Thought Processes [homebrew]

[Existence]

Greetings, I have a homebrew setting going here...
At first it was for my english essay, but it's sorta taken a hold of me in the last week. This is my first homebrew setting so please be kind.


Deep within the idea of existence, slowly, inexorably moving towards the End a sphere drifts. Propelled ever onwards by sentient thought the world of Cyaaneis (See-yarn-e-us) lives. Ruled and controlled by gods known collectively as the Lords of Light the people of Cyaaneis live out their lives, unknowing of the immense power that they hold. Rolling green hills and lush forests hide the sinister surface at the heart of the world. Since the Great Awakening the forces of darkness have tried to wrest control of the land from the Lords of Light. Erupting from the Core, the daemon armies corrupt all that they caress while heroes of the old times do battle.

A Brief Philosophy of Cyaaneis
Unbeknownst to the common people of this world, Cyaaneis is actually situated inside a giant sphere of thought. Every living element that is capable of sentient thoughts, feelings and emotions sustains the “bubble” of existence that is Cyaaneis; for without belief, the world would cease to be and thus no thought could occur to sustain it. Cyaanite scholars call this phenomenon the “Wheel of Existence”. It is believed that if enough living beings concentrate on one element of thought, then whatever is thought about will come into being. A widely excepted faction of scholars believe that in this manner the Lords of Light came into being. Due to the people’s need for guidance during the Great Awakening they created, from their collective thoughts a race of amazingly omnipresent and powerful beings known only as the Lords of Light. Following this train of thought (no pun intended) it is believed that Daemons came into being through the nightmares of the people. So while the Lords of Light were brought into being by the collective need of guidance by the population, daemons are literally the stuff of nightmares, conjured from the deepest fears of all sentient creatures.

Mythology
While sentient creatures were able to conjure of sorts their own pantheon, they still needed an explanation of all things. It would be impossible to detail the complete mythology of all the races on Cyaaneis, so for the moment let us just focus on the main myths.
When humans became sentient, were able to think and feel some emotions, but still found that they were emotionally lacking. Collectively they felt that they needed some sort of higher guidance and as a result of such great feeling, a number of deities were created. From their lack of love, they created Jasnesqua, the goddess of love and hope. From their lack of wisdom, they created Kilunesay the God of Wisdom. For their need of protection, they created Verghast, god of War and Thunder For their wanting of power, they created Sahaquiel, the evil God of Tyranny and Subjugation, the goddess of healing, Selûnki is venerated as the sun goddess as the sun brings warmth and grow. These are the greater deities of Cyanneis and they are worshiped over the breadth of Cyaaneis.
By using the gods as a storytelling tool, the races of Cyaaneis gave their natural world meaning. The barbarian tribes from the northern steppes of Fngir tell the story of the Storm. Before our time began, the god Verghast ruled the skies. He and his legions would race across the sky in their shining chariots that were pulled by steeds with vast metallic wings. They would chase away all the evil from the land atop their chariots; the days were full of sun and Selûnki brought with her much happiness. Then one day an immense, foul cloud came across the land and Selûnki was forced to flee. Verghast saw this and rallied his legion around him intent upon destroying this blight upon the land. As his chariots raced towards the foulness, darkness unlike anything ever seen before erupted from the middle of the blight. Sahaquiel, god of Tyranny revealed himself and his evil intentions of domination. What followed was a great and mighty battle, in which Verghast personally banished Sahaquiel to the centre of Cyaaneis. This is how the tribes of Fngir make sense of lunar eclipses and thunderstorms. As simple as this sounds, this is accepted as nature’s law in many areas of Cyaaneis, although they may vary according to which deities are generally venerated by the populace. Elves of the Tor Serphimir, which roughly translates into The Forest of Angels, tell the chronicle of the tears of Elernmir, elven god of beauty and confidant of Selûnki. It is said that when the clouds gather on the horizon, Elernmir rushes from her woodland home to the sky palace of Selûnki and together they weep as the clouds cover the her radiant sun. This is how the elves explain rainfall.

 

[Existence]

A brief Overview…
The geography of Cyaaneis can be divided into two continents. The most densely populated, Ljoontaan (L’Youn’tarn) is a lush and fertile region bounded by the sea of Thray to the west and the volcanic mountain range to the east known as the Firespike Range. On this continent lies three distinct provinces, each with a common bond but each also much different to one another. First and foremost among the three areas is the Theocrasy of Sonyl. Ruled by the great Hierophant of Kilunesay, Eglisius III from his seat in the Great Dome atop the city of Janthar, this enlightened state is the commercial centre of Ljoontaan. Anything and everything that an individual could ever want is available, for a price. The merchant guilds based in Janthar are renowned for their unscrupulous business deals. Some even go as far as to deal with the malevolent D’row from the depths of the Undgarin. Due to Janthar being such a cosmopolitan city, it is no surprise that the population is as diverse as the colours of the sky.
Duegar smiths work relentlessly in huge smelting plants in the industrial quarter while elven bards sing of the heroes of old on almost every street corner. Within the twisting streets of the Old District halfling pickpockets ply their illegal trade as gnomish alchemists tinker away on tiny mechanical toys, watched over by hired half-orc bodyguards. This where the common folk make their way through life, selling foodstuffs and furs to locals.
Looking over the city, the golden towers of the Shining Hand house the continent’s most powerful archmages and Loremasters. These men and woman are the power behind the throne, although Elgisius would rather not admit it. It is here that decipher ancient scrolls and ponder the great mysteries of life. These golden towers are linked by an impossibly fine walkway to the Great Dome so as the Great Hierophant may ask council of them in times of need. On the whole however Janthar and indeed Sonyl itself is a population of good, honest people. Being such a cosmopolitan state, the humans of Sonyl have become accustomed to other race’s ideals and theologies. As such, this has led to humans worshiping or at least paying homage to one or more of the non-human deities. Temples
to numerous deities and demigods dot the rolling landscape. Most of these are not lavish displays of piety but some temples dedicated to gods like Sahaquiel and Balak are what can only be described as vulgar displays of power and subjugation.

On the outside, it would seem that Ljoontaan is a prosperous land, populated by honest, hard working folk. However, if one peers behind the wafer thin façade, Ljoontaan is a land in turmoil, being ripped apart by the forces of darkness while governments remain aloof to the growing problem. All that stands between Ljoontaan, or indeed Cyaaneis as a whole are a few brave individuals willing to risk their lives and sell their souls for the further existence of all good people

 

[Existence]

Religion

The gods of Cyaaneis are as many and as diverse as the races of Cyaaneis. As mentioned before, the greater deities were created by each races’ desire for emotional completeness. However, there are numerous lesser deities’ each with their own goals and aims. These lesser deities were given godhood for many reasons. The god of the Dark Sun, Drinfir for example was a great warrior chieftain who chose to side with the fire giants during the great war of the Spine. He led his rampaging forces east into Toryl and slaughtered all that stood before him. Only through intervention of the Dwarves from the Gonflii mountains were the human and elves able to push him back. Even though Drinfir was defeated, Sahaquiel saw the power within his mortal frame and elevated him to a minor deity. Now Drinfir stands at the left hand of Sahaquiel and together they wage a war of violence and treacherousness. They send out their clerics to proclaim the day when Sahaquiel will once again walk the material plane and the land once again with Drinfir at his side.
As mentioned above, worship of the Lords of Light usually takes place in a temple dedicated to a certain deity. Patrons sing songs in reverence of their patron deity while priests and clerics move between the congregation offering prayers and absolving those of their sins. This however is not always the case. For example, the human god of bards, Rascaphin, has little use for temples when his people are moving around most of the time and this cannot make use of them. More often than not, a bard will set up a little shrine to Rascaphin next to him when he performs and he will implore the audience to make a donation to his temple. On the other hand, the gathering of funds from the populace is not always voluntary. The clerics of Leeshlan, the goddess of power and violence, actively set out to rob and pillage the underclasses. Through the use of intimidation and violence, Leeshlan’s power grows with every passing day.


Pantheon

While the people of Cyaaneis may adore and love their multitude of gods and goddesses, they still only have a rudimentary understanding of how they work and what they actually feel and look like. However, they do know that the Lords or Light look much like them, because that’s how they believe they should look like. This is because the Lords of Light were created by the races of Cyaaneis. They might not have created the sky, the land or the people, despite what some may think. Now though they create and maintain the world. They are the ultimate beings, able to intercede in the daily lives of those that worship them, if the fancy takes them…

Kilunesay; Lord of Knowledge and Wisdom.
One of the original Lords, Kilunesay is a distant deity. His titles are the “Father of Time” and the Distant One. He only takes interest in those that may rise to great power and only champions those who are good at heart and who have a burning desire for knowledge. In recent centuries, he has become more involved in the material plane, occasionally taking form and bestowing small gifts upon those who he sees as worthy. He appears as a wisened old man dressed in out of fashion scholar’s robes. He has a short, white beard and wears a long, faded yellow cloak. He is the patron of mages and scholars alike but because of his nature, some see him as uninfluential and his ideas stagnant. Despite this, he still holds great power within educated circles. His symbol is an ancient oak tree.

Sahaquiel; Tyrant of Cyaaneis, The Warmonger.
Sahaquiel is the bane of valorous and respectable people. He sends his clerics out to proclaim the return of the Hated One. He cares little for his followers and asks for their complete and utterly devout worship in return for promises of power. His people see him as a hugely powerful man adorned in an ornate suit of black armour, with dark light appearing from the chinks in his chain mail. He takes an active interest in his followers’ actions. He is however, careful to reward those he deems as worthy, setting difficult trials for them to prove their worth. Evil fighters and fallen paladins worship him. They see him as the ultimate embodiment of what they strive to become. His symbol is a dark, armoured gauntlet with four hideously wicked spikes protruding from the knuckles.


Balak; Reaper of Minds, Stealer of Souls. Lord of Murder
Balak is the Lord of the Taken, he is the one who comes knocking when death is near. The Lord of Murder cares not for whom he takes, all he cares for is the additional bones that shall be piled beneath his throne. Sometimes when someone feels a bitterly cold shiver running down their spine, it is Balak, running his bloated and cold finger down their spine. Balak is portrayed as a fat, sallow figure with sunken eyes and a bald head. He wears a disgustingly putrescent black cloak that flaps around his bloated figure. Murderers, brigands and sometimes necromancers venerate him. An evil prince, looking to depose a ruler may pray to Balak before they commit the act much like a knight would pray to Verghast before a battle.

Verghast; Prince of Valour
The deity of pious nobles, fighters, paladins and all those who stand and fight in the face of evil, Verghast is a protective god who looks after his clergy. He is an active deity, much like Sahaquiel in the respect that he intercedes in the material realm if a matter is of importance to him or his worshipers. He is pictured in the great tapestry of Voldagrad as a humble knight. Shining armour, longsword and a shield with his coat of arms proudly displayed across it. He is the archetypal being of honour.

 

[Existence]

It's all pretty sketchy at the moment, I've gotta flesh out the gods a fair bit more. Also I couldn't be bothered much making up new names for the same old races, but I might do later, it's just that I had to hand in a finished piece yesterday at school . I also have to do way more on the geography, I think I'll have to get out my pencils and draw some maps!

anyhow, I hope you enjoy my first foray into world building, I'll you guys updated with extra stuff as I get it down