Adenism

**Adenism** is a group of mostly Human Dalgun religious movements formally known as the **House of Aden**, or the **Church of Aden**. Followers of Adenism, called **Adenites**, are united by their adherence to the teachings and traditions of the **Pantheon of Aden**, a group of nine Immortals who renounced their godhood in order to build a more perfect society alongside their followers. Adenites believe that these nine **Guardians** ascended in the early Keaslian age, handing over guardianship of the House to all mortals who wish to belong.

Adenism is one of the few surviving religions from the Age of the Gods, having its origin somewhere in the seventh millennium Ds (more than six thousand years ago). Certain Adenites and other Dalgun religions, however, often consider Adenism something apart from the god *worshipping* religions it grew up alongside. Many within the tradition consider it idolatrous to deify the Guardians or worship any Immortal at all. Adenism is also unique for being a proselytic Dalgun faith, open to all. A core tenet of their philosophy holds that the House of Aden is "not one people, but many. Not a kingdom, but the very idea of a just and free society, wherever and by whoever it is invoked."

For their rejection of the gods and later of the Cosmacan mage religions, Adenites have faced brutal persecution throughout the years. Until about the last century, protest, separatism, and martyrdom defined the church and the faith as a whole. The "zeal of Aden" was known for vocally opposing the Vadraedic slave trade, the Wars against the Gods, Sunyan colonialism, and so on.

## History of Adenism

> *The immortals of Aden were the first pantheon to call themselves guardians instead of gods and refuse to be worshiped, declaring that person-hood belonged to all. And rather than protect and patronize a people or a nation, the guardians were protectors of the House itself, which was (radically) open to all. For Aden was not a land or a kingdom, it was the very idea of a just and free society, wherever and by whoever it was invoked.*
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> *Quite apart from their peers, the Adenite Immortals were not killed or exiled, but left of their own volition, purportedly as they witnessed the tide of human civilization turn against their kind. They left long before the most serious wars, and while still dearly loved by their people. Afterwards, these Citizens of Aden refused to convert to any other House, even when conquered, believing that they had received a mandate from the Guardians to continue the work of Aden themselves –that the Guardianship had been passed on to them. For their refusal to convert, Adenites were imprisoned or exiled first by other Immortal Houses, then by the Cosmacan faiths that followed.*
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## Guardians of Aden

Like all the other Immortals, the Guardians of Aden had vast and mysterious powers, still not fully understood to this day. But they used their powers sparingly, opting instead to guide and teach the citizens of Aden to build a civilization for themselves. When Aden faced outside threats, however, or strayed into self destruction, the Guardians were wont to intervene more directly. The frequency of these interventions decreased drastically over the years until finally the pantheon left earth altogether, entrusting the care of the House to mortal hands.

Stories from a time when the Guardians walked regularly alongside mortals abound, and are told and recorded as fables and parables in place of any one holy text. In these stories, the Guardians have distinct personalities and jurisdictions, each a patron and protector of one of the sacred pillars of Aden's ideology. Their names have become synonymous with the virtues they represented and serve today as titles for the Church's highest spiritual offices. Each Guardian also had a unique visual flair; a set of symbols and heraldry. which are still heavily present in the visual and linguistic culture of Aden today.

But unlike their more imperious contemporaries in other pantheons, the Guardians of Aden tended to choose more humble and familiar regalia to represent themselves. They only occasionally manifested as humanoid beings and never as the terrific, alien titans of their Mathsrian counterparts. Instead their favored forms were of battle and work steeds, to demonstrate, it is said, their partnership and servitude to their people. When the airborne Wynds joined the House, the Guardians chose avian forms to meet their new constituents.

**Shovu**, Guardian of Peace, whose name means *restraint and steadfastness*. He often appeared as a maneless golden lion with distinctive spots around his eyes.

**Nahfel,** Guardian of Plenty, whose name means *generosity and compassion.* She often appeared as a mother hound with a thick auburn coat.

**Melia,** Guardian of Truth, whose name means *to remain skeptical, to pursue and reveal.* Her most common form was a pearl ibex whose horns and hooves crackled with lightning.

**Martas**, Guardian of Justice, whose name means *to fight and stand for the weak.* He commonly appeared as a great wounded stag with blood that gleamed and bubbled like lava.

**Axal,** Guardian of Wisdom, whose name means *knowledge and intuition.* His favored form was a grey mammoth with a single broken tusk.

**Roshe,** Guardian of Worthiness, whose name means *trust and openness.* Her favored form was a splendid red lurey dressed in finery.

**Paeges,** Guardian of Fellowship, whose name means *brotherhood and equality.* He was known to manifest as a giant sandy mongoose, often dressed for battle. Paeges, along with Axal, was one of the only Guardians to regularly appear as a human. And unlike Axal, he often did so without revealing his true nature.

**Casil,** Guardian of Light, whose name means *individuality, the spark of life, soul and spirit.* She was best known as a snow white caracal with a silver circle on her forehead.

**Belu or Belal**, Guardian of the Unknown, whose names mean *hope* and *despair* respectively*.* He is nearly always depicted as a massive moonsilver grizzly, twice as large as all the other guardians put together. In the stories, he is the youngest of the pantheon, perpetually sleeping in the Eternal Glades. The other guardians visit him in their dreams, where he is still a cub