Mari Paganism

Mari Paganism is a loosely-organized animistic folk religion indigenous to northeastern Serrona, particularly the regions of Kaladinia, Xeka, Liberum, and parts of Adalor, which are currently part of the USSE. It is native to the Mari people of the region, though other races who assimilate into the region often end up converting or adopting some of this religion's customs. The religion remains largely decentralized, with different towns and regions often worshipping slightly different versions of the same religion. It is based on folktales, legends, and myths rather than concrete, clearly defined deities, rules, and holy scriptures.

Spirits
Spirits in Mari Paganism are the invisible ghosts of dead humans, They are often just corrupted versions of their former selves, driven by their most basic personality traits from when they were alive. For example, a man devoted to the pursuit of wealth in life would carry on that trait in death, until that goal became the only thing the spirit cared about, to the point of irrationality. Spirits' consciousnesses devolve over time as well, where the older a spirit is, the more one-minded and less emotionally complex it will become. Eventually, even these decay to a point where they cannot think anymore. Mari Shamans believe that as a spirit grows less consciously independent, it will fade into a meandering consciousness that rides the natural forces of the world, for example the waves or the wind. These spirits are called "wisps" Mari shamans can speak with these wisps to gain a basic understanding of events happening in far away lands. Thankfully for the pagans though, decay is very slow, and recently killed spirits will still retain almost all of their pre-death personality at first. There are ways to slow down decay as well, which is listed under the Worship section.

The concept of luck is also linked to the idea of spirits. While the Mari accept many things as simple misfortune, many spirits seek to further their own goals at the detriment of those around them. If a wagon's wheel randomly broke while a merchant was traveling under a sliver moon, she might curse the spirits for her misfortune. They believe that, in warding spirits from them, Tal and the Guardian Spirits reduce worshippers' bad luck. If someone were to lose the favor of Tal for whatever reason, they would become "cursed" with bad luck. This would also apply to those banished from their homeland, or lost the favor of their guardian spirit in another way.

Spirits are drawn to the natural places in the world, away from industrial factories and large cities. Most (not all) guardian spirits try to dispel outside spirits from cities and other places of high population density. Industrialization also can hurt and sicken spirits, who can be hurt by certain manmade toxins. Mari Pagans also believe pollution and the desecration of natural areas is an affront to the Wild Spirits, and heavy industrialists will draw their wrath.

Guardian/Protector Spirits and Hero Worship
Some spirits are said to exist as the guardians or protectors of a specific region or group of people. These are most often historical heroes or nature spirits linked to a nearby natural formation. The power of guardian spirits is directly tied to the amount of worship they receive from their followers (see Worship section), and as such their power can range from extremely weak to incredibly powerful. Guardian spirits use their power to ward away other spirits, bad luck, and can grant their followers/regional leaders similar powers to ordinary spirits. However, these powers would be far greater in amplitude, due to the greater amount of sacrifice and worship they would receive. Guardian spirits are most often connected to natural formations in the region, regional folktales, or historical heroes in the region. Many famed rulers or otherwise important figures may be elevated to this kind of status through worship and sacrifice. For this region, guardian spirits are more likely to protect people than Wild Spirits, since they feel more of a connection to their citizens. Guardian spirits also don't only have to protect a town or region. Some families pray to their ancestors, and treat them as protector spirits. Other institutions could technically have spirits as well, like schools or businesses.

Tal the Protector
The worship of the Moon, known as Tal, the Mylogwé (protector), or the Myldrika (judger), remains an integral part of Mari Paganism. He is accepted to be a very powerful protector spirit. The Legend of Tal is a legend that can be found (albeit with some slight variations) across nearly all Mari Pagan denominations. Summarized, the legend tells the story of Tal is as follows; Tal was a great chief who allegedly ruled over a vast amount of land, and protected his people with his benevolence and strength. His people became so large and prosperous that he couldn't watch over all of them in his mortal form, so he ascended into the night sky and took his place among the stars; the moon. Here, he continued to watch over all his people, and tried his best to protect them from any harm that might come their way. Today, Tal is a generalized guardian spirit, said to watch over wanderers, outcasts, and travelers who have no guardian spirit to protect them. He is said to be able to watch over the entire world, an ability not shared by any other spirit. Tal is one of the only Great Wild Spirits who cares deeply about the human race, and is determined to protect it.

The fuller the moon, the more power Tal has to watch over humanity. During new moons, Tal is turned away and holds almost no power. During these nights, spirits can roam free in wild areas without fear of retribution. Wanderers might experience a surge of inexplicable phenomena, or at least think they experience one, and most cities discourage travel during a new moon.

Amanéa
Also called "The Leviathan," Amanéa is a great ocean spirit, who lives in the deepest depths of the ocean. She is considered the protector spirit of the ocean, and is associated with freedom and wisdom, She is said to take the form of a great serpent, and is longer than a mountain is tall, according to sailors' stories. Amanéa blesses those who she considers to be friendly with calm seas and good fishing, and punishes her enemies with rogue waves, unsafe seas, and by sinking their vessels. She is also one of the only spirits that can always be seen by the average human eye, and cannot disappear. People have gone looking for her in Eldham's oceans, and only some have returned. She is said to be able to grant you vast knowledge and wisdom, but only at the price of something that is very dear to you. The traditional way to worship her would be to respect the ocean and not pollute it, to not venture too far into deep water (which she views as her domain), and by occasionally sentencing someone to death by drowning in her name. She draws her power mainly from the creatures and spirits of the sea.

Barai
Barai is the spirit of trees, forests, wilderness, and jungles. He draws his power from the untamed jungles and forests of the world, specifically living plants, who obey his commands. He is also associated with justice, revenge, fearlessness, and strength. Barai takes the form of a tall humanoid, made entirely of wood and twisted roots. His eyes and mouth are jagged, hollow holes in the wood, and he wears a tall crown of wood and thorns. Barai does not think fondly of humans, especially since he sees them as the reason his wife Kandaia left him. Nor does he appreciate the fact that they cut down his forests to sustain their cities. He will lead humans he believes to be intruding on his domain into traps, and purposefully disorient people who enter forests. He also controls a cohort of shapeshifting spirits, which he will sometimes send after people to kill or terrify them if they commit crimes against nature or trespass where they shouldn't (usually the hearts of massive forests, like jungles). These creatures are able to assume a wide range of terrifying shapes, ranging from massive black masses with too many legs to count, to small innocent-looking children, and when they kill you, they steal your soul and give it to Barai to eat. Only the victims can see these spirits, causing some theologists to doubt their existence as material entities, instead suggesting that they are merely hallucinations induced by Barai's magic. The only way to gain Barai's favor is to not show fear or any other emotion in the face of his monsters, and instead ask to speak to Barai. He will appear, and ask you to put your soul into a crystal he carries around. If he believes you to be good and to have good intentions, he will return your soul to you and ask you what you want from him. You may then speak with him, and he may or may not heed your requests. If you are not good or do not have good intentions for meeting him, he will instead kill you and devour your soul. After you have spoken with him, he will most likely be friendly to you and your companions, and no longer bother you or people you're with. The traditional way to worship him would be to not trespass into his sacred forests, not harm nature, and to leave offerings in the woods to show your devotion.

Kandaia
Kandaia is a spirit associated with cultivation, health, agriculture, hard work, generosity, and creation. Kandaia was originally a lesser spirit of the wilderness, similar to Barai, before she grew fond of a certain group of humans that used their land not for the stripping of its natural resources, but for the cultivation of new life. They took only what they needed, and prayed to Barai and Kandaia like they did to their guardian spirit. Barai refused to trust them, and in the end, when Barai threatened to curse them to spite Kandaia, she left Barai to protect the humans. Her form is that of a human woman, so it is sometimes said that Kandaia will walk among us, quietly observing and judging us. She gains her power/life force from the small amount of life force that humans give off by simply existing, as well as some of the life essence of harvested plants, and works to recycle that back into plant growth. She is also the subject of a ritual feast that occurs during harvest season, where humans will eat to their hearts content, but share a lot of their food with the animals of the forest and the countryside alike. They will then praise Kandaia together. Kandaia blesses the harvest, and blesses those who are generous or weak with good fortune and good health. Those who are selfish and greedy, she curses with a bad harvest and/or sickness.

Lialas
Lialas is the patron spirit of natural beauty. He is associated with nature and forests, plants, melancholy, nostalgia, and beauty. Sometimes, he is associated with poetry and art as well. He shares control over plants with Barai, but unlike Barai, Lialas is peaceful and careful instead of vengeful and wild. While he also has no fondness for human urbanization and the destruction of natural beauty. he is not innately hateful of humans, and reacts to destruction with sadness rather than rage. Lialas draws his power from the natural energy plants and animals give off, much like Barai and Kandaia. Lialas would not punish destructive humans, except by possibly informing Barai about their destruction. Instead, he would seek to reward the humans he sees as thoughtful, responsible, and kind, and convince them to do good for the world. Humans that go looking for peace and tranquility in the wilds of the world might end up receiving one of his blessings, which could take the form of a random burst of inspiration, a good idea, a feeling of serenity and calm, or the washing away of their earthly fears and mental scars. He is not known to take a material form, but is instead said to exist in more whimsical aspects of the world. He might be described as a bird's song, the rustling of leaves in the trees, or the rhythmic burbling of a stream in the woods.

Aspirar
Aspirar is the spirit of the sky, the king of the wisps. When spirits decay into wisps, they will eventually be led up into the sky, where Aspirar can finally grant them freedom from their meaningless existence. Their power will instead be used to fuel the life of tomorrow, in the form of rain from the sky. He also gains enough power from this to support their storms and keep himself alive. For this reason, while the sky is often percieved as free and chaotic, Aspirar is said to represent duty, responsibility, honor, and new beginnings. It is the wisps that act with mindless, careless freedom, and Aspirar that keeps them in check, not their king. While he holds power now, Aspirar knows that the title of Wisp-King is a changing thing, and unlike many other Great Spirits, Aspirar does not believe that one spirit can hold power for too long without growing lazy and corrupt. He instead seeks to appoint a mortal human as his successor, like has been done for millenia. Aspirar is not the first, and will not be the last sky ruler. That mortal will grow up, and upon death, be taken by Aspirar to his palace in the sky. There, the mortal spirit will take over Aspirar's task, and assume his name. The old Aspirar can finally rest in nonexistence. Sometimes, Aspirar will lend his guidance and wisdom to mortals, if they ask for it. However, because he mustn't leave his sky palace, all humans who wish to speak with him must travel to a place where they can reach him. During a storm, they must climb to a mountain peak, and shout into the storm. From there, he can give guidance to those who listen. Unfortunately for them, he will only respond to things he considers to be very important, which is to say most things humans are concerned about will not be taken seriously.

Spiritual Power and Magic
According to Mari Pagans, all living things possess two different kinds of "force" essential to both living things and spirits. One is life force, which is what prevents a spirit from decaying and gives an organism life. The other is spiritual power, which dictates how well a living thing can converse with the spirits. Spirits use life force as the fuel for their existence, as well as the fuel for their magical ability. Having lots of spiritual power can make giving a spirit life force easier and more efficient, so the best shamans tend to have a lot of spiritual power. It also dictates the amount of life essence you take into the spirit-life when you die.

Spiritual power is partially assigned at birth, with a lot of people being naturally powerful or naturally weak. However, pursuing a calm and controlled lifestyle without emotional outbursts can create an affinity with the spirits as well. Mari shamans are known for being calm, thoughtful, controlled, and at peace.

Spiritual Magic
There are four different kinds of "magic" Mari shamans can practice. These are scrying, focus magic, necromancy or animation, and direct life magic.

Scrying: Scrying is when Shamans use their connections to the spiritual world to hear news of far away events as they happen. They can learn from both wisps and intact spirits. Some very powerful shamans can even see through the eyes and senses of willing spirits, taking scrying to the next level.

Cursing/Blessing: Curses and Blessings are the terms used for the act of bribing/convincing a spirit to interfere with someone's life. This can be for good or for bad. A shaman might grant a spirit life essence in exchange for them harassing and haunting someone who once hurt the shaman.

Focus Magic: Focus magic is magic involving intact or partially intact spirits' ability to channel life force into energy. Users usually collect a spirit into an item to cast their spells, hence the name "focus" magic. Shamans who control these spirits can create light and sound, heat and cool objects, and even move things at a distance, although they can't be very precise with their movements. This kind of magic is probably one of the most useful, but requires the user to sacrifice life force to use. Usually, this comes from the shaman themself, meaning it can be potentially dangerous and definitely exhausting for the user.

Necromancy/Animation: Necromancy and Animation is what happens when a spirit inhabits the corpse or body of another being. This corpse or body has to be constantly fed life essence, or else the new construct would just die again.

Direct Life Magic: Direct Life Magic is the direct transfer of life essence from one spirit to another spirit or living being. This invigorates. heals. strengthens, or energizes the recipient, though this kind of magic requires a lot of life essence to use. It requires as much as it gives.

Worship
Spirits, which include Tal and the Guardian Spirits, need human effort to exist without decaying. Since spirits cannot create life force while dead, they need something or someone to give them this life force for them. To serve humanity, they also need spiritual power to be given to them. Life force and spiritual power can be given and preserved in a couple different ways:


 * The spending of personal strength to give strength to the spirit in question. Not touching an object bound to the spirit will be less efficient than doing so. Efficiency means less life force is lost in the process of completing this form of worship. This will leave the giver feeling drained and exhausted, but that can be fixed in the same way as you would normally fix exhaustion. Eating, drinking, and resting would all help someone recover from a personal strength-sacrifice. This option gives a spirit life force, and prevents decay.
 * The sacrifice of other living things to the spirit in question. This is viewed as dark and immoral by much of society, yet it still remains a viable and less physically taxing option for the preservation of spirits. This option gives a spirit life force, and can prevent its decay from worsening.
 * The binding of spirits to real world items. This does not heal decay like the previous two options, but can slow it down depending on the item used. Some guardian spirits will let themselves be bound to objects to better preserve their life force. Doing this means they wouldn't be as good at watching over their citizens, since they would be bound to one specific location. Generally, the more life essence a spirit has, the harder it is to contain.

Worship is also carried out in non-essential ways, such as thanking the spirits for good fortune or before major events, just to show appreciation and win the spirit to their side. Some churches also have their citizens give gifts to their spirits. This also obviously depends on the spirit in question; a spirit of generosity wouldn't want his followers spending their wealth on a frivolous show of affection instead of helping their families prosper, while a god of greed definitely would.

Temples
Temples are usually designed for a specific spirit, or specific group of spirits. Guardian spirits will have their temples inside their respective towns, and come with the necessary equipment and places for performing worship rituals. Some towns have multiple guardian spirits, each of which usually gets their own temple. Temples for the wild spirits are usually constructed away from major population centers and polluted areas. However, some protector spirits allow wild spirits to enter temples within towns. The third kind of temple is the temple to Tal, which can be constructed either in or outside of a town. These temples usually have lots of holes or windows to allow the moon's light to enter, Some don't even have a roof. While not mandatory, these are often places high up as well.