Ashuran Pantheon

The Ashuran Pantheon (Alternative Name: A'ashism) is a religion practiced by the Dune Elves of the former Dominion of Ashura. It is the second largest religion in Sharla Province.

Among the oldest continuing religions in the world, the Pantheon is one of the only legal religions practiced in the Aurlûnor Velande that is not Twin Dragon. However, it is only legal in Sharla Province and Erúme Province. The Ashuran Pantheon believes that the Dune Elves originated from specs of sands in their original homeland, with all Dune Elves being the children of a deity known as A'ashia.

Holidays and Rituals
There are many rituals and holidays within the faith. The grandest festival takes place during the Season of Harvest, which is equal to October 6th, where the planes of the fertile Nirine River are the most fertile, and the soil is black. This holiday is usually dedicated to Nirine, hoping for a better season and for a better flood for even more food, and for more crops to grow. There is also a Spring Festival that is hosted every Janurary 15th for Anu, which is dedicated as a "Spring Festival". This festival is usually honoring the dead, but it is also for a celebration before the main planting season begins, and hopes for a year marked with good fortune. The coronation of a new Pharaoh is also considered a national holiday, but this can happen any day. This will sometimes substitute current holidays that are ongoing.

Apothecaries usually preform the "Posion Ritual", which involves offerings of toxins to Enkhrah, in hopes they will be blessed to counter disease that may come to a person. These "blessed poisons" are applied to medicines, which are mixed in, and hopefully counter the disease. This offering also applied to Rhajat, as she is the deity of Health and plague-warding. An important ritual in terms of blessing the Pharaoh is known as the "Pharaoh's Sacrament", where the Cult of A'ashia and Dennu circle the Pharaoh, place forth a golden khoseph and a flail, bow their heads, and wish for the Pharaoh to be given their strength and power. This was often used before a major war or a major conflict, as Pharaohs often personally led armies, and were said to give the military a morale boost. Military rituals are usually conducted in the name of Dennu, where soldiers are blessed by priests or priestesses by having palm tree fronds brushed along the sides of their shoulders. These rituals are usually conducted before going off into battle in hopes to be granted Dennu's strength to fight their foes.

Marriage
Marriages are often huge, not just involving vows with a priest and priestess, but a huge feast with music playing. It seems that all walks of Ashuran life have big weddings, even if they are lower class. The quality of the celebration usually varies, with peasants often having music sung a cappella with hands clapping and traditional Ashuran dancing, while nobility has professional musicians play music, fancy food, and guests dressed in extravagant clothes.

Sex is considered sacred in marriage, and it is usually encouraged that once married, the partners should be intimate freely, and to treat each other's bodies as if they were sacred artifacts. Abuse and physical harm caused towards a spouse is considered heretical and strongly frowned upon, with the offender being branded with a mark showing they are a heretic, as well as removal of their chances to reproduce. A couple is always expected to argue, and it is seen as normal, as well as extremely healthy, as it often displays the frustrations and struggles that the marriage could be facing. Divorce is often done through a civil court, and officialized through the couple wearing red bands, which are cut off if they divorce.

Death
When a person dies in the Ashuran faith, the body is sent to a mortuary, where a priest of Anu that pledged their life to being the first step to guide souls to the afterlife begins performing embalming services. Depending on the wealth of the person, the priest will embalm them, and rub sacred oil on the body with a different scent. Peasants receive a clay smelling sort of oil, middle class receive a more rose scent, and the upper class receives the luxurious smell of copper, henna and honey. The body is then placed into a casing. Poorer families usually get the more basic looking box, while the elites and pharaohs get golden casings.

Depending on who died, the person is buried in a small local mortuary mastaba, a necropolis of sacred mastabas, or if they are related to the royal family, a pyramid. Cremated deaths are placed inside of Mausouleum drawers as well as jars. All bodies have canopic jars which contain their organs, including a special large urn for the cremated remains of a person.

A'ashia
A'ashia is the primary deity of the Ashuran Pantheon. She is the goddess of the Sun and Queen of the Gods. A'ashia's domain of the sun is among the most important and vital signs of the world. It is said that without her, everything on this plane of existence, would die and wither away. A'ashia is thought to be a primary source of life, with all other things being seen as her children. Around the Dominion, there were been temples to her that Pharaohs erected and built. It was said that she was also responsible for the many mana pools that would help keep the empire afloat. Much of the sun's energy was thought to have been divine, directly sent by A'ashia herself, to provide life and prosperity to the Ashurans. Her origins are said to have been from the "Great Desert" from beyond the lands west of Rathnir, likely referring to the lands west of present-day Celume Province.

Traditionally, A'ashia's portrayal was that of the Sun itself, and was said to have no form. However, she was later given a form of an extremely luxurious looking female, who does not look Elven, nor like any being of this world. Scholars believe she was intentionally made to look as alien-looking as possible. Despite this, many temples continue to portray the formless appearance, out of respect. Some other portrayals of her include the Lion, which can be seen in the streets of Ebonimemar.

Nirine
Nirine is the goddess of fertility and life, as well as the spirit of the Nirine river. Often considered a mother goddess, Nirine often takes form of a water spirit that can make the river bank fertile by stepping on it. She is said to have been born a virgin birth, being a source of life that provided many people and animals nourishment and the right to exist for many centuries. Her major cult center was primarily Menat-Kahun before the city was abandoned. There are many other temples that laid in ruin following the collapse of the Dominion.

Nirine is often portrayed as a spirit made out of flowing water. She is also portrayed as a red hippopotamus, as in some legends she appears as one. Hippopotamuses were also seen as guardians of the rivers and oceans.

Nedu
Nedu is the God of the Sky, and was previously the husband of A'ashia. He is the second most important deity in the pantheon. His role is the one who keeps the world secure from threats from beyond the mortal realm, and separates the realm of mortals from the worlds beyond, as well as the afterlife. Nedu works very closely with the Underworld Goddess, Anu, to ensure that mortals enter the correct realm upon their death. He also creates clouds to help produce the needed rain and storms to help keep the waters full. He is also to have said to have created all creatures who are able to fly, incluing the now-legendary flying ostrich and flying chicken. At one point they were said to have been able to fly, until he was wronged, and cursed them for eternity to no longer fly.

Nedu is unique among the Gods, as he usually is portrayed on murals rather than in statue form. However, the Second Dominion portray him as a man who holds his hands up all the time, as he is "pushing" the realms above away from the mortal plane. He is also portrayed with his hand upfront, with a spear behind him, indicating his role as the gatekeeper of realms beyond the mortal realm. He was traditionally the husband of A'ashia. However, when the Qanti conquered Ashura, they established a new canon were he was the husband of Anu.

Mutawakh and Sarakwah
Mutawakh and Sarakwah are the sister goddesses of the moon, and concubines of Nedu. While A'ashia shines brightly in the day with her light and power, during the night, Mutawakh and Sarakwah give a peaceful and serene glow to the sky. The feel of the cool air they produce provides a nice change from the usual heat that A'ashia gives, and helps provide the land with a crisp breeze, usually providing moisture. They were also seen as Guardian Goddesses of the Pharaoh during the nighttime, and were quite important in religious ceremonies. No city was complete without a palace having the twin flames, with one being white, and the other being red.

Mutawakh and Sarakwah were both portrayed as a formless moon in the sky, similar to A'ashia's original portrayal. They were also given an Elven form, and are usually seen holding hands in the sky. Some old temples keep the formless motif, though the Elven one is by far more common. They are also portrayed as 2 white cats.

Dennu
Dennu is the Protector of the Pharaoh, and deity of War and Valor. Dennu is a God that was once a Goddess. When he was female, she rode the battlefields, attacking the enemies of Ashura with her dangerous poisonous tail, which was said to feel as if a billion arrows were penetrating one's back. Dennu became so addicted to war that she would go mad, and eventually started to destroy anything that gets in her path. A'ashia and Enkrah decided they had to stop her. Dennu was created to be a man-slayer, as much of the soldiers were men. So, Enkhrah proposed to turn Dennu into a man, and tame her from destroying anything else. A'ashia would create a special type of Fig Wine, together with a bit of blood from Enkhrah's beetle form. This wine was said to give hallucinogenic and magical effects. A'ashia would give the wine to Dennu, saying it was the blood of the True Pharaoh, and that it was a gift for Dennu. She then commanded Dennu to drink it. Following her drinking it, Dennu transformed into a man, glancing at the water, looking in complete shock, as she-now he, noticed that he was slaying his own soldiers. The pool of blood, as well as the corpses that appeared made Dennu feel full of regret, and he ended his rampage. Since that point onward, Dennu became more of a guard, rather than a frontline soldier, and would later become the Guardian of the Pharaoh. However, he would still be worshipped as the God of War and Valor.

Dennu is portrayed as a Scorpion. For their elvish form, it varies from region to region. At first, Dennu was worshipped as either male or female. Some statues were made with Dennu having a woman breast and a male chest, splitting the gender on each side. Animal statues to Dennu usually remain ambiguous, and may vary. However, some temple follow the half-male half-female portrayal, with the face being replaced with a scorpion head.

Enkhrah
Enkhrah is the other protector of Pharaoh, and the goddess of medicine, plots, intrigue, luck, and beetles, which includes scarabs. One of her forms is a scarab beetle. Although she plays a very sinister part of assassinations, Enkhrah is portrayed as a very nonchalant and patient goddess. She is very popular with doctors. The toxins of Enkhrah's blood, which is beetle blood, is said to cure the most powerful venoms when mixed correctly, while also delivering the death of many of the Pharaoh's enemies without laying a single finger on them. The Goddess also played a part of stopping Dennu's madness when she was out killing her own soldiers by using a part of her blood with fig wine not to kill, but to transform Dennu into a man. At one point, the Pharaohs of the Dominion had pet scarabs, which were seen as a symbol of good luck.

Scarabs and beetles were deemed as sacred animals, and it can be a punishable offense if one purposefully kills a scarab (not accidental), though it was rarely enforced. Most of the upper class would try to own a scarab farm. Enkhrah remains popular among doctors, assassins and spymasters, but also among archers, gamblers, and others who are lucky. Her only change was her role in medicine, as Rhajat already fulfills that role. However, rather than changing her role, some cults combined Enkhra and Rhajat together as Enkhra-jat, a beetle-woman with a cat tail.

Anu
Anu is the Queen of the Underworld, and the wife of Nedu, the God of the Sky. While her husband rules the sky, Anu rules the underworld. However, the two work in a harmonious pattern. She deems if souls are worthy to head to the afterlife of their choosing, or are to live in the underworld to atone for their sins and lies. She usually ferries down bodies to the gateway of her realm. If souls are deemed to be worthy and pure, answering her questions as truthfully as possible, they are deemed worthy to pass through the other gate, which is a portal to Anu's realm in the sky to be guided to their afterlife. If the heart is not pure, Anu consumes it, and sends the soul to her realm in the Underworld, in which, depending on how wicked they are, are sent to either a pitiful part of the underworld, or the most damning part of it, which is said to be pitch black and eternally depressing and.

Anu was at one point just a mere associate of Nedu before she was paired with him, when Nedu was divorced from A'ashia in the Second Dominion. Anu would remain his partner even after unbanning of the Goddess' worship. She was also the patron goddess of mortuaries and of court houses for those who are being sentenced to death.

Rhajat
Rhajat is the Goddess of Health, Sanctity, Plague-Warding, Domesticated Cats and is the Warden of the Ashuran Desert. She is extremely popular in the Ashuran Desert. Her role is mostly mixed with Enkhra's role as the goddess of medicine, except she also caters after the desert in A'ashia's stead. Her affiliation with cats comes from a myth where once, a city was infested by serpents and rats. Rhajat would be in the city at the time. One time, a giant rat came into view, and began to target civilians, spreading pestilence. Suddenly, several wild cats would appear, and assist Rhajat by using their sharp claws to penetrate the skin of the beast, and help pull it down, before Rhajat slammed her hammer into its head, crushing it head. The wild cats would begin to sweep away the serpents and rats, consuming them. Rhajat was extremely grateful to the cats, so she domesticated them and introduced them to society. Cat killing was made a criminal offense in the dominion due to Rhajat worship, and it continues to be against the law in present-day Sharla Province.

Rhajat was originally known known as Heshar, and was the Goddess of Health, Sanctity. She was known as the "Plague Slayer", as she was blessed for ridding the First Dominion of plague. She would remain on the pantheon as Heshar until the conquest of the Dominion by the Qanti, which would officially adopt the Qanti name of Rhajat. She is portrayed as a black-haired woman with a large hammer, crushing a rat's head.