Paszlarian Spirits

This belief system is less so a religion and more so a set of observations of the world around them. This set of beliefs is only practiced by Vengrian nomads in the center of the eastern continent. The practice has 1.8 million people who follow it.

Because the religion is so intrinsic to the lifestyle of the nomads, there are no religious leaders or wisemen, just people who have been at it longer than others. The basic belief is that there are spirits all around us. They spirits take on many forms and inhabit many different things. Some are tied to trees, others to animals, others roam free. Spirits can be naturally formed or those of mortals still with something to accomplish on the earth. Those who do not remain as spirits pass on and are reincarnated as a random form of life. Spirits can bee seen best at dawn and dusk, but with patience they can be seen at other times. The nomadic lifestyle helps to facilitate the religious practices, as those who can see the spirits, which most who follow the religion are trained to do, are welcomed by spirits, but they prefer if they move on so that they may have rest between each encounter. Spirits are generally benign, unless you disrespect it or it becomes corrupted.

According to legend, there are two greater spirits, The Spirit of the Rider and The Spirit of the Walker. This distinction is misleading, but important. The two greater spirits are not know as Rider and Walker, but rather these are descriptions. The two grater spirits, Good and Evil, are in an eternal struggle for the sacred mount. The Spirit of the Rider is the spirit that has won for the time and rides the sacred mount. They ride and the other walks, the walker ever trying to take the sacred mount from the rider. When Evil rides the mount then misfortune falls on the land and spirits become corrupted more easily. When Good rides the mount then life springs from the soil and spirits are freed from corruption. There have been a few times in history where neither spirit rode the mount for many years. As each became the walker balance was through off and disasters happened like the ice age or the large amounts of tsunamis.

It is said that only one time has a mortal ridden on the sacred mount. Many years ago, a wise old nomad grew tired of travel, and so he sat down in the grasslands and began to draw on the spirits around him. He drew hundreds of spirits that gathered around him, each laying a hand on his shoulder. This disturbance drew in Evil, who was the rider at the time, and Good, the walker at the time. As good approached they appeared as an old beggar who asked for money. The wise old man saw Good for what they were, but having a cunning plan, gave the money with the words of wisdom, "Money will buy you a great many things, but it will not give you access to life's greatest treasures." Good heard this and did not see as Evil rode up. As Evil rode up, the wise old man and the spirits stood in unison. The man extended a hand to each of the great spirits asking for a blessing to become a great condor in his next life so that he may fly the skies and see their wonders. Evil, thinking to grant his with, but have him keep his memory so that he may know what he was missing extended his hand first. Having known this would get a response the man had coated his hand in holy oils, and as Evil grasped his hand they were shocked and fell off the sacred mount. With a burst of speed honed by years of mounting horses and assisted by the many spirits pushing him up onto the sacred mount he was in the saddle before Good could react. He took off riding and as he rode he saw the past present and future laid out before him. He felt the whole of the earth under his feat, even though they did not touch the ground. He was greeted by each deity, spirit, and celestial that day as he rode and he gained more wisdom in that ride than he could have ever hoped. As the day came to a close Good had caught up to the man. He saw Good and he realized his fate. Drawing on the power of the sacred mount, he jumped off the horse and dove into the soil. And as such the third great spirit, Wisdom, the Spirit of the Soil was born.

Those who practice this religion often contact spirits. Though they can be seen easily, it is more difficult to speak with them. As such, the practice of building spirit gardens has proven to be an excellent way speak with spirits of all kinds. As such many spirit gardens have taken up over countryside to allow for communication with the spirts. The sacred side to the nomads is in norther Lasigum. It is a spirit garden capable of contacting Good, Evil, or Wisdom. On top of that it is where the sacred mount was born and likes to return to often for rest and feeding.