Dhunya Amarish
Dhunya Amarish is the primary belief system present across the western hemisphere of Halth'aire, primarily on the continent of Almor as well as the Tzikas Archipelago.
Divine Origins
Dhunya Amarish has been practiced since the earliest written records of civilization of Tzikas and Almor. Many of the specific teachings of Dhunya Amarish come from the interpretations and beliefs surrounding the various scripts found in the otherworldly ruins of Tzikas and Almor. In his creation of these landmasses, Zihet created various homes and landmarks to stake his claim on the land, and those exist to this day. Whether the writings within can be traced back to Zihet himself or are simply the words of religious leaders and priests who had made pilgrimages and stayed in these ruins is unclear. Many of these ruins are thought to contain monasteries that were home to monastic orders from millennia ago, and thus many speculate the scriptures come from religious figureheads rather than the gods themselves. Nonetheless, these scriptures are the basis for the religious doctrine of Dhunya Amarish.
Cosmological Views
The mortal plane as it is currently was not created by any one god or pantheon. Rather, the mortal plane was created naturally as a result of lingering energy and the interaction between the other planes in the Cosmological System. Instead, each pantheon's set of gods interacted with the already existing mortal plane, altering it and adding to it to fit their visions of creation. The mortal plane was formed millennia before the modern age but millennia after the other planes had already been formed by the respective primordial divines. Zihet, the primordial divine of Dhunya Amarish, had created Arakesh and the surrounding minor planes. Each pantheon and god works with the others to split and share the mortal plane amicably, while the other planes are always under direct and total control by one of the pantheons.
According to Dhunya Amarish, Zihet came to the mortal plane shortly after its creation and used mud from the ocean floor to mold a massive continent that filled up the expanse that was once the Northern Ocean. Zihet then came ashore and molded a body in his own image. He called the figure Zahar and bestowed him with enough power to make him divine. Zihet told Zahar that he would hold control of their stake in the mortal plane and then returned to Arakesh. At this point, thousands of years had passed since Zihet had used mud to create the landmass, and thousands of species of plants and animals had already begun to evolve and take their hold on the ecosystems of the land. Almor, the name that Zihet gave the continent, was inhabited by various humanoid species. Early humans had made their way to Almor through massive bridges of ice that had formed when the oceans froze over, in periods of time in which the material plane was closest to Frijdor, the planes of Froslak faiths and deities. Palorians, along with Goliaths, Dwarves, and Gnomes, all were native to the mountainous and hilly regions of Almor. Zahar influenced the creation of the Almorian Races, placing the seeds of civilization in Almor and giving the evolved and humanoid races the necessary agricultural and civic knowledge to form early civilizations Zahar then went to the highest peak on Almor and molded three individuals. He gave to each a portion of his own divine power and gave them domains to control in the mortal plane. Finally, Zahar entered the sea between Almor and Tzikas, never to be seen by mortals again.
According to Dhunya Amarish, Zihet came to the mortal plane shortly after its creation and used mud from the ocean floor to mold a massive continent that filled up the expanse that was once the Northern Ocean. Zihet then came ashore and molded a body in his own image. He called the figure Zahar and bestowed him with enough power to make him divine. Zihet told Zahar that he would hold control of their stake in the mortal plane and then returned to Arakesh. At this point, thousands of years had passed since Zihet had used mud to create the landmass, and thousands of species of plants and animals had already begun to evolve and take their hold on the ecosystems of the land. Almor, the name that Zihet gave the continent, was inhabited by various humanoid species. Early humans had made their way to Almor through massive bridges of ice that had formed when the oceans froze over, in periods of time in which the material plane was closest to Frijdor, the planes of Froslak faiths and deities. Palorians, along with Goliaths, Dwarves, and Gnomes, all were native to the mountainous and hilly regions of Almor. Zahar influenced the creation of the Almorian Races, placing the seeds of civilization in Almor and giving the evolved and humanoid races the necessary agricultural and civic knowledge to form early civilizations Zahar then went to the highest peak on Almor and molded three individuals. He gave to each a portion of his own divine power and gave them domains to control in the mortal plane. Finally, Zahar entered the sea between Almor and Tzikas, never to be seen by mortals again.
Priesthood
Priests and religious leaders of Dhunya Amarish, called Zahari, are considered to be the elite of Tzikan and Almorian society. They are trained from a young age to undertake priestly roles and are often separated from their families to be taught in independent monasteries and schools. Children are volunteered to be given to the order by their parents, though kidnappings are not uncommon if the Zahari notice a particularly extraordinary prodigy. Dhunya Amarish is not bound to any state and Tzikan/Almorian nations are secular in nature, meaning priests often hold little political power. Instead, the Zahari are part of an independent body that acts in advisory roles to the respective rulers and nobles of each state while also running privatized schools and monasteries across Tzikas and Zhinyi. There are many priests in the order at all times, with differences in power between lesser and greater Zahari present throughout the order. While there is no official hierarchy, the Zahari run off of a meritocracy and the most experienced, intelligent, and spiritually inclined Zahari tend to hold the most power in the order.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Permeated Organizations
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