Bathysian

Bathysianism is a pantheonic religion originating from the sea based nation of Mapetra. While not solely based within the nation its history, beliefs, and references are inextricably leaked and part of Mapetra and its history.

History
The faith of Bathysian comes solely from the ancestors to the Mer, how far back though is lost to time. What is known that as long as the Mer have existed, Bathysian in some form has existed. The original form is drastically different from modern day, instead of gods only representing major ideas, there were hundreds of gods holding sanction over even the most mundane of things. The gods would be regularly venerated with sacrifices for good luck and to make sure their wrath would not be raised. Ancestors were venerated also, being treated similarly in veneration as gods, being called to for guidance in hard time. Shamans existed and their job was to dictate the voice of the gods as a whole and were always well respected by the community. Though over time the religion changed becoming less and less focused on shamans and ancestors as time progressed, when contact was made with outside world again, these beliefs had been almost completely forgotten. When the modernization era began in Mapetra, Bathysian modernized with it. Conflict would arise in the faith as Shamans began to lose all respect, being seen as fakes trying to gain influence and power by pretending to have contact with the gods. Believers began thinking that it was their own duty to understand the faith rather then any other authority. Some individuals even began making making the effort to speak to the gods themselves, congregations forming all focused on the same goal. These groups would soon learn though that it was too difficult to understand all the gods at once so they decided to focus on one, eventually leaders would form in these groups and would take the mantel of priests. By this time, understanding became the most important aspect of the religion and as it has always had, was a integral part of Mapetren culture.

Gods
The Bathysian religion is based around a pantheon of gods with Angility being the head deity. The different gods are the children of Angility created to embody different ideas and aspects of life. They are the full embodiments of concepts found in life, therefore they worshipped for the positive impact they have on the world but also are known for what pain they bring also.

Angility
The creator of the universe and the omnipotent mother of all of life and is depicted as a tall woman with white hair wearing a silver dress. Of all the gods, Angility is beloved by all worshipers for the gift of life itself, but even with being essential to the belief in Bathysain Angility is the least well understand of all of them. The only events known she was apart of was the creation of the universe and its eventual end.

Themis
Themis is the god of order and structure, she represents repetition, the constant rhythm of life and its constant pattern of repeating itself. She is depicted as a tall woman wearing a white shimmering toba. Themis is obsessed with the universe and its vastness. She wished to truly understand the universe so she can fulfill the role she role she was given by her mother or so she believes. Specifically she wishes to bring total order and structure to the realm of mortals and by doing so bring peace and unity. She is known as obsessive, stoic, and self righteous believing that she only knows what “Anglity” has planned for the realm of mortals. She also has a famous rivalry with Dinlas.

Dinlas
Dinlas is the god of chaos and change. Her appearance is constantly changing so when depicted there are many forms she takes, from a invers to appearance, a giant kraken, a red cloud, and other things. Dinlas wishes to “free” the realm of mortals from her sister's influence and give total freedom to all creatures and things, leaving the world's universe without rules and guidance. She is known as abrasive, emotional, and stubborn and deems herself and her beliefs the natural way of being.

Caerus
Caerus is the god of emotion and humanity, they represent the complexity of the human mind, its fears, its hopes and desires, and ability to express itself. They are depicted as a strange humanoid fish man, with fleshing tendrils going across their face constantly fluctuating with different colors. is everything but continstant, one day they will be a muse happily telling merily tales of knights and heroes, the next a sulking mess of anger and angst. Caerus is constantly fluctuating in demeanor and focus with only two things being constant with the god, the love of humans and the hate they have for their siblings. Humans are what drives Caerus, even in their most miserable of states it is their love and obsession of mortals that drives Caerus to move, it their individuality, their complexity, their desires, the stories, Caerus loves everything. And that what drives their hate for the gods, the gods wish to shape mortals into one shape, one form and this takes away everything he stands for.

Alcyone
Alycone is the god of war and conflict, he represents conflict at its most basic form, when two wills decide over the other. He is depicted as a suit of living armor with a face guard for a “face” and is known as cool tempered, laybacked, and having an iron will. What he enjoys and cares most of all is what he calls the great struggle, the inevitable ability of life itself to compete and fight against itself. Observing the strategies, the battles, the stories and manners of how different life forms and empires survive and fall interests him greatly. More than all though he loves the fight, the battle between two wills to decide which one lives and which one dies, the adrenaline and fear it brings, and the wonder of which will win. Alycone loves this and is content to watch the progress of the mortal realm. Though every once in a while he will nudge the mortals one way or another, just to keep the game going.

Beliefs
Bathysian is might one would call the philosophers religion. The focus and purpose of its followers is to not just believe in its gods or to follow its values. It is to gain understanding, in a chaotic world where purpose and meaning is hard enough to believe, its the ultimate goal of the believer to gain understanding. To communicate and understand each other, the world, how to be, and where it all leads. This is the worshipers ultimate fruitless quest, for even the gods do not know the meaning of everything. But that does not matter as many agree that the simple journey is enough. How one should go on this journey and who to listen to is ultimately the worshippers choice.

Sects
Sects are groups of believers that center their focus on one god to get a complete grasp the aspect that their god represents. This usually this makes it so that they will become hyper focused one thing whatever that might be and make it harder to grasp views different from their own. Due to this, joining a sect is a sort of sacrifice, getting a complete understanding and proficiency of one field but losing access to all others. It also is common for people of a sect to adopt characteristics of their chosen god. This also lead sects getting flack from believers that aren't affiliated with any sect and the same being likewise. Sects are also known for fighting each other and even themselves but this normal mortal behavior.

Sect of the Mother: This sect worships Angility. Those in this sect believe themselves a sort of middle man between the different sects and the common worshipper. The sect of the Mother focus on trying to worship and pledge themselves to Angility due to the belief that if they were to be able to understand Angility then they can understand all of life likewise. This plan has proven mostly unsuccessful though in the mean time they also like to focus on helping maintain the faith by documentation of important documents, missionaries, and maintaining a healthy community within the faithful.

Sect of Order: This sect worships Themis. Those within this sect believe themselves to follow the most sacred and true of all the gods. That her word is sacred and if every just followed her then there would be no problems with life. Everyone would have their place and the world would finally be at peace. This this goal has not been reached yet the assured safety, functioning, purity of society must be maintained.

Sect of the Forgotten: This sect worships Dinlas. Those within this sect believe that humanity is forever chained, chained by itself and the meddling of the gods. We must brake free, brake free and release ourselves from the rules and shackles that keep us in ruin and misery. To ensure this the sect focuses on avenging the misbegotten and enacting change to improve the lives of all.

Sect of the Soul: This sect worships Caerus. Those within this sect focus on the soul and beauty of life. There is so much to this world, so many different people, places, experiences, and ideas all floating around. What stories we could tell, what art could we make, expressing and experiencing what makes alive. So they focus on writing, painting, speaking, any form of art to express the human condition and all its facets.

Sect of the Warrior: This sect worships Alcyone. Those within this sect believe strength is all that defines life. Every idea, creation, place and being is defined but what came for it and only exists cause it has the power to do so. So if power defines what can be done, might makes right, and those who wield the power to do so rule. Therefor this sect focuses on strengthening those within it and its community through not only physical training but aslo mental.