Salranism

Overview
Salranism, brought back to life by Saya-Orin of the Razuni Sultanate, is a religion that believes the world is not run by gods, or any higher beings, but is made up of a seven part Balance, with us, as living beings with souls, as one of the said seven. People who follow it do so with the goal of improving themselves and the world around them by growing closer to said Balance. It is the religion that the former Razuni Sultanate rules their lands by, and is claimed by a few outside of their borders. It encourages deep and independent thought on the world around us, and spreading kindness and ideas.

The Balance
The Balance is obviously a very important part of Salranism, being what the religion is centered around. The seven that make up this Balance are us and anything else with a soul, often including animals and some other spirits, as a whole referred to as The Silran, All of nature, or as many phrase it the earth itself, called Seran, Force, meaning the energy put into work, war, or even into the slightest of exertions of energy, called Khalenth, what is known in the world, often simplified as knowledge, or Almaerifue, peace, sometimes referred to as order, known as Odenados, the bringer of hope, also known as the lord of dreams or simply V'resthmi, and The Great Zarazeer, who is death. These seven forces work together to form our world, each piece relying on the other to exist and prosper, creating what is known as The Balance in an effort to make sure we are not returned to Isthmaius, who is chaos, and is ever growing.

Practices
Salranist practices vary from person to person, but consistently show in a Salranists actions, beliefs, and the way they hold themself. A Salranist, for example, takes care of those in need, and respects others. They fight against unjustness, whether through words or through the sword, and protect knowledge and nature, valuing culture and life. They do not fear death, knowing it is inevitable, but not without valuing life, preventing people from dying before their lives have been fully lived through. They know self control, and if they do not show this, then they show clear dedication to reaching that point.

When they do have organized practice, it is using mostly basic rituals and rites using various tools, the most prominent of these being the Circles of Selcran, and Altars for gift giving. A circle of Selcran is built out of any material, as long as they are kept sacred, but they consist of a center altar with a flame and a chest underneath, and four pillars coming off of this altar, each an equal distance away, that are also lit with flames, and have chests at the base. The pillars are connected by a circle, making the circle around the altar that it's named for.

Altars often consist of a barrel, a fire, and some kind of symbol, often a Salranist Sigil. This is most often used for basic communing with the Balance, the item being burned in the fire or left in the barrel with some kind of spoken word or rite. An altered version of the altar is used for initiations, but those are often only conducted by those who are a member of the Court of the Marked, or have been trusted or ordained by them to do so.

Structure
The Court of the Marked is a group of seven individuals who have dedicated their lives to protect one part of the Balance, one for each respectively, and being examples to not only those that follow Salranism, but to the entire world. They act not as leaders but teachers and guides to those who ask it of them, or who decide to follow the Salranist faith. They are The Apothekhary, who is the Marked of the Silran, The Augur, who is the Marked of Seran, The Ahelsai, who is the Marked of Khalenth, The Aldri, who is the Marked of Almaerifue, The Arbiter, who is the Marked of Odenados, The Avias, who is the Marked of V'resthmi, and The Abhorsen, who is the Marked of The Great Zarazeer. They each take up responsibility based on which Balance member they were picked for, and bear the symbol of said Balance member somewhere on their skin. Not as a brand but as a mark of their dedication, and of the Balance Members approval of said person for that role.

The second group of Salranists is the Ahnastavi, teachers ordained by the Court, sometimes deciding to dedicate themselves to one member of the Balance, even sometimes going to the extent of forming groups of seven in the same way as the Marked, or forming enclaves dedicated to that Balance member. They are allowed to initiate Salranists as the Court are, and to manage temples. Getting initiated in Salranism is not something that a Salranist is required to do, but is an act that they can take to show their dedication to the Balance more publicly.

Symbolism
Symbolism and the arts are very prevalent in Salranism, being used to convey their appreciation of the Balance. These things, and symbolism as a whole are considered to possess power, as it is considered that the more belief and Khalenth, or force, that is put into these things, the more power they will hold. One of the most common pieces of Salranist symbolism is the number seven, it appears in a great deal of Salranist architecture and practices, being seen as a number of power, as it is the number of the Balance. While this is the most common, the second is the Salranist sigil, a eight spoked design seen as structures and on banners around Salranist meeting sites. Believed to strengthen the connection to the balance with it’s presence, it consists of one central vertical line, with a shorter horizontal line in the the center, and lines connecting these lines together, forming a sort of circle, with the other four spokes reaching off of them. The top of the center line represents V’resthmi, while the bottom represents the Silran, the middle line represents the balance as a whole, and each of the spokes on the connecting lines represents one of the Karashore. The center is the Great Zarazeer.

Pre-History
Salranism began long before the days of Ratham, when the world was young, brought to the savage, greedy people of the time by three masked figures, known as the Salran. These figures taught them of peace, of the Balance, and with this brought them the ensuing magic. Over the next several generations they stayed with them, teaching them to improve upon themselves and their world, and the power of being close to the Balance. There came a day, however, when they chose seven of their best followers, and placed upon them new marks, one for each of the Balance, naming them the first Court of the Marked. They stayed with them for seven more years, training their new court, before vanishing. Salranism would go on to spread across cultures and places across the globe, slowly evolving into different religions, before finally, the last Court, and the last Salranist identifying nation, fell.

Rediscovery
Salranism was rediscovered by the nomad Saya-Orin V. Kollisyaid accidentally, after she fell into one of the temple ruins in the Razuni desert, and discovered the remnants or various glyphs and scripts. She would take some of these with her when her and her traveling friends came upon the nations cities. She studied them idly in her free time, struggling to decipher the texts. Nothing would come of it until, on a stroke of luck, she was brought up by the then leader to find a religion to rule by. She selected the one she had been studying, Salranism, despite her limited understanding. And in this was appointed an unmarked Arbiter, and helped peacefully spread this crude Salranism throughout Razuni’s lands.

Enlightenment
Warnings of a great war reared their heads in the lands of Razuni, troubling the scholar, who was by now working with her son, Malar Razud Kollisyaid, to continue to try and learn about this ancient religion. But these warnings deeply troubled her, so, out of other options, Saya said her goodbyes and fled into the desert, carrying with her only her clothes and an incomplete script they had found detailing a ritual to influence great change and grow closer to the Balance. And so she spent weeks in the desert, fasting and meditating while trying to figure out this ritual. Until at last, she connected, communing closely with the Balance and learning clearly the ways of Salranism. She returned to her home city, now healed of her ails and Marked Apothekhary of Salranism, leading us into the present age. Salranism has since played a major role in the culture of the Razuni Sultanate, as well as the origins of the nation Zarazin

Current Court of The Marked
Apothekhary - Saya-Orin V. Kollisyaid

Augur - None

Avias - Sheep Van Bee

Aldri - Harry K. Kollisyaid

Arbiter - Ahni'la Kollisyaid

Ahelsai - None

Abhorsen - Groovy Kobold