Religion: The Winged Faith

पंखों (Pankhon) - The Winged Faith

One of the oldest organized religions on Qarna, the Winged Faith centers around its practitioners' (often referred to as Seraphists) interactions with the Gods of the Sea. These customs of reverence primarily focus on - and are decreed through the edict of - the Divine Hegemon of Pira. According to the Faith, the Hegemon is is at once god and emperor, foremost among the Winged Pantheon (nine in number including the Hegemon) and the singular being through whom gods and men can commune both in and out of the Sea of Trees.
The foundation of the Faith is formed by the universal constants of Aa'sang and Khwam'vastha; "order" and "disorder" respectively. These concepts are applied to both nature and morality and are considered polar opposites which are inseparable: one cannot know order without first experiencing disorder and vice versa.
In the Faith's creation myth Qarna was constructed as the result of a competition between two primordial gods, embodiments of Aa'sang and Khwam'vastha birthed by a song sung from the center of the universe. The two gods sang the world into existence, and the struggle to outdo one another became so intense that both gods were completely subsumed into the world and its machinations, ceasing to exist as finite entities and becoming mere concepts. 
Over countless centuries their competitive spirit manifested into the eight Gods of the Sea who formed two teams to continue the contest as a game: each taking control of a set of affinities (natural elements and philosophical abstractions) through which they shaped and refined the world. During a period of armistice, the gods sang together to create humanity so that they might extend their reach beyond the shoreline where they had no influence.
Humans, despite being the exalted creations of the gods, were nonetheless imperfect. And so the universe, favoring the beauty and sustainability of Aa'sang's creations over the chaotic entropy of Khwam'vastha's, took notice of the first Hegemon when he entered the Sea of Trees and ascended him to divinity so that he might rule over god and man equally and bring them all to true harmony.
To aid him him in this task, the Hegemon was gifted nine Divine Secrets, referred to as the Divinity of Nine. The Divinity has been passed down through many generations, always to a single heir, with successors to the throne chosen from among each Hegemon's direct descendants. Even the Hegemon's closest attendants do not know the true nature of the Secrets, and they are a frequent topic of debate and discussion among scholars both in and out of the Coast -- primarily due to the fact that the Hegemon is supposedly capable of using them in the Territories where there is no ambient magic.

The Seraphists believe that when all the people of the Territories are united and judged worthy by the universe, the Hegemon will grant each and every human being wings with which they will fly to the Center of the Sea and find paradise. Outside of spreading the word of the Faith, practitioners dedicate prayers, offerings, and hymns to the gods to gain favor in each of their favored aspects: the Dowager of Nativity, for instance, is the patron of the Earth element, procreation, and growth; so many among his faithful might be stonemasons, couples hoping for a child, or peasants.
Songs are of paramount importance to the Faith. For Seraphists, music is a foundational element of the universe and a means of magic which is accessible to humans. Both harmonious and dissonant music are employed to represent Aa'sang and Khwam'vastha, and followers of the Faith in the Eastern city-states have pioneered an entire field of magic wielded through song and dance: referred to as Sonomancy and Saltomancy in scholarly papers. Sonomancy specifically uses a nonatonic or nine-tone scale, as homage to the Hegemon and the eight Gods of the Sea, deftly weaving harmonic and dissonant chords to control the flow of magic.
The Cataclysm of LN 1013 saw the eruption of Mount Tiraal which buried Old Pira (then known simply as Pira) in volcanic ash and crippled the Piraan empire at the climax of the Coast War. This single cataclysmic event caused Piraanese society to collapse in on itself, resulting in the secession of Azir, Unkai, and multiple states which joined the Coalition of Kingdoms.
In the Faith, the Cataclysm is regarded as a failure of the people: Pira sought complete control of Qarna as they knew it, but the universe judged them unworthy of salvation and thus at their moment of victory the capital city and its inhabitants were taken from them. New Pira, once a city called Gint, is a reflection of their renewed endeavors: to do away with the failures of the past and rebuild anew, greater and more pious than they once were. Only when they have achieved true personal perfection and are free from the weight of sin will the Divine Hegemon be able to carry them all to the Center and to paradise.
Discussion of Old Pira in polite conversation is a taboo for the Piraanese. They will not accost others for mentioning it, but because they consider the Cataclysm a failure of the faithful, will self-censor appropriately and excuse themselves from such conversations.
The Alman Empire has long disputed the Hegemon’s claim. The ᚾ ᛟ ᛁ ᛖ ᚹ ᛖ ᚷ ('Noyeveg") denomination, which originated in the lands now united as the Coalition of Kingdoms, gained prominence following its adaptation by the newly formed Jirol Dynasty in LN 1014; all but ousting Alman's original Tetrarchal faith. Noyeveg differs substantially from the Seraphist orthodoxy, chiefly in that it affirms the Almani as the true heirs of Pira and the Emperor of Alman as its central figure instead of the Hegemon of Pira. While its core tenets remain roughly parallel to the orthodoxy, Noyeveg borrows heavily from Tetrache: integrating many of its traditions and philosophies into its teachings. Some practitioners of Noyeveg exist in Drachenkrone, Calava, or Maqqia, but for the most part it is practiced primarily in the Territories.

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The Shielded Faith

The Sea is suffused with magic, which can be harnessed and controlled by any human with the right combination of potential and exposure. Those fortunate enough to be gifted with the fortitude to survive the treacherous conditions therein can harness the magic of the Sea to their fullest potential. Over the last 1200 years the study of magic has progressed from the stuff of tribal rituals to libraries’ worth of records and observation, but there is simply no answer to what makes one person capable of achieving a higher level of magic power than the next.
Since any individual potentially has a chance at harnessing such immense power, regulatory bodies have been formed across the Coast to protect the innocent - a “greater good” necessity. That regulatory body is called The Shielded Faith, and began as a militant wing of the Winged Faith formed to monitor, control, and pacify supernatural threats to the temple at Chamatkaar.
The Shielded Faith’s prime directive is to prevent the people of the Coast from falling victim to the predation of excessively powerful individuals. They primarily monitor cities, causing powerful individuals of malicious intent or powerful monsters to retreat further into the Coast and thus increasing the safety of civilization.
Their agents are known as Conservators or Servators. While many of them are individuals from the Territories chosen using an intentionally cruel ‘sink or swim’ method of indoctrination, their ranks in the city-states away from Chamatkaar and Kansujian are largely composed of veteran ex-adventurers. Some of these individuals have glimpsed the Sea beyond the Threshold and so know the dangers of magic very well.
Their main fortress is in Chamatkaar and the company stationed in Kansujian is known locally as the Kansujian Bureau of Supernatural Affairs or KBSA. This company’s primary duty is to screen individuals entering and leaving the Coast. The Shielded also work closely with The Explorer's Guild and have teams which patrol all eight Eastern City States.
The Shielded Faith utilizes a variety of agents in its covert dealings, but none are more infamous to the powerful of Qarna than the Forty-Eight Seraphs. Elite operatives with dispensation to conduct their missions without oversight, they answer only to the High Aegis of the Faith. The Seraphs are divided into groups of six, all devoted to a single deity of the original eight Gods of the Sea.

Despite this grouping, the Seraphs operate independently; the only commonality with their fellows are the typical assignments they take on as well as the Divine Secret which they are taught: each Seraph is given the tremendous privilege of learning one of the Hegemon's Secrets according to their station, but they are expressly forbidden from sharing or promulgating their knowledge with other Seraphs or anyone else on penalty of excruciating magical death.

• The Seraphs of Change grease the wheels of bureaucracy through coin or through knife.
  
• The Seraphs of Masks are masters of infiltration who gather information from even the most impossibly defended bastions.
  
• The Seraphs of Judgement mete out the sentences of the Aegis upon the guilty, hunting sinners and casting them low.
  
• The Seraphs of Nativity monitor the wilds of the Sea for threats to humanity as well as potential boons of magic and industry.
  
• The Seraphs of Worship serve as Internal Affairs for the Winged Faith, purging those who would defame the Hegemon's name.
  
• The Seraphs of Endings are the elite warriors of the Faith, masters of war and brilliant tacticians.
  
• The Seraphs of Stability neutralize threats to Pira and Chamatkaar, foiling the plans of any who would see the Holy Cities ill.
  
• The Seraphs of Beginnings are the recruiters of the Seraphs, who administer trials and monitor the Faith for potential Seraphs.