Religions

Introduction

Religions in Asmythe are not abstract as they are on Earth, but physical beings with demonstrable power, Elder Dragons, in eternal slumber whose dreams create reality. Asmythe also has real beings, Ilthura and elementals, of immense power that appear to be gods.

Religious practice in Asmythe is based on the power of self and the development of physical and mental discipline.

Each of the Elder Dragons is associated with a set of emotions and manifest in the world through these emotions. Dragon Priests claim to gain power from the Elder Dragons when they experience these emotions.

The Elder Dragon manifestations are ethereal and shapeless; they have no physical form or ego of their own. Yet through the thoughts and actions of the Dragon Priests they have acquired physical appearances. These physical metaphors vary as greatly as the Elder Dragons themselves; some are human or humanoid, some are animal, some are elemental, and most are a combination of each. The priests don't agree if these manifestations are facets of the Elder Dragons themselves, or apparitions created by the minds of the priest attempting to understand the ineffable.

Although Elder Dragons are universal they tend to attract disciples of a particular race, nation, of disposition. The Elder Dragons themselves aren't particular about race or nation but the races and nations are particular about their Elder Dragons. Each nation usually gives patronage to one of the six families of Dragon, the "cosmos". These cosmos are, in turn, aligned against each other.

Cosmos

The six families of Elder Dragons, the Cosmos, are aligned in three oppositions. Elder Dragons and clerics of each cosmos are eternally in conflict with the Elder Dragons and clerics of the opposed cosmos. Only Acedia is neutral.

Health vs. Pain

Health Cosmos	Pain Cosmos
Eros Hotei Laetitia	Nedolya Penthos Rus'Ker

Selfless vs. Selfish

Selfless Cosmos	Selfish Cosmos
Arwenna Vor Sirona	Malu Zelos Irae

Fate vs. Fanatic

Fate Cosmos	Fanatic Cosmos
G'Kar Ankou Lyssa	Sekhmet Erida Hybris

Health Cosmos

Characters following this cosmos promote health, welfare, and propagation of life. The health cosmos is associated with the afternoon hours between mid-day and dusk.

Pain Cosmos

Characters following this cosmos inflict pain, kill, and destroy life. The pain cosmos is associated with the deep night, between midnight and dawn.

Selfless Cosmos

Characters following this cosmos put nature and the happiness of others above their own. They help all people, even those they don't agree with and expect no reward for their actions. The selfless cosmos is associated with the morning hours between dawn and mid-day.

Selfish Cosmos

Characters following this cosmos strive to become the best person they can, the richest, smartest, strongest, and most powerful. They will gladly help others, when the reward outweighs the effort. The Selfish cosmos is associated with evening between dusk and midnight.

Fate Cosmos

Characters following this cosmos believe in the wholeness of the universe, and that individuals are pawns in the grand design. There are no coincidences and nothing is random. Followers of the fate cosmos "go with the flow" and will actively support and encourage the natural flow of the world. "Everything happens for a reason and we are not here to judge the way of the dragons." The fate cosmos is associated with the dawn and the sunrise.

Fanatic Cosmos

Characters following this cosmos are dedicated to a single purpose at the expense of all else and, usually, the prosecution of those not aligned to the purpose. The specific purpose will vary greatly by but is always something "greater" than the clerics themselves. They seek to change the world into a design of their own choosing and nothing is more important than bringing about that change. The fanatic cosmos is associated with dusk and the setting sun.

Elder Dragons

The elder dragons are each infinitely powerful and also have a tendency toward specific aspects of thought and influence.

Dragon	Alignment	Influence	Color
Acedia	NN	Apathy,Boredom,Depression,Indifference	Gray
Ankou	CN	Despair,Anguish,Dread	Teal
Arwenna	LG	Awe,Wonder	White
Erida	CE	Hatred,Loathing,Rage,Fear	Red
Eros	CG	Passion,Arousal,Desire,Lust	Pink
G'Kar	LN	Disappointment,Annoyance,Frustration	Lime
Hotei	NG	Happiness,Contentment,Gratitude,Satisfaction	Green
Hybris	LN	Boldness,Fearlessness,Pride	Orange
Irae	LE	Contempt,Disgust,Pity	Brown
Laetitia	CG	Joy,Ecstasy,Euphoria,Pleasure	Yellow
Lyssa	CN	Panic,Anxiety,Hysteria,Worry	Violet
Malu	LE	Shame,Regret,Remorse,Embarrassment	Tan
Nedolya	NE	Sadness,Sorrow,Suffering	Blue
Penthos	NE	Grief,Guilt,Misery	Purple
Rus'Ker	CE	Terror,Shock,Surprise,Horror	Black
Sekhmet	NE	Anger,Angst,Hostility	Red
Sirona	LG	Love,Affection,Hope	Yellow
Vor	NG	Curiosity,Interest,Excitement	Silver
Zelos	NN	Envy,Jealousy,Shyness,Loneliness	Green

Acedia

Apathy,Boredom,Depression,Indifference

True Neutral,

Symbol

Ankou

CN -- Despair,Anguish,Dread

Symbol

Arwenna

LG -- Awe,Wonder

Arwenna represents the manifestation of magic and the Forge and a connection to the other realms. She is the highest and most pure realization of knowledge and magical prowess.

Symbol -- Arwenna's symbol is a twelve-point star-burst in gold and silver.

Erida

Hatred,Loathing,Rage,Fear

Chaotic Evil, Black, Darkness

Eros

CG -- Passion,Arousal,Desire,Lust

Symbol

G'Kar

LN -- Disappointment,Annoyance,Frustration

Symbol

Hotei

NG -- Happiness,Contentment,Gratitude,Satisfaction

Symbol

Hybris

LN -- Boldness,Fearlessness,Pride

Symbol

Irae

Contempt,Disgust,Pity

Lawful Evil, Blue, Lihtning

Symbol

Laetitia

CG -- Joy,Ecstasy,Euphoria,Pleasure

Symbol

Lyssa

CN -- Panic,Anxiety,Hysteria,Worry

Symbol

Malu

LE -- Shame,Regret,Remorse,Embarrassment

Symbol

Nedolya

NE -- Sadness,Sorrow,Suffering

Symbol --

Penthos

NE -- Grief,Guilt,Loneliness,Misery

Symbol

Rus'Ker

CE -- Terror,Shock,Surprise,Horror

Rus'Ker is often associated with death and dying, especially in a gruesome and unexpected way. Disciples of Rus'Ker also defile the dead and more than any other priests make use of undead minions.

Symbol -- Rus'Ker's followers identify themselves with the image of a cracked skull painted red on a black background, the eyes are starbursts of pure white.

Sekhmet

NE -- Anger,Angst,Hostility

Symbol

Sirona

LG -- Love,Affection,Hope

Symbol

Vor

NG -- Curiosity,Interest,Excitement

Symbol

Zelos

NN -- Envy,Jealousy,Shyness

Symbol

Elementals

See also: Cosmology

An elemental is any create from any plane other than Asmythe. Usually Dragon Priests don't have the power to summon elementals, except from some conceptual planes. But since most elementals are sentient they can be affected by dragon magic.