Eristotle’s later philosophy spoke of the prime mover as the first cause of the universe. He called this prime mover, the Brejnum. The Brejnum was known long before Eristotle, but only as the unknowable, inscrutable creator of all things. Although worship of the Old Gods is common, worship of Brejnum is uncommon. It is mentioned in the invocation of the Senate each year and in the election of the consul. It is traditional for the consuls (and before them, the em porers) to call on Brejnum to be the first cause of justice for the people and the preservation of the republic.
Even before Eristotle, Hesberian religion was based on unseen spirits. These unseen spirits made all events great and small occur. One spirit made rain, another brought heat, still another brought floods, while another helped make wine. For this reason, religion was, and still remains, seen as a contract with the forces of nature. Most of these spirits were seen to have their own agenda and as such were not seen as moral. The last vestiges of this ancient belief comes in the worship of household gods called bimedarium. Each home has a bimedarius to guard the pantry. In all Hesberian homes, there is a small statue to honor their particular bimedarius.
Most preists reason that the Brejnum sends out spirits into the universe to accomplish a specific task. As the first cause, it created an individual lere, or spirit, to administer a specific function, in addition to guarding the pantry. As that lare continues that function and gains worshippers, a lare gains more power. At a certain point, a lare is considered a god, usually when a lare has a festival dedicated to them. Once a god, he or she can use their power to do anything such as taking a ken form or creating a residence in the Heavens with other gods. If a god has a temple dedicated to them, they are considered worthy to have a place near Sibaker, the King of the Gods.
The Major Gods are:
Sibaker – King of the Gods
Janis – Queen of the Gods
Ejballion – Goddess of the Sun
Kajsiter – God of the Moon
Guren – God of War
Vorima – Goddess of Destruction
Ejdonas – God of Love
Brenus – God of Death
Ligranus – Goddess of the Harvest
The Old Gods are still reverred inHesberian society, especially in nonmagical lands. However, with the advent of magic, some see less of a need to appease the gods. A few even aspire to overpower them.