Religion

There are a number of mythologies which are still in practice around Scandiaca, and a number of mythologies which have long ago lost all followers. Legends from some of these older mythologies still persist today, however. Religions are formed around powerful phenomena, and around powerful forces which are not fully understood. That is why there are religions with multiple deities which represent different aspects of the world around us; but other religions view these forces as differing aspects of a single, all-powerful deity instead. Many of these beliefs do overlap between religions, as would be expected.

Some religions are highly structured with rigid sets of codified beliefs and practices that are all recorded in written word, while others are merely a framework of beliefs and myths which have been passed down by spoken word.

It is known that there are powerful beings in this world, and in other planes of existence, so the belief that there are all-powerful beings which should be worshiped as gods is practical and realistic. However, given that powerful creatures exist on other planes also lends to the belief that despite having such powerful abilities, no creatures are worthy of the title of god.

Polytheistic Religions

Oddra

The Oddran faith originated with the Oddra people in the north and eastern territories of Scandiaca. It is the most widely practiced polytheistic religion which is still in use. The Oddran faith believes that this world is inhabited not only by mankind, but also by unseen spiritual forces which permeate throughout all of nature. These spirits act as guides for the mortal world and are sent by the gods of the pantheon.

It is commonly believed by Oddran faithful that the universe exists in a state of constant chaos. The spirits are empowered by the gods to help the world gain some structure and order. Without those spirits, everything would succumb to this chaos. The Oddran religion has an apocalypse prophecy centered on those spirits being unable to prevent the chaos of the universe and this plane being torn apart into oblivion. Depending on which sect of Oddran you speak to, this version may have a different flavor, but the basics of this apocalyptic tale remains the same.

There are seven gods within the pantheon, and each of them is attributed with a physical aspect for which they are referred. Rarely, they are referred to by their actual names. The seven gods are listed below:

Sun (Argonoth)

Moons (Scalik)

Storm (Ambethe)

Water (Saelarra)

Earth (Mitroth)

Plants (Inyrea)

Animals (Narconis)

Even though Oddra includes many deities, they are not typically worshiped separately from each other, although many do hold one deity as more important than the others for whatever reason. Even if one deity is favored over another, worshippers typically do not have any animosity towards the other gods in the pantheon; they simply view them as less important.

Spirits are attributed to a single god based on which spirit is “encountered”. For example, river spirits who guide seaborne travelers are attributed to the Water god (Saelarra). Spirits which provide a feast for hunters are attributed to the Animals god (Narconis).

Shamanism

There are some other shamanistic religions, but the one which has the most widespread influence is the Montri Shamanism. It does not have any named gods, per se, but does recognize divine spark within animals such as wolves, eagles, whales, lions, owls, and octopi (among others). Followers of Montri Shamanism believe that they can gain powers and abilities which are inherent in those other forms of life such as enhanced wisdom from an owl or divine sight  from an eagle.

Followers of this religion tend to associate themselves with some specific animal type. This becomes their totem animal, or animal spirit. Those that identify with one totem animal do not typically look down on other’s totems because it is believed that the follower was selected by the totem rather than the other way around.

In Montri Shamanism, they believe that there are some people who are special vessels which can read the actions of animals in order to divine the future and understand omens. Omens are a strong part of the Montri Shamanistic beliefs because they believe that nature is complex and mankind is far too removed to read the subtle signs that nature provides. Animals have a natural connection with the world and they can recognize these signs more readily than man can.

Three Sisters

The Three Sisters religion is popular in western lands, though it can be found all throughout Scandiaca. There are three gods in this religion, all of them sisters.

Ojyn - This sister is the one who represents honor, discipline, and order.

Soth - This sister is the one who represents individualism, rebelliousness, and randomness.

Yanna - This sister is the one who represents cohesion, balance, and calm.

Followers of the Three Sisters acknowledge all three, but some tend to view one over the others. In fact, some extremists view one sister with reverence and one or both of the others as vile and a source of conflict.

Monotheistic Religions

Tokum

The Tokumist faith recognizes only one divine being. They simply refer to him as the one ancient one, or by name, Tokum, the creator of the world. It is believed that Tokum created everything in existence, including not only this world, this plane and everything in it, but also all other planes of existence as well. For the Tokumists, this world is the beginning of all existence, and it is the one true origin of all life. Other planes of existence are built around this one.

Tokumist religion has a number of practices which are to be followed on a daily basis. Different sects of this religion may vary in which practice is performed or recognized, but there are common themes between them. There are other expectations of prayer or devotions which are practiced weekly and at certain religious holidays throughout the year.

Some practices or rituals associated with Tokumist religion include the following:

Prayer at dawn and dusk to honor the creator god.

Wearing religious keepsakes such as a bracelet or ring which have a Tokumist symbol etched upon it. Although these could simply be a headband or necklace, most Tokumists wear this keepsake on or around the hand because one of Tokum’s most widespread symbols is that of an open hand.

Sharing food with others who do not share the Tokumist faith. Tokum is known as “the provider” and his followers provide food to those who do not believe to act as a symbol of his generosity.

Razmi

The Razmi religion adheres to the view that no god watched over Scandiaca until Razmaelon ascended to divinity. For the Razmi followers, the multitude of planes and even the prime material plane itself have always been in existence. They were not created nor formed by any being’s will or power. The formation of life as we know it is unknown and in fact is unknowable for all who are not godlike in abilities. It is believed that no true being of godlike power existed in any plane until the arrival of Razmaelon. It is written that he unlocked the power of the universe and was the first and so far only being who was able to fully comprehend time and space as well as the creation of the universe. When that happened, he ascended to god-hood and now rules over all of the heavens. His followers believe that someday, he will reveal the secrets of the universe to them and they shall ascend to his side for all eternity.

Razmi followers are adamant about only two things regarding their worldview: First, there is no creator god nor even a creation. The world is now as it has always been. Second, Razmaelon has unlocked the secrets of the universe, and therefore has ascended to godhood from a mortal soul.

Because Razmaelon was once mortal, there are no shortage of scholars who seek to uncover more of who he was and where he has been. There are several false claims of his past, and many inconsistencies in what is “known” about him. This makes the religion somewhat loose on structure and direction. More than many other religions, Razmi has numerous sects which have declared what they believe the ultimate truths are regarding Razmaelon, his mortal life, and his intentions for the rest of mankind.

Atheistic Religions/Philosophies

Divine Wilds

The Divines Wilds is a religion which attributes no divine power to any being. Instead, it attributes the forces of nature and the world around us as the only true divinity. This religion is based on us being subject to the world or environment we live in. This extends to other planes, where inhabitants of those planes are subject to the laws of nature on that plane as well. Because there is no intelligent being given divine power in this belief system, it is considered atheistic. However, adherents to this religion do typically view the forces of nature as divine-like.

Sociocentrism

This philosophy professes the belief that all supposed gods are nothing more than powerful planar beings and not something worthy of worship. It focuses on making sure that no being of any type is uplifted in stature above another. This means that even mankind is not anything more special than creatures on other planes.

Mortalism

The primary belief of Mortalism is that the only divine spark which can be found is in mankind itself. No other creature, real-world or planar, is special. Mankind (various mortal races on Scandiaca) is special in this regard and therefore is more powerful and important to the universe.This also applies to all other creatures on all other planes. None of those creatures are considered divine, no matter how much power they possess.

Mortalism followers treat the homes of mankind as sacred, for it is within the home that divine creatures dwell. For this reason, they tend not to have any dedicated religious structures such as churches or shrines (though there are exceptions). Of all activities, the birth of a new person is the most important and spiritual. It signifies another divine being is brought into this world.