Lux

Lux is a light religion which was established in Rathnir and spread from there. Luxites believe in only two gods, Lux, the light Goddess, and Tenebris, the Void God, it is also important to note that the religion does not have evil deities. Lux is the state religion of Solisios, and the capital of the religion being the holy city of Luxantia.

Cosmology and Beliefs
Luxites believe that Rathnir is between two planes, the Heavens and the Void. They are separated by barriers in which mortals cannot pass. The barrier between the Heavens and Rathnir are the Stars, and the Deeprock separates Rathnir from the Void.

Luxites believe in cycles within nature. The day, month, season, year, life and death (Time) are represented in Lux architecture as well as in practices celebrating Lux deities. After death, a person’s soul is weighed. The righteous soul becomes one with the Eternal Flame and will assist Lux in propagating light and goodness across the world. The evil soul will be cast into the Void, which is eternal nothingness, by Tenebris to be forgotten forever and ultimately destroyed.

The Eternal Flame and an Eternal Flame are two different entities and are both important to the religion.

The Eternal Flame is located in Luxios, and it is supposedly the lifeblood of Lux herself. If, for whatever reason, the flame goes out, doom and destruction will come about. The Eternal Flame is a key element to the balance of The Eternal War, so, once depleted, the eternal and cyclical nature of the world, which is said to be created and reborn from the flame, will end. The Eternal Flame is fueled by all the people who do good in their lives. The aim of continuing and increasing the flame is to hopefully birth a purer new world in the future once this world has come to an end. However, nobody can ever know when the cycle will end - much less when it began.

An Eternal Flame is the flame of Lux that is shared among every living thing, and it dwells inside the body, heart, and mind of every individual. Some call this flame the spirit, others say it is one’s soul. The more good deeds one performs throughout their life, the larger his/her flame grows. Subsequently, larger flames are more helpful to Lux than smaller flames, but, if one has at least maintained his/her Eternal Flame throughout their life and has not lost it to evil, they will have a place in Heaven.

Neither of the two deities is evil. Lux possesses constructive power while Tenebris possesses destructive power. But who’s to say that either power is righteous or evil? Evil and righteousness are defined by the user, and both deities are righteous. Lux inspires good and builds a hopeful future while Tenebris banishes evil and destroys the sins of the past. Though the gods are not evil, wickedness still exists within the mortal world. Evil is born through inaction and ill will. It is the practice of not creating/building, not promoting good, or not preventing evil and promoting wickedness such as,...


 * Griefing
 * Lying
 * Stealing
 * Killing
 * Greed
 * Rage
 * Lust
 * Laziness
 * Narcissism
 * Pride
 * Hatred

To be good, on the other hand, is to be...


 * Kind to every mortal
 * Gentle to nature
 * Loving to your enemies
 * Merciful to noobs
 * Eager for companionship and brotherhood
 * Cheerful to give
 * Joyful to help and be hospitable
 * Encouraging of friendship, even among rivals, enemies, and nonbelievers

Non-believers are regarded as ones that simply do not believe in Lux, but they are not to be regarded as evil - simply unaware, indecisive, or merely arrogant.

Lux in its essence is about hospitality. This tradition roots from nomadic beliefs which inspired its inception. These beliefs teach it is of paramount importance to help each other, and these lessons are as relevant anywhere as they were during times of drought in the Ummarnu deserts.

Dieties
Lux: The goddess of light and embodiment of the sun. It is unknown, however, whether she is the sun or merely uses her power to manifest the sun. She is a benevolent being who fights on Rathnir's behalf.

Tenebris: The god of darkness who embodies the void. He is darkness, death, and chaos. Similarities between Tenebris and Entropy are not coincidental. Luxites believe that Tenebris manifested his chaos in the form of Entropy and sent it to Rathnir to wage war against Lux.

There are also a few half-gods - some of which are members of Lux's court:

Paridu: The lady of the household and the hearth.

Wajdu: The lord of order and knowledge.

Parabu: The lady of life and prosperity.

The court of Tenebris includes:

Cutu: The lord of wind and solace.

Kejde: The lady of chaos and ignorance.

Pburadi: The lord of death and warfare.

Legend
Lux and Tenebris are in a constant state of battle, referred to as The Eternal War. When Lux has a victory, the sun rises. When Tenebris has a victory, the sun sets. Day and Night are very significant concepts to Luxites, as they believe the day gives them strength and encourages goodness while the night breeds weakness and evil. Though many may shout, "Praise death to Tenebris!", Luxites claim that Tenebris cannot be killed, nor can Lux. Their war will never end so long as Rathnir exists.

Clergy
Lux is headed by a High Priest/Priestess who is appointed by the Shah of Solisios and its Council. Once appointed, they keep their position for life. The High Priest/Priestess is the ultimate voice on religious matters, even higher than the Shah. They can promote any Luxite to the position of priest or revoke an individual’s priesthood at their discretion. Priests have the ability to legitimize marriages and divorces and have utmost authority within the temples.

List of High Priests/Priestesses of Solisios:

 * 1) High Priestess EcksSteal
 * 2) High Priest Wialend
 * 3) High Priest Jade
 * 4) High Priestess Emelyn H. (Incumbent.)

List of Foreign High Priests/Priestesses:

 * 1) High Priest Echo (current, of Areveyi in Eldham)

Practicing
Lux is practiced by a few means:

Sacrificing: Sacrificing valuables and meat at temples is a way to worship Lux and thank her for her light and warmth.

Processions: Around temples or 4 stations: I - the station of Sunrise, where a minor deity of the Lux's court is celebrated; II - the station of Noon, where Lux is celebrated; III - the station of Moonrise, where a minor deity from Tenebris' court is celebrated; and lastly IV - the Moon's Peak, where Tenebris is celebrated.

Spreading the word: Telling others of Lux is a way to spread the religion and see that others worship Lux. Priests will often announce that a battle has been won by Lux at sunrise, and that Lux has lost a battle at dusk.

Founding
The Lux faith was founded by nomads surviving among the deserts of Ummarnu. They came to revere the sun as a holy orb of light, and; because it brought heat and light to the drifting sands, influencing life in the land to exist, and enabled the nomads to survive the harsh conditions of the desert; it was soon regarded as sacred. When it was gone, there was cold and darkness so the nomad peoples began to hate and fear the dark. They named the sun Lux, which means light in nomadic tongue, and the night sky (the void) Tenebris, which means darkness. A millennia after its conception, the faith of Lux had disseminated far and wide across the sands and was eventually claimed as the state religion of a nation that rose among the dunes – Solisios. At this decision, Lux would soon become a faith known, practiced, and preached all across the world of Rathnir.

The Original Sacrifice
The religion was founded approximately where the city of Luxios now stands. This is where the first temple was built. Together, the King of Solisios and the High Priestess of Lux performed the Original Sacrifice, the first sacrificial offering to Lux ever made. An anonymous witness describes the events:

These several Shards of the Sun remain today as holy objects to be severely revered. Only the high priest/priestess and the original souls gifted with the relics are able to touch them, but one does not even need to touch the objects to feel the presence of Lux radiating from them.

The Holy City of Luxantia
The holy city of Luxantia, located in Solisios, is often described as a temple with a city, instead of a city with a temple. A gigantuan temple occupies the epicenter of the entire settlement, and around it is wrapped a vast temple complex and, wrapped around that, is a sprawling city beneath it. Though the main temple is currently under construction, the miniature sun spawned from the Original Sacrifice can still be seen radiating from the temple ceiling. A central building called the Spire houses the court of religious affairs and the personal quarters of the High Priest/Priestess. The holy city is the center of the religion, and hundreds of pilgrimages have been made to it in dedication and worship of Lux.

Lennox-Luxite Offshoot Sect
It is not known when the religion of Lux arrived in the Kingdom of Lennox, however due to sheer distance from the homeland of Solisios, Luxite belief has morphed into a splitoff sect from the baseline religion. It is theorised that this is due to the prevalence of pre-existing folklore and religious belief in Lennox prior to the arrival of Lux to the region, resulting in a fusion of these beliefs with the faith.

Key differences to central Luxite faith

 * A central deviation from the Solisian base-faith is the Lennox desire to record religious belief rather than rely on oral tradition.


 * Lennox Luxite sects believe that the Heavens and Rathnir are not separated by the Stars, instead seeing the Stars as entirely sentient beings, created by Lux from her ichor. This ichor was spilled during long past battles with Tenebris, forming the first stars. These stars themselves are treated as minor deities, which are supposed to guide the faithful during the time of Tenebris, when the night is at it's strongest. If obscured by cloud, the disappearance of the stars is considered a bad omen for the night, and prayers are spoken.


 * Lennox worshipers believe that Lux and her children are sustained by the worship of their followers, and resultantly will perish withou them. Similar to the core belief, the consequences of the passing of Lux are thought to be disasterous, resulting in a prevalence of direct zealotry in enforcement of the Luxite faith in Lennox. Those who openly proselytise alternate faiths are considered a direct threat to the life of Lux and her children, and resultantly a threat to all life.


 * Paradoxically, Lennox faith dictates that Tenebris and his children are not sustained by prayers of the faithful. However, Tenebris is seen as a jealous god, who covets the adoration that Lux recieves, and seeks to turn away the faithful to win his Eternal War. Despite this, the faithful do not see the god as directly evil, but more as a force of nature that must be placated for safe passage through his and his children's domains.


 * The Lennox faith places an emphasis on numerology in key areas. The numbers 6, 3, 33 and 2 are seen as good omens if appearing naturally, as these numbers represent Lux and Tenebris along with their children. Oftentimes these numbers are seen carved above the door to a residence or into the pillar of a temple for good luck.


 * Night is feared by Lennox worshippers as the peak of Tenebris' power. Prayers and calls through cities are made by the Duatim (The Lennox priesthood) to warn for the coming of night and at dawn to celebrate its passing. Burnt offerings are made at dusk each night to placate Tenebris on the behalf of the population. Sailors are required to offer the largest fish of their catch upon their return at dusk, and travellers are required to leave a precious item of their possession as a gift to ensure the safety of their journeys. A storm or natural disaster occuring at night is seen as a sign of Tenebris' displeasure, and the following dusk the Duatim are required to sacrifice double the previous evening's offering.

Cognia-Luxite Offshoot Sect
Despite the fact that Lux arrived to the Federal Republic of Cognia as soon as it was founded in Eldham via UNK_MER, the faith developed somewhat slower than its predecessors with nearly no written religious texts about the faith currently present in the nation. However there is a key difference between Rathnir Lux faiths and Cognian Lux (known as Narist Lux) which is the fact that Narist beliefs treasure balance between the elements of Light and Void, and the belief that peace is the only true way to reach enlightenment under the Lux faith.

Key differences to central Luxite faith

 * Narist beliefs are currently less defined than the central Lux faith, as no texts have currently been completed.


 * Narist Luxites believe that during the universe's creation, and the creation of Lux and Tenebris, there was another god created of both light and void, this god was known as Saanjh, the god of dawn, peace, and thought. Legend states that when the Eternal War started, Saanjh wished to spare the forces and live in balance, however this would be unachievable if Lux and Tenebris got ahead of one another, so he struck a deal with his siblings, to allow a downtime between phases of the war so no one could get ahead and balance would be kept, and both sides reluctantly agreed. These phases of peace would become dusk and dawn, a brief balance between light and dark.


 * Sacrifices in Narist Lux are different to conventional Lux, in the sense that aiding Lux or Tenebris is the exact same, but aiding Saanjh is a different process. Saanjh thrives off of balance between the forces, so it is said that to clear ones head and meditate will aid him much more than it would any other god, especially during sunrise or sunset.


 * Saanjh is said to manifest himself in several different forms, the red sun, and the red moon. Red sun describes the sun during its rising and setting phase, and the red moon describes the look of a moon during a strong lunar eclipse, these dull colors within the other gods domain allows Saanjh to view over the world even when dawn isn't occurring.

Luxite Nationalism
Luxite Nationalism is a very small sect of Luxism that is predominately found in Zefrania (now a region of Alda), after being created by James Plynorel and spread by Orleborle. It has spread very slowly and very few people follow it in Zefrania alone. The main key difference between Luxite Ntionalism and traditional Luxism is the belief that Tenebris is inherintly evil and seeks to destroy all of Rathnir itself (similar to Entropy).

Key differences to central Luxite faith

 * Luxite Nationalists believe that Tenebris is inherintly evil. They believe that one day Lux will overpower Tenebris, and that Tenebris will die a thousand deaths so night and evil will cease to exist.


 * Luxite Nationalists have political beliefs as well as religious beliefs (hence "nationalism") and believe there should be a strong state to enforce Lux's goodwill and make sure citizen's are regularly making offerings to Lux.


 * Similar to Lennox Luxism, night is generally feared by Luxite Nationalists, seeing it as the time when evil is most prominent. Full moons are, however, seen as a victory by Lux that deserves to be praised, as she is spreading light even in the dark night. Half moons, however, are a symbol of Tenebris's deception - how Tenebris can deceive people into thinking he is superior to Lux. It also symbolizes how Tenebris can only destroy - how he can never fully create light like Lux can, only a demented form.


 * Darkness is feared by Luxite Nationalists, and they will try to avoid it - except in ceremonies where it is required for Lux.


 * Luxite Nationalists see themselves as superior to the other Luxite beliefs (both sects and the central Luxite faith), though still respect all other Luxites even if they see the other Luxites as wrong. Luxite Nationalists also regard themselves as the true legitimate faith but, as stated above, still respect other Luxites.


 * Luxite Nationalist beliefs are still being fully formed by James Plynorel and so are not fully complete.

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