Religion

God v Deities
The Hydravi know and accept the existence of not only God but Deities – two entirely different things in this world’s culture.

God, or Lai in the Hydravi language, is the one who made literately everything. In other cultures this God is known as “The Maker” because of their role in the worlds creation. The mythos behind God’s creation has never been firmly agreed upon, but to the Hydravi they assume that s/he was there before there was anything – s/he existed in nothingness.

In lore, this God is a strong, brooding creature who lives on the Sun – since this is what brings them warmth, life, food – and watches over the people. S/he had created the dark of night and the stars that fill it, then the planets to watch them dance. S/he made the Sun his/her home, where it had a seat to view all of his/her creations. But the God quickly grew tired of watching these empty rocks spin through space, they had no purpose or life in them. S/he became lonely in their singular universe. This was when s/he made creatures who would roam over the earth. And s/he loved them like children and watched them. But they, too, couldn’t satisfy his/her need to relate. It was then that s/he allowed them to evolve into people – into Oyrks, Imps, Elves, and from Elves, into Humans, Hydravi and Luminora. And they thought and built and worked to understand, just as God had. And God felt peace.

The folly of man had at first upset God, not wanting his/her creations to be cruel and greedy. S/he punished the people with disasters, illness and famine. And from this many learned, though with those who learned many ignored the punishments and warnings that God had thrown down upon them. It is those people that make God continue to hurt and scorn man, the creations s/he had made but had no real control over.

When God had created man, God hadn’t thought about control. Just as s/he had lived in complete freedom over his/her own actions, s/he wanted the same for his/her creations. And so, in creating these races, s/he had created cognizant beings, that lived about without her needing to be in constant control. This was the only way s/he could make a being so close to his/her actual self.

But God hasn’t been completely cruel. S/he gives them light in the day and dark in the night, the seasons for the crops, and the resources to make their tools and homes. This is why the Hydravi, as many others, love their God. Without their God, they would have nothing. They would be nothing.

God has never made his/herself known, but just by looking at the things around them the people on this Earth know that is all the proof they need for proof. Aside from this, there are Deities that live amongst them. These Deities constantly reassure the people of their faith; speaking the words of their God and spreading his/her message. With how powerful these Deities are, no one harbors any disbelief towards their words.

The Deities are not on par with God – they aren’t all powerful, nor immortal or all-knowing. They are flawed like man, unable to control the weather or the seasons. But they are made by God to come down and guide the people so that they can better themselves as well as each other, and better themselves for their Second Life (see Beliefs on the Afterlife).

The Deities are people placed on the Earth by God to teach the people what is right and what is wrong. Though they are powerful they do not take on the roles of political rulers and do not interfere in wars. No, these Deities merely help get Gods work done – and are replaced with new Deities every hundred or so years.

This isn’t entirely true, however. Staying out of the ruling positions is something that they abide by, as they are supposed to be those of a higher being. But saying that they stay out of it is a lie that the people of Harilen believe.

These Deities know how powerful they are and know that is what keeps them in such high standings. And because of this power they have been put on top of the hierarchy pyramid – not only are they the most powerful magic users to have existed, but they are said to be placed down by God. They know that whatever they say will sway the people to a point where the current rulers will have to comply with their will – though most rulers willingly do so, as they are typically just as religious as their people.

None know if the Deities were originally actually placed by God, but no one in their right mind would say otherwise.

Beliefs on the Afterlife
The Hydravi both love and fear what awaits them after they die. They have been told by the Deities that once this life is over they will move on to their Second Life. This life is said to be wonderful and terrible, magnificent and horrifying.

Those who have followed the rules of their God and appeased their Deities are said to take on a higher form, where they will become wise to the things that were unknown in their First Life and will be allowed to spend many years with God, before returning to Earth to once again live among man and help the world flourish to its fullest potential.

For those who had not followed the rules, only sorrow is thrust upon them. Their Second Life is torn and twisted – where they are allowed to go to the Sun and be among their God, but will have the suns bright spears puncturing them through the side, and be made to run and keep the Sun moving. Their Second Life lasts much longer than those who had been good and when they are sent back to the Earth they are made to repent for their years before they are finally allowed another chance of redemption at God’s side.

Many young children claim that they remember their time with God – be it the good or the bad – and tell those around them of their Second Life experiences. Though as most children do, many of these stories are lies and grabs for attention. But just as many are truths, small memories of their lives before life. All these stories, true or not, have helped to keep the belief of the Second Life alive in people who might not have been inclined to actually believe in such a thing.

Morals
The morals God had laid down are simple and have been carried over from when all the species lived on land. Many have changed just for simple environmental reasons, but for the most part, not many of the rules have been lost on the Hydravi, who live under water.

1) Do not kill.


 * No one but God has the right to make or erase a person from Earth.

2) Do not steal.


 * There is enough for everyone. Do not take what someone else has worked hard to gain.

3) Do not lie.


 * We have been given this Earth to do good. If you have done something wrong you must confess to it, as it can only be erased with forgiveness.

4) Do not over indulge in food, drink, or things.


 * We have been given resources for everyone. Do not let someone go without; have only what you must have.

5) Educate yourself, be knowledgeable.


 * One who is naïve is certain to be taken advantage of. Those who are intelligent can better understand the world we have been given.

6) Do not harbor feelings of ill-will.


 * Greed, envy, anger, depression and any other negative emotions are natural. However, one should not dwell or rely on these feelings and instead do their best to better themselves and the world around them.

Types of Worship
There are many types of worship all over the world. The Hydravi-way has developed over time to fit their environment so that they, like all other races, can continue to properly worship their God.

As there is on land, there are temples in the underwater cities. These are only to be made with the finest stones and jewels that are available and are always well taken care of. Unlike their cave-like architecture, their temples are maintained and constantly being worked on, so that it can maintain its rigid and well-crafted structures. Often these Temples are made with heavy stones that are worked until smooth and catch the soft sun light nicely. They then have intricate images carved into the walls, the images depicting the Earth’s creation along with the many stories and lore that have since come with these beliefs.

Once the structure has been adorned with reliefs, it is then covered with a vast variety of jewels, which are pushed into the building’s crevices. This is to show their lack of greed and their willingness to give up whatever is needed to please God. The color of the jewels all have their own specific meanings on the temple, which are as follows:


 * Blue – Peace


 * Green - Calm


 * Red - Acceptance


 * Purple - Love


 * Orange – Perseverance


 * Yellow – Devotion

Where there are no words for colors, only a word for color itself, if someone were to say “he was the color of peace” they would instantly know that they meant blue. This is to say religion developed alongside the spoken word for the Hydravi.

Along with the temples, which they are supposed to visit daily (though there are no specific times that they are expected to go at) they have many other types of worship as well.

Being a water-based society, they have found many ways to show their willingness to do anything for their God, as well as their motivation to improve themselves both physically and mentally to impress their creator. One of the methods they use to show their creator their eagerness to please is by killing the sea snakes.

Sea snakes are large, underwater creatures that dwell in the darker areas of the ocean. Their bodies are similar to land snakes and worms, though the sea snake can range from 30 to 50 feet in length and weighs around 40 tons. They have several rows of teeth and no eyes, but have a plate on the top of their head that allows them to sense movement. The sea snake is agile and quick, making it a formidable foe.

The Hydravi have taken to hunting down these creatures as a sacrifice to their God. They believe that showing their skills and devotion will allow for God to better appreciate their race and hopefully bless them with clear, smooth waters and many resources that are typically harder to find.

Other forms of worship come with the holidays, of which they have many. Though their “biggest” religious holiday comes on the 5th of the 1st month, where they spend the day in complete, unified meditation in the various temples in their area. They will stare up through the jeweled ceilings up into the sky and remain motionless for the whole day, until the sun sets.

Whereas most people do this voluntarily, some have attempted to rebel against the group meditation. These people have either gone missing, or were found wandering the seas without any memory of how they got there. This has helped to reinforce the act of worship among people who would otherwise be less inclined to participate and the younger Hydravi.

Of course this meditation is another trick played by the Deities. They are constantly doing their best to reinforce the existence of God – which only some of them believe in – so that their own presence is solidified in the minds of the people. This also allows them to collect a sort of life force from the Hydravi people, which helps fuel their magic.