Zobethos

The image of Gaia as she appears in the Pantheon of the All Mother.

Zobethos (sometimes called Zobethonism or All-Mother Worship) is a Syaran religion centered around worship of Gaia. Zobethos is defined as a monotheistic regligion with elements of pantheism. It is the state religion of the Commonality of Syara, where the majority of its followers inhabit, with several million more scattered throughout Tyran.

Zobethos, the worship of the Titan Gaia, originated in the Makedonian Empire during the 2nd Century in the form of a manuscript which became known as the Chronicles of the All Mother. Written by an author known only as the Chronicler, the Chronicles proposed the supremacy of Gaia, the mother of all creation, over the Hellenic pantheon that permeated throughout Syara and the Empire. Zobethos, as it came to be called between the 2nd and 5th Centuries, gradually replaced the various Hellenic deities, in large part to the popular appeal the faith had over Syara's traditional belief system. Zobethos became the national religion of Syara after the Zobethos Civil War, and continued to exist past the decline of Makedon. Zobethos was named the national faith of the Republic of Syara following its unification in 1875. Zobethos saw an upsurge in popularity in the decades following the Siduri War, and enjoyed a particularily strong revival during the Broken Years. The resurge in Zobethos fundamentalist became a major component of the revolutionary Wardens, who would later overthrow the Royal Families of Makedon and Galania during the Refusal War. After the war ended Zobethos was named the state religion of Syara in the Commonality Constitution, membership of which became a requirement for holding public office.

Zobethos postulates the supreme diety of Gaia, the mother of all creation who is all-powerful, merciful, and pervasive throughout the cosmos. Gaia, whom is ageless and timeless, is responsible for the creation of the universe and all things within it. Although she does not play an active role in the lives of humanity, worshipers of Gaia are encouraged to live virtuous lives of piety, selflessness, compassion, and venerate the natural world. Followers of Zobethos (sometimes called Zobethians) who actively worship the All Mother and live righteously are awarded with eternal salvation in the Elysian Garden, while the wicked are cast into Hades, a senseless and meaningless existence without cause or reason. Those who live neither wicker or virtuous lives are continuously reincarnated until they accept the All Mother. Those who do worship Gaia are often called the Chosen Children, a term that has occasionally been used to advance Syaran nationalism.

Followers of Zobethos typically gather weekly at designated temples for mass prayer, which is led by a Predicant. The faith is managed in part by the Ministry of Faith, but inhouse oversight is done through the Temple of the All Mother. The highest mortal authority of the Temple is known as the Grand Oracle, who oversees the Temple and appoints lower Oracles and Predicants. Numerous temples, shrines, and holy sites belonging to the Zobethos Faith are cared for by the Temple, and protected by the Sacred Guard.

Beliefs

The central tenet of the Zobethos faith is the veneration of the Titan Gaia, who is responsible for all creation. Unlike her counterpart in the traditional Hellenic polytheism, Gaia is the personification of the entire universe rather than just the earth. She is considered a primordial being, a timeless and omnipresent entity from which all is spawned. Zobethians believe that Gaia encompasses all life and things in the universe, leading some analysts to consider Zobethos a pantheist religion. Most however label Zobethos monotheistic owing to the centrality of Gaia as a being to the faith.