Religions of Salenzis

The Salenzian Tradition

Back before the Prophan Empire, mainland Southern Salenzians had many gods for many things. They believed that conflict between the followers of these gods reflected conflict between the gods themselves. As such, gods waned and waxed as their followers were defeated and won victories. After being completely conquered by the Prophans, however, the Southern Salenzians knew despair - all of their gods were defeated, and considered dead or lost. Furthermore, the Prophans refused to let "barbarians" sully their temples, so the Southern Salenzians were left without any gods. The Salenzians of this time were known to go on great quests to try and find their old gods. During the Pax Prophana+7th - 12th centuries Second Age, there were many scholars and poets who noted the futility of this quest and sought to find a new way. They developed the ideas that today consititute the Salenzian Tradition. The primary belief of the Tradition is that the gods of the Salenzians are gone for good, but that they are no longer needed, as the Salenzian people can solve their own problems. The latter part is a simplification of the philosophical concept known as Collective Self-Reliance. Collective Self-Reliance states that the group should be able to solve its own problems, without having to plead for outside help. The group can be defined at many levels, from a few friends, to an entire country, to the whole of Maikros. The biggest problem Tradionalist philosophers hope to solve is that of defining at what level a problem has manifested. After all, it is unreasonable for a single village to consider an invading army its own problem - that is clearly a problem on the level of the state, and any reasonable Traditionalist would recognize such. But not all problems that a group may encounter are so clear cut.

The Sublime Temple

The Sublime Temple also arose during the Pax Prophana, and represents the other side of the Salenzian coin - where the Traditionalists decided to give up the search for the old gods, the Sublimists found a new one: Kaliana, the Sublime Goddess. She is a greatly powerful and enigmatic figure who has demonstrably lived for thousands of years. When She first came to the Province of Igion, She began to preach equality, and described the patterns of oppression - especially of women - in and by Imperial Prophan society. She did this through the metaphor of the Ancient Fathers, who in Sublimist mythology are the Enemy, who seek to oppress all others for their own benefit. Aside from inequality and injustice, Kaliana also rails against necromancy, especially the use of portals to the Underworld. She believes that the Shadow is the greatest threat to the Maikros, even more than the Ancient Fathers, though the latter is considered a more pressing issue. Within the clerical hierarchy of the Sublime Temple are a special variety known as bed-priests. These men and women are sacred courtesans meant to comfort the souls of any who need it, in whatever way all parties involved are comfortable with. Regular Sublimist priests are more preachers and scholars than therapists.

The Procession of the Sleeping Onyx Dragon

The Procession worships the Onyx Dragon, a reptilian-shaped entity made of stone that sleeps in the southeastern Ticonderan Mountains. The Onyx Dragon rarely speaks, though when He does, the Procession takes it very seriously. As such, most doctrine and dogma is set by the leaders of the Procession, either interpreted directly from the Ivrit Tablets, or derived from argument - debates between priests are seen as something of a spectacle by Onyxians. Onyxian dogma states that the Onyx Dragon is the only legitimate god, and that every other one is false. While this does put the Procession at odds with most other religions, there is a special rivalry with the Sublime Temple, because Kaliana is on record as stating that She has visited the Onyx Dragon multiple times, and that He has expressed a dislike for the religion that has grown around him. The Onyx Dragon has confirmed to the Procession Kaliana's visits, but not the content of any conversations they had. The act of basing Onyxian dogma and law on the Ivrit Tablets is a move that has been heavily criticized by both the Traditionalists and Sublimists. According to them, Tablet Law is a throwback to an ancient, less civilized time. According to the Procession, it is a lost morality that they rediscovered. What is certain is that Tablet Law is much stricter and harsher than the laws anywhere else on Salenzis, save perhaps certain of Zarcos'.

The Prophan Pantheon

The Prophan religion has been in place in some form or another since the First Age, though it only began to take its modern form during the Second Age. The Prophans venerate multiple deities and a myriad of saints. The Prophan gods are organized into three groups: The Celestial Deities, The Maikrosian Deities, and the Underworld Deities. The lord of the Celestial Deities - and thus all of the gods - who keeps the cosmos running as usual, is Hermes Cyclon. Though He is the king, He is a distant god, not commonly invoked by everyday people. Those who would primarily pray to Him are travellers and sailors, navigating by the stars. He also has something of a following amongst more religious scientists, who would seek Him for his knowledge of how the universe works. The daughters of Hermes Cyclon are Hauos Heliou - the Sun - and Hypna Selenes - the Moon. Hauos also represents victory and perseverance, in Her race against Hypna, while the lazy Hypna governs sleep. The Maikrosian Trinity are the most important of the gods in the Prophan religion. These are Proteus the Sea Father, Zea the Sky Mother, and Plouton the Earth Child. Proteus represents life, the bounties of the sea. As such, while He is very commonly invoked in prayer, He is especially so by fishermen and sailors. Zea is the short-tempered wife of Proteus, who carries the life-giving waters of Proteus in Her clouds. Storms, especially lightning storms, are Her wrath. Plouton is the child of Proteus and Zea, given life by them. He represents the mineral and agricultural wealth of the land, and so he governs such things as crafts, fortune, taxes, loans, banking, and debts. There are also lesser Maikrosian deities, such as the pretty-boy Corophon, god of love and war, and Artemis, the bountiful goddess of wild nature and the hunt. There is only one god of the Underworld, the two-faced Aedon, the god of duality, borders, and ways. An example of a very important saint in the late Third Age would be St. Melissa of Satremia, the patron saint of democracy - martyred during the uprisings against Jason the Betrayer.

Phoenix Cult Remnants

There are vague rumours of small, isolated, heavily secret remnants of the old Phoenix Cult of Zarcos. There has been the occasional witch-hunt against people suspected of being in such cults. Official Zarcosian policy is that such rumours are dangerous propaganda meant to destabilize the Empire through fear, and that the Phoenix Cult was completely eradicated. When the witch hunts crop up, the Zarcosian authorities prefer to stop them swiftly and harshly. The beliefs of the old Phoenix Cult included a great focus on maintaining order and a dislike of change. The focus of veneration and worship was the Phoenix King, an entity in the form of a phoenix who is known to visit Maikros every thousand years. Stasis and order are closely linked to the Phoenix King, as are fire, healing, and protection. While these were the basic tenets of the Phoenix Cult, any remnants, if they exist, would probably have diverged from this somewhat, without the stabilizing influence of a large clerical organization.