Religions

Many religions exist in Ravensridge, but most tend to be members of the High Church, or have ties to the occult. Some members of the city also worship various members of the First Gods, but that is a dying religion.

## The High Church - Caecusism

### Structure

**Archbishop** - The Head of the entire church, and leading seat on the Synod of the High Church, the archbishop is said to have her soul intertwined with \*god.

**Synod of the High Church** - Consisting of High Bishops and the Archbishop, the Synod works as a council to make decisions for the faith.

**Bishops** - The regents of particular regions or districts, usually a city will have only a handful of bishops, each in charge of her own chapel or church-grounds.

**Herald** - A herald is a Bishop-to-be, and generally serves under a bishop performing errands and learning the ways of the High Church. They sometimes act as emissaries when spreading the word of faith.

## The First Gods - Primicism

### God/s

Primicites are those who give faith to any of the twelve first gods. The religion is a dying one; theologically these gods do not exist and are entirely fictitious. Primicism is divided into twelve domains, with twelve gods embodying two of the twelve domains each. Many of those that hold this faith will pay penance to multiple gods, but sects exist that follow a single god, which often follow extremist lifestyles.

#### Domains

Charity, Wealth, Knowledge, Death, Time, Birth, Pleasure, Pain, Honesty, Vice, Love, Hate

### Gods

**Genora** - *Charity and Wealth*

Genora embodies charity and wealth; her primary ideals lie in gaining as much wealth as possible with the sole purpose of giving it away. Worshippers of Genora are encouraged to donate everything they can spare to the less fortunate. Certain sects of this faith have warped this idea, allowing donations to anyone. As such, some circles of wealthy Genora followers inter donate and maintain their wealth. This is not in line with Genora’s ideals. Temples of Genora are often constantly changing in appearance as anyone in need is encouraged to take from the temples, and anyone in a position to give can leave anything at the temple to be taken. Some decorate temples with lavish furniture and luxuries, only for it to be taken by the needy weeks later. Such is the way of Genora.

**Pyruthus** - *Time and Death*

Pyruthus holds the desire to outlive death above any other mortal pursuit. The oldest members of society are given to most respect and hold the most power, and many worshippers of Pyruthus begin exploring methods to stretch their lifespan. Some spend their entire life searching for a way to live longer. The oldest worshippers of Pyruthus often take up residence in the temples, and offer (ill-informed) wisdom on longevity in exchange for donations from younger worshippers. Pyruthus himself is said to be the oldest god, having mastered the technique of longevity. Given this pursuit, many Pyruthus devotees tend to be non-confrontational, and manage strict lifestyle patterns with an emphasis on health.

**Demna** - *Hate and Pain*

Demna is often cited as suffering embodied, or the baron of cruelty. Demna worshippers are generally not to vocal about such things, as they are quickly exalted from communities. Demna worshippers are generally untrustworthy, cruel people that find passion roles of war, torture, or execution. It is thought that from the moment of birth, all beings enter a world of suffering and pain, and this is the natural state of things. Misery is considered the closest emotion to the natural state, and as such, through the eyes of the Demna followers, spreading misery is bringing others closer to the natural law of life. Acolytes of Misery believe the only way to pass onto the next realm is to live in misery, spread it, and come to terms with eternal anguish.

**Thyra** - *Vice and Knowledge*

There is the goddess of vice and knowledge. As such, it is advocated that if you follow Thyra, you should avoid learning things. There followers believe the emptier the mind, the more pure the judgements it can make are. Many Thyra followers live an outcast lifestyle, preferring to meditate most days and live off the bare minimum. Books are considered sacrilege, and Thyra devotees scrupulously avoid intellectuals. Thyra extremists often gouge out their eyes to avoid learning new things accidentally, to observe is to learn. They often adorn themselves with white cloth over the eyes, and are often without clothing.

**Godus** - *Birth and Wealth*

Prostitutes are often devotees of the Godus, as long as they practice their trade of their own free will, but the church prefers them to consecrate themselves in a temple and become one of the church's sacred prostitutes. Many detractors of the church condemn this practice and use it as evidence of the church's debauchery, but the church counters saying that sacred prostitutes are important members of the church and are safer within the temple walls than if they were on the street. Any prostitute forced into the trade who approaches the church for help will be given protection and shelter, and clerics and paladins will look for the abusive pimp and quickly make an example out of them.

The church values all sexual orientations and identities equally, and many converts into the Godus's teachings are of queer sexual orientation and/or transexual lifestyle who have been victims of bigotry. In fact, many transexual folk love the church not only for their acceptance, but because there are rituals and procedures the church offers that can allow them to physically become the gender they identify themselves with. Temples of the church are always open to provide sanctuary for those who are persecuted for their lifestyle, and often helps them relocate to settlements where they'll be more welcome.

**Fymar** - *Charity and Pleasure*

Fymar values servitude as the pinnacle idiom, claiming the only way to attain internal peace is to give yourself freely to all others. Moreso, a devotee of Fymar should indeed enjoy or derive satisfaction and pleasure from the act of servitude. Fymar followers have sometimes established communes in which all members are in servitude to each other; historically however, an abuse of power often emerges, and as such, Fymar is less followed than the other of the First Gods.

**Parthenon** - *Love and Honesty*

Universal compassion is the holy tenet of Parthenon. Many followers are akin to Buddhist monks, never speaking a lie to attain purity of the mind, and loving all other creatures, attaining purity of the soul. Then, once fully loving and honest, a Parthenite may begin meditating, to achieve purity of the whole.

**Vesidri** - *Knowledge and Time*

Post death, no more learning can be done so one must devote life to learning everything one can: this is the ultimate doctrine of Vesidri. Vesidri is said to be the brother of Thyra, and are considered polar opposites. Many disputes have arisen between devotees of the two.

**Vulthusius** - *Death and Birth*

Circle of life

**Lavaar** - *Pleasure and Pain*

Hedonism, sadism, masochism.

**Nivyda** - *Honesty and Hate*

Lies

**Adorna** - *Vice and Love*

Love is considered a vice, and to nurture only promotes weakness. One must learn to survive without love for it can only slow down personal progress. Adorna considers the individual the centre of absolute divinity, putting the needs of oneself above all others.