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.

Beliefs
While the details can vary, many aspects of Mari Paganism remain consistent throughout the many regions it is practiced in. The presence of spirits, particularly the souls of the dead, is a universal characteristic of Mari Paganism, as is the worship of the moon as a protector deity against evil spirits or bad luck.

Moon God
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, 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 nation became so large and prosperous that he couldn't hold all together on his own, 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 protected them from any harm that might come their way.

As the story evolved over time, the existence of Tal served to explain why spirits aren't as common as they should be, if a new one is said to be born after any person dies. Tal became a guardian of humanity against the spirits. If Tal catches a potentially dangerous spirit anywhere near a human, he will whisk said spirit away to a place known as 'Shéatatal' (Sky Mountain), a mountain said to be so tall one can touch the moon itself. There they will be kept, unless for whatever reason Tal decides to release them (this usually happens at the request of a trusted human who wants the spirit released) For this reason, it said that spirits avoid the presence of humans, and spend their lives in the isolated wilderness. While communication with Tal and the spirits is possible (see Worship section), he is usually very averse to most forms of contact, and is extremely reluctant to let spirits and humans converse. Only the most trusted of priests are able to efficiently bargain with Tal, and even then he is not always eager to give in to their requests.

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 without fear of being taken away. Cities might experience a surge of inexplicable phenomena, or at least think they experience one.

Spirits
Spirits in Mari Paganism 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. With the favor of Tal, Mari shamans can speak with these spirits to gain a basic understanding of events happening in far away lands. Additionally, Mari shamans can bind more intact spirits to objects to halt their decay into nothingness. These bound spirits might end up developing personalities related to whatever object they were bound to.

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 reduces worshippers' bad luck. If someone were to lose the favor of Tal for whatever reason, they would become "cursed" with bad luck.

Hero Worship
Many region-specific variants to the broader religion involve the intermixing of the location's history with the religion itself. Many famed rulers or otherwise important figures may be elevated to saint-like status. Due to their beliefs about the afterlife, Mari Pagans believe that the souls of dead heroes and loved ones can come back to visit and support them, at the discretion of Tal.

Location and Design
Due to the isolated nature of the spirits who still walk this earth, all places of worship are to be placed away from major population centers. They must also be placed in places Tal can watch over easily. For these reasons, Tal's temples are constructed in mountainous or otherwise elevated regions, away from cities and towns. These temples will either have lots of windows and openings to allow the moon's light into the structure, or lack a roof and walls outright. However, darker versions of Mari Paganism exist, where the watchful eye of Tal is not wanted. These are placed purposefully away from the sky, usually underground. Worshippers who go here are usually seeking to meet a spirit Tal would deem as evil, or are seeking information and/or power Tal wouldn't want them to have. These people must also be careful not to let Tal know of their activities, lest Tal rescind his protection and curse them with misfortune.

Purpose of Worship
Temples are used to communicate with Tal, as well as any spirits he allows into the temple. Temples are Tal's designated location where humans and spirits can interact with each other, because each temple is under Tal's supervision. Since he fears uncontrolled spirits, he will only allow his temples to be used on full moons. Here, humans can communicate with Tal and ask for his blessing in upcoming challenges. If Tal allows spirits to enter, worshippers can communicate with loved ones, talk with old leaders for guidance, or regain lost information from their ancestors.

Ways to Worship
Tal was once a man, and in his mind, he still is. No outrageous, lavish worshipping rites have to be held in his honor, nor does he need sacrifices that could have been used for other purposes. He only wishes that his worshippers will accept all he does for them and show him respect in turn. He wishes for his followers to acknowledge him in their everyday life and not treat him as invisible until they need him, and for them to pursue goodness in their lives. However, this is obviously not universal for all spirits capable of being worshipped. As stated in the Hero Worship section, many towns or groups will have their own version of the religion, most of which include folk heroes that have been immortalized into the local religion. Each local denomination will have their own ways to worship these spirits.

Local Folk Religions
In this section, I will discuss a few of the various local varieties of Mari Paganism.