Asitir

The Asitir faith is a religion from Southern Syltör, having originated from the Early Seraan Confederations as a formalization of the generalized belief system shared between the many tribes that composed the Seraan civilization. Its central and holy city is currently located in the Lunar City-State of Lirgal. The hierarchy of the Asitir Alaryn is centralised in Lirgal; Aldara Ellan acts as Valyre, the Head of the Asitir faithful, and the 4 Deralynor (Divines) of Asitir have residences in Lirgal.

Asitir is highly polytheistic, with various deities being able to reign over the same concepts, and has some elements of animism, as many Asitir believe every living and natural thing is inhabited by some form of spiritual being and the like. During the times of the Kingdom of Olarã it was treated in a henotheistic fashion, with each Seraan city having a patron deity they venerated alongside Asi, the main goddess. Some strands of Asitir propose a form of monotheism, with other deities being considered extensions of Asi's will.

Though the greater concentration of Asitir practitioners is found in Lirgal, many other countries have small populations of practicing Asitir. Even in countries such as Aurlûnor Velande the practice is alive, with the few that partake in this religion often syncretizing it with the Twin Dragon beliefs, or declaring adherence to the State religion publicly while practicing Asitir in secrecy, despite Asitir being legal.

History
The Asitir religion was the result of the coalescence of various practices exercised by the several Early Seraan Confederations. Every single Confederation had their own practices considered Asitir, but the centralization of the religion began within the city of Kaliné, later the capital of the Kingdom of Olarã. It thus organized itself around the central deity, the World-mother venerated by all variations of the Asitir religion, the Moon goddess Asi.

The religious texts were not unified until the Conference of Divines hosted by the High Edaiship of Kaliné. Every city in a confederation had their own divine, and each divine had their own interpretations and versions of the myths and lessons of the Asitir religion. In a conference that lasted three months, the divines agreed upon a formulation of the Adaere Namu ("Road of the Righteous") that from then on became a paradigm of the religion. This conference also culminated on the creation of the title of Valyre ("Lightbringer"), a ceremonial title also referred to as the "High Divine", that was tasked with lorekeeping, divination, and scholarship of the Adaere Namu. Even with the presence of the Lightbringer, the divines of the different cities held a high level of autonomy, being able to choose the interpretation for certain teachings.

The religious centre of Asitir was traditionally located in Kaliné, where the Great Asi Temple, or "Asitunmãe" ("House of the Moon Goddess"). When the Kingdom of Almador invaded the Kingdom of Olarã, the Asitunmãe was ransacked, the idols burned, and its structure felled. It was one of the first buildings to fall, as a representation of the triumph of the Celestial Elves and the Almadorians over the Asitir religion. The fall of Kaliné did not mean the end of the Asitir religion, though; the various wandering clans of the Seraan people continued to practice and spread this religion.

Nowadays, the Asitir religion is experiencing a revival, with several people of non-Seraan backgrounds converting to the faith, and further the Lunar City-State of Lirgal, in the heart of the Empire of Aldovir, becoming the holy city and religious centre of this practice. While many of the religious people that follow Asitir reside in Lirgal, there are also a few inhabiting other places.

Reformation and Revival
As Lirgal continued to grow in size and population at the heart of Aldovir, many new converts to Asitir began to settle in the city. With new citizens came new ideas, and new ideas evolved into discussions and debates about all manner of topics. One such topic was Asitir itself, specifically the history of the religion. The efforts of Aldara Ellan to translate old Seraani holy texts had allowed the song of Asi to reach many more people than before, and soon Asitir could be found all over Rathnir. The effort to revive and preserve the religion soon became an effort to manage its growth; as more and more people became followers of Asi, the greater the strain on the Lunar Council to oversee the transition of individuals, groups and even potential governments into adherents of Asitir. Discussions began pertaining to how the issue could be resolved, whilst outside the government some of the Asitir faithful were taking part in debates of their own.

One evening, whilst most Lirgalyns were asleep, a number of Asitir Scholars and Priests gathered in the Temple of Asitir. The following morning, the citizens of Lirgal awoke to find that the Temple was sealed shut for the first time; those inside had begun a series of thorough and intense doctrinal debates about the direction the Asitir Alaryn would take. The talks lasted several days, with only sporadic snippets of information being released by Temple officials every morning. Before long, many onlookers from every corner of Aldovir-and even beyond its borders-had travelled to the city and gathered to witness whatever was happening. After several days, an announcement was made; consensus had been reached, and a date was set for a Ceremony in the Temple. When asked what the Ceremony was regarding, Temple officials stated that the Reformation of the Asitir faith was underway-and that the Ceremony would not only officiate it, but also convert all those willing into fully fledged members of the new Asitir Alaryn.

When the day arrived, Lirgal was bustling with both the Asitir faithful and travellers from beyond Lirgal’s borders. The Temple of Asitir was opened at last, and a crowd soon filled the rooms inside to catch a glimpse of the announcement in the holy room. Aldara Ellan stood on the podium, flanked on either side by the others who had partaken in the reformation debates. As onlookers took their seats, the ceremony began.

The Ceremony had two parts; the appointment of 5 Deralynor (Divines), and the election of a Valyre (Lightbringer). This would be the first time either roles would be filled in centuries. All of those present-Aldara, Gael, Enkai, Spacer and Ellira-became Deralynor of the Asitir faith, with each giving a brief statement outlining their devotion to Asitir. Ellira nominated Aldara as a candidate for Valyre, and Aldara nominated Ellira. The resultant vote was unanimous, and Aldara Ellan, the last Templekeeper and the saviour of the Asitir faith, became the first Valyre in centuries. Following this, the newly centralised Asitir faith was declared formally, and it was announced that all those seeking to be fully initiated into the Alaryn of Asitir were to follow the Valyre and Deralynor to the Shrine to the west of Lirgal. It was here that the Deralynor, along with several other devotees of Asitir, gathered around Valyre Ellan and partook in a ceremonial chant. This was to be the new initiation ceremony, to formally induct prospective Asitir into the Alaryn. After the Ceremony had concluded, a celebration was held in Lirgal to mark the official restoration of the ancient Asitir Alaryn.

Religious Texts
Asitir possesses a developed theology. Though most of its religious books are in the Seraani language, the Asitir Templekeeper Aldara Ellan has worked on translating several of them, among them the Adaere Namu, the Lirgodal, and the Valvatlan. Though further books are being translated into Traveller's, these currently form the bulk of the knowledge of Asitir by those who follow the religion, but do not speak the language.

Asitir encourages writing and disserting on its tenets, texts, and interpretations. It, most importantly and notably, integrates a system known as Paradigms: Through consensus, voting, or simply through gain of popularity through time, a book, text, or even simply a phrase charged of meaning can be a paradigm. It is a widely accepted interpretation of the texts, or a tenet that does not necessarily exist within the religion at first but becomes a recognized reality.

The currently translated texts of the Asitir faith are the Adaere Namu (Road of the Righteous), the Lirgodal (Skychant), and the Valvatlan (All-Birth). The Adaere Namu is not necessarily considered a formative and absolute text of the religion, but rather a paradigm.

Beliefs
The cosmology of the Asitir religion is complex, with certain unclear elements. They believe the world is composed of one unique thing, that the universe is, in a way, the body of a deity, and everything that exists is a modification and ramification of this body. In a sense, nothing was exactly created, because the Universe-Spirit gave birth to itself, creating the possibility of its own existence. The first thing to emerge from this body was a dualism, an opposition between the nothingness and the everything, being and non-being: a dualism that later evolved into the opposition between light and dark, life and death, abundance and scarcity. To the Asitir, there is a great equilibrium in this world, and every tragedy that happens in nature has the purpose of creating and equilibrium, counteracting a miracle, a blessing. The Universe-Spirit actualizes itself, trying to reach a perfect equilibrium in its being.

Asi
The goddess Asi, Goddess of Travellers, of Paths, of Voyages, of Wisdom, of Vagrants, of Truth, of Artists and Writers, and Goddess of Moon, became at some point the main goddess venerated by the Asitir. They do not venerate the Universe-Spirit, for it does not need offerings or prayers, it does not heed calls or smite the unworthy, it just is. Instead, they saw in Asi a primal representation of equilibrium; between Sun and Starless Night, the Moon is the equilibrium, the light in the dark, the way between daylight and obscurity. Moonlight was thus also extremely important for Asitir witchcraft and practices, as they believed that the moon, because of its representation of the equilibrium between one of the ancient forces, light and dark.

Asi was venerated alongside other deities and spirits by all Asitir states. She was always seen as the Mother Goddess, she who birthed being itself out of her womb, allowing equilibrium to be broken and thus for the universe to change, evolving, making itself: as she had control over equilibrium, the forces of the universe were at her command, and by tipping the scales a ripple of disequilibrium took over the universe and allowed for things other than the perfect harmony of primordial forces to be.

In this sense, then, the Asitir venerate Asi as the Goddess of Equilibrium, but also as a Goddess of Ways, Free Will, and Being: as she chose to disturb the status of the universe with the intent of causing change and evolution, she made the first choice, the first choice of many, that had a unique effect. Some wandering clans have strayed away from prioritizing Asi in their worship, preferring to venerate different deities and spirits as their main ones, but still respecting Asi as the Mother-Goddess, the Opener of Paths, and the Creator of All.

Alaruara
Alaruara is the conventional name given to both deities and spirits in the Asitir religion. The Asitir believe that every singe concept or abstraction is ruled by one or multiple deities - such as the God of Trees, the Goddess of Rivers -, while specific things may have their own spirits. An Asitir could believe in Dana, the Goddess of Rivers, and a spirit which inhabits the specific Alfino River.

While deities are in a general sense venerated, spirits are different, being either adored or abhorred. Spirits of sickness, conflict, and poverty are generally never worshipped (except by certain witches), while other spirits considered benevolent might be given gifts and offerings. An Asitir community might, for example, make an offering to the spirit of a certain field, in hopes of producing more of a grain yield in a farm.

The differentiation between these two kinds of entities in common speech is "Alatun" for deities and "Alarui" for spirits.

Good and Evil
To the Asitir, strict conceptions of Good and Evil are the only forces that do not make a sense in this universe: as what we understand as being Evil emanates from the Universe-Spirit just as that which we understand as Good does, and so the distinction is lost, because they're one in the same in their existence. They believe that every society, every people, every religion, and every culture has developed their own conception of Good and Evil, that is righteous in their specific conditions, their epoch, and for their needs. Good and Evil, for them, is not something that exists independently from any context, in a universal manner, but rather you can only define Evil as that which prevents you from achieving what you understand as "Good".

Some interpretations of the Asitir faith saw Evil as a simple representation of that which is harmful to us; as non-being is more harmful than being, darkness is more harmful than light, death is more harmful than life, we can only see Evil as that which affects our way of existing negatively, prevents us from being, or from acting in our full potential.

Ancestors, Afterlife and Reincarnation
To the Asitir, a soul is composed of several parts, with three predominant energies making up the spirit. When one dies, part of their essence join the Universe-Spirit, becoming one with the soul of everything. Another part remains, populating the air and the skies, following their descendants and those led astray, trying to advise them on what the ancestor souls believes to be the right path. The third one shatters into millions of soul seeds, being blown by the wind into all directions as if it was soul pollen; the shattered souls inhabit the bodies of the young, and develop within them, until a fully formed soul grows. Some soul seeds never meet a target, staying in the air for centuries before disappearing, but most of them find a host.

Ancestors are also often credited with the protection of an individual from curses and malevolent energies, serving as spiritual guardians for a certain individual. They do not necessarily follow their descendants, but anyone they deem in need.

Witchcraft
Most Asitir practiced and continue to practice a form of witchcraft. Within Asitir religion, there are two understood forms of witchcraft: Gonmur and Telmur. Gonmur is referred to, in Traveller's tongue, as "Magic of the Balance", while Telmur might be called by some "Chaos Magic".

Magic of the Balance, Order Magic, or Equilibrium Magic is the form of witchcraft that might be understood by some as "equivalent exchange". It consists of attempts by a witch to exchange a certain object for another, a certain situation or effect for another, called such because it conserves the equilibrium that is natural to the Universe-Spirit. It often involves healing magic, with one's own vitality being exchanged for the revitalization of one another, or even energetic magic. More complex rituals exist; it is said that one Gonmur practitioner once exchanged her own fertility to create fecund soil for a starving town.

Gonmur magic will also often deal with the creation of mixtures and objects of power. Instead of it being mostly an instant evocation of power, a fair amount of it consists of alchemy and brewery, or the creation of enchanted talismans and relics. The work of a Gonmur witch is almost artisanal.

Chaos Magic, or Perdition Magic, is quite different from Gonmur witchcraft. It most often deals with intense and sudden evocations of magical power, not being exchanged for anything. This kind of witchcraft often has adverse effects on the caster or the environment, depending on where it drains its energy from. Small uses of it don't often cause extreme negative effects; big demonstrations of power, however, can have lasting and destructive effects on even the flora and fauna of the casting area.

Telmur magic was increasingly badly seen during the Kingdom of Olarã, with its practice being deemed against Asitir tenets and extremely dangerous. After the sudden fall of the Kingdom, though, small usages of Telmur magic began again, as no central authority was around to control. Most Telmur witches are well aware of the problem with using magic this way, though, and limit it to life-or-death occasions.

Offerings
There are very specific practices for offerings, and it all depends on what Alaruara is receiving it. The specifications vary from types of offering, to recipients, to location. For example, an offering to ask Asi to open pathways is usually done in the crossroads, where you leave on a platter or a small box a metallic object of any type and a kind of alcohol. To ask the woodland spirits for protection, however, you bury coins and gemstones under the roots of trees.

Before the fall of Olarã, offerings to the deities used to be done in temples, and would take the form of a circle ritual involving several participants. With all Asitir temples destroyed, however, they are now usually done in the deep woods or in swamps during nighttime.

Shrines
An important part of the veneration of deities in Asitir were household shrines. In the living room or near the dinner table, the Seraan would set up shrines with idols of their deities and sacred symbology, meant to bring about divine power and protection and as an accessible place of worship. After waking up and then before sleeping, they would often say their prayers to Asi.

With the creation of a Seraan wandering tradition, the household shrines that once were an important part of the veneration of deities in Asitir became wandering shrines. They are usually made on carriages about as tall as a person, with a small roof-like structure to protect it from rain and wooden doors or glass panes protecting the interior and impeding the contents of the shrine from falling. Some Seraan families still have household shrines, but it is very rare as Seraan homes were specifically designed to have a space in the wall for the shrine.

Prayers and Teachings
The Adaere Namu, besides being a book describing how the world was born and how Asi was responsible for putting existence in motion, is also a text containing moral and ethical teachings, and common prayers used by the Asitir. It is customary for parents to teach certain tales from the Adaere Namu to their children, teaching them about the importance of temperance, equilibrium, and unity.

Most Asitir follow a simple prayer routine, it being the first thing they do at the morning and the last thing they do before they go to sleep. Some clans prefer to institute more strict routines, specifying times at which to wake up and pray and even what colour of clothing is adequate.

Hierarchy and Notable members

 * Valyre (Lightbringer) Aldara Ellan
 * Deralyn Ellira Accero
 * The Princess of Lunaris Amaranthine Luon
 * Lirgalyn Scholar Bopra
 * Deralyn Gael Ui Neill
 * Deralyn Nitlovis Tliavan
 * Deralyn Ka Enkai
 * Archduchess Hazel McSpiegel of Anoshphey