Religions and World Views - adanter/PetroviaWorldbuilding GitHub Wiki
Petrovia's world has no universally-agreed-on god or set of gods. Much like in the real world, it has so far been impossible to prove or disprove the existence of any sort of metaphysical higher power or influence, leaving the door open for people to believe what they want.
Additionally, many Petrovians hold beliefs on how the world works or how to act within it that don't necessarily fall under the umbrella of "religion", and some of these schools of thought are listed on this page as well.
Given the murky and often-inclusive nature of these various beliefs, a Petrovian might subscribe to any, none, or multiple of the beliefs and schools of thought on this page.
Founding principle of the College. Founded as a reaction to people blindly trying to understand or control Fallen Empire technology in the years of anarchy preceding the Unification, Petrovian Doctrine states that a society should fully understand the technology and magic it employs.
The College has used Petrovian Doctrine both to empower Petrovia with reliable technology and a new system of arcane magic, and to strictly control the use of what it deems "dark science" within its areas of influence.
Near polar opposite of Petrovian Doctrine. "Sylvanism" or "sylvan religion" is a broad term for the folklore, superstitions, and beliefs of Petrovia's rural areas, especially those where the forests are dark and the trees press close.
Some elements of sylvanism are stories not unlike "Little Red Riding Hood" or "The Boy who Cried Wolf" that warn children of the dangers of the wilds and how to survive the creatures that stalk the night. Others are superstitious traditions, such as "hang a freshly-killed rabbit off the path before starting a journey to keep the wolf from stalking you" and "bury suicides at a crossroads with a stake through their heart lest they rise as vampires." A few even reach the point of true religion, such as harvest festivals honoring local "deities". In some places, there are even tales of cults that directly worship Lords of the Night as patron divinities.
Night creatures are in the unique position where they have a strong reason to believe they were created by an intelligent actor, and that this process took place very recently. Insofar as night creatures have a society, many members of that society may allude to their belief in a mysterious Progenitor who first mastered the biological arcana of the night and created the first Night Lords as successors. Attitudes toward and interpretations of this mythos vary widely from creature to creature.
More-traditional D&D-style religion brought to Petrovia's continent by missionaries and agents from a now-fallen empire. The religion centers on a "good" deity with many aspects relating to the rise and fall of the sun as well as other celestial objects and phenomena. Each aspect of their god promotes a different aspect of the workings of humankind and civilization. Of the missionaries that landed in now-Petrovian lands, many were also warriors and spies bent on rooting out spiritual corruption and evil, specifically focusing their efforts on condemning the denizens of the subterranean empire that used the surface of the continent as a tributary or buffer state.
Though both the original empire and its colonies near Petrovia were struck down in the war between the old empires, a few descendants and converts of these missionaries remain, the bulk of their wariness now focused on the creatures of the night.
Fading spiritual tradition that arose to guide the common people in lawless times. In the absence of authorities to enforce laws or adjudicate disputes, people mixed common law with their religious beliefs to create a system that allowed them to resolve matters of order and justice themselves. Eventually, this gave rise to a class of traveling monks who could act as trusted arbiters and even champions in judicial duels - a means of conflict resolution that is technically still legal in some parts of Petrovia.
This tradition never extended beyond certain parts of Petrovia, and, as society stabilizes after the Unification, it is gradually losing ground to newer systems of justice and authority.
Niche religion tied to one ethnic group primarily located on the farthest fringes of Petrovia. Some members of this group believe that their people have a chance to remain in the world as ghosts after death, and that certain living members of their culture have the ability to act as mediums. This is a limited belief even in its home region, however; most people observe a religion that resembles a mature and comprehensive form of sylvanism.