Sequanothism

The followers of Sequanothism do not praise gods like the common religions but prefer to praise souls, namely the souls of N, Nym and Niloth but also the souls of the present and past holders and of dead loved ones.

The teachings they follow are from a story of an unknown people (dubbed Nothai by Iknothton scholars) about a mortal's, N, struggle to return to the overworld after being cast into hell before he had died by a childish god.

Teachings of Sequanothism:
-A person is not above all else because of their power but because of their ability to understand They are weak and unable to be above alone, no one shall hold power alone

-Greed and aggression are the nature of mortals and they are not to be shunned but utilised in a useful or constructive manner

-No one person can hold all the power, therefore there must never be less than four holder lest one become corrupt

-power bestowed onto you is not to be abused but to be used to help all people of the nation

-help can come in many faces

-everyone shall be perceived on their actions not their nurture (were you came from is not to be judged)

-the village is stronger than the lord

-do not trust those who have power but do not know how to use it

The Event of Holders:
One of the most adorned practice is the selection of the four holders, three events are held every 6th year to determine who the next four holders will be

Each citizen of the nation is able to join in these events

The events consist of a contest of strength, strategy and leadership

The events will change from time to time but are usually:

- a gladiator fight to honor Niloth and the winner becomes the new holder of Niloth

- anything ranging from fundraising for the church to a chess tournament as long as it promotes opportunistic behaviour and the winner becomes the holder of Nym

- each participant will write a new legislation for the old 4 holders to review and distribute to the populous to see which get the most votes, the winner of the votes will become the holders of N

The person who has the highest average score becomes the Grand Holder

Old holders are able to join in these events

This is all to promote change and improvement within the nation for the strongest will reign with their fellow leaders

Sacrifices to the Sequanoth:
There are many “sacrifices” that can be given to the 3 souls of Sequanoth

A sacrifice to Niloth is more of a spectacle then a sacrifice, the warriors and anyone else in the nation will hold a tournament to entertain Niloth’s lust for war and aggression. The winner of this tournament may be granted a gift from Niloth, usually a weapon or item used in war.

A sacrifice to Nym is more simple, Nym enjoys the riches of the mortal world and also the pleasure of it, most members choose to sacrifice their wealth to the church as an homage to Nym but if they actually want something from Nym they must sacrifice it directly to Nym through placing them in the chest of an empty fountain and covering it in lava. However there is another way to get Nym’s favour but we don't really talk about that much

Nym will usually leave you with rare artifacts or “luck”(note luck is just something the church says to keep citizens from being disgruntled if they do not receive anything for sacrificing all their wealth but Nym’s luck as been attributed to many events in Sequanothic Stories)

A sacrifice to N can be made by being creative, making art of them or the holders or building immense structures in N’s name. N will grant the creator rare resources to build with or magical tools to change the land.

The Trial of Flowing Souls:
This practice is one that all members must go through at least once before they can be considered a true follower of Sequanoth, some even decide to do it often as a practice of will and devotion to the Sequanoth.

The trial consists of staying underwater until you have lost at least 6 hearts of health, to show extra devotion some have done it under icebergs or have stated that you must die 6 times from drowning in the same river before you are a true follower of sequanoth, however the church will see you as a follower by just doing the first thing so don’t worry.

Prayers:
Praying to any of the Sequanoth can be done either in a church or in front of a representative item of the soul you wish to pray to.

Praying is a practice to be done on the sixth day of each week(saturday) and you must repeat your prayer 6 times. You can pray for wealth, health or good fortune from these written prayers

A prayer to Nym:
Nym grant me thy nature to find the value in all objects, grant me thy nature to find opportunity in every second, grant me thy nature to create so much from so little

A prayer to Niloth:
Niloth grant me thy strength, grant me thy will, grant me thy ability to face any foe and never fall for long

A prayer to N:
N grant me thy wisdom, grant me thy nature to be creative, grant me thy ability to face the odds with a plan and calm mind.

Prayers can also be more personal but those are ones that are part of the teachings of Sequanothism