Helheim Temple

The Basilica is the name formerly given to the institution which was responsible for the worship of the four gods that created Sincadere. A religion that was created by the Puritans in the aftermath of the cataclysm, partially to integrate the worship of the gods back into the society but also as a means to control the masses and justify their vice grip that the magical inclined population of Helheim suffered under. But gradually as more citizens joined the clergy of the Basilica there was a natural generational shift which turned the Basilica into a proper religion and not merely a tool to control the masses. Of course the inner circle of the Basilica was still made up of the descendants of the original puritans that formed the Basilica and were not rooted out until King Tyr Spurius took back control. The Basilica suffered heavily with it’s political power cut off and worship faded gradually, some citizens still worship the pantheon. The worship of gods has not been outlawed, but the Basilica’s connection with the puritans has been a stain it was never able to wash off and thus devout worshippers were looked down upon, it was practiced in secret by the citizens.

The Basilica once more rose to prominence under a new Benefactor, then a Reclusiarch who militarised the institution to wage a war against those deemed to be enemies of Helheim or the faith.  After King Spurius abdicated the throne in order to search for his lost family, the militarised Basilica was stripped of its political and martial power when the new Crown-Princess, who was also head of the military, aggressively demilitarised the faith.  The Basilica was given a new purpose, returned to its roots of spiritual guidance and helping the needy.  With a new building erected by the people, nearest to those in greatest need of succour, The Temple of Helheim rose from the ashes of the old Basilica, with a focused mission.

• Worship and chronicling the history of The Four.

• Providing a haven for all faiths of neutral or good alignment to worship within Helheim.

• Providing a soup kitchen for the most needy of Helheim.

• Keeping a vigilant watch of magical anomalies and potential cataclysms across the realm.

The god of death, the one that passes judgment, ruler of the underworld. those are the many titles attributed to Mikhail, while many may see Mikhail as the most morbid of the pantheon due to his sphere of influence, he is the one that takes the most interest in mortal affairs, when the souls of the departed stand before him, all of their actions in life are weighed on his scales, tipping the scales in one direction will mean that the soul will be flayed and tormented until such a time that Mikhail feels that the debt for all wrongs that was done in life have been repaid, then the soul will be offered salvation. On the other end of the scales, the soul is rewarded for a life well lived. In either case, whether rewarded or made to pay a penance, the soul will be sent onward to Aidos for rebirth. 

But Mikhail is not only the god of the dead, he is also the bringer of war, those that fall upon the field of battle with their honor intact. No matter what past crimes a soul has committed they shall have their soul sent onward to Aidos. Cowards that run from the field of battle, no matter how honorable of a life they have lived shall be sentenced to torment with the rest of the damned souls, until their penance is paid and they are sent onward. Thus he is revered by warriors and is also seen as the aspect of war. As the god of the dead, Mikhail abhors Necromancy, seeing it as a way of cheating him out of the souls that pass through his realm. No one should escape their penance with Mikhail.

Domains

• Death

• Honor

• War

• Judgement

The god of life, the creator, the mother, the father, the breath of life, those are the many titles attributed to Aidos. Aidos was the god responsible for breathing life into Sincadere after Dormia the Architect had shaped the planet, filling it with plant life, animals and the humans, whom they are both mother and father to.

Aidos has no gender and will take many shapes as they interacts with the souls that are sent on to Aidos from Mikhail’s realm, taking the shape of the mortal parent they loved the most, letting the soul unburden itself and nurse those souls that paid penance to Mikhail back to full health. In the end, all souls that pass through their realm are reborn, and in very rare cases are allowed to keep their past life experience, the good and the bad. But before a soul can be reborn, a vessel must present itself and thus during childbirth, Aidos will infuse the child with a soul, letting it be rebirthed into the world once again, and as such, parents and those wishing to conceive a child will pay tribute to ask for the blessing of Aidos so that the unborn child is blessed with a good soul. But in the eye of Aidos, all souls are equal after penance has been paid in full.

But life is more than just childbirth, livestock, wild animals and water all part of life and thus they are also unofficially revered by hunters, praying for bountiful game and giving thanks to them for a successful hunt as it is a life they take from Aidos. Those said to waste life will earn the ire of Aidos and shall have their hunts ruined until Aidos is satisfied.

Domains

• Life

• Creation

• Water

• Wild animals

• Rebirth

• Childbirth

The god of crafting, The Architect, The Smith, the shaper, Mistress of commerce, these are the plentiful titles which describe Dormia, She is sister to Aidos and together they were the ones that created Sincadere, Dormia shaped the valleys, the mountains, the entire planet while Aidos was the one to breathe life into it and fill it likewise with life. 

Dormia is mostly known and revered for being the chief Architect of the first city Helheim, granted the helheim known today is nothing like the helheim she built along with the ancient humans. Even so she is still seen as the architect of the city, said to have chiselled every piece of marble herself, hammered out golden arches on her enormous anvil. But Dormia was more than just an architect, Like Junten, she was also a teacher for the ancient humans teaching them how to bend metal to their will, how to carve wood, chisel stone, as such she is greatly revered by artisans of all professions

Dormia is also seen as the mistress of commerce, every coin minted on Sincadere coming out of helheim bears her mark, a flaming anvil. As such it’s natural for traders and merchants to revere her and pay homage to her, it is custom for traders whenever their transaction is completed to beseech Dormia for her blessing so that whatever that has been sold or traded remains strong and functional for years to come. In the past it was also a custom and a great source of income for the Basilica to come out to bless newly built homes so they may weather any bad weather and stand strong for many generations.

Domains

• Commerce

• Crafting

• Earth

The god of magic, the teacher, the madman, the genius, the learned, keeper of knowledge. Father magic. These titles are the many, but not all that describe Junten, he is seen as something of an enigma amongst the gods and it was he who created the leylines, the great rivers of raw mana that run beneath the crust of Sincadere, deep in the bowels of the planet. He is said to have done without the knowledge of the other gods. He was the creator of the first and only rule of magi, and their teacher, the first of the ancient humans sat at his feet, submerged in his teachings, all of his magical knowledge at their disposal.

The other gods saw this as madness to teach such a young race something as dangerous as magic. For this reason he is a god that the general human in today's world views with awe and also fear. All mages must worship Junten and all mages are to be anointed by him before they are allowed a magical license to practice magic freely within the kingdom of helheim. But it is not only mages that worship him, Scholars, those that first for knowledge and collect it are amongst his most loyal followers, with the mages more being forced to worship out of fear that they will be killed or exiled should they refuse the father of all magic.

It is widely believed that when a spell fails, Junten is displeased with the mage and said mage most pay tribute to appease the father of magic, often this is done by paying the Basilica for the blessing of Junten so that they spells will not fail them again at critical point or just go right out of control. Tribute is also often given in the form of teaching the next generation of mages along with teaching the non magical part of the population how to write and read. This is a tradition that came much later and helped change the public perception of mages as more than just dangers, they became seen as Teachers, much like Junten himself once was. Junten is however seen as more than just a god of magic, inventors likewise worship him as any good inventor usually stems for a little bit of madness, as the line between genius and madness is often blurred.

Domains

• Magic

• Knowledge

• Teaching