Esodeism

A religion practiced by the inhabitants of Ikoe/Leve with six Mythics worshiped as deities. It is focused on living in harmony with nature and respecting each other and the surrounding world.

Fae have been practicing Esodeism for as long as they have existed (or, at least, that is what they believe). Since the first Fae walked on Esodis/Potensia, they have worshipped the powerful Mythics. The Mythics are real beings. They are not necessarily 'gods', but they are more powerful than any fae and essentially immortal. They have been around since the beginning of time and it is believed they will be there until the end of it.

When the world was new, in its most raw and existential state, there were four entities that ruled over it. There was Earth, who was made of rocks and soil; the smallest grain of sand to the largest mountains. She was them all. Then, there was Water, who played and lapped at Earth's sides. He was fierce and soothing, unpredictable and yet consistent. He shaped it all. Above Earth and Water soared Air. They were joyous and celebratory, and were always dancing from one place to another. They saw it all The final being was Fire, who burned from the shadows and lit up the world. He burnt bright and angry, and brooded in smolders. He desired it all.

In the beginning, the four lived in harmony. The world was shaped by the balance of their actions. Where Earth spread, Fire could rage, fed by Air, while Water kept them all in check. Except when Water grew tired of his boundaries and tried to spread beyond them, flooding Earth's valleys. When that happened, Air would feed Fire to heat Water and restore him to his place. The four's patterns continued, until Earth, Water, and Air began to feel something more than a partnership. Something that made them want to spend eternities in each other's presence. As they became engrossed in each other, fire was left by the wayside. Alone.

Earth, Water, and Air continued to grow closer, while Fire watched, fuming, from a distance. The three came to long for something else to join them. They wanted to create something new, to fuse their beings into one novel creation. And so, they circled in the center of the world and gathered their most pure essence in physical form. However, Fire learned of his fellow beings' plot and became enraged. They had ostracized him and ignored him and he was tired of it. So, unbeknownst to the other three, Fire followed them to their meeting place and gathered his own essence. At the instant when Earth, Water, and Air's essence's merged, Fire exploded from the background and forced his essence into theirs. The violent act shook the world, smoke filled the skies, and the new creation that had been forming fell to the ground and split into two.

As the smoke cleared, Earth, Water, and Air reacted with righteous fury and pain. Fire had trespassed into their sacred space and stolen what should have been theirs. Water engulfed Fire to drive him off, while Air stood by, frozen, for the first time in the history of the universe. Earth felt the pain of their broken creation most potently. She knelt by the broken creation and gathered its two halves gently into her arms. She cradled them, sobbing, thinking her and her loved ones' efforts had been destroyed. Her shoulders shook and the world trembled.

But, while Earth shook, Water raged, Fire diminished, and Air froze, something miraculous was happening. Slowly, the two broken halves began to move. Not to rejoin, but to become two things. The first to open his eyes saw the world around him and let out a joyful baby's laugh. All manner of living things sprung into being around him, and Life was born. Beside him, his sister let out a deep breath. She saw what her twin had created and smiled softly. Then, a butterfly fell to the ground by Life's feet, it's wing broken and in pain. Life's laugh turned to a cry at his creation's pain. His pain, in turn, tugged at his sister's heartstrings. She reached out and gently ran a finger down the butterfly's trembling body and it stilled, giving way to peace. And so Death entered the world by her brother's side.

At these sounds, the original four turned their attention to the newborns. Water gave fire one last shove and rushed over to his children. Air followed, while Fire hung back. They watched as Life and Death spread out into the world they had created and populated it with wonderous things, creating the place we know today as Esodis.

Esodeists worship the six Mythics: Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Life, and Death. Although all Esodeists believe in all the Mythics, each of the three Ikoean tribes worship focuses on a different one. Those three are: Earth, Water, and Air. Although they respect Fire, he is not necessarily a 'well-liked' Mythic due to his attack of the others. Life and Death are worshipped equally among all the tribes.

The main teaching of Esodeism is that the world naturally exists in a state of balance, with the good balancing with the bad. They believe that everything and every being (fae, sprite, mythic, animal, plant, etc) is a mixture of good and evil. Nothing is all good or all bad. When things are right in the world, the good and bad balance each other out and the world is in a Perfect State. Disruptions to this state do happen, and can tip it either towards the good or the bad. Esodeists call the world like this an Imperfect State. They believe that the world is striving to enter into a permanent Perfect State and that, eventually, the Imperfect State will cease.

Esodeism also teaches its followers to respect nature. Esodeists believe that nature, without fae interference, is an example of a Perfect State and that fae actions are the root cause of the Imperfect State. As such, nature is respected and valued, and Esodeists try to live in harmony with it as much as possible.

They also believe that each of the Mythics are in a Perfect State. Each Mythic has both flaws and redeeming qualities that counter each other and cause the Mythic to just exist. As such, the Mythics are seen as deserving of worship. The Mythics also represent the main cornerstones of nature, which also naturally exists in a Perfect State, so they are worthy of worship in that sense as well. Esodeists also believe the Life and Death exist with each other in a Perfect State-they balance each other, and neither acts maliciously. Fire is the only Mythic who is seen as being in an Imperfect State. The lack of focused worship for him is to counter his wrongs and restore him to a more Perfect State.

Another aspect of Esodeism is the upholding of the tradition of having four fae who 'rule' over each season. Each of these rulers is bestowed with a talisman specific to their season, usually at birth, but it can happen later. The bestowing happens 15 to 20 years before the previous ruler dies, so that the heir can grow up and learn how to harness their magic. When the previous ruler dies, all of their seasonal magic is transferred to the new ruler. Each ruler has powers associated with their season and their specific. Each season is tied to a mythic, and Esodeists believe that each fae ruler helps keep the seasons and the forces of the Mythics in balance. The seasons' powers and Mythics are:

Spring: Air Mythic, powers related to growth/rebirth
Summer: Fire Mythic, powers related to freedom/passion
Fall: Earth Mythic, powers related to change/transformation
Winter: Water Mythic, powers related to cold/rest

Esodeists always worship outside. As they believe in the Perfect State of nature, they want to be in close contact with it. A place of worship can be anywhere outside, and most of the time Esodeists worship informally in their own places where they feel close to nature. There are several more formal places of worship though. There is a crater in the center of Ikoe where Esodeists believe that Life and Death were born. Each year on the Summer solstice, all Esodeism practitioners travel to the crater to participate in a group worship celebrating the creation of Life and Death. Each Ikoean tribe also has its own specific worship place where all fae in that tribe gather once a year to worship their specific Mythic. The time of year this worship happens depends on which season corresponds to that tribe's Mythic (Air and Spring Equinox, Earth and Fall Equinox, Water and Winter Solstice). For the air tribe, this location is on the top of a mountain; for the earth tribe, it is in a cave; and for the water tribe it is by a river delta.

Aside from the four seasonal worship sessions, Esodeist worship services are fairly informal. Each day, an Esodeist sets aside a chunk of time, whether that is minutes or hours, to be at one with nature, often through meditating, observing their surroundings, or reflecting on nature/the day's events. This can happen individually or in a group.

The seasonal worship sessions are a bit more structured and social. They are times of dancing, feasting, singing, and just general celebration. There are scripted ceremonies that take place, and these worship services are multi-day events.