Mystria
Mystria
| Area | TBA |
|---|---|
| Population | Double Digit Billions |
| Density | ??? |
| Demonym | Mystrian |
| No. of countries | 39 |
| Countries | |
| Dependencies | |
| Unrecognised countries | |
| Languages |
Languages
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| Time zones | |
| Internet TLD | .myst |
| List of capital cities of Mystria |
Mystria also known as the Mist Continent is a steampunk fantasy role-playing region and in-character alliance, originally founded by Crystal Spires, Democratic Eurasia, Yesopalitha and Metanih. Although many other members have been added, in present times it typically contains over twenty nations and has an enormous population. Mystria is involved with interegional roleplay and is a close distance to the Pony Lands and Paradoxia. The Lands of Mystria is the land of the Gods and Primordials blessed by the tendrils of Mana and Aether, Connected to the world by shifts by the Etheric Planes. The Land is Populated by Man, Elves, Beastlings, Unbidden, Changelings, and Dwarves. Also sharing the land are terrible beings, monsters of imagination and the darkness that comes from a dream turned to a nightmare. There are a variety of Governments within Mystria and there are many stateless nations in Mystria along with guild halls, Holy Orders and Hidden Realms within.
Geography
Mystria is made of of the central Mist Continent, and the Outlands which are constantly changing with the ethereal shifts which reform the outlands. The shifts bring forth nations from other dimensions, and on occasion they disappear into the eldritch dimension of the ethereal plane.
Origins and History
It was said long ago in ancient times that the Gods created our land of Mystria from the chaos of the Abyss, and upon its inception the Gods created life:
The Wonderous Goddess Enwe, Lady of Transcendence, created the Elves and blessed them with her beauty and magic.
The Resourceful God Serion, Lord of Knowledge, created Humans and blessed them with his wisdom and intelligence.
The Unyielding God Voldok, Lord of Courage , created the Dwarves and blessed them with his bravery and tenacity.
The Warm Goddess Nenya, Lady of loving-kindness, created the Changelings and blessed them with warmth and altruism.
The Strong God Fornt, Lord of Justice, created the Beastlings and blessed them with fair-mindedness and balance.
The Humble Goddess Lirea, Lady of Temperance, created the Woodfolk blessed them with self-discipline and mercy.
With this creation of life the world was split into 6 pieces these 6 territories were deemed as the ancestral homelands of the Bidden, and all things were harmonious and free from death, harm, and suffering for many years.
The People of Mystria
There's several major racial categories. The humans, the elves, the dwarves, the beastlings, the changelings, the treefolk, and the unbidden. Within each racial category there's several distinct ethnicities within the racial categories. Most of the Mystrians share the same Pantheon, but they each worship different a different God or Goddess by region, ethnicity, and personal moral codes. There are atheists, but they have less social influence than those who worship the pantheons and patron gods, otherwise there is some religious discrimination throughout. The unbidden are unique in that many of them do not worship their father patron god, but have several different cults of personality. There's many different existing languages, and 7 different writing systems for each language group, but literacy is uncommon.
Humans
In the Hymns it is said that humans are well renowned for their intelligence and were even blessed by Serion the God of knowledge himself. It was with this knowledge that humans were able to develop such vast cities like Altea, Suld, Mordovia, and Lynnberg. The Capital City of Altea demonstrates the true power of human ingenuity by combining Beastling Mechanization to create an insanely intimidating architectural design and a vastly fast paced industrial city. However the people live in squalor with no visible middle class in Altea, and many humans have chosen to abandon their ancestral homelands to spread out and live far from the Capital, making one of the cities with the highest distribution of human population, Caltris, Capital City of the Beastling Homeland.
Their culture is varied, and they are diverse in their tastes, morals, customs, and habits. However their great skill and intelligence have made them, by far, the best at producing medical and chemical technology. Humans typically stand at medium height, with men noticeably taller and heavier than women, but they are still notably diverse appearance-wise. Their skin shades range from nearly black to very pale, their hair from black to blond with many different textures, and their facial hair (for men) from sparse to thick. Humans tend to get along with most races with an exception for certain types of changelings and also, for humans that live out of Caltris, beastlings. Their Chief deity is Serion, and the ever famed Knights of Serion are well-known peacekeepers that live throughout Mystria. The less well known orders of Serion are their priests and templars who dedicate themselves to the order in different ways by keeping libraries, hospitals, holding festivities and clerical practices.
Elves
In the hymns elves are known for their beauty and magic. Their great skill in magic and their beauty have made them, by far, the best at producing art and textiles. They are often tall and slender in appearance, and possess great beauty, and often do not possess facial or body hair. They to look frail, and have advanced magic skill.They are well renowned for their poetry, dance, song, lore, aesthetic, and magical arts. Elven architecture has inspired many of the different races for it's sheer beauty and practicality. They created cities like Celebriwyn,Sarreni, and Nilmarith. Their capital city of Nilmarith is densely populated, but yet more elves are spread out through the Elven homelands and many more live in very tightly knit village units. Their culture is very tradition oriented. At first glance one would assume that they live sheltered and peaceful lives in their woodland villages, but they learn martial arts and magic arts from a young age and many of them have well advanced weapons training. Elves do not often meet other races in their own villages, and as a rite of passage when they become adults at around age 20-30 they become filled with the desire to wander and see the world.
Seeing the races for the first time, they often are racially discriminatory out of innocent ignorance and compare their civilizations to other ones and often consider their own to be superior. They usually become disaffected with travel and return to their own home villages. Their return is often a sign of maturity, and those elves who choose to stay traveling or choose another state then their homelands are thought by their own elfkin to be perpetually children. Their well-hidden villages blend into the forest where they hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables. Their contact with outsiders is usually limited, though they do create the majority of clothes and influence the styles throughout Mystria. They get along well with treefolk, but they often have a distaste for beastlings and dwarves. Their Chief deity is Enwe, and the religious orders are very nature oriented, and focus on the needs of Elven society.
Dwarves
- Main Article: Dwarves
In the hymns dwarves are praised for their great courage, and rightly so, for their prowess is well known throughout Mystria. Dwarves are well known for their skill in warfare and their ability to withstand physical and magical punishment. They have great knowledge of mining and ore refinement and their ability to commit to hard work is what lead to great cities like D'thradal, Logonn, Gronth, and Terradin. Their cities are carved out from the insides of mountains and their Capital City, Terradin is well known for its rich Orichalcon veins. Dwarves are notorious for their monopoly on the trade, refinement, and mining of ore, and thus their lands are often filled with very wealthy beings. Dwarves are about 2/3 the sizes of humans, but they are just as heavy as them. Dwarf men have very fast growing beards, and they often do not cut them and instead intricately design them. They have warm relations with treefolk and beastlings, but they do not have warm relationships with any other races. They often are vaguely religious unless you mention the art of battle. They are well known for their grand tourneys and grand melee tournaments. Each dedicated to their patron god, Voldok. They are known as the founders of the Samurai order as well and their commitment to honorable battle is legendary.
Treefolk
- Main Article: Treefolk
In the hymns the treefolk are praised for their self-discipline and mercy, and they are very much the backbone of Mystrian agriculture. They vary in appearance, some looking like the ancient wood nymphs, dryads of legend, feywild tricksters, and others looking like living tree-beings. Their homelands are well founded with their cities and villages made specifically to not harm the environment or overconsume the resources. They often are known for their ability to cultivate land, and also for their very kindly merciful nature. They get along with all races and they are universally well respected.
Their homeland has few existing major cities, but Sylandral is the capitol city along with cities like Cedanslin, Lysandria, Sintrali, Fornei, Mertiala and Moryla.They act as trading posts and cultural centers where much of the agricultural goods are transported throughout Mystria. Their patron God is Lirea, Goddess of temperance and they have a few different holy orders, the most important being the Wanderers of Eventide, they are traveling clerics who perform ceremonial duties such as weddings, funerals, child blessings, induction into the holy order, and banishing of the ills.
Changelings
The Changelings are praised in the hymns at the most altruistic of Mystria, and they are also enigmas in Mystria because changelings possess 2 forms, one is a humanoid form that possesses a distinct mark that makes them a changeling which they stay in for normal situations, but they also shapeshift into another form which is the creature form. The most well known are the changeling dragons, because despite the reputation for altruism and gentleness in the changelings, they are well known as incredible warriors. There are also many more subtypes of changelings which can transform into just about any animal in existence and in fantasy. Their homelands are divided among the different changeling groups, but they have major cities like Terciborn, Margorfin, and Corbal. Corbal is the capital city, and it is said in Corbal every single animal you see is probably a changeling, so many people who visit must treat every animal with respect or may face a rather angry changeling. The Changelings, because their ability to shapeshift, often take jobs in transport and distribution of goods. They do these jobs because they have an obsession with travel and can be seen wandering through several different villages and homelands, and unlike most races, they do not have a problem getting along with people of any race because of their transformative abilities. Their patron Goddess Nenya is adored throughout the lands and many temples and shrines are dedicated to her throughout the land. Their religious order is unique in that they have sworn sisterhoods, and fraternal orders that work alongside one another, as opposed to having separate monasteries.
Beastlings and Demihumans
- Main Article: Beastlings
Praised as the most fair and balanced peoples in all of Mystria, the beastlings are very socially oriented. Their sprawling cities are loaded with magitech, and advanced technology due to their production of mechanized goods and high density of labor groups. Beastlings are creatures that are described as half man- half beast, as such their appearance varies upon which beast they resemble so they can resemble anthropomorphic animals or mostly human. They have a very complex court system, which is well known for its ruthlessness in delivering a fast, but fair judgement. They have large bureaucracies, and their religious orders are often seen permeating all levels of government. They believe civil service is a religious duty and as such the heads of government are all clergymen and women. Their abundance of cities in their homeland makes finding a beastling outside of their homeland rare. As such, Cities like Mephiste, Shaltric, Merlon, Tabril, Sardoc, and Caltris are often very crowded and incredibly dense. Caltris is the captial city and where the highest supreme order of the beastling court is. Their cities are rather multicultural and as such beastlings have a general attitude of non-discrimination towards all races. This doesn't make the attitude mutual however, because there is outright discrimination toward beastlings throughout Mystria.
Unbidden
Wanderers without a homeland, there is little known about the unbidden by scholars of all holy orders of Mystria. What little is known comes from the mythos. Unbidden are said to be creatures with deep imperfections and as such they are received universally negatively by most races. Their drive to seek power and a homeland of their own often places them against the other races both ideologically and literally. The few communities of unbidden are nomadic or have temporary bases where when they deem it inconvenient, they abandon them or move from them. Their appearance can vary from a beautiful vampiric, succubus, or incubus form to the incomprehensible horror of an Eldritch Abomination. They have a couple universal traits however, which is their above average strength and speed, and their will to destroy what they deem to be their enemies.
Geography
With the total area of 10,000,000 sq km With land-mass bigger than the size of China with coastline 15,000 kilometers long, and a climate that varies upon location, it is a land of extremes. With the Highest mountain Mount Kultika in the Fornt's crown mountain range being 8,000 m high and The Swathmire Bog which is in the Treefolk lands is at -8 m below sea level. the land area varies. Rare resources such as Adamantium, Mithril, Nenya's ember, Runestone, and Orichalcon are common in Mystrian mines. The rest of the earth metals are rather plentiful, as are mineral deposits, however there is a dwarf monopoly over most of them. There's volcanoes in the Fornt's crown mountain range and the Yesopalithan homelands and there are heavy snowstorms in those areas. There's also earthquake activity in those areas. The Typhoon season is in springtime from April- August, and it mostly effects southern coastal villages. North of the Fornt's crest mountain range, the Ohab-hai desert has duststorms, and located to the East of the desert Oasises is the Swathmire Bog where yearly flooding is common. In the Sonjor lowlands in the center of the mountain ranges tornadoes happen throughout the year in the middle of the valley. Droughts, and erosion in inhabited areas is common as is air and water pollution, disappearing endangered species and poaching and deforestation is common.
Religion
Mystrian Pantheism is technically a pandeistic religion that believes in the existence of creator gods who upon the inception of the world created the universe and then also life, but after a conflict between the deities they were destroyed and their essences were bestowed upon the living where they exist and live on in all acts of will and sustain all nature unconsciously in a slumber where it is said their minds reside in a location called the Sacred Realm. The Mainstream accepted canonical story is that the Gods of Right unified against Zaiden the God of illusion for his creation of the unbidden ones, and because of their disgust at the impurity and impiousness of the unbidden they demanded that he destroy them. When he refused they rose against him and slew him and with this act, all-beings became struck with the terrible Zeygon curse which put ignorance, hatred, and greed into the minds of all-beings. The rest of the story differs on denomination but the main religious texts are from the collections of Sacred Codices. The Codices while deeply revered are not the entire basis of the religious system as it is considered that the codices are merely a guide to find what is there. The majority of the Codex is kept and rewritten by the clergy and are sang in services and recited in the halls of the temples. The Codex includes the Hymns, Dedications, Terradies, Canticles, Verses, Chants, Dirges, and Psalms. Each of the Gods of the pantheon represent the aspects of higher aspirations in all beings, and the ideal is to return all the gods into one being by Apotheosis and becoming one in essence with the Gods. Those who reach Apotheosis will become Gods, and those who lived Good lives will have eternal happiness in the sacred realms. Those who were consumed by hatred, greed, or stupidity or corruption without purification would be damned to the abyss where they cease to exist.
The Clergy of Mystrian Pantheism is made up of Worshipers, Templars, Priests and Priestesses, High Priests and High Priestesses, Grand Clerics, Uncorruptibles, Mercy Bringers, Councilmen, and Knights. Their duty is to learn the manners of Apotheosis, heal the sick, teach the ignorant, punish the wrongdoers, and spread the Law, keep the Law, and seek the Law. They are tasked with blessing the born, instructing the young, opening the path to adulthood which is celebrated, serve the populace by working always in the best interests of everyone, providing guidance and help to the ailing and the sick, blessing relationships and marriages, aiding the dying, and provding the death ceremonies.
Nenyism
The Goddess of Love, Kindness, Compassion, and Mercy, Nenya is believed to bring the qualities prized on the Apotheosis of the Strength of Good. Worshiped mostly by Changelings and shapeshifters, she is the bearer of the Cowl of Mourning. The prized qualities of Nenya are the Strengths of The Good which are interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others. At the core of all Good is Love which is the ability to value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. It is fueled by Kindness generosity, nurturing, care, compassion, altruistic love, and it involves doing favors and good deeds for others without the expectation of reward. It is given form by Social intelligence, emotional intelligence, personal intelligence by being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself. The Clergy of Nenya is most personified by the Cloistered Clerics and the Mercy Bringers.
The codices and the priests say that when the Gods chose to kill Zaiden, Nenya was the most reluctant. She could not face the one on whom she would show no mercy, and thus when the time came to slay him, she was forced to use a bow from the distance where she was said to deliver the final blow out of mercy and deliver death to her beloved brother. One of the highest holidays of the Nenyan religion is to reenact this scene, possibly as a reminder or maybe as a way to repent and appease to the God Zaiden to lift the curse. Because of this, all priestesses learn the art of the bow and arrow.
Most of the priest class choose to join as adults, and are the most devout of beings. There are however a few exceptions to this rule. In the priesthood, should a child be found who particularly shows the traits of Nenya, and should the child’s parents agree, then the child is taken into the temple to be trained as a priestess. Often these children rise to the upper echelons of temple hierarchy, although that is not always the case.
In addition to these children, there is one other massive exception to the rule; The Mercy Bringers. While the rest of the order speaks of mercy in its peaceful form, the Mercy Bringers speak of its more violent nature. A mercy bringer will kill the many to bring mercy to the few oppressed. They will deliver the killing blow to those injured on the battle field with no hope of recovery. The mercy bringers accept no men into their ranks, believing that as Nenya was Goddess, and as it is females who carry the ability to grant and take life, because only women can possibly understand the violent side of mercy and altruism. All Mercy Bringers take on the last name Mercy as a reminder to their charge.
Any child born within Changeling lands is blessed at birth by a priest or priestess, if they are called for. As long as they are known, these children can attend schools set up in the provinces. Those with ability can further attend schools in the capital of each province. Children are taught how to live life on the road, from how to control beasts of burden to how to do simple repairs on carts, from geography to weather. Early on they are taught of Nenya, and how to follow her example of mercy and altruism. They are taught of the other races and their beliefs so as to prevent misunderstandings. History is seen as a useless remembrance, and part of the reason other nations just can’t seem to get along, it is considered one of the most esoteric subjects. There are, however other optional classes, these include engineering and architecture, herbalism and medicine, philosophy language, and the arts. And they are taught legends and lore.
Forntianism
The God of Justice and Strength, Fornt is believed to bring the qualities prized on the Apotheosis of the Strength of Justice. Worshiped mostly by Beastlings and Demihumans, he is the bearer of the Rod of Judgement. Prized by Fornt is Strengths of Justice defined as civic strengths that underlie healthy community life focusing on the good and welfare of the all. At its core is solidarity, citizenship, social responsibility, loyalty, and teamwork which means working well as a member of a group or team and being loyal to the group. It is given strength by Fairness which involves treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others. It gives birth to Leadership which is the act of encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same maintain time good relations within the group. The Clergy of Fornt is most personified by the High Judges, the Councilmen, the Uncorruptibles, and the Order of Idealists and the Silver Flame.
The Codices and Clergy say that noble Fornt during the time when the Gods roamed the realms approached Zaiden and tried to reason with him upon the creation of the first true abominations, and he agreed to have a trial to determine if the creature was even alive or not. Finding the being to be unreasoned Fornt appealed to Zaiden to destroy the abomination. When he refused Fornt was forced to lay his affections for his little brother aside and with a heavy heart he sacrificed his feelings and was forced to kill him. The Rod of Judgement, which contains a blade for purification, was used to slay Zaiden. He struck his brother's neck, hoping for a clean kill, but it was not enough and Nenya granted him mercy with a strike to the heart with a single arrow. The Ceremonial purification is used to execute corrupted officials to cleanse them of wrongdoing. This form of execution is reserved for those fallen from the highest graces.
Another uniquely Forntian belief is the core belief of keeping the law. It is believed that if the Law is ever lost the whole of the universe will return to the abyss and everyone will die. So keeping the law is what keeps the world from complete and total annihilation. The ideals of the afterlife is that if one keeps the law, the way to the sacred realm is opened when the flower of Zaiden is found and the Seeker of the Flower will resurrect the dead with the nectar of the flower removing the illusion of death.
The Forntian Code
"We the people of the Just God for the promotion of good and the common welfare thereby affirm Rights to all Reasoned Beings to foster the spread of loving-kindness, compassion, and above all else fairness.
Reasoned beings are endowed with reason and conscience, should act kindly towards one another in a spirit of goodness, and promote the furtherance of goodness and happiness for all sentient beings.
A True believer will not use harmful words and actions based on ignorance, hatred, or greed. The True believer sees greedy, hateful, and ignorant acts as a scourge leading to chaos which shall return all reasoned beings to the hell of the Abyss.
Do not falter in the face of injustice, stand tall with courage and integrity. Speak with Knowledge and Seek the Law in times of strife and comfort. Aid the weak and the needy, Raise the Humble and downtrodden, Exalt the Humble and Humble the Exalted. For only in balance can one be true.
Blessed be those who govern and serve the good and welfare of the all, Cursed be those who govern and serve only themselves.
The Lord deems them Corrupted and with the Rod of Judgement Smite their Greed, Stupidity, and Hate. "
The Order of the Silver Flame and the Exarch Sectarian Controversy
Forntians believe in the existence of Exarchs which are beings whose life force is sustained by becoming a conduit of Fornt's will in order to perform an unstated Holy Task in the name of Justice. The Exarchs were seen by the Order of Idealists as blessed, but there arose a new sect which believed that the Exarchs must be used as an example to live by and that their word must be taken as authoritative in religious practice as they were chosen by the Just God for a purpose. This led to the Disagreement which Split the Order of Idealists from the Order of the Silver Flame. The Order of the Silver Flame believed it was their duty to find Exarchs and properly revere and honor their words, thoughts, and actions as they were chosen by Fornt to deliver his will to the living, and the Idealists did not believe that Exarchs should make any bit of effect on the Orthodox practice in Forntianism, and should not change the normal Forntian practices. As an effect of the split, the Silver Flames are more Hegemonic, and the Idealists have less of a clerical Hierarchy.
Serionism
The God of Wisdom, Serion, is believed to bring the qualities prized on the Apotheosis of the Strength of Wisdom and Knowledge. Worshiped mostly by Humans and some Magi of other races, he is the bearer of the Lucante Grimoire. Prized by Serion is Strengths of Wisdom and Knowledge which are cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge. They are given form by Creativity, originality, ingenuity, which is thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things. They are cultivated by Curiosity interest, novelty-seeking, and openness to experience, Curiosity which takes an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; exploring and discovering. It is fed by Open-mindedness, judgment, and critical thinking, Which involves thinking things through and examining them from all sides and weighing all evidence fairly. It is fostered by Love of learning, mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one's own or formally. And it grants Perspective, wisdom which is being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people. The Clergy of Serion is most personified by the Scholar, the Mage, the Knight, and the Order of the Allied Knights of Serion.
The Codices and Clergy say that Serion's role during the time when the Gods roamed the realms was that he was unconcerned with Zaiden's creations, the unbidden, up until the point where Zaiden created the true abomination, the Eldritch Abomination. Serion immediately researched the creature and was almost driven to madness at trying to make the Eldritch Abomination reasoned with his powers of wisdom and he was forced to write the Lucante Grimoire in order to retain his sanity, but within the Grimoire lies dark insane power because of it. The impurity of the Abomination being too strong to allow for reason to exist, Serion presented the evidence to Fornt that the abomination must be destroyed. This gave the power of research, testing, and discovery to mankind. Serion also in legend created a sentient flame and bestowed it to a woman who asked how she could rid impurity when the unbidden came. This mind of flame is also used by the current order of the flame who believe the flame to be possessed of the conscious mind of Serion or a remnant fragment of God consciousness.
Lydianism
The Goddess of Nature and Reverence, Lydia is the forgotten one whose role in Apotheosis is still rather esoteric. It was believed that Lydia was once a Goddess who prized selflessness, respect for all living things, and appreciation, responsibility, and respect for the need to preserve nature. Worshiped mostly by Humans and Travelers of other races, she is the bearer of the Arch Blossom Bow. The Clergy of Lydia is disorganized as her worship is all but forgotten and her practice was lost.
The Codices and Clergy do not depict much upon say that Lydia's role during the time when the Gods roamed the realms but upon discovering Zaiden's creations, the unbidden, she allowed them safe passage through the hills in an unexpected act of kindness. Dismayed by what she believed was Lydia's Naivety, Enwe admonished Lydia which caused Lydia grief and anger, and so she took to hiding in the Lydial mountains. When the death of Zaiden became revealed, Lydia created the Barrier which forbid the power of magic to take hold in Cantalvia and forbade all hostile creatures of ill intent passage in the mountain passes. This led to cultural traditional practices of leaving offerings of flowers by the road which is believed to be a blessing unto the Goddess.
Enweyanism
The Goddess of Transcendence, Enwe, is believed to bring the qualities prized on the Apotheosis of the Strength of Transcendence. Worshiped mostly by Elves and Bards of other races, she is the bearer of the Spectral Harp. Prized by Enwe is Strengths of Transcendence which are strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning. At its core is Appreciation of beauty and excellence, awe, wonder, elevation and exaltation. It means appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life. With this power it strengthens Gratitude which is being aware of and thankful of the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks. With this gratitude comes Hope, optimism, future-mindedness, and future orientation. Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it. Then there is the power of Humor, laughter, and playfulness. Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the brighter side of things. And finally Spirituality, religiousness, faith, and a deepened sense of purpose. Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose, the meaning of life, and the meaning of the universe . The Clergy of Enwe is most personified by the Bard, the Druid, the Actor, and the Comedian.
The Codices and Clergy say that Enwe's role during the time when the Gods roamed the realms was that she was the one to discover Zaiden's creations, the unbidden. Disgusted with the horror she saw before her she prepared to alert Serion and Fornt when she was attacked by the abomination. She took her harp in hand and played it to calm the beast and while the harp worked for as long as she played it she was forced to flee. The impurity of the Abomination being too strong to allow for her powers of magic to allow for inner beauty to shine through. After Zaiden was commanded to destroy the abomination and refused Enwe tried to play the Spectral Harp to command her brother to destroy it, allowing for the confrontation to avoid blood, but his powers over illusion granted him the ability to see reality and resist the spell. While he was under the spell the Abomination attacked. It was said that this even gave the power of the Arts to Elvenkin giving them a rich theatrical culture.
Lireanism
The Goddess of Temperance, Lirea, is believed to bring the qualities prized on the Apotheosis of the Strength of Temperance. Worshiped mostly by Treefolk and Wanderers of other races, she is the bearer of the Locket of Eventide. Prized by Lirea is Strengths of Temperance which are strengths that protect against excess. At its heart is Forgiveness and mercy which is Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting the shortcomings of others; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful. It has as its power Humility and Modesty which is letting one's accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is. Then it is kept out of Prudence which means being careful about one's choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted. The mighty filled with Self-regulation, self-control and regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one's appetites and emotions. The Clergy of Lirea is most personified by the Monastic, the Wanderer, and the Healer.
The Codices and Clergy say that Lirea's role during the time when the Gods roamed the realms was that she was brought forth to judge alongside Fornt and she appealed to Fornt for Mercy upon her brother until while under the spell of Enwe the hold on the Abomination was lost and it attacked Voldok who she rushed to assist. With Locket and Blade working together in harmony the Abomination was destroyed and Zaiden was slain which Lirea had hoped meant that no more abominations could be created. With the backfiring of the curse, however, all powers of Lirea's love of temperance was undone giving greed the upper hand of attaching it to emotion. Lirea tried to salvage the power and attached temperance to reason. As long as a being would have emotion unrestrained there would be greed, as long as a being has reason there will be temperance. This was the great gift of Lirea to control the curse.
Voldokianism
The God of Courage, Voldok, is believed to bring the qualities prized on the Apotheosis of the Strength of Courage. Worshiped mostly by Dwarves and Warriors of other races, he is the bearer of the Blade of Dusk. Prized by Voldok is Strengths of Courage which are emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external and internal. They are given form by Bravery and valor which is not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; acting on convictions even if they are unpopular. It is fed by Persistence, perseverance, and industriousness which is learning how to finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles. It is cultivated by Integrity, authenticity, and honesty which is learning how to presenting yourself in a genuine way; taking responsibility for your own feeling, words, and actions. It is driven by Vitality, zest, enthusiasm, vigor, and energy which Approaches life's challenges with excitement and energy; feeling alive and activated. The Clergy of Voldok is most personified by the Warrior, the Berzerker, the Gladiator and the Samurai.
The Codices and Clergy say that Voldok's role during the time when the Gods roamed the realms was during the judgement the hold on the Eldritch Abomination was lost and it attacked Voldok who bravely struggled against the beast. When he was struck by the abomination his holy blood "Ichor" was spilled it was said to possess great power. Lirea saw the God's blood and rushed to save her brother. With Locket and Blade working together in harmony the Abomination was destroyed and Zaiden was slain which Lirea had hoped meant that no more abominations could be created. It was with this act that all manner of battle was taught to the dwarves and spread to the world.
Zaidenism
The most controversial figure in the Mystrian Pantheon is the God of Illusion, Zaiden. He is portrayed very differently in the Holy Codices, and in the Black Book of Ancient Arcanum, a book unacknowledged and forbidden by most Mystrian religious people, the Canticles of Alistae, the Formulae Parthum, and the Heart of Aenor. In each he is portrayed completely differently, but the generally agreed upon story is that Zaiden was the God to create the last beings in Mystria, and their imperfections displeased the other Gods and he was ordered to destroy them. He refused and defended his creatures bringing forth the terrible illusion of death into the world and the power to reverse it. He used death to start a war between the Gods to defend his creations. Sensing his impending doom, Zaiden created the Golden Flower of Salvation, whose true power is unknown. He surrendered to the other Gods and was forced to bring the Eldritch Abomination before tribunal and when control over it was lost, the trial ended with the execution of Zaiden, unleashing the horrific curse of Zeygon which is said to be responsible for greed, hate, and ignorance in all beings. To end the flowing of the corruption the Gods bestowed their essence upon the universe before disappearing into the sacred realms, banishing the Cursed dead god Zaiden in the nightmare world of the living.