Religion

There are several major religions in the world of Delgar, most of them related in one way or another to the common pantheon.

The Common Pantheon

The Common Pantheon consists of 12 gods of different domains worshipped primarily throughout the Araxian Empire. These same deities are viewed as aspects of a monistic whole within the Belgritian Church of the Divine Construction and their domains are associated with various Dholish/Hengian heroes within their nontheistic system of hero veneration.

Domain	Araxian Name	Dholish/Hengian Hero	Divine Construction Aspect
Law	Vymera	Vreja	Order
The Sun	Atarr	Myrnia	Clarity
War	Enara	Aarun	Destruction
Trickery*	Ybris*	Kinsmir	Artifice
Trade*	Treth*	Tordir
Beasts	Temos	Hros	Nature
Birth, Death	Lamera	Jormun	Change
The Night	Ophine	Haalorn	Mystery
Magic	Ilene	Inge	Insight
The Ocean	Yona	Jaarvin	Wisdom
Storms	Vexa	Draaga	Chaos
Healing	Hadros	Vilgorn	Restoration
Life, The Afterlife	Jaaldir		Continuity

* According to Araxian mythology, Treth was once a mortal who was known throughout the world for his ability to negotiate and mediate between even the bitterest rivals. After securing peace between the warring nations of Ao and Al-Uqh, his abilities became the stuff of legend. This caught the attention of the trickster god Ybris who thought to take Treth down a peg, so he invited him to come visit him, with all the other gods in attendance. Once he was there, he asked Treth what he would trade him for his divine station. Treth took a moment to consider, and then offered "nothing." The other gods laughed and waited to see what Ybris would do to Treth, but he was caught off guard and curious. Treth went on: "Your power is of no use to you. It robs you of your ability to take risks, for your actions to have real consequences. As a mortal, you would be like me: renown for your ability to succeed with your words and your wit, but in divinity, you can see everyone's cards. You've grown bored of it, and you'd be better off without it. Therefore, I will offer you exactly what it's worth to you: nothing." To the other gods' shock, Ybris smiled and wept, for Treth's words were true, and he accepted the deal. Treth became the god of Trade, and Ybris became a mortal man, and after many years of traveling the world, bedding maidens, tricking kings out of their fortunes, and running from the law, he died a legend. This mortal man is venerated as the hero Kinsmir by the people of Dhol and Henge, and another hero, Tordir, is venerated within the domain of trade. Within the Divine Construction, the two are combined as the aspect of Artifice, representing all that is manmade.

The Divine Construction

The dominant religion of Belgrit is the Church of the Divine Construction, which holds that the deities of the twelve domains are more clearly understood as aspects of a unified whole, much as the individual Kingdoms of Belgrit unified to form the Republic of Belgrit. In fact, it is this religious institution which conceived Belgritian democracy under the leadership of Father Belger I, for whom the Republic is named.

Churches of the Divine Construction are constructed in a square shape with 12 columns along the perimeter (4 on each side) representing the 12 aspects of the Divine Construction in their binary symmetry and cyclic interrelations. The altar and meeting space in the center represents the unity of these aspects.

Order	Clarity	Artifice	Wisdom
Destruction			Change
Continuity			Restoration
Insight	Nature	Mystery	Chaos

Dumecian Monotheism

Dumecia is the oldest continuous civilization in the world. As such, it is unique in a number of ways. One of these is that it has a unique monotheistic religion that is distinct from most other of the world's religions.

Traditional Dumecian belief focuses on the river Dumec, which runs from north to south through the middle of the city. The river is seen as an embodiment of the nature of life itself: It begins small and uncertain, as in the source of the river in the mountains to the north, grows up to be strong and powerful, flows through its course providing lifegiving fresh water to the people of the city, then mires in its old age in the swamps to the south, before gradually being lost into the ocean. So, it is said, are people in their lives brought together in confluence before being returned to the sea. In time, they will be reborn as raindrops to fall upon the mountain once ago, then wait in the snow for their time to once again flow through the river of life.

Due to its extreme age, the origins of this belief system are very uncertain. There is a sect which argues that the theological river is not the literal river that runs through the city, but simply an allegory for how to lead a virtuous life and find one's place in their community. Another sect believes the original worship was not focused on the river of water, but of the green and blue aether streams which flow alongside the Dumec before fanning out into The Wilds and the depths of the Arcane Ocean, respectively.

Dholish/Hengian Heroes

The shared culture of Dhol and Henge rejects magic and the very notion of divinity, dismissing the so-called "gods" as simply very delusional people who have been so consumed by the sickness of magic that they have been consumed by it. Such lost and pitiable fools are of course unworthy of veneration. Instead, the people of Dhol and Henge primarily venerate a pseudo-pantheon of heroic figures from their own history, who they do not view as gods, but rather simply as exemplary people who embody the virtues of their culture and the lens through which they view their world.

Somewhat ironically, the name for the Hengian hero Jaaldir has come to be the common name for the Araxian guardian of the afterlife, whose Araxian name (Bargus) fell out of favor due to it being considered bad luck to speak his name. The real Jaaldir is said to have been an undertaker who tirelessly watched over and cared for the ancient burial grounds of Henge and who learned and shared the stories of everyone he ever laid to rest. He is known for saying "the dead live on in song upon borrowed breath."