Astraiana

**Astraiana**, meaning Heaven’s Court, is a Religion practiced in Seremis. It’s a Henotheistic Religion that revolves around the King of Heaven, and his Court of Gods and lesser Divine beings.

Each Deity is less of a representation of the forces of nature in and of themselves, and rather they are Custodians, assigned with a position within the Celestial Hierarchy, Mara, the Goddess of the Moon for instance, was not born as the Custodian of the moon, but was appointed to the position by the King.

It’s the belief of the Astraians that the world of man should reflect that of the Gods, and so it is important for everything between families, workplaces to the hierarchy of Kingdoms reflects the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven.

### Beliefs:

#### Creation Story:

Astraians believe in a Hierarchical Pantheon of Gods revolving around the King of Heaven, currently this is the God Avelius, the son of Aterus who created the Universe and all things.

According to Astraian Literature, before the Universe existed, everything was apart of an entity called Chaos, until Aterus, the first King of Heaven, emerged from Chaos and created the Universe, hosting his court on the Sun. As time passed, more gods emerged as well as children of Aterus with his Consort, Verdania. The First world, Addia was created to Avelius, one of Aterus’s children to govern, as he, alongside Mara, were the favorites of Aterus. Avelius then married Addia, and their children created life as we understand it.

Time further passes and a Human Grandchild of Avelius, one named Malokes is born. Malokes later became skeptical of the increasingly frivolous lifestyle of the Gods, and, as he began to doubt the Kingdom of Heaven, Chaos, disguised as a fellow human, deceived Malokes into believing that the Gods would bring about the death of the Universe if things continued like this.

What happened next is known as the Divine Hyperwar, where Malokes and the Gods waged war over the rule of the Universe, with Malokes coming extremely close to winning, but after the death of Aterus at Malokes’ hands, and the sacrifice of Addia, Avelius was able to subdue Malokes, whom by then was consumed by Chaos, so Avelius chose the merciful option, and slayed his grandson.

In the Peace Treaty, it was decided that the Humans, who mostly sided with Malokes, were to live, but were to be heavily punished, as their actions had led to the death of Addia and the proliferation of Chaos in the Universe: Before this point, Humans were practically on par with the Gods, able to create matter at will, fly and travel instantaneously, they never slept, hungered or perished, but all that changed.

Humans were turned into mortal creatures that had to work in order to survive, and would be doomed to have their souls consumed by Chaos when they died, but as part of the last wishes of Addia, Humans were allowed to rejoin the Court of Heaven’s King, but only under the condition that they erect temples and monuments in honor of the Gods, and offer adequate sacrifice as a sign of their commitment.

The Death of Addia and her last will, is seen as both the original sin and act of redemption for the followers of Astraiiana, as such, Addia is highly revered in the Faith, as much as Avelius himself.

#### Cosmology:

There are three realms in Astraiana, though one of them also counts as a Divine Entity, those being the Kingdom of Heaven, the Physical Universe and Chaos.

Heaven is the realm that the Gods reside in, as well as the many souls that earned the right to pass through its gates. The Kingdom is made up of thousands of Worlds, including the Sun, the Moon and all the Stars in the Sky, though the Sun that Avalor revolves around is the Capital, beneath it’s radiant glare is a Paradise of vast green plains, lush forests and crystal blue seas, a resident of Heaven never starves, toils or feels boredom, enjoying all the privileges that Humanity had before the Hyperwar.

The Physical Universe is composed of Avalor and its immediate surroundings up to the Moon, the boundary between the Universe and Heaven is placed far high above the earth, it can be observed when comets appear in the night sky as they fade in and out of view when they pass through the boundary.

Chaos is both a Cosmic Realm and a Divine entity, embodying all things that are painful, sinful and otherwise Chaotic, despite Chaos not physically existing in the Universe, it does exist spiritually, and invades the souls of Mortals with sin, only through prayer and good thoughts can Chaos be kept at bay. Because as soon as Chaos reaches a critical mass on Avalor, it results in the collective suffering of all men.

#### Eschatology:

When a person dies, assuming all Funeral rites are conducted correctly, the person’s soul is lifted from the Universe and placed into the Celestial court, where they are judged for their actions on Avalor, as well as their Faith in the plan of the Gods to destroy Chaos once and for all. Should the Soul meet these criteria positively, they are returned to the Kingdom of Heaven, but should the soul be a wicked one and ultimately have lived in service of Chaos, they will be banished to Chaos where they will be consumed and tormented for all eternity. This is why Astraians take conversion and faith very seriously, as allowing a fellow man to fall to Chaos is inadvertently making Chaos stronger, and thus making them a servant of Chaos too.

Astraians believe that when the time is right, and the Whole world has reached a level of Piety and Virtue that the Gods see fit, the Virtuous souls will be lifted into Heaven while the wicked banished to Chaos, why? To engage in the final War, where the forces of Heaven banish Chaos from existence once and for all, save the souls held captive by it, and usher in an eternity of paradise.

#### Sins:

Astraians believe that the Forces of Chaos represent the following features, and that they should be avoided at all costs

Degeneracy: Encompassing Greed, Sloth, Lust and Wrath.

Decadence: Encompassing Pride and Envy.

Heresy: Encompassing Lies and Impiety.

#### Miscellaneous Beliefs:

Comets are viewed as the Messengers of the Gods passing through the Physical Universe and Heaven to deliver messages to Avalor, only the Priests can truly decipher their meaning, but generally, if a Comet occurs on a religious festival or holy day, it’s a good omen, if the Comet is followed by poor weather, it is a bad omen, and indicates anger by the Gods.

#### Practices:

Worship: Astraians conduct worship in Temples, these Temples must possess at least one Altar, one dedicated to the King of Heaven, and the other dedicated to any God. It’s important the Astraians praise the King of Heaven first, before any other God, as failure to do so is a show of disrespect to the Lord of all things. Typically, Temples are ran by Priests, who act as Conduits of the Gods so to speak, where they interpret omens, commune with the Gods, and read scripture to the masses, these Priests often occupy high positions in society, such as Warriors or Kings, with entire orders dedicated to Warrior Priests.

Festivals: The most important Festival in Astraiana is the Peace Festival (every 3 months in Iaddithis time let’s say), which marks the day that the Hyperwar ended, it’s a day for both celebration and mourning. It usually begins with a temple service different from all others, instead solely dedicating it’s worship to Addia, which operates more as a funeral than a celebration. After the service the proper festival begins, with performances, tournaments and banquets being held in honor of Addia, and peace in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Other Festivals typically depend on the Order that one is a part of.

Holy Orders: More accurately called Cults, there are various Orders in Astraiana, usually centered around a single Deity of Patron, such as the Patron of Craftsmen or the God of War, they can go from glorified clubs to highly organized Orders with Monasteries and the like.

#### Scripture:

The Primary source of Scripture for Astraiana is the Book on the story of the Hyperwar, with much of Astraiana being passed down Orally between the Priests.

#### List of God's/Divine Beings:

##### Gods:

Aterus: Deceased, first King of Heaven. God of Creation and Light.

Verdania: Queen Mother of Heaven. Goddess of Women, Families, and Childrearing.

Avelius: Reigning King of Heaven. God of the Sky and Civilization.

Mara: Goddess of the Moon, Hunting and Wild Animals.

##### Divine Beings:

Addia: Consort of Avelius, Saviour of Humanity, Deity of Fertility, Domesticated Animals and Festivities.

Eoxius: Librarian of the Gods, Deity of Wisdom.

Mispratia: Divine Messenger, Deity of Inspiration.

Azelus: High General of the Gods, Deity of Willpower.

#### Organization:

The Church, according to itself, is a reflection of the Kingdom of Heaven on Avelor, and as such a set Hierarchy of Priests, Bishops, Patriarchs and Pontifex that validates it as the elected body of the Gods.

Starting at the bottom are the Priests, Holy men chosen by the Gods to spread their divine message to the masses and to lead the charge against Chaos on Avalor. They’re jurisdiction presides over the cities that their Temples are in, and as long as what they do isn’t Heretical, they can prosecute the faith however they choose, between Local Cults to Festival celebrations.

Next are the Bishops, who perform the same functions as Priests, but on a National Level.

Then there’s the 5 Patriarchs of Astraiana, the Holiest men of the church second to the Pontifex himself, they are the suzerains of the Holiest sites of the Faith and reflect the council of five that surround the King of Heaven.

The Pontifex is a position reflecting the King of Heaven itself, and hasn’t been occupied since the days of the Ancient Empire of Avalor, only a man truly chosen by Avelius may occupy this position.