A Shadowy Past
Worship has existed in some form for all of Tessam’s recorded history. Even before The Cataclysm, there are records of worship being important, though there is no evidence of any current divine beings existing. In fact, all known stories point to the event having been caused by the gods enacting petty vengeance upon the world for the worship not being good enough, but somehow being destroyed in the process.
This past leads to many being cautious when it comes to trusting divine beings or giving them anything. However, some believe that since the current gods seemingly didn’t exist back then, there is nothing to fear from them. These people try their best to appease their chosen deities to reap the benefits. Yet others are frightened that these new gods might cause a second cataclysm unless they worship and serve them.
Modern Worship
The Book of Khazanti
Faith After Catastrophe
Often referred to as simply “Khazanti” or “The Book”, this religion comes from the first written collection of Tessam’s current gods. It notes down the nine gods that have later become viewed as the main pantheon of the world. The forms of worship vary from place to place, as do the attributes ascribed to each god.
Regardless of location, it is known that the most powerful gods are the three Moon Deities, though they have little contact with mortals. The weakest gods are the Deities of Magic, though they tend to meddle the most in mortal affairs. The Planetary Deities seem interested in mortal affairs, but take little action.
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Cayrism
A Shattered God
The monotheistic religion of Cayrism is built around the faith that every known deity is simply a different aspect of Careyon. Before The Cataclysm, Careyon was a single entity who ruled as a god emperor of all mortals. However, the queen of the now-dead elves rebelled. She brought her people into war with the rest of the world. And they almost succeeded.
At first, they were losing badly, but eventually they managed to get an assassin with a god-killing weapon into Careyon’s palace. Though she only landed a glancing blow, the power of the weapon was such that the god was shattered into many divine fragments. The instability following the near-death of the most powerful being in the world caused the ensuing cataclysm.
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Minor Religions
There are many other powerful beings that have made themselves known in the world after the publishing of The Book.
The Light of Ancients
Seekers of Lost Knowledge
“The Light” is a religion founded on the belief that the true gods of Tessam are the ones of the old world. They are in eternal search of new religious texts in order to find more ways in which they can properly worship them. Driving this search is the faith that it is possible to bring the gods back if they only discover their lost names.
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Deity Worship
In many cases, a powerful, yet non-divine, creature is treated as a deity by a small collection of followers. This can range from a minor fey acting as a patron for a family to powerful demons inspiring cult followership in the thousands. What all of these worships have in common is a clandestine approach.
While its not directly forbidden to pray to such beings, there aren’t many nations who encourage it either. In reality, these people end up praying both to the country’s interpretation of the Khazantin gods in the open, and saving their personal worship for more private settings.
However, there are some of these deities that hold such a high position that they are believed to rival the power of the Khazantin. Ennethe is revered as the god of death, prayed to in hushed whispers by the frightened and desperate. Mythical figures such as The Stitched Man and The Scarred Mother are given prayer and sacrifice so they stay away from one’s doorstep.