Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Gossamer on March 11th, 2012, 8:46 pm

I need to ask you all a favor.

There's been some people recently asking for gnosis marks that I kinda feel don't suit their PC or maybe more accurately that their PC's aren't yet in a place where a God would take notice. I'm talking about this in an IC point of view. Remember, Gods don't care how good or bad of a writer you are. They don't care that you have perfect or horrible grammar or that you are beloved/hated on the site because you volunteer to do such fabulous things like read every CS in existence (not picking on you Shep, honest! *ducks*) or don't do anything at all. They only care about your IC actions. Keeping that in mind, and throwing any 'But my pc awesome how can they not be loved by this god/dess!' aside because we all love our PCs and most of us think they are awesome....

Can all you very devote worshipers out there please plotnote or scrap about your PC's faiths - or even post it in this thread - even if its just to link to your plotnote/scrap? I'm particularly interested in seeing some of the more obscure (yet oddly popular) gnosis carriers like Nightstalkers, Dreamwalkers, Treavers (god yes please respond treavers!) and even Happenstance throw some input up there. Remember, not all gnosis holders worship those they carry Gnosis Marks from, but with some gnosis' I've written its almost a given. Even some of the Founders who have written gnosis' might want to dive in here.

Which gods appeal to you? Why or why doesn't your PC like them? Does your PC even know about the Gods? Where did they first learn of them? What are the Gods influences in a PC's life? Really, lets all talk about religion. Are you frustrated some pages are blank or not everything is covered in the wiki? I know I am and I know I get frustrated that people take a brief mention of something in the wiki and then suddenly have lores that are totally of things I haven't even fleshed out yet.

So lets talk faith. Are you willing?
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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Shepherd on March 11th, 2012, 9:12 pm

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I have 2 very devout PCs. I have Liandra who praises Laviku, Zulrav, and Makutsi in just about every thread. She's very religious, but at the same time is open to others she learns about. She sees things differently due to her religion as well. When she sees a storm, she doesn't freak out and hope Zulrav or Laviku saves her. She sees it as a challenge from the god, and if she can survive it with her skills, she will be rewarded by her god.

With her soon to learn Malediction and Spiritism, I hope she pisses off a few gods, namely Caiyha and Dira. I'm not sure how these two would view Liandra, but I wouldn't complain in the least if she ever earned a negative mark. There really aren't enough curse marks in the world. Liandra is my take on walking the grey area, her curiosity and desire to learn, trumping standard morals.


Alderache/Alseroth is my other devout PC. Alderache is an extremely devout follower of Wysar, and carries his mark. He's also, to a lesser extent, a follower of Akajia as well. His darker brother Alseroth on the other hand despises Riverfall and Wysar, simply due to the fact that Alderache loves them. Even so, Alseroth actually uses the gift from Wysar more than Alderache does, claiming he doesn't want to waste a weapon, no matter who it's from.

Since the Djed storm, Alderache after witnessing the atrocities that occurred took a back seat in their shared mind. So now, Alseroth has some major control, and he is thanking Uphis, due to the coincidential fact that he prayed to Uphis to help him get rid of his brother, and it appears that he has. I can't give much away now, but I have plans of making their opposing views on religion take an even bigger role in their lives. Like clash of Sylir and Rhysol type big.

I like writing about religion, and hope more people will join my PCs in that regard.

I also would like to see more temples in more cities. Just a thought :p
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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Xelhes on March 11th, 2012, 9:18 pm



For Xelhes the gods that he knows/cares most about would be Leth, Nikali, and Viratas, in that order. Being an Ethaefal of Leth he is the most prominent deity to Xelhes, and while the Ethaefal originally was angry at the god he now views Leth almost like a normal religious follower would; his past life memories helping him understand the situation. However even so he still has a few shreds of doubt that keep him from being truly devoted, and I feel that may be why I cannot write a Gnosis Story for him: he does not have full faith in Leth yet. Nikali is one that Xelhes is not fond of due to the Temple of Nikali in Denval, as he thinks that being intimate with someone else is something you should do with a person you love, not someone random. Due to this he only focuses on the bad with Nikali and her followers/workers, and sometimes I feel like he is trying to keep himself ignorant of the fact that the goddess tries to bring satisfaction that is beyond flesh. Viratas is more of a respect thing since Veldrys told him about the god and what he symbolizes, so while the god is not truly prominent to Xelhes he will still show faith towards Viratas.

Leth plays the biggest influence on Xelhes, though possible not in the same way as other Ethaefal. While, I believe, most Ethaefal view their respective deity as a 'parental' figure Xelhes does not, instead thinking of Leth more of as companion or old friend. I have been meaning to RP Xelhes showing his faith in Leth a few times, however I am unsure on how to go about it. The fact that the wiki does not say how one could honor Leth with something other than prayer does frustrate me to a great extent as having even a small hint would make RP and writing a Gnosis Story much easier. Viratas will probably never be a truly huge god to Xelhes as it is mainly a respect thing rather than a relationship of faith. Thinking about Nikali makes me worry about Xelhes, since I am being mean to my Ethaefal and 'forcing' him to develop feelings for Veldrys while also, OOC at least, expecting Xelhes to get rejected for Lucette. Should that happen I could see the Ethaefal directing his anger, jealousy, etc at Nikali and her followers, blaming them for it, maybe even as an unconscious thing he is not aware of. I did not mention Syna here because she is almost a 'back burner' goddess to Xelhes, his faith mostly in Leth and while he does respect Syna as well she is almost like something that floats in his peripheral vision.


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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Victor Lark on March 11th, 2012, 9:24 pm

These ideas have been swimming around for a while, but I’ve never found a good reason to write them down. Maybe I’ll copy+paste them to my plotnotes later.

Victor worships Ionu, which, I’ve found, is a relatively popular choice on this site. Obviously, I didn’t choose Ionu because He is or isn’t popular; I didn’t really choose Her at all. Victor stumbled upon Ionu in a book, of all places, in Ravok, of all cities (which I admit is a creative license I may have stretched too far :P). Really, he’s perfect and primed to worship Rhysol, given his upbringing and his view on the world. His penchant for mischief and trickery manifests in (often malicious) deceit, and his skills in seduction and subterfuge might have once been useful to the Ebonstryfe. As a Chaon, he could get everything he wanted out of a person: their minds, their fear, their emotions, extrapolated by the chaos he would be about to inflict on their minds and bodies. I could make a similar argument about Sagallius, whom Victor emulates in every conversation he holds, trying to manipulate and lead everyone he meets.

But he chose Ionu. Why? Because mischief requires a response. Because illusion still leaves you with a choice. To truly explore a person’s emotions, and therefore the quirks and intricacies of their mind, you cannot try to control them. You must force them to be themselves, to act for themselves, to react to a novel situation. Victor has discovered that when a person is utterly deceived is when they are most honest. They cling to truth; they search for it. To Victor, who cannot understand the truth of emotion and therefore cannot really appreciate the truth of the world, watching someone search for the reality in the illusion is the next best thing.

He likes to think he worships Ionu with everything he does, and therefore has been kind of lax on the meditation and communion aspect of worship. While this is really a sort of cop out to real devotion, the philosophy itself has become self-fulfilling. He’s learned to embrace the randomness of the world and to take deception as a challenge to overcome rather than an affront that would humiliate him. He even commends Ionu as a divine who would no save him from trouble, but amuse him by putting him into it. He’s figured out that the reason for everything is that there is no reason, and at this point he’s feeling pretty optimistic. That’s what religion sort of needs to do, I think. It gives him something to belong to, something to live for, some meaning to define him. Without it, he’s just another drifter. In choosing Ionu specifically, he doesn’t have to really destroy something to understand it. (Okay, but he still does. No one’s perfect.)

Edit: Also I will pounce on the Inverted the moment they are developed.
Last edited by Victor Lark on March 11th, 2012, 9:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Seven Xu on March 11th, 2012, 9:29 pm

Seven’s got a section in his plot notes regarding religion.

Religion has sparked wars for as long as humanity has conceived it. There was, is, and always will be vastly different opinions on worship, the divine, and what happens to us after we die. Why should Mizahar be any different?

Okay, it’s a little different. On Mizahar, there is no doubt that gods and goddesses exist. They walk the earth, they mark their followers, and they help and hinder the lives of mortals in countless ways.

It’s been a while since Jesus fell out of the sky to give someone a pat on the back and a sweet tribal tattoo.

The bulk of people that live on Mizahar worship one or multiple gods in vastly different ways: one evil little Pycon from Lhavit may think Rhysol, the god of evil, is bloody well great, because they’re evil and evil and chaos is dandy. A Ravokian, on the other hand, may think of Rhysol as a protector. They both love and worship him. People have different views. It happens in Mizahar, and it happens in real life.

A problem: detaching real life opinions from fantasy.

Religion is one of those things some people simply cannot waver on. Faith is strong. Really strong. Their belief is their belief, and your alternate belief is wrong (there aren’t many of these, but they exist). Like I said, it’s started wars. I’m completely happy to agree to disagree on the subject, but there are loads of people that will fight until they’re out of breath to defend their opinion. And you know what? They totally have that right.

My character, for instance, does not understand that Akajia is not the loving mother figure he’s painted in his head. She’s dangerous. She’s judgmental. Her marked do not speak of her. He doesn’t know that, how could he? He’s never met her, and it’s obviously not a large enough problem for her to correct him on it. I was denied a Nightstalking mark because of his in-character misunderstandings; will that stop him from worshipping her? No. Will he continue to think what he thinks about her? Of course, what’s stopping him?

Akajia is stability and dependability in Seven’s life, in Alvadas, a city he has little like for or connection to. Is Akajia actually dependable, is she stable, would she really be the mother he never really had? No. Not likely. Not likely at all. Does this make Seven’s faith wrong? No. It does not. It does not make him a good follower, but it does not make him less of one.

I don’t like being told my character’s take on his faith is wrong. Maybe I’m no better than the close-minded people I mentioned earlier, in that sense. But, it isn’t a matter of my own unconditional belief. I don’t think anyone should be told their faith is wrong. It’s called faith for a reason. It doesn’t matter what their character thinks a god or goddess is like, so long as it gives them comfort and something to cling to, something to devote their lives to, and something that they think gives them meaning.

End rant.
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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Kadrath Onktaka on March 11th, 2012, 9:29 pm

If you insist,

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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Murmur on March 11th, 2012, 9:39 pm

I have two PCs that equate their lifestyles and feelings to certain deities. For Murmur, it's a given. He's Ebonstryfe, so it's obvious he would be a Rhysol fanatic. Although it's strange, because he came from Syliras and is the son of a Syliran Knight. (Unbeknownst to him, of course.) He considers Rhysol the reason why he is where he is, the reason why he serves the Ebonstryfe and the reason why he has a purpose.

Naama has love for both Myri and Zulrav. She holds Myri close because she considers her a second mother, and would gladly do anything to bring her honor and glory. Zulrav has taken more precedence recently. To Naama, He embodies freedom and power; an untamed beauty in a storm that reminds her much of herself. She doesn't expect Him to pay any attention to her at all, however. She likes to think of Him as a watchful father figure in conjunction to Myri who would be a figurative mother figure, effectively molding her into who she is today: a woman that seeks true freedom, true glory, to come back from a futile quest victorious, with the winds at her back to keep her moving forward.
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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Xavior Silhouette on March 11th, 2012, 9:54 pm

Speaking only as Xavior faith plays a huge part of his life. As an Eth, he is already predisposed to be faithful to their chosen deity Xavior's happens to be Leth. There isn't a whole lot to go of Leth compared to others which can be difficult to work with at times. However, I don't look at it as a hindrance or road block but more of a way to explore it for myself.

I know that when I first got on this site I wanted every gnosis that could possibly be had. It was cool and awesome to me, but I failed to really understand the purpose of a gift or curse. Xavior, I feel, is probably the most religious oriented character I've created save for Jeremiah Draderex, a devote follower of Dira. But even then, his belief system was forced on him by me, he read philosophy of death and learned of Dira that way. Xavior was a bit different, he knew about Leth from the moment he had fallen.

Like I'm sure many who choose to play Eths, there was a point in their life that they question their relationship with their god or goddess. If it wasn't for Xavior falling in Lhavit, I am pretty certain that Xavior would have been a forsaken within days. Leth's religion and religious practices are cryptic to those who haven't had the opportunity to visit the temple dedicated to him in Lhavit. Though if you stop and think about the lore that is there, one can easily figure out a way to create their own practices.

I personally do not like the idea of formal prayer ie going to a place of worship sitting and praying. True it helps gods or at least that is my understanding, but I prefer that my characters live in the image of their faith. Basically, show don't tell. I decided to play up the idea that Leth is the god of change in life. Then I expanded on the idea to apply to basically everything. I used the symbolism of the dark and light side of the moon to help further my belief structure. Change can be good or bad depending on the situation in life, much like the moon as it goes through its phases from day to day.

Xavior, attempts to preach the positive of change in life but also informs that sometimes the changes we make isn't always the best decision in the long term. Because of this thought process, Xavior has found he favored those in poverty and beggars. In a sense their lives can only get better, or much much worse. If it gets worse, well lets just go to the extreme and say they die, they are in a much better place. They've landed on the first tile of a new life, which hopefully will be a better one.

Yes it is a strange point of view, but when looked at through the eyes of an Eth a being who had once lived, died, then brought back to the mortal realm out of unfortunate circumstances, they've seen it all. They know what happens to a soul, they know that the life in the mortal realm isn't the last stop for these people. Why suffer when you can let go and hit the restart button?

A leth gnosis mark is something that I'm going to be striving for. Heck I've even had the fleeting thought of attempting to become an Alvina of Leth. But, that is still real far down the path I haven't even begun to start that story arch which would probably be completely faith oriented. Contrast to what I originally felt when I first joined Mizahar, I'm not in any hurry to be graced by the hand of a god. It isn't something that should be expected, only earned. I think I went on a mega tangent to what I wanted to say before but whatever. I stand by what I said haha.
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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Elhaym on March 11th, 2012, 10:19 pm

Elhaym lives in Lhavit, so it is essentially impossible for her to pretend Zintila isn't there. Elhaym does not worship Zintila in the sense that she kneels beside her bed and whispers her praises before going to sleep, but she does respect what she has done for Lhavit. That respect compounds with her natural desire to make sure the meek in the city do not suffer, and it appears she is in line with Zintila's will.

But she's really not. Zintila is patient, kind, accepting and wise. Elhaym spats on the Symenestra and Zith, grows irritated at the beauty of the Ethaefal, and responds brutally to anything she perceives as a threat to the people in the city. Much more brutally than her benevolent Goddess (Alvina, really) would likely prefer, I would imagine. I think that's Elhaym's main problem with the patron deities of Lhavit; she simply isn't on the level with them. There isn't anything she can truly relate to, aside from respecting their presence and the fact that they are necessary. She would glady cut a man deemed dangerous down without trail if it meant saving three others, and to her that is the nature of protecting someone. Violence must be met with greater violence in order to sustain peace, and at times nasty things must be done. I don't think this mindset really falls in line with Lhavit's gods.

There is one however, who may more or less agree with Elhaym's black and white view. I intend to investigate Gnora with Elhaym ICly after the spring storm and some other events cause her to question some things about the Shinya.

Edit: Also, hooray! This brought me to 500k words. =)
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Faith in Mizahar: What Is Your Personal Take On It?

Postby Kassan on March 11th, 2012, 10:38 pm

Kassan is all about Uphis. He sees him as this benevolent father, who gave him food, drink, a home, and a life. After he was rescued from the slaver's caravan, the old man who cared for him had all this Uphis paraphernalia. Kassan saw it and connected it with a new future, and a new life. He had only ever been an urchin, sucking off of society. But now he had this father that he'd never had, and he could serve him, and look up to this figure.

He connects with Uphis' discipline, strength, and thirst to see things through e.g revenge. He's basically become one with this concept. Kassan with no Uphis. That's a big no. He just couldn't exist. Uphis gives him strength. Kassan gives Uphis strength. It's like a symbiotic relationship, and Kassan gives the Alvina far more reverence than most.
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