Nowas Religion

The Nowas Religion is one that is as old as anyone has been living around Mount Madrgo. The religion has never strayed far from the volcano, its hold site in Dolakia. The Nowas Religion has around 5.2 millions people. The religion has had several tales added to the myths and legends over the years. Each one has been in response various natural phenomenon that have popped up over the years.

The religion is one that common peoples have difficulty practicing as it requires long study of many tales and rituals and rights. This does not mean that those who lack significant education cannot participate. Many peoples learn about a few of the rituals and participate in several other, lead by those who have studied them. The study of a ritual is an intense practice, and requires study so that you can recite the entire process five times without missing any element of the ceremony. Once completed they are allowed to lead a ritual, there is a less rigorous program to practice a ritual on your own without anyone following your steps. Rituals often involve sharp rigid movements that are punctuated with Dwarven words or phrases. These practices can last anywhere from 3 minutes to 3 hours.

Rituals are received, updated, and scrapped during the council of elders meeting that happens once a year. The meeting occurs during the fall, as a group of elder scholars gather in a cave that accesses the innermost parts of Mount Madrgo. The council sits as near to the lava in the center of the volcano as they can, in unison they begin a practice known only to those selected for the council, each one receiving a vision of how to preform it. Together they complete the ritual, and after it is done stone tablets carved with instructions appear. This shows them how to revise the rituals that have been in place.

The gods of the Nowas religion are each a reflection of different types of stone or gems. They appear as golems made of each material, some smooth and immaculate other worn and chipped. At the top of the hierarchy of gods, sits the largest golem of all. Their stone surface smooth with a stone that has yet been found in the earth. It appears a dark brown color with marbling of brilliant greens and oranges that seems to move in waves across the golems surface. The gods are said to live in the center of Mount Madrgo's volcano, though it is also believed that they are shrunken to live on a small island that rests in the center. This is said to be where the followers go after they die.

According to legend, the gods lived for many years on this small island in paradise, surrounded by much lava. Eventually, Tungsten set off walking across the lava to find other islands to live on, and perhaps other islands. As they walked the began to grow as they got further from the island. Eventually as they were far from the island Tungsten could see the whole of the world. They looked over and saw only lava and were dissatisfied. And so they began to work, and as they worked other gods came to help them build. Tungsten built a barrier around their island to keep some of the lava in. Eventually Gold, Amethyst, Basalt, and Granite came to aid them, carving out deep fissures in the land to hold all the lava. As they worked and the lava drained the rest of the gods began, one by one, to come out and continue the project. Each one infusing parts of themselves into the world to build it up. Together they worked hard and eventually a landscape was formed. It was barren with only stone to cover the world. Many gods roamed the world for several years before returning to the island, others simply returned right away. Limestone saw their work and began to feel unsatisfied. They stayed for hundreds of years crushing large portions of the stone they had planted into a fine dust that they named Sand. Limestone left Sand to watch over this creation. Sand being a lonely and ambitious began right away to work on plants, and creatures to live with them. Sand had made great companions but they never lived long. To help them Sand went to Mount Madrgo and released from it a wellspring of hold lava. This lava left the mountain and flowed through Sand, who endured the pain to create something wonderful. As the Lava flowed from the volcano and through Sand it became water and it filled the earth. Sand continued their work of creating life. As sand left Limestone's section of the world and expanded outwards they began to pickup bits from other stones and became Gravel and Dirt. With now three siblings together the world came alive with peoples and plants.

One common practice through many households is to have a small pot or jar with a section of Sand, Gravel, and Dirt. This is said to keep the practice of creation alive in the home.

Another important ritual that is practiced is the ritual of earthquakes. The ritual is meant to shake the world of an opponent either physically or emotionally. The ceremony needs at least ten people to preform in it, though more is better. This practice can be use for all kinds of things. It can of course be used to cause damage to an opponent, but it can also be used to shake someone awake to a truth, like manipulation or deceit. A use that is potent but dangerous is using the ritual to shake up things is someone's life. This is a neutral ceremony that has been preformed for friends and enemies alike. The ritual, if successful, will change major aspects of someone's life in unpredictable ways. It may be all good, all bad, or, more often, a mix of both. It has been used to such affect as a miner striking the first known deposits of magical ores and becoming wildly rich and famous, or entire families disappearing with no trace, including once a royal family.

The Sacred site is, obviously, Mount Madrgo the volcano from which the gods hail. The island is in Dolakia, though the entire mountain is not. The only person to ever confirm where the island is was the god volcano queen who descended into the lava pools and came out untouched.