Myrnovera (Mere-no-vair-uh)

The faith of Myrvûs and Sorník

For there is but one loving God, Lord of Lightning and Master of the Heavens: to Him do we swear our fealty.

— Closing line of traditional Sevnóni prayers to Myrvûs

Myrnovera is the majority faith system of the Sevnóni people, and the de facto state religion of Sevnónicha. It is one of Heimaalin's oldest continually-practiced organised faiths.

Beliefs

Deities

Unlike the polytheistic Wythian pantheon or the monotheistic Teluhasna, Myrnovera is a dualistic religion, meaning its followers worship two deities of comparable power: Myrvûs and Sorník. More specifically, the faith can be considered ditheistic in nature, based on the antagonistic relationship between the two Gods as depicted in Sevnóni cosmology and folklore.

Myrvûs is the God of storms, magic, devotion, and order. According to Sevnóni mythology, Myrvûs is the ruler of the land and sky, having created both during the forming of the world. He watches over Sevnónicha, and indeed the whole of the living world, from his celestial palace in Wyraj (see below). Myrvûs is often said to take the form of a large bird, usually a raven, so that he may more easily spot the approach of Sorník from the depths below. He is known primarily by two titles: the Lord of Lightning and the Master of the Heavens.

Sorník is the God of waters, music, trickery, and chaos. He is a chthonic God, often attributed with dampness, wool, and the dark. He rules over the Sevnóni underworld of Nawia (see below) as its Steward, a responsibility chosen for him by Myrvûs following their legendary debate at the beginning of time. On occasion, Sorník will take the form of a colossal serpent and slither up into the living world, sowing chaos and mischief to disrupt the natural order. He is most commonly known by the Sevnóni as the King of the Abyss.

Foreign Powers

Spirits & other Beings

In addition to Myrvûs and Sorník, the teachings of Myrnovera hold that there exists a vast array of spirits and other supernatural beings as numerous and diverse as the stars in the sky. While not deities themselves (and thereby not worthy of certain practices such as sacrifice), these beings are considered vital to the physical and spiritual health of Sevnónicha. As such, the spirits are treated with reverence and respect by Myrnovera's followers, lest they risk invoking the wrath of Myrvûs or Sorník. While far too numerous to include in their entirety, several of the most prominent spirits are listed below.

Leshy, spirit of the Forests:

Lihko, spirit of Fate: an embodiment of fate and one's fortune, Lihko often takes the form of a frail elderly woman dressed in black, with long crooked fingers and a single dark eye. She is said to be fond of games of chance, and will insist on playing such games with any hapless travellers she may come across. According to the priests of Odpoteck Kiej, a meeting with Lihko is exceedingly rare; the last encounter with this spirit allegedly look place in the Pomyrlas during the winter of 406 AU.

Ognij, spirit of the Hearth and Home:

The Afterlife

It is the Myrnovi belief that after a man or woman dies, their soul (once freed from the body) rises to Wyraj to be judged by Myrvûs. Should their soul be deemed worthy, they are permitted to remain in Wyraj with their ancestors, drinking and feasting until the end of time.

Since the Imperial Era, it has been deemed vital to the Sevnóni that all men must die with a weapon in their hands, so that they may defend Wyraj should it be invaded by Wythian Gods.

Unfortunately, not all souls are guaranteed entry into the Lord of Lightning's celestial halls. Should a man or woman have lived a life of sin, their soul can be cast out of Wyraj, exiled to the watery depths of Nawia to have their fate determined by Sorník. On occasion, the King of the Abyss will dispute the ruling of his heavenly counterpart; when this occurs, the soul in question is permitted to spend eternity in Nawia, assisting Sorník in guarding the gates to the Four Hells.

However, should Sorník assent to the ruling of Myrvûs, then the soul's fate is sealed. They are banished to one of the Four Hells in accordance with their sin, where they are subjected to abuse and torment until the death of the world.

Wyraj, the Domain of Myrvûs

Wyraj is the personal realm of Myrvûs, supposedly located "above the clouds and far beyond the end of the world"¹. Much of Wyraj is a beautiful green meadow, filled with beautiful flowers and birds of all varieties. In the center of this meadow is Sriborzynal, the glorious silver hall of Myrvûs. Here the Master of the Heavens presides over all the world, while the souls of the worthy drink and feast to their heart's content. It is believed that Spring first arrived to the world from Wyraj, a gift from Myrvûs to mankind.

Nawia, the Domain of Sorník

Far beneath the living world lies Nawia, the domain of Sorník. Many traditions claim Nawia is encircled in an endless sea, while others insist it is buried deep underground. All Myrnovi scholars insist, however, that at the center of Nawia lives Sorník, his golden palace surrounded by a foul-smelling marsh. It is from his palace that Sorník stands guard over the Voraalga; immense doors of iron that lead to each of the Four Hells.

The Four Hells

• Pakle Zlodvyr - Thieves
  The tamest of the Four Hells is Pakle Zlodvyr, the Hell of Thieves. Here, the souls of misers and thieves scuffle for trinkets and petty baubles amidst a featureless dirt plain, overseen by black-feathered storks of massive stature. When a soul manages to claim a treasure for their own,
  
  the storks will seize the item in their beaks and toss it aside, thus resetting the cycle.
• Pakle Zudzolnik - Adulterers
  Pakle Zudzolnik is the Hell of Adulterers, where rapists, hedonists, and the unfaithful are tormented for their degeneracy. These souls are packed tightly together in a vast pit, stripped of their clothes and smothered in eternal darkness. Foul-smelling smoke emanates from the bottom of this pit, slowly suffocating its inhabitants for all time.
• Pakle Zubietza - Murderers
  An eternity in the boiling seas of Pakle Zubietza, the Hell of Murderers, is the fate destined for all souls who unjustly took the life of another. All the world's tyrants, murderers, and war-makers float forever in the searing waters, tethered to the seabed by coarse ropes tied round their ankles with only their heads held above the waves. A crimson-scaled Zmey (Wythian: Dragon) soars lazily overhead, blasting any soul who makes an attempt to rise from the water with a torrent of scalding flame.
• Pakle Zdrajca - Traitors
  Pakle Zdrajca, the Hell of Traitors, is reserved for those who have committed the ultimate sin in Myrnovera: treason. In this realm, the souls of those who betrayed their kin, country, or guests are bound by their wrists to jagged pillars of ice on a wind-blasted tundra. As they are buffeted with freezing sleet and snow, the spectral forms of those who they loved in life will approach them with joyous expressions, only to mutilate the sinner's bodies with tools of torture. After their loved ones depart, the sinner's wounds slowly knit themselves closed, so that the process may begin again. It is the belief of most Sevnóni that Emperor Friedrich Wythe is chained to a glacier in the center of Pakle Zdrajca, perpetually mauled by some nameless horror only to be resurrected so he may die again.

Zrovaljo

History

Origins

Proliferation

Wythian Persecution

Myrnovera and its followers suffered greatly under the rule of the Wythe Empire. Following the formal annexation of Sevnónicha in 79 AU, Myrvûs was folded into the Imperial pantheon under the name Alvanus, as was customary treatment for foreign deities in the Empire at the time. However...

Post-Imperial Revivial

Magic & Mysticism

Practices

Symbols & Iconography

Rituals

Death Rites

Rites of Passage

Sacrifice

Holidays & Celebrations

¹This is a direct quote from Tikhomir Yarosevich, the Kpóldromal of Novaček, with whom I spoke at length on matters of spirit during the winter of 426 AU.