Helluvianism

Helluvianism is one of the great organized, multiethnic faiths of Omniluxia. It is a monotheistic religion centered on Hellas, a merciful creator god, and it began among the Kainaxari of northern Luxterra. Its spread across continents has profoundly destabilized the old Zani religious order.

Beliefs¶

The sole god of the faith is Hellas, the "Creator of All Things That Can Never Be Known," often called the Great Father. He is revered as a merciful deity who created all creatures in his image, making the faith appealing to humans and many non-human peoples alike.

Helluvianism's universal claims are one reason the Zani and their successors viewed it as dangerous. A god who embraces all peoples undermines imperial cults based on ancestry, state loyalty, or divinized rulers.

The Prophet Helluvius¶

Helluvius, born in Ka-Shorrnnurr, was the great prophet who preached the word of Hellas to the people of northern Luxterra. As the semi-divine child of Hellas, he allowed himself to be burned at the stake by the Zani at Ddu-Nuinop to save the souls of the faithful.

The Timeline places his death during The Incident in 670 LC. Helluvius burned for three days, and when he finally died the catastrophe occurred. His followers preserved his ashes, and the event bound Helluvian memory to the Great Collapse.

Among his most devoted followers was Pouirruipa the Follower, a former temple accountant who abandoned his old life to join Helluvius's travels. After the prophet's death, Pouirruipa became the spiritual head of the new religion as the Shannah.

Saints and Champions¶

• O-Peliaz - the humble hero of the Kainaxari faithful, champion of the people who defended and expanded Helluvian communities across Kainaxarthos.
• Balthazar - a charismatic preacher from Werhen whose name endures in the Balthazarian Knights, a militant order defending the faith in the north.
• Uttarasmake the Great - founder of the Soventeir Empire, revered as a saint-like figure for taming the Dragkhans and bringing them into the faith.

Spread and Conflict¶

Helluvianism spread rapidly after the Great Collapse. By 710 LC, it had been adopted by all Intermarenicans, and early Kainaxari converts appeared. In 874 LC, Uttarasmake converted and promoted the faith across the Soventeir Empire, and the religion also spread to Ytalia.

The faith has come to dominate parts of the Razani Empire, Ytalia, and the Marenica Sea, where the Shannah leads the faithful. Zani authorities denounce it as the Helluvian Heresy, but persecution often strengthened its appeal among commoners, subject peoples, and communities alienated by imperial religion.

See also: O-Peliaz, Uttarasmake, Great Collapse, Razani Empire, Kingdom of Ytalia, and Marenica Sea.