Guide to the Arcane Realm

Belief Systems

There are a variety of belief systems on Kaf, be they full fledged religions, enduring philosophies, or little rituals people do to get through the day. This section will go over the most commonly known beliefs around the world, so you have an idea about why a certain culture may have certain practices or restrictions.

What is a God?

It is necessary to distinguish between a god and the many powerful beings that exist in this world. First is that "deity" refers to a specific divine spirit creature while "god" is closest to a title.

The term god refers to concepts such as spirits, natural forces and supernatural beings. Many faiths indigenous to Kaf are animist religions, meaning that any being (alive or dead), object or even phenomenon can be considered a god. Also, it should be noted that the 'G' in "god" should not be capitalized when referring to animist gods or any other gods from polytheistic religions.

A god has the ability to dictate the rules of the world. Naturally, this is limited both by competition with other gods and a god's sphere of influence. The world also seems to resist every attempt of the gods to change it, the more dramatic the change is. It is currently unknown whether there are rules that exist above the gods or how they gained such abilities. The gods either refused to answer or possibly didn’t quite know either.

It should also be noted that this definition only applies to the conventional world that most beings inhabit. A powerful or intelligent being can create other worlds that they would be able to control like a god (Angels are an example) through either immense power or creating a mechanism to keep the world stable (like the various spirit realms). This is not strictly godhood since said worlds are unstable and require constant maintenance to prevent collapse. Their control is also not innate or concrete since it can be usurped or the dimension could be completely destroyed.

The Worship of the Gods

While their personalities are mostly similar to mortal beings, some deities possess multiple aspects: when they are worshiped they will protect people and grant them blessings, but when angry they will create disasters and curses. In some cases these aspects of a god are so different in appearance and behavior that they are named or worshiped separately. A shrine is a place for gods to occupy in order to interact with mortals, which can vary in size from a small box or shelf (found in many homes) to an entire building and grounds.

Some cultures worship beings as gods even though the being they worship aren't actual deities or fit the criteria as defined earlier. The reverence of Longryu in the former Yougai Dynasty is such an example. This suggests that any sufficiently powerful individual could deceive others into thinking that they are a god.

Many of the belief systems in Kaf's history are polytheistic, especially considering the gods or their angels can have a physical presence. There have been a few monotheistic beliefs now and again but claiming a god is false might have gotten your face punched in by one of their paladins or angels (at least before the Samsara Pilgrimage) so they manifested more as henotheism (worshipping a single god while accepting the existence of other deities) or monolatrism (the recognition of the existence of many gods, but with the consistent worship of only one deity).

A/N: Another big section going into a big part of making a culture: ideologies. Whether faith or fact based, going through those found in Kaf.