Religions

Throughout Celesphea, religion is thriving- due largely to direct intervention and appearances by the Gods themselves. Although there are those who simply see them as unknowably powerful beings who deserve no praise or reverence for the way they were born, most follow some sort of religion or code of worship.

Some worship a particular God, others follow a religion and it's teachings. Religions tend to follow a particular group of gods, known by many terms such as Pantheon. However, some of these Gods are considered evil, as through their actions they seek to bring punishment to those mortals who do not follow them.

## History

In the Era of Divinity, the gods roamed the world. For many millenia, they associated, fought, became friends, lovers and served a purposeless existence of hedonism.

Eventually, though, they got bored of this time, and created the First Species, known today as The Ancients.

After creating The Ancients, they each took on an Aspect, be it life, love, vengance or something else, that they would symbolize and be the deity of.

However, there were those who opposed this creation. Called The Old Ones, these gods refused to change, and attempted to destroy life to continue their hedonistic ways. After a war that left most of The Ancients dead, The Old Ones were banished from the universe, and the Gods began to take a more advisory role on the existence of life.

### Modern Day Worship

The way the gods are to be worshipped has been under much debate since the dawn of debates, and as such many schools and theories of belief have arisen, known as Religions. Each religion takes it's own view as to what is and is not a god to be worshipped, and believes itself to be the one true calling and faith.

## Interaction with the Mortal Realm

In order to interact with the mortal world, Deities will create an Avatar on the mortal plain. An Avatar is a living conduit for the Deity's power and their will. However, creating an Avatar is often considered to be the last recourse, and there are other actions they may take beforehand.

A God will attempt to impart it's will to chosen Clerics or Paladins, through prophetic dreams and prayer, although these dreams are rarely supremely precise, and often questioned as signs of madness rather than divinity, they are almost always acted upon. Sometimes, rarely, a Deity will attempt to impart it's will to a being unaffiliated or even opposed to it.

A Deity's strength on the mortal realm is dependant on the level of the thing they represent present within it, for example a Deity of War is more powerful and capable of greater and more miracles in a time of fighting and bloodshed then a time of peace.

### Saints

Saints are considered paragons of a God's virtue, each God has many saints. When a Saint dies, they become a leader of the Heavenly Host of their deity, such as an Arch-Demon or Arch-Angel.

## Faith and your character

In the Faith section of your character sheet, you can put either the specific name of a god, or just the religion in general that you follow.

Please consider that most people in this age are still religious- you may not agree with the main body of your religion, but you still probably have some faith in one or several of their gods, enough to consider yourself a member of that faith.

### Divine Power of Gods

Gods bestow and have Divine Power. While they are unkillable, the amount of power they have to manipulate the Mortal Plane and their standing among the other gods depends on the makeup of the mortal plane- As an example; when destiny rules, Lawful Gods become more powerful.

## Religions

Different religions worship specific sets of deities, and may scorn others. Each religion practices worship in a different, unique, way. While there are religious sects that worship only one specific deity, most people belong to a religion that has it's own approved deities, and churches of those religions will have a shrine in their temples dedicated to each of those.

What religion you are a part of may change how gods and the people around you think about you.

### Major Religions

#### The Gods of Elhar

* The Gods of Elhar is the Elven religion.
* Elhar is believed to be the oldest surviving religion.
* They are worshipped in the Elven Domain.

#### The Holy Chanters

* The Chanters are the religion of the Gnomes.
* The Chanters are worshipped in Midland.

#### The Divine Church

* The Divine Church is the religion of the Humans.
* The Church is followed in Republica, The Royaume, and The Commonwealth.
* The Divine Church is the richest, most influential, and largest religion on the planet.

#### The Draconic Path

* The Draconic Path (Or Draconic Way) is the religion of the Dragonborn.
* It is followed in the Draconic Empire.

#### The Ancestor Gods

* Ancestor Gods are the ancestors of the Dwarves, risen to a deific state through worship.
* They are worshipped in the Democracy of Terra.

### Minor Religions

#### The Righteous Flame

* A chaotic religion, split off from the Divine Church a long time ago.
* Worshippers travel the world, having no fixed location.

## Loner Gods

Some gods are worshipped in single temples, or by particular groups, but not as a part of a grand Religion like others. This can be due to them being cast out of a religion's pantheon, or preffering to work alone.

#### Kurise, Goddess of Science

* She is followed by the Apostles of Kurise.
* She was once part of the Pantheonof the Divine Church, but after the schism is only worshipped by Traditionalists.

#### San'ta Clawse, God of Innocence

* God of children and innocence. Worshipped unofficially as part of the Divine Church, but not officially recognized.

#### Mirthra, Goddess of Laughter

* She is followed in the Temple of Mirth and Joy.

#### Hanran, God of Rebellion

* A deity who despises organized religion.

#### Carras and Sarrac, the Two-Sided God

* Carras is the god of Mania, Sarrac is the goddess of Paranoia

## The Old Ones

Known interchangeably as The Old Gods, The Old Ones are gods that were banished during the God Wars. It's hard to say exactly how many there were of these beings, but the ones that are known look upon mortal beings with scorn and ire.

The Old Ones sought to wipe out the mortal life and return to a world of heavenly hosts, fighting and bloodshed. Their reasons for this were varied, as their alignments do not fit within the standard sphere, with even the Chaotic ones obeying bizarre laws that would only make sense to other god-kind.