Oritism

Oritism is a religion that originated Gretora. It is a polytheistic religion. Followers of Oritism pray every morning and evening. A different god or goddess is prayed to each day. Each deity requires an offering twice a year, at the winter and summer solstice.

Gods of Oritism
Draggor - Draggor is the god of war. He is considered to be the chief of the gods. Tenorin was a devout follower of Draggor, and named his invention after Him. An offering of a heretic's blood is made to him at the solstices. In return, Draggor grants followers strength in battle and resistance to pain.

Seorr - Seorr is the god of Mountains. He grants safe passage through the mountains in return for an offering of a large chunk of quartz.

Atoa - Atoa is the goddess of the ocean. She protects people from storms and dunsteos for an offering of fish wrapped in kelp.

Rigot - Rigot is the god of the sun. There are some that believe that He is the real chief of the gods, not Draggor. Rigot provides good weather in return for an offering from the harvests.

Ultaca - Ultaca is the goddess of the death. When a person dies, she guides them to the afterlife. There are two versions of the afterlife: Elugis and Gohna. Elugis is the destination of those who were faithful to Oritism. Although sinners are not allowed into Elugis, a person does not have to be perfect to get in, just good enough. Elugis is described as a land of eternal bliss, with everything that one could ever want. Gohna, on the other hand, is the destination of sinners, heretics, and heathens. Those who end up in Gohna are subjected to humiliating and painful punishments. Luckily for the unlucky souls that go here, the time spent in Gohna is not eternal. A certain amount of time is spent before returning to the mortal world, giving them another chance at getting into Elugis. Sinners spend 25- 70 years in Gohna, depending on the severity of their sins. Heretics - 150 years. Heathens - 400 years.

History of Oritism
Orotism started in the Gretoran city of Edalane in the year 430 O.E. It was founded when numerous people claimed to have been visited in their dreams by the gods on the same night. When no one believed them, a man named Orit proceeded to pray to the gods.Orit then challenged anyone to fight him. After defeating over three dozen people with his bare hands, he proclaimed to the stunned crowd that it was Draggor who gave him the strength to win. Other people performed similar miracles, claiming it was the gods work. Orit became a great preacher, and convinced thousands of people to convert. Orit was assassinated in 415 O.E. by an unknown person. After his death, people started using Orit's name for the new religion.

By 1 O.E., almost a tenth of the population of Gretora was oritist. When Tenorin destroyed Optrus Maaj, masses of people began to convert, believing that Tenorin's victory was the ultimate display of the power of Oritism. By 700 A.O.E., almost three quarters of Gretora was oritist. By this point, even the majority of nobles were oritist. It had also spread to Eramarth and Laundor. Oritism briefly appeared in Patheran during the 500's, but was outlawed and stamped out. Throughout the 8th century, tension grew between oritists and the Followers of Har, who had once been the majority in Gretora. Laws were passed that discriminated against the Followers, such as making it illegal to worship Har in public, and that store owners that were Followers had to pay extra taxes. Followers in the army were never promoted, and were more or less used as human shields. Oritists saw Followers as barbarians with a barbaric religion and a cruel god who could only be pleased through bloodshed. This led to an escalation in conflicts between oritists and Followers, and this escalation led to a civil war. This war lasted from 785 to 811 A.O.E., and ended with the Followers creating their own nation, Haro.