Little is known of the true origins of Freekish Vanmakt, a form of paganism that is one of the oldest surviving faiths in modern history. It is not only a religion, but also a way of life, and represents one of the key pillars in Freekish society. The earliest histories suggest that Vanmakti High Priests made their way from the nation of Pantera to the present day Freekish Empire nearly fifteen thousand years ago, though scholars believe that it is in fact a much older practice. At one point in modern times, during the democratic Kaye Administration, Vanmakt was all but outlawed, but was revived by Damien Dreadfire following his military lead coup. There are many prominent ancient and modern shrines throughout mainland Automagfreek, though the two most revered are Dawn's Cathedral, and the Grove of the Northwind.
The Central Tenants of Vanmakt; Wind, Water, and War
These are perhaps the three most important elements in Vanmakt; Wind, Water, and War. It is interesting to note that each element represented in the faith has a role to play in the execution of warfare, and a God is assigned to each element. These three particular elements are key because both ancient and modern day Freeks are extremely warlike in nature, and Wotan, God of War, is highly revered and conflict is fought on his behalf regularly. But since Automagfreek is an island nation, war could not be waged afar without taking to the seas. The Freeks were and still are seafaring people, and thus the God of Water, Esos, was prayed to for safe voyage across the oceans. But in order to sail, the God of Wind, Koloss, was prayed to for fair winds.
The Hierarchy
The other two key figures in Vanmakt are perhaps the most powerful Gods; Eurynome, the Corpse God, and Beherit, God of the Universe. Eurynome is by far the most feared deity of them all, for he commands the dead and sends the fallen into the underworld, his personal domain. It is said that while Wotan gains his strength through the spilling of blood, Eurynome's power comes from the decay of flesh, and soul traffic between the Realm of the Living, and the Realm of the Dead. The enemies of the Corpse God are sent into the fiery abyss where they are tortured and tormented for all eternity, while those who earn his favor are sent to Kathaaria, also known as Valhalla by other pagan religions.
Beherit is the overseer of all other lesser deities and is master of the heavens, thunder, and lightening. He is considered to be the supreme deity in Vanmakt, and he receives his power not only from direct prayer, but through the strength of the other Gods. When adequate praise is not given either to Himself or the other Gods, He has been known to cause catastrophes as punishment, and thus the Freeks are reluctant to ignore Beherit and His will. He also commands regular sacrifices of both animals and humans alike, sometimes in the tens of thousands, and indeed millions.
Though each deity acts as the master of their element, they are all centrally bound to Beherit, and can be made to act as He wishes, though He is content to let the rest of the Gods conduct their affairs with a fair degree of autonomy. The prominent deities in Vanmakt are, but not limited to:
- Esos - God of Water
- Koloss - God of Wind
- Arafel - God of the Sun
- Gigan - God of the Earth
- Wotan - God of War
- Eurynome - Corpse God/God of the Underworld
- Beherit - God of the Universe, Thunder, Lightning
The Purpose
The religion is based solely around the concept of war, and thus the entire Freekish society is woven around near ceaseless conflict and ritualistic bloodletting. From birth Freekish children are taught that their sole purpose in life is to quench the thirst of the Gods through the fires of war, and the more blood that is spilled and the more land that is conquered, the more likely they are to be sent to Kathaaria when they die. There they will enjoy endless feasting, drinking, whoring, and fighting, until the end of time itself.
Vanmakt has helped to craft Automagfreek into a near perfect warrior society, and is one of the few pure examples of such left in the modern world. The practices are seen by the outside world as barbaric, even earning the Freekish Empire a condemantion by the illegitimate "World Assembly". Though to the Vanmakti followers, they are simply carrying on the legacy of their forefathers and giving praise to the deities that have graced the Freekish Empire with unmatched power, success, and prosperity.
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