Religion in Eashavar
Religion in Eashavar is a complicated matter. While all races accept the existence of the deities, religious lore and interpretations vary. Still, people of most races worship one or many of the twenty-four
Ones Above. Within the primary pantheon of the
Ones Above, there exist three general religious interpretations, known as the Green Way, the Prime Canon, and the Old Faith.
The Prime Canon
The Prime Canon is the most prominent doctrine in the organized states of Pharos and the Kcalsbury Continent. It holds very favorable views towards social order, and positions the
Ones Above as hierarchs over the affairs of society. It primarily originates from High Elven mythology, but Dwarven mythology bears many similarities to it, which has been used to bolster its standing in contrast to other interpretations, especially the Green Way.
The Green Way
The Green Way is the dominant faith-doctrine among the Fey, as well as most Druidic Circles. It holds a very naturalistic view of the world, and while it is not openly hostile to social order, it is certainly contrary to aspects of it. Variations of the Green Way exist among all Fey species, and its prime origins are neither known nor claimed by any specific race. Followers of one strain of the Green Way do not view others as "wrong" or "incorrect," as they don't particularly care about spreading the Way or enforcing their own faith. Until very recently, the Way was purely passed down by spoken word, and not written down, which likely contributed to these discrepencies.
The Old Faith
The Old Faith encompasses many different views, held by various tribes and clans, who are predominantly human. Unlike the Green Way, practitioners of the Old Faith typically worship a select few deities, and align closely with their values or the tales associated with them. They don't, however, view their particular faith as important as some followers of the Prime Canon, and generally believe that all deities exist in a certain harmony which must not be disrupted, even despite having favor in their chosen one. Another distinction of the Old Faith is that it is generally more open to the
Ones Around, and some Old Faith communities even strictly worship minor gods and goddesses relevant to their traditions.
Beyond the Pantheon
Outside of the
Ones Above lies an uncountable number of the
Ones Around. These are typically disregarded by followers of the Prime Canon, but practitioners of the Old Faith often revere the
Ones Around specific to their tribe or clan, as do the
Thalgor, who typically disregard the
Ones Above altogether. The Green Way recognizes many of the
Ones Around in their teachings, and some Fey enjoy learning of as many of their ‘ancestor-spirits’ as possible. Tieflings and Dark Elves have their own, more-secular religious doctrines, which do not fall into any of the pre-described categories comfortably. Entities of great power, such as the Elohim, are not considered deities at all, but a separate meta-category altogether, and they are rarely worshiped.
