Voclarianism

Beginnings
Eldham does not exist. There is only one dimension, the Nether. Our story starts with the birth of Voclari… A Demon Prince born from the fiery pit of the Nether and the heir of the fire realm. Voclari was one of the 20 Demon Princes who ruled the land, all filled with hate, chaos, corruption, and death. Their pure energy corrupted their lands which had been transformed into hell itself. However, Voclari was different, he was pure, good, loving and full of positive energy. At first, he tried to hide it and end the conflict inside him but as he grew he realized the flawed ways. He embraced it and became very powerful – an imbalance in the Realm began… The Princes turned on Voclari and named him the outcast, they sent their armies of evil to destroy him. The fiery beasts were not much for Voclari, his power is so immense he destroyed every army the Demons sent. Finally, they confronted him themselves, and a battle for the ages commenced until the clash of negative and positive energy caused a fracture in the dimension itself. The whole world shattered and split, many Demon Princes died that day and through the shock of energy a new world was created… Eldham was born. Born from Voclari’s energy the world was indeed beautiful, however, it was empty. Voclari lived in peace and harmony and helped the world prosper. However, he eventually grew lonely. Thus, the first human was made, Polycaste. Voclari created a companion and she helped bring brightness and love to Eldham. Together they created all the animals of the world and reigned in peace and harmony. However as time flew by, Polycaste, being only human, grew old. Eventually, she passed away, leaving Voclari in an endless depression. After 100 years of being alone, he created all humans around the world which was Polycastes dying wish. Voclari trying to find new love and connection turned himself into human form and lived with humans for a couple of centuries but eventually, his body began to fade. He could never reconnect as he did with Polycaste and as the years became decades and decades became centuries Voclari was nothing but a name in history; albeit one that was venerated and worshipped forevermore.

The Children of Voclari
Voclari and Polycaste had two twin daughters and a son. Unlike Polycaste, for some inexplicable reason, they ascended into minor deities.

Aleta
Aleta is the patron of beauty and love. She often pokes her head into the relationships of young lovers, blessing them forever if they stay together and forever laying a curse if they split, only being repealed with a sacrifice of 5 oxen. Her symbol is the rose, and thus during the marriage ceremony, Voclarians wrap a rose around their wrist as they say their vows, symbolizing Aleta's blessing.

Vάn
Vάn is the patron of healthiness and happiness. She is far kinder and loving than her sister, and never invokes retribution upon anyone. She occasionally takes the form of a cat, and lazily wanders around town. Voclarians always let stray cats into their home, and take good care of them, for it could be Vάn, and she blesses people who do this greatly.

Euenor:
The sole son of the family, Euenor is the patron of pleasure and enjoyment. He is found wherever a party is going on, literally being the life of a party. He takes the form of a short and plump man with a bright red beard, and is said to have a short temper. He sometimes acts in violence when he is refused a drink. This has lead to a tradition where people dress up like Euenor and head to the local bar, and are offered a free drink on a certain day. (bartenders hate this one simple trick!!)

The First Invasion
It’s been many hundreds, even thousands of years since the creation of Eldham and the fading of Voclari. His name has faded into legend, the notion of worshipping Voclari is laughable. Spirits without belief are weak. And so, without a strong Voclari as a guardian spirit, the veil between the Nether and Eldham breaks. The Princes of the Nether, looking for revenge after their humiliating defeat at the hands of Voclari, decide to exact their revenge by slaughtering Voclari’s beloved humans. And so, with nothing to stop them, they enter the world of humanity.

Humanity is woefully underprepared for the invasion. The demons tear through every civilization they come across, slaughtering all, taking no prisoners. Soon, almost all of humanity was wiped out, save for one small and unimportant duchy. However, this duchy had one key difference from every other in Eldham. Its inhabitants still believed in Voclari.

And so, when the time came for the demons to complete their vengeance, the inhabitants of the land put up a brave fight, even more so than the mightiest of kingdoms. However, it wouldn’t have been enough, except for one young man. This young man differed from the rest of his neighbors; his faith in Voclari was absolutely unwavering and the purity inside him was unending. The demons could not fight this young man, and they were forever sealed. The citizens of the duchy resurrected Voclari, who repopulated the world. And, after learning the lessons of this horrible tragedy, would never lose faith in him again.

Right?

Saints
There have been multiple saints in the history of Voclarianism, achieving sainthood for a variety of reasons, of which, great valor in the face of certain despair, honor of the highest degree and many others. Saints in Voclarianism are almost always granted sainthood posthumously.

Saint Ismeni:
Ismeni was Voclari's favourite creation, believing that he had created the perfect being, free of sin and vice. So, Voclari gave Ismeni the ultimate blessing; a single book, with 7 pages. The book was titled "SEVEN VIRTUES". Each page represented one virtue. Knowing it to be from Voclari, Ismeni spread the teachings in the book, and they form the basis for the tenets of Voclarianism to this day.

Saint Lysandros:
It is said Lysandros is the name of the young man who defeated the invasion of the demon princess. He was famously known to be a great statesman and a glorious warrior. All across the world, warriors and statesmen prey for his guidance and help in their endeavors. He was posthumously granted sainthood by the Voclari clergy.

Saint Sebastor:
An army of bandits are amassing outside the Sanctus Bascillia. Aristios is deep in the civil war, and nobody is defending it. With treasure and holy relics abundant, it's a perfect target. Inside the church, there is but one man loyal to the faith. His name is Sebastor. He is a man of about 30 years, and a priest of Voclarianism. He is on his knees, praying, as the great door to the church is being pounded on. As he finishes his prayer, and gets to his feet, there is but one thought in his mind. He will not let the church fall to heathens.

The door breaks, and bandits surge in, eager to begin the looting. Sebastor charges at them with sword and shield, and catches them by surprise. He begins to slaughter the combat inexperienced bandits. However, there are simply too many of them, and he begins to suffer many injuries. However, no matter the pain, he continues fighting. Eventually, he succumbs to the injuries, and dies.

As his body hits the ground, it begins to glow a radiant white. Any bandits within the glow burn, and the others flee. [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Baptisms
For a follower of Voclari to be fully devoted, they must journey to Voclari’s original home, the nether. The journey is extremely perilous; many hardline Voclarians believe for a soul to truly be baptized by the journey they must go in with naught but the clothes on their back, but some moderates believe that a soul is allowed gear during the journey.

Regardless of the things bought with a soul, the goal remains the same. For in the home of Voclari, lay a curious kind of fungi. It is said these fungi came about after the death of Polycaste, her spirit becoming the first of these plants. And so, these fungi have spiritual ties. It is said that when you retrieve one of these fungi, it remains tied to your spirit forever. Therefore, during the baptising, a young Voclarian retrieves a fungus that will stay by their side until marriage. At marriage, the bride and groom exchange fungi, forever binding their spirits.

Nether Games
To celebrate Voclari's power in the nether, 5 tributes will be sent into the nether to survive by themselves and kill the other tributes. Last man standing wins and will be classed as a nether hero and important figure until the next nether games. During these games contestants are only given colored leather armor with only one possible enchantment.

Religion Hierarchy Roles and Descriptions
Although the religious hierarchy in modern days is well defined, it used to be very different. In ancient times the clergy existed out of Sacerdoses and other local religious leaders. Over time though, it came to be that power began to centralise in the patriarch of Oleapolis, the most powerful individual in the church, the Patriarch of Oleapolis would standardise the religious hierarchy and establish a system wrought in stone.

Patriarch
The leader of the faith. This role is only chosen by Voclari himself to those who have the most faith in him and better represent the religion's values. This person manages everything in the religion, from the handling of new scriptures to helping the people's souls guiding them to a life of righteousness thru kindness. He also gives the roles to the positions in the hierarchy that are not earned by rituals. This person can communicate with Voclari via meditation and hallucinogenic rituals that lets them communicate and interact with the god and all souls in the nether.

Kratoras fά Voclari (Voclari's Ruler)
The secondary leader of the faith. They are responsible for assisting the Patriarch with all things, and more closely managing the Episcopis than the Patriarch. They are selected by the Patriarch.

Episcopi
An Episcopi is a religious leader for a country. Every country with a significant Voclarist population has one. The Episcopi manages all things related to the faith within their respective nation. Episcopi usually govern major temples.

Pater
The Pater is like the episcopi, but instead of being for a country, they are for a town or county, reporting to the episcopi of their nation. They usually own a small temple in comparison to Episcopi. Over time many of the Paters were created Episcopi due to their growth in power and status.

Wor Kratoras Vox (Our Holy Ruler)
(In Common)

Oh, Voclari, we come before you with reverence and awe, grateful for the purity lying within thy spirit. We humbly ask for thy guidance through the journey of life, and for thy holy wisdom. May thy light be shed upon us forevermore, and may we never lose faith in thy spirit, lest unholy spirits reign free once again.

Thy Will Be Done.

Amen.

(In High Aristii)

Oh, Voclari, wor hek tάl yor wάn as’rimό ket del, karis’al fάr arosi’al όf yor agόs. Milev, wor va fάr yorv as’doy mer takili’as fά lat. Yorv fόx yel bi akό worv gάnam, ket wor yel xάnam hav fida ό yorv agόs, ikt xu’vox agόsan kra i mόr

Yor yel bi dόm.

Amen.