The Siblings

"And so she wept for her children, her endless tears streaming down her cheeks; and so he went mad, driven to insanity by the pain he was forced to cause."

- Common saying about the Siblings

The Siblings are the two gods - the Sister and the Brother - that are central to the majority faith of the Druthenians, which is also the main religion of the Kingdom of Druthenia. The faith is not organized, and its adherents practice their faith without dedicated clergy.

Canon
The official canon states that there used to be another god before the Siblings. Though never mentioned by name, it is known as the Creator.

The Creator did exactly what the name suggested - it created the universe and most things within it. No order of creation is specified in the canon, but it is heavily implied that the sky and stars came first, followed by the sun and its planets. Lastly, the Creator shaped the world, but left it empty and barren as it continued its work elsewhere. Eventually, the Creator shaped the Siblings - The Sister and the Brother.

While the Creator continued on its unknown quest, the Siblings gained a liking for the solar system. Deciding to go beyond their progenitor's work, they set about to create life. The earth was turned from a barren rock to a lush paradise with vast forests and mighty mountains, and they populated this new fertile world with Guardians - powerful beings who would look after their natural realms, imbued with godly power by the Siblings. The Siblings then went on to create humanity, whom they intended to give a part of their divine power too.

The Creator, once it returned, was furious with the Siblings that had so freely given other beings such divine power. It ordered the Siblings to destroy its creations, the Guardians. But the Brother refused to harm his children, and attacked the Creator instead. But the Creator proved tough, and before it was destroyed, cursed the Siblings to forever kill and give life to humans and animals, in a vicious cycle of death and suffering - for life itself, and the Siblings, who were now forced to kill their creations over and over again. Unable to break the curse, the Sister eternally cries for her children, and the Brother went mad with grief.

With the Siblings unable to act beyond the confines of their curse, humanity was never given the full extent of their intended power. Forever more, only a lucky few would find that their souls could tap into the Arcane, and access the gift of the Siblings.

The Creator
Little is known about the Creator besides what was mentioned in relation to the creation of the universe, and the Eternal Curse. It is notable that the Creator does not appear to have a gender, being referred to as "it" or "the Creator" in all cases.

The Sister
With the general belief being centered on the cycle of life, and the inevitable end of all things, it is only natural that the Sister has come to represent the more positive aspects of life. Aside from being the one who give life (it's worth noting that the initial creation of life was both Sibling's doing), she also represents light, hope, purity, and peace.

Because she is canonically described as eternally weeping, she is traditionally depicted as such in artwork and sculptures. Because the Brother is assumed to be a "dark figure" (see below), the Sister is depicted as a bright/white figure.

The Brother
The Brother, being the destroyer of all, mostly represent the more negative aspects of life - darkness, despair, death, war etc. It is however important to note that, due to the story laid out in the canon, the Brother is not considered to be a malevolent or evil force. Rather, both he and the Sister are considered neutral and natural aspects of life and existence.

Being the destroyer of all life, the Brother assumes the role of our Grim reaper. It is said that people who die see the Brother wielding his sword (Daud, old Druthenian for "Death"), ready to strike the dying to abide by the curse. Even though most visions of the Brother are assumed to be delirium of the dying, all who describe him give a similar description: a tall, dark, nondescript figure, with his face locked in an expression that most describe as "that of a madman laughing". These descriptions have distinctively shaped the way the Brother is depicted in sculptures and artwork.

Guardians
Guardians are a form of lesser gods, or spirits, that protect the natural realms. They are powerful, bot not nearly as powerful as the Siblings once were, and can interact with humanity freely - though they rarely do so, as they do not give them much thought. But beware, disturbing their realms or otherwise not showing respect is said to bring misfortune.

Some believe that the Guardians are remnants of pre-Druthenian gods that existed in the region before the arrival of the Druthenians.

Eif
Eif is the guardian of the sky, including the weather and airborne animals. Eif is described to be something along the lines of "half-cloud, half-man". He is prayed to for rains or other favorable weather, and in modern times, airmen have been known to pray to Eif for safe flight. Out of all the Guardians, Eif is also considered the most distant, rarely if ever listening to or interacting with humans. He's associated with a light blue colour.

Firla
Firla is the Guardian of the Sea. She's traditionally revered by fishermen and sailors. She's described as a mermaid with short hair, though sometimes described as being able to have legs and walk the earth. Her colour is dark blue.

Ise
Ise is the Guardian of the forests, and to a lesser extent, plant life and animals. She is often revered by hunters and loggers, who perform rituals to gain access to her realm. She's described as a tall woman with long hair: her physical appearance is that of a tree or a plant as well as a regular person, with it being difficult to discern what is "plant" and what is "human-like". She's usually followed around by animals. She is associated with a dark green colour.

Loggers that wish to chop down a tree usually mark said tree with the symbol of Ise before beginning their work. Hunters often given prayers asking for access before entering the forest, and if they fell a large animal (like a deer), they are obliged to sacrifice its heart to Ise by the edge of the forest they hunted in.

Rall
Rall is the Guardian of the mountains and the hills, and to a lesser extent, large stones and rock itself. He is often revered by miners, who have traditionally sacrificed to Rall even if they're not in his realm. He is described as a muscular man with a great bushy, brown beard, wielding a pickaxe of shining bronze. He is associated with a bronze brown/red colour.

Tilla
Tilla is the guardian of the open fields and farmlands. She is probably the most revered of the Guardians throughout Druthenian history, as she's been closely associated with agriculture. She has a long golden hair, and eyes as bright and golden as the sun. She carries with her a basket filled with food and flowers. She's associated with the colour of gold.

Weþis
Weþis (Wethis) is the Guardian of inland bodies of water: lakes, rivers, streams, marshlands etc. He's described as a man with a long, perpetually drenched beard. His colour is a dark cyan.

Way of life
The Siblings as a faith is somewhat unique in the sense that it has very little impact in the lives of the believer. Described as a "religion for nihilists", official doctrine states that there is no express purpose of life (though most adherents would say that it is to "live life to its fullest"), and there's no official stance on what happens after one dies.

While both Siblings are revered, and uniquely, prayed for (to not suffer as much in their torment), the dynamics of the two switch dramatically depending on circumstance. In peace, and when there is plenty of food and wealth, the Sister acts as the representative. Conversely, in times of war, famine, and disease, the Brother comes to the forefront of the faith. Much like life and death, these circumstances are considered natural parts of life.

As for reverence, there are prayers that are directly aimed at the Siblings in the form of hymns and songs. These hymns and songs usually deal with alleviating the Siblings' pain and to show humility. However, the common belief is that living life to the fullest - by not squandering the original gift of life - is the ultimate prayer, the foremost way to show appreciation to the Siblings. In doing so, they are made aware that their gift has not been in vain. Because the Siblings are considered to be powerful even though they are eternally cursed, sacrifices are not practiced by believers, as it would be a waste of resources.

As for the Guardians, they are traditionally seen as unable to act outside their realms, and have no interest in controlling or otherwise interacting with humanity. However, one should pay attention and show respect in their respective realms as to not bring misfortune upon oneself - because while they may not be truly interested in humanity, they will take great offense at disrespect. On the other side of the coin, it is believed that people who show respect and humility may receive help in their time of need, such as a bountiful harvest or calm seas.

The Sisterhood
Main page: The Sisterhood

The Sisterhood is a semi-religious order that exists within Druthenia and some other states that have a part of the population following the Druthenian faith. As the name suggests, it is solely comprised of women.

The Order of Daud
The Order of Daud, sometimes known as the Order of the Sword or simply The Brotherhood is, much like the Sisterhood, a semi-religious order in the service of the sibling gods. Like the gender restrictions of the Sisterhood, the Order is comprised solely of male members employed in the military.

It is much smaller in scope than the Sisterhood in membership, and the members are almost exclusively employed in the Druthenian military. Most commonly, members are found in the ranks of the Royal Sentinels and Royal Guards, as the Order requires royal approval to enter. Many high-profile male mages are also members of the order.

While the Sisterhood is a full organisation on its own, the Order is more an exclusive group. Becoming a member is considered a great honour, and membership is worth a lot of prestige.

The Clockwork
Because of the casual relation Druthenians have with the divine, the Clockwork was not much of a concern until it started to gain a larger following on the rest of the continent. Since there is no clergy, there is no official stance towards the Clockwork. But since the canon describes humans to have been created to one day becoming creators themselves, the Clockwork is seen as a natural development of this gift given by the Siblings - however, what the creation of the Clockwork actually means for humanity is the subject of a wide array of ideas and beliefs.

Much again due to the lax views of adherents to the Siblings, followers of the Clockwork are not seen much in a negative light, especially since most of the following in Druthenia still is in tandem with the Siblings still. Though few in numbers, those that only follow the Clockwork and reject other gods are viewed with suspicion, mostly because they may be threats to a status quo.

Luumansari
In an interesting form of religious melding, the Skeleton King is not seen as a false god or spirit: instead, there has long been the belief that Luumansari is, in fact, the Guardian of the cold north, and associated with winter. To a lesser extent, it is believed that the divine war between the Satí progenitor gods is in fact the story of the Brother and the Creator, just corrupted and/or misunderstood. Because of this, the Satí religion has remained largely untouched by Druthenia.