Religion in Dohmunderiah

Religion within the world of Dohmunderiah is a very essential and prevalent idea and influences ways of life across all stretches of the globe. There are several different outlooks and denominations of religion within the globe based upon the ideals and teachings of gods both real and imaginary in nature. The most predominant religion amongst all populations is Baltorianism in its most simple form, which is, the worship of Baltora and the Benevolent Lessers. Baltorianism may focus entirely on all of the gods and goddesses classified as Benevolent Lessers, only one or a few specific Benevolent Lessers, only Baltora itself, or all of these combine, the last being the most common.

The complete contrast to Baltorianism is known as Pyrtoralism after the god Pyrtoral, and is considered by the majority of the global population to only be practiced for truly evil reasons. Open worship of Pyrtoralism is banned in many regions and can even be punishable by death. Pyrtoral also has minion deities who are loyal to him known as the Corrupt Lessers. However, the worshipers of this religion do not refer to them as corrupt. The origin of the name comes from the story concerning their original allegiance to Baltora after being created, and then betraying it, going astray, and eventually waging a god war, giving them the appearance to have corrupted from their original selves and ideas.

There are, of course, several other lesser practiced religions all throughout Dohmunderiah, most of which always carried stigmas of being taboo and odd. Throughout history, several religious cults and masses were noted to have existed, many of which were formed around fictional deities and powers. The majority of the population believed the foundations on which these congregations were formed to be absurd, due to the solid proof that Baltora was the creator of all life within Dohmunderiah.

## The Origins

The basis of all religion is founded on the creations of Baltora, which is the given name of the deity who is credited with creating the world of Dohmunderiah and all of the life within it. Baltora is neither a god nor a goddess, for it assumes no physical sex, leaving the topic up to much debate, with some referring to the deity as "he" while others referring to it as "she." It is most commonly referred to by its name Baltora or The Baltora, as the most evidence available does suggest that Baltora is an entity unique in its own form and does not involve itself with the identities of mankind. Baltora had existed for several hundred years before mankind came about, or possibly even longer. Originally, Baltora was essentially the life of the world of Dohmunderia and was dormant for an unknown period of time until it is said that a flaming projectile of unknown origin struck the globe and thrust a fiery explosion upon its surface, awakening the life force of the planet, causing Baltora to appear in physical form.

Baltora was enraged at the sight of the burning surface of the once watery globe and quickly extinguished it as best as possible. The resulting surface was a scarred image of scattered stone jaggedly protruding from the water where lava had landed. Through Baltora's fear, anger, and quick action, a great deal of his essence was imbued into the fire and lava, as it was extinguished. The transferring force was so great, a life was created in the fires, which fought back and retreated into the depth of the planet through a large valcano in what would become the continent of Radorah. Essentially, Baltora, who had never once experienced the feeling of anger, could not properly control its fury, and unintentionally imbued this part of itself into the fires, creating another deity of conflicting morals and intentions. This god came to be known as Pyrtoral, the mortal enemy of Baltora, and the god of fire, destruction, and chaos.

Knowing now its home was endangered and faced the risks of Pyrtoral, Baltora sacrificed some of its power in order to create lesser gods and goddesses who went on to ensure Pyrtoral could cause no further destruction. The first of these lesser deities to be conjured by Baltora were Ikaness and Geokura, who, together, doused the remaining fires of Pyrtoral and enclosed him in the center of the globe. Baltora then created the remainder of the lessers to bring balance and restore the surface of the globe. Baltora then saw the strange sense of happiness amongst the gods and goddesses as they enjoyed the beauty of the world in which they named Dohmunderiah. Baltora liked what it saw and convened with the lessers, agreeing to devise a plan to bring life onto the globe. As a result, Dohmunderiah was populated with creatures of all sorts of varieties, the most superior being mankind.

## Deities

There are thirteen main deities that preside over the globe of Dohmunderiah, all of whom were descended directly from Baltora. The lesser deities are divided into two categories being the benevolent and the corrupted. Originally, all of the deities were created to serve a specific purpose to maintain equilibrium within Dohmunderiah. Originally, they all worked together in harmony to keep Pyrtoral subdued, who was, at the time, nearly as powerful as Baltora. However, after some time, Pyrtoral managed to escape from the center of the globe through the eruption of the volcano Mount Pyred. It was after this event that Pyrtoral convinced Kriegan and Markarna to join his side in an attempt to overthrow Baltora and control Dohmunderiah and the lives of the mortals which now inhabited it.

Baltora persisted on and held threshold over Pyrtoral. In a civilized manner, Baltora allowed Kriegan and Markarna to stay under the protection of Pyrtoral when it could have easily killed them. In order for a proper balance to persist over Dohmunderiah, Baltora saw it fit to encourage Kriegan to cause warfare which resulted in death, and for Markarna to collect those who have died and preserve them in the Nebune, even if the harsh degree in which this was carried out strongly opposed its preferences.

### *Greater Deities*

* **Baltora** - The creator deity, the master of all knowledge, wisdom, and the enforcer of balance and benevolence, manifests in lightning
* **Pyrtoral** - The chaotic god, the harbinger of destruction and fiery chaos, manifests in volcanoes and fire

### *Benevolent Lessers*

* **Alydor** - The goddess of sleep, rest, regeneration, and health
* **Geokura** - The god of the terrain, landscape, dirt, and mountains
* **Ikaness** - Godess of oceans, water, marine life, and rain
* **Jagün** - The goddess of nature, wildlife, hunting, and plants
* **Lunaca** - The goddess of moon, skies, deep thoughts, and sadness
* **Michorana** - The god of alcohol, narcotics, parties, and euphoria
* **Relayn** - Godess of love, compassion, arousal, and romance
* **Traisät** - The goddess of art, music, and creativity
* **Wherkrun** - The god of the sun, seasons, and luxuries

### *Corrupted Lessers*

* **Kriegan** - The god of war and conflict
* **Markarna** - Goddess of death and judgement, Lady of the Nebune (Sometimes considered to be of neutral alignment)