Religion of the Vazhaltsy

The Vazhaltsy are polytheistic, almost bordering on animist. The natural world is made up of Gods called the Ilyunski (s. Ilyun) who rule over everything from entire ideas like War, all the way down to individual thickets and streams. The greatest of these Ilyunski are worshiped by all of the Vazhaltsy, but lesser Ilyunski are worshiped only by those who work within their spheres, though no Vazhalt would doubt their divinity.The twelve primary Gods of the Vazhaltsy:Tsveral, King of the Ilyunski and Lord of Storms, presides over leaders, rhetoric, and fatherhood. He is generally depicted as a middle aged man in ceremonial dress and wearing a intricate band as a crown. He is generally sitting on a throne with a long ceremonial ax next to him.Yusha, Queen of the Ilyunski and Lady of the Earth, presides over motherhood, fertility, and stability. She is depicted as a plump middle-aged woman in a matronly dress with a dignified smile. She is depicted with many forms of necklaces and bracelets. She is sometimes depicted with a swaddled child in her arms.Arvar, Protector of the Iluynski and Lord of the Sun, presides over loyalty, righteous conflict, and justice. He is depicted as a large, stoic man in intricate metal armor. He bears a large shield with an image of the sun and a long spear. He is generally depicted on or beside a large horse.Zoya, Kindest of the Iluynski and Lady of Warmth, presides over generosity, charity, and home. She is generally depicted as a bright middle aged woman barefoot and dressed in indoor clothing. She has a warm smile and holds a large candle in both hands.Onyal, Toughest of the Ilyunski and Lord of Predators, presides over masculinity, decisive action, and hunting. He is generally depicted as a strong young man (18-25) wearing a fur coat and fur boots. He holds a mischievous smile has long hair. He generally holds a large ornate bow.Fania, Fairest of the Iluynski and Lady of the Sacred, presides over femininity, sacredness, and oaths. She is generally depicted as a beautiful bright eyed young woman (18-25) with medium to long hair. She wears a brightly colored dress and is generally depicted mid-dance, laughing.Karel, Master-Craftsmen of the Ilyunski and Lord of Flame, presides over industry, hard labor, and architecture. He is generally depicted as a burly, barefoot and shirtless man in his late prime with some burns. He is generally missing one or two fingers on his left hand and holds a large hammer in one hand and an ax in the other.Vasilisa, Craftiest of the Ilyunski and Lady of the Rivers, presides over cunning, plots, and strategy. She is generally depicted as a short middle-aged woman in a plain dress with raven-black hair. Her hands generally make a scholars cradle.Pyotr, Mystic of the Ilyunski and Lord of the Forests, presides over magic, learning, and exploration. Generally depicted as a tall and graceful middle aged man (late 30s and 40s). He generally wears long clothing with a large hood. He also has bright eyes and holds a hammer and chisel.Mirial, Poet of the Ilyunski and Lady of the Wind, presides over music, art, and storytelling. Generally depicted as a beautiful, bright, young, slender woman with long hair. She generally wears a flowing, long, colorful dress with an instrument in her hands.Dimka, Warrior of the Ilyunski and Lord of War, presides over war, violent death, and chaos. Generally depicted as a large or bestial young man dressed in ragged armor and covered in blood with long blood-red hair. He generally holds a large weapon and rarely has a shield.Danifa, Watcher of the Ilyunski and Lady of White, presides over luck, peaceful death, and age. Generally depicted as a tall woman in white with her face hidden white hood and white veil.All clans have shrines or even temples to Tsveral and Yusha, but whether a clan has shrines to the other Ilyunski depends upon the traditions of the individual clans and who they consider their patron Ilyun(ski). Most tribal centers have shrines to all of the Ilyunski and even have a few more shrines to minor Ilyunski. Towns have special shrines for the Ilyun(ski) that watch over and protect the town. Large temples to all of the twelve major gods, and small temples to many others exist in the territory of Tsveral's Chosen. Many pilgrimages are made to their land each year, and donations are made to keep the temples in proper order and keep the sacrifices going.The main way that the Vazhaltsy show reverence to their Gods is through various sacrifices. The most common sacrifices are lok or expensive crafts, but sacrificing other intelligent beings or even parts of themselves are taken by some Ilyunski. Many elaborate rituals exist to sacrifice to each particular major Ilyun for a particular goal, and some particular rituals are known only by a handful of clans. Most rituals are known by Tsveral's Chosen, who have written instructions on how to preform the most important rituals on a great stone cliff called the Ilyun Vanlak. In order to carry out these rituals, druids consume a special alcohol made through a complicated process involving many ingredients. The formula for this drink is a closely guarded secret and few outside of Tsveral's Chosen know the recipe. Sacrifices are generally accompanied by large feasts to both entertain and get closer to the Ilyunski, who are attracted to merriment.Not all Ilyunski are friendly to the Vazhaltsy and there are seven primary enemies of Tsveral.Rishka, Vainest of the Ilyunski and Lady of Destruction, presides over senseless destruction, hubris, and arson. she is generally depicted as a buff young, scarred woman in armor and a helmet that hides her face. She holds a large, savage, two-handed weapon. She can also be depicted as a large snake-woman clad in bloody armor and with large venomous fangs.Zhol, Most-Envious of the Ilyunski and Lady of Want, presides over drought, scarcity, and theft. She is generally depicted as a short and gaunt women in ragged clothes. Her hands are outstretched, but a concealed knife is at her sides. She can also be depicted as a giant furry brown spider with the head and torso of a woman.Olena, Lustiest of the Ilyunski and Lady of the Profane, presides over rape, defilement, and desecration. She is generally depicted as a sultry woman with only a thin sash around her waist and a devious look in her eye. She can also be depicted as a woman with the body of a spider, but her upper half is bare, except for a sash about her midriff, and she is generally depicted as a sleek black spider with an image of two humanoids fornicating on her spider abdomen.Aarav, Laziest of the Ilyunski and Lord of Nothing, presides over failure, indulgence, and poverty. He is generally depicted as an absurdly fat man with short stubby arms and legs. Can also be depicted as a giant fat rat with large fore-teeth.Kabir, Angriest of the Ilyunski and Lord of Murder, presides over dishonor, rash action, and chaos. He is generally depicted as a almost naked man with wild hair and a crud, bloody weapon. He can also be depicted as a monstrous mountain lion that is as big as a full grown bear.Guzhal, Coldest of the Ilyunski and Lord of Neglect, presides over cruelty, disease, and abandonment. He is generally portrayed as a skinny young man in ragged clothing. He is generally depicted sitting in a rough stone chair with one leg over the other and a glassy look on his face. Can also be depicted as an amalgamation of a praying mantis and man.Tahir, Unhinged of the Ilyunski and Lord of the Unknowable, presides over madness, forbidden knowledge, and secrets, He is generally portrayed as a man in full black dress, with black leather gloves and a hood with a void where a face would be. Can also be depicted as a shifting black cloud.The enemies of Tsveral are never officially sacrificed to, but individuals with bad intentions may attempt to invoke their support. There are many stories of desperate people trying to invoke one or more of the enemies. They generally succeed at first, but the evil Ilyunski eat away at their life until they are a husk of a person and shunned by the good Ilyunski. Evil souls that follow the principals of these Ilyunski serve them in death, as good souls serve the twelve after death.The Vazhaltsy have extensive ceremonies for burial, but the most important parts are the cremation and planting. When a Vazhalt dies, they are cremated and their ashes are used to fertilize a large tree in the garden of their family home. A family that is too poor to own enough land to plant a tree are used to fertilize their clan's tree. The purpose of this act is to get closer to the fabric of the world and the Ilyunski.The Vazhaltsy also have many extensive myths of creation and the feats of each of the Ilyunski passed down through oral tradition. There is even one of the founding of the world, before there were Ilyunski. For an example of how the myths are structured, also it's the only one I've written, here it is:In the Beginning, there were no lakes nor streams, no mountains nor hills, no valleys nor caves, the world was flat, frozen, and barren. No animals wandered nor hunted, no plants took root in the hard, cracked ground and Time was just as frozen. One God existed in this land, a solitary God by the name of Yalzha. Yalzha walked the barren lands and saw beauty in the orderliness and peacefulness of the world. This is how the world was for an uncountable amount of seasons, until the order was disrupted by an outside force. Time had awoken from its stillness and had cracked open, and through the crack, another God was born, Gralyum. Gralyum was not like Yalzha, when he saw the barren land it did not fill him with appreciation, but with contempt. Gralyum resolved to remake the world in his own image, and so he started his work. Gralyum pounded the ground, denting and cracking the frozen soil to reveal the water and soft earth beneath. Using this soft earth, he piled up mounds, great and small. The water filled the deep cracks forming the great rivers. This made a great deal of noise, and soon attracted a confused and distraught Yalzha. When she saw Gralyum destroying her world, she flew into a rage and attacked him. After a decade of fighting, their bodies had been torn apart, but their souls remained. To this day their souls fight over the land, some years Gralyum gains the upper hand and pushes back the cold orderliness of winter and ushers in the hot chaos of spring. Other years Yalzha gains the upper hand drags the cold stillness over the land. However, inevitably every year each give ground to the other and the season changes. Through their struggle they spilt much blood upon the cold earth. The blood of Gralyum enriched the land with life, coalescing into a new race of Younger Gods, the Ilyunski, of change. Yalzha’s blood sunk deep inside the earth, where all was still and mixed with the soil to form the stone and ores of the world. via /r/createthisworld https://ift.tt/2pVukPu