Religious beliefs on Tjarral have been interconnected for a very long time, but the centres of faith are distant enough for multiple such systems to evolve and be maintained side by side. Below are some of the religions extant as of 1058 AB.
For the Dhunir, Ashi—from aśi, meaning "healing"—is the means by which the world is slowly repairing itself after a war that ended the previous cosmos, piece by piece, lives returning again and again to the earth to aid it. Most are not aware of what needs to be fixed; they must be taught, and given the love of the gods to put to good use. To that end, all beings have a khyanta to fulfil, a way they must seek to better the universe. Sometimes this is by maintenance; sometimes this is by creation; sometimes, though rarely, this is through destruction. All of these are necessary on the dhachhakuhi, the path to enlightenment, followed by humans and demons and gods alike. And humans and demons are, one and all, a part of the gods themselves—although there is some debate as to the origin and nature of the god-of-all-gods (Sirga).
Ashi is followed on Svidhuni and Inakku, as far east as Durnhão and Gimgaranka, and as far west as Temacan. The typical symbol for Ashi is of a horizontal line with three equidistant vertical lines beneath and two above, representing a stylized stack of three bricks.
Clê (Nio klé' "divinity") is a faith emerging from the conquest of Pumirna by followers of Llegramu, the older beliefs of the Nio reimagined under the aegis of a new cult. Followers of Clê partake in rituals by which crei (singular crea, from Nio krāhng) or "outer spirits" are summoned to possess a human body in a trance. It is believed that each soul has certain practices that make it function better, and draws kindred spirits; judging personalities allows a worshipper to understand what they personally must do to be better. Clê also sees the practice of costumed ceremonies and dancing, although these are often discouraged by the more orthodox Llegramu population.
Deu, "the dream", is an old faith, dating back to the 16th Century BC. Where the ancestors of the Gykkura were no longer available to them, they turned to the greatest protector of all—Dol, or Death himself. Followers wear green-and-white, for the bones of Death and the green of the fields he tends. They say that from time to time Death visits the living, not to collect souls, but simply to better understand they who worship him. Death does not take, to the i-nadaewak; he gathers when done, gives them protection and dignity, and for those with nobody to remember (and even then) he becomes the ancestor they seek. Followers of Deu mark themselves not only with green and white, but with a symbol rather like a stylized parasol, or else a T with very droopy ends—the umbrella of protection, some call it.
The generic name for the pre-Oodjukehng religion of the Warruk in Waadja. Among a medley of different deities and spirits, a trinity of the most powerful—Uda the sun-woman, Amuu the void-serpent, and Nyirlabudja the ever-god—takes special prominence. Today its main use is in the system of medicine practiced by the gawak, physicians whose prowess is renowned across the continent.
Iqshud il-Izfa, the "words of the Holy Flame", is the chief religion binding the land of Yashdar together. To the Siras (Qariyyu Siiraa "listeners"), Abbat is the single deity, and it is through him that divine right to rule passes; all others are either his servants, or else his names. The Sixty-Three Names of Qul are perfectly acceptable totems of worship, and indeed most eskhars (sikhrid; also called synagogues) are dedicated to at least one of them. Izfaism is also practiced in parts of the Gira Empire and Oma, and by some Cuatzal and Kuzhek.
Izfaism is often represented by a stylized flame.
With the collapse of the Voerian Empire, not to mention the imperial cult, the focus shifted away from gods entirely. As far as modern Cathans (Phaeroian Kathadoi "virtuous folk") are concerned, the only true god is Kathas, "virtue", the means by which the universe functions and the salvation of those within it. There are thirteen Paragons (ekothai) or "lesser virtues", angelic figures who appear in many forms and choose Exemplars (also called sphora or "saints") to represent them. Just as each Paragon may take on many bodies to spread their Virtue, they also take on many forms across the lands—except for Wisdom, who is always a mirror.
(Some elements of the older Mandate of the Heavens are kept, though, including the calendar. And the worship of the High Heavens from older times seems to have become the worship of the dark—or, rather, Wisdom.)
Kathan is mainly practiced in Oma, with chapels also found across Sayintha, Gykken, and even Arumandjee and the Narragundi Empire. Its primary symbol (though each Paragon has their own) is a near-circle with a line from the bottom to the centre, like a capital G rotated 90º clockwise.
To followers of Kumenyahk, the deity called Kumehk—the void-serpent, slithering through the nebula in the heavens above and beneath the earth—is supreme in all things, the other spirits of the cosmos merely existing within the eternity that he provides for them. Careful mapping of the stars, and quiet ceremonies at points of astrological importance accompanied by the rich sound of gongs, are noted parts of their practices. Kumenyahk is most common in Kewedj, Tjubba, and Arumandjee (where it is called Djedeelharidj). A simple spiral, starting on the left and moving inwards counterclockwise, is a typical symbol used by followers.
A monotheistic religion from the south of the world, Kwamarra is the worship of Kwarra, the twin-faced god, the single deity of the Narragundi people. Chiefly this manifests in the soothsayers and oracles in the service of the state, and in initiation rituals; Kwarra is something of a busy deity, after all. But he does find time to instruct the Emperor, who in turn instructs the rest of the empire.
Llegramu is salvation, pure and simple—and for the Gomirna (and others) who follow it, salvation lies in the expiation of sin and turning away from the one deity known in the world. This is Guxaça (goo-SHA-sa), the serpent beneath the land and sea, the whisperer in dreams, the grantor of unearthly powers. It is this being that the seekers of Llegramu wish to work against, by keeping their thoughts as pure as can be. (And their deeds, on occasion.)
Llegramu has spread in small numbers to other lands beyond Durnhão, such as Gimgaranka, Svidhuni, Inakku, Arumandjee, Aion, Temacan, and Suru. It is usually represented by a crescent moon and a stylized wave, creating an ornate-looking "9" shape.
A now-gone faith (or, at least, almost all gone), the Mandate of the Heavens—Ysgawlch in modern Rhaeth—divided up the spiritual life of its peoples between the celestial bodies (including the sky itself), which granted protection to people of various professions, outlooks, and mental states. Heroes made their appearances under the blessing of the Celestial Bodies, and at times the divine travellers descended to earth themselves in various ways, including as the founders of dynasties. Some still practice the faith in corners of Einir and Oma, but most have turned to Kathan instead.
Oodjukehng, the "great listening", is the predominant religion in the south of Yandjee, promising the guidance of a vast panoply of otherworldly beings if one is capable of bringing oneself into balance. Formalized by Milahr of Tjamorruk, followers of Oodjukehng do their best to live their lives by the Kundu or Creed, detailing five "balances" that one must keep.
Oodjukehng is practiced in Duway, Kewedj, Girradjaw, the Warruka states, Arumandjee, and (more recently) by lordships on the islands of Tehapu. It is usually represented, when at all, by a hand, palm flat, the five fingers reaching to heaven, or by a vertical line with five holes (or slashes) representing a flute.
Many maru or greater spirits are found across the region of Nukambi, but for followers of Pimerrahm—"the five together"—the gods called Denikitj, Kumehk, Ungeht-Tubal, Binyarn, and Wirrahk are supreme. Or, more precisely, Denikitj is supreme, the embodiment of the water that creates, shapes, and destroys all. The other four are her counsellors and students, eternally remaking a portion of the world as their own under her tutelage. Pimerrahm teaches five virtues and five sins, is led by maruhdj (the term has come to mean something like "priests"), and is most popular in in Duway along the Lakes and in Kewedj along the coasts. Five dots in a rainbow arc are used to mark spaces associated with Pimerrahm—fingerprints left by a child's hand.
Tzanepacoz—"divinity has taught us"—is a faith of bargains and compromise. In exchange for certain rituals, the gods, open to placation (or appeasement) and usually henotheistic in their cults, will grant their worshippers certain promises. The cosmology of the world is relatively open, although there is a general belief in an overworld above the mountains and an underworld beneath the caves. The main element to consider is the balance between light (tzanehuin) and dark (tlayhuan), and how one's actions, in one's station, affect this.
Tzanepacoz is found across Temacan, but also has adherents in Suru, Inakku, even as far north as Yashdar and Gykken. It is represented, when it is, by a circle cut in half horizontally, three layers of black and white semicircles within, oppositely placed on the top and the bottom. (After all, there is light in darkness, and darkness in light.) Sometimes, when coloured, the central halves are a whole red circle instead.
The prototypical religion of Sayintha is Vekshagriya, literally "good worship" or "orthodoxy"—a collective term for a fairly complicated patchwork of beliefs and sects across the archipelago. The deities are many; the khyantair, the stories of each living thing, are endless; the memories those stories leave behind in the world are more important than any mere soul could be. But the choice of deity, and the morality they provide, those differ substantially from place to place and sect to sect.
Vekshagriya has long been in competition with its successors, Ashi and Llegramu, for dominion over the souls of Sayintha; it is most prominent on Verna and Jhupra. There is no single symbol in recognized practice.