Master Historian Aridi Mordagan traveled through the Old World in search of the truth behind the origin of man.  When he returned from his travels and revealed his findings to the heads of the Calusian Korgurate, they cut out his tongue and severed his fingers before burning him as a heretic.  His life's work was deemed malefic and consequently destroyed.  A century later, small compendiums of his works have emerged, traded on the black market and copied into a dozen different languages.  Take heed the Inquisition not find you reading these pages. They are considered heresy.

The Liber Evantes places the rise of mankind in the midst of an apocalyptic nightmare.  Nothing is spoken of the Old World, other than it was brought low by a full-scale invasion of daemons from the Vorx.  What brought about this reaping is never fully clarified, but a warning that such an event will one day inevitably reoccur is very prevalent throughout the work.  As it is perhaps the most well documented and accessible of religious texts, I will include only a brief summary here.

The Old World was a shattered pit of horrors.  The daemons of the Vorx, great ancient enemies of Man, had opened the doors to our world, slaughtering and ravaging everything in their path. The peoples of the Old World were consumed by this cataclysm. The daemons bled the world of hope and light, sowing darkness and despair in their wake.

All was lost.

In the plains of T’kor were born twin brothers, sons of The Rai, The Lord of All; destined to save mankind from this virulent horror. Lord Tekuryo and Lord Zenthien rose to power and gathered the survivors beneath their sacred banner.  Together they waged Holy War on the hordes of the Vorx. This was the First Great War, and lasted for uncounted decades. (Some interpretations suggest that this war lasted as long as five centuries) After the carnage finally ceased and the smoldering, blood-soaked ruin of the Old World lay in bitter silence, Lord Zenthien and Lord Tekuryo, the Twin Pillars of Man, forged the Calusian Brotherhood in the Holy City of Calus, where a direct portal to Kalhalma is said to exist, deep in the confines of the Calusian Cathedral of the Great Works.

From the Thrones of Splendor, the Twin Fathers ruled over all, until The Rai summoned them back into His Eternal Light.  The Twins tasked the Calusian Korgurate with the leading and guidance of man, and placed at their feet the Order of Paladius, the Blades of Holy Light.  These noble Paladins were charged with defending the true faith and cleansing the world of all who might once again bring back the unbridled fury of the Vorx.

By the Will of The Rai, Mankind was granted prominence over the recovered world and all its inhabitants.  Beast and Tree are born to be put to purpose, as are all the lesser races.  The Great Works of Man are deemed paramount, to unite the peoples, raise them beyond the dross of flesh, and one day protect those who are left when the gates of the Vorx reopen.  All who are loyal to the Korgurate are loyal to The Rai, and upon the time of their deaths, will be welcomed into His Perpetual Grace and here be protected from the ravages of the Vorx.

Within the Calusian religion are other, lesser deities that are revered for the different aspects they represent. They have been an intrinsic part of the Calusian mythos since the rise of Tekuryo and Zenthien in T’kor. There are scholars who believe the inclusion of these deities to be a dilution of the Brotherhood’s might, but this is an anemic, poorly investigated view point.

Hermera: She who sits upon a golden throne atop The Ziggurat of Splendor. She is known as the mother of politics and commerce. A patron deity of traders, politicians, merchants, bankers, and quartermasters. Known also as the Lady of Coin, she is prayed to for successful transactions, the delivery of expected goods, and the attainment of privilege. Her symbol is a golden disk with the inscription “Great wealth is held only by those who can withstand its weight.” Known to favor the bold and cunning, she is a patron to gamesters and thieves. To ask the Lady of Coin to protect wealth earned is a sign of weakness, yet nowhere is her iconography seen more evidently than in the banking system. Hermera’s Seal is a sign of divine protection. Bankers claim to have her divine blessing and swear no loss can ever be taken under her watchful eye. Her holy items are coins, disks, and crowns. Coin earned through guile is a common sacrifice in asking for future blessings.

Chenestinon: Once known as the Lady of Rings, she was the mother of marriage and willful reproduction. In her following, women had absolute authority. Men were placed through trials to prove their worthiness if they wished to have children. The Lady’s Great Houses were filled with tomes teaching the secrets of self-actualization through deep meditation and spiritual sex practices. Women held all the important rolls in these places, with men serving at their whims. The faith granted charms of fealty, virility, fertility, pleasure, cleanliness, seduction, and adoration to their supplicants. Childbirth was a miraculous event, and sex was an act of union and transmutation. Over time, social standing became the defining attribute of a person’s worth to bare children. The Lady’s tomes of sexual rites were lost or destroyed. While many cultures adopted the sacred rite of marriage and kept the symbolism of her Rings, the Houses of Chenestinon fell into shadow and became brothels. She was adopted as the patron of prostitutes, bar-owners, pimps, smugglers, and soldiers on leave. Now she is known as the Lady of Cups. An ancient tradition of placing a coin inside a chalice before entering her hallowed House was adopted by brothels, pleasure barges, and gambling houses.

Kerrosus: The Lord of the Feast and patron of bounty, he is worshiped by farmers, brewers, food merchants, and alchemists. He is a god of transformations, forges, ovens, crucibles, and the stomach. Routinely sacrificed to in hopes of fertilizing a field, blessing a strong forge-fire, or granting a healthy birth, he is a god of fire, death, and rebirth. Nearly every festival of harvest, celebration of birth, or successful creation made in fire, was once attributed to mighty Kerrosus. He is viewed as a benefic deity, who blesses those who guard their grain and thank his gracious generosity before meals. “Blessed are the portly” is one of his most quoted teachings of old. The Feasting Halls of Kerrosus were once vast and took great strides to feed pilgrims, travelers, and the impoverished. Over time, the lands owned by the faith were seized by the Crowns of Man, making such generosity difficult. A respected deity among fishermen, hunters, and cattle-wranglers, he is sometimes called Lord Hearthfire and is even believed to be a son of Infris, the Great Fire Serpent. His shines — statues of a portly man, sitting cross-legged, holding a knife in one hand, a hammer in the other, and having a stove for a stomach — are commonly found in kitchens, forges, and alchemy labs, burning their daily sacrifices. He is the sworn enemy of Locus, the Lord of Plague, and Kaxxil, Lord Famine.

Taselia: The Still One. The Eye of the Storm. The Silent Lady. A deity of healing and mercy, she is worshiped by physicians, apothecaries, and midwives. Her temples are centers of healing, filled with baths and surrounded by (or encompassing) floral gardens meant to help heal the troubled mind and spirit of its visitors. These are places of rest, contemplation, and self-discovery. While many cities have created baths and adorned them with the iconography of Taselia, few are ordained temples to the goddess and maintain a looser set of regulations. In Taselia’s temples, none are allowed to speak. Only whispers are allowed and only when absolutely necessary. The priestesses have devised a system of pictures and gestures to help their visitors communicate without speaking. A separate wing of the temple is reserved for the treating of the injured and infirm. As Taselia’s ministrations are given freely, her temples are only present in places where they have a heavy patronage by wealthy locals. One of their most sacred vows is to allow none to suffer, even those who mean them harm, which is why many consider her calling zealotry and even madness.

The Zoniran faith emerged from the Holy City of Calus, when Saint Malaan, the living reincarnation of Zenthien, Son of The Rai, came into the world to warn mankind that Tekuryo would one day betray The Brotherhood. Saint Malaan wrote the first scrolls of the Liber Sciodomini, the Zoniran Sacred Text. He her depicts the tale of how in the Old World, before the First Great War, Lord Zenthien and Lord Tekuryo had an elder brother named Galvarin.  He was the First Born, Son of The Rai, favored, and rightful inheritor of the World of Man.

The three brothers were as One and known by their followers as The Triada.  Their Holy City was called Mordra and sat in the Heartlands of T'kor.  This was where the Holy War against the Vorx began.

Greatest of the Three, Lord Galvarin led the charge against the hordes of the Vorx.  He and his armies braved the madness of the Old World while the Twin Pillars stayed behind to guard and keep the cities of Mankind.  Though Galvarin was great and blessed by His Father's Grace, he was eventually consumed by the very darkness he fought.  He returned with his armies to the untainted lands and betrayed the Twin Pillars, nearly destroying Man’s one and only hope in a time of unfettered darkness. Lord Zenthien and Lord Tekuryo joined against their elder brother and laid his legions low, but their victory came at a terrible cost.

During their long years of struggle, Galvarin had poisoned Tekuryo's ear with the twisted promises of the Vorx. While Galvarin was eventually defeated and sent into the Vorx with all those who followed him, the seed of temptation had been planted. Lord Tekuryo would let the darkness seduce him as it had done his elder brother, but his insidious betrayal was yet to occur.

Saint Malaan prophesied that one day a great darkness would sweep the world and all would know Tekuryo’s true face. Those who did not denounce the tainted Lord and cleanse themselves of his influence would exist forever in a state of schism —half light, half dark, and would never know peace. The Zoniran faith, under the guidance of Lord Zenthien, was the only true path to salvation and the Light of The Rai.

Saint Malaan was slowly accepted as a messianic prophet and small sects to Zenthien purism began sprouting across the land.  At first, the Messiah's preaching was ignored and dismissed as deluded fanaticism by the Calusian Korgurate.  His truest believers however kept the teachings of the Liber Sciodomini alive even after The Rai had summoned Saint Malaan back into His Eternal Light.  The Zonirans feared the power of the Vorx and the ever seductive lies of Galvarin and his fallen hordes, and sought to survive until their Lord’s words were proven true.

Centuries later the Order of Paladius betrayed The Brotherhood by committing heresy and summoning the Kragten into our world. As the Kragten War waged on, the prophesies of the Liber Sciodomini were brought to the forefront once more by Saint Cieriss, the second coming of Lord Zenthien, who was born in the city of Canterdune.

The Second Saint proclaimed that the Paladin's betrayal was the very heresy he had foreseen in his former incarnation. Tekuryo must be cast away and society itself be rebuilt in pure golden light under the protection and guidance of Lord Zenthien.  It was for this purpose that Saint Cieriss brought the Order of Paladius to trial before the Court of Testament.

After the Kragten War ended, Saint Cieriss brought the Order of Paladius to trial before the Tarivan High Magistrates. In the Halls of Testament, The Lady of Law deemed the Paladin Order guilty of heresy and ordered them into bondage.  All of their holds and wealth were revoked, and all their lands and powers forfeited.  Those Paladins who were not captured or killed outright fled into exile.

The Calusian Korgurate was henceforth forbidden from building an armed force of any kind.  With this adamant edict, the great power and influence the Korgurate wielded over the course of centuries, crashed down around their ears.

The Second Saint’s prophesies about Tekuryo’s betrayal were viewed as undeniable.  The Zonirans also claimed it was their Lord's gift, The Seal of Balis, which had put an end to the nearly unstoppable Kragten.

The Zoniran faith exploded.  Entire nations turned their allegiance away from the Calusian Brotherhood and converted to Zonirism. Enormous funds were granted to The Second Saint by kings and nobles to build His Churches and arm the Aegis of Man, the Order of Holy Ashuran Knights, who would replace the Order of Paladius. The Ashurans reclaimed the fortunes and lands lost by the Calusian Paladins and sought fervently to save and convert, or purge the world of, those who were lost to pagan faiths.

When Saint Cieriss was summoned back to His Eternal Light, he left the Throne of Radiance in Canterdune to his Vicar, the Ascended Eye. The well-being of mankind he left in the hands of the Zoniran Priesthood.  His final proclamation was that one day he would return, when his fallen brothers Tekuryo and Galvarin, united in the Vorx’s unrelenting treachery, and rose from the darkness to bring about the downfall of Mankind. This would be the Final Great War, and decide the fate of All.

In the meantime, the Zoniran faithful are under Holy Commandment to grow in strength and numbers and follow the Path of Amounting, so as to challenge the malice of the Vorx when it returns to the world in force. While many still hold true to their Calusian faith, the rise of the Zoniran Priesthood has continued to expand while Calusian Temples, once the shining jewels of man’s many cities, have begun to crumble with absence and disrepair.

As was written in the scrolls and texts that survived the fall of the Bergal Empire, the Old So'Raian Mythos, which later became known as the Solarin Faith, is a rich and colorful tale of creation, divine incest, and the unity of natural and cosmic forces. After the division of the Bergal Empire, the Solarin Faith was replaced by the Calic Mythos, in where many of the old gods remain, but the Calusian Brotherhood was introduced. Here I have composed a simple, annotated anatomy of each deity as derived from an exhausting body of work that includes folk songs, mural paintings, faded ceremonial ceramics, written fables, epic poems, and of course, the sacred Solar Scrolls.

Tharis: The Father of All, Tharis is the Lord of Time, Fate, and Death. All that is, exists because of He. Known by countless names, Tharis is the primordial force behind existence. He is the Light of Fullness.

So'Rai: God of the Sun and Father of all Life. He is Highest and Most Revered.  In his light, even Mother Night (see: Arisia) must take her leave.  He is inheritor and guardian, eldest son and Master of the Orb.  As Gaia is mother, so he is Father. In the Solar Scrolls he is depicted as a golden heron who flies across the heavenly dome. (In Calic Mythos, the sun is referred to as The Rai)

Gaia: Our Grand Mother. She is the very World of which we are all a part. Sister to So’Rai, she is the origin of life. Without her there is only Light and Dark, dancing for eternity.. Her furious children have since recorded time, been shown as monstrous beings who seek to end humanity.( Even in the oldest texts, she is known as ‘Mother of Wrath’) Her most known depiction is as a massive tree in the center of the world. However, certain cultures have depicted her with a strange, even nightmarish countenance. A cruel being of darkness and hunger. From her womb sprouted the Five Knots of Elemental Power, which form our world.

Tarrak: The Deep Worm, The Shatterdoom, Lord Dragonglass, and World Knot, are but a few names given to Tarrak, God of Stones. The very ground we walk on is but the skin of this colossus. He is not singular, but manifold. Tarrak is said to be a swarm of great stone worms, tied together in a knot that form the surface of our world. When these worms shift, the world trembles. We live on the skin of giant worms. Within their depths however, are other worlds, older than our own, forbidden to us, but filled with dark mystery.

Atlevitas: Perhaps most enigmatic of the Elementals is the Goddess Serpent of the Sea. She flows through the deep crevices and cracks of Tarrak’s multiform. She soothes her brother’s dry, temperamental form, and where they unite, life flourishes. She is bountiful, tempestuous, rejuvenating, and destructive. Her ever-moving body may be visited but not survived at length. Within her liquid spirals live uncountable forms of life, ever dependent on her waters. She is a world unto herself. Her depths, unimaginable, her secrets, unfathomable.

Infris: The Lord of Flame and the Molten Serpent, Infris lives deep in the bowels of Tarrak. Some would call him Tarrak’s son, but ancient texts claim this idea false. Infris is Tarrak’s brother, and his greatest foe. He is pure destruction, furious and relentless. He is Gaia’s passionate rage made manifest. To the denizens of Tarrak’s impenetrable depths, he is warmth and life. He agitates and irritates the sleeping worms, breaking at times through their skin and pouring his fury onto our world. He is also known as First Son, So’Rai’s purest conduit, taken form.

Aeros: The Sky Serpent, Lord of Winds, Thunderbird, and Granter of Rain. The churning drafts of our sky are the passing of Aeros’ manifold. He comes as breeze, gust, and squall, shower, storm, and hurricane. The most fickle of all is Lord Aeros. He is the planter of seed, the singer through the branches, and the air in our lungs. He is the might of the thunderbolt, the bludgeoning of hail, and the clouded heights.

Terra: The youngest of Gaia’s children, Terra is the Lifebringer, Summer’s Eye, and Mother of Green. While Gaia is a primordial force encompassing the fullness of existence in our World, Terra is the progenitor of life in its many forms. From the lowest blade of grass to the highest soaring bird. From the insects that crawl under Tarrak’s skin, to the fish who swim within Atlevitas. Even we, mere mortal flesh on two clumsy feet, owe fealty to Mother Terra. Her love for us is the only force in the way of Gaia’s unbridled fury. For her sake, the Grand Mother keeps her claws at bay, striking in anger only at the foolish few who trespass or overstep.

Arisia

Mother Night and Mother of Mysteries, Arisia is the void of night and keeper of secrets.  The music of her stars reveal the future to those who can hear their song.  All of creation is encompassed in her heavenly being. Arisia is Tharis’ feminine aspect, his sister, bride, and reflection. By their bonding did existence come into being. They are Black and White, Fullness and Emptiness, Within and Without. So’Rai, Gaia, Meridia, and every star in our sky, are held within Arisia’s Womb. (It serves to note that Arisia is the primary source of xial faith. I will be covering this subject in other texts.)

Meridia

The Lady of Night, daughter of Arisia, is Meridia, the One of Many Faces. In Old So’Rian mythos, each of Meridia’s faces is considered a different aspect, with its own name and personality. (This is a practice the xial have continued. Most peoples know Meridia now simply as “the moon”. Few cultures still refer to her by her ancient name.)

Sari: The Crescent. The Child Moon is the Goddess of the Hearth, and protector of mothers, childbirth, and family.  She is prayed to for the safe return of a loved one, for the safety of children, and the unity of the home.  She is a goddess of protection and healing, kindness and mercy.  She is depicted as an amber owl.

Kiyo: The Full Moon. The Hunter's Moon is god of The Hunt. Kiyo is prayed and sacrificed to by hunters, trackers, and woodsmen.  Respect and reverence for the Hunt and the Kill are his demands.  The use of all parts gained by such a sacrifice is also mandate. He is depicted as a regal white stag.

Elinel: The Gibbous. The Harvest Moon, Goddess of Plenty.  She protects crops and grants the bounty of fish. She is the goddess of feasting, festivals, wine, and the harvest.  She is depicted as a great bear, with fur the color of autumn leaves.

Nirin: The Half Moon, Twin Moon, Still Moon. She is the balance. A time of equality between light and dark when no sides are taken and no prayers answered. Nirin the impassive is said to watch without care and will never intervene.

Alciren: The New Moon. Black Moon, and Storm Moon, Alciren is the God of Discord.  Also referred to as "Old Ren", "Bloodmoon", and "Grimnight", Alciren is a feared and respected deity.  Known as fickle and willful in his habits, his very presence heralds tragedy.  He is sacrificed to so that he remains appeased.  He is depicted as a terrible black wolf.

The Calican faith could be defined more simply as an extension of Calusian faith which seeks to embrace the divinity of all cultures and races. While founded in Calusian belief, the Calican faithful do not seek to abolish or decimate other faiths, but to learn from them and adapt them into their own expanding belief structure. The Calicans do not seek to instill unilateral ideology, but to give humanity an understanding of its origin and place in the world — not as rulers, but as a part of the greater whole.

In this mythos, the Solarin gods and creeds are retained, though despite their welcoming nature to other beliefs, the Calicans did not absorb deities full cloth. Many took on different interpretations, names, and aspects, likely to minimize contradiction and paradox.

As a prime example, So’Rai (The Rai) is known as Cal-Siege. (The reason for this change remains unclear) Cal being an honorific, meaning Lord God. Cala being the feminine equivalent, Lady Goddess. Arisia, for example keeps her name but is known as Cala-Arisia. Same goes for Gaia who is referred to as Cala-Gaia. This honorific is the most readily identifying mark of a Calican.

Tharis is known as Cal-Tharis, and while he remains a manifestation of Time and Death, he is not seen as the progenitor of all creation. In this variant, Cal-Tharis is Cal-Siege’s brother and rival. A story tells of how in jealousy of his brother’s glory, Cal-Tharis took mighty Gaia by force, and from that terrible union was born Conetus Solaris (The Solar Eclipse)

Conetus Solaris: The son of Death and Life, Conetus is described as a being of paradox. The Undying Prince is the black sheep of the Calican Mythos. Born with mastery of both Time and Death, he grants those who follow him the power to deny both. While the gift of immortal youth is something many would gladly seek out, the following of Conetus is known to have a keenly dark edge. What little is known about the mysterious cult hints at human sacrifice, daemonic worship, and even cannibalism. (The very maladies attributed to the Calican Mytho’s most renown deity, Cala-Neteri)

The Mother of Lies , Queen of the Vorx, and Most Tainted are but a few of the titles the Calusian Korgurate and Zoniran Priesthood have granted Cala-Neteri. Before the Neterian Purge however, she had very different titles. The Mother of Sephrins, Teacher of Lost Secrets, Seeress of Pearl, and Nexus Gate to name a few.

The Neterian Faith as we know it began in the island nation of Mudora, just off the wild shores of Lunary. A Council of twelve women calling themselves the Sephirot ruled the island, unrestrained by the edicts of Sacred Parliament. The exact shape of Mudora’s economic and civic structures were lost when the nation was toppled and its cities razed during the Purge, but volumes of speculation have been written since.

Neteri’s teachings spread quickly through Mudora’s wildly successful trade routes. The massive ships called Nightengales anchored at every major port and brought kelashin with them, as well as the alchemical teachings needed to work it. Kelashin, now known as marrow, bone-shinn, or core-shinn, changed the world forever.

The rise of Neteri was meteoric, bringing forth the Age of Reclamation. Neterian Academies were built in every major city across the known world. They were centers of learning, commerce, and academic exploration. Man’s most erudite masters, artists, and inventors flourished in the Halls of Neteri. Cala-Neteri was deemed a goddess, more powerful than all others. The people of Neteri worshiped the Winged Serpent and worked diligently to increase her wealth and influence, raising temples and monuments to her honor. The Neterian Sephirot soon grew to threaten the power of both the Calusian Korgurate and Sacred Parliament.

The Age of Reclamation ended when the Neterian Sephirot was brought before Parliament and convicted of heresy and vorxcraft. The Mastiffs of Rashnal were formed and unleashed on the Neterian people.

Threatened with annihilation, the people of the Winged Serpent took up arms and fought back. Neterian Dragoons, Drake Knights, and Wyrvens clashed against an alliance of Paladins, Hammers, and Mastiffs. The bloody war carried on for decades, threatening to drown the world in blood and fire. While it is known today as the Neterian Purge, the conflict was popularly called The Ballad of Tharis and The Shi’Ka War.

Countless lives were lost in those black years. Near the end, the conflict began to turn in Cala-Neteri’s favor. Most historians agree that Neteri’s forces would have ultimately won the war, if not for the summoning of the Kragten.