Religions and Cults

[xennie]

Forewarning;; Each of these religions are completely made up to fit the site and its plot. None of these religions actually exist, however, they may be derived or based upon real religions or cults that exist.


Your character does not have to choose to follow a religion or cult, however, if they do, their religion or cult has nothing to do with what pack they are in. It is one wolf's own decision on what they believe and how they exploit their beliefs, however, some packs may have restrictions and may have banned certain religions or cults. A wolf's cult or religion may change at any time, so please keep their profiles updated when this happens.

All gods or spirits that are mentioned here do not officially exist on the site, they are just beliefs and they do not actually do the things as mentioned.. your character just believes that they do, or make connections that leads them to think that the being they believe in had something to do with the current situation.


If you would like to contribute by making a religion of your own, please post in a reply to this thread before it becomes official and is moved over the rules board. Staff, please show support by expressing your opinions on both the ideas I have made and ideas that others have contributed.

RELIGIONS

Valiant ;;
-- A religion for proud males, Valiants believe in one single place to which their kind goes after death. Certain Valiants, though, go to "Tienova", their afterlife realm, as White Warriors, or as Black Knights. White Warriors are wolves from this religion that have done exceptional amounts of good in their lives. They are gentle, wise, kind, and have good judgment. While many wolves can be like this, there are very few that the entire Valiant religion would see as a White Warrior. They believe that when the White Warrior dies, he will move on to protect the lord of the afterlife and stand by his side. Black Knights are the opposite. They are more or less antagonists, but don't necessarily need to do evil to be labeled as such. They can gain the name Black Knight should they murder another wolf within their religious group. Black Knights go on to the afterlife to be demons, or malevolent spirits of sorts.

Current Members in Estrella ;;
none

Current Members in Darkseid ;;
none

Current Members in Salvatore ;;
none

Current Members in Kaza Rhun ;;
none


Skarnish ;;
-- This is typically a very fluid set of beliefs, loosely connected by the culture whence they sprang. Generally speaking it has gods or spirits (the same being may be referred to as either) which inhabit certain types of land, however not all of them are considered to be known, and there are often more than one version.

The central and most widely-known to the Northlanders is a great wolf named Skarn, often said to have the colours of a storm or stormy sea. Skarn is thought to inhabit coastal areas and to a lesser extent the sea itself, but generally not underwater. He is present in many tales and if one were to ask each Northlander (or others who have come to hold the same beliefs) he encountered, several different versions would doubtlessly ensue.

However, there are some points generally agreed on.

1. Skarn was the first Northland wolf. Sometimes said to be the first wolf, but only because Northlanders don't usually meet others, and so will ignore their existence at times when it doesn't seem relevant to the audience. They do not mean he was literally the first of all wolves.

2. Skarn creates thunder and lightning, which are perceived as separate (though related) things. The reason for this varies according to the storyteller – sometimes he is hunting or fighting, other times the storms need to happen and he creates them. This is, incidentally, extended to storms away from coastal areas. The reasons they happen can be anything: providing food (aquatic life washed ashore), a show of force, a way to cleanse or renew the earth and air (probably related to the scents a storm might conjure). In some stories even his mere presence is so powerful it causes the storms, perhaps involuntarily.

3. Skarn is benevolent, at least toward Northlanders and any allies they might have. He rarely interferes directly, however. His name is used in all manner of sayings, and doing so is not regarded as disrespect.

An example of an “unknown” spirit or spirits would be desert lands, or beneath the sea. An adherent to Northland beliefs might refer to “the gods there” or “spirits of this land” but rarely will they invent a name for one. Often if they do, the name will come from a local belief, and so not technically be part of their own religion. In this way they do manage to coexist with other beliefs quite easily – although just because a spirit or god is regarded as good to its relevant people does not mean it will be perceived as behaving the same way towards those of the Northland faith or race (desert and underwater spirits especially, as both these environments are considered inhospitable and the spirits are assumed to share attributes with their place of residence).

Current Members in Estrella ;;
none

Current Members in Darkseid ;;
none

Current Members in Salvatore ;;
none

Current Members in Kaza Rhun ;;
none


Borealic ;;
-- Borealic religious groups are very kind beings. These wolves believe that a goddess of Life, Wyrus, runs freely across two celestial plains by means of a rainbow bridge, an aurora. The two celestial plains are known as "Chukara" and "Xedura", and they are the two homes of Wyrus. Wyrus, as told in tales, uses the aurora as a bridge between her two homes. Wyrus is portrayed as a white fox with three tails. Borealic wolves worship Wyrus by holding festivities during nights that an aurora is visible.

Current Members in Estrella ;;
none

Current Members in Darkseid ;;
none

Current Members in Salvatore ;;
none

Current Members in Kaza Rhun ;;
none

CULTS

Skavenish ;;
-- Wolves of the Skavenish cult have rather benign beliefs, but their actions of worship are very interesting. Skavenish believe that there are Spirits of Death whom guide their souls safely from the body and guide them either to "Ae' Lyra", the equivalent to heaven, or "Ryu' Vain", the equivalent to hell. To go to either of these places, though, is not determined by one's level of "good" or "bad", however, instead it is determined by one's loyalty to the cult and its actions of worship. Skavenish, on their own, will leave sacrifices of small animals such as rabbits or mice outside of their dens every night to ward off malevolent Death Spirits. When grouped together, they will either sacrifice large prey such as elk, deer, or even bears if they are brave, or, if they are really dedicated, they will sacrifice elderly wolves or pups. Skavenish cult meeting areas are usually hidden and very well concealed within forests or sea coves where their true natures can not be exposed to others. Skavenish are not allowed to speak of how they worship the Death Spirits, as this would be an act of betrayal to the whole cult of which they are a part of, especially if the pack they are in does not approve of their ways. During mass rituals, skull masks are worn to disguise themselves so that malevolent Death Spirits to not recognize them and try to take their souls early. To the Skavenish, a Death Spirit looks like a massive black specter in the shape of a rigid, robust wolf with glowing red eyes. The specters do not speak, according to their beliefs, they only lurk in the shadows and wait until it is time to take one's soul. Skavenish tend to be very paranoid at times, and often fear their own shadows or the night itself if they believe they have wronged the Death Spirits or betrayed their cult.

Current Members in Estrella ;;
none

Current Members in Darkseid ;;
none

Current Members in Salvatore ;;
none

Current Members in Kaza Rhun ;;
none


Pestenoire ;;
-- More strict with their ideals, the Pestenoir are very morbid, yet fascinating creatures. Members of this cult are usually very timid out of fear of everyone else. Usually born into the cult, and raised with their beliefs, they come to fear those of which their god of belief seemingly does not approve of. They believe in a being that they like to call "Vyrin", which in their own little made up language, means "Virus" or "Plague". He is sometimes thought of to be the the God of Death, Osyrus, to those who do not involve themselves with the Pestenoire, however, the Pestenoire view him differently. He is portrayed as a large dire wolf with a thick, brown coat that is adorned with various silver chains that drape all over his body with shackles clinging to all of his ankles and neck. Pestenoire fear him greatly, and constantly try to please him and avoid his "plagues", as they like to call them, from cursing them. What they call a plague is thought to be a mischievous spirit those comes to haunt them and bring illness to them when they have angered Osyrus, or "Vyrin". They believe that "Vyrin" signals to them when they have come around someone that he does not approve of by a "whisper in the wind", a falling tree branch between them and the other, and other seemingly natural events. If they believe they have been notified that "Vyrin" does not like the other, they instantly fear the other and cower from them.. even going as far as stalking them to their dens and marking the den entry ways with the blood of ravens to show others in their cult that "Vyrin" does not approve. They also believe that "Vyrin" can sometimes make a physical appearance as a raven, and thus they have come to respect these creatures, but in a more or less morbid way. They fashion necklaces of raven's feathers and wear them in times where they feel they need protection or good luck. To ward of the "plagues", they leave the corpses of ravens outside of their home as a way of "repenting" for whatever they have done to anger "Vyrin".

Current Members in Estrella ;;
none

Current Members in Darkseid ;;
none

Current Members in Salvatore ;;
none

Current Members in Kaza Rhun ;;
none

Kyr' Vahn ;;
-- The Kyr' Vahn are very cautious about others knowing their beliefs as their knowledge, to them, is sacred. Kyr' Vahn believe that the Guardian Luna is only present with them at night, and being wolves who base their beliefs around Luna, they prefer to lurk only during those times as that is the only time they feel safe. They see the moon as Luna's eye, always watching over them, and during the Lunar Eclipse, when they eye is red, they believe it is a time where Luna picks out and curses one wolf who has particularly wronged her and the Kyr' Vahn ways. To curse them, Kyr' Vahn thinks that Luna taints them with many years of bad luck and any who fall in love with the Cursed will fall ill to some type of ailment. Of course there is no real way to tell who was cursed until they become mated to another, and their significant other becomes sick or dies. To the Kyr' Vahn, Luna brings them great health and fortune, and greedy over these gifted attributes, the Kyr' Vahn have made it forbidden to speak to any other about their Goddess's "love for them", and those that do are subjected to being cursed. Whether the stories are true or not, is undetermined. Many think that Kyr' Vahn are self-prophetic and bring their own damage, however, these wolves are oddly struck in fear over the Moon Guardian.


Current Members in Estrella ;;
none

Current Members in Darkseid ;;
none

Current Members in Salvatore ;;
none

Current Members in Kaza Rhun ;;
none


Vynerian ;;
-- The most vile of the cults, it is completely male ruled. Although any members of this group have joined based on what they believe, females who choose to run with this cult in number are heavily disregarded and disrespected. Males in this cult see females as basic sources of genetic survival, and thus females are only given strict protection under the notion that they will give themselves unto a male that chooses them for baring his children. A male, once they become four summers old, are allowed to pick a female within the cult of their choice, and she must raise his children or be banished or possibly killed. Vynerians believe in a deity of love, Feyona, who most commonly is depicted as a white peacock in carvings or written descriptions of Vynerian lore. Feyona, however, is not your average love goddess. Vynerians describe her as a "trickster", a "compulsive liar", and a "manipulator". While females are not generally respected in this cult, Feyona is the only one that Vynerian males can dedicate themselves to. They believe that Feyona protects them and provides them with healthy women to raise strong children so long as they vow not to make a commitment of love to another wolf. Feyona represents everything that is bad in a female during a relationship, and is known for "sleeping around" in Vynerian stories.

Current Members in Estrella ;;
BANNED

Current Members in Darkseid ;;
none

Current Members in Salvatore ;;
none

Current Members in Kaza Rhun ;;
none


Si' Alto ;;
-- Although Si' Alto numbers in a single territory can be surprisingly high, these pack animals traditionally hunt in small groups of three or four. They are well known for terrorizing young mothers and children, but never actually killing them. Like the vampires of society, they are mysterious, and often lurk in the night time hours. Believing that consuming blood regularly with give them eternal youth, they often target newborn pups as prey for their hunting rituals should no other prey animals lurk about. Serial killers in their own right, they hide themselves by wearing uniquely crafted and marked bone or wood masks and by wearing animal pelts as cloaks. Rarely ever speaking to anyone, even within their own cult, they are often solitary unless summoned to a ritual. Vicious, they eat ravenously and messily, leaving bone and flesh strewn over trees and shrubbery and blood painted over the earth and grass. To make easy transport through territories, Si' Alto claim deer trails, leaving deer alone for this sole purpose, and mark the trails as their own by scattering bones over them (Obviously this may deter the deer). To the Si' Alto, there are two deities to which they worship. The god of Eternity is portrayed in Si' Alto lore as the rare and elusive albino deer. Going by the name of Gaeric, the god of Eternity also represents good fortune for the Si' Alto. Jykova, the god of Mortality, is represented as the common brown deer, and is all that is equal. Jykova is also seen as a barer of misfortune, and thus, if a regular brown deer is killed, the Si' Alto are cursed with bad luck.

Current Members in Estrella ;;
none

Current Members in Darkseid ;;
none

Current Members in Salvatore ;;
none

Current Members in Kaza Rhun ;;
none


Senketsu ;;
-- Translating to “fresh blood”, this clan believes that drinking the blood of others will grant the drinker a part of their spirit and powers. This cult derived first from the vampiric wolves, but the beliefs now has spread to many other breeds. They drink their kill’s blood with their meal, and because of their beliefs do not eat meat from sick or mutated creatures. The more power hungry members will resort to drinking more powerful ranks blood- if not willingly then they will kill. These animals tend to believe more in the powers of nature and individual creature’s souls interaction effecting outcome of life rather than heavenly spirits. Some see this as being nonreligious, but it really is not. It is just as complicated, having to help build a strong soul and body to gain power from it. Member of this clan are oddly loyal to one another in this way, helping each to grow strong, but most of the time that loyalty is for selfish means only wanting to obtain power from the others at the next bleeding.
There are occasions however, mostly of those who live outside group clans, who believe in making all creatures stronger because, in turn, they will gain that power through their future kill. It can be thought of as a more scientific karma- if a strong creature produces another strong creature, which can grow strong, producing more even stronger creatures to feed on. This branch of the cult is less into the dark arts of ritual bleeding, and therefore known as Shiro Senketsu which roughly translates to “white blood”.

Current Members in Estrella ;;
none

Current Members in Darkseid ;;
none

Current Members in Salvatore ;;
none

Current Members in Kaza Rhun ;;
none


Note;; Pack owners.. please state here if you wish for your pack to ban a cult or religion.

[Valan]

Darkseid Forbids:
None, of course, but again, as per pack rules, the intentional harm of any member for sacrifice or to scare them can and will be dealt with. Of course, that says nothing about outside the pack however...

I like them, Xen. Both heavy on the morbid darkness, but they're cults, so I understand that. Though a nicer religion would be much appreciate by Korso (I'm too lazy to make one up right now...)

[xennie]

Thank you, Val. Keep checking back in as we add more. <3

[fluffy]

The adoption of this really depends on what happens concerning the Northlander race but I'll put it here anyway.



A Short Outline of Northland Religion

This is typically a very fluid set of beliefs, loosely connected by the culture whence they sprang. Generally speaking it has gods or spirits (the same being may be referred to as either) which inhabit certain types of land, however not all of them are considered to be known, and there are often more than one version.

The central and most widely-known to the Northlanders is a great wolf named Skarn, often said to have the colours of a storm or stormy sea. Skarn is thought to inhabit coastal areas and to a lesser extent the sea itself, but generally not underwater. He is present in many tales and if one were to ask each Northlander (or others who have come to hold the same beliefs) he encountered, several different versions would doubtlessly ensue.

However, there are some points generally agreed on.

1. Skarn was the first Northland wolf. Sometimes said to be the first wolf, but only because Northlanders don't usually meet others, and so will ignore their existence at times when it doesn't seem relevant to the audience. They do not mean he was literally the first of all wolves.

2. Skarn creates thunder and lightning, which are perceived as separate (though related) things. The reason for this varies according to the storyteller – sometimes he is hunting or fighting, other times the storms need to happen and he creates them. This is, incidentally, extended to storms away from coastal areas. The reasons they happen can be anything: providing food (aquatic life washed ashore), a show of force, a way to cleanse or renew the earth and air (probably related to the scents a storm might conjure). In some stories even his mere presence is so powerful it causes the storms, perhaps involuntarily.

3. Skarn is benevolent, at least toward Northlanders and any allies they might have. He rarely interferes directly, however. His name is used in all manner of sayings, and doing so is not regarded as disrespect.

An example of an “unknown” spirit or spirits would be desert lands, or beneath the sea. An adherent to Northland beliefs might refer to “the gods there” or “spirits of this land” but rarely will they invent a name for one. Often if they do, the name will come from a local belief, and so not technically be part of their own religion. In this way they do manage to coexist with other beliefs quite easily – although just because a spirit or god is regarded as good to its relevant people does not mean it will be perceived as behaving the same way towards those of the Northland faith or race (desert and underwater spirits especially, as both these environments are considered inhospitable and the spirits are assumed to share attributes with their place of residence).

[achi||ea]

Senketsu:: cult

Translating to “fresh blood”, this clan believes that drinking the blood of others will grant the drinker a part of their spirit and powers. This cult derived first from the vampiric vampires, but the beliefs now has spread to many other breeds. They drink their kill’s blood with their meal, and because of their beliefs do not eat meat from sick or mutated creatures. The more power hungry members will resort to drinking more powerful ranks blood- if not willingly then they will kill. These animals tend to believe more in the powers of nature and individual creature’s souls interaction effecting outcome of life rather than heavenly spirits. Some see this as being unreligious, but it really is not. It is just as complicated, having to help build a strong soul and body to gain power from it. Member of this clan are oddly loyal to one another in this way, helping each to grow strong, but most of the time that loyalty is for selfish means only wanting to obtain power from the others at the next bleeding.

There are occasions however, mostly of those who live outside group clans, who believe in making all creatures stronger because, in turn, they will gain that power through their future kill. It can be thought of as a more scientific karma- if a strong creature produces another strong creature, which can grow strong, producing more even stronger creatures to feed on. This branch of the cult is less into the dark arts of ritual bleeding, and therefore known as Shiro Senketsu which roughly translates to “white blood”.

[xennie]

SUPPORT

I like it yeah, yeah Its a blood based cult but it still differs from the Si' Alto