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Opinion? UPDATED

Kingly342

Scribe
Paleism is a wide-spread religion that worships the God Paleus and his family of Gods.

MAIN GODS-

-Paleus, King and Father of the Gods, Owner of all things existing, Controls Space and Time,
-Synechdote, Wife of Paleus, Queen and Mother of the Gods, Goddess of Family, Patron of Mothers
-Kurith, Son of Paleus and Synechdote, God of death (And all things involved) and Shadows, Patron of Assassins, Thieves and Undead.
-Nikita, Daughter of Paleus, Half-sister of Kurith, Goddess of trickery, Patron of Tricksters
-Arumanh, Brother of Paleus, God of War and Combat, Patron of Soldiers
-Isth, Son of Nikita, Grandson of Paleus, God of Mountains and Forging, Patron of Miners and Blacksmiths
-Gigiran, Father of Paleus and Arumanh, God of Existence

MINOR GODS (Not genetic relatives of Paleus)-

-Karanu, God of Life (And all things involved), Husband of Nikita, Father of Isth, Patron of the living
-Paroka, God of Water, Brother of Karanu, Second Husband of Nikita, Patron of Well-Builders
-Ikithu, God of Agriculture, Son of Nikita and Paroka, Patron of Farmers
-Saroka, Sister of Paroka, Goddess of Sight and Knowledge, Wife of Isth, Patron of Librarians and Scholars
-Evora, Second Wife of Paleus, Mother of Nikita, Goddess of Love, Patron of lovers
-Jirazaak, Brother of Evora, God of Hunting and Animals, Patron of Hunters, Father of Lute
-Lute, God of Music and Dancing, Son of Jirazaak, Patron of Bards and Dancers


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Places of Worship

Paleists pray in Temples. These Temples are usually the second tallest building in a City (The first being the Castle/Fort). Temples are built out of stone and have 3 rooms:
-The Central chamber, First room you enter when entering a temple and is also the largest, This chamber is where Paleists pray
-The Priest's/Priestesses' quarters, This is where the Priest/ess resides
-Storage, Items of all sort are stored here (Mostly Food and the Priest/Priestess' belongings)

Worshipper Temples can be found in any Arkhein city (Excluding Valnur).

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How Paleists pray

Paleists pray in Temples (As mentioned above). They pray by kneeling in front of a statue of the god they wish to pray to. They follow this procedure:
1) Kneel in front of the statue of the god you desire to pray to
2) Lean forward and place your hands on the ground near the statue

The prayer itself begins with the phrase: "(insert name here) I offer you my prayer". Then you proceed to say whatever you deem necessary for the prayer you are praying. A prayer is ended by saying: Praise be to thee (insert name here)

Example:

"Saroka, I offer you my prayers.

I pray that you will bestow your divine knowledge upon us mortals so that we will truly know your divine grace and impact upon the mortal world of Amris.

Praise be to thee Saroka"

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Religious Hierarchy of Paleism

Arch-Priests/Priestesses
High Priests/Priestesses
Monks
Priests/Priestesses
Acolytes
Initiate

The Arch-Priests/Priestesses are the Pope-like figures of Paleism. They have the highest authority and manage the Paleist Temples. They dress in long white robes with an Image of Paleus on the chest. To become an Arch Priest/ess, you must have spent 8 years as a High Priest/ess (Arch Council elections are held on a tri-yearly basis or when a member dies or retires).

High Priests/Priestesses are in charge of certain Paleist regions (Similar to a diocese in real life). They report the progress of their Region to the Arch Council. They wear blue robes. To become a High Priest/ess, you must have spent at 5 years as a Priest/ess or 3 years as a Monk (Though becoming High Priest/ess is rare and promotions only occur on a bi-yearly basis).

Monks are an optional promotion in Paleism. They mostly attempt to achieve eternal enlightenment by meditating and praying in remote Temples. They wear medium sized brown robes. To become a Monk, you must have spent 3 years as a Priest/Priestess.

Priests/Priestesses are in charge of separate Temples. They also live in the Temple they are in (As mentioned above). They wear medium sized white robes. To become a Priest or Priestess, you must have spent 1 year hours aiding another Priest/Priestess as an Acolyte.

Acolytes are assistants of Priests/Priestesses. To become an Acolyte, you must have been an active member of the Temple for 100 hours and gone through all of the Initiation rites.

Initiates are members of the Temple. To be an Initiate, you have to participate in the Initiation rites.

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Initiation Rites

To join the Paleian Community, you must first partake in the Initiation rites.

First Rites:
First Rites are when someone is approved to begin initiation. A High Priest/ess will bless you in the name of Synechdote then proceed to dip their finger in red paint and draw the symbol of Paleus on your forehead, symbolizing that you ready to continue your initiation.

Second Rites:
After First Rites, the High Priest/ess will sit next to you and read to you the section of the Paleian bible that depicts the first Paleian worshipper from Amris. He/she will then proceed to give you the Oath of Faith. After the Oath of Faith, you are ready to continue your Initiation.

The Journey:
Now that you've finished the Rites, you are ready to journey to the top of Mt Paleiakahn, the second tallest and coldest mountain in Amris. Don't worry, you'll be given warm clothes and some supplies (Including a map, Food and Water). Your task is to climb the steps up to the summit, where the Arch Priests/esses will await your arrival. You won’t be alone as some other Initiates will be journeying alongside you. Once at the summit, join the other Initiates as the Arch Council bless you in Paleus' name. You can rest there and then return to your home.

The Final Initiation:
After a day's rest, you must return to the Temple for your Final Initiation. This is when the High council will give you a blessing and tattoo your body.

If you are male:
An image of Paleus is tattooed onto your chest

If you are female:
Synechdote's symbol is tattooed onto your cheek.

Congratulations! You’re now an Initiated Member of the Paleian Community!

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Miscellaneous Information:

-In Paleian belief, it is bad to shun someone who does not follow your beliefs. Punishments for ignoring this rule include beatings and temporary exile.
-The Initiate's tattoo is symbolic. It symbolizes welcoming. It is tattooed using a technique that ensures it stays on your body NO MATTER WHAT.
-The First Arch council had 4 members: Ji-Karuna, Ki-Senuka, Jorvuskahn and Ki-Zerohk. It was formed in 2,400BGW.

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I feel like Kurith and Arumanh should be twins, or at least brothers. You say that Kurith is the god of death, and all that is related to it. So I first thought that he should also be the god of war and combat. But then again, your pantheon would be rather slim, and having one deity embody too many traits could get a little rough. So I think it would be cool if the god of war had a twin brother who embodies death. Not to mention that historically speaking, twins are often regarded as being powerful and a little mystical.
 

Kingly342

Scribe
I feel like Kurith and Arumanh should be twins, or at least brothers. You say that Kurith is the god of death, and all that is related to it. So I first thought that he should also be the god of war and combat. But then again, your pantheon would be rather slim, and having one deity embody too many traits could get a little rough. So I think it would be cool if the god of war had a twin brother who embodies death. Not to mention that historically speaking, twins are often regarded as being powerful and a little mystical.

Arumanh is Kurith's uncle. Or I could edit it to make Arumanh Paleus' son. But then I'd have to rewrite the Paleian bible.
 
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