notes on religion

Notes/Religion.mkdn

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+## Ibrimic Religion
+
+By far, the most common devotion among men is to Ibrim and His divine family.
+It was Ibrim who fathered mankind, and whose worship has been the hallmark of
+the greatest recorded civilizations.  Historians of the church point out that
+the darkest periods in man’s history coincide with the decline in orthodox
+belief.  (Some proponents of the heterodox churches take issue with this claim,
+of course.)  Ibrim’s sons with his three wives (the sisters Sirai, Agara, and
+Ketra) were the progenitors of mankind, and favored among them was St. Jasbik,
+usually counted as the founder of the church, although different factions
+describe his life differently.  The most common holy symbol used by devotees of
+Ibrim is the Sacred Star, which signifies the multitude of his devotees and the
+guidance provided by the church.
+
+In addition to the orthodox church, there are many factions and orders among
+Ibrim’s followers, with varying degrees of approval or persecution from the
+orthodoxy.  The Army of Saints is among the most militant of orders, focused
+primarily on devotional worship and the study and emulation of the saints –
+almost exclusively those who took up arms for the church.  At the other end of
+the spectrum, The Dream Singular and True is a nearly entirely pacifistic,
+mystical order concerned with achieving communion with “the shared dream of
+reality.”
+
+## Blixa Cults
+
+Blixa, the Black Face, Master of the Hounds of Hell, had been the reviled enemy
+of all living things since time immemorial.  Hated even by the goblins,
+kobolds, and other monstrous races, Blixa and his creations brought death and
+suffering without reason or mercy.  Some men sought power through his worship,
+though likely as many were destroyed as empowered by the practice.
+
+Just under two centuries ago, Blixa was laid low by Thrul, ending the terrible
+Plague of Questions.  Since then, far less has been heard from Blixa’s former
+worshippers, though some still turn up now and then, claiming to be preparing
+the way for their Black Lord’s return.
+
+## Thrul Victorious
+
+Thrul, born a mortal man in a distant land, was already a legendary warrior
+when the Plague of Questions reached and decimated his people.  Resolving not
+only to end the plague, but to destroy Blixa himself, Thrul succeeded where
+countless heroes before him had failed.  In destroying Blixa, he became,
+himself, like a god, powerful beyond measure, and began to amass a growing
+number of worshippers.
+
+Over time, the message of the followers of Thrul Victorious has shifted from
+one of thanks for his deliverance of mankind from Blixa’s schemes to one of
+anticipation for his future overthrow of the rest of the gods.  With Thrul’s
+final victory, followers say, mankind will truly command its own destiny.
+