Geminian Religions

Ditheic group of religions centered around the Twin Gods Vaëlddra and Darsarth, major religion on Andellion.

History

The Geminian religions are considered by most historians to be an offshoot of the Dodecarian religion which prevailed during the era of the Tentarren Empire. When the Empire fell and Andellion's unity fell apart, so did the Dodecarian religion, which split into different orders, each aligned with different kingdoms and seeking to eradicate the others. Finally, the Geminian order, which postulated that there were two Gods, Vaëlddra and Darsarth, won over. As time progressed and the original purpose of the religions diverged, so did the religion split in half: Darsians and Vaëlians, which give supremacy to Darsarth or Vaëlddra respectively.

Mythology & Lore

Most of the mythology stems from ancient Dodecarian mythology which the original Geminians adapted to suit their needs, as well as various pagan myths that the religion family stole in order to better take root in various parts of Andellion. Central myths include recounts of the Creation, of the Age of Gods and the Wars of Divinity. A summary goes as such: before the beginning of time, there was nothing but Good and Evil, always in balance. One day, Good and Evil mingled, and from their union were born the Eternal Twins, Vaëlddra and Darsarth, who are the same but also opposites, like two sides of the same coin. Together, they created the Universe, which was just one large, single Realm. To populate this Realm, they created other beings like them, but as no creation can be as great or as powerful as their makers, these creations were not other Gods but rather semi-divine beings of sorts, called the Elders. There were ten Elders, eight of which correspond to the Ancients' aspects of magic and also to the other ten Dodecarian gods: Amgis, Mistress of Air; Irssa, Master of Water; Dalben, Master of Transformation; Wesan, Master of Mind; Xanath, Mistress of Night; Skeath, Master of Earth; Aptia, Mistress of Time; Falmiera, Mistress of Fire; Kacgyn, Mistress of Animation; and Jalios, Master of Day. It is to be noted that on the contrary to the Geminian religion's offshoots, both Vaëlddra and Darsarth are required for balance, and one cannot act without the help of the other, neither can one exist without the other.
One day, however, other creatures arrived from the nothingness from which Vaëlddra and Darsarth created the Realm. These creatures, Eharg, were purely of Evil and sought to destroy all that the Twins had constructed. The war that followed was known as the First War of Divinity, which the Gods won, at the price of the Shattering of the Universe to what it is today and the Elders' strength. The ten Elders fell to save the Twins from being tainted by Evil, and as a result fell onto the RealmShard called Andellion, where they became the ancestors of all humans who now reside there. Humans are therefore made in part of divinity, and this is why they have special abilities and don't truly die once their mortal shell has expired. The Elders' sacrifice is also why Darsarth takes care of human souls after they die.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Demonym

Geminian

Subsidiary Organizations

• Darsian religons

Deities

• Darsarth
• Vaëlddra