Liamism

Liamism is an ancient polytheistic religion based on various legends and stories from across Merelaux. It is one of, if not the largest religion in all of Yulea, and has at least a minority presence in the vast majority of countries, especially Helinskan. It is a majority religion in around 18 countries, and nominally important in numerous others.

Liamism is an incredibly segmented and sect-based religion thanks to its divided beginnings and the geographic spread of the religion. The various denominations of Liamism can be incredibly distinct, so much so that some are considered separate religions, though they often have a few similar qualities; Liam is a deity of some sort, the pineapple is a holy symbol, and the color yellow is used to represent them.

Liamism had two very distinct origins; scholars believe it originated in South Bargad, modern-day Liabron, as a polytheistic religion before an expulsion by foreign occupants separated the followers into the exiles and the few who returned to Yarushel, the Lashkeni. The Lashkeni, believing their expulsion to be the wrath of Liam, converted to monotheism, whereas the exiles remained polytheistic. That being said, the exact dates and the validity of Liamism’s founding is unclear. Many future sects were some blend of the Lashkeni and polytheistic beliefs; the more militaristic and holy war-leaning were often more influenced by the Lashkeni instead of the mainstream Liamists.

Liamism was historically rather centralized region-by-region, but the various controversies over the origin of the religion and the differing tenets between Lashkeni and proto-Lunnis Liamists versus the descendants and followers of the Yarushel exiles eventually resulted in an event now termed the War Between Brothers or the Schism of Malefactions. This was a very decentralized series of conflicts and random attacks between differing Lemetiates and villages of different proto-sects that lasted for nearly a century. It spread throughout multiple continents due to trade and rival missionaries, and is often considered to be the origin of defined factionalism within the religion; it also paved the way for Liamism to become so incredibly fragmented and global.

Liamism was introduced to the then-Principality of Airolia several centuries after the War Between Brothers, and due to the secluded nature of Airolia’s geographic location, they developed their own sect: the Lianis. The Lianis were adherents to the exiles’ transcriptions of the Original Tomes rather than the Lashkeni ideals and mythos, so once Airolia began its era of colonization, it was a polytheistic sect that was spread across the world rather than a monotheistic sect. Airolia was responsible for Liamism’s introduction into Helinska, and Lyrinae is still a holy site for the Lianis and Liamists of other sects.

The largest denominations of Liamism are the Lianis (sometimes called Airolian Liamism), Lashkeni, and Longerians. Liamism as a religion remains widely followed despite a shift towards secularization and atheist/agnostic education, and the prominence of Liamism has, in most places, died down. Despite its prevalence, Liamism is persecuted in many places around the world.

## Beliefs

The beliefs of Liamism as a whole are very hard to truly narrow down, due to the radical differences between different sects. Thus, there are no longer any real overarching themes and overlaps are only occasional, rather than religion-wide. According to the few remnants of the Original Tomes, inner peace and oneness with the environment are the only way to reach true enlightenment. One of the most famous stories from the Original Tomes is a story in which the first 5 priests (Aegel, Pelyar, Jehremy, Ananas, Selinz) of Liamism risked their lives to preach Liamism and spread the word of peace and pineapples. In response, local warlords jailed all 5 of them. Seeing their suffering, Liam elevated the 5 priests to immortality and named them his divine servants. This specific story is edited in the Lashkeni sect.

### Theology - Non-Lashkeni

In non-Lashkeni or Lashkeni-influenced sects, Liam is but one of many gods. The pantheon typically has 4 major figures— Liam, god of peace, stability, and generally seen as the supreme deity, Liam II, sometimes referred to as Void Lihyam, Arbiter of the Void and harbinger of magic, chaos, plague, and corruption, Mecho, god of conquest, bloodshed, strife, and occasionally valor, and the Great Dragon of Sargoroth, (Whose godly status is widely debated among sects) god of charisma, persuasion, and manipulation. Depending on the region, other gods may be included with the traditional pantheon as well, usually if they were part of a native religion pre-Liamism.

Violent conflict between the pantheon is a common theme within non-Lashkeni Liamism. Sargoroth has (according to legends) been repeatedly slain by Liam and Liamist crusaders, yet been able to come back, often stronger each time. Depending on the sect, Liam and Mecho may also have fought before; these conflicts are typically due to the polar opposite beliefs they both stand for. It is Mecho's dominion over war that places him in the ire of the majority of Liamists, and indeed several holy wars against 'Mechoists' have occurred throughout history due to the difference in beliefs, resulting in Mechoism largely being wiped from historical importance.

Epithet is also a common theme within the pantheon, with Liam often being referred to as 'Binder of Tomes' or 'Tomebinder', interchangeably, as well as the 'First of His Name' and 'Most Wonderful to Envision', among others. Liam II is almost always referred to as 'Arbiter of the Void' and occasionally as the 'Accursed Prince'. Mecho-related epithet differs far too wildly depending on region and sect to give a conclusive generalization. Sargorothic epithet is typically limited to 'Great Dragon' due to his uncertain place within the pantheon. Collectively, the pantheon is often informally and formally referred to as the Divines.

### Theology - Lashkeni

Lashken and Lashkeni-influenced sects are of the belief that Liam is the sole god, and thus the theology is wildly different. Mecho takes a far more explicitly evil and dark role within the religion instead of simply being at odds with traditional teachings, Liam II is seen as Liam's main servant who would one day arrive in the material world to save mankind from its sins, and the rest of the pantheon are either minor servants of Liam or false idols worshiped by the "gentiles", the enemies of the Lashken.

### Afterlife

Liamism lacks any defined afterlives; some sects include afterlives within their theology, but from what is known of the Original Tomes and the exiles' incomplete transcriptions, there is no clear heavenly paradise or dimension of endless suffering. However, the idea of multiple dimensions *is* a part of the religion, with the Void playing a key role in Liamist beliefs. Exact information of the Void is few and far between, however, Void Magic (It is possible that its name originates from Liamist beliefs), Necromancy, and certain parts of Hexcraft and Alchemy are considered to be possible through harnessing Liam II's power, and by extension, the power of the Void.

### Practices

Specific forms of worship are typically left to the sect rather than followed as a whole by Liamism, however, Divination is a sometimes followed practice dating back to the origin of the religion. Almost always, the behavior of a free dove is observed to determine the wishes of Liam; encountering a dove at random is considered a blessing by Liam and incredibly lucky. Divination for the rest of the pantheon varies depending on the sect and/or region. Praying to the various gods for the power to complete an act related to their dominion is one of the most common ways Liamists attempt to seek guidance and support from the divine.

## Sacred Texts

In initial Liamist history, the holy texts of the religion were named into the Original Tomes. These were 4 books featuring various stories and Liamist history. However, during and after the War Between Brothers, the now-distinct sects began to create individual Holy Tomes, a practice some Lashkeni had been following for centuries prior. Due to the almost complete cessation of the creation of the Original Tomes and a shift towards sectarian Holy Tomes during the war, along with battles destroying much of what was stockpiled prior, no original copies of the Original Tomes remain today. There are a small number of specific lines and stories from the 4 books, but to a Liamist, your religious education will be specifically *your sect’s* Holy Tome.

## Symbolism

 File:Liam.jpg
Liam as a god is often portrayed as a shaped glass of pineapple juice, thus the pineapple juice in a glass is a very divine symbol to Liamists. However, often simply a pineapple is used instead. The exact reasoning and origins for this symbolism is unknown to even modern scholars. Due to the pineapple having a holy connotation, yellow and green are incredibly common colors in Liamist society, flags, and occasionally military uniforms. Red, due to specifically Airolian influence, is also a common color within Liamist communities.

## Sects and Denominations

### Lashkeni Liamism

The Lashkeni Sect is a sect of Liamism that had diverged from "mainstream" Liamism thousands of years ago due to an expulsion from the ‘holy land’, and are a monotheistic sect that only worship Liam, with all other deities of the Liamist Pantheon being either his servants or false idols.

### Lianis Liamism

*Main article: Lianis Liamism*

A self-proclaimed continuation of the Original Tomes, Lianis Liamism traces its roots to the exiled Liamists rather than the Lashkeni Liamists. Lianis Liamism is polytheistic and places far more importance on the Pantheon, rather than specifically Liam, due to the original polytheistic religions of the region it started in. Lianis Liamism is one of the most followed sects due to Airolia spreading it across the world through colonialism.

### Longerian Liamism

Forged from the ashes of Westist Polmaria, the Longerian Sect of Liamism was formed as a result of widespread persecution of Liamists and the perceived inaction of the existing Liamist clergy. In 1928, Kavasia V declared the new Longerian Sect of Liamism, preaching pre-emptive action against the opponents of Liamism and violent retribution. This movement gained much popularity in Jabeyrack, which- under Veeldin- was facing a slew of terrorist attacks by Westist cells.

The Longerians believe in a tit for tat system, and in many areas Liamist killings will result in revenge killings by Longerians- often in broad daylight. The Longerians consider themselves the protectors of all Liamists, and their clergy is divided into two main groups. The Lavetas- who act as the political and theological leadership, and the Lashri, the militant wing of the Longerians. Lavetas are fierce believers in Liamism, and are dogged in their efforts to convert other Liamists- often backed by Lashri muscle. The Lashri on the other hand, have little to do with the beliefs of Liamism, and are more focused on ensuring that those beliefs survive.

### Orthodox Liamism

Orthodox Liamism split off from mainstream Liamism sometime between 500-800 in Buyinko Knazistvo, largely due to geographic distance rather than any significant cultural difference. They are led by a Patriarch and have blended local customs into the religion, resulting in many unique festivals and practices. When Lianis Liamism was reintroduced into the region, it was met with stiff resistance from Orthodox Liamists, and over the centuries they have developed a distinct identity from other sects.

### Mechoism

Only occasionally recognized as a sect of Liamism, Mechoists believe in the same pantheon as non-Lashkeni Liamists but see Mecho as the most powerful of the gods rather than Liam, and value the ideals of Mecho far more than Liam; Mechoist societies often place far more importance on brotherhood, courage, boldness, and martial strength than Liamist societies because of this. Mechoism has often been the target of Liamist societies and communities throughout history, and it is thusly a rarely practiced or followed religion. In recent years it has seen a slight revival in practice, but Mechoism is often still shunned by mainstream Liamist groups.

### Gradizandi Liamism

As with most Liamist sects, observers of Gradizandi Liamism are polytheistic. Unlike most Liamists, however, the Gradizandi ascribe martial skill, valor, patriotism, and bravery to Mecho rather than things like war, strife, and suffering. Overall, Gradizandi Liamism has been oft described as a blend between Lianis Liamism and Mechoism-- it has thus garnered criticism and admiration alike from both sides.

Gradizandi Liamism is largely centered in the eponymous Lemetiate of Gradizand, a province within the Coalition of the Steel Lance.