Bailum (Bae-lum)
Bailum, god of justice, is a dominant figure throughout the main human religions, including Paleo Bailumism, Snow-Rock Bailumism, and Taopinism. With Taopinism producing the most accurate depiction of Bailum, it is this version that will be discussed. His history is storied and directly tied into the origin and progress of humanity, making him a natural choice for worship.
God of Justice, Introspection, and Didact of Morality
Bailum is an agent against all that is unjust, which often refers to the enemies of mortals. While most presume this to mean the Uthuquate and Ithitar, Bailum also takes a vested interest in defending the world against other Ohdaufeen domains, particularly those under the leaderships of Chaimut and his offspring. Stories of Bailum often depict him as directly aligned with humanity as opposed to his fellow siblings and gods, perhaps because mortals are incapable of combatting invasions from other planes to great effect. While there was a time when Bailum had to serve as the judge, jury, and executioner across the planes, he slowly built his ranks amongst gods with similar interests. Bailum now spends his days on a grand cosmic court where he judges the souls and intentions of the planes' greatest offenders. Unfortunately, few gods or devils will willingly appear in his court, leading to their forced capture. Most cases are held concerning crimes against the solitude and safety of Laminarum, though if one plane substantially threatens any other, then the individuals responsible must appear in court as well. While Bailum decides the punishment himself, he uses Chaimut's input to decide on the length of the sentence. Unlike other gods within the domain of justice, Bailum does not claim to be a beacon of morality, nor does he consider morality to be binary. However, Bailum considers the fate of humanity to be the core deciding factor in what is "moral" and it is his job to interpret morality. Many of his teachings are not regarding how humans should treat each other, but how outsiders should act in discourse with Laminarum. In the mind of Bailum, the majority of individuals outside of Laminarum exist beyond the moral spectrum due to their immortality and morally stagnant nature. Bailum considered the broadly "gray" nature of humanity intriguing and intricate, unlike the minds of his contemporaries. Due to their specific cares over death and revenge, he believes that no one crime deserves the same punishment across the board. As a result of his mixed approaches, he is considered flexible with regard to his judgment with humans, but didactic since his opinion should be the deciding factor of someone's fate. Many could consider him a god of justice to other divine entities, but a researcher with regard to humanity. As god of justice, Bailum is considered a patron to courts, judges, lawyers, and executioners. As an Ohfjuren, he is also considered one of the core patrons to the Augury, which should always strive to be just in its leadership of humanity. Those who attempt frontier justice outside the bounds of his guidance are considered perverse traitors of his domain, which often leads to paladins becoming forsaken. His image was the primary motivation behind the structure and culture of the Saltkrigere Empire, which hoped for a wholly just integration of church and state. The insistence on objective justice contributed to their cultural downfall, as no mortal can be truly morally unbiased which was reflected in their courts.In Scripture
Scripture depicts a young Bailum as a rash and selfish individual who worked at the whims of his own opinions on morality. His nature ultimately led to conflicts with those who rightfully pointed to him as unjust, given he often changed the benchmark for what was "right." It wasn't until near death at the hands of Heien that he changed his ways, as the conflict derived from manipulating Ornjack threatened the fundamental safety of Laminarum. In his middle-aged or older life, Bailum has been wisened by age and conflict, partially contributing to his retirement to court. Other gods tend to dislike Bailum, as he is the only entity to hold them accountable outside for their actions beyond pure revenge.Court of Perri
The Court of Perri is one of the most influential pieces of scripture surrounding Bailum. After Taopin passed punishment upon humanity, nearly causing a genocide, Bailum put his brother through a trial (a fate he had threatened, but none of the Ohdaufeen believed). The trial saw Ornjack and Bailum indict and vote for punishment against the young Ohfjuren. In opposition was Chaimut, who soundly believed in Ohdaufeen supremacy. By the end of the trial, Taopin was formally charged and forced to make penance, which led to a great rift between the three brothers. Ironically, Bailum eventually made peace with Taopin and made him a permanent member of the court that indicted him. Chaimut, on the other hand, was punished by his two brothers for obstruction of justice.Relationships
History
Bailum and Chaimut have a mutual feeling of scorn between them. In the Court of Perri, Bailum tried to indict their brother. Chaimut saw this as a betrayal of the gods (and a preference for mortals). Bailum saw Chaimut's view as a personal betrayal and lack of support. To make matters worse, Chaimut betrayed Bailum's son which almost led to the destruction of Laminarum. See Rel Eteisus
History
Bailum care's for Taopin, but thinks of him as immature and brash. As the oldest sibling, Bailum can also feel entitled to many benefits that ended up befalling Taopin, such as marriage to Silset. Further, Bailum is the guardian of humanity. He had a great affinity for their frail existence and felt betrayed when Taopin almost entirely eliminated them. Taopin feels that leaving 2 alive was a great gesture of kindness. Presumably to Bailum's dismay, many humans agree with Taopin.
Bailum Favoritism
When reading scripture, Bailum loves all of his children but clearly favors Naimor's lineage. Naimor and his three daughters all impact his own domain and share similar views.
Religions
Church/Cult
Spouses
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
depicted as being made entirely of fingers
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