Mordprav (Ultima)

Mordprav, also called Death Worship, is a predominantly North Volaryn religious faith, and one of the largest religions in the world. Adherents of the faith are called Mordpravans, who number in the hundreds of millions. Mordprav encompasses a variety of spiritual practices, beliefs, and requirements formed around various ancient teachings and scriptures from many tribes. Mordprav is also the founding religion of most ancient Ratsor warrior bands/orders, many of which still exist.

The first mainstream form of Mordprav was recorded in the early 3rd century AF in the Kodex Mordprav, which outlined the founding beliefs for the religion today. As times and cultural tendencies shifted, Mordprav peacefully separated into several sects, the most famous of which are Brazot, Khoet, Teinic, and Dekamen.

Overview
Brazot (Traditional) Mordprav traces its roots back to the marsh people (Logyns) of the Northern Granish swamplands, where the notion of a meritocratic afterlife was popular and widespread. The fundamental law of the religion is that the actions one takes in their life will decide their soul's fate. When an adherent passes, the their deeds will grant them entrance into one of the realms of the dead.

The fate of a soul is said to be decided on by the Grand Council, said to be formed of the ghosts of Altus, Ilos, Lemat, and six other righteous souls whose names have been lost to time. These nine souls are said to judge the decedent's character. A righteous soul, rare as the come, is admitted without delay to the Anhel, the Anti-Hel, where if Hel is to be the eternal punishment for those lives of no redeemable quality, then the Anhel is the resting place of those deserving all the rewards possible in life and beyond.

Beliefs
Mordpravans are told to live life with the following ideals in mind: What constitutes "good" has often been a source of contention among religious scholars and Mordpravans. Some sects of the faith have defined specific actions that are forbidden, while others have continued to maintain the stance that what is good depends on the genuine intentions, thoughts, and outcomes of a person.

Origin Myth
The Origin Myth is an integral part of Khoet Mordprav, a variant of the faith named for its founder, Telam Khoet. According to the myth, the world is one of infinite variants created from the Exiviat, a cradle of creation ruled over by a single, incomprehensible force. Based on the myth, the Exiviat birthed every universe and alternate, as well as every concept of existence and beyond.

The Good Fates
Anhel: The Anhel is meant for the righteous and virtuous granted entry by the council.

Rentah: For those decided unworthy of the Anhel but deserving near equal pleasure because of their overall achievements.

Taiv: For those whose lives have left the worldly realm a better place, but not accomplishing as much as those above.

Medi: The middle is where many go for either a peaceful meditation and ever soothing rest against whatever backdrop or environment they choose. Some may even choose an eternal sleep, with dreams or not.

The Bad Fates
Oschil: The least-worst part of hell. It's basically a city where people have to live life like a normal, do-over. The only extra conditions are that: You're immortal, and you can become rich, thus living in comfort in this pseudo-society.

Unterrick: The layers of the underworld. Here, you're punished as needed, often servicing the Oschil, or depending on who you wronged in your life you may very well serve someone in the Anhel. Punishments range from being a minor servant who can work off their punishment, to experiencing horrible pain. However, it is not Hel. Every punishment comes to an end in some form, leading to either a promotion to the Oschil or being sent to the Medi.

Hel: Hel is, based on the unanimous consensus of all sects, the absolute worst afterlife one can land in. Iif for whatever reason the council places a soul there, there is no sympathy for relief to be given. Whether the soul belongs to the most ruthless, sadistic murderer or a man who spent his life stealing from the poor, Hel is a place of punishment. Pure, unadulterated, unending punishment.

Special Cases:
Every so often comes along a soul who is very conflicting to the council. They may have been a great inventor whose creations ended up resulting in the deaths of millions, or a good man who was tricked into ruining the lives of others. In this case they are often assigned to perform basic services for their "victims", or given a variety of assignments before being allowed into their deserved afterlife. Examples would include a beloved, philanthropic man who accidentally kills somebody who would have cured cancer, all the way to a reformed murderer who spent the rest of his life helping others.