Mae'Ahso Faith

Mae-Ahso, or Mae-Ahso niv le Anujan Verjah (meaning the Holy Eye of the Sleeping God in Najer), is a sect of the Lost Gods faith practiced exclusively in and around the city of Nahrayn. The faith chiefly reveres Ajvudah, the Lost God of Heat, but accepts the existence and power of other deities as well.

Mythology
Followers of Mae-Ahso believe that the physical world was formed by an outpouring of energy from a higher plane, which created the first gods: Ajvudah, Menkauhor, Taramsej, Koshaf, Gafa, and Duyani. These gods made their bodies into the world, each one a different part of the whole. Other gods would create celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the first humans, and other sentient races.

The first six gods told the people of the world that all things would one day come to an end, just as it came into being, and the energy that formed reality would ascend back into the higher plane, but changed into a new form by their action in life.

The sentient races were created to be unique in their ability to make meaningful choices and foster change. Therefore, those who are able to improve their lives and the lives of others would transform into a higher, more pure state. Those who spread hate, destruction, and contention are turned into a lesser, weaker state. Those who do neither are ripped apart, dissolved, their energy recycled to a new purpose.

Therefore, it is the duty of the gods to guide people to make correct choices. However, many deities have many different ways of teaching, and not all are benevolent. Followers of the Lost Gods, including the Mae-Ahso, believe that the teachings of the original six deities are the most pure and most correct out of any religion.

Ajvudah
Ajvudah was once a widely-worshiped deity. Her "body" resided beneath the world, heating the earth from the inside, and harnessing and containing the heat of the sun for humans to use.

However, another force attacked Ajvudah. Corrupt beings used strange magic to steal pieces of Ajvudah, ripping apart the world and creating a tear in reality known as the Void. They took these stolen pieces and corrupted it, creating a new world suspended in the Void, known as the Nether. Powered by Ajvudah's essence, it is an incredibly hot realm, full of fire, lava, and ash. It is still accessible by creating a portal with Ajvudah's power.

The Lost God
This attack sent Ajvudah into a coma, unable to interact with the world consciously anymore, except through small whispers to her devoted. Najer Scholars believe that Ajvudah was the first god to be "lost." Her followers fell away, drawn by the lure of other deities, until only one group remained. This group was part of a nomadic race of humans, who came to mix with other humans, teaching them and once again spreading the worship of Ajvudah. These people would go on to become the first Najer people, the first inhabitants of the Wandering Deserts.

However, around 4,000 years ago, a series of droughts and heat waves caused others to persecute followers of Ajvudah, driving them out of their communities and villages. A man named Tejarel gathered the disparate devotees, and led them to a remote part of the desert. Through guidance from their god, they built a city, which they called Nahrayn. Tejarel and his descendants ruled the city as a theocratic Seyohdom.

Nahrayn became prosperous, and for several thousand years, it was a beacon of civilization in the desert. However, around 850 years ago, the neighboring Mahait Seyohdom began a series of wars to bring the land under their control. Nahrayn and a number of other communities took a stand against this imperialism and banded together to fight the Mahait, leading to a period known as the Tribal Wars, a long series of conflicts between the two powers.

The battles stalemated for many years, draining the resources of both civilizations. Although both were weakened by the end of the Tribal Wars, a critical strike by the Mahait led to the collapse of Nahrayn, it's people either fleeing, being captured, or getting killed in the ensuing chaos. The city was abandoned, too far for the Mahait to inhabit, and it fell into ruin and was buried in the sands of the desert.

Rekindled
Over 600 years passed, and soon even the ruins had fallen out of memory. However, Ajvudah guided a descendant of Tejarel, the first Seyoh of Nahrayn, to rediscover the city. This descendant's name was Hirudo, and it was he who would bring life into the city again. Ancient papyrus and stone tablets, abandoned where they had been lain, told him the history of Ajvudah and his forefathers.

He began building, in secret, a sect of followers who would once again bring Ajvudah to prominence. Although this effort was hindered by his rise through Najer until his crowning as the Emir of Najer, the sect remained in operation until and after his departure from Rathnir.

The Sect evolved on its own, and continues operating in the current day, led by Hirudo's son, Alsham.

Mission and Beliefs
The Mae-Ahso Cult believes that Ajvudah currently slumbers, her power restrained and diminished. They refer to her as She-Who-Sleeps out of respect for her name. In order to strengthen, and potentially one day revive their god, they frequently sacrifice to her and war against the magic and beings that once attacked her and stole her power, which they call the Eldritch.

The Eldritch
The Eldritch is defined as a malevolent force and power, accessible through means that drive the user to madness. The Eldritch is part of the higher plane from which the universe was formed, but it is incompatible with our world.

It is capable of granting many benefits to the user, including immortality, precognition, strength and cunning, telepathy, and the ability to delve into the minds of others. Its usage strengthens the power of the void and opens cracks into reality (it is thought by some of the Mae-Ahso that sharply increased usage of the Eldritch was what allowed Entropy to influence the world and eventually enter it).

It also tends to drive those in proximity to it or its usage to madness, often accompanied by a variety of effects, including a lust for power and status, a belief that one is a deity, a loss of grip on reality, and insatiable violent tendencies. The Eldritch, and all those who channel it, are enemies to the Mae-Ahso.

The Nether
To Mae-Ahso, the Nether is paradoxically holy and unholy. It is a degraded, stolen part of their god, but was part of her once nonetheless.
 * Netherrack
 * Netherrack is a debased form of stone that once existed at the core of the world. When Ajvudah was attacked and the nether was created, this stone was stretched out and twisted, so that it became softer and more numerous. The creation of nether brick is viewed positively by the Mae-Ahso, as it represents a restoration of something violated (Nether brick is an incomplete approximation of the stone's original form).
 * Netherite
 * Netherite is a form of gold that has been tainted by void and eldritch magic, in the form of ancient debris. This debris is leftover wisps of dark energy that solidified when the nether was created. When more pure gold is added to it, it becomes stronger and more durable. Unfortunately, prolonged and constant usage of this material will channel minute quantities of the Eldritch.

Ajvudah and her Worship
Mae-Ahso worshipers believe that they are the eyes and sword of Ajvudah in the world while she is asleep, and are devoted to carrying out her will. They see her as their protector and as the benefactor of all life, and thus is valued over all other deities.

Meditation
As Ajvudah is slumbering, she cannot directly speak to just anyone. Devout Mae-Ahso followers spend many hours in quiet contemplation, tuning themselves to hear Ajvudah's voice. Soul Lanterns are often placed in a ring or other pattern, and when they flare up, connection with Ajvudah has been achieved.

Sacrifices
There are certain items that, when used as a burnt offering, strengthen Ajvudah. Gold, Obsidian, Crying Obsidian, and Diamonds will empower Ajvudah. Items such as Quartz, Netherite, Nether Stars, and other nether items will be rejected, as they are impure, and should be destroyed another way.

Signs of Ajvudah
There are a number of signs and symbols that are strongly associated with Ajvudah, due to containing a small sliver of her essence.
 * Blue Fire and Soul Sand.
 * Fire lit with Soul Sand is powered by divine life energy, courtesy of a godly conduit. Soul Lanterns are placed around sites holy to Ajvudah and the other lost gods because of this.
 * Lava and Obsidian
 * It is believed that Ajvudah was the source of all Lava, infinitely generating it at the core of the earth, but when she was attacked, lava became finite, most of it trapped in the Nether. Obsidian, due to its method of creation, shares the association, and can be used to reconnect to the Nether when heated up.
 * Flowers
 * Although Duyani is more closely associated with flowers, Ajvudah shares a link with several kinds of flowers, including the Sunflower, Wither Rose, and Dandelion, largely due to their hardy, persistent, or in the case of wither roses, deadly nature.
 * The Sun
 * While Ajvudah has no direct connection with the sun, she harnesses its power and shields the world from its unbridled fury.
 * As such, she is sometimes associated with the sun and its role in agriculture, its effect on weather patterns, and the harm it can cause, among other things. Overall, she represents a drive to survive and overcome challenges.