Religion

From Mizahar Lore

Contents 1 General Overview 2 The Alvina ~ The Children of the Gods 3 The Araka ~ The Children of the Alvina 4 The Ukalas ~ The Realm of The Divine 5 The Ranks of the Divine 6 God/dess List 7 Alvina List 8 Araka

General Overview

The Gods and Goddess of Mizahar are powerful immortal beings that are however vulnerable to the weaknesses mortals sometimes have. They can experience protectiveness, creativity, fear, pain, love, hatred, jealousy, lust, and any number of other emotions which drive their actions. And while left to their own devices, they will live forever, mortals can and have plotted to destroy deities. Some have even succeeded. Mere mortals have indeed ascended to divinity either through their actions or the granting of divinity by other divine creatures. As such, the Mizaharian Pantheon has experienced change throughout its lengthy history and will continue to do so in the future. However, the Gods of Mizahar possess tremendous power, both upon Mizahar and within Ukalas – The Realm of Divine and home of the Gods. And while they can appear as normal as an ordinary mortal, each and every one possess a measure of Divine Presence which invokes a sort of awe that they can regulate in order to make themselves known or keep themselves concealed. The mortal races of Mizahar are conscious of one simple thing; The Gods and Goddesses walk among them. In several places, these deities rule as sovereigns over an entire culture or geographic area. Some even rule over a season of the year. While yet other divine creatures rule over specific races or types of powers. More so than anyone else, mages and others that wield magic (especially gnosis) within Mizahar are conscious of divinity and those that hold it. For it is often a force or level of practice they strive for - yearn for - and a rare few ascend too.

The Alvina ~ The Children of the Gods

Often, among the mortals and Gods there walks those that have the blood of each. These Alvina are the combinations of mortal and divine interaction – love, lust, rape, and common dalliances. Their name means ‘children of the heavens’ in the Ancient Tongue. And while they might have access to both Ukalas and Mizahar, they don’t quite fit either place. Instead, they make their own rules and dwell in the halfway gray lands, touching each world, yet not truly a part of it. The Alvina hold ranks just as the Gods do... though normally at lower levels.

The Araka ~ The Children of the Alvina

Just like The Gods can have offspring, the offspring of Gods often reproduce as well. These children of the Alvina are referred to as Araka. Araka means 'godsblood' in the Ancient Tongue. The Araka are dwellers in the Mortal Realm and do not have access to the Ukalas unless they bear gnosis marks from Gods that grant them access. Then, they are gifted navigators therein. Araka often appear with superior traits from normal mortals. They might have additional strength, enhanced beauty, iron will and determination, or even extremely high intelligence. Superior traits usually never comprise more than one or two characteristics. Arakas often have extreme personality traits due to their conflicting blood, manifesting in hard core zealots, sociopaths, egomaniacs even saintly or selfless types. They are not the best at all things. Often they are users of magic and explorers of the world. Araka are never the strongest, fastest, bravest, etc. While they can have superior traits, they have equal weaknesses and flaws that come about because of the taint of their mortal blood. While they might enjoy superior health, they still age and die like the rest of their mortal counterparts. They often appear as a singular race such as Human, Isur, Konti, or Akalak despite their augmented blood. In many cases, Araka are ignorant of their divine bloodlines or connections to the Gods. There is no way to openly tell an Araka from a regular mortal without direct knowledge of their linage other than through their actions and the marks they leave upon the world.

PC characters are allowed to apply via the Help Desk to become Araka. The requirements are simple. Player Characters must have at least one year of active continuous play on Mizahar, at least a one thousand post count, and outline just how they are related to which existing God or Alvina and why in their help desk application.

The Ukalas ~ The Realm of The Divine

Main article: Ukalas

The Ukalas is a weave of energy that touches all things from the stones of the earth, to the plants, to the animals, the very sky, and unto the stars themselves. The Ukalas even links planets to other planets in a giant web of interconnectiveness. Both animate and inanimate objects; the living and that which has never been touched by life are effected by it. This weave connects all things, and provides the power source for such things as gnosis and djed. While the normal life forms on Mizahar are not aware of The Ukalas, the divine beings that grace Mizahar certainly are. The Gods and Goddesses move within the weave, pulling their power from it and traveling along it, using it as a way to keep in contact with each other and indeed their followers.

The Gods and Goddesses call The Ukalas their home, and create within its essence whole places they then call their own. These secret places are strongholds and fortresses where the divine children take their rest and find their peace. When a new god or goddess is born, it is within the Ukalas that they come into being - whether newly birthed or having transcended their former lives. When a God or Goddess dies, it is just a simple journey home to the Ukalas that the Gods and Goddesses undertake. There they become part of all things once more, loosing their individual identities and desires. The Ukalas, however, is not a series of different planes of existence. It is one enormous structure that touches all things - bringing to the world the basic essence of the world.

The Ranks of the Divine

Deities fall into four ranks. Those ranks consist of the following:

• Rank 1: Supreme beings of enormous power and scope. These creatures often take no notice of mortals and care nothing for worshipers. They only rarely gift Gnosis Marks, and often times those gifts are to the lesser gods themselves only. More often than naught, these Divine Beings and their names are unknown to Mizaharians, though they do have the ability to grant divinity to those born merely mortal.

• Rank 2: Considered the Greatest ‘known’ deities, these Gods and Goddesses have by and large the vast majority of followers upon Mizahar. These deities often oversee other lesser deities and hold them accountable or force them to carry out their will. Rather than having one singular domain, such as music or the moon, these deities govern larger more broader categories like Life and Death.

• Rank 3: These deities fall into the category of specialized influence. For example, seasonal Goddesses and Gods, those overseeing fertility, famine, vengeance, and love fall into this category. These deities often have very limited but powerful followers and are more than likely to control cults or have cities or races dedicated to them. Much more comfortable in the presence of mortals, Rank 3 deities often live upon Mizahar and openly interact with its citizens. They have also been known to create races as well.

• Rank 4: These creatures cannot truthfully be considered full Gods and Goddesses. A more accurate description is perhaps that of a demigod or demigoddess. Mizaharians call them Alvina. These Alvina often have mixed blood, meaning they are the product of mortal and divine couplings. Alternatively, these deities have also in rare cases been raised from mortal status through their own ambitions, and the power that numerous followers can grant them. Alvina rarely have gnosis of their own, but instead often bear the marks of other gods and goddesses as a sort of badge of support.

God/dess List

Alvina List