Setarne

Setarne (literally meaning "The Faith") is a monotheistic religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the prophet Den Vai. It is the state religion of the Kingdom of Nh'Koseni and is so far only practised by them. Adherents of the Setarne faith are knows as Setarins. The symbol of Setarne is a white, four-edged star.

In Setarne belief, the entirety of the universe was created by the benevolent, transcendent and omnipotent god Ko. Envire is considered to be the first planet which Ko gave life, and so the Iko were created in Ko's image. Ko then created life on planets near and far around the entire universe. This would imply that the Iko are Ko's chosen people, but the Iko firmly rejects this assertion, claiming that simply being the first does not make them more worth than any other species.

The religion states that every living being, excluding plants, has an immortal spirit that is by nature good, but can be corrupted through different kinds of trauma. Upon death of the body, the spirit enters Athersia ("Paradise"), where they will live for all eternity with all the pleasures they could find in life along with none of it's pains.

However, the spirit is by time stained by impurity as they move through life, and one must regularly cleanse the spirit through good deeds and the services of Ne'Thons, should they choose, as well as a number of other cleansing qualities and actions. Strength in battle, generosity, dance, love and sex are considered to be the five best things for making a pure spirit. If a spirit is too impure, it cannot enter Athersia, and instead must drift through the universe as a Styss. The spirit can however not be stained through actions, and life is seen as something to be lived out fully. The concept of sinning, which is present in both Christianity and Islam, is completely unknown to followers of Setarne.

Setarins believe strongly in the concept of free will, and also believe that nothing that does not hurt others should be restricted or forbidden, and all types of monasticism are rejected. However, the faith also has strong taboos, such as cannibalism, incest, and murder, many of which are punishable by death.

The religion has one holy text; The Avak, which is made up of stories of the life and teachings of Den Vai as well the rules of which must apply to all Setarins. One of these rules are that the religion must never be delivered on the edge of a blade, and Setarins are forbidden to force their religion on others through violence. Despite this, Setarins have fought countless holy wars and crusades through the millennia, mostly in the Iko medieval ages.