Qurosism

Quurožarq (Adzamasi: /qurʌʒaʁq/ ; Neviran: ???) is a major religion or group of religions in south-east Ekuosia, especially in Tabiqa and Nevira, and enjoys some practice throughout the former Adzamasi Empire including southeast Barradiwa, and in some Adzo-Neviric diasporas. It is a polytheistic religion with five main gods and many minor spirits, and has concepts of reincarnation and circular time. The religion has existed in some form since prehistory, and is accepted to have arisen somewhere in the northern or northeastern Baredina, but the exact locale is unknown.

Followers of Quurožarq are called Quurožiri in Adzamasi.

Deities

There are five principle deities in Quurožarq, known collectively as Quuros and the Four. The various denominations of Quurožarq hold these five deities at different levels of importance (and give them slightly different names); among the Temyarq, the sect most widely followed in Tabiqa, the Four are the primary figures of worship. There are also many minor deities that are recognized locally, called biārevah (sg. bāren). Gods from other religions are generally held to be biārevah.

Quuros

The First Being, Quuros is the deity who created the universe, Sahar, and the Four. They are genderless and portrayed typically as a giant golden centaur-like creature, with the upper body of a human woman, the lower body of a male oryx or other large antelope, and a head mixing the features of both. Quuros is associated with the colours black and gold, birth and death, fertility, children, and the underground.

All Quurožarq sects worship Quuros as a central and important figure; the creator, the all-parent, protector of children, and the one to whom most will return in death. Their nature is often considered unfathomable due to its age and power, but they are considered loving, loyal, and forgiving.

The Four

The Four (Adzamasi: Il-Temē), also called the Four Greater Gods are the four gods created immediately after and by Quuros. They represent the cardinal directions, the four winds, and the four genders. Each of the Four have standard depictions, symbolism, and associations, but are known to be shapeshifters and therefore can appear in many forms. Their exact attributes also vary among religious sects. In Temyarq they are considerably more significant to everyday life than Quuros themself.

Amet

Amet (Adzamasi: /amɛt/, Neviran: ???) is the goddess of women and life, associated with the south and southeast, red, healing, and forests. Among Temyarq Amet is also associated with birth and fertility, while in other denominations that is the realm of Quuros.

Amet's physical avatars are often that of a healthy, middle-aged woman with the pelt, tail, and ears of a deer or smaller antelope, or an older woman with dark red skin like iron-rich clay. In Temyarq she is often portrayed somewhat younger, and often pregnant.

Amet is often considered practical, level-headed, organized, efficient, and industrious; especially among the Temyarq she is seen as a leader of the Four. These are all qualities that many Quurožark hope their daughters to embody.

Haŧur

Hasŧur (Adzamasi: /haθuʁ/, Old Adzamian: Hasþur /hɐsθʊχ/ Neviran: ???) is the god of men and war. He is associated with the north and northwest, fire, the colour white, and the desert. He is typically portrayed as a large, strong young man with the head of a lynx or caracal, and sometimes claws.

Karne

Karne {Adzamasi: /k'aʁnɛ/, Neviran: ???) is the deity of sestheen and thought. Xe is associated with the west, dreaming, the colour green, and the sky. Xeir physical appearance is usually that of a small and nimble androgynous individual with the wings, tail, and beak of a bearded vulture or eagle.

Of the Four, Karne shows the most tolerance for tricksters in stories and legends, and is seen as somewhat finicky and egotistical; for this, xe is somewhat mistrusted. However, xe is also cunning, witty, and selfless.

[Might be merged with Tali in Neviran?]

Tāli

Tāli or Taali (Adzamasi: /tɑlɪ/, Neviran: ???) is the deity of benthiin and magic, as well as water, the east, oceans, and the colour blue. Ze is depicted as a tall and slender person with the gills, fins, and scales of a blue and silver fish. In modern times, electricity and digital technology are sometimes considered the provenance of Taali, as forms of modern 'magic.'

Tāli is considered patient, calm, wise, and loyal, but with no tolerance for mockery or disloyalty, sometimes leading to violence. Zir ability to grant magic to humans is both lauded and feared.

[Might be merged with Karne in Neviran?]

Biārevah

Main article: Biārevah The biārevah (Adzamasi: /bjɑʁɛva/, Old Adzamic /beiχɛvɐh/), singular form biāren, are sometimes called minor gods, spirits, or saints. They were originally mortal humans who have returned to Sahar after death due to their great power. Monarchs, revolutionaries, inventors, warlords, and others of great fame, notoriety, or even infamy, are said to become biārevah after death. They have some powers over the physical world and can be good, evil, or somewhere in between.

Gods and other important figures of other religions are often considered by the Quurožiri to be biārevah. Some particularly powerful gods are instead considered aspects or manifestations of Quuros or the Four. While biārevah are typically not worshipped outright by Quurožiri, they are afforded great respect and may be given offerings and prayers.

Afterlife

There are three main paths souls take after death. The first is to return to the mortal realm as biārevah ; the second is to become subsumed in the universal dream as rosönet ; and the final is to join the courts of the Four Gods as temiārenet. Finally, a small selection of people may be reborn as mortals, especially those who died in infancy or before birth, and among others who commit certain actions in their afterlives.

Becoming a biāren is the most coveted and esteemed path. It is considered a great achievement, and something many aspire to and strive for during life. To be a biāren can be a responsibility, but also is a great honour.

Most who die will go on to become rosönet, "those who are lost". They join the fabric of the universal dream, retaining consciousness and individuality, but losing most of their volition and agency. This is something of a dreary fate, but it is not final, and one can rejoin one's loved ones. They are not able to communicate with or interfere with the living.

Those who are selfish and evil go on to become temiārenet, "those of the Four." They will spend the rest of this age in the dreams of the living, where they may guide, help, or hinder. Some more accomplished people who have done many immoral things may instead manage to become evil biārevah.

Reality and the Ages

See also: Universal dream, Abenÿn

Quurožiri believe that we are currently living in the first age or Kēnkenÿn. Kēnkenÿn is considered to be a dream of the Quuros and the Four, initiated by Quuros, who has purposefully created the other gods and the world in their dream-state. This does not, however, indicate that Quurožiri do not think of the world as real, substantial, material, or important.

It is believed that when humans sleep, they are able to enter the realm of the gods and interact with them directly. As such, dream interpretation is of great importance to the Quurožiri.

Although some doctrine has tried to state how long ago Quuros first dreamt up the world, there is no overall consensus, and as such most modern Quurožiri agree with the current scientific theories on the age of the universe, planets, etc (if not the cause thereof). The length left to Kēnkenÿn is also not firmly established.

It is said that Kēnkenÿn will end with the deaths of Quuros and the Four. Since the universe is the dream of the gods, their death necessitates the death of this universe. However, in their demise, Quuros will create the next age, Abenÿn, for the biārevah and rosönet; the temiārenet will perish alongside Il-Temē.

Abenÿn is expected to be similar to our world in many superficial ways but to work very differently at a fundamental level. It will no longer be a dream of higher beings, and the great gods will also no longer be present to help guide and protect mortal kind. However, as the temiārenet - souls of the foul and evil - will not transition to the Abenÿn it is expected to be a kinder and safer place.

It is not agreed how long Abenÿn will last and whether there is another age after it.