In Enayra, the predominant religion is Dragomancy. It is practised everywhere, evolving out of the Old World Aspectism that the earliest human settlers brought with them.

There are a few modern variations, and attempts at reconstructing the Old Religion before dragons became involved, practised in parts of Enayra, but a majority of Enayrans practice Dragomancy as their main religion.

However, before Emperor Volesus converted to Dragomancy, and Dragomancy slowly gained traction as the dominant religion in Enayra, there were many other religions that dominated the continent.

The religions are best divided explained through the use of the four waves of human migration to Enayra–as their origins lie beyond the seas, coming with the first people to settle the regions of Enayra, and eventually (in most cases, anyway) giving way to the Dragomancy dominant world of today.

And so, it is important to state that humans first arrived in Enayra in four separate waves:

The First Wave of Humans

The first wave of humans came from the north-western seas. These were the humans that first arrived in what’s now known as 1 Conflict, or sometimes 3000 Dragons–dates vary based on differing records. These humans brought Old World Aspectism to Enayra, and laid the groundwork for Dragomancy.

Some of these first humans settled in what is now Asardaea, and became the ancestors of the modern Asardaeans. Two ethno-lignuistic groups settled there, known as the West and East Asardaeans. These Western and Eastern Asardaeans believed in the Old World Aspectism. Their religion was similar to today’s Dragomancy in concept, though recent scholarly investigation has shown that there were originally fewer Aspects than there are now–originally only the main five Great Aspects were worshipped. There was belief in an after-life, and it was said those who were good in life would be taken up to the Realm of the Aspects, an unearthly, ethereal realm of perfection and paradise that was your reward for being good.

Early Old World Aspectism was highly structured with a strict hierarchy of power within the clergy. These clergy men and women held great sway over the politics and people of the region.

Nowadays, the hierarchy is much less strict, but it is present in Asardaea. Their reach is less controlling, and they no longer seek to steep themselves in the politics or strictly dictate the day-to-day lives of the people. Instead their role is more as a moral and spiritual guide for any who ask.

Another group of these first humans, unhappy with Asardaea as a choice of home, and seeking a deeper connection with the dragons they saw as divine, settled in modern day Altimara, around the shores of Lake Gishan’belor. These people groups formed smaller tribes and family groups. Some would eventually break off to found Kasaadua and became the ancestors to the Altimarans. Others left to settle in the Antigorus valley, founding the city of Xiar. Those that remained at Gishan’belor formed a single, unified clan and became the Qiri’ar.

It was in Altimara, under these early peoples that the modern form of Dragomancy began. The Altimarans, Xiarans, and Qiri’arans became the earliest adopters of the new religion, and chose to live in harmony with their deified dragons. They did away with the original after-life concept of the Old World religion, and instead came to believe that when all life dies, it returned to the Earth Mother, to the source of life in Enayra, and would return to support her in renewing and restoring the continent and nature. The ancestors and those that came before us should be venerated for their noble duty in assisting the renewal of nature and the continent.

Nowadays, Altimara, the kingdom and the people, have abandoned Dragomancy for Aspectism, or the Old Religion, as they called it. Since the end of the war against Tenebrae that devastated much of the kingdom, Dragomancy, and dragons, have been banned. While they call their religion the “Old Religion” and claims to be a return to the original religion of the first humans before dragons were involved, the religion itself is actually vastly different from the original Old World Aspectism. It’s really just a reskin of Dragomancy that remove any mentions of dragons, and replaces the Earth Mother with “the earth”, a generic term for the same concept. Altimara executes most scholars that point this out for “treason and sedition.”

The Qiri’ar, whose original clans and tribes did much of the leg work for early Dragomancy, have also abandoned Dragomancy for a religion that revolves entirely around Tenebrae, or as he’s known by his original name, Ten’ebraex and his late mate, Kyna’braxa. During the time of the previous war with Tenebrae, Eshgalon the Mad (or the Great if you’re Qiri’ar), was tired of being pushed around and abused by the kings of Altimara and new settlers in the region, and abandoned all other gods for Tenebrae. He promised power beyond their wildest dreams, magic the likes of which no other humans had seen or could wield, and their ancestral lands left alone and unbothered by Altimara. In exchange, they would worship only him, and abandon all other dragons and aspects. The Qiri’ar have never faltered from this deal since–regardless of whether the masses agreed with Eshgalon or not.

The Xiarans are the only people group in the region of Altimara today that still practice mainstream Dragomancy. They claim Aurum as their patron god, for it was he that lead King Agarthus to the valley where they settled and built their civilization.

The Second Wave of Humans

The second wave of human settlement in Enayra, occuring in 2-3 Conflict saw the arrival of two different, unrelated people groups to two different areas of Enayra, from different origins. Despite being two different people groups, because of their concurrent arrival, their arrivals are grouped together as a single wave.

In what is now Estion, though what was then called Gerovia, the first Gerovians arrived from the southern sea. While they initially thought about settling in what is now Danaen, they decided to move up the coast north to the more temperate–and less dangerous–Gerovia.

Here the people settled and founded multiple cities that eventually came under the control of the city-state of Gerovia. These people came without a religion and were some of the last peoples of Enayra to convert to Dragomancy.

The second group of peoples came from the eastern seas, and settled on a reef and sandbar off the coast of Altimara. This sea-faring group of peoples are known today as they were known then: the Lau’than.

The people of Lau’than are famed sailors and boat-builders, and are just as famous for their sailing songs as they are for their music-based religion. It’s said you can hear a ship of Lau’thanese arriving before you see their boat on the horizon.

The Lau’thanese believe in only two gods–the Father Sky and the Mother Ocean. According to the Lau’thanese religion, all life comes from the water. But Mother Ocean, who is present in all bodies of water, came to love her mortal children more than her husband, and so the sky grew jealous. This is why it storms; it is the Sky Fathers attempt to destroy the children that took his wife from him. The seas grow violent in a storm because Mother Ocean fights back against her violent husband. It is why the Lau’than offer songs of prayer and adoration when sailing, both in calm and in storm, to offer support and thanks to Mother Ocean for life and for their safety.

Because their livelihood, and their source of food, comes from the sea, they are eternally grateful for the Mother’s bounty, and will sing in praise and worship of their Mother Ocean, often in unison, or in a call-and-response style prayer song, and accompanied always with at least one drum and a stead rhythm.

The Third Wave of Humans

The third wave of humans came in 5-6 Conflict, from the south-western seas and landing, and settling in the lands of Danaen. These were the first Danaesh.

They brought with their their odd religion. It’s name is lost to history, but it’s description has been heavily studied by scholars across Enayra.

Unlike most religions, that give thanks to gods for all things–life, death, creation, destruction, salvation, and more–the Danaesh did not believe in gods above. They believe that all Danaesh, and by extension, all life–both man and beast–were but gods trapped in mortal flesh. They were luminous beings that would one day pass on, leave behind their fleshy prison, and ascend to godhood in The World On the Other Side. This world exists on the other side of every reflection, and any surface that reflects can act as a portal between the worlds.

The Danaesh thus placed heavy importance on ancestor worship, for all of their ancestors had passed on to become deities that would protect their descendants. They became familial deities, and the patron gods of certain family lines and noble or royal houses. Some were worshipped by many families, some only known to a few remaining descendants. Some forgotten entirely when a family line died out–or because their names were forgotten.

While Danaesh now practice Dragomancy, they kept many of their older customs regarding death and ancestor worship–and the belief of a world beyond reflective surfaces. The Danaesh have hybridized Dragomancy with their original religion to create something new and wonderful.

The deaths of family members are still celebrated and lavish affairs. Tears are not shed, and sadness is forbidden, family and friends gather and remember their dead with joy and happiness, remembering the person as they were in life, sharing stories and experiences with the deceased. They celebrate their lives and passing, and while their dead no longer die to become gods, they pass on to join the Earth Mother and assist her in renewing the planet, which is a venerable and noble pursuit in death.

Death celebrations can last days or weeks, depending on the wealth, fame, and station of the deceased and their families.

Mirrors and other reflective surfaces near settlements are blessed and purified annually at the start of the new year, to avoid wicked spirits and evil beings from dragging people into The World Beyond. Reflective surfaces that are not blessed are not to be looked into, for they could still act as a bridge between the worlds.

The Fourth Wave of Humans

The fourth and final wave of human migration to Enayra occurred in 90 Conflict, when the people now known as Espians arrived off the cost of the region of Espias.

No one is sure how the conflict started, or who was at fault, but the result of their arrival was a war between the Enayran Empire and the new Espian people.

Unfortunately, Emperor Gaius was not the military genius his brother and predecessor had been and quickly began to lose the war. By the time of his assassination in 94 Conflict and the collapse of the Enayran Empire, Espias had all but won the war and taken undisputed control of Espias.

They have controlled the region as the Empire of Espias ever since. Their rival with Asardaea continues to this day. Sometimes antagonistically, and sometimes as a friendly–if highly, almost dangerously, competitive–political alliance.

When they arrived in Enayra, they brought with them a religion that revolved around heavenly beings, that, while still heavenly and powerful, were more great spirit than all-powerful, immortal gods. These heavenly beings take on the form of divine animals when on this human plane of existence, and use animals to watch over their believers.

This religion is known as seishinism in Common, though its Espian name is seishinto, roughly translating to “the way of the spirit.”

While Espias eventually took on Dragomancy as their religion, for the longest they upheld Dragomancy and their original religion, as neither religion explicitly require mutually exclusive adherence to the religion, and that religion alone.

Many of the heavenly beings brought from across the seas have been forgotten or lost to time, and have eventually, been lost to time and memory. Only the five main heavenly beings of the original Espian religion remain: Suzaku the Vermilion Phoenix, Seiryu the Azure Sea Dragon, Byakko the White Tiger, Genbu the Black Tortoise, and Tenryu the Great Golden Dragon–nowadays Tenryu is often seen as another aspect or familiar of Aurum, the Great Golden Wyrm, who had long made his home near the Espian capital.

These five deities are worshipped in both their animal and humanoid forms, and are represented in a lot of Espian art and architecture.

If asked why they adhere to two religions, many Espians will explain that they use their ancient and mother religion to guide how they live their lives on the day to day, and remember their spiritual and distant origins and traditions, and that they adhere to Dragomancy as a way to become one with the new lands they call home, and guide themselves towards what they call “The Enayran Afterlife”, where they will eventually expire and become one with the Earth Mother–a vast difference from the afterlife of Old Seishinism, where the wicked would be punished, but the good would be allowed to walk between both worlds as an unseen, unheard spirit, quietly watching over the mortal realm, and living a comfortable, if boring and monotonous life in the underworld.