Baskarr, or the Faces of Baskarr as it is more commonly called, is a Religion primarily worshiped by the Asha and Feka Asha, dating back all the way to the Dewamenet Empire. As a result, Baskarr is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, continually worshiped religion for tens of thousands of years. However, because of the Dewamenet-Allorn War, and the subsequent enslavement of the Asha to the Allorn, it is generally assumed in the modern era that what is modern Baskarr is not the same as Dewamenet Baskarr, with aspects of the religion and nuances lost to time and Nelfin interference. The religion survived through word of mouth in enslaved communities, and after tens of thousands of years of separation, small differences and changes converged into new beliefs and concepts. As such, while it is perhaps the oldest continually worshiped religion, it is also an incredibly unstable religion that habitually experiences radical changes as ancient Dewamenet history and legacy is unearthed in the modern era.
Core Beliefs
Baskarr is a religion centered around the concept of Ma’at which is loosely translated to Karma in Common. Ma’at is the golden rule of the world to Baskarr, one that divines world order, peace, stability, hierarchy correctness and justice. The idea is that one will receive back what one does upon others, or that one will inflict back on others what has been inflicted on them. Everything that happens in the world to any person is deterministic because of what this person has done prior in their life, the sum of their actions, thoughts, emotions wants and needs, and how the Gods arbitrate this process. The term Baskarr itself means Origins in the old Dewamenet language. While Ma'at would imply a deep pacifist community, the Asha is anything but. The second core tenet of Retribution is a strong theme in their religion, though perhaps not in the way one would expect. Retribution to the Baskarr faithful is the idea of Justice, and enacting justice (no matter how violent, on for example the Elves) is a form of kindness and compassion to cleanse even non-believers of the stain of sin and tyranny from their soul. The injustices that Baskarr worshipers care most about, is slavery, genocide, and taking the lives of others, but they are also equally capable of condemning whole societies for the crimes of a few, and have this be justified in their religion. A person can make amends for evil deeds, or be inflicted retribution upon their soul by others, thus correcting any imbalances of sin and virtue. When a Soul passes to the Afterlife, which is called the Duat, the gods weigh the soul’s value against that of a feather, which is said to weigh near zero when it comes to Ma’at. Those who have sinned a lot have heavy souls, while those with good Ma’at have lighter souls, thus making the feather heavier. Those with heavy souls are rejected and sent back to Aloria, condemned to live the life of a diminutive animal before they may be reborn a second time into an Asha to try again. Even though they are burdened souls, repentance as a domestic or wild animal is considered holy repentance, and to kill such an animal is considered a grave crime against the Gods. Souls that are deemed light enough to stay in Dauat are given their own boat and sent sailing on the eternal ocean. It is said that the Dauat is an eternally calm ocean under a perfectly lit starry night sky, where the souls of those deemed worthy sail forever without need or want, and able to visit the boats of their friends and loved ones, as well as pets. Because pets go to the Dauat automatically (domestic animals cannot commit sins), it is believed that those who are condemned to be reincarnated as a dog or a cat will automatically pass to the Dauat once their repentance is up. Here is a list of all Holy Animals of the Baskarr Faith: Domestic Cats, Domestic Canines, Otters, Beavers, Horses, Rats, Rabbits, Mice, Ferrets, Deer, and Bears.
Divine Mechanics
All Religions provide 1 single Mechanic to their Believers that fits within the flair of their Religion. This Mechanic is lost if the individual stops believing in the Religion, or becomes a heretic, but can be regained. Afflicted can use this mechanic, but having the mechanic does not imply that they have blanket forgiveness from their Gods, just that there is more nuance to it than that.
Baskarr Faithful (even if non-Asha) gain access to Living Metal (a liquid metallic substance that can imitate organic functions and be moved like water by its owner, or solidify in desired shapes), which is now capable of developing a will of its own. If they should die before it is their time (as arbitrarily dictated by the Gods), then their Soul and mind is transported into the Living Metal, which produces a whole new body for them out of Living Metal, which imitates their previous body, but in a more metallic form. Additionally, Living Metal can develop a will of its own while on their owner's body, and express sentiments or feelings independently of the owner's will, but will always subject to the owner's commands when given.
Gods and Goddesses
Baskarr has the so-called Faces of Baskarr. The Faces refer to each of the Gods, though at this point it is fairly clear that many of the Gods have been lost to time, and some Gods have been historically re-imagined. The new and modern re-discovered Gods are identified through the new format, while the old ones are present in the old God format.
Tjafar, the Shaper God
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Name: Tjafar is the God of Shaping (Crafts and Creation), and Machinery.
Enemies: non-Asha Mages & Afflicted, Mage-God Worshipers, and Allorn Loyalists.
Rituals: Tjafar's rituals are very new, because he was only reborn in the year 311 AC following a cataclysmic explosion that wiped out millions of Elves in the Allorn Empire. Tjafar's rituals mostly involve the pious act of working on Asha infrastructure, merging Living Metal (Called the Blood of the Gods, made by Tjafar) into technology, and learning of other forms of technology to be made into Asha (Dewamenet) Technology instead.
Akhet, The Golden Hour God
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Name: Akhet is the God of the Reclamation, and of the Good Life in the Sun.
Patron: Reclaimers (taking back Asha territory), Akhetborn, Party-people.
Symbols: The radiant golden Sun, the progeny of the the Thousand Sons.
Role: Akhet's role is to lead the Asha people in both Retribution, and Pleasure.
Temple: Akhet's unofficial Temple is the Baskarr Temple in Regalia, with a new one soon.
Allies: Those that fight the Allorn Legacy, Maquixtl, Isldar, Daen Cultured Ailor.
Enemies: Allorn Loyalists, Party-Poopers, people who throw out party goers from venues.
Rituals: Akhet and his thousand sons are an understatement, Akhet frequently disguises and mingles among the Asha population to create Baskarr Demigods, who are to serve in the Reclamation (of territory, and Retribution against Elves). Other than that, any act that would naturally follow an increase of the Asha population is considered a ritual of virtue to Akhet, as he too is a person with difficulty keeping his hedonism away from others.
Khannar, the Vengeance God
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Name: Khannar is the dead God of Music, and of Vengeance on the Elves.
Rituals: Khannar's ritual, unsurprisingly, involves the killing (or attempting to), of Elves. Some Elves may be spared if they perform a ritual of begging forgiveness to Khannar for the deaths of the Dewamenet Empire and 18,000 years of Slavery. Surprisingly however, Music still plays an important element, Khannar worshipers usually announced or preceded by haunting sorrowful and melancholic Music of once great talent brought low by loss.
Divi, the Humble God
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Name: Divi is the God of richness in poverty and tragedy in wealth.
Patron: The poor, the wealthy, the charitable, the ascetics.
Symbols: The Polar Star, fool's gold and silver, and coinage.
Role: Divi encourages good empathetic and charitable qualities in believers.
Temple: Divi's Temple is the Cave of Dêt in the Savent homeland.
Allies: Everyone, Divi does not believe in hostility towards others.
Enemies: Avarice Arken & Arkenborn, and other greedy kleptomaniacs.
Rituals: Divi's rituals are all about handing away what one can miss, and finding other opportunities to help others into material wealth, but also to consider the true worth of coin, and other intangibles like people. Much of Divi's lessons come down to humility with material wealth, and finding richness in having things other than money: friends, love, family, memories, recognition, appreciation, respect, the regard of others, and finding peace.
Yah, Lady of the Heavens
Identity: Yah, Lady of the Heavens and Moon-Goddess, is the second oldest and most intelligent of the Baskarr Gods. She emerged and engaged Akhet in a chase for many years, wearing him down but growing impressed by her prey. Their chase ended in cooperation rather than conquest or defeat.
Themes: Yah is represented by the Moon, and is a goddess of learning, foresight, precognition, diligence, sacrifice, parenthood and defense. Yah’s greatest flaw is indifference, or inability to act, as she holds up the heavens and prevents the celestial bodies in the sky from falling to Aloria. How she gained this task is unclear.
Depictions: Yah is a physically imposing, bulky Lioness Asha, with purple-blue arms speckled with constellations and nebulae, dark gray fur on the rest of their body, a dark blue Satoor decorated with one or more phases of the moon along stars, and her form commonly depicted holding up the moon while also gazing at it. Yah’s torso is bound down to appear less feminine, which has led to some debate about her gender-identity, but she is still presumed female.
Worship: Yah worship can be done with any coin mostly made of Silver (this includes the Regal, which is Silver plated with Gold), and involves the saying of prayers and wishes under moonlight before then throwing it into a body of water, be that a pond or the ocean itself.
Worship House: Yah’s greatest center of worship is the Well of Moonlight, a strange, seemingly bottomless clear-water pool in the desert of Khene in the Ashal Isles that perfectly reflects the night sky and moonlight high above.
Shrines: Shrines to Yah are ponds, fountains, rivers, and cliffsides found near Asha communities, often featuring a statue or iconography of the goddess as well as hundreds if not thousands of untouched coins laying at the bottom of the water.
Manifestation: Yah is only said to appear when the Moon is in eclipse, when her powers are strongest, able to fully lift the sky with one arm and use such time to address whatever matter may demand her attention. She has very rarely appeared to mortals however, instead dealing with the affairs of the other Baskarr Gods.
Relations: Yah and Akhet are not husband and wife, being more akin to siblings, but function as parental roles to the other Faces of Baskarr. However, because Akhet constantly seeks new lovers and experiences in the mortal realm, Yah is the theoretical single parent saddled with most of the responsibility.
Other Notes: Connections between Yah and the now lost Moon-Well Goddess of the pre-Allorn Nelfin are very strong, due to common associations with pools of water as sites of worship and iconography of the moon. These ties are harshly rejected by the modern Allorn as Asha-fueled lies.
Ankh, Hands without Forgiving
Identity: Ankh, Hands without Forgiving and Earth-Mother, is the first of the younger Faces of Baskarr, and a goddess considered the most fierce and brave though with an uncertain origin.
Themes: Ankh is said to have lost her hands as a punishment for some now-obscured divine crime and created Living Metal to replace these limbs. She then shared this gift with the Asha, but she is also the goddess of other metals, forging, crafting, creativity, inspiration, retribution and recompense. Her greatest flaw is disobedience and unlawfulness.
Depictions: Ankh is a large and brawny female Polar Bear Asha with cream white fur, over-sized punching gloves made of Living Metal, Living Metal jewelry around her neck and sometimes in her ears, a burgundy colored Satoor with the purple and red flames of the forge, or imagery of Living Metal as a woven pattern. Ankh is usually depicted in some pre-punch stance, or inspecting her craftsmanship.
Worship: Ankh worship is passively done while engaging in creative arts whether it is drawing, weaving, writing, forging, or casting through the muttered or frequent performance of “Ankh’s Song,” a ballad-style song in the ancient Dewamenet tongue which has lost almost all modern meaning due to the Language’s near extinction. Another form of Ankh worship is performed by purchasing crafts equipment, raw materials, or other tools for producing, and then giving some of them away to others.
Worship House: The prestigious Ankh-Seshem Temple is both a school in the use of Living Metal for the art of creation, but also a place of judgment and law enforcement. Based out of the city of Qebtu in Nakhoor, this majestic center features stunning Living Metal rivers and vistas over the surrounding regional infrastructure, as well as many marvelous artistic works in the Asha style.
Shrines: Ankh shrines are often found in and around forges, Engineering facilities, artist studios, and guard houses. They feature the icon of a clenched fist thrust into the air, often holding an implement relevant to the location, while beneath them embedded into the shrine is a musical contraption which plays an instrumental rendition of Akh’s Song when activated.
Manifestation: Ankh, while a giving god and one of the most generous of the pantheon, has not been seen as frequently in recent decades for unknown reasons. When she does appear, it is to render judgment on the most heinous offenders of Asha customs, or to offer a final, marvelous element to a creative work to complete it.
Relations: Ankh is engaged in what appears to be a performative marriage to Wadj (as both partners have apparent same-sex romantic inclinations), and often runs interference with Yah on Wadj’s behalf, allowing her husband to avoid punishment for breaking the bonds of marriage.
Other Notes: There are some distinct parallels to be made between the Unionist goddess Elia and Ankh. Both enjoyed punching things with their oversized gloves, both were/are (presumed) to be lesbians, and both were/are married a (presumed) homosexual husband for appearance reasons.
Wadj, Gaze upon Infinity
Identity: Wadj, Gaze upon Infinity and Mind-Bender is one of the younger Faces of Baskarr, and he is considered most devious and deceitful of them all.
Themes: Wadj is the god of intrigue, deceit, plans within plans, but also of design and inventions. His greatest flaw is self-enamorment, being so full of and in love with himself that he does not see obvious threats arise near him.
Depictions: Wadj is depicted as an athletic Bull-terrier or Jackal Asha with dark gray and light brown fur, though he is frequently also depicted as different types of canine Asha due to his shapeshifting nature. Wadj is the only Face of Baskarr without a Satoor, instead always wearing a pair of yellow or sulfuric green Elastan leggings, while steam wafts from his exposed torso, and undecipherable tattoos or lines, each glowing with a yellow/green sulfuric hue, float over his entire form.
Worship: Wadj is not traditionally worshiped, as while not evil, he still commonly plays an antagonist or villain-archetype, a god who always knows in what immense position of power he is, and constantly seeks ways to abuse it.
Worship House: Wadj lacks a central temple of worship, though evidence suggests a vast complex once existed in what is now the Ithanian desert, at the site of his first teachings.
Shrines: Shrines to Wadj are exceptionally rare, but sometimes exist in Engineering and Living Metal facilities in the Ashal Isles, as sites of thanks for the marvels Wadj helped their ancestors to build. No active prayers or offerings are given at these places, unless someone desires the attention of Wadj upon themselves.
Manifestation: Many Dewamenet ruins have depictions of Wadj appearing before the Asha Race, first teaching them Steamtech and later, how to design the most elaborate Living Metal devices that the Asha in the modern era could only ever dream of understanding. Wadj continues to manifest in the mortal realm, with a covered up body he only exposes when he feels he has seduced his target mortal to perform his own desires, something that the Baskarr faithful consider vile (though many would still submit to, in the hopes of unlocking ancient Dewamenet designs).
Relations: Wadj is thought to be in a performative marriage with Ankh, whom he knows to be a lesbian, while she also understands that he is homosexual. It is said this performative marriage exists only because Wadj gave Ankh the designs for mind-controlling Living Metal, and because Ankh serves as a perfect distraction for Yah, who is convinced that Wadj is “settled down”, and thus turns a blind eye to all his escapades on Aloria because a married man couldn’t possibly fornicate out of wedlock.
Other Notes: Wadj’s body lines are immensely important, being the method for his imparting of knowledge onto the Asha he chose and chooses to this day. It is said that Wadj’s body lines look different for each person who gazes upon them, that each inventor sees different lines, different shapes, and different orientations, but that each such a viewing reveals technology of terrifying potential, only for that viewer to understand.
Ra’mut, Guidance of Wayfarers
Identity: Ra’mut, Sea-Strider and Guidance of Wayfarers, is the youngest of the Baskarr Gods and is also considered the most free, with little baggage or intense drives in their nature.
Themes: Ra’mut is the god of freedom and exploration, of travel and the wind, of the ocean and the plantlife, all very different things, but all things intrinsically linked to freedom. Ra’mut’s greatest “flaw” (if it can be considered such) is being average for a god, as they lack the marvelous properties and abilities of other deities.
Depictions: Ra’mut is an athletic non-binary Zebra Asha with white fur and black stripes, as well as a large black mane, and a lime or mint-green Satoor decorated by the feather of the Ma’at. Ra’mut is often shown in a fairly neutral stance, with one arm pointing off into the distance, and the other hand balled into a fist in anticipation for a journey.
Worship: Ra’mut’s worship has many forms due to their own focus on freedom, thus leading to a freedom of expression in practices. The most well known is the act of freeing slaves, a complex and dangerous task in recent decades though aided by the Regalian Empire’s gradual trend toward total abolition. Other forms of worship include the saying or inscribing of prayers onto kites or ribbons, and drawing them up into the air.
Worship House: Ra’mut’s central place of worship is rather mysterious, that being a singular floating barge located in an endless voyage across Aloria upon which the deity often travels. Crewed by none save himself, the barge has made contact with all Corsair Fleets, and made port in over a dozen major Asha cities in the past decade alone. Visitors to Ra’mut’s Barge most commonly offer him supplies or support for his next voyage, usually without realizing it is Ra’mut and simply desiring to help a fellow Asha.
Shrines: Shrines of Ra’mut are simple, featuring a plain altar with a fan of feathers formed from those collected by travelers resting above a compass, astrolabe, and other navigational equipment. Ribbons of prayer, hopes and questions, are affixed to the edges of the altar.
Manifestation: Ra’mut travels around the world as a sagely guide for those whose lives feel like they are at a standstill, and is said to be the most frequent god to mingle with mortals (save Akhet’s frequent, though brief, trips). Most people would never even know if they had met Ra’mut however, as they can mostly be found just sitting in taverns or pubs drinking, and waiting for someone down on their luck to sit down near them at the bar to begin a conversation.
Relations: Ra’mut is thought to be the mediator and communicator between the other Faces of Baskarr. While Akhet and Yah are supposed to guide the others, it is usually only Ra’mut who can attract Yah’s attention, or get Akhet to stop skirt-chasing for a moment to sit down with the others. Equally, he is the only one who can get Wadj and Ankh to sit down and work on something together. He is also the messenger of the gods, carrying their words to mortals, a task most commonly done for Yah due to her constant inability to respond to those beseeching her.
Other Notes: There are some who believe Ra’mut was not born a god, but instead was an ancient Asha of great prestige or one who committed great sacrifice who was uplifted into their current role as a messenger. This is used to explain their rather mundane nature.
Priesthood
Baskarr does not have a priestly hierarchy like Unionism or Estellon, but that does not mean it has no priests at all. Rather, priests are called Diviners, because their task is not so much to preach, but to try and interpret the life-signs or words of the Gods provided to the faithful. While many faithful could live their whole lives without seeing a God once, the actions of the gods can still be interpreted in the world around them. Furthermore, Baskarr Diviners offer social services, a form of therapy for those who have had evil actions inflicted on them, but also to offer advice on how to enact retribution, or practice forgiveness, depending on what the person seeking help wants. To become a Baskarr Diviner, one does not need any formal training, one simply decides to be one. It is usually required however for the Diviner to wear the Satoor in exact design of the god or goddess they primarily represent, with Wadj having some more freedom (or, if the person refuses to wear Elastan, to wear a pure-black Satoor). Baskarr Temples are also fairly informal because worship is a more personal arrangement. Still, a matter of public acknowledgement of the gods has some value, and as such, shrines with statues of the Faces can be found in all major Asha population centers.
Trivia
The Faces of Baskarr have the misfortune of frequently being misgendered by outsiders due to their large-leaning physical appearance, and because some of them have gender identities different than their appearance, or because they take more appearance traits of the opposite gender.
It is well understood that a lot of the nuance of the faith is not understood because the pantheon is incomplete. It is for example possible that the relation between Akhet and Yah is very different, if Yah’s husband god was supposedly found. Many Baskarr faithful disregard this potential reality for now, under the assumption they will correct their beliefs when new information is brought to light.
There is a constant information war going on between the Allorn Empire and the Ashal States. The Ashal States fund research and excavations into historical sites, but Estellon fundamentalists are well known to enact acts of terrorism on these historical sites as a continuation of erosion of Asha identity. The Allorn revanchists benefit from mitigating Asha nationalism, as millions of Asha are still enslaved in the Allorn and Dread Empire.
