Religion

There are many religions throughout Shem. Below are the most common categories of them in the Talunese region.

Imperial Church

The imperial church is the combined organized religions of the empires of the White Crown Concordance. The old religions of Talune were an amalgam of other imperial faiths, specifically focused on Victoris, God of Conquest; Purissimus, the Masked God; and Catena Factorum, the Chain Maker. After the Concordance formed and the old Talunese Empire collapsed into the city-states, the other imperial religions coalesced into the wider imperial church that includes other deities, and the empires agreed to make the imperial city of Sacra Vitta the heart of the church because it was seen as neutral, not being part of an empire but still being allied. Now the imperial church is the most widespread religion in the area. The deities and what they represent can be read about here.

People's Religions

There are many religions believed in by the people that come from their struggles for liberation or equality, from their need for comfort and safety, from their love and community. They are many and varied, but some are more common in the region than others. Some come from ancient times while others are relatively new. Their deities come from their principles and beliefs, from the hearts of workers and the oppressed. They are deities formed communally but who become real, and many derive from the rainbow spirits that represent the unity and diversity of mortality. A list of deities and faiths can be found here.

Nature Religions

What the imperials often categorize as "the ancient nature religion" or sometimes "ancient cosmic religion" are truly a set of beliefs that vary greatly throughout multiple groups involving living in harmony with nature and the elemental spirits who represent it. There are six broad categories of these religions: the viridianists or verdantists, the astralists and their subset the domicilists, the vulcanists, the marinists, and the piedmonters. The viridianists are a druidic religion led by the benandanti (druids) who have a comprehensive view of the world and nature. The astralists are those who believe in the guidance and power of the cosmos, while the domicilists specifically focus on the guidance and power of the planets. Vulcanists are those living near volcanoes who worship the volcanic elementals. Marinists, sometimes called the seafarers, worship the sea and other elementals associated with it. And the piedmonters are the unique spiritual practices of those living in the hills and mountains. Read more about these here.

Fey Traditions

The fey believe not in Divinities, but ancient stories. They believe the oldest stories are still alive and shape the world. They worship them via something called the Lore and the Tradition, the practices that draw from stories for their magic. Their belief in stories - in the fact that all stories are true - empowers their faith and magic. From this come some more organized religions, but the belief in the stories underpins them all. These are faiths that sometimes direct how to live, but not necessarily how to live virtuously. Read more about the ancients and their stories here.

Unaligned Religions

The unaligned religions are religions found everywhere, beliefs in different philosophies, every day things, and deities who are not part of the other aligned structures and traditions. Read more about them here.