Nabu

The Nabu Religion (also known as the Vulpur Nabu or Nabu Faith) is a faith mainly practiced by the Vulpur People of the Vulperium.

Sacred Text
"These writings are for the collective memory of the Vuls. A testament to those of us who gave our lives for the prosperity and survival of our people and culture. The divine word of the gods has foreseen the great return of the Vuls and their hegemony in distant lands. In you we believe. In you we trust. This is our heritage to you.

May Vuldeus bless us with his long-awaited return."

- Introduction of the original scrolls translated from ancient Vulpin The Scrolls of the Nabu and Will of the Vulpur People is a book made from a collection of scrolls compiled by Nuncio Yolcotl and edited and translated by Ixtab Yolcotl. It outlines the gods, what they represent and how they manifest themselves or guide mortals.

Deities
The Nabu have several gods organised into their own tiered pantheons who represent various beliefs important to the Vul Culture.

Greater Entities
The six Greater Entities were deities crucial to the creation of "the cosmos, the Earth and the unconscious". They are divided into Cosmic Entities, Earthly Entities and Unconscious Entities.

Cosmic Entities

 * Atelokyrios - manifestation of space
 * Simenkyria - manifestation of time

Earthly Entities

 * Dusikyrios - manifestation of the earth
 * Diruskyria - manifestation of the seas

Unconscious Entities

 * Megalotéras - manifestation of darkness and evil, is present in the moon
 * Primithea - manifestation of light and good, is present in the sun

Upper Pantheon
The Upper Pantheon are gods who originated from the collaboration of the Greater Entities. They guide and rule the lives of the Vulpur people.


 * Vuldeus - The Patron God of Vulpinia, and Father of the Vuls
 * Candea - Goddess of Good Harvest. She is also associated with building work and humility
 * Lupdeus - God of Honor, Loyalty and War
 * Lycandeus - God of Discovery, Explorers and Father of the Four Winds
 * Hyandeus - God of Knowledge

The most prominent sect of the Vulpur Religion is the Cult of Vuldeus. This is due to the patron god's dominance in Vulpur Culture.

Lower Pantheon
Other gods were foretold in the existing Scrolls of the Nabu and on 16th January 2022 Nuncio Yolcotl revealed that he had been collecting more texts and created a second edition of The Scrolls of the Nabu and Will of the Vulpur People based on his findings. This new edition outlined the Lower Pantheon and the roles of those deities. The Lower Pantheon gods are the children of the Upper Pantheon and manage 'secondary' aspects of life.
 * Zerdeus - First born child of Vuldeus. He is a trickster god who enjoys eccentric jokes, loves parties and festivals and is the patron god of brewery
 * Cuondea - Youngest child of Vuldeus and is his heir. She is a goddess of the lost and helps Vuls find the way home, and is the patron of leadership and lawmaking
 * Lagondea - Second born of Vuldeus. She is the goddess of rivers and lakes
 * Crondea - First child born of Lupdeus. She is a charitable but protective goddess and is the patron goddess of justice
 * Rufundeus - Second child of Lupdeus and his heir. He dislikes war and is a god of peace and patron god of diplomacy
 * Chrysondeus - Only son of Lycandeus. He enjoys travelling like his father but enjoys solitude, and is the patron of nomads
 * Lupulldea - Twin of Latrandeus and child of Hyandeus. She grants instinctual knowledge to Vuls at birth and is a goddess of life
 * Latrandeus - Twin of Lupulldea and child of Hyandeus. He is the god responsible for taking away the knowledge a Vul has accumulated over their life upon the moment of their death

Zerdeus’ Festum vitae
The Festum Vitae is a celebration of life through the brewing and drinking of alcoholic beverages. The festival starts with prayer and begins at dawn and lasts until all alcohol brewed for the occasion is consumed. The longest festival on record lasted a week.

Vuldeus’ Gratia celebrationis
An annual holiday in dedication to Vuldeus. A ceremony is conducted at a Nabu temple or church, the laypeople then return home where they have feasts and offer more prayers to Vuldeus.

Didyma Cultus
A day of mourning associated with the twin deities Lupulldea and Latrandeus. The lives of the deceased are celebrated and remembered on Didyma Cultus. A pilgrimage from the capital city to the shores of the Celestial Sea was undertaken as part of this holiday and candles and roses were placed in commemoration of the dead.

Candea’s Messis
Up to three times a year Vulpur farmers harvest and replant every crop they can and take the grain to the capital to be worked. Candea's goodness is celebrated as are the bountiful harvests she provides.

Vulpur Magic and Alchemy
Main Article: Vulpur Magic and Alchemy

Magic is recognised as a part of the Nabu religion and its study is thought to bring one closer to understanding the gods. Elemental forces are associated with each deity and are used in conjunction with metals, gemstones and magic tools to produce magical or alchemical results.

Clergy
The clergy of Vulpinia is responsible for supervising and carrying out the correct way of professing the will of the Vulpur Nabu. The clergy of Vulpinia follow a series of strict rules and hierarchies, which any member who wants to become part of it must follow.

Magister Officiorum
This is one of the most important figures of power within the entire hierarchy of the state of Vulpinia. Although this rank is not a part of the clergy specifically, the Magister is the one who can decide what focus is to be given to the general cult in Vulpinia, meaning which of the gods is to be given priority. In turn, it is the only position that can appoint a Grand Bothiv for the clergy organization, as well as promote and demote any of the clergy positions in extraordinary situations.

Grand Bothiv
The Grand Bothiv (previously known as the High Father) is one of the advisory figures of the Magisters, and the most important figure within the clergy of Vulpinia. The duties of the Grand Bothiv are to observe and take charge of the cults within the lands of Vulpinia, as well as to appoint priests and clerics for the continued professing of the word of the Vulpur Nabu. The Grand Bothiv is the only position of the clergy that cannot choose which cult of the Nabu to belong to, due to his status, he must follow the main cult dictated by the Magister Officiorum in turn.

Priests
The priests are noble figures appointed by the High Father and on extraordinary occasions, by the Magister Officiorum. they can choose a cult of the Nabu to belong to and prioritize within a city in Vulpinia. Once they choose their cult, they must practice it until the day of their retirement or their demotion. Usually, in order to be appointed as a priest, you must first be a cleric or a nobleman.

Clerics
Clerics form the base of the hierarchy of the clergy of Vulpinia. Like priests, clerics can choose which cult of the Nabu to belong to, their duty as clergy is to form small groups or societies to carry out their worship. The High Father can appoint clerics once they have been patronized citizens and have presented which cult they will belong to.

Cultural Denominations
Each priest and clergyman has the freedom to choose their cult of preference and how to carry out the worship of that cult. The way of carrying out the cult must be consistent with the deity being worshiped and must be authorized by the High Father or the Magister Officiorum. The recognized deities are the ones shown in the Vulpur Nabu.

The Old Cult of Vuldeus
The Cult of Vuldeus is a religious group established in the Second Age of Jagdas. It's establishment was foreshadowed by the Patron God, Vuldeus, hence the name. In the final chapter of the Nabu, Book of Vuldeus, the God describes a pup, baby fox, nestled away in a den. Vuldeus, portraying the mother leads the pup out of the burrow and into the tall grassy plains above. As the mother cradled her babe, keeping it close and out of harms way from other predators; a wolf, likely portrayed by Hyandeus, attacked the den - ripping and tearing at its walls. The mother and pup, however, were gone. The wolf was too slow and the mother and pup had gotten away. Later on in the story, the mother approaches a new land and begins to build her new burrow. This sequence of events repeats itself many more times.

This story resembles the true history of the Vulpur Nation and it's people. The Vulpur race and culture have been on the run for a long time, escaping many militaristic threats in each of the areas they inhabit. A direct effect came from this, known as the Cult of Vuldeus. Many great thinkers of Vulpinia have prophesied that Vuldeus has a specific land picked out for the Free State. This Nation would someday be free from rival nations and a State of prosperous Vuls.