Asmosianism

Asmosianism
God(s)	Asmos
Venerated	Gate of Oblivion
Origin	Leir
Adherents	New Leir Empire, Govadia
Demonym	Asmosian

Asmosianism refers to worship of the creator god Asmos. Worship of Asmos is largely rejected throughout the rest of Erudite for his role in the destruction of the Old Pantheon, but the people of Leir took a following to him.

Origins

Asmosianism started as far back as the Antiquity Era. The Jad peoples endured the harsh conditions of the deserts of Leir after going into exile. They had escaped the enslavement of beings known as the Bargods - powerful mages who acquired god-like abilities that were worshipped by the city of Gammel. The Jad people held on to the hope that faith in Asmos would guide and protect them from the pretenders who sought to conquer them.

Beliefs

Atypical of most religions, the beliefs of Asmosians are not shared by Asmos himself. As a matter of fact, Asmos remains completely indifferent on his followers, allowing them to interpret him how they see fit. As such, how Asmos is actually depicted in worship is very different than the real Asmos.

General

Any form of necromancy or magic that involves resurrecting souls back from the dead is considered sacrilegious. It is believed that this denies a mortal the right to peacefully moving on.

Suicide is also considered a cardinal sin - it is believed that upon taking one's own life, they are forced to relive the same few seconds before their death for all eternity, being forever trapped in a state of utter misery and emotional torture.

Gate of Oblivion

One of the main reasons why Asmos is despised elsewhere in the world is the rejection of an afterlife. Asmosians believe that when someone dies, they are taken to the realm of Asmos where they have two choices - to enter the Gate of Oblivion and have their soul removed from existence, or to return to the world as an eternal, restless spirit. The concept of an afterlife of eternal happiness is rejected as a facade by the other gods - the same ones that rejected Asmos.

It is believed that one is more likely to choose the Gate of Oblivion as their fate when they come to terms with their death. It has become a key part of one's life to accept the grim world for its imperfections, lest they never find inner peace and rest.

In reality, the Gate of Oblivion is more of a philosophical concept. Perhaps a literal interpretation of the Gate of Oblivion's location might be somewhere beyond the edge of creation into the undeveloped chaos. The Gate of Oblivion serves as little more than a guide to helping someone find spiritual peace in a world where necromancy and forcibly calling souls back from the dead is possible.

Apocalypse Prophecy

It is prophesied that in the final calendar year of Asmos, the gods will send a Whirlwind to destroy the world. It is generally taught that one should come to terms with this fate to avoid their souls being stranded.

Worship

Asmos is not worshiped in the modern day. In fact, the nation of Arguros has outlawed any sort of worship to even go as far as forbidding the construction of churches. Instead, Asmos is merely seen as a teacher or guide, and that he, too, is susceptible to his own teachings. When creation ends, it is believed that even Asmos himself will eventually choose to enter the Gate of Oblivion to remove himself from existence.

The earliest versions of Asmosianism do in fact involve vehement worship of the god - and the practice is still very prominent in nations such as the New Leir Empire and Govadia. They refer to Asmos as the Lord of Nothing or Lord of the Void. They see Asmos as the supreme god who will eventually send all of the false gods through the Gate of Oblivion to erase them from existence entirely.

Naturally, these sects get into conflict over the nature of Asmos, but despite this, both share a similar favor over a finite existence over an eternal afterlife.

Elsewhere in the world, Asmos is generally viewed as evil and most pantheons do not even acknowledge that he exists. For example, Polvorans tend to believe that a god of nothingness may as well be forgotten, criticizing it as nihilistic. However, theologians have generally came to the consensus that Leir's worship of Asmos is due to their unique upbringing.