Everyone believes in something. For those Platformians who tend towards the religious side of things, there are a number of major regions that they can be a part of.
(As a note — keep in mind that none of the things described here reflect my own beliefs! They’re purely created for fiction.)
Marreism
Pronounced “mah-ree-ism”, adjective form “Marreist”, followers are called Marreists.
Beliefs
Marreism is built on a general foundation of placing value on life and on bonds formed between people. Bludmar Frasier was a firm believer in the idea that bonds with others, both positive and negative, are tangible in a spiritual sense and have a strong effect on both the people involved and on the world around them. These bonds have the capacity to increase or decrease the life energy of living beings. As such, the actions of Marreists tend to have the common goal of creating as many positive interactions and bonds as possible. This normally manifests in charitable behavior and kindness. Special value is placed on romantic love, which is viewed as the purest and most perfect form of bond.
The religion worships two gods named The Animate (sometimes called “Ani”) and The Inanimate (sometimes called “Ihn” or “Ina”). These are viewed as nodes where life energy is the most powerful, and are described as becoming stronger or weaker depending on the positivity or negativity of bonds in the world. By forming relationships, Marreists keep their gods alive. The Animate is generally viewed more positively than The Inanimate is — the former representing positivity and the later representing negativity. They are associated and often represented by the sun and the moon, respectively. More detailed descriptions depict them as tall, ethereal figures in white and black, with the sun and moon replacing their heads.
Practices
Marreist religious services run almost every day during the morning hours by priests known as Maries — Marreists are generally expected to attend a short service at least a couple of times in a week. These services involve philosophical discussion and recitations of Bludmar’s original writings. Beyond that, prayer is also performed at home, generally before one goes to sleep. Prayer is normally focused around idols meant to represent the gods (often in a sun or moon shape, occasionally with bodies), and is ideally done in groups of friends or family members. It is not considered good form to pray for anything that isn’t viewed as strictly necessary.
Marreism, likely due to Bludmar’s own love of flowers, contains what is known as the Marreist zodiac. This zodiac assigns a flower of a certain type and color to Marreists depending on the day of their birth. The identity of this flower is believed to reveal things about the person’s life and behavior.
Due to the value that Marreism places on romantic love, weddings are some of the most important events in most Marreist’s lives. These weddings are often extravagant and packed with people, and involve the twining of the involve parties’ zodiac flowers and the display of Marra lillies (also known as stargazer lillies), which symbolize marriage and love.
When a person dies, Marreist custom states that their body must be thrown over the edge of the Platform if they are to reach the afterlife and find peace. Those who are not thrown over the edge will never be able to rest, as their soul remains trapped in the living world as a ghost. Burying a body is the single worst crime possible to commit in Marreism.
History
Marreism was formed as a direct result of the Masker War, and from distaste over Dump’s involvement in it. Bludmar became an outspoken critic of the nation’s actions and led many protests, in addition to writing extensive addendum and alterations to Quattora, a religion popular in the west at the time, as she was quite religious but felt that Quattora had been degraded over time. Both her protests and her revisions to Quattora began to gain traction from similarly disquieted citizens.
After the war, she built Bludmar Abbey, where she offered medical assistance and shelter to those who needed it (as well as protection for any remaining maskers, though it seemed that none had survived). Her compassion and determination caused her movement to attract many followers even after the Masker War was over, with the religion being dubbed Marreism. Bludmar Abbey and its surrounding suburbs were deemed sovereign in 785, where she ruled until her death in 889. After this point, her son Nobles Frasier and her apprentice Janus Rosarche took over the religion, Nobles being deemed the bureaucratically-functioning Bludmar’s Abbot and Janus being named the more paragon-like Cardinal Marie.
Rimea
Pronounced “rye-me-ah”, adjective form “Rimean”, followers are called Rimeans.
Beliefs
The core belief of Rimea is that life is only a preparatory state before the afterlife (termed the Fourtieth Floor), and that one should spend this state trying to learn as much as they can and hone their chosen skills as much as possible. As such, the religion generally values intelligence, dedication, and pragmatism. Rimeans are also encouraged to be skeptical and curious, and to try to better understand the world and better themselves through studies of things around them. This makes scientific pursuits very popular in the east. The Rimean holy symbol (called the quaragen) also reflects their belief: the black space represents life as it is known, while the infinite space outside the shape represents death. The empty circle inside the quaragen represents the Fortieth Floor, where one is able to approach the center of all things.
Rimea worships two gods, termed 04 (the god of life) and 40 (the god of death), but the religion generally has a closer relationship with 40, as this is the god which Rimewell Sehe originally followed to the coast. Both 04 and 40 have secret, true names, which are forbidden to be spoken aloud by anyone but the Sehen. Sehens are reportedly able to see the gods due to their magic, and act as a mediator between 40 and the people, as well as a general spiritual guide.
Life is special to the Rimeans, but in a different way than it is to the Marreists. Rimea views sentient beings as a combination of three different aspects: the body (the physical form), the psyche (the soul), and the zoi (life energy). A person must posses all three to exist as they are, and animals (in most belief systems) only posses a body and zoi, not a psyche. The psyche is the one aspect of the trio that move on to the Fortieth Floor, and it is transported there through the Sehen, who function as bridges. This is why Sehens consume the corpses of the dead.
Sehen magic, with its consistent negative side effects, also reflects how Rimeans view magic: they beleive that magics were given to people by the gods in order to teach them discipline and self-control, resisting the addictive nature and negative side effects of magic in order to fully realize their own abilites.
Practices
Rimean holy writings are very flexible compared to most others. Instead of being a discrete book, They are instead made up of three sections. The first section is a collection of Rimewell’s speeches and publications, compiled together into Rimewell’s Doctrine. The second is a collection of the writings of the other Sehens (known as addendums), which often seek to clarify, critique, or delve further into Rimewell’s original works. The third section is made up of writings from other Rimeans, which are placed into the three-ring book at the owner’s discretion. Rimeans are encouraged to annotate the material and add their own writings, making every Rimean Script unique. Rimeans come together to discuss and share their writings and ideas in buildings known as Quaraspits every Wednesday morning, headed by a lesser priest called an Ocun.
There are three major religious milestones in a Rimean’s life: birth, Candoring, and death. When a Rimean is born, Sehens perform Death Warding: a Sehen will prick their finger and smear a drop of blood across the child’s head. This is done because it is said that 40 respects Sehens’ blood and will let those who bear it live longer (a of lore started and perpetuated due to the fact that Sehens lived very long lives and can sustain injuries that would kill a normal person). As a young Rimean grows, they are taught the about the religion by their families, not yet able to attend meetings at the Quaraspit. Candoring often occurs around 18, but its date is not set in stone and each young person is able to choose when they feel ready. During Candor Day, a Rimean is told the true names of 04 and 40, and accepted into the religion. The person must then never say or write these names for the rest of their lives. If they fail to do this, they will be immediately expelled from the religion. They are also given their own copy of the Rimean Script and now allowed to attend Quaraspit meetings. When a Rimean dies, their body is eaten by the Sehen, allowing their psyche to ascend to the Fortieth Floor.
Rimeans often pray during their meetings at the Quaraspit, but this is not the general goal. Instead, prayers are normally done as part of everyday life. They will pray to the gods after waking up from being unconscious (in order to thank 40 for not taking their lives as they slept) and before they eat a meal (in order to thank 04 for providing them with the food necessary to live). It’s also common for them to pray before large events or in times of stress.
History
Rimea was founded on the beliefs of Rimewell Sehe, an odder born in the desert in 565. While he was viewed as an obscure and ominous figure by most surrounding groups for many years, his ideologies eventually gained traction with several larger bands made up mostly of starks and humans thanks to his ability to seemingly predict miracles and deaths, as well as the mediation of two starkish twins: Viraldyne and Teakala Adourian. During a drought in 583, resources in the desert became few and far between, and it was impossible to expand south due to the conflict occurring there at the time. Rimewelll claimed that he could see a god, who he called “40”, and that she was beckoning him to bring his followers to the east. Those followers who believed him quickly packed up and began their long journey.
The group reached the Veetan peninsula in 589, which had access to rich forests, livestock animals in deer, and sea resources. Overjoyed, they founded the city of Vira-Teakala, with Viraldyne and Teakala ruling the city together. Rimwell, meanwhile, refused leadership, but focused on developing his religious pursuits as part of a religion that came to be known as Rimea (with him often being known as the Sehen). He founded the First Quaraspit and and cemented the practices of Death-Warding and consuming the dead, as well as establishing the core tenants of the religion and taking an apprentice, Viraldyne’s son, Octolabrous Adourian. These two were the only Sehens, until Flossikora Sterling was made Sehen in 734 due to her renowned genius and interest in the area. The three worked peacefully until the bombing of the First Quaraspit by a Rettian extremist, wherein Rimewell was killed. Octolabrous took over Rimea in his stead, with Flossikora working on her scientific studies under him. Several years later, Alkavire Adourian was also apprenticed in 766 in order to test the regenerative effects of Sehenautosis and hopefully prevent her dead from leukemia. Less than 20 years later in 781, Flossikora was discovered to have been performing illegal and cruel experiments on unwitting test subjects in order to study the effects of powerful magics (as she believed that they would lead her to a method for achieving immortality). She was arrested and tried, where she plead guilty to all charges and was sentenced to death (as long-term incarceration was deemed impractical). Her last desire was that her magic would be collected posthumously and safely stored. It is unknown if Octolabrous granted her request.
The following years also proved troublesome. Marreism was introduced to the east as transportation across the Platform became easier, to mixed results. Octolabrous was on good terms with Bludmar, and claimed that a mixing of ideas could only bring good things. However, Sombakarta Montgomery, previously one of Octolabrous’ closest friends and one of the most powerful ocuns in Rimea, spoke out against what he viewed to be destruction of Rimean culture. At the height of this argument in 793, Octolabrous was found stabbed to death in his office, only his current apprentice, Alkavire, in the room. While many Rimeans sided with Alkavire in her beleif that Sombakarta was the culprit, there were some who supported him, claiming that Alkavire had killed him instead. Hostility between these two groups grew extreme until Sombakarta and his followers left Veeta in 794. Alkavire took over Rimea as the new chief Sehen, reiterating her desire to remain on good terms with Marreism.
Alkavire had numerous apprentices — the first was Ellishiba Adourian, who was appointed Sehen in 812. She showed promise and was very popular due to her intelligence and charisma, but was crushed in a burning building in 973. Alkavire was grief-stricken, not taking on another apprentice until Teak’s founding. At this point, Sorikthena Hallia, the city’s new monarch, asked her to appoint his son, Soyataki Hallia, as Sehen in 1018. This appointment was done with the help of Nobles Frasier, whose magikinesis made it much easier to clone and bestow magic than any previous methods. However, it soon became clear that Soyataki was uninterested in being Sehen and wildly uncooperative, frustrating the still-emotional Alkavire until she left Teak entirely. Nobles Frasier took over his training to some degree, but it proved not to be enough, as Soyataki lost his mind to his magic in late 1033, killing several people before he was detained. During his trail, he was deemed impossible to save and too dangerous to live, resulting in his execution in Veeta in 1034. The next Sehen apprentice was actually appointed by Nobles Frasier, who claimed he was acting under Alkavire’s authority as he pronounced Blikivallian Hallia, a child at the time, the newest Sehen. Alkavire did not wish to see the boy end up as Soyataki did, and quickly intervened, removing Nobles from his training and taking over as his mentor. Blikivallian had some problems of his own during his teenage years, but proved to be a suitable apprentice nonetheless, and took over Rimea after Alkavire’s death in 1053, at which point he took on an apprentice that she had recommended to him before her death: Calleridian Adourian.
Novamea
Pronounced “no-vah-me-ah”, adjective form “Novamean”, followers are called Novames.
Beliefs
Novamea is an offshoot of Rimea, and as such shares many of its major ideas. However, more emphasis is placed on the maintenance of its home city, Somber, and in keeping its population and religious convictions strong. It places large value on bloodline and inherited magical ability.
Practices
Instead of being lead by a Sehen, Novamea is led by the Kartasehen. Kartasehens practice many similar duties as Sehens do. However, due to poor relations between Novamea and Rimea, early Kartasehens were unable to obtain clones of the actual Sehenautosis magic. As such, there are some things that Kartasehens are not able to do, such as eating the dead. Instead, those who have died are cremated, surrounded by people wailing prayers in order that 40 will hear them and come to collect the deceased’s soul.
Due to the importance of inheritance, it is generally agreed upon that someone must have at least one Novamean parent in order to be able to go through Candoring. Conversion to the religion isn’t possible.
History
The formation of Novamea occurred during Octolabrous’ leadership, when Sombakarta rose to prominence. As a powerful Ocun, he put strong emphasis on remaining independent from Marreist influence, and on strengthening Veeta. He suggested citizens do this through marrying someone of the same species and opposite sex, in order to ensure that new children were born and that strong magics and important bloodlines were continued on through the generations. He gained many followers due to his charisma and the prevalent fear at the time that Veeta would be surpassed by other nations (many of which constantly grew larger due to the presence of new desert-borns).
When Octolabrous was murdered, Alkavire accused Sombakarta of being the culprit. However, his followers stood with him and protected him, claiming that he would never do such a thing because the two had been close friends. Many of his followers declared that Alkavire had murdered her mentor and was trying to frame him. Tensions between the two groups grew dangerous until Sombakarta left Veeta to found a new city, telling his followers to come with him. The group travels north into the thick of the previously-unexplored Sombian woods, and founds the city of Somber on the shores of the Northern Gulf in 795, as well as a new sect of Rimea: Novamea. Sombakarta deems himself the new Sehen of the religion, renaming this position the Kartasehen, and in a symbolic effort to display his unity with his followers, cleaves his first name to become Somba Karta, forming the traditional Somban middle name. Most of his followers do this as well. Somba Karta appoints an apprentice and acts as Kartasehen fairly peacefully until his death in 837.
Unism
Pronounced “oon-ism”, adjective form “Unist”, followers are called Unae.
Beliefs
Unism puts a large value on kinship. Family and those that you live with (the domum) are very important for Unae. Strong patriotism and generosity are very important, and there is also a consistent expectation that, even if an Unae doesn’t like someone, they can learn to interact and cooperate with them if needed. However, cooperation doesn’t mean fake pleasantries — in classic Rettian fashion, it’s expected that if an Unae doesn’t like someone, they’ll let that person know in no uncertain terms. White lies are frowned upon, as producing one carries the implication that the lair thinks the receiver is not emotionally strong enough to cope with the truth — a large insult. This is not the end of the Unist sense of kinship, though. Most land animals are viewed as sacred and possessing sentient souls, and it is seen as cannibalism to eat them. As such, almost all Rettians are pescatarian. Companion animals are also extremely common, and many Unae form close bonds with their pets.
Unae worship one god known as Tetrauna, an enormous, four-winged woman often depicted wearing a sun-like mask. As some parts of Unism originate from Quattora, use of the number 4 as a holy symbol can occasionally be seen in parts of Unism, as well.
Practices
Unae pray to Tetrauna every morning when the sun rises (which is part of the reason why many people in Rett wake so early). Prayer is generally done in a group, as it is beleived that group prayer is stronger and more effective. If one isn’t able to do this due to accidentally sleeping in, praying when you wake will normally suffice but is still frowned upon. In addition to this, Unae generally attend religious services once a month on Friday, where they engage in larger-scale group prayer and discuss religious concepts.
Once an Unae comes of age, they are to spend around a day and a half walking through a system of caves located under the capital city of Rett, where Magnus Murus Lapis (Great Stone Wall) is located. This wall holds the most sacred of holy writings for Unae, and each person is required to read it in its entirety. They are not allowed to eat or sleep until they have finished, but are allowed to drink water or take brief rests at certain designated points along the way.
History
Unism is a conglomerate of the beliefs that the scattered pennie tribes of the Rettian peninsula followed, which were merged together after the Rettian unification by Scaelette Drammer in 742. Some of this beliefs date all the way back to before the pennies left the Vervan woods, which can be seen in the presence of some similarities to a popular western religion of the time, Quattora.
As for Magnus Murus Lapis, its writer is completely unknown. It existed long before Scaelette’s conquest and few records were kept of what occurred in the region, though it was held by several different large tribes over time. Some beleive the writer to be Tetrauna herself.