Religion
From Legonia
The Question of all questions: Why i am here? Where did i come from? And where i'll go? Like in every world, races and peoples of Legonia search answers in religion.
Two main religions devide the western continent with several subcults. The monotheism and the polytheism.
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The big Something (North Legonian Monotheism)
At beginning there was an endless nothing, and it was bored, so a big something was created, and it creates the world. In all kingdoms of the north this one and only god is praised in any form. It's the most known religion. 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. 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
Temple of the big fire
The dwarves whorship „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, safty in the mountains and luck. Traditional festivals and ceremonies are hold 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.
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.
Church of the big and only one
In Middle Kingdom people are strong-believing. Nearly every village has a church, cathedral or an abbey. Priests offers weekly worships and use magic in name of their god. Over centuries, the church created many rules, dogmata and principles.
Ark’tohlian Pantheon (South Legonian Polytheism)
Compared to the northern monotheism, the big something has a secondary role. Since the ancient Ark’tohl Empire and partly before, a pantheon of gods are in the minds of human, Ba’tohl and other races of the jungle. The big something is still power of creation, but isn’t prayed anymore. Instead, younger gods seem to lead the history of present. Every god excepting the big something has its own idol and temple. Long ago, the heptarchy of the Skorpion Emirates has used the temple cults as political instruments and integrated the priests to the administration. The old myths and rules of the desert cultures are long-forgotten and partly distorted. The heptarchs are presented as god-choosen representatives on earth, so because there are 7 lords, only 7 temples survived, although there were over 20 gods originally known. That’s why the resting gods often have various meanings, which they hadn’t before. Every god has its own temple, which is leaded by a priesterhood and a high priest. The high priests of Arkos are traditionally also heptarchs everytime. So, if the heptarch die, not his first son, but the next high priest get the position. For the other heptarchs inheritance law is set, but if there aren’t any children high priests will be prefered if they want to become heptarch. At moment, the high priest of the temples Arkos and Jangalis are heptarchs at same time.
Gods of Ark'tohl
The 7 official venerated:
Arkos
Main god, master of desert, fire, sky, war, life, masculinity and passion. Religion says, he’s the direct son of the big something and first male lifeform. He created the Ark’tohl desert to test the human’s power and will. Whorships can be found in most castes and races of the south, because he has many meanings. His idol is a red stone pillar with 3 torches, symbolizing the desert(landscape), the sun(sky) and fire(life/strength).
Venari
Godess of fertility, family, home, peace, femality and friendship. Venari is the sister of Arkos and first female lifeform. Praised mainly by women and children. The everyday life of a family is leaded by prayings to her. At festivals and meetings with foreigners she’s mentioned often. Her idol is a glass cylinder with crystal and 2 rolling arms.
Jangalis
God of jungle, nature, animals, hunt, farming and travel. His origin is unknown, the idol a base of jewels with a dinosaur statue. In the villages upside the desert he’s praised more than from the desert riders. Especially farmers love him, but also dinosaur riders. As patron of travellers and adventurers, jangalis is part of many fairy tales for children. Rumors says, Jangalis is able to visit the world in every animal form.
Thorun
God of death, disease, curses and sleep. Thorun is shown mainly as skeletonstatue made of marble. Older idols are made of bones. He’s not familiar with Arkos, so it can be assumed, that he came from a different culture of a jungle tribe. Nearly everyone fears him, altought he’s neutral as lord of the death realm and isn’t a god of destruction or evil. The myths say, he’s holding the balance between old and new, good and evil, living and dead world. If you want to contact or bless any ghosts, you have to beg for his help first.
Airos
God of air and wind, mind, free thoughts, fantasy, science and magic. Airos is also symbol for revolutions for some enslaved tribes, so his religion is limited by the heptarchy. Only one temple exists in the whole empire. At same time, sorcerors, alchemists and wisdom-hungry people likes him. After the tale, Airos is a nephew of Arkos, but the rest of the family is unkown because not part of the pantheon. His idol is a stone eagle and sometimes a shield with eagle symbol
Onyxo
God of mountains, ore, crafting, treasures and trade. Onyxo is one of the sons of Arkos and Venaris. Because most of his brothers aren’t part of the pantheon, he guards different topics. On one side, he holds the world crust and earth resources together, on the other he’s patron of financial poverty, because the emirate’s treasures are filled by diamonds and other jewels from slave mines. Arkos devided the ownership of the land for 2 of his sons and kept the sky and the desert for himself. Onyxo get the hard parts, the lands, his brother Okeanos the fluid ones, the oceans. His idol is a green crystal statue.
Okeanos
God of seas and water. Okeanos is son of Arkos and Venari and only brother of Onyxo, who is still part of the pantheon. For the desert tribes, he’s an important god, so every oasis has a shrine blessing him. The only temples can be found in the ports at the bay of Ark’tohl. Because shipping is small in the Emirates, the cult is only lived by some fishermen. His idol consists of a blue painted base and 2 fish statues.
Others
The heptarchy of Skorpion Emirates destroyed the original cultures of many enslaved races. So only specific gods were choosen for the new pantheon. The many missing ones, for example sons of Arkos and his brothers and sisters got forgotten in time. In free tribes of the jungle some are still alive. In the jungle and desert you can find ruins of old temples at closer look.
Churches/cults
The seven temples
The official church of the Skorpion Emirates has developed and praised the Ark'tohlian Pantheon. Every temple has a high priest and an own priesthood, which decides over the rules of their god. The seven temples aren't interested in truth, they just use their religion to gain more power and to manipulate the people of the Emirates.
Circle of elements
A small separation of priests who mainly whorship the those gods, who are masters of the holy elements because only who controls these has real god-power.
So, the gods Arkos(fire), Onyxo(earth), Airos(wind), Okeanos(water) and the big something (mana) belong to the circle of elements-pantheon. Other gods are seen as unimportant for these priests. Of course, the great heptarchy of the Skorpion Emirates doesn't allow this religion, so its cult is living secretly.
Demonology
Some lost souls doubt about the world and dream about a new start. Before this new beginning, chaos have to clear the running orders. These dark cults worship demon gods, many black mages do it in hope to become lords in a new world. Demons are powerful, nearly immortal lifeforms, who are displaced from Legonia to safe the younger races. Driven by hate and eagerness for power, their goals are, to destroy the current world, became part of it again and leading as gods on it. Some demons are bound on specific locations, others in different spheres, but able to be evocated. Old myths tell about a magic dimensional cage, where the most evil demons were prisoned. As seal, a demon portal exists somewhere in Dragonia Vulcania. Breaking the spell would let them free and an eternal war between gods and demons will start. The religion of demonology is forbidden in all cultures by death penalty..
Churches/Cults
Dark worship of the high lords of the new world, of the unholy circle of demons, chaos and the last days
A secret church whorshipping demon gods in west Legonia. The most famous member was the The Black Mage.
The Cult
A secret organisation on the eastern continent
Other religions
There are many different small religions in legonian cultures. On Fog Islands, elemental ghosts are praised, primitive tribes worship magicans and others, stupid ones like the Troggs praises simple nature phenomenons. About orcish religion we don’t know much, but they have shamanism to call for devine forces
