Religion in Lemobrogia

Religion in Lemobrogia is manifested primarily in Naxóteíðó, the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practices of the Lemobrogian peoples, that are distantly related to those found in the Concordian faith of the Gylic peoples. However, due to the several centuries of cultural and political influence that Syara and Tennai had over the country, this faith has been significantly influenced by Dharmic and Hellenic concepts and practices, to such an extent that Naxóteíðó believers often observe their religion alongside with Hahtta (especially in the south of Lemobrogia) and Zobethos (especially in the north of Lemobrogia), or syncretize it with Hahtta and Zobethos outright. During the period of Acrean protectorate over the nation, several other religions, such as Valatrú were introduced by expatriates and traders, to varying degrees of success.

History

The development of religion in Lemobrogia from the late Stone Age to the early Iron Age can be understood as the gradual synthesis of various cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no single founder, into the Naxóteíðó faith headed by Maèsóňisó's chief priestess, the first hereditary queen of Lemobrogia. This process, driven by learned debates and theological disputes on one hand, by the believers' consensus on the other hand, and also by the belief that no aspect of the faith was to be considered above the need for further research and study, was able to unite the country politically and religiously (as the administrative structure of the Naxóteíðó church and the administrative structure of Lemobrogia's state largely coincided) while preserving local rites and practices - even though local deities or gods were often recast as lesser spirits or demons, or as local embodiments or incarnations of the 12 chief deities of the Naxóteíðó faith.

Eventually, this unified polity declined and fragmented, and the priesthood lost a significant degree of influence and power as a result; several philosophical currents and religious faiths arose, not just heterodox offshoots of Naxóteíðó belief but also, as the country was partitioned between those foreign dynasties based in Syara and Tennai, local offshoots of the Hahtta and Zobethos faiths. A failed Ŋéžé rebellion against Syaran rule in the early Middle Ages gave rise to one such creed, a hero cult centered around the figure of Sahé és Nalé, leader of the uprising and king of Þoúsu; he renounced the non-violent and pacifist ethos of Naxóteíðó, regarded as inadequate when under foreign rule, adopted a patriarchal outlook on gender and sexuality, as he felt that the matrilineal and matrilocal society of Lemobrogia was structured in such a way to stifle the virile bravery and courage necessary to counter foreign rule, and quickly gained allies and followers even outside the city-state he was elected king of.

Respected even by orthodox Naxóteíðó believers due to his generosity and selflessness, Sahé és Nalé chose to offer his own life, being sentenced to death by Syara's local governor, in exchange for that of his allies and followers, and decreed that his possessions and riches were to be distributed and shared among them, in accordance with the Naxóteíðó view on nobility and royalty. After his death, the hero cult developed features and traits typical of an actual religion, with Sahé és Nalé as an embodiment or incarnation of Sažèvaþ, the Naxóteíðó god of authority and leadership, a once and future king that would one day return in the role of a messiah to save his people. With the end of Syaran and Tennaiite occupation, an absolutist, theocratic proto-state was created by the believers in this religion, radicalized by centuries of hardship and struggle; a ruinous war ensued, in which the polities that had been established after the end of said Syaran and Tennaiite occupation were forced to unite in order to defeat this threat.

As several of the believers of what would one day turn into the Salvationist faith headed east, to eventually conquer the Liúşai League and found Xevden, reunified Lemobrogia experienced a national and religious revival; the greater part of the Naxóteíðó branches and schools that had developed were able to agree on a set of shared tenets, and to recognize the head of state as the head of the religion - even as the Salvationist branch rejected both points. The local offshoots of the Hahtta and Zobethos faiths endured, even as they slowly but steadily lost adherents, while Valatrú established a foothold in the country, as Lemobrogia put itself under Acrean protection, to avoid annexation and conquest and retain the independence of the country, at least in its internal affairs; during the period of Acrean protectorate over the nation, several other religions were introduced by expatriates and traders, to varying degrees of success.

By the late 19th century and the early 20th century, as the country's economy was diversifying and thriving, the quick urbanization and the population explosion that were a result of that period's Georgist consensus threatened to erode the role of ancient custom and habit in Lemobrogia; because of this, integralist and restorationist cults and sects began to appear, a process that intensified in the 1960s and 1970s, when a series of natural disasters, sparked by demographic and environmental issues, rocked the country: anarcho-primitivist and eco-fascist cults and sects were created and prospered, in a few cases even influencing policy - by the 1990s, when several explosive devices were set off in the nation by the syncretic Gaèyaseíža faith, killing 4,000,000 people, more than 50% of the land in Lemobrogia had been set aside as a natural reserve, due to the pressure exerted by said cults and sects. To counter this threat, Megelanese PMCs were hired by the state.

Due to local efforts and foreign assistance, these radical offshoots of Lemobrogia's faiths and religions have been forced to renounce violence - however, they are nonetheless influential at the local level: several of the country's planned communities were established by the nation's government as places of internal exile for several of the people involved in the events that took place from the 1960s to the 1990s, and several of those planned communities were able to become actual municipalities with representation in Lemobrogia's government, developing innovative solutions in the field of sustainability under the supervision of the government and, in a few cases, gaining new converts and followers. Moreover, the birth of the internet and of social media has coincided with a rise in cybersectarianism and technopaganism; in fact, concepts such as singularitarianism, transhumanism and the simulation hypothesis are currently being explored through a Naxóteíðó lens by the urban and young segment of the populace.

Demographics

Religion in Lemobrogia

  Naxóteíðó (25%)

  Hahtta syncretist (25%)

  Zobethos syncretist (25%)

  Hahtta (5%)

  Zobethos (5%)

  Valatrú (5%)

  No religion (5%)

  Other religion (5%)

Official statistics show Naxóteíðó to be Lemobrogia's largest religion, with 75% of its citizens engaging in Naxóteíðó rites and practices; however, only 25% of the country's population describes itself as exclusively or purely Naxóteíðó, as it is an established habit to syncretize it with other beliefs in general and with the Hahtta and Zobethos faiths in particular, with another 25% of the population being a Hahtta syncretist and a further 25% of the population being a Zobethos syncretist. Orthodox Hahtta beliefs, orthodox Valatrú beliefs and orthodox Zobethos beliefs are held by 5% of the population each, another 5% of the population adheres to other faiths, while the last 5% of the population is either agnostic or atheist. The state's census rarely, if ever, includes an exact count of Naxóteíðó believers, with offshoot cults and sects being notable exceptions, either due to their exclusive nature or due to reasons tied to national security.

Naxóteíðó

Most of the country's inhabitants adhere to the Naxóteíðó faith, one of the oldest religions still practiced today in Tyran; it is a polydeistic and polytheistic religion: even though it holds the belief that gods are distinct, separate, real divine beings, and rejects the notion that all gods are one essential god, it also states that, even as the universe is the collective creation of several gods (the current state of creation being the result of divine consensus) they then ceased to intervene in the universe's evolution, and left lesser beings the opportunity to exercise their free will inside of it, rewarding those who act in such a way to benefit the universe. In fact, as everything in Naxóteíðó's conception of the universe is subject to an eternal cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth, ethics and morality in the Naxóteíðó faith do not necessarily have, as their end goal, a heavenly reward, but the betterment and improvement of the universe, as even the most pious, saintly soul will eventually have to return to Earth.

Naxóteíðó is characterized by a non-violent and pacifist ethos; Naxóteíðó faithful are encouraged to be curious and inquisitive about the world on one hand, direct and honest about their desires on the other hand, and to shun dishonesty and selfishness, while keeping a joyful and playful outlook on life. Good hygiene and physical fitness are valued, as not taking care of either is seen not only as an act of violence against oneself, but also against those forced to look at slovenly people; accordingly, dirt and filth, excess and waste are seen as physical expressions of spiritual disorder, due to the faith's emphasis on simple living and ritual purity. Moreover, participation in the political and public life of one's surroundings is seen as both a civic and religious duty, for which the Naxóteíðó code of conduct emphasizes and reiterates the need for consensus in decision-making, with even direct democracy being considered to be nothing more but tyranny of the majority.

Naxóteíðó cults and sects

Today, the Naxóteíðó faithful largely recognize the hereditary queen of Lemobrogia as head of the religion, regardless of branch or school; despite this, certain cults and sects, up to and including those Salvationist believers of Xevdenite descent that rejected the 1958 Treaty of Þoúsu, have refused to fall under the aegis of Lemobrogia's state church. They are largely integralist and restorationist cults and sects, that seek a full revival of ancient Naxóteíðó beliefs and practices that have been set aside, but a few such faiths and religions are innovative (such as the Salvationist faith) or syncretic (such as the Gaèyaseíža faith) in character. They tend to stress exclusivity and/or proselytizing, and can adopt radical beliefs such as anarcho-primitivism and eco-fascism; for this reason, the state's census includes an exact count of such believers, because of concerns tied to national security, even as it rarely, if ever, includes an exact count of Naxóteíðó believers as a whole.

Most Naxóteíðó branches and schools, despite their beliefs or practices not being quite orthodox, nonetheless agreed on the set of set of shared tenets outlined by the 1958 Treaty of Þoúsu, and recognize the hereditary queen of Lemobrogia as head of the religion; they include not only the greater part of the Salvationist faith's believers in Lemobrogia, but also the greater part of the country's syncretic Hahtta and Zobethos followers and, to a lesser degree, people involved in other henotheistic, syncretic, or even agnostic and atheist branches and schools - especially those influenced by Concordianism, due to it being perceived as a kindred faith. It is not rare, in fact, for people not affiliated with the state church to take part in its debates and discussions, especially at the local level, and even Naxóteíðó religious texts are notable for including content penned by writers of other religions, if it is found not to contradict content penned by Naxóteíðó writers.

Other religions

Besides the long-standing and well-established presence of the Hahtta and Zobethos faiths, several other faiths are present in Lemobrogia as well; Valatrú has had an established presence in the country ever since Lemobrogia put itself under Acrean protection, while the country's close ties with culturally or politically adjacent countries such as Gylias and Megelan have favoured the growth of congregations devoted to the practice of Concordianism and of Megelanese traditional witchcraft, albeit chiefly among people of full or partial Gylian or Megelanese descent. Other beliefs and faiths are present in the nation as well, but they are rarely, if ever, adhered to by more than a few thousand people each, Moreover, in theory, agnostic or atheist views are upheld by 5% of the population but, in practice a significant percentage of Naxóteíðó believers is only culturally Naxóteíðó - even as they appreciate Naxóteíðó culture and espouse Naxóteíðó values, they do not believe in any deity.

Freedom of religion

The administrative structure of the Naxóteíðó church and the administrative structure of Lemobrogia's state have largely coincided for most of the shared history of the country and the faith; even during periods of foreign influence and political division, the functions and structures of the state kept their religious relevance, despite existing only on paper. While the reunification of Lemobrogia in 1569 restored said administrative structure in full, the radical reforms of the 1960s and 1970s separated the church from the state, with the church taking the name of Unified Covenant of Lemobrogia. Today, even as the queen of Lemobrogia was retained as its head, the Unified Covenant of Lemobrogia enjoys no special prerogatives or privileges, except for those related to the rituals and practices that the country's royalty has to follow. Today, Lemobrogia is rated even higher on freedom of religion than Gylias - due to this country's open prejudice against certain faiths and religions.