Theology (old)

The Divine and the Accursed
Among the gods with whom the inhabitants of the world interract, there are two types of beings: the Divine and the Accursed. The Divine gods are the source of order in the world below, and each Divine represents and, in essence, becomes some Aspect of the natural world. They are forever opposed by the Accursed gods. While the Divine reign over the physical world, it is over the hearts, minds, and spirits of the Divines' children that the Accursed seek to establish dominion. The gods and their Aspects are as follows:

Divine Aspects
 * Life
 * The Sun
 * The Moon
 * Faye
 * Earth
 * Fire
 * Air
 * Freshwater
 * Oceans
 * Forests
 * Deserts

Accursed Aspects
 * Undeath
 * War
 * Chaos
 * Plague
 * Deceit
 * Pride
 * Greed
 * Madness
 * Malice
 * Gluttony

It is not uncommon for those undertaking a study of theology to question the nature of the relationship between the Divine and Accursed, particularly why it is that their opposition is not, at first glance, perfectly diametric. It may be asked, Why are the Divine Aspects of the physical world, while the Aspects of the Accursed are mostly intangible qualities? Should not the Divine embody virtue as the Accursed do vice? And why among the Accursed are there Aspects that, unlike the others, are not vices; namely, Plague, War, and Undeath (and perhaps Chaos as well)? These questions are well answered under the heading The Nature of Opposition, but first...

The Heavensea and the Divine
The Heaven Sea is a nebula of holy life force, the essence of the Divine. As a god is born into existence, it brings about the emergence of a new race in the world below, and the god becomes that race's Primogenitor. The fates of the race and its divine parent become intimately interwoven. Should the child race be wiped out by war, famine, or other causes, then its god faces death and dissolution. Similarly, should a god be destroyed in heavenly battle, then its child race will also quickly weaken and die out. But the death of a god does not mean that the essence of its existence is ended. From the Heaven Sea it was born, and to the Heaven Sea it returns upon death. Even as a god is dying, a new one is being born. Thus, as the life of one god begins to ebb, that same life is reborn into a new Divine of the same Aspect. And once that former god, known as the Progenitor, has faded completely from existence, the new one reaches the apex of its power and becomes what is referred to in technical terms as a Solitary Aspect; that is, the only extant god embodying a specific Aspect.

A god has a natural life span of around 7,000-8,000 years, roughly one half to two thirds of which (around 4,000-6,000 years) is spent as a Solitary Aspect. If you were to reflect upon this information, you might conclude that a still-growing race could hasten its ascent to maturity by wiping out its Progenitor race (the waning race of the same Aspect). This is indeed the case, and such attempts have even been made in the past, though the knowledge of whether or not they were successful has been lost to time. However, this concept does not work in reverse: a Progenitor race cannot hope to extend its life by slaughtering the children of the new god. The life of their god that has returned to the Heaven Sea can be reborn into a new being, but it cannot return to the god from which it came. As a grisly comparison, consider the idea that a child may murder his father to receive his inheritance earlier than he otherwise would have, but a father cannot murder his child and thereby regain whatever time, money, and strength he had invested in rearing the child. However, both the ebb and flow of life are regarded as a necessary and inevitable part of the cyle of creation, and both are typically viewed with a peaceful acceptance. The Aspects are all reborn within about 750 years of each other, leading to a history of relatively well-defined generations. Indeed, in the most commonly recognized dating system, a new era begins when the first race of a new generation is born.

The Black Ocean and the Accursed
For now all you need to know is that the Black Ocean is the Accursed counterpart of the Heaven Sea, and operates along roughly the same lines with the exception that the child races of the Accursed are born into the incorporeal world rather than the physical world.

The Nature of Opposition
An essential concept that must be understood is that virtue and creation are intrinsically linked. Virtue, in this sense, must not be seen as simply being socially established standards of behavior, nor even moral laws as dictated by some divine figure. Rather, virtue refers to the eternal and universal laws that are the foundation of creation. Thus, the creation and continuation of the physical world as it currently stands is dependent upon adherence to these laws of virtue. Consider the following examples:
 * Truth is things as they really are. Thus, honesty is a principle of virtue because it is an expression of the truth. Dishonesty represents things in a way that they are not, and is thus contrary to the foundations of existence.
 * Obedience is adherence to prescribed laws. In order for the created world to exist, matter and the elements must operate within the bounds prescribed by the deities of creation.