Aurn
The Aurn religion is a belief system based on the powers of nature and the order of the universe. It teaches about the harnessing of energy from the world through natural magics, and those in the Aurn religion believe that nature was created and structured the way it was by the gods specifically so that mortal hands could take it and use it to create something even more beautiful.
Aurn believe in sustainability and strive to show their respects to the environments they live within. They believe their creations from nature to be an art form, and that the beauty of this art is lost if it causes harm to the natural order of the world. Because of this they prefer to live surrounded by nature, with even their largest cities having trees and wildlife habitats built into the design. Often, they will shape growing trees into bridges, public seating, or even buildings to achieve this; making nature present in their everyday life.
Goddesses
Aurn believe that each part of nature is controlled by a goddess. These goddesses are responsible for the constant functioning of the world; each taking a different responsibility amongst the natural order. There are seven goddess in total, and each is represented by both a part of nature and a constellation with a corresponding star sign.
Each goddess has a horn protruding from their head and a coloured crystal orb that they use to amplify their powers. It is said that they sometimes trade their coloured crystals to each other; sharing their powers and combining them. Things such as the tides are thought to come from the combined powers of the moons and water.
Month // Star Sign
Lorane: Soro / Corl
Horial: Corl
Gfro: Sare
Corwon: Sare / Hoxer
Tain: Hoxer
Glif: Hoxer / Kalaga
Mrerf: Kalaga
Jasfe: Rica
Morah: Rica / Nuwl
Yune: Nuwl
Sonfe: Soro
Corl the Planet Turner
Corl takes the form of a turtle. She spins the planet slowly, creating day and night, by walking across its surface. Her footprints are believed to be the cause of hills and valleys, and quakes and cave-ins are caused by her missteps.
Her magic is the raw energy of the planet; stones and dirt and bone. Patience and determination are used to draw her powers and her followers are usually stubborn, headstrong people who get things done.
Sare the Life Protector
Sare is a serpentine goddess who’s venom is made from pure soul and who’s rattle sounds like the singing of a thousand voices. She protects all things that live; plants, animals, and people alike. Sare teaches her followers to share wealth and care for other living beings before material possession.
Her magic is drawn from life itself; plants, animals, and from within. Meditation and kindness are the virtues used to draw her magic.
Hoxer the Wave Rider
Hoxer is a long-tailed plesiosauria that moves the ocean to create waves and currents. She pulls on the water of rivers like a magnet, drawing their flow to the ocean. She creates the clouds with her breath and lets Kalaga steal them away to create rain.
Her magic comes from the water; rivers, oceans, and rains. Her virtues are patience, healing, and helpfulness.
Kalaga the Air Dancer
Kalaga is a lizard that is so light she can swim through air as if it were water. She dances, creating the breeze, though she can get overexcited and cause hurricanes. She steals clouds from Hoxer, not realising the Wave Rider is aware of her pranks, and takes them to far-away lands to create rain.
Her magic comes from the sky, wind, and air. Her magic is best used with an excited energy; dance and fun and play.
Rica the Sun Tamer
Rica takes the form of a common garden rat and uses her tail to move the sun. She constantly struggles with the impossible to control flame in an attempt to keep the world from burning or freezing; pushing the sun away from the planet when it is too warm, and pulling it back when it gets cold. This struggle creates the seasons.
Hard work is her virtue, with her magic being brought about by nothing else.
Nuwl the Star Glider
Nuwl is a humongous bat with wings patterned with the stars and galaxies. She wraps her wings around Demrefor to keep it safe from the surrounding universe, and only leaves an opening so Rica can shine the sun onto the planet. It is said that Nuwl must face the sun directly in order to shield the planet, and the harsh light has caused her to lose her vision.
Her magic is brought about by sacrifice and love.
Soro the Moon Mover
Soro is a goddess that appears in the form of a scorpion. She moves the moons around the planet, under the protection of Nuwl’s wings, to give light to those not directly in the rays of the sun. It is thought that the Sonfe eclipse is caused by her pausing her work to speak with Rica.
Her magic comes from peacefulness, with her virtue being quiet and careful thought.
Offerings
Though there is no punishment for not doing so, many Aurn make offerings to the goddess to show their thanks for the hard work that is done to maintain the world.
Offerings are made to a family’s shrine, which is carved from stone or wood and kept by the front entrance of their home. Offerings consist either of food, hand-made jewellery, or flowers. Often the poor or homeless are allowed to take what they need from these shrines, and in some Aurn communities taking from the shrines regardless of class is seen as its own form of worship as it prevents waste and encourages communal bonding and responsibility.
Because communal responsibility is so important to Aurn culture, overly-wealthy Aurn are uncommon. Most of their excess money will be given back to the community to help those who are poor and struggling; these donations are often made in the names of the Aurn goddesses, and are considered their own kind of offering.
Other
Aurn are thought to be some of the best people at predicting the weather, due to their connections with nature. They often have weather vanes and an understanding of cloud shapes, sizes, and colour, which gives them the knowledge of what weather to expect in the coming days.
Because the Aurn religion shares its name with the continent Aurn’la Ann, it is believed that the religion may have originated in Aurn’la.
Some Aurn choose to study the Okara religion, believing many of the Okaras ways will enhance the power of Aurn magics. They do not believe in the Okara deities, however, and many Aurn think Okaras are wasting their potential to change the world.