Madaism

The main religion in all the Telk lands, this religion draws origin from the first Zalphic, Mada of the Sehrin (Originally known as Madaiites, before zalphia was termed for the disease, and then Zalphic was termed for Madaiites). Differing tales argue about her control over Water, but all accounts agree that she was a Thunder Madaiite. Mada protected the people from the fearsome 6-year storm, Strommen. Strommen terrorized the natives of the Telk Lands, and Mada used her powers to redirect the thunder and preclude its inhabitants from being struck from the terrible power. The storm caused devastation to all other parts of the land, but Mada protected her people, and they prospered. In the zenith of the storm, accounts say that Strommen was “infuriated”, and culminated with gales of winds that came together to attack Mada. Strommen first passed the Burning Lands, and gales of wind and fire combined with the tumultuous sky filled with water and thunder, and all swirled with terrifying power. In the tale, Mada was afraid of Strommen, for she knew she couldn’t beat it. So, she wrapped all her people in water and swirled it in an epic dance. Afterwards, all the villagers became Madaiites, based on what she believed would be most beneficial. However, part of her endeavor was altered. She had planned to make many of them Wood Madaiites, so that they could grow crops and help prosper the land. She also needed Water Madaiites to help the crops grow and Earth Madaiites to work the land. But she also knew that some Fire Madaiites would be needed to balance the vegetation if it grew too well, and to serve as warriors if the need arose. Thus, the powers came to be so that its dispersal reflected similar patterns. In this, Mada succeeded. However, Mada also intended to leave a party to protect the villagers, but these Madaiites experienced various problems. Many of those intended to be “Protective” Madaiites are inadvertently made into Thunder Madaiites, as this is Mada’s original power, and the thunder from the storm struck the villagers surrounded in water—Mada could not both give them powers and redirect the lightning at the same time. Then, those that weren’t made into Thunder Madaiites developed deadly diseases: zalphia, in the grand minority, as well as some other diseases. As for Telekinetic Madaiites: no explanation has been given from any religious accounts. Mada used all the converted Madaiites to take Strommen to the Sehrin Sea. There, it disappeared under the water. The Madaiites took control of the land, as they were the least affected by Strommen. Eventually, they came to rule the Telk Lands. Mada was suffering from poisoning, due to the constant use of her powers. She warned the Madaiites of Strommen, and that it could return. She advised the Madaiites never to approach the Sehrin Sea, for only misfortune awaited. She also warned them that just as she protected them with her powers, there would be one who would rise and attack with his power. She warned specifically of someone with “the power of fire in his head”. From this, the Telks assumed that the Redimer people would somehow bring about this attack, so the Telks targeted the red-haired people, the Redimers, and enslaved them. She spoke of their benefactor, a god named Telkos, who gave her the power to defend them. She said Telkos would save them all from this terrible power, and he would revive those who died, to give them bountiful land. After her death, the Madaiites ruled, and every Zalphic is said to have descended from Mada and her tribe. The religion became ruler of the land, until a Fire Madaiite burned the Divine Genealogy, so that none could claim direct descent from Mada herself. This was due to an oppressive family of Madaiites who cruelly ruled the lands. None dared harm them, for they had direct lineage, but with the Divine Genealogy Fire, the temple turned to ash all its secrets, and announced them no more. Madaset, the terrible war that ensued, saw the power struggle between various forces throughout the land, until the Cyr family came to power. With the Madaiites out from power, the Cyr’s attempted what the Madaiites had prevented: crossing the Sehrin Sea. However, every single attempt led to failure. A terrible underwater current led the ships to destruction, and strange weather patterns destroyed unprepared ships. Disastrously, all ships were destroyed. The failed attempts made the Cyr’s bankrupt, and a new leader emerged: the Josihv family. The Josihv’s returned to the Telkos religion, until the Nahben took control and outlawed the religion. The Nahben’s did not have a strong hold on the lands, and individual sovereignties arose throughout the land. Over time, many sovereignties returned to the Telkos religion. They agreed not to cross the Sehrin Sea. However, two events changed that: The rise in power of King Grei—and consequently King Andros—and that of the historical Great Shaking. The Great Shaking disrupted the undercurrent Strommen, so when Whaldo Alexander went to sea, the phenomena that shipwrecked many sailors before had suddenly disappeared. Thus, the lands to the east of the Telk Lands could now be settled. That is when the beginning of the Alexander regime began in Andros. As both King Grei and King Andros were grossly against Telkos, the religion was outlawed in the Telk Lands. As a result, Andros was forged in the wake of an anti-religious movement, and the Telkos religion was effectively unknown in the new lands. From here stems the stigma against talking about death and what happens after, as well as the general stigma against religion. Thus, Andros is summarily atheist.