Orthodoxism

Orthodox Church of the Mother's Blood
Emblem of the Orthodox Song
Classification	Song
Grand Nonarch	Leonadius dom Cassian
Founder	Caius the White Wolf
Founded	1590
Headquarters	Palenstrina, Cedronia
Members	157.2 million
Armed wing	Guardians of the Nine
Aid organization	Nine Helping Hands
Other names	Orthodox Song

Orthodoxism, officially known as the Orthodox Church of the Mother's Blood, and also known as the Orthodox Church or "Orthodox Nonarchy" is the dominant religious organization in Seres. The Orthodox Song believes in a single Creator god, who among them is called Yahu. In the beginning, Man lived in harmony with Yahu in the Garden, but after the Fall was cut off from Him. Now, the descendants of the first humans must come to Yahu through the “Haints,” various intermediaries who carry specific requests and prayers to God. ‘Father Lamb’ is the War-Haint who fights evil spirits and protects humanity; 'Father Snake’ is their Wisdom-Haint who grants them spiritual insight and knowledge; ‘Father Adam and Mother Eve’ are the Dead-Haints because they were the first people to die and, as such, welcome their children into Sheol. ‘Father Bush’ is their Prophecy-Haint who serves as a messenger of Yahu to the prophets; ‘The Light’ is a spiritual force which is granted to the faithful by means of the Haints, albeit in different functions depending on whom.

Beliefs

Gods

Ronus the Changer: God of Beginnings and Ends, Growth and Deacy

Agon the Warrior: God of War and Peace, Agriculture and Industry

Cura the Queen: Love and Hate, Family and Strangers, Beauty and Ugliness

Seldir the Trickster: God of Charity and Greed, Luck and Bad Luck

Vigal the Wolf: God of Life and Death, Humans and Beasts

Gatia the Storm: Goddess of Calm and Turmoil, Land and Sea

Dadros the Wise: Logic and Ignorance, Wisdom and Stupidity

Void Dragon: Bringer of the End Times, not apart of the Pantheon

Saints

Caius: Older twin brother of Taius, central figure in Orthodoxist mythology. Caius, along with his brother, were slave-warriors in the Kushari Blood Pits when they lead a rebellion to bring the end of the Kushari Empire. Caius is known as the White Wolf for his white hair.

Taius: Younger twin brother of Caius, central figure in Orthodoxist mythology. Taius, along with his brother, were slave-warriors in the Kushari Blood Pits when they lead a rebellion to bring the end of the Kushari Empire. Taius is known as the Black Wolf for his dark hair. Taius is killed by Ari el Benazar

Mythology

Story of the Twin Wolves: Caius and ___ were two brothers who were enslaved by the Kushari Empire. Raised in gladiator fights, the brothers became infamous for their talent. Caius, the larger of the two was known as a brute and a monster in the fighting ring while his older twin, ___ was more graceful and slender, preferring to draw battles out by letting his victims bleed. As their fighting careers peaked, a Kushari Prince ordered the two brothers fight in what would be known as the "Fight of the century". The two brothers plotted to stage a revolt against their masters during the fight. When they entered the ring, the pretended to fight but ___ threw a spear into the Imperial Booth where the emperor and the prince sat. The spear killed the Emperor and the Prince fled. As the two brothers fought against waves of guards, other gladiators joined the brothers. The revolting gladiators slaughtered all they could find, as well, as news spread of the death of the emperor and the revolting gladiators, other slaves in the capital began to slay their masters.

Afterlife

In the burial tradition of the Orthodox Abbey, the deceased are mummified and wrapped in a shroud with a funeral mask regardless of their social class or wealth. This is thanks to the expansive industry of Mortuary Guilds within Seres that cover everything from the mummification and mask making process to the burial. The masks are often commissioned from a mask maker by the deceased's family and such masks can be simple facial covers or elaborate, depending on the deceased's wealth. The deceased is then interred either in a graveyard with a grave marker, in a burial vault of a local temple or a family crypt.

The masks symbolically represent the deceased's identity and memory, and thus it is considered extremely disrespectful and offensive to take the mask from a corpse; the implication is that any corpse without a mask is someone who deserves to be forgotten.

In areas with a large Asharan population, grave robbing is a common crime mostly in part to the Asharan faith's belief that burials should be forbidden.

Cosmology

The Great Wolf, the Lord of Life and humankind, was buried into the planet so as to protect it and it's inhabitants from the Void Dragon. The Great Wolf lies dormant beneath the northern mountains with the mountains representing the individual hairs on his back.

According to the legend, Great Hero was hunting in the sacred forest near the Northern Mountains. Tired after the successful hunt of a deer, the Great Hero settled in for the night. He fell soundly asleep and dreamt of a huge Iron Wolf standing on top a hill and howling as strong and loud as a hundred wolves. Upon awakening, the Great Hero asked a shaman to interpret the dream. "What is destined for the ruler and the people of this land, is thus: the Iron Wolf represents a castle and a city which will be established by you on this site. This city will be the capital of the Seresian lands and the dwelling of their rulers, and the glory of their deeds shall echo throughout the world." Therefore, Great Hero, obeying the will of gods, built the city, and gave it the name Wolfhowl.

History

Catus was a demigod who was captured by the Kushari as a slave for the gladiator fights. Catus leads a gladitor rebellion and in turn a slave rebellion against their Kushari masters. After five years the Kushari Empire falls and Catus creates the Seresian Imperium.