Religion in the Ashen Lands
Religion in the Ashen Lands have long been central to the cultural beliefs of the races. According to the holy texts, the gods were borne out of necessity - necessity that the world know good and evil.
It began with the two head deities of the pantheon - Thios, the god of light, life, and fire, and Malice, the god of death, darkness, and pain. The two brothers were allies, once during the The Forgotten Age. But with the coming of The Rupture, they split. Thios believed in protecting the races from the evil forces beyond invading the Ashen Lands, while Malice believed that the death and violence would only lead to strengthen those who remained. These two would often be found in the Grand Age legends manifesting as ascended mortals, directly assisting those who followed them. This would climax into a single event when Thios chose a Vessel against the onslaught of Nighthumans and Gnomes. Wielding the Eternal Flame, he would defend the races until his holiness consumed his vessel during the The Cracking of Hope. He has not been seen or heard from since. Malice, on the other hand, has grown in following over the course of the The Broken Age and The Barren Age. Followers believe themselves to be the strong remnants he espoused would be molded like steel from the bloodshed.
The two lesser deities of the pantheon - Krewsa, god of ash, duty, emptiness and strength, and Dassar, god of chaos, wisdom, and the unknown, would begin to show up later in the and The Broken Age. The Paladins of the Ashen Order, marching under Krewsa's banner, would usher in the Barren Age. Dassar, on the other hand, lurks in the shadows of the realms - the races all believe in her and pray to her to a degree, but very few if any consider themselves to be a devotee. While many modern legends say Krewsa was borne out of a cry for help in the dusk of the broken age, no one is entirely sure how Dassar was created nor where she came from. Some believe that other deities exist in the celestial planes, although these beliefs are hard to find, but one would be hard-pressed to find one who espouses that thought.
The ashen races believe that death is not the final embrace, nor the end of pain. But rather a door to which on eis born to a new plane, where the forces of Thios and Malice continue to fight. It is said that one day, in the far future, long after the ashen lands have succumbed to the evils invading it, that one of these two celestial armies will prevail, sealing the fate of the universe.