Eldaskali

The wider religion, and the name for the pantheon of gods, of the Vemar people of the North of the Five Realms.

Mythology & Lore

Followers of Eldaskali believe that in the beginning there were two gods - Rejkr and Hlaeja. When they met, having come from opposite sides of Vemarland, the Vemar name for the living world, they immediately fell in love and conversed in the only way they shared - stories and song. As they told their tales to each other, their power over poetry, wisdom and knowledge caused their stories to be written on stone slabs which then came to life and became their children, the other gods of the pantheon. 
The stories of the children of Rejkr and Hlaeja gave birth in similar fashion to all living creatures in Vemarland.
The stories of the gods, and the myths of the Vemar people in general, is strongly tied to the concept of the Otyr, or Others, who exist just out of sight of the mortal world but can interact with it and appear in it at will.

Cosmological Views

Followers of Eldaskali believe the world as a whole is split into four 'planes':

1. Vaettrland - the Underworld and realm of Lady Vaettr, where the souls of the dead are sent and need to be cared for.
2. Vemarland - the realm of the living world that the Vemar people are part of.
3. Otyrland - the realm of the Otyr and magic.
4. Hylland - the realm of the gods.

Each of the gods, bar Lady Vaettr , have their own hall in Hylland and each hall has a ceremonial seat for Lady Vaettr to honour her work in Vaettrland and so she is never without a place to stay when she is called to Hylland.

Worship

Worship is a highly individualised process and there is no generally agreed upon or preferred way to offer anything to the gods. Instead, it is up to each practitioner to decide what they can do to best serve the pantheon and their chosen focus of worship. That said, there are some generally agreed upon ways to make specific offerings to the gods - a sailor, for example, might cut their forearm and hold a wedge of bread to the wound, before tossing the blood-soaked bread into the ocean as an offering to Malm to hope for safe passage.

Priesthood

There isn't really a formal priesthood within Eldaskali, despite there existing a temple complex in the mountings at Holmsa. This settlement really only serves as a place for practitioners to go to make a more meaningful sacrifice or offering to the gods, as well as to learn other skills and magics from fellow practitioners. It has the highest concentration of shamans and magic users in Vemar as a result, with these people generally filling the position of priests.

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Permeated Organizations

• Vemar

Deities

• Akkeri
• Bruthi
• Hlaeja
• Lady Vaettr
• Lik
• Malm
• Ogaefa
• Rejkr
• Surtr

Location

Vemar Mainland