So I kind of suck. I was supposed to post twice already. But I had all of last week off and I completely lost track of what day it was. My return to work kind of snuck up on me and surprised me. So yeah, I am a big failure in that regard. I do apologize. I can say once I get started with the webcomic, updates will happen regularly and on schedule. If nothing else, I was pretty good at that during Metamorphosis.
Today I don’t have a visual post. I have a couple non-Djinnborn projects that I need to finish. One of them is for Joe Cook, writer/artist for the very excellent webcomic Shattered Myth. He’s publishing a book soon and I have a long overdue guest act I need to get done for it. This guest act is a joint project between myself and Rolando Garcia of Roshow.net. He wrote a story set in the Shattered Mythoscape and I’m illustrating it in comic form. This is something I’ve had on the back burner for far too long. Now I’m almost finished and I need to get it done.
I also got hired by my tabletop GM to create several visual aids for our new Pathfinder game that we’re starting this Sunday. I don’t know that I’ll have them all done by Sunday but I think I can at least have a sketch or three ready. I also want to sketch my own character. I’m playing a rakshasa-blooded sorcerer who is going to fit the charmingly dorky con man archetype. He’s devilishly handsome, as a rakshasa-blooded sorcerer should be, and he has several powers that let him get into people’s heads. This fellow’s a good guy, he’s just chaotic good and sometimes gets himself into trouble. Still, at level 12, he’s got access to a good hand of “get out of trouble” cards, from suggestion and charm to teleport.
That being said, I have some Takhari drawn up and I am going to post them in my next feature. I’m also (slowly) setting up the DjinnWiki and I hope to have that presentable very soon.
Today, I’m going to talk about religion in the Djinnborn world. Hit the jump to see it!
Religion in Djinnborn
Priests, clerics, and other religious figures do not receive magical power from the Djinn. Their duty is more like religious figures we know on Earth. They serve as spiritual advisors, counselors, officiators for ceremonies, and so forth. Some have political influence, others are more involved with the locals. Still others (especially in Ropoldi and Takhar) are cloistered or withdrawn from society.
Depending on who you ask, the Djinnborn either have all the same religion and emphasize different parts (like the ancient Greeks) or they all have different religions with similar origins (like the Judeo-Christian-Islamic world). As the creator of this world, I lean toward the Greek style in my head, but I can see where readers (or characters within the setting) would see it more as different religions with similar origins.
Djinnborn Common Beliefs
All of the Djinnborn races have certain beliefs in common that are tied to the mythology and history of the world. These beliefs are as follows:
- Once, long ago, there were no Djinnborn races. All of the Djinnborn were a single race.
- The people were governed by the Djinn, wise and powerful beings that guided society to flourish.
- The Djinn, hoping to become closer to their subjects, began taking mates and lovers among the mortals. Their children displayed traits of both their Djinni and mortal parents. These were the first Djinnborn.
- Over time, the parent race of mortals vanished. Different texts say different things about why. Some say they simply died out as Djinnborn became more common. More people preferred to have children with a Djinnborn or a Djinni than with another “normal” mortal. Other texts say the parent race lasted until the Exodus, and that when the Djinn vanished, the parent race went with them.
- All Djinnborn religious and historical texts revere the parent race, regardless of their take on what happened to them. The Djinnborn all believe they come from the same source. Despite the racial and cultural differences, each Djinnborn race considers all the others to be brothers and sisters on some level. They may not like their brothers and sisters (not all families get along, after all). They might war with their siblings, or try to outmaneuver them and gain the upper hand. But Djinnborn culture does possess a pervasive sense of kinship that is tied to their shared belief in the parent race.*
- About 1500 years ago, the Djinn vanished. Nobody knows why and most of the texts are hesitant to speculate. The gist is that they left to protect this world from some kind of external threat, but the details of this threat are vague. This began the Exodus.
- Over the next 500 years, the Lowlands began to become inhospitable. Temperatures rose dramatically and the air became difficult to breathe. Djinnborn began migrating to the higher tablelands, which were much more hospitable. Each Djinnborn carved out its own niche in the higher lands, and this is when they began to settle into more racially-focused nations. The Exodus ended a thousand years ago as the last of the Djinnborn settlements in the Lowlands closed.
- Some day, the Djinn will vanquish whatever foe they’re fighting, return to this world, and restore it to its former glory.
- Sorcerers are the greatest legacy left by the Djinn on this world. Sorcerers are the Djinn’s chosen children, people who carry a fraction of the Djinn’s powers. In some sense, it’s expected that sorcerers were gifts from the Djinn to help keep the world safe. The reality is that sorcerers, while revered, are widely distrusted for their powers and all Djinnborn nations have put restrictions on sorcerers.
Djinnborn religion has less moral structure than many modern Western religions. It is more akin to ancestor worship (where your ancestor is a godlike figure) than morality and culture handed down from on high. Also, all the Djinn do exist in Djinnborn religion. So an Aremite acknowledges the existence of the Musian parent-Djinn, and might even pray to one for help in martial or financial affairs. However, each Djinnborn race holds its own parent(s) above all others. “False gods” are rare and refer to worshiped creatures that are not Djinn, or things worshiped by the few known non-Djinnborn races.
Morality and culture do intersect with religion. You know how children often try to impress their parents, or subjects try to show their value and loyalty to their king? It’s kind of like that. Each Djinni embodies certain traits and the Djinnborn believe these traits were passed on to the children. The reason Musian men are so martially-focused is because their father Djinni is the Djinni of War. Djinnborn cultures have formed around the ideals they believe their specific parent Djinn would want them to uphold.
As a result, Djinnborn clergy serve as purveyors of culture. They believe the Djinn will return whether the Djinnborn behave or not, but it’s their hope to impress their parents when the Djinn finally come back.
The Djinn
Djinni of the Winds – Aremshah
Djinni of Water – Aremshah
Djinni of the Sky – Krekonia
Djinni of Knowledge – Ropoldi
Djinni of Fire – Ropoldi
Djinni of War – Musia
Djinni of Beauty – Musia
Djinni of the Earth – Takhar
Djinni of the Jungle – Takhar
Footnotes and Final Words
*: For a “real world” example of this idea, look to the ancient Greek world. Each Greek city-state possessed its own culture, ideas, and attitudes. Sometimes all-out war broke out between the city-states (notably Athens and Sparta). But at their heart, they all saw themselves as Greeks, and when an outside threat like the Persians attacked, they were willing to set aside differences and stand together as one Greek front. No such outside threat has attacked the Djinnborn yet, but my intent is to convey this level of comradeship. If a non-Djinnborn force did threaten the Djinnborn world, they would be willing to set aside differences to fight against the invader.
Fun fact: Since the accession of Caliph Osoron I (the main character of the Djinnborn comic), a small cult has sprung up in Aremshah. This cult believes Osoron I is the Djinni of the Winds returned to this world. After all, no sorcerer has ever ruled a Djinnborn nation before, and Osoron is one of the most capable sorcerers in the known world. If he isn’t the Djinni returned, how could he possibly be in the position he’s in?
Osoron doesn’t appreciate this cult and has tried to squelch it, but its members are elusive and persistent.