Divinity

Divinity is the name of the national religion of Verseinia. An ancient religion that values personal freedoms and traditions.

### Life and Death

Life and Death are the names of the two gods of the religion.

Life is the creator god, who made all things for his glory. He created the heavens and the earth in 16 days, two days for every step. He is caring and compassionate for all life, and frequently visits the various sanctuaries of his creation to enjoy its splendor. Although he used to appear daily on the Epae, he visits much more rarely in modern times. Years, decades even can elapse between his visits. In worship, all he commands is reverence for life and stewardship of the creation he made. In addition to reverence, many believers attend weekly services dedicated to learning more about the creation and how it works together.

Death is the completer god, who brings in all things to their end for her glory. She is not seen as a villain however, instead she is honored and worshiped together with Life, and the two act as a married couple. In this religion, death is seen as the necessary completion that adds beauty and meaning to life. Divinier funerals are often partly a worship service for her and a celebration of the deceased's life. In worship she only commands a reverence for the finality of death, and a celebration of the life her husband gives.

Together they rule the universe, creating new life and completing it in death. Believers are called Diviners and are treated to the bounty of heaven in the afterlife.

## The Divine Church

The Divine Church (TDC) is the largest organized branch of the religion, as well as the official church of the Verseinian Sovereignty. It is highly organized with 16 tiers of management. Within each tier there are progressively fewer and fewer clergymen who serve in it, a sort of pyramid scheme. Each tier also has different sized regions of jurisdiction called dioceses and is responsible for drawing the borders of the dioceses in the tiers beneath their own. Every member of the church is required to be partnered with their spouse, this represents the relationship between Life and Death. The tiers are as follows, from highest to lowest.

#### The Tiers

The Prince of Life and Princess of Death are the only two members of the highest tier, together they lead the entire church. They are also the only two members who instead of being a married couple are siblings, this is explained below. The next tiers are; Daana, Nemdaana, Paana, Cardinal, Aleana, Archajeal, Ajeal, Nemajeal, Archbishop, Bishop, Lautus, Nemlautus, Losant, Nemlosant, Priest. (Nem is simply a prefix that means "lesser than" or "smaller")

Priests are the lowest tier, and to become a priest you only need to be voted in by the congregation you wish to preach to. To be promoted you must gain a following at the congregation that is above your own and be voted in to fill a vacancy. This remains true all the way up to the office of Daana.

## The Prince of Life and Princess of Death

The gods Life and Death lived with humanity on Epae for over 100 years following creation in order to teach and guide them. However, when it came time for the gods to take their leave the people were afraid to be alone. So, to placate them, Life took a statue of a young man and animated it to become a human. Life announced that this man is his son and would live with the humans to act in his stead. Whenever he should grow old and pass away, the Prince would be reincarnated into a new body in order to be with humanity forever. Similarly, Death animated a statue of a young woman who became the sister of the Prince, and she too would be reincarnated eternally.

Whenever the Prince or Princess dies the other is not too far behind, and the two are born again as twins to a seemingly random woman. It won't be hard to identify the new Prince and Princess as they always have very similar physical features to their previous lives. The Prince of Life typically has curly golden or even silver hair, and the Princess has dark brown to pitch black, flat or wavy hair. In addition to that, each of them will have one misty white and one pitch black eye.

Usually the mother of the twins is taken in by the church where she, her husband (if she is married), any other children, and of course the twins, will all be taken good care of. It is a worldwide holiday and celebration when the new Prince and Princess are found again.

## Denominations

As any major religion there have been many fractures among the believers.