Religion In Adel

Adelians are an entirely polytheistic culture. There is a spirit for every craft and emotion, for every concept and item. A farmer might worship spirits of the rain, of plants, of the earth. Worship of the spirits tinges everything that Adelians do. This does not entirely mean that they are all god-fearin’ zealots, paralyzed without religion or paranoid of its influence in all things. They believe in their own free will – but they will often see things through the prism of religion, for better or worse. An Adelian sees rainfall and thanks the Spirits of Rain for answering his or her prayers – despite the fact that the rain likely had nothing to do with his or her prayers. An Adelian’s belief is next to impossible to destroy, although it can be shaken. One would be blind to turn away from the Spirits. But it is impossible to be forsaken by them, and many stories tell of such tragic misfortunes.

Spirits are physical beings that can exert great, visible power; however, they hardly ever seem to do so. A Spirit’s metaphysical function is, one could say, as a life support system for a dying world. The Cataclysm destroyed much of the World’s natural ability to sustain its processes, such as the cycle of the water, the geologic movement of the crust, the growth of plant and animal life. But the Cataclysm also dispersed massive, infinite amounts of magical energy, known as Essence, about the world. This Essence gathered in the shape of the Spirits. As long as Spirits exist, the world will keep moving as it should. They are (sometimes unknowingly) the timekeepers for the labors of the world, subtly and sometimes helplessly causing the changes that should be natural but no longer are. While a Spirit is this grand magical creature, the majority of them are also emotional beings. They have a mental life that requires some stimulation, and they are as capable of want and need as a mortal.

Adelian’s religion and spirit worship shows in their typical mannerisms. For example, the common greeting among Adelians is “namaste” which is a way of stating that the divinity within you is graced by the divinity within the person you are greeting. In a world where everything is suffused with essence, the Adelians humbly believe their own divinity to be shielded in mortal flesh, nurtured within the shell of the body until it is time for it to fly out into the world upon the mortal death, and transcend into the eternal flow. Each soul thus nurtures the world at large. A soul burdened with sin will beget more sin when it is ultimately released, but a soul of virtuous character will bring more virtue to the world. Adelians do not look forward to death – they don’t see the afterlife as a reward, but rather the duty of all beings, a responsibility they are ever heading towards.

The Spirits have their own kind of natural magic that they can lend to people. By swearing by one another, a spirit and a mortal can join in a mutual bond that keeps the spirit sustained and grants the mortal powers. This unorthodox union is uncommon, however. Long ago, the major churches in each nation swore themselves to a certain Greater Spirit, and in so doing they have gained the ability to anoint Clerics with divine power. A Cleric’s power is drawn through singing powerful Hymns. The verses of each hymn tell stories and legends within which lie coded the gestures that create divine magical effects. Divine magic is used to defend, heal, convenience and strike, much like Arcane magic is, but the effects are flexible, based on the caster’s emotion and desires. An anointed Cleric has a piece of a Spirit affixed to his or her soul, and sings in the voice of that Spirit. Aside from Clerics, the nation of Sargasso discovered a separate ritual, which they only perform on women called the Seraphim. This alternate ritual grants them not just the ability to sing hymns, but increased physical and spiritual power.

Though Adelians worship many spirits, they also believe in a hierarchy of spirits. The spirits worshiped every day are known as the Common Powers. Above them are the Worldly Powers, numerous named Spirits, Sages, Heroes and Heroines of legend. These Worldly Powers are called to in anecdotes and quotations where their wisdom may be necessary or empowering. Above even them are the Greater Powers. Greater Powers are more akin to the Gods of monotheistic worship. They are the eight most powerful of all Spirits, with various concepts under their wing. Below is a table summarizing their purviews. These traits are a collection of both positive and negative aspects commonly associated with each Spirit – how one worships the Spirit depends on one’s perception. More aspects than these can be attributed by the individual. Each spirit’s appearance can vary, but they tend to either look something like their patron race (Arclinne appears as a Iomadi) or embodying one of their aspects.