So I'm going to get started here, and I'll do a compendium later on. I'll also describe the conlang later, but the names and usages here follow this.
I'm in square N5r right now, and this is the indigenous belief of the Dragons who live in Nolo.
NB - I use the word Earth here since I don't know what to call the planet. At first I thought it was called Mac, and then I read Zompist's post at more than a blink.
Sunha: The Religion of Nolo
For the Dragons of Nolo, they have long held a religion which they name Sunha. This name, in the Nolo language, means Dragon's Thought or Dragon's Belief. It encompasses many matters from creation, cataclysm, how knowledge ought to be sought, how to pursue glory, and various other things more mundane. Though there is a pantheon, the main focus comes down to the 5 main Dracomorphic Divinities who were major in the Creation of the planet, and this cosmology is a rather large focus of belief. It is much less interested in creation before this period.
The 5 Divinities:
Gorlum, The Ancient:
Gorlum is the oldest of the Divinities. A pale blue dragon with a long whispy beard, Gorlum is a deep thinker, slow to act, and over time has come to be completely blind. For the Nolo, this Divinity represents Hope, and when they are despairing, it is not uncommon to seek Gorlum's assistance, however, this practice has been weakening over the past generations. Despite being the progenitor of the other 4 Divinities, Gorlum is not viewed as highly influential or exerting any semblance of rule, since, after the Creation, disappointment set in as a result of the Cataclysm of the Creation, this Divinity fled to the Distant Abyss to regroup and recollect, hoping to find a solution to the fracture forced into it.
Silar, The Just:
Silar is one child of the triplets born of Gorlum, being sister to Diwa and Minlu. She is regarded as brave and valiant, the symbol of Justice and Duty in Nolo. Recent fashion has had judges in Nolo make an oath to her. Silar was created by Gorlum to be the guardian and foundress of the sky, as such she is a bright golden yellow in depictions. Those who turn to her believe that she can illuminate the mind so that a clear and honest choice may be made. In Creation's Cataclysm, she fought and defeated her siblings Diwa and Minlu with the assistance of Hano. She holds a place of authority to the Dragons of Nolo, both because of her Justice, but also due to this strength, however, this battle is held apprehensively since it forced Gorlum into hermitage, and there exists a case at least on the behalf of Diwa.
Diwa, The Condemned:
Diwa is the brother of Silar and Minlu. Though not always fast on his feet, he is recognized for the sobriety and softness of his heart, being depicted as a Purple Dragon. During the Cataclysm, he acted as advocate for Minlu to their sister, and this advocacy is the reason for his condemnation. Though he did fight valiantly against Silar, when he saw Minlu fall, his decision was that, for the sake of peace, he should resign himself to Silar. He waits for Gorlum, begging for freedom from the night.
Minlu, The Vanquished:
Minlu is the third of the triplets. Very little is said concerning him, since he is regarded as dead, killed by Silar and Hano. After their birth and orders from Gorlum to guard the earth, Minlu, being the most powerful, decided that he should take the creation for himself, forcing his impression upon it. When Silar trapped and was ready to kill, many believe, he repented, for which Diwa begged that he be pardoned. He was killed still. Due to his death, no one in Nolo actively seeks him, nor are many concerned with him outside of the Creation account.
Hano, The Hatchling:
Hano is sibling to the other three, but a later child of Gorlum. Far younger than the others, he entered the Creation Cataclysm in the heat of the fighting between Minlu and Silar, and his genesis marks the beginning of solid land, thus he is regarded as the Divinity of Earth. Silar, knowing she could not overcome Minlu, asked this little Dragon's help. Minlu considered him as nothing, which was the reason for his death, since Hano is clever and was able to trick Minlu into his deathtrap.
Creation And Cataclysm
In the age that began the Earth's Birth, Gorlum came to an empty place, and finding it fitting, created an expanse. Wild colors rushed back and forth with the spirits of unconstrained hope, waiting for guidance and formation, looking for instruction on how best to be formed into something wondrous. Heat rose in the midst of the wilderness, bubbling the rushings, began to give a small amount of order to the expanse. Gorlum, seeking help and muse, reclined and decided to bring more dragons into this place. After a while, and egg was laid, soft white like the clouds and silent like the night. 1000 years later, this Egg hatched, and three young dragons crawled forth from it. Gorlum named them Silar, Diwa, and Minlu, and, showing them the wild expanse, commended them to form it into a beautiful work suitable for many many lives. Silar, Golden like the spirit she possessed, was entrusted to the form of the upper regions, seeing that the winds and clouds would float on the canvas of the Sky. Diwa, purple like the sobriety of his emotion, was entrusted to guide the lower region in its surging and rushings. Minlu was entrusted and given power to hold the wilderness in line for the other two, maintaining harmony. Overjoyed, they darted forth to the wilderness, and Gorlum retreated to consider what should come.
Quickly, Silar formed clouds and instructed them on their paths, and they followed her firm order. She was often flying the skies. Meanwhile, in the waters below, Diwa struggled. The oceans felt overworked by the commands, and would often disobey, which Minlu would swiftly come and settle with a sharp blow. After being struck many times, Diwa came to try and alleviate their work, but Minlu never missed when his duty ought to be executed. Eventually, the seas began disrupting the skies, and, when the refused to listen to Diwa, Minlu would strike them down. Seeing this cycle, and that it could not persist, Diwa sought out Gorlum.
Diwa left the other two, leaving the seas to their own devices so that he might ask on their behalf, Gorlum's help.
Shortly after he left, the seas roared higher, both for they were uncontained and dearly missed their loving guardian, Diwa. They could not understand, for they were wild. Minlu again and again would strike them down from the clouds they would disrupt.
"Minlu, my clouds do not deserve thus" roared Silar "Calm them or I shall do act justly so that the clouds are not treated wrongly! They do not deserve this torment!"
Minlu again and again would oblige this plea, but after a long time, he grew impatient with her. "Why must I rest the sea for you! If I can lower it, why can you not raise the skies?" he finally bellowed, not understanding the limits of Silar's powers.
"Place them down!" She yelled, "or I shall do so to you!"
And thus began their war. The waters and Minlu would surge to attack up high, and Silar would repel and repel them. Slowly she exhausted, for she know that she could not resist Minlu forever; he would overcome.
Diwa, knowing the needs of the sea, petitioned Gorlum for a containment to the waters. "Please, Gorlum, something to hold them down, where they may flow with joy, and that they may not be struck for their surgings! Minlu does as he must, but it pains my heart!" Reclining, Gorlum decided that land would be needed to solve this. So, Diwa was sent back with a new egg to bring resolution.
Upon arrival, the egg hatched and the land formed, and the dragon that flew from the egg was Hano. Young and energetic, he sought to help Diwa contain the seas by guiding the hills. And very soon, the waters were sated for they had a friend in the land. Both Hano and Diwa were happy in this, and flew so as to look on the new beauty.
But in that flight, unbeknownst to them, Minlu and Silar continued to fight. In a bout, Minlu missed a blow, and ruptured the land, causing hot blood to spew forth, and Hano felt this pain in his heart as well. He had been struck like the land.
Diwa, seeking to resolve this petitioned the two. "Look, the sea is sated. We have no more need to quarrel over the sea disrupting the clouds."
"But he must be dealt with, for he and the sea struck me and the clouds!" She yelled. "I held them off, but they continued to assail us."
"Hogwash!" cried Minlu, "I was unduely burdened by you, and had to defend myself from you!" And thus he attacked again.
Seeing this, Hano noticed that indeed Minlu deserved a punishment, and that he ought to help Silar in doing this, both because he owed it to the land, and because he saw that Silar could not manage Minlu alone.
Now, Minlu did not regard Hano at all, since he was small, and Hano know he could not handle Minlu, for he was powerful. So Hano crafted a small trap on the land. Thin rock veiling quicksands, which would catch the feet of any who were large enough to step on it, leaving them open to a strike. And since he was small, he did this out of Minlu's sight.
Quickly, he informed Silar of the trap, for she was exhausting of the fight. They agreed that Minlu needed justice, and trapping him, they could execute it.
Hano then began to pester Minlu, convincing him that he was trying to pull a fight to avenge the land, and that Hano believed he could win. Taking one blow, Hano began to fall, and Minlu pursued him to the ground. Upon landing, Hano ran across his trap safely for he was small, and Minlu chased him. With a rush, Minlu fell and was trapped in the sands, unable to break free. Hano went and got Silar to bring justice.
Before they could return, Diwa came to Minlu, and was able to show him the beauty he had been trapped in and missed in his anger, and Minlu's heart was cooled.
"If I advocate for you, surely we can all live in harmony again." said Diwa.
When Silar arrived with Hano, Diwa addressed them, "our brother has cooled his anger and sees the beauty intended by Gorlum. Silar, I beg you, free our brother."
"No for what he has done he deserves punishment so that we can have assured peace."
"But we shall have that since peace is in his heart!"
"He does not deserve this, nor is your advocacy in line. There is that which is owed, and Minlu must pay this debt."
And swiftly, she and Hano killed Minlu, so that the earth might have its calmness and beauty as Gorlum ordered. And Diwa began to weep as the rain began to flood around them, for he did not want the death of his brother; he believed in a different path. After a while, his body left, but left a cavity in the ground, which is now the Great Scar in our city of Sirbem.
"And as for you" she cried, "go to the shadow and advocate for that now on. For when I needed mercy, you were absent. But when a villian was condemned, you begged. You did not act justly, so you shall, like the one you plead for, be condemned away from this beauty."
Exhausted, and hoping for a better future, Diwa obliged and left.
Now upon arriving and seeing this, Gorlum was upset, and said to Silar "what has happened? Where is my son? What is this mess?"
"We have vanquished Minlu, who rose and attacked us in anger. He has received as he deserved."
Now, there was no contention at this statement, for it was true. But Gorlum, noticing Diwa was gone asked "and what of my other son? Where is he?"
"He has been condemned too, for he advocated for the condemned, but would not advocate for me."
Gorlum heard this, and though upset, decided not to dispute it for Silar gave an honest account. "I am not pleased with this. Mercy would have been fitting here. I trust you both still with my creation, but for now I will depart until a better course of action appears. I have left other eggs here so that dragons may populate the lands, as may you, and other creatures too shall rise. If ever should I return, I hope not to find a similar demise among my children."
And so Gorlum left for the abyss with the only potential for future change.
And as the earth aged, Gorlum's eggs hatched, and soon after Silar and Hano's as well. Some, though lesser, were fathered by Diwa, who still resided in the shadow, condemned for his advocacy. Those young hatchlings grew, as did other creatures in the earth. And as those hatchlings grew, they learned from Silar and Hano of the cataclysm, and some learned of mercy and harmony from Diwa. Great Dragons would arise from those offspring, who would provide the seeds for the land of Nolo. Learning from this, the dragons of Nolo came to value patience and harmony, which are still, this day, two of the strongest pillars in Nolo culture and thought.
_________________ Formerly a vegetable
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