Haidarism

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**Haidarism** refers to the traditional religious system of Kalzuranur prior to the spread of Nakkalism. The name derives from Kalzuranuri *Haidara*, which literally translates as "polytheist"; though the term is technically applicable to any system of polytheism, it has come to specifically refer to the traditional Kalzuranuri religion.

Haidarism is considered to be an extinct religion. Approximately two thousand Kalzuranuris claim to be Haidaris as of the modern day, but anthropologists consider the modern revival of Haidarism to have very little in common with the actual ancient traditions beyond the names of the deities, so it is not discussed in this article. When exactly Haidarism became extinct is disputed; the last reference to Haidaris in Kalzuranuri records dates to the mid-3rd century AD, but there is no reason to believe this necessarily correlates with the disappearance of the religion.

Haidarism is classified by scholars as belonging to the Common Inecurian Mythology group, as it shares the same cosmology and divine archetypes. However, the religion shows clear influence from outside sources, particularly Jamashriyyah (the Miari religion) but also Napachetlan and the pre-Nakkalite Harpy traditions. It remains disputed to what extent the domination of Nakkalism accelerated the syncretism between Haidarism and Jamashriyyah; the Nakkalites were a common enemy that both Haidaris and Miaris united against, but whether this promoted the mixing of traditions is unclear.

Haidarism is unique in Inecuria for the worship of mortal rulers as god-kings; every other traditional Inecurian religion would regard the worship of a living mortal as blasphemous in the extreme. Haidaris believed that the divine lineages of their rulers had to be kept pure, and the only way to do so was to marry the family members of the divine dynasties to one another; most commonly this took the form of marrying siblings. This makes Haidarism the only Inecurian religion to ever regard incest with anything other than revulsion - even the infamously libertine Kashitites believed incest to be an abhorrent crime against nature. It should be noted, however, that Haidaris only permitted incest for the divine noble families, and they did have at least one known restriction in that they forbade a father to marry his daughter - but not a mother to marry her son.

Alongside the Kashitites, Haidarism - at least in its ancient form, and not the modern revival - is typically characterised as the most sexually libertine religion of Inecuria. This was weaponised for propaganda purposes to great success by Nakkalite rulers, who presented the Haidaris as unchaste, disloyal, lustful and profane degenerates whose unholiness was clear for all to see; this was sometimes used to justify genocidal acts against the Haidaris, as some kings considered the Haidaris beyond repair or redemption.

## Pantheon

There was a large host of minor deities in the pantheon of the *haidarim*, the majority of which are lost to history, but there were several main deities which most prominently feature in their iconography and in the writings of Nakkalite missionaries describing the religion.

* **Ashtebar** (or **Ashbar**) is the king of the pantheon, husband of Mahara, and brother-in-law of Belqar. Ashtebar is the god of the sky and the sun - though one tradition in Akkanur is noted by Nakkalite missionaries as differing from the others in that they believe the sun is not Ashtebar, but a goddess which is the daughter of Ashtebar and Mahara. He impregnated Mahara with his seed so that she gave birth to all mortals, and so he is the father of all. Ashtebar adheres to the Sky Father CIM archetype.
* **Mahara** (or **Mara**) is the wife of Ashtebar and sister of Belqar. Mahara is the goddess of life-bringing water, and is often described as being the goddess of the Surqan river specifically. Some regional variants believed her to be the goddess of fertility in general. She gave birth to all mortals with Ashtebar's seed, and so she is the mother of all. Mahara adheres to the Water Mother CIM archetype.
* **Belqar** is the brother of Mahara, and close friend of his brother-in-law Ashtebar. Belqar is the god of storms, wind and rain, and he wields lightning as his weapon. Belqar is also associated with war and warriors in most (but not all) regional traditions, and is often regarded as short-tempered. Belqar adheres to the Storm Warrior CIM archetype.
* **Sharani** (or **Shani**) is the wife of Rammonet. She rules and protects the City of the Dead, and is referred to as its queen. Since the *haidarim* believed that saying a deity's name invoked their presence and got their attention, and they were not particularly fond of grabbing the attention of the queen of the dead, she was usually referred to by the title of the Underqueen. Sharani is also associated with coldness and frost, and in some traditions was known as the Ice Queen. Sharani adheres to the Underking CIM archetype.
* **Rammonet** (or **Rammon**) is the husband of Sharani. Rammonet is the god of knowledge, learning and literature, and he is also the god of fire. Some regional traditions also believed him to be the god of art and music. He protects the City of the Dead alongside his wife Sharani, and keeps records of the virtuous and wicked deeds of mortals for Sharani to judge them by. In some traditions he is known as the Writer, but most traditions considered it acceptable to refer to him by name. Rammonet adhers to the Knowledge Bearer CIM archetype.
* **Golpahet** is an outcast in the pantheon, reviled by all the other deities and by mortals. He is rarely referred to by name, and is more often described as He Who Hungers. Golpahet is the arch-enemy of the gods, but especially of Sharani and Rammonet, as he is constantly at war with them in the underworld, seeking to tear down the walls of the City of the Dead and consume the souls of those within. Golpahet is a malicious and ever-hungry god who feasts upon the souls of the unprotected and demands harsh sacrifices from those who either reject the other gods or have been damned by them for severe sins. Some traditions believed that Golpahet is the brother of Ashtebar, and the Adwanis were noted as believing that Golpahet is Ashtebar's father. In both cases, Golpahet became jealous of Ashtebar's power and spitefully began to work against him to destroy his reign, beginning the eternal war. Golpahet adheres to the Evil Devourer CIM archetype.

Where these deities themselves come from is unclear and not well-established in the pagan tradition, with the exception of the Akkanuris who were noted as believing in a Primordial Fire (or Primordial Light) from which the gods sprang forth before the creation of the world.

## Cosmology

The creation story of Calsunarian Paganism is fairly simple and does not go into detail; the gods created the world together, with Ashtebar having the greatest role, and then it was populated with intelligent creatures when Ashtebar impregnated Mahara and she gave birth to the mortals.

In the tradition of the *haidarim*, the boundary between the celestial and terrestrial planes is muddled and unclear, with all of the deities having a somewhat ambiguous place - with the exception of Ashtebar, who is definitively within the celestial (or immaterial) plane, located in the sky. The terrestrial plane is split into two parts; this world, also referred to as "the universe", "the earth" or "the known"; and the underworld, also referred to as "the unknown".

The underworld was believed to have two distinct locations, which were the City of the Dead and the Foul Wastes. The City of the Dead was the creation and domain of Sharani and her husband Rammonet, a bastion of hope and safety against the Foul Wastes, the abominable domain of Golpahet, He Who Hungers. Within the Foul Wastes, Golpahet consumed the souls of mortals and turned their flesh into twisted mockeries of life which were then used in his armies to assault the City of the Dead in his unending quest to capture and destroy the city - but Sharani and Rammonet would forever be steadfast in their defence and eternally protect the city from the evil of Golpahet.

The City of the Dead had several layers within it which had differing degrees of pleasantries depending on how virtuous the soul was in life. The lowest levels merely supported existence, with few luxuries, whereas the highest levels were said to be abundant with rewards, with an endless supply of milk and honey and fresh sweet fruits. None of the levels had to work to survive, as all their needs were met by the *Kelarim* (singular *Kelara*). The *Kelarim* were the creations of Sharani and served as her willing, enthusiastic slaves, and they were said to have the appearance of a small winged humanoid, which has led to the English translation of "fairy". They are not to be confused with the *Sharaketim* (singular *Sharaket*), the sleepless warriors who defend the City of the Dead, who are also winged but stand taller than a man and are clad in armour.