Gods and Nephilim

Religious Groups in Hastam

Shemeshi Sects

• Ascensionism: A radical branch of Shemism that has reared its head in four different heresies, including an ongoing one, Ascensionism seeks to answer the question of death with a fervent focus verging on anxiety. They believe in progress, are naturally skeptical of authority, and dislike the answers the Speaker for Shemesh provides. This makes them a major thorn in the side of the established order, aiming to reach the moon or die trying.
• Contentedness Spiritualism: Known by the layperson as the Cult of Happy. One of the sects that borders on ditching Shemesh altogether, it demands much of its followers. Casting off their individual identities in favour of a life of anonymous hedonism and deference to superiors, it’s highly doubtful that this sect is as content as it claims. At a certain point the Cult discovers the Fallen Heaven, leading to the vast majority becoming dedicated Machinists.
• Doctrine of Stone: About a century ago, one of the Speakers for Shemesh, Aloysius I (so far the only one of his name) went mad. Although he was deposed in a matter of days, the emergency council convened to appoint a successor stalled for several months. Such a move was unprecedented in the history of Frostheart and as a result some theologians have taken Aloysius’ words before and after his deposition to be correct. The Doctrine of Stone therefore functions as a strange, heretical secret society, with its followers, the Stoners, viewing all other groups as hypocritical. Many of their practices and rituals are derived from their founder’s proclamations, and as a result are stranger than any seen elsewhere.
• Eastern Shemism: Popular in Svelch, mainstream in the Hundred Kingdoms, and present in many other areas of Hastam that its followers have reached, Eastern Shemism is unique in its portrayal of the cosmos and its deities. Viewing the night sky as a patchwork weaved by Shemesh, Eastern Shemeshis focus on creating the same sort of abstract and natural art to please God by making the human world just as good-looking. Portraying humans in art is strictly forbidden so Shemesh does not suffer the same fate as the Old Gods, weakening and becoming mortal.
• Lunar Repentance: In certain areas of the Partisan Empire, a bizarre heresy has taken root. Along with the Ascensionists, they make up the two moon-focused heresies of Shemism. The Lunatics are a group who believe that Heaven was taken from Hastam’s landmass because its inhabitants were too certain of their lives, too prideful and too uncultured. In order to make up for this ancestral sin, they engage in ritual flagellation and other such cleansing activities. Luckily their belief is only a local one, and won’t spread beyond Lostria… right?
• Middle Shemism: Present in Frostheart, Partisania and Sinistra, Middle Shemism doesn’t necessarily have an identity of its own but rather other sects build their identities in opposition to it. Listening to the Speaker for Shemesh for religious guidance, worshipping in Churches of the Sun, and believing in an afterlife on the moon, their views are often pretty unanimous. That said, Frosian Middle Shemism is far more fervent than Partisan Middle Shemism thanks to its origin there. Its most unique aspect is the veneration of ‘Heirs to the Glory’, great people who are integrated into the faith after death. This practice is by no means uniform and has seen much opposition since its commencement 200 years ago.
• Monastic Shemism: Syncretic with a great deal of other Shemeshi sects, the Ashen Monks provide a naturally great class of clergymen for society. Monastic Shemeshis study the texts closely where others interpret them liberally, acting as a right-hand for the state as long as they’re on side. In many cases the Monastic Shemeshis are so good at their jobs that other denominations have also taken up the tradition of an overcooked priesthood.
• Sun-Soul Energism: An esoteric branch bordering on secularism, Energism is more about lifestyle than active worship as it encourages self-reliance, intellect and the wisdom to question others’ words to find one’s own truth. Due to its stipulation that part of Shemesh is inside each and every person, it is seen as a threat to the order, and may soon be deemed outright heretical.
• Tecpatl Shemism: Easily the most macabre branch, Shemeshi fervour combined with Tec traditions to ensure worship through bloodshed would be inevitable in the Land of the Six Jungles and Nineteen Mountains. One’s belief is at its most powerful before death, so the authorities there hand wave passages about niceness to allow mass human sacrifices to continue in the name of securing blood, power and authority over the material world.
• Western/‘Crusade’ Shemism: Probably the most fervent form of Shemism commonly practised across an entire region, Crusade Shemism is a militarised branch that dictates the forceful spreading of the faith in the manner that Shemesh conquered the lesser Gods and claimed his place in the sky. Gorgovania and areas of the Straits Islands practise this faith, making it difficult to get on with neighbouring heretics.

Old God Cults

Old Gods are a strange part of Hastam's history, believed to date back to the Hol'Oh or even further before. It is unclear whether they were once humans who became Nephilim hence their anthropomorphisation, or whether they are simply advanced tulpas. They are not really actively worshipped, and instead often appear in old runic temples, strange local customs, or in phrases and placenames. Despite the male God Shemesh's primacy in the modern day, most Old Gods are actually female, puzzling anthropologists. The Druidic Movement promotes syncretism between these Gods and Shemesh, though it has not seen much success.

• Akanata, Goddess of Autumn and the Harvest:
  • Natural Representation: Insect (Firefly)
  • Human Representation: Woman with long black hair and insect wings, holding green lamplight and sickle
  • Distribution: Marchlands and rural Deltan
• Byrnalai: Goddess of Fire and Martial Prowess:
  • Natural Representation: Bird (Flaymu)
  • Human Representation: Red feathered, birdlike woman holding sword and flame
  • Distribution: Southern Whemayda, the Scyllan Isles and the Scarlands
• Caernan, Goddess of Freshwater and Change:
  • Natural Representation: Serpent (Rattlesnake)
  • Human Representation: Something like a lamia with a blue tail and rattler on the end, holding water-skin and compass
  • Distribution: Northern and Central Whemayda, Boran Islands
• Dushalir, Goddess of Beasts and Deep Nature:
  • Natural Representation: Rodent (Bat)
  • Human Representation: Woman with bat wings, portrayed as blind, holding branch and seeds
  • Distribution: Southern Tecpatl and Valormia
• Firnulam, Goddess of Health and Fertility:
  • Natural Representation: Amphibian (Axolotl)
  • Human Representation: Woman with axolotl gills and webbed extremities, holding herbs and chain-hook
  • Distribution: Central, Northern and Western Tecpatl
• Greyatz, Goddess of Proficiency and Rulership:
  • Natural Representation: Reptile (Dragon)
  • Human Representation: Similar appearance to a Wyvek, auburn hair and sharp talons, holding sceptre and orb
  • Distribution: Gorgovania, Kamiloriya and Wyvek lands
• Haaktazon, God of Chivalry and Romance:
  • Natural Representation: Flower (Rose)
  • Human Representation: Armoured knight holding shield and bouquet
  • Distribution: Western Partisania and Southern Sinistra
• Lutmorn, God of Storms and Seas:
  • Also known as the Leviathan
  • Natural Representation: Shark (Geartooth)
  • Human Representation: Bald man with grey fins covered in blue tattoos, holding trident and net
  • Distribution: Cephcu, coastal Auroria and Northern Sinistra
• Murganth, Goddess of Summer and Valour:
  • Natural Representation: Feline (Lion)
  • Human Representation: Woman with catlike features, holding axe and cross
  • Distribution: Eastern Oursouls, Western Dom and isolated parts of Partisania
• Nihasalne, Goddess of Destruction and Rebirth:
  • Natural Representation: Mushroom (Deathcap)
  • Human Representation: Woman with large deathcap on her head in place of hair, holding scales and lotus
  • Distribution: Middle Abyss, Boundless Isles and the Zalastrians
• Relthurn, God of the Earth and the Forge:
  • Natural Representation: Mountain (Volcano)
  • Human Representation: Blacksmith holding iron bar and hammer
  • Distribution: East Oursouls, Dvarreg communities and the Cocchuan Highlands
• Semrash, God of Self-Sacrifice and the Sky:
  • Modernised and dehumanised into Shemesh
  • Natural Representation: Celestial Body (Sun)
  • Human Representation: Blonde bearded man with a torch and spear, often portrayed as heavily wounded, pained or crippled
  • Distribution: Formerly Frostheart, now almost everywhere
• Spa’at, Goddess of Death and the Arts:
  • Natural Representation: Sea Mammal (Orca)
  • Human Representation: Mermaid-esque woman with orca fins theatre mask, holding songbook and scythe
  • Distribution: Purlagia, the Midwaters, and Failauften, also revered by Acatl
• Taloth, God of Winter and the Home:
  • Natural Representation: Tree (Oak)
  • Human Representation: Grey-haired, bearded man in cloak, holding firewood and cooking pot
  • Distribution: Northern Dom, most of Svelch
• Yhorme, Goddess of Springtime and Adventure:
  • Natural Representation: Canine (Fox)
  • Human Representation: Fox woman holding shovel and rope
  • Distribution: Eastern Partisania and most of Lostria
• Zestogo, God of Trade and Fineries:
  • Natural Representation: Spice (Clove)
  • Human Representation: Well-dressed man holding golden goblet and pouch
  • Distribution: Sharpened Straits and Qarcage, but has some representation in many guilds and courts

Esoteric Views

• Abyssal Deification: A cultural variant of Constructivism practised in the twin Kingdoms of Tokongo and Ya’thul that maintains its leaders as either the speakers for Shemesh or as Gods in their own right. The latter view has become antiquated in the face of the former due to the lack of serious belief in the concept, as the ‘God-Kings’ regularly lost their positions after short periods.
• Antitheism: the view that the Gods that are present in Hastam are not in fact Gods at all, sometimes extending to the idea that Heaven is not on the Moon. It has no organised communities and is generally limited to one or two individuals, as it is the most thoroughly deviant belief of all.
• Conducator Thought/Inclusive Constructivism: A cult within the bureaucratic Eggheads of Deltan, Conducator Thought permeates itself through the establishment of ‘proxies’, hosts of an approximation of the national leader’s consciousness. Its ultimate goal is the centralisation of all human identity into one soul and the promotion of that soul to become a God. As a result, comparisons to Riftism are frequently made.
• Machinism: A strange blend of Inclusive Constructivism, Hol’Oh Reverence, deference to higher intellect and apocalyptic belief. Despite the advanced nature of the Fallen Heaven device, no belief in progress is inherent to Machinism. It centres around the calls of a device in Abyss that has become increasingly active in recent years, showing signs that it could potentially absorb Hastam’s souls into itself and create an earthly paradise. Whether such a device is the best for accomplishing this purpose is not answered.
• Reverence: Although Reverence has been extinguished as a movement, its legacy is still important. It served as a form of ancestor worship and meritocracy, and was practised chiefly by the Hol’Oh. Its focus on sharpening the mind led to the creation and refinement of the Runes of Hol, capable of awakening latent psionics in individuals with powerful minds. Modern Reverence movements, often secret societies, focus on trying to revive the teachings of the old Empire.
• Riftsm/Exclusive Constructivism: The first practical manifestation of Constructivism, Riftism is an antiquated belief built around worship of the most vilified man in Hastish history. Still, it has its supporters in Sinistra and Northern Partisania. It preaches the investment of the power of belief within only one individual and hence the establishment of such a figure as an absolute God. This endeavour failed, but has since inspired other movements of a similar nature around other figures.

Nephilim

When a tulpa becomes revered by more than one person, it can transcend its status and become a God. Similarly, when a mortal comes to be revered as something more, they can develop into Nephilim and realise an existence beyond conventional reality, learning of the Veil of