Religion on Solabren

[Myth Weaver]

The Old Religion

Many thousands of solar years ago, there were twelve mighty gods who walked this plane of existence. They were the bringers of light, dark, life, death, winds, rains, vast seas of trees, the ever growing mountains and so on. They walked the lands for countless years, alone with no one but themselves as company. Many tired of this empty world, void of sentient life beyond themselves. Each god and their consort drew lots to see who would bring the first sentient being into existence. No one remembers who actually won the honor, but a full moon cycle past before the wood, iron, and ember used to create the first living being was kissed with the breath of life.

Elves were created with that simple kiss. Drawing strength from the essence of the one who created them, the Elf, pale of hair and of eye stepped forth into the world. Awe draped the creature as she stood before her creator while the others cooed with delight over the tiny figure.

"I am alone." She said to the one who created her. With hand to chin, the creator turned to his brethren and puzzled a moment.
"It took me a moon cycle to create you, and it will be another moon cycle before you will be in company." He proclaimed. The she-elf nodded but was grateful for the attempt. Patience was granted to the she-elf from the creator and has been passed down through countless ages among the elves from this great moment.

Another moon cycle past and once again, the creator collected all he would need, wood, iron and ember and once again breathed life into the figure. There before the she-elf stood a man-elf dark of hair, fair of skin, light of eye. Turning her head to the side, the she-elf examined her new companion and was pleased. The gods themselves were pleased and watched the two elves as they grew to know one another, to love each other, and to multiply.

Thousands of years past, and the Creator Gods gave birth to their own successors, Gods of great power and with a purpose. As the new god-lings grew into their mantles, the Old Gods, they fell into the realm of the Forgotten. Though their elven children, the ones they created began to forget who they were and their children began to outshine them. With each passing solar cycle, one by one, The Forgotten left this plane of existence. Moving through the shadow planes, to a place for their eternal rest.

[Myth Weaver]

The New Religion

Upon the defeat of the elves, nearly eight hundred centuries ago, the new Gods came to favor the new creatures that had once been considered barbarians, the Humans. They gained new names and became more defined in their realms of control.


Ishana - Goddess of Righteous Wrath, Keeper of the Light became known to all who worshiped her as a motherly goddess. She brought the light of the sun to Solabren. Through her grace, the fields are fertile, children are safely brought into this world and she provides comfort within her bosom for all who seek it. She is also known as the Star Queen.


Dwr - Blind God of Prophecy, Keeper of Magic and Knowledge. Born blind, this disadvantage has worked in his favor for he sees what others can not. He is the guardian of Mages and magic of all varieties and does not discriminate between those who seek truth in knowledge.


Guinar - [/color]God of the Healing Arts, Protector of Innocence, Patron of Clerics. Gentle is the hand that serves this god, for to ease the suffering one need only call upon him. His name is used during times of strife and of illness.


Maiar -[/size] Goddess of Song, Reverie, Dance, Bards and Wine. Good natured and filled with life, Maiar sings the song of life, through fame and failure, she is always one flagon away for all who live in her light.


Nargel - God of Death, Dying, Funeral Rights. He comes for all, he does not care if one is good or evil, rich or poor, adventurer or homebody. He always collects.


Peliro - [/size]God of the Sword, Warriors, Strategy, Crafting, and Wisdom. Many who enter into battle bellow his name for favor on the field and an honorable death if it should come. He stands beside Nargel as the glorious dead are brought forth into the realm of the dead.


Sereg -[/size] Goddess of the shadow, thieves, assassins and cutthroats. Patron of those with sticky fingers and unsheathed blades, she is a tricky and fickle mistress whose moods change as wildly as as weather.


Teres - [/size]God of the Hunt, Rangers, Forest Folk, Travelers and the crossroads. Those who venture into the wild lands beyond the cities have been known to call upon Him to grant them safe passage and protection from the dangers of the road ahead.


Cællerm[/size] - God of the the rivers, lakes, oceans, violent storms, and calm seas. He is also the patron of sailors and fishermen who work upon his domain, scurrying about in their wooden boats. Cællerm is a grumpy old man of the sea and more often than not carries a very retired attitude when it comes to the prayers that he answers. Many a sailor will tell anyone who will listen that he has been known to scuttle ships on a whim or has tested the fortitude of a crew in a squall. Cællerm is a bit sporadic with his unleashing of the awesome power of the seas but when he does, everyone within weeks knows about it if they survive.


Lesier[/size] - the goddess of the harvest, grain and animal husbandry. Since the creation of the second sun, Lesier has flourished in the longer summers that it has created. She does her best to fend off her elder brother, Augoban the Cursed at each harvest during the growing season for he brings misfortune to a crop and can be the difference between bounty and famine. She distracts her brother by diverting his attentions from the harvest with a Masque held in his honor on the eve of the mid-summer solstice. Throughout Solabren this is a fantastic time for revelry and celebration.


Augoban the Cursed[/size] - The God of Misfortune and tragedy. His name is feared by nearly everyone who has had a run of bad luck and is whispered by those that wish to advert any more misfortune to fall their way. Augoban is a moody god who if not distracted from his goal to spread his particular form of misery about would spread misfortune, tragedy and runs of bad luck that would turn many a man to take his own life. This god, even in the eyes of his brothers and sisters, is a walking disaster waiting to happen.


Rasmartæ[/size] - Goddess of Luck, fortune and opportunity. Rasmartæ is the keeper of the wheel of fortune as well as the twin sister to Augoban the Cursed. In spite of their obvious disagreements, tendency to annoy and attempts to thwart one another, they do try to maintain some balance between the good and the bad luck that they are inclined to spread around.

[Myth Weaver]

Other Religions

Hssondi Religion

Hssondi belief system is rather simple compared to the complex religions of the Dresari, Humans and Irasa. They hold two spirits in the highest regards. The first one being the spirit of life. They hold the Giver of Life with great reverence to the point that every house hold maintains a simple shrine of dragon fire candles and incense to create a welcoming atmosphere for the spirit to bless wedding unions, conception of new life and protect the mother and child through the ordeal of labor.

The Hssondi maintain the belief that though they are blessed by the Giver of Life, they all must answer to the Harbinger of Death. A shadow spirit that haunts all living things in this world. The shaman are the only ones who commune with the Harbinger of Death to barter with it in allowing a soul pass without discomfort and disgrace from this world to the next. The Harbinger is occasionally called on by those who wish to invoke curses or to bring harm to their enemies in the heat of battle.

Dresari Religion

To many human nobles and merchant who have Dresari as guards have come to recognize the Dresari belief system as something wholly foreign to them. They have no deities to worship in temples, they do not say prayers or practice rituals to honor anyone greater than themselves. Many fine it odd that they hold no superior being in a revered light.

However from the Dresari point of view, they have a belief that brings them into harmony with the world around them. When they are not actively engaged in their duties as hired blades for whomever can pay their fee, the spend a majority of their off time in quiet contemplation of their specific point of existence in the world, at that moment.

Irasa Religion[/size]

Irasan religion is unique to their race. As a whole, they hold the belief that all things, stones, trees, the streams, every living thing holds a spirit. Life, itself is worshiped by the Irasa. Most outsiders who have ventured into the Irasa homeland of the coastal islands of Eire have found themselves in what seems like a near constant party. The priests and priestesses of the Rao =Guardians of Nature= are in a near constant buzz with celebration. Every settlement has a temple set up for the spirits. Offerings of food, incense, liquor, and hand made crafts are offered to the spirits of the land for their use and delight. Every Irasa from the day that they are born to the day they die celebrate the world around them with dancing, feasting and personal rituals to honor the spirits they so cherish.

Xechotel Religion[/size]

Xechotel believe in balance, it is the basis of their religious beliefs. Due to the precarious nature of their homeland on the volcanic islands of the Yetan Archipelago, they find themselves constantly seeking to maintain the balance of life and death with the active volcanoes that they co-exist with. Each day, the High Priests venture to the rim of the caldera with offerings of animal and human blood to appease the spirit within the near constantly active volcanoes. If the volcano becomes too active, the Xechotel priests will result to sacrificing honored members of the Priestly houses in order to keep the balance between catastrophic destruction and maintaining the lives of their people.

Beyond the rituals, the Xechotel honor family spirits and believe that the dead, if not appeased will return to wreck havoc upon their relative if they do not present offerings of food, incense and on occasions precious gems and metals. This is for mainly the living's protection rather than truly honoring those who have past.

Dwarven Religion

Dwaven beliefs are rather simple, they honor their ancestors. Keeping the memories of those who came before them alive in song and in stories told over stout ale and drunken laughter. They are very down to earth about their beliefs and know that it is a way to make sure that the ancestors are always involved in the everyday lives of their descendents.

[Beast Master]

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The Final Twilight…

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Long ago, before the time of the Elves, a prophecy, perhaps the first in the world, stated that the Forgotten would someday be overshadowed by their own offspring, the Godlings, and that the Elves themselves would be swept from the face of the world. The Forgotten, in an effort to create an insurance system for wiping both the Godlings and all mortals from the face of the world for a completely clean slate, created the Great Worm, Salabog, and sealed it away somewhere on the surface of the planet, its exact location being an absolute secret. The creatures function was simple; to bring about the complete and absolute destruction of all life on Solabren so that the Forgotten can mold the planet back into their image without the involvement of the Godlings.

The Prophecy of the Final Twilight states that someday a Morpheose of Elvin decent will find out the location of The Tomb of Salabog and unleash the Great Worm upon the world, fulfilling the Forgotten’s plan to wipe clean the face of Solabren so that they can recreate both the mortal realm and the Godlings. Salabog, it is said, will cut a trail from its tomb to the Temple of Destruction, where it will somehow ignite the flames of Caldrea, the super volcano, filling the skies of the planet with smoke and blocking the light of the sun. It is during the following time of famine that Salabog will continue its rampage, seeking out and destroying all life in the world until only it remains. At this time, Salabog will return to slumber in its tomb, and the world will be reborn.

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[Beast Master]

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The Afterlife…

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In the human pantheon, it is unanimously agreed upon that Nargel, and only Nargel, is the god of death and dying and collects all the souls of the dead for their eternal stay in the Afterlife. The story differs a little bit between theological colleges, however. On one hand, the old belief is that Nargel is solely responsible for the collection of the souls and their eternal judgment to the Pit of Nergael, though Peliro is often cited as being at Nargel’s side when the dead cross into the underworld.

Newer studies, however, have suggested that Nargel may have a handmaiden or daughter who is actually responsible for the judgment and sorting of souls after Nargel has collected them. This “new” deity, Chaloqia, Patron Deity of Chaos and Judgment, is the ultimate oxymoron; a two sided coin with but one face. On one hand she is chaos, disorder, and disarray, the exact opposite of order. On the other hand, she is judgment and organization, giving her a bipolar quality in her duties. Her duty in the underworld is to separate the souls of the good from the souls of the wicked or neutral, though it is important to note that only Nargel will judge the souls of the most evil, as they become the Judged of Nargel.

Once judged, souls pass to one of two plains of existence. The neutral, those who never did anything profoundly good nor profoundly wicked in life, pass to the Plain of Suffering; the black, lifeless, dank void where they are damned to roam forever. The wicked, then, pass on into the Bowels of Solabren, where the planets inner works, filled with magma and fire, boil them for all eternity. Only the truly good and just will ascend from Nergael to Caelium, the eternal paradise for the Godlings and the ascended dead.

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