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 seperated by barriers in which humans cannot pass. The Heavens and Rathnir are seperated by the Stars, and the Void by Deep Rock.

Luxites also believe in the cyclical nature of the world. With the natural cycles of the Day, Month, Season and Year being represented in Lux architecture as well as the practices used in celebration of Lux deities. This is also crucial to the belief in life after death, which in Lux is more complicated than most other religions.

It is said that after death a person is weighed on their nature. If they were good, they will become fuel for the Eternal Flame. It is said their souls are what propagates light and good will across the world, inspiring all and adding to Lux's powers, however, if they were evil, they will be cast into the eternal nothingness, the void, by Tenebris to be forever forgotten and ultimately destroyed.

The Eternal Flame and an Eternal Flame are two different entities, though both of them are very important to the religion. Firstly, The Eternal Flame is located in Luxios and it is said that this flame is the lifeblood of Lux herself. If, for whatever reason, the flame might go out, it will spell doom and destruction, an instability in the Eternal War. This will also end the eternal and cyclical nature of the world, which is said to be created and reborn from the flame, fueled by the people who do good in their lives, if during a given cycle enough practice the faith and do good in the world, a better world will be reborn in the future. Nobody can ever know when a cycle truly begun, and when it will end.

No of the two gods is believed to be evil. Lux posses constructive power, while Tenebris, the destructive. Both can be used for good. Lux's creation can inspire, while Tenebris' destruction may banish evil into the realm of the past. True evil is said to be born of inaction and ill will. Evil people are regarded as ones that do not believe Lux, since Lux in its esssence was, and still is, about hospitality, due to its nomadic belief roots as it was important to help eachother in times of drought on the Ummarnu deserts.

Dieties
Lux: The goddess of light, and she embodies the sun. There is some debate, however, on whether she is the sun or whether she merely uses her power to manifest it. She is a benevolent being and fights on Rathnir's behalf.

Tenebris: The god of darkness, he embodies the void. He is darkness, death, and chaos. Similarities between Tenebris and Entropy are not coincidental, for luxites believe that Tenebris manifested his chaos in form of Entropy and sent it to Rathnir.

There are also a few minor deities, which are half-gods. Lux's court includes:

Paridu: The lady of the household and the hearth.

Wajdu: The lord of order and knowledge.

Parabu: The lady of life and prosperity.

And 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 said to be in a constant state of battle, called 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 day gives them strength and 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 stands.

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 may make other members of the religion a priest or revoke it at their discretion. Priests have the ability to marry couples, divorce them, and be the head of 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 religion traces back to desert nomads in Ummarnu who revered sun as something holy and sacred because of its great influence in their lives, bringing heat and light in the drifting sands, and when it was gone there was cold and darkness. They called the Sun their word for light, Lux, and the night sky (the void) their word for darkness, Tenebris. A Millenia after its conception, Lux became the founding religion of Solisios, turning the series of legends of the Eternal War into a practiced religion.

The Original Sacrifice
The religion was founded with the city of Luxios where the first temple was built. The King of Solisios and the High Priestess of Lux performed The Original Sacrifice. A witness describes it as such:

Several Shards of the Sun were distributed among those at the top of the temple. Some may have been given to other high ranking members of the religion. They remain as holy objects to be revered.

The Holy City of Luxantia
The city of Luxantia, located in Solisios, is a large temple with a city under it. While it is currently under construction, a large artificial sun on the ceiling of the temple. A central building called the spire is the home of religious affairs and the High Priest/Priestess. The city is the center of the religion and many make pilgrimages to it to worship 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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