not speak the language.
Asitir encourages writing and disserting on its tenets, texts, and interpretations. It, most importantly and notably, integrates a system known as Paradigms: Through consensus, voting, or simply through gain of popularity through time, a book, text, or even simply a phrase charged of meaning can be a paradigm. It is a widely accepted interpretation of the texts, or a tenet that does not necessarily exist within the religion at first but becomes a recognized reality.
The currently translated texts of the Asitir faith are the Adaere Namu (Road of the Righteous), the Lirgodal (Skychant), and the Valvatlan (All-Birth). The Adaere Namu is not necessarily considered a formative and absolute text of the religion, but rather a paradigm.
==Beliefs==
The cosmology of the Asitir religion is complex, with certain unclear elements. They believe the world is composed of one unique thing, that the universe is, in a way, the body of a deity, and everything that exists is a modification and ramification of this body. In a sense, nothing was exactly created, because the Universe-Spirit gave birth to itself, creating the possibility of its own existence. The first thing to emerge from this body was a dualism, an opposition between the nothingness and the everything, being and non-being: a dualism that later evolved into the opposition between light and dark, life and death, abundance and scarcity. To the Asitir, there is a great equilibrium in this world, and every tragedy that happens in nature has the purpose of creating and equilibrium, counteracting a miracle, a blessing. The Universe-Spirit actualizes itself, trying to reach a perfect equilibrium in its being.
===Asi===
The goddess Asi, Goddess of Travellers, of Paths, of Voyages, of Wisdom, of Vagrants, of Truth, of Artists and Writers, and Goddess of Moon, became at some point the main goddess venerated by the Asitir. They do not venerate the Universe-Spirit, for it does not need offerings or prayers, it does not heed calls or smite the unworthy, it just is. Instead, they saw in Asi a primal representation of equilibrium; between Sun and Starless Night, the Moon is the equilibrium, the light in the dark, the way between daylight and obscurity. Moonlight was thus also extremely important for Asitir witchcraft and practices, as they believed that the moon, because of its representation of the equilibrium between one of the ancient forces, light and dark.
Asi was venerated alongside other deities and spirits by all Asitir states. She was always seen as the Mother Goddess, she who birthed being itself out of her womb, allowing equilibrium to be broken and thus for the universe to change, evolving, making itself: as she had control over equilibrium, the forces of the universe were at her command, and by tipping the scales a ripple of disequilibrium took over the universe and allowed for things other than the perfect harmony of primordial forces to be.
In this sense, then, the Asitir venerate Asi as the Goddess of Equilibrium, but also as a Goddess of Ways, Free Will, and Being: as she chose to disturb the status of the universe with the intent of causing change and evolution, she made the first choice, the first choice of many, that had a unique effect. Some wandering clans have strayed away from prioritizing Asi in their worship, preferring to venerate different deities and spirits as their main ones, but still respecting Asi as the Mother-Goddess, the Opener of Paths, and the Creator of All.
=== Alaruara===
Alaruara is the conventional name given to both deities and spirits in the Asitir religion. The Asitir believe that every singe concept or abstraction is ruled by one or multiple deities - such as the God of Trees, the Goddess of Rivers -, while specific things may have their own spirits. An Asitir could believe in Neá, the Goddess of Rivers, and a spirit which inhabits the specific Alfino River. 
While deities are in a general sense venerated, spirits are different, being either adored or abhorred. Spirits of sickness, conflict, and poverty are generally never worshipped (except by certain witches), while other spirits considered benevolent might be given gifts and offerings. An Asitir community might, for example, make an offering to the spirit of a certain field, in hopes of producing more of a grain yield in a farm.
The differentiation between these two kinds of entities in common speech is "Alatun" for deities and "Alarui" for spirits.
====== Current List of Alatun ======
* Lera - She of Life, Deity of Vigor
* Essan - God of Light
* Tali - The Protector, Son of Essan
* Autlen - God of Vision
* Daur - God of Death, of Ends, of Breaks
* Néa - She of Rivers and Flows, Goddess of Water
* Narã - She of the Earth
* Réaltaí - He of the Stars, God of Knowledge
===Good and Evil===
To the Asitir, strict conceptions of Good and Evil are the only forces that do not make a sense in this universe: as what we understand as being Evil emanates from the Universe-Spirit just as that which we understand as Good does, and so the distinction is lost, because they're one in the same in their existence. They believe that every society, every people, every religion, and every culture has developed their own conception of Good and Evil, that is righteous in their specific conditions, their epoch, and for their needs. Good and Evil, for them, is not something that exists independently from any context, in a universal manner, but rather you can only define Evil as that which prevents you from achieving what you understand as "Good".
Some interpretations of the Asitir faith saw Evil as a simple representation of that which is harmful to us; as non-being is more harmful than being, darkness is more harmful than light, death is more harmful than life, we can only see Evil as that which affects our way of existing negatively, prevents us from being, or from acting in our full potential. 
===Ancestors, Afterlife and Reincarnation===
To the Asitir, a soul is composed of several parts, with three predominant energies making up the spirit. When one dies, part of their essence join the Universe-Spirit, becoming one with the soul of everything. Another part remains, populating the air and the skies, following their descendants and those led astray, trying to advise them on what the ancestor souls believes to be the right path. The third one shatters into millions of soul seeds, being blown by the wind into all directions as if it was soul pollen; the shattered souls inhabit the bodies of the young, and develop within them, until a fully formed soul grows. Some soul seeds never meet a target, staying in the air for centuries before disappearing, but most of them find a host.
Ancestors are also often credited with the protection of an individual from curses and malevolent energies, serving as spiritual guardians for a certain individual. They do not necessarily follow their descendants, but anyone they deem in need.
==Practices==
===Witchcraft ===
Most Asitir practiced and continue to practice a form of witchcraft. Within Asitir religion, there are two understood forms of witchcraft: Gonmur and Telmur. Gonmur is referred to, in Traveller's tongue, as "Magic of the Balance", while Telmur might be called by some "Chaos Magic".
Magic of the Balance, Order Magic, or Equilibrium Magic is the form of witchcraft that might be understood by some as "equivalent exchange". It consists of attempts by a witch to exchange a certain object for another, a certain situation or effect for another, called such because it conserves the equilibrium that is natural to the Universe-Spirit. It often involves healing magic, with one's own vitality being exchanged for the revitalization of one another, or even energetic magic. More complex rituals exist; it is said that one Gonmur practitioner once exchanged her own fertility to create fecund soil for a starving town.
Gonmur magic will also often deal with the creation of mixtures and objects of power. Instead of it being mostly an instant evocation of power, a fair amount of it consists of alchemy and brewery, or the creation of enchanted talismans and relics. The work of a Gonmur witch is almost artisanal.
Chaos Magic, or Perdition Magic, is quite different from Gonmur witchcraft. It most often deals with intense and sudden evocations of magical power, not being exchanged for anything. This kind of witchcraft often has adverse effects on the caster or the environment, depending on where it drains its energy from. Small uses of it don't often cause extreme negative effects; big demonstrations of power, however, can have lasting and destructive effects on even the flora and fauna of the casting area.
Telmur magic was increasingly badly seen during the Kingdom of Olarã, with its practice being deemed against Asitir tenets and extremely dangerous. After the sudden fall of the Kingdom, though, small usages of Telmur magic began again, as no central authority was around to control. Most Telmur witches are well aware of the problem with using magic this way, though, and limit it to life-or-death occasions.
=== Offerings===
There are very specific practices for offerings, and it all depends on what Alaruara is receiving it. The specifications vary from types of offering, to recipients, to location. For example, an offering to ask Asi to open pathways is usually done in the crossroads, where you leave on a platter or a small box a metallic object of any type and a kind of alcohol. To ask the woodland spirits for protection, however, you bury coins and gemstones under the roots of trees.
Before the fall of Olarã, offerings to the deities used to be done in temples, and would take the form of a circle ritual involving several participants. With all Asitir temples destroyed, however, they are now usually done in the deep woods or in swamps during nighttime.
===Shrines===
An important part of the veneration of deities in Asitir were household shrines. In the living room or near the dinner table, the Seraan would set up shrines with idols of their deities and sacred symbology, meant to bring about divine power and protection and as an accessible place of worship. After waking up and then before sleeping, they would often say their prayers to Asi.
With the creation of a Seraan wandering tradition, the household shrines that once were an important part of the veneration of deities in Asitir became wandering shrines. They are usually made on carriages about as tall as a person, with a small roof-like structure to protect it from rain and wooden doors or glass panes protecting the interior and impeding the contents of the shrine from falling. Some Seraan families still have household shrines, but it is very rare as Seraan homes were specifically designed to have a space in the wall for the shrine.
===Prayers and Teachings===
The Adaere Namu, besides being a book describing how the world was born and how Asi was responsible for putting existence in motion, is also a text containing moral and ethical teachings, and common prayers used by the Asitir. It is customary for parents to teach certain tales from the Adaere Namu to their children, teaching them about the importance of temperance, equilibrium, and unity.
Most Asitir follow a simple prayer routine, it being the first thing they do at the morning and the last thing they do before they go to sleep. Some clans prefer to institute more strict routines, specifying times at which to wake up and pray and even what colour of clothing is adequate.
==Notable members==
==== Rathnir ====
*14th Valyre (Lightbringer) Aldara Ellan
*Deralyn Ellira Accero
*The Princess of Lunaris Amaranthine Luon
*Lirgalyn Scholar Bopra
*Deralyn Gael Ui Neill
*Deralyn Nitlovis "Spacer" Tliavan
*Deralyn Ka Enkai
*15 Valyre (Lightbringer) Kali Rochelle-Orne'Valerin
*Deralyn Oranje von Savras-McSpiegel 
* Archduchess Hazel McSpiegel of Anoshphey
*Deralyn Raeden Seeker
Category:Religions
Category:Traveler's Era