Religion

**Religion** is a core part of life in Vari. There is no question that the gods exist, however, some people dispute which gods rule over which domains and so on. Further disputes occur over which of the pantheon is in fact a god and which are simply deified enough to be granted divine power. There are often deep theological debates on the two subjects. Paragon and Western Mainland Banking Corporation are charged with regulating religious activity, via the Faction's Accord. As such, what passes for **approved** religion has been defined into **two** categories. ✔️Approved and ❌Outlawed. There are other 🟡religions that, while not illegal, they also not legally recognised and as such do not have the same legal rights as the approved religions. (such as tax exemption and guaranteed places of worship.)

At the bottom of this page you will find the character creation table for deities.

## The Pantheon

The Pantheon of Vari is varied and split into various classifications, including the Pantheon Dominus, Primaria, Secundarium and Obscurus, and the various levels of legality

### Pantheon Dominus

The Chief Deity sits atop the pantheon as its regulator and ruler. They are considered a **greater deity,** but have true authority over all others. This authority is often challenged by gods of Chaos or Evil.

⚖️ The Arbiter

### Pantheon Primaria

Consisting of **Greater Deities**. A greater deity is the most powerful rank of deity worshiped by mortals.

* ⚖️ The Arbiter - God of judgment.
* 🧘 The Balance - God of wisdom.
* 💢 The Boundless Chaos - Demon lord of the abyss.
* ⌛ He Who Spawned the Furies - God of time.
* 🧙‍♂️ He Who Weaves Incarnum - God of magic.
* 🔥 The Lord of the Nine - Devil lord of the nine hells.
* ⚔️ The Marked Warrior God of vengeance and war.
* 🗣 The Spoken Word - God of words and nobility.
* 🌍 She Who Breathes Life - Goddess of nature. The world itself.
* 🪙 She Who Makes the Path - Goddess of adventure, travel and good aligned dragons.
* 🧠 She Who Remembers - Goddess of memory.
* ⛈️ The Turbulent Tempest - Goddess of air and storm.

### Pantheon Secundarium

Consisting of **Lesser Deities**. The **Secundarium** are no less important to the mortals of Vari, but are simply considered lower in station and authority than their **Primaria** counterparts.

* ✡️ The Icosahedron of Prophecy - Relic of divination and fate.
* 🤏 The Infinitesimal - God of tiny creatures.
* 💎 The Lavished Schemer - Goddess of wealth and prejudice.
* ☀️ The Light in the Dark - Goddess of redemption and the sun.
* ❄️ The Rime Song - An ancient elven tradition.
* 💤 The Sandman - God of sleep and good dreams.
* 🐙 The Thing That Should Not Be - God of the deep oceans.
* 🌌The Transcendental Epicure - God of psionics and order.
* 🔱 The Venerable Gladiator - God of strength and entertainment.
* 🧿 They Who Observe - God *(or gods)* of vigilance.
* 🦟 The Writhing Agony - God of pain, affliction and mutation.

### Pantheon Obscurus

Made of **Deiform** and **Fabula Deities**, Religions or Relics. A deiform deity is lowest rank of deity, some mortals consider these entities as false gods, or not deities at all. Some of these religions stem from myth and legend, which are considered Fabula Deities, mythical and legendary tales are told of them and power is either drawn from them or drawn *from faith* in them. Theories around each of the below religions vary widely.

According to legend, some of these may be **far more powerful** then even the **Greater Deities**, but their religion falls into the realms of obscurity.

* 🤖 The Creators - The Creationforged somehow *know* these are responsible for their existence.
* 🤖 ⚒️ The Forge of Creation - The Creationforged believe this was the tool used to do so.
* 🔵 The Covenant - A mysterious orb with influence over all adventurers within the mainland.
* 😠 The Curse of Ruin - The orc superstition about the blood of Mazrek in their veins.
* ✡️ The Fate Spinner - Alleged goddess of divination and fate.
* 📜 The Faction's Accord - A signed, magical agreement between the Official Factions.
* 🤫 He Who Whispers - A god that is notoriously elusive and largely a mystery.
* 💉 The Master of Puppets - The god of addiction, drugs and manipulation.
* 🕷️ The Mother of Spiders - Undying spider lich, hoarder of ancient secrets and an undead Zahn-Tahet prophet.
* 🔮 The Percipience Leyline - A legendary cosmic library of knowledge of the entire multiverse.
* 📚 They Who Know - A cosmic and boundless deity of colossal proportion, made up of billions (or more) of spirits.
* 🙊 The Voiceless - An ancient being that claims to have access to High Magic or God Spells, though it cannot speak.
* ⚫ The Void - An unknown extradimensional entity, plane or force, that is constantly trying to consume all that it touches

## Legally Recognised Religion

Gods that are approved are recognised in Varian Law. As such every city is bound to protect the interest of those who worship them and must preserve structures, buildings, relics, statues or other symbolism that depicts them. This is regulated by Paragon and Western, who protect the following religions from both the vandalism or violence of people and the corruption of officials, politicians and nobles within the city that they reside. Organisations of these religions are **exempt from paying taxes**, *as well as some other legal fees, although must still pay some fees to support the running of factions.* As tax collection is done through Paragon and Western, they are able to self regulate this matter and things are often leaned in their favour for profit.

* ⚖️ The Arbiter
* 🧘 The Balance
* ⌛ He Who Spawned the Furies
* 🧙‍♂️ He Who Weaves Incarnum
* ✡️ The Icosahedron of Prophecy
* 💎 The Lavished Schemer
* ☀️ The Light in the Dark
* ⚔️ The Marked Warrior
* ❄️ The Rime Song
* 💤 The Sandman
* 🗣 The Spoken Word
* 🌌The Transcendental Epicure
* 🔱 The Venerable Gladiator
* 🌍 She Who Breathes Life
* 🪙 She Who Makes the Path
* 🧠 She Who Remembers
* ⛈️ The Turbulent Tempest

## Illegal Religion

These religions are recognised, but outlawed. To openly worship these gods is a crime and as such punishments can be handed out as per Varian Law. No structures, buildings, relics, statues or other symbolism is allowed to be erected or displayed within any of the nine cities. This is regulated by Paragon and Western

* 💢 The Boundless Chaos
* 🤫 He Who Whispers
* 💉 The Master of Puppets
* 🤏 The Infinitesimal
* 🔥 The Lord of the Nine
* 🔮 The Percipience Leyline
* 🐙 The Thing That Should Not Be
* 🙊 The Voiceless\*
* ⚫ The Void
* 📚 They Who Know
* 🧿 They Who Observe
* 🦟 The Writhing Agony

## Unrecognised Religion

Worshippers of any religion not mentioned within the two categories above, *while not officially recognised as a religion*, are not punished for the practice of worship, provided it is a private affair. However, they are equally not legally protected and as such can (and are) exploited by criminals, corrupt politicians and the like. It is illegal to openly worship, erect structures, buildings, relics, statues or other symbolism within any of the nine cities. However, private communal prayer in unmarked, unadvertised locations is not forbidden. This is regulated by Paragon and Western.

* 🔵 The Covenant
* 🤖 The Creators and ⚒️The Forge of Creation
* 😠 The Curse of Ruin
* 📜 The Faction's Accord
* 🕷️ The Mother of Spiders

\**The Felstriders claim that **The Voiceless** is their ultimate leader and guide, therefore, following the Voiceless's commands is simply part of their faction's hierarchy. However, erecting churches, monuments or otherwise deifying them is against the law set out by Paragon and Western.*

## Regulation

As part of their duties, Paragon and Western have the legal authority to close down or heavily regulate churches that do not meet approved standards. Only specific gods are allowed to be openly worshipped in Vari. The worship of **illegal religion** can result in prison time, fines or worse, depending on the severity of the crime. **Paragon and Western** are responsible for handing out this justice, but often the Order of Vindication are allowed to step in and offer redemption to those who are willing. The deification through idolisation of none divine entities such as The Creators or The Faction's Accord is considered illegal.

## Sins

For the Approved deities, to commit a sin is to turn against the deity you worship or the oath you have taken. It is to act in direct opposition to the things the deity stands for. To sin is to take part in an act that embodies the sins below, in a way that negatively effects yourself, others around you or the image or domain of your deity.

For the Outlawed deities, to commit a sin often part of their practice. They do not judge, nor care, if one is a sinner, in fact many of them promote the sins. The Lord of the Nine in particular, is an advocate of sin and welcomes those who have turned from their previous deity.

* Wrath
* Sloth
* Sorrow
* Lust
* Greed
* Gluttony
* Envy
* Vainglory
* Pride

## Elder Evils

Elder Evils of Vari

Few creatures in the multiverse have any true awareness of the Elder Evils, and their exact identity remains in dispute among the scant few sages who study them. Some are said to be gods, primordials, or fiends. Some are alleged to be creatures of the Far Realm or the Void. But scholars versed in the most esoteric mysteries insist that the **Elder Evils** are beings unlike any of those, set apart from any aspect of mortal reality, and perhaps trapped in particular planes or worlds by wandering stars, imprisoned in the vastness of the night sky. The extent to which these beings channel power on Vari varies, as do notions of their relative strength and spheres of influence. But they are all forces of corruption and evil. Nothing good can come from their influence. No bargain made with an Elder Evil ends in anything other than madness, plague, or death.

The following are just some of the names given to these terrible entities:

* The Boundless
* Who Watches from Beyond the Stars
* They Who Know
* The Alien Thought Given Flesh
* The Blood Lord
* The Dark Hunger
* The Gray Pestilence
* The Elf-Eater
* The Great Spear
* The Utter Annihilation
* The Blood Queen
* The Noxious Star
* The Eater of Worlds
* The Mirrored Oblivion
* The Violet Flame

## Character Creation

In order to create a character you should select a primary religion that your character will follow. Each character will gain a **stat bonus** from their chosen primary religion. Your character may worship **more than one** of the following, but only one primary religion can be selected.

* ✔️ = Approved and legally recognised. Can be openly worshipped in Vari, with religious rights protected.
* 🟡 = Not recognised as a deity or religion, worship is discouraged. No legal protection for worshippers.
* ❌= Illegal and cannot be openly worshipped in Vari. Punishable offence.