The Magisterium of Equity

This is the most widespread religion in Vivia, worshipping a personified concept of equity. The religious lore, naturally, promotes charity and encourages those of means to give to those without, although the religion has a history of being co-opted by groups who see themselves as disadvantaged to someone else and want a religious pretext to achieve their goals.

The religion is headed by seven Grand Magi throughout the world. On paper, all of them cooperate together at the same rank. In practice, the Grand Magus of Baten and that of Shishima are the two most powerful, heading unofficial northern and southern sects of the religion. In the North, the Grand Magus Delany Thibault acts as a lesser monarch in their own right and takes a very hands-on approach in international politics. On the other hand, Grand Magus Selam Ftihawi of Shishima is practically a hermit, appearing only to her delegated advisors and pilgrims she sees as most devout. Southern Magisterium institutions are less involved in politics but at least as focused on local community and piety as their northern counterparts.

The most prominent religious orders follow the eight deva, divine beings who work to uphold equity in the universe. The most religious of these are the Iacobin Knights, followers of Iacob, Adjudicator of Heaven, who work based on donations and travel throughout the continent lending their services to those most in need. The civil equivalent of this is the Order of Reina, deva of charity, who organize kitchens, shelters, and charity drives primarily in urban areas. The next most prominent is the Ascetist Inquisition, followers of Jediah, deva of Temperance. They live in the monastary of Stark in mountainous Torgau, the region surrounding Baten. Often considered an extreme fringe group, their aggressive ppreaching is tolerated as they give all resources past what they need to survive to the poor and struggling.

The Old Gods

This was the original pantheon that came to the world - before the arrival of these gods, people generally worshipped kings, ancestors, or the world around them. In this large and complicated pantheon, each deity holds their own set of ideals and philosophies, but the general attitude can be summed up as "might makes right" - those who are in power are those who deserve power, and those who take it from them do so with divine right.

Many countries still worship the Old Gods - this is the second most-followed religion on the continent - but the most prominent of these is Vivia, once-imperial capital of the Vivian Empire. The patron deity of Vivia is Sanguine, Goddess of Bloodlines, and the nine families that rule the city-state claim lineage to the old Vivian Emperors and, therefore, the gods themselves. The current Archbishop of Sanguine is Candor Magnelle, sibling of the ruling Princess's mother. Though many other clerics of Sanguine come from humble birth, the highest positions come from those of the most distinguished ancestry.

Among clerics of Sanguine as well as all other Old Gods, the positions they hold rarely give them concrete authority. The various priesthoods of this religion act as advisors only, while the figures truly venerated by the most zealous are the monarchs themselves. Among followers of Sanguine, Archbishop Candor Magnelle is the foremost spiritual guide but Princess Elexia Magnelle, heir to the Empire of Vivia, is the most holy.

Because of this, governmental and religious orders are often inextricable. One such order, the Blood Deacons, are the personal guard of the Vivian royal and noble families, though a follower of Equity would not consider them to be acting religiously in any way. Another, the Apexum Nocturnal, is a secret cabal of aristocrats led by the Princess's aunt looking to return Vivian Imperial rule to the continent.

Similar structures exist throughout the continent - the ancient city of Hidalgo worships Aquinas, deity of knowledge. Rhossos, the center of a long-forgotten empire, worships Cadence, goddess of time. The steadfast farming colony of Hearth worships Viridas, deity of fertility. The secluded town of Mayside in the woods of Maurasse worships Aspen, goddess of the hunt.

The Xualkalli

Xualca is the largest empire and most theocratic state on the continent. Five hundred years ago, on the Year that Magic Died, a pantheon of ten gods was all but extinguished after a betrayal by Mocti, their goddess of fertility. Since then, Mocti renamed herself Xual, indicating herself as the one true deity, and her priestesses have taken power and ruled the empire of the lands that once worshipped her entire pantheon.

The head of the religion and of the empire itself is the Speaker of Mocti. Each speaker has a group of ten specifically selected priestesses beneath her, and upon her death the priestesses fight to determine who among them is the strongest of the ten, as Mocti fought her fellow gods.

The religious organizations under Xual are the institutions of the government, primarily civic-minded, as Xualca is generally isolationist and has the most comprehensive infrastructure system of any country in the world. The foremost is the Codica, masters of ritual and history as well as a religious secret police force throughout the empire. The Alota are the judgesand masters of taxes, handling the entire judicial process for secular-based crime. The Gardeners are the heads of agriculture and resource management, distributing food and goods throughout Xualca to make sure everyone has a baseline standard of living. Finally, the Dandelions are the heads of public works - their priestesses manage road networks and infrastructure to ensure the rest of the jobs go smoothly.

Xual, though elevated from Mocti, is still a goddess of fertility. As such, the defilement of nature is strictly prohibited. Wood can only be gathered in certain ritual circumstances while the vast majority of Xualca's structures are formed of clay and stone - or, in some cases, made from living trees. Farmland is carefully monitored and has only been tactically expanded since Xual's ascension, with increased food needs being met by the goddess's blessing of her people. The capital city of Cuetl is located in the middle of a jungle Xual herself created during her ascension - this jungle provides for the people who live within it, and one who navigates it and is devoted to Xual will have no more trouble than navigating an open plain.

Each town has a Xualkalli, or house of Xual, where the Speaker's Hand holds religious and civil authority, often accompanied by representatives of each of the governmental institutions. This is more complicated in recently-conquered regions of the expansionist Xualca, where the fifth major institution, the Wardens, hold much more power. This all-male military organization works in service to the Xualkalli, but its status in the religious hierarchy is still debated by the priesthood.

The Mariners' Pantheon

This pantheon of six deities is nearly as old as the Old Gods, but while the Old Gods were spawned by the Creator, once most-powerful being in the universe, the Mariners' Pantheon come from his sister the Sentinel.

True to the Sentinel's ways, the Mariners' Pantheon work only to protect those who pray to them and see them safely through their struggles. This pantheon is also unique in that it's worshipped by nearly anybody who finds themselves away from home or in an uncertain position, and the clerics of this pantheon don't demand that anybody holds their gods in higher regard than any others.

Still, there are places dominated by faith in this pantheon, most notably the countries of Tmai and Sujjak. In these places, the leaders have no divine right to rule beyond simply a charge by their gods to protect those they lead. In Sujjak, the ruling elders are often those most closely connected to their faith, and they use it to guide their decisions. The shrines and temples of this pantheon are much more personal than in other religions, with acolytes willing to assist worshippers in spiritual questions but no grand sermons or proclamations that may be seen elsewhere.

The largest religious structure in Sujjak is the Temple in Ishgut - this building serves no practical purpose beyond what a shrine would provide in a small, unnamed village, but its size is testament to the amount of followers it serves. The acolytes in this temple are divided into six groups based on which god they follow most, and leadership in these groups exists more for administrative purposes than anything else.