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 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, often following the same sort of fit and 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. 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
Salranism utilizes heavy symbolism throughout its structures, as it is believed that this gives more meaning, and therefore more power to buildings, items, and rituals alike. The most common Salranist symbolism used is the repetition of the number seven in practices, buildings, and items, as it is considered to be a lucky number of sorts, representing the seven parts 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.

History
It's unknown where Salranism originally comes from, but the farthest back it can be traced is an ancient society built up on the lands that have become modern-day Razuni, though not much is known about them. Modern-day Salranism was first discovered by Slanority during their nomadic period, after they stepped on an unstable patch of sand and fell into one of said ancient societies temples, and had a vision of what they describe as "a tall humanoid, wearing intricate armor with a flowing white cape wrapped about them, behind the table, hand outstretched and offering them a book". After taking the book they say that the vision dissipated, showing the real age of the ruin, as well as the book, and the fallen skeleton wearing the remnants of the same armor laying on the other end of the table. Their mind filled with questions, they brought the book with them on their travels and eventually reached an at the time new city called Al-Razun, where they would translate it working together with Malar the Alchemist, who has since died. They used what they could grasp of it to help the city in establishing a more solid government, based around the Arbiter, who served the Karashore Odenados, who was order, balance, and justice. However, after that they grew complacent in their studies of the ancient text, setting it aside for other things. Several years later, they found themselves plagued with horrible visions of the sultanate being overrun by strange and horrible creatures, who destroyed and killed all in their path, and found they felt a calling somewhere out in the desert. So, after saying farewell to their family and friends, they travelled out into the desert, where they remained for several months. They returned fully healed of their previous ailments, and with a far more complete knowledge of Salranism, and the title of "The Unyielding", marking them as the current leader of Salranism. It has since been reinstated as the national religion of the Razuni Sultanate.

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

Augur - Harry K. Kollisyaid

Avias - Sheep Van Bee

Aldri - Ben Dawidson

Arbiter - Drayfius Zackar Harad

Ahelsai - None

Abhorsen - None