Belsedori Pantheon (Aurora)

Belsedori Ditheism
Belasedori Wa Sa-Yatsome
Scripture	Chronicles of Dawn
Mother of Radiance	Anastasia L’aradis
High Priestess of Asahika	Asa L’imara
High Priestess’ Consort	Suki L’imarie
Region	Belsegallia
Language	Belsedori
Headquarters	Terenata, Belsegallia
Founder	Asahika
Origin	Unrecorded; estimated circa ~800 Larinata, Belsegallia
Members	~2.0 million
Priestesses	~20,000

The Belsedori Pantheon, sometimes referred to in combination with its organized religious structure as Belsedori Ditheism, is the native religion of the Belsedori and the state religion of the Kingdom of Belsegallia.

History

Belsedori creation story

”Once upon a time, in the terrestrial realm, there was once an island in the sea. There was also a nation that lived upon this island. The people had long struggled to live upon their island, for it was poor in food and natural resources, but they became skilled in the magical arts and instead turned to it for their day-to-day survival. With time, the people grew ever more capable with the magic that they used so commonly; each new day and year brought new spells, new magical devices, and other new ways for them to not just survive on their island, but to prosper and enjoy the abundance that they had created for themselves.
But power made the nation avaricious; it began to want not just safety and wealth, but power as well. The many mages and engineers that it possessed in its academies and workshops turned from their peaceful fields of study to the pursuit of ever more powerful magical weaponry. For a time, they continued without consequence; the nation’s army was soon wielding the most powerful armaments in Aurora, and the nation’s navy had replaced its wooden vessels with ships of steel. The kingdom was almost ready to begin its journey of conquest, and stood awaiting the completion of the last thing which would render it unstoppable.
This was, of course, a spell; what else would it turn to for its supreme power? The ritual was complicated, however, and a single error in its casting would bring the price of the nation’s hunris upon it as a cataclysmic magical explosion. The academy and city where the spell was being cast were all but obliterated, and everything around it was cursed and corrupted into monstrous forms by the uncontained magical energy. Worst of all, the island itself was shattered; a large portion of it was pulverized and sunk into the depths of the sea, and what remained was levitated high in the sky.
None of the nation’s people survived the Great Sinking, as it is called, and few would survive on what was left. For what temperatures and altitudes are comfortable for us Belsedori are dangerous for others; and with their precious magic rendered unstable and dangerous by their judgement, the remaining people were left able to do naught but slowly perish as they depleted the edible food that they still had. Foraging parties gathering food to feed those few who still lived would die without end through exposure and other means.
But, for all the hopelessness and death that they had brought upon themselves, there remained a precious way to escape their fate. For as one of the last parties neared death, a winged figure clad in white robes approached them. ‘What troubles you?’ she said; ‘Do you not enjoy this lovely day outside?’ ‘We are freezing and starving;’ replied one of the survivors; ‘We must gather food to nourish our families, but there is nothing. Nothing that lives belongs here.’ she said. The figure continued to approach the party, until she was close enough to see them clearly through the thick snow and mist. ‘How sad it is that you would not be afforded comfort by my domain’. said the figure. ‘Your home has found itself in our beautiful sky, but you yourselves do not belong here.’ said another figure, who had approached behind ghe first. The closer figure, who we know as the goddess Asahika, saw that the people’s suffering on their island was not right. The further figure, Yoruhi, felt compassion for them; he and she chose together to welcome them into her home of the sky and to adopt them into their family. The people of the island were remade into Asahika and her consort’s images, and blessed with everything that they needed to enjoy their new home above the clouds. To this day, the island people continue to follow the teachings and example of Asahika and Yoruhi, and to give thanks for the kindness that they were shown.”

—Xana L’aderina, Queen of Belsegallia