Rite of the Praternum

Belief in the Powers, formally known as the Rite of the Praternum, is an ancient syncretistic religion based on the ancestral teachings and creation myth of the Zhoongen people, also followed by their progeny, the Amari people that inhabit the vale of the Azh River. The formal beliefs of the followers of the Powers are laid down in the Graven Words, large tablets made of imperishable dark obsidian that are housed atop the spire of Mount Mindolum, near Jakalit in Mara. It was one of the world's largest religions, claiming nearly six million followers as of 200 B.F.B. Believers in the Powers hold that the soul is immortal and imperishable, and moves on to an afterlife following death. They believe that there are two afterlifes, Ghenna and Orias, to which a soul may go depending on their actions in life. Neither is necessarily better or worse, merely different. Believers hold that there once was a creator god, Amerus, but he descended to earth and became a man, beginning the human race with his consort Sarai. Thus there is now no longer a divinity in heaven, but all men carry in their blood traces of the supernatural. Souls after death are able to exert influence on the living world, and so believers in the Powers worship their ancestors as both the Powers Below and Above, honoring the dead and hoping for aid in the present.

The Powers Above
Aptly named, the Powers Above are perceived to be represented by the starry host that litter the night sky of the southern hemisphere. They are the ancestors that did great and noble deeds in their lives, and thus the divine power of Amerus in their veins flourished upon death, elevating them to the heights of Orias, the Paradise of Promise. The Powers Above are guided by the echo of the words of the god-man, who first formed creation and set his will upon the earth. Those who pray to them ask for guidance and good gifts, for the ancestors reward those who honor them and do not forget their memory; it is the happiness of the divine to aid the living, and each family of those who follow the Rite has their own household shrine to remember the ones who came before and gave them the opportunities they have today. The religious Ardents and the Praternum Aviatus are tied to the Powers Above in terms of organization, and help to guide followers of the Rite in the ways of right thinking and action.

The Powers Below
On the other hand to the Powers Above are the Powers Below. Unlike many dualistic religions, the Powers Below are not colloquially bad- Amerus, after all, was sovereign, and his plan unfolds without error. They too are guided by the echoes of Amerus, but the god-man in his aspect as Destroyer. Men and women who do terrible but necessary deeds in life, such as slaying many foes, or being a just but draconian ruler, descend to Ghenna, where they too aid their mortal descendants. In contrast to the Powers Above, though, the ones below do not give gifts or guidance; it is the role of an ancestor Below to curse ones who harm his beloved, and bring tribulation on the weak to refine their spirits. Most misfortunes are blamed on the Powers Below by adherents of the Rite, but trials are seen as opportunities to prove oneself worthy of elevation, not the random harshness of the cosmos. There are no formal organizations devoted to the Powers Below, but that does not mean households pray to them any less than the Powers Above.

Creation and Amerus
Amerus, the god who became man, is the most important facet of the Rite, and imperative to understanding it theologically. He is not a deity in the sense other religions may call their gods; Amerus is said no longer to exist by the people who hold his memory, and so is not worshiped or given homage. Rather he was the creator of all that is or was or will be, the first. He was alone, omnipresent, all-powerful, for eternity. But one day Amerus decided to that in order to reflect his glory best, he wished to bring love to others. So the god formed the earth, and the heavens above, and the waters below; Amerus formed all the living things of fire and earth and his breath, but man he made specially, for the animals and the plants and the mountains had no voices, no souls he could love. Only in the god's breast burnt the spark of sentience, the soul of divinity. So Amerus became the first man, descending and taking on the aspect of earth, binding himself to the creation he had brought forth- with his blood and stone he formed the first woman, and from their union all mankind came forth. What exactly happened to the divine become man is a point of contention amongst adherents of the Rite, with some saying he returned to heaven with his consort to watch his creation unfold, others believing he walks the earth still, enjoying all that he has made for eternity. But both agree that all men have the blood of the divine in their veins, and so the Powers came to be.

The Cycle of Years
Death is not the end in the beliefs of the Rite of the Praternum. One either becomes one with the Powers, either Below or Above, or if you have not proven yourself as worthy and memorable, a man or woman may return to the mortal coil to live anew in another body. In the same manner, an ancestor forgotten will return to the earth once more to prove their worth once more and experience the joys of mortality again. Thus death is not mourned by those who worship the Powers, as friends and family are not lost, merely given the chance to ascend and aid one in eternity, or return to experience the joys of life anew.

Sacraments
There are very few religious events marked in the life of an adherent of the Rite, but the naming of a child and the passing of an elder, as well as marriage and the Mysteries, are the four foremost. Children of adherents are only named in their third year of life, being called by their family name before then; this is to allow the children time to develop their own personalities, and thus be assessed as either a new soul within the kindred, or the return of one who has gone before. Such determinations are made by the head of a family, and it is quite rare for a child to be declared the return of an elder, for that means a member of the Powers no longer watches over his relations. However, it is not unknown. Celebratory feasts are held for the naming of a child, with large displays of reciprocal gift giving and the reciting of ancestries.

In the same manner, the passing of an elder is celebrated, for they have lived a long and full life. Only the death of children and those who perish before doing great deeds is mourned, as they did not have the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Marriage involves the binding of arms with a cord, to represent the mingling of bloodlines to come, and a marriage feast for nearly a week, hosted by the groom to demonstrate his ability to support his new bride.

The Mysteries are secret meetings for both women and men where the doings of the Powers are discussed, and lineages and great deeds discussed. They are thought to draw the attention of the ancestors, and recounting the prowess of the past can inspire noteworthy actions of the future.