Wapierzism
The Blood-Sons of Wapierz
Wapierzism is a family of monotheistic religions most active from the Second Age. Worship to these religions almost died out during the course of the Fourth Age parallel with the Vampyric Culture it was attributed to. Wapierzic religions were often called by scholars as the Sanguinic - and by commoners as the Vampyric - due to their focus on the importance of blood and the cultural lifestyles of the Vampyre Race. While other humans and mortals around the Mistlands also worshipped the religions, the majority of worshippers were definitely the Vampyre race. All Wapierzic religions believe in one God, Wapierz, who is commonly known as the Father and also appears in more Pantheonic religions such as the Dark Court in the Old Pantheon as the God of Cannibalism.
History
Wapierzism was one of the original faiths of Elgerlia and the Dwarfash peoples before the Dragon Crusade introduced the Terralban Pantheon and true gods to the continent. While the eastern civilisations had Animist Druidic faith, the western civilisations had a Dualist faith between Wapierz and Thodierz representing the Dark and Light Sides of life.
As the Losalfar and Dokkalfar of the East went along their Dragon Crusade to the West, they incorporated every local deity into their Dragonic Pantheon, creating the Terralban Pantheon. Wapierz transferred directly as the God of Cannibalism and Thodierz became Thodir, the Champion of Mortals. After the Twilight Cataclysm and the deaths of a vast majority of Gods as a result of the celestial conflict, the peoples of Elgerlia came to worship one of the major Survivor God Pantheons depending on their race. However, Vampyres and select communities across Mylrondia went back to their Wapierzic ways making it a monotheistic faith dedicated to the worship of the now dead God Wapierz.
Customs
Worship
There is only One True Word, only One True correct interpretation of our scriptures, only one way to please the One True God.
To worship the Father is to refuse that any other form of worship will please Wapierz. Even the two sects of the religion will denounce the correctness of the other's interpretations of scriptures. Each sect views themselves to have moral authority over each other and other religions across Terralba, and it is not uncommon for anyone that do not share their faith to be sacrificed to Wapierz. Nobility that follow a Wapierzic faith will attempt to convert the populace of and lands they rule over, showing no sympathy for any other faith.
Priesthood
Marriage
Due to the importance of bloodlines, divine marriage encourages incestuous relationships to maintain pure dynasties chosen by the Father. And so, marriages are almost always pre-arranged to maintain or bolster bloodlines and will rarely have an aspect of love behind them. Due to the Dogmatic nature of the religion, interfaith marriage is not permitted by priests and anyone that attempts to will be immediately excommunicated.
The actual ceremony occurs when both the arranged bride and groom have reached the age of 15 and will start a few days before the ceremony proper. Three days before the youngest party reaches 15, the households of the two bloodlines will decorate their buildings in ebony silk and presents of silver coins are gifted to each family from the other. On this day, the bride-to-be will start to be referred to with the surname of the groom-to-be's bloodline. On the second day before the ceremony, whale oil lamps are lit on the doorways to each parties' house and once again, gifts of silver coins are delivered. On this day, the two parties exchange ruby amulets that signify the betrothal between the bride and groom-to-be. On the final day before the ceremony, the groom-to-be will go to the bride-to-be's home with her ceremonial dress he will have picked out and then the bride-to-be will go to the groom-to-be's home with a prisoner or livestock that will be the main meal from the wedding banquet.
Funerals
The funerals of a Wapierzic faithful, and also of all Vampyres, are relatively small with only the closest handful of blood-family attending the ceremony in a Midnight Temple. The organs of the body are dissected and placed into separate urns and then the corpse itself is drained of all blood and mummified. The Priest and attendees will then drink from the drained blood and the mummified corpse is carried down into the Temple's Crypt.
Sects
Upirism
Upirism was the more civilised evolution of the original Wapierzic religion that developed after the fall of the Golden King and Vampyre Kingdoms sprung up across the region of Mylrondia. Belief of Upirism was through blood, where the spirit and body are passed on through bloodlines and natural inheritance. Because of this, family and purity of bloodlines is highly revered, even in some cases great Upirist families have regularly conducted in inbreeding.
Practicing Upirism, much like it's Wapierzic predecessor, requires the practice of blood drinking to gain strength. Upirism believes that drinking blood allows to greater your own bloodline as you are devouring the spirits passed on in that bloodline.
Veperitism
Veperitic was an extremist offshoot of Upirism that focused on more of the traditional - or uncivilized - practices and beliefs of the original Wapierzic religion. This religion developed during the late Third Era near the collapse of the Great Western Empire when the remaining Vampyric Kingdom was going through lots of troubles such as royal infighting and religious schisms. Veperitic was formed through this retaliation.
Veperitic beliefs had no focus on familial importance which allows for many family in-fights to be beneficial. "Shared Blood" does not exist as it does in Upirism so bloodlines are more titles rather than have any spiritual significance.
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