The big Something (North Legonian Monotheism)

Description

The big Something
Blazon:formless
First god
Other names/incarnations	Father and mother of Peng(Peng Cheng); The holy fire(Dwarves); The big lie(demonology)
Aspects	Love; Creation, Physics
Symbols	Cross & Owl(Holy church of Orlan)
Sanctuaries	Temple of the holy fire (Dwarven peak); various temples and churches
Artifacts
Familiars	Many gods and mortal races
Opponent	The first evil

The north-legonian monotheism is the most spread religion on Legonia and can be found in all human and many humanoid societies over the north of the western continent.

Origin

The big Something is seen as the first god-beeing, so its religions are mainly based on the oldest creation myth. At beginning there was an endless nothing, and it was bored, so a big something was created, and it creates the world. The idea of what the big something actually is, variates. The Northern Kingdom is easy in religion. The people believes in a basic energy, which created rules of physics and the lifeforms of Legonia. But it doesn’t act directly. So, the living cultures and races have their own responsibility to deal with the world and to respect its nature. A real living church doesn’t exist here, but after the death, people become part of the big something again. At least, some ceremonies are hold every year praising these thoughts. Other races and kingdoms have different kinds of believe and started churches and cults to define them. All followers of this monotheism together believe, that they will travel back to the big something after death, where endless calm and peace awaits.

Churches/cults

Over the centuries and influenced by cultural and political circumstances, the northlegonians build up different organisations to live their religion. So there are cults and churches:

Church of the big and only one

When the eagle and lion kingdoms created a structured society, religion was also organised to keep it safe from governmental influence. Today, in Middle Kingdom people are strong-believing. Nearly every village has a church, cathedral or an abbey. Priests offer weekly worship and use magic in name of their god. Over centuries, the church created many rules, dogmata and principles. These rules and the countrywide organision is done by a council of archbishops. Every Shire of Middle Kingdom has one archbishop elected by his priests.

Although church law dictates big parts of everyday life's, especially for low-educated societies, the church itself hasn't much influence on politics. There's no state religion officially. The kings always trusted the blue mages and their wisdom more, so the high academy of the blue mages has more power than the church. Anyway, about 2% of the king's taxes go to the main church. Main reason would be the interest, that a stable religion can help support a lucky society. In the northern kingdom, where the belief of the big something exists, too, the church of the big and only one tries to expand its influence but most northmen deny the need of a religious organisation and prefer their old cults and rituals.

Elvenpriesthood

Also the elves praise the big something but they believe in equality. Everything, gods, nature, animals and people are part of the same thing. So the elves want to serve and protect the nature and respect every kind of life and energy. In elven religion, at world’s end everything comes together for creating a new world if the old is gone. This means, the big something is just an expression for a former beeing of the world and the next one.

The priesthood contains of wise mages and isn't further structured. Close to the force of creation, they became the best nature magicans known.

Temple of the big fire

The dwarves worship „the big fire“. In their culture, the big something gave the element of fire to the dwarven race first. This legend based on the fact, that the dwarves invented the smithwork first and used the first iron weapons. So, all dwarven success and history is based on this holy event. Dwarven priests pray for good work, protection against cold, saftey in the mountains and luck. Traditional festivals and ceremonies are held every year like the winter celebration, the days of fire and the mountain sanctification. Under Dwarven Peak the biggest temple of the holy, big fire can be found, but there aren’t many regulary visitors.

Temple of Mother of Peng

The white monks of Peng Cheng are the religious and moral leaders of their isolated culture. After their myths, a giant holy bird, the Peng placed the island and brought its settlers there. The big Something is worshipped as holy mother of that creature and so the religion of Peng Cheng has some similiarities to northlegonian cultures.

The holy church of Orlan

In the kingdom Morica the strong religious caste of the monks of Orlan are following a monotheistic god that judges the world. The church owns big political influence and its inquisition is feared by many educated people, scientists and sorcerors. In older days, the Orlanians praised the "white one" which was originally a white elf but later after the white elves died out, the legends about that powerful sorceror helped to create Morica was mixed up with aspects of the big something.

Other incarnations

• In Amazon mythology, the big something created Arkando and Vendra but isn't further praised.
• Also the Insaani pantheon mentions the big something but after their religion it has split itself into other gods.
• The Ianus believe ina two-force of chaos and order, the big something is an expression for the order in the world.