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Gods and Goddesses
Unionism has a concept referred to as Trans-Divinity. Trans-Divinity means that whatever their faith understands to be divine, is fluid and constantly changes based on interpretations. By standard, the Everwatcher is always the indisputably most important entity in Unionism. The Living Emperor is also a living Divine Being who should be worshiped as a god, though it is not illegal to acknowledge his sin of creation flaws from time to time. Below the Emperor and the Everwatcher are the God-Emperors and God-Empresses. When an Emperor or Empress dies, they are no longer divine, as the Vessel passes on to the next heir, but some Emperors or Empresses are raised up in the afterlife by the Everwatcher and sent back to Aloria to guide the people, during which process they are made Divine Beings. Finally, on the lower end of the spectrum are the Heroes of Unionism, which are also considered Divine Beings. Heroes are raised to divinity by the Concilly Council even while they are still alive, and continue to be worshiped after death. This all means that Unionism, as time goes by, gains more and more Gods and Goddesses, while other religions are fairly stagnant. Furthermore, it also means that it’s theoretically possible for other religions to merge into Unionism if their Gods and Goddesses can be proven to be real, and prove their divinity or past divinity. Unionists can combine a variety of Divine Entity worship. By default, all Unionists worship the Everwatcher, however, whoever else is worshiped additionally is up to the individual. Some worshipers choose only a single patron deity, while others choose a collection, or leave just a few out. There are no hard rules to Divine Being worship, in general they exist more as examples to live by, instead of a strict pantheon that demands worship.
The Everwatcher
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Theomar, Prophet of All
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Ness, Lady of Forgiveness
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Juvin, Oracle of Knowledge
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Almar, Jester of Justice
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Allest, Lord of Domination
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Elia, Mistress of Victory
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Vess, Liberator of Chains
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Alexander, Mentor of Compromise
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Taal, Mother of Purity
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Divine Heroine Taal is a still-living Divine Being recognized by the Concilly Council with godhood. Divine Heroine Taal is best known as the benefactor of the Belliard Guild and the factions of Unionist Purists who take a hardline stance against the corruption of the Occult among the population. Taal is not explicitly violent against the Occult, but takes a very hardline stance that often conflicts with Emperor Alexander’s more moderate and conciliatory tone, while Taal demands the immediate expulsion or termination of any Occult who step out of line, and the cleansing and curing of whatever can be cleansed and cured. Divine Heroine Taal is the Goddess of purity, cleanliness, obedience to heritage and hierarchy, and the matron of tradition and customs.
Taal does not have any official shrines dedicated to her, as having shrines built for Divine Heroes is uncommon, but more and more worship sites have been built in her name in private homes. The most common form of these private worship sites is an altar or table of some kind, upon which the faithful polish and clean silverware, jewelry, or other valuables in service to others under candlelight. It is said that Taal approves of service to others by cleaning that which has accumulated grime and dirt from the passage of time, and to use this time in contemplation of the cleanliness of the soul and self contemplation. Taal is equally a very self-assured Goddess, one that requires all faithful be sure of their actions and banish any doubt, and that those wish doubt seek out confessional to rid themselves of what she refers to as “the first door through which evil enters the soul”. Taal is invoked by purists, as well as anti-Occult hardliners, and as such is an incredibly controversial figure, especially to Evintarian Unionists who do not explicitly reject her divinity, but do not openly include her in their pantheon. Taal does not have any Temples, as Temples built for living Divine Heroes is not possible, though it is assumed that after her death, a Temple to her name will be built in her homeland of Calemberg where she was raised an orphan, where her trial will inevitably have something to do with cleansing the soul and inner purity. As a native of Calemberg, Taal is frequently seen in the surrounding regions but largely avoids coming to Regalia, working closely with the Darkwald Order and other Purist entities in the Empire. |
Borond, Lord of Seas
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Divine Hero Borond is a still-living Divine Being recognized by the Concilly Council with goodhood, following petitions by Eronidas Unionists, as well as first-hand accounts of his assistance with a variety of Regalian engagements. Borond is a so-called integrated Divine Being, meaning he comes from a different religion originally. Indeed, Borond is identical to the Eronidas god Buru from the Asaredu religion, though there are a couple of differences. Borond is the god of the seas, of the military, or storms and rainfall, and of military ingenuity. He is seen as a guide to the Regalian Armadas and fleets, and a patron protector of merchant shipping.
Borond’s shrine shows a depiction of his very Eronidas-looking appearance with the lower body of a shark or dolphin, next to a large gong. The Gong is a reference to the practice of Regalian Armada flagships to have a large gong close to the water, which can be struck in a matter of emergency. It is said that the gong reverberates into the seas, and can be heard by Borond, who has occasionally answered the call and appeared in dire circumstances to save a ship from sinking or being destroyed. In the home, the gong is struck merely ceremonially, while prayers for good winds and fair weather are made. Borond’s role in Unionism compared to Buru in Asaredu leads to some contentious conflict between Eronidas and Unionists (as the Eronidas consider Borond a false interpretation). At the same time however, Borond’s existence in Unionism is an easy way for Eronidas to quickly grow comfortable with Unionism, and a notable minority has converted. Borond is invoked by sailors, usually with a necklace, wooden carving or silver depiction of borond, praying for fair winds after which the necklace is kissed. His infrequent appearances to save Regalian ships from destruction has led to him being recognized as a God of another religion with distinct value for Unionism, thus becoming a Unionist God also. Wave-Born Asaredu worshipers are not acknowledged in Unionism. Unionists, contradicting Asaredu dogma, believe that Borond does reproduce with non-Eronidas, and that if they are Unionist, they are called Borr-folk. Borr-folk are born with webbed toes and feet as well as a prehensile shark-like tail and patches of dark shark skin (all of which are just aesthetic), though these are entirely rejected by the Asaredu faith. |
Nicholas, Architect of Magnificence
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Nicholas the Architect of Magnificence, (who may also go by the name Volodomyr in Krainivaya or Klaas in Anglian) was the 14th Arch-Chancellor of the Regalian Empire, and generally remembered fondly to be the best that the Empire ever had. Nicholas took the position when he was 16 years old, and would reign for 86 years, the longest reign of any Emperor or Arch-Chancellor, with a long list of accolades. Under Nicholas, many lands were conquered or subjugated through diplomacy, the economy soared, Unionism spread like wild-fire, and finally united all of the Archipelago under the Regalian banner. Nicholas had to learn on the job as it were, but quickly proved to be the most competent of rulers the Empire had ever seen, and was the architect of many of the Empire's greatest moments, as well as the increase of power of House Kade itself through skillful political marriage of his many sisters.
Nicholas is always depicted in his Arch-Chancellor robes with his long hair and distinct frail appearance. Nicholas is always depicted in some mid-command or mid-statement pose, as if he is ready to lift or strike out his hand to give the order to unleash whatever machination he has stewed up. Nicholas's virtues are leadership, foresight, insight, good planning, longevity and excellent design. He is the patron of all politicians, barons, dukes, generals and admirals, army officers, aldormen, but also architects and artists and bankers. His often less discussed divine flaw is that of "holding on for too long", referring to the fact that he held the position of Arch-Chancellor for so long without resigning, that he condemned the Empire to a string of less-than-stellar Arch-Chancellors who never had the experience on the job to succeed his legacy. This example is often set to the Dukes and other political rulers of the Empire, to resign when it is time for a new generation to take over, so that they may take their own place in history, and not have to hurriedly fill the shoes of the past generation and fail in doing so. Nicholas has been known to appear before politicians to assist them in taking momentous decisions that changed the course of the Empire's history, as well as to fortify the resolve of young Emperors who have just come to the throne. Nicholas's name is invoked by politicians who seek the insight and foresight that he had, as well as for success in their endeavors. His name is also invoked by scholars to aid them with discovery of truth and attain the correct interpretation or dissertation of their subject. Nicholas's pilgrimage site is Nicholas's Temple in Axenfoort (one that is shared with Emended Unionism), a grand Unionist Temple specifically built in his honor. Nicholas's Temple has often been described as a "pincushion", as its spires are exceptionally sharp and many, imitating a cushion with many needles in it. Those that hold Nicholas in high regard often play a game called "Cross-Bearing Kings", which is a board-game simulation of court life, intrigue, marriage, and plotting. The goal of the game is to accrue as much land as possible each successive generation with skilled use of relatives and politics, to prove their virtues in comparison to Vlaas's accolades. |
Elen, Lady of Rivers
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Elen the Lady of Rivers, is another example of an integrated Divine Entity that finds its origin in the Breizh faith that existed before they adopted Unionism. Unlike Borond and Asaredu, the Breizh Faith was completely absorbed by Unionism as they only believed in Ailwen, the Lady of the Lake, with all tenets roughly compatible with Unionism, and their concepts adopted by Elen's virtues. Ailwen was renamed in common to Elen, and canonized by the Concilly Council as her divinity was proven, and her worth to the Great Way manifest in the actions of the Breizh under her guidance. Elen is the goddess of purpose, meaning, destiny, judgement and burdens. She is specifically considered the patron goddess of Unionist Mages and the Magically tainted, putting her in direct opposition with Taal, Mother of Purity.
Elen is a somewhat complicated deiety because she is specifically known to have been a Magic user, and one who considers Magic to be a burden from the Everwatcher. Magic is a bit more complicated in Unionist dogma, because the clergy nor the Creed have ever really defined Magic (especially when born with Magic) as a flaw in the Everwatcher's creation, just that Magic users are usually corrupted. Elen's place and her role for the interpretation of Magic as such has always been dominated by the idea that to be Magic is bad, but to be Magic without purpose or meaning for the Great Way is worse, so Magic with purpose is actually acceptable so long as the soul is virtous. She represents a path that allows for Mages to be accepted by the Unionist community so long as they learn Magic solely for the good of the Empire and others and not for selfish reasons, and are guided under the strict moral supervision of the Emperor (who is accepting of Magic) and measure their worth and purpose based on how much they contribute to the Empire. Elen is always depicted in her Breizh linen, holding a pearl necklace of purpose, with her white feathered wings spread wide. Worship to Elen is performed through meditation and contemplation, and to seek out those who have strayed from the Unionist cause and re-commune with them. Elen's name is invoked by Magic users and those who are affected by the Occult, but also those who are impacted by the Occult. She is both prayed to for guidance and purpose by the non-Magically inclined, as well as to be protected from evil Occult, as much as she is worshiped by the Occult to give them a purpose and let their burden (their Magic) find a way to bring glory and benefit to the Empire and the Great Way. Elen has been known to manifest before those at a pivotal point in life where they feel their purpose is wavering, only for Elen to give them a vision or moral guidance with which to reinvigorate their destiny. Elen's Temple is the Temple of Divine Purpose in Kintyr, which is also home to the Unionist Seers. Seers are sort of like Celates, but not really, they are lay-priests who receive visions of Elen and help those who pilgrimage to the Temple with personal guidance on their road to redemption, or teaching them how to deal with whatever burdens they deal in life, magical or not magical. |