Arcanic

The Arcanic religion is a religion that is followed by Treton and Uzhi that originate from the Arcane Seas - or at the very least those who are close enough to the Silnarian arcane gates and have migrated into Ramul Ta through it. It is considered a henotheistic or polytheistic religion, with focus on one supreme god or goddess per realm.

Beliefs

Cosmology

The Arcane Sea is the interior of a gigantic, cosmological whale (Baru), who swim aimlessly throughout the space (Trarn), and through the mouth in come the emptiness of the void, and thus matter is created, and it flows endlessly from the west to the east, where eventually the endless seas end and it is purified and become one with the void again. When Trarn Baru exhales, there is a great storm and disturbance in the seas.

In the realm of space spirits drift aimlessly until they are taken up by one of the Great Creatures, and then they are reborn again inside the realm. And when they die, they exit out the rear of the creature, to be ingested by another great creature. And the world is full of such great creatures floating around in the void continuing the cycle of life.

The other known great creatures, corresponding to the realms known to the Arcanic, are:

• Trarn Klipp: A gigantic crab that alternates between following in the wake of Trarn Baru, and going in front of it. Inside its shell is the world of Ramul Ta, a land full of surface, protected from the disturbances of the Great Void by its hard shell. Whenever it dances, the earth shakes and earthquakes occur.
• Trarn Tyvl: A gigantic earth worm that tunnels and swims in the great void, and contains the realm of The Cavern. It wiggles and shakes and produces a lot of heat, and the interior of its body is wet.

Great Creatures

It is believed that when you are in the realm of a great creature, the great creature reigns supreme - and any other lesser deities is not worth praying to or asking the favor of. So, when in the realm of Trarn Baru, one should pray only to Trarn Baru, and so on therefore - even if one were previously a devotee of Trarn Baru, if one head to the realm of Trarn Klipp, then one should not pray for the wrong creature, less they are angered and curses you with misfortune or natural disaster.

Sacred Dance

Dancing is an integral part of making any sacrifices to the great creatures. The dance rituals for Trarn Baru and Trarn Klipp are well-developed, while Trarn Tyvl is a god for which nearly no dance ritual occurs, as very few Arcanic followers have seen the Cavern. The four ritual dances are repeated across the realm, but their forms vary according to the appropriate realm. There are four dances (Smäll) - Vold (Celebration), Nasta (Love), Vof (Sacrifice), Traan (Death).

Dances considered appropriate for the Realm of Trarn Baru imitates that of aquatic animal, and includes:

• Vold - A jubilant dance performed at the beginning and the end of a great festivities, which is done by swimming up and down a water column and spraying water from one’s mouth into the air at the surface of the water, imitating a whale.
• Nasta - A dance used for courtship, which is made to imitate that of a dolphin, where the swimmer accelerate as fast as they can and jump into the water, trying to make a big splash, and then
• Vof - A dance performed at the beginning of ritual sacrifice to the great creature. A small mound surrounded by water is chosen as the spot for sacrifice, and the sacrifice is placed on top of it, usually food which is eaten afterward by the participant. The dancers circle around the mound three times, surfacing to shout the name of Baru Trarn, before the sacrifice is concluded. There is emphasis on the harmony of movement and swimming motion during the circling.
• Traan - The dance performed after the burial as sea of someone who is dead - which is done by dropping a casket (If no body, an inscription with their name) in an eastward facing current - It is expected that the body would of course, not actually be carried to the east, but rather it is their spirit that is. After burial, the one who bears the casket holds their hands and circles around the spot the casket was dropped, swimming and singing for Baru Trarn to carry their soul to the east.

Dances considered appropriate for the Realm of Trarn Klipp imitates the movement of a crab - though it is unknown if all crabs actually do dance like this, they includes:

• Vold - The vold dance of Trarn Klipp has the dancers turn into a form with legs (If Treton), and involve dancing with their hands held together, landing alternatively and harmoniously on their left and right foot, while circling around.
• Nasta - The dance is performed on land, and involves alternative left, right dancing and tapping with quick, swift and fluid movements, often involving holding a prospective partner, somewhat emulative of ballet.
• Vof - A mound or altar with the sacrifice in the middle is made and dances tap their left and right foot loudly, chanting in verses that calls to the crab to bless them.
• Traan - Burial at sea tends to be done with the Baru Traan rite, with the exception that that casket is usually lowered into the sea from a ship and the dance is performed on the ship itself. Burial at land is usually done by cremation, which has nearly no dancing, only a widely spaced group who sing as the body is burnt, before the Baru Traan rite is performed but with ash, usually cast in an eastward facing current - or river if possible.

Organization

There are no notable organizations with the Arcanic faith.

Other Beliefs

• Birth: None prescribed.
• Death: There’s a great focus on making sure the wind or the current is facing east when one is performing burial at sea.
• Marriage, Polygamy and Polyandry: Marriage practices are culturally dependent and Arcanic faith does not prescribe proper marriage.
• Premarital and Extramarital Intimacy: There are no religious prescriptions against or for intimacies outside of marriages.

Branches

There are no known significant branches of the Arcanic faith.