Purdue Fantasy Club

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====== Religion on Cahyali ======
The [[:gods|Thirteen of Jaern]] are not native to Cahyali, and the plane of Cahyali lies a little further from the [[settings:planes:celestial|celestial planes]] than from the elemental planes. As such, religion has been influenced significantly less by the Thirteen. While Jaern mostly follows a single religion with small local variations, many different religions exist on Cahyali. 

Religions that do not follow the Thirteen are collectively termed "spiritual" or "pagan" religions, and their holy folk are usually nomads; same as on Jaern, only worshipers of the Thirteen can channel divine power.

===== Cahyalism =====
Cahyali worships the same pantheon as Jaernians do, but have ascribed different names for each of the gods. Overall, the gods and priesthoods have less sway on Cahyali than on Jaern. The name for faith in the Thirteen Prime Gods on Cahyali is termed "Cahyalism" or the "Cahyalic faith". Cahyalism, in one form or another, is by far the most common religion on Cahyali.

Note: As Jaern and Cahyali grow closer together and their religions contact more, many people are beginning to use the Jaernian names more and more. Cahyalic names for the gods are becoming simply designations for different aspects over time - for example, many Cahyalians refer to Ra as "Ra" in every day life, but "Ra-Peregrinus" denotes the Dawn Hawk aspect, which originated on Cahyali and is still mainly worshiped there.

Below is a list of the Cahyalic names of the Jaernian Gods, with the names of their priesthoods in parentheses:
^ God                         ^ Cahyali Name ^ Pronunciation  ^ Priesthood Name ^ 
| [[gods:anubis|Anubis]]      | Anpu         |AHN-poo         |Anpuans          |
| [[gods:atena|At'ena]]       | Seherine     |SAY-uh-reen     |Seherites        |
| [[gods:isis|Isis]]          | Aset         |ah-SEHT         |Asetites         |
| [[gods:neptune|Neptune]]    | Vahrun       |vah-ROON        |Vahrunians       |
| [[gods:orus|Orus]]          | Arakh        |AH-rahk         |Arakhites        |
| [[gods:osiris|Osiris]]      | Osiris       |oh-SIGH-rihs    |Osirisites       |
| [[gods:ra|Ra]]              | Peregrinus   |pear-uh-GRIN-uhs|Peregrinites     |
| [[gods:rudri|Rudri]]        | Tenebrus     |ten-EE-bruhs    |Tenebrans        |
| [[gods:empani|Empani]]      | Empani       |em-PAH-nee      |Empanian         |
| [[gods:tor|T'or]]           | Marutuk      |MAH-roo-took    |Maru             |
| [[gods:almar|Almar]]        | Almar        |AWL-mahr        |Almarians        |
| [[gods:zepherin|Zepherin]]  | Zepherin     |ZEFF-uh-rihn    |Zepherinites     |
| [[gods:mishra|Mishra]]      | Aremakh      |AH-ray-mahk     |Aremites         |

=== Interacting with Jaernians ===
Newcomers to Cahyali will often be met with confusion if they refer to "At'ena" or "Neptune". It will usually be assumed that these gods are from some spiritual tradition, especially in places like the Oxis Alliance that have less contact with Jaern. In locations like Ulos and Ley'Ork, which have relatively high Jaernian populations and host a good amount of travel, the Jaernian names of gods will usually be understood.

=== Priesthoods ===
The structures of Cahyalic priesthoods are incredibly similar to the structure found on Jaern, with minor differences - for example, Seherites tend to travel in small enclaves, providing oracle services and divination to those along their paths; and Aremites rarely serve cities in any respect, instead mostly taking up life in the wild and serving as mercenaries.

=== Origins & Myths ===
The Cahyalic religion came about many millennia ago in Dahabu. Theories suggest that an ancient Dahabi cult or priest made contact with Jaern in this ancient time, and with that contact came knowledge of the gods - who came to cast their gaze on this new plane and take care of it in addition to their home plane. During Dahabu's conquest of the world in the fifth to eighth millennia, Cahyalism was spread across the world and has staked a significant foothold in every place that was ever touched by Dahabi influence.

Some origin stories and myths regarding specific gods, especially more recent happenings localized to Jaern, may not be the same in Cahyali. Many gods (such as Empani, Anubis, and Zepherin) are not known to have once been mortal, and such a belief is considered heretical in many circles. Certain divine aspects may appear more or less often on Cahyali, depending on differences in belief. 

=== Variations in Worship ===
Over the centuries and centuries of Cahyali worshiping the Jaernian gods, notable variation has appeared regarding their domains. Cahyalians see Vahrun as not only the god of the sea, but of the wind, and they believe that Vahrun resides in the deepest depths of Esrior's Fold, for example. In addition, Tenebrus is more of a boogeyman figure and a children's bedtime story than a proper deity; many don't believe they exist at all. Tenebrians have not been seen publicly in many years.

Some cultures may not worship all thirteen gods, or may prioritize some greatly over others. For example: worship of Osiris, Seherine, Marutuk, and Arakh is outright banned in Ley'Ork, while Buyuk Vahsi practically only worships Osiris and Empani (Thoth). Worship of the gods is even combined at times; the underground land of Itlan-Youali worships Peregrinus, Tenebrus, Anpu, Aset, and Seherine as a single deity of cycles called [[gods:tlayahucoatl|Tlayahucoatl]], and the Shinneok Papal Church is monotheistic: worshiping all thirteen Cahyalic gods as illuminated saints under a [[gods:ancientwind|single, mysterious god.]]

===== Spiritual Traditions =====
On Jaern, the [[lore:backgrounds:nomad|nomadic culture]] rejects the thirteen gods out of anger and enduring spite for wrongdoings far in the past, electing instead to follow their own religion and wield spiritual magic. Similar spirituality exists on Cahyali, but the nomadic religion well known on Jaern is not the only form of non-divine religion here. Instead, spiritualists of Cahyali may belong to a variety of indigenous or local religions. 

A non-exhaustive list of spiritual traditions on Cahyali includes:
  * **The Druids of Buyuk Vahsi and Vervand**, an animistic group that worships the natural world, believing in spirits that inhabit every part of nature. Buyuk Vahsian and Vervish druidic faith differs slightly, but the two religions have a shared origin point.
  * **Johtalit shamanic religion**, a faith focused on gleaning wisdom and assistance from "positive" spirits, and defending oneself and the material world from "negative" spirits. Spirits in this religion are an umbrella term for any supernatural entity.
  * **Ancient Ruefang cultivation**, a tradition focused on bettering of the self with the belief that one can eventually achieve transcendence through mastery of the worldly elements, the mind, the body, and //qi//. 
  * **Jaernian nomadic faith,** a religion preaching that the Thirteen are unworthy despots and trusting in the power of ancestor spirits in the Kurago. Nomadic faith is fairly new to Cahyali, but has begun to catch on in Ulos and Splint.

No matter which non-Cahyalic tradition an adventurer may ascribe to, if their main source of power does not come from the Thirteen, they are considered (in the AQ system) to be a nomad.

===== Atheism =====
Atheism and agnosticism is also extant on Cahyali - though not in the sense that one denies a god exists (as the existence of gods is undeniable, owing to the very real power of priests and the appearance of avatars) - but in the sense that there is no god worthy of worship, and that mortals hold most if not all of the power in the world. Though atheists are not outright labeled as heretics and persecuted, atheistic or anti-theistic belief is relatively uncommon, and can draw some strange looks.