The Creators

 

Most religious groups hold to the idea that the universe and everything in it was created by either one, two or three creator gods. On the side of Tear where Vehira is always visible, she is almost universally held to be either the supreme and sole creator goddess, or at least a matriarch in a union with Azane.

On the opposite side of the world, where Vehira is never seen, it is Azane who is typically held to be the principle Creator, and Vehira is considered to be only a lesser consort, equivalent in status to one of the Siblings at best, and in some cases omitted from the pantheon entirely. There are even cults that deny the existence of Vehira at all (as a goddess or even as a physical body in the sky).

In almost every religion that recognizes Azimzilit, they are considered to be a much more abstract entity, representing the constant, cyclical concept of transformation and change. Azimzilit is typically considered to be 'more eternal' than either Azane or Vehira, having existed in some nebulous form before either of them. In sects that hold Azimzilit to be the principle or sole creator, they are still a very abstract entity, and Azane and Vehira are typically represented as twin aspects of Azimzilit made manifest in order to rule over the physical universe.

Vehira

Vehira is the name of the gas giant that the world of Tear orbits. On the side of the world in which the planet is always visible in the sky, Vehira is almost universally held to be the most important, if not the sole creator goddess. Her partner, or in some sects, her consort, is Azane, represented by the star Vehira and Tear orbit. Her omnipresence in the sky associates her with the watchful, protective mother figure. It is through her union with Azane that the universe, including the world of Tear and all of the Siblings were created. In almost every religion, she is perceived as benevolent and loving.

On the side of the world in which Vehira is never visible in the sky, most religions still hold her as a partner to, or at least a consort of Azane, with a status similar to that of the Siblings. However, some religions deny the existence of Vehira entirely - as a goddess or even as a physical, observable celestial body. Emerging from these religions are a few radical cults and sects - usually formed by priests who travelled to where Vehira is visible and were thus forced to reconcile their denial of Vehira with irrefutable proof of her existence. These cults typically espouse a doctrine known as the Apokripa Pretendata which declares Vehira to be an Infernal posing as a Celestial in a plot to enslave the gods themselves.

Vehira is an immortal, omnipotent and indestructible entity. Her only weakness is that she is unable to see reflections, such as in mirrors or still waters. Some hold this weakness to be a metaphor for her empathy for those who deny her existence even after having seen her with their own eyes.

Azane

Azane is the name of the star at the center of the planetary system that Vehira and her moons are a part of. Because neither Vehira nor Tear have a significant axial tilt, Azane is visible in the sky everywhere on Tear for twelve hours every day, year round except when he is eclipsed by Vehira for up to 80 minutes, depending on where one is on Tear. By the Fourth Epoch it is understood and accepted that Vehira, Tear and her moons orbit Azane, historically and religiously, Azane is represented as the one who moves.

Azane is perceived as perpetually toiling to keep the celestial spheres in time and in tune so that all of creation does not collapse back on itself and into nothing. He is a tinker-god, and on the side of Tear where Vehira is not visible most religions hold Azane to be the principal creator who constructed the universe in the form of an infinite machine. In these religions, Vehira's role is typically diminished, omitted or otherwise denied.

On the side of Tear where Vehira is visible, Azane is typically considered to be her consort, and the father of all creation. Here the universe is more typically perceived as having been birthed by Vehira, with living things being Vehira's children, and space, time, and the heavens being thereafter maintained by Azane.

Regardless of Azane's relative importance, he is almost always represented as distance and detached; a neglectful parent who is too focused on his work to nurture his children. Some religious groups hold this emotional detachment and dedication as a virtue, while others focus on it as a failing. In any case, this detachment means that in the Azanist religions the Siblings are usually held in higher regard and are envisioned as having greater powers than in the Vehiran religions.

Like Vehira, Azane is immortal, omnipotent and indestructible. Because all light comes from Azane, he is unable to see shadows

Azimzilit

Azimzilit is by far the strangest of the Celestials. They are typically conceived of as a formless entity, though abstractly are sometimes held to be embodied as the entire universe itself. Most religions hold Azimzilit to be an eternal, abstract precursor to either Azane, Vehira or both; a kind of 'light-before-light' or the 'idea of creation' before it was brought into being by Azane and/or Vehira. Some religions consider Azimzilit to be an Infernal, and some consider them to be both Celestial and Infernal, or neither.

By the middle of the Fourth Epoch, some cults began to worship an ancient form of Azimzilit - likely a new interpretation of the supposed ancient gnomic deity Ax'm Zilotl. These cults hold Ax’m Zilotl to be the true creator from whom Everything sprang forth as the Opposite of the Nothingness that existed before. For the most part, these beliefs were messy, contradictory and confused, though as the Fourth Epoch wore on, they became more coherent and more threatening to the orthodoxies of both the Vehiran and Azanist religions.