Religions of Viranos

From Viranos
Jump to navigationJump to search

Religion may be defined as a cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, or spiritual elements. However, there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion.

Different religions may or may not contain various elements ranging from the divine, sacred things, faith, a supernatural being or supernatural beings or some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life. Religious practices may include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of deities), sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. Religions have sacred histories and narratives, which may be preserved in sacred scriptures, and symbols and holy places, that aim mostly to give a meaning to life. Religions may contain symbolic stories, which are sometimes said by followers to be true, that have the side purpose of explaining the origin of life, the universe, and other things. Traditionally, faith, in addition to reason, has been considered a source of religious beliefs.


There are many different religions found among and across the races of Viranos. Some are steeped in the folk-memory of Halla and the Collapse; others seek to explain natural phenomena and venerate stranded gods. Some reach across borders and languages, while others are an integral part of a single place and group.


(Please keep list in alphabetical order. Feel free to use subsections to expand on sects, but please keep individual sections no more than two paragraphs and link to more in-depth articles..)


Sxiduwali[edit | edit source]

A family of closely related faiths native to Tzonaxiqal, based heavily on various Dharmic and Native American faiths. They tend to feature dozens or even hundreds of gods, of which only a dozen or less tend to relevant outside of a specific area.

Ixqalanism[edit | edit source]

Majority and state religion of Tzonaxiqal and by far the largest, most influential of the Sxiduwali faiths. It revolves around the god (Judgement) Nirashvinoctl, several minor gods, and the concepts of karma, reincarnation, and holy retribution. By far the most organized of the Sxiduwali faiths, it is organized under the Temple of the Joyous Dawn, which is always led by the current Tzoqa'awa of Tzonaxiqal.

Believers, called Manaqs or Ixaqlanis, meet twice weekly in a qavali (temple) to engage in prayer, meditation, dialogue, and study of the scriptures - namely, the holy text Dielmteqi] and various holy proclamations and dissertations called anaiaqs. Ixqalanis actively proselytize their faith, believing in the end of days and punishment of non-believers.


Lesaselicism[edit | edit source]

Lesaseli(cism) is the second largest largest Sxiduwali faith and focuses on the goddess Raqara, who is said to be a stranded god that once appeared to help mortals and teach them compassion. Its followers, called Dados or simply Lesalis, focus on meditation on numerous holy texts passed down by historical "prophets" of Raqara carrying her messages and teachings. Their temples, called sael'lau, are known for functioning as major community centers offering help to the poor and many services to believers and nonbelievers alike.


Pelqita'tan[edit | edit source]

Pelqita'tan is believed to be the ancestor of the other Sxiduwali faiths, carrying with it a pre-Collapse creation myth corroborated by the others and an animistic, nature-centric belief system from which many of the gods of other pantheons are believed to have developed.


Sxiasetiq[edit | edit source]

Sxiasetiq is the smallest of the Sxiduwali faiths, and espouses a life of asceticism and skepticism, combined with constant skepticism of the metaphysical. Its followers are most often found in small communes and monasteries in the countryside.


Zei-Kotei[edit | edit source]

The Zei-Kotei, also known as The Pale (Creed) or the Cult of Rezharin, is the state and majority religion of Osekai, revolving around the veneration of the Pale Queen Rezharin as a living goddess. The religion espouses an eponymous religious law, the Zei Kotei (the Pale), which is a lengthy set of behavioral restrictions and observations which all Rori are expected to observe at all times (when doing so does not endanger them or their queen's Imperium).

Zei-Kotei holds very few metaphysical beliefs or assertions about the natural world. Rather, it focuses on the concept of Halla, from which Rezharin and the rori are said to originate, and the hypothetical rori homeland of Aorazha found therein. According to the Jao'nai-Rezharin (the Book of Rezharin), it is the destiny of the rori to return to Halla and reclaim Aorazha.

Zanthism[edit | edit source]

Zanthism is a monotheistic religion, founded by the Zatari religious leader and believed Divine Entity Zanthir in the year 1748, and based upon his life and teachings. It's adherents, known as "Zanthists", believe that the single Supreme Deity is made manifest through the Divine Entity Za, known outside of the Zanthist Community as the star Vira.

Zanthist Church[edit | edit source]

The First International Church of Zanthism is by far the largest of the Zanthist churches, comprising over 90% of all Zanthists worldwide. The first and eldest of the Zanthist Churches, it was founded directly by Zanthir and his immediate followers in the Covenant of Zanth'Ara on May 18th, 1748. It has subsequently been lead by each successive Holy Emperor of Zataria, believed to be the direct descendants of Za, through their descent from Zanthir. Known for their demanding, hedonistic lifestyles and their complex rituals, the Church is certainly renowned the world over, though the general opinion is ambivalent, at best.