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The Dunmari Beliefs

This page serves as background on the theological and religious beliefs of the Dunmari.

Creation Story

What follows is the creation story of the Dunmari, told in brief.

First there was chaos, an ever changing, roiling sea of magical energy. Into this formless expanse, two gods came: Shurat, Mother Sky, and Sampa, Father Earth. Together, Shurat and Sampa shaped the world. From Shurat, the rains came, and the sun, and they brought life and growth to the barren earth. From Sampa came the soil, the land, the solidity of the ground, but also death and the darkness below. 

After they formed the world, Shurat and Sampa had seven children: first, their two mortal children, shaped from the wind and the earth: Mavata and Pitava, the first humans. Then, their five Divine children, Jeevali, Laka, Aagir, Sonkar, and Chidya. Pleased, Shurat and Sampa created a land for these humans to dwell, far across the sea. Here, they prospered, and learned to be human, sheltered and safe in the protection of the gods. 

This land was a land of many gods and many people, a land of peace and plenty. But it could not last. The Five Siblings told their people, the Dunmari, that they had a great purpose, a special place in the world outside. It was time to venture forth and choose to reach for their destiny. So the Dunmari left, departing the sheltered land of their youth, and journeying across the sea.  

After many generations, many years of living and dying in this new land, there came a period of upheaval and danger. During this time, a leader was born, named Bhishma, whom some said had the soul of Mavata, the first woman. She told the people that the Gods called them north, that a land would be given to them and their destiny fulfilled.

Key Tenets

The Dunmari believe several key tenets:

  • The gods created the Dunmari as their particular people, and thus the Dunmari religion and the Dunmari people are not separable; those who are in covenant with the Five Siblings are Dunmari, even if they turn their backs on their homes. There is no clear sense of a Dunmari religious identity that is apart from just a Dunmari identity, and vice versa. Part of this is seeing the particular Dunmari pantheon as the special protectors of the Dunmari as a people; while of course other gods exist, and may even listen to individual Dunmari, those other gods do not have the interests of the Dunmari as a community in their hearts.
  • The Five Siblings and the Dunmari people are in community with each other, and much of Dunmari religious practice emphasizes this community. The gods are the protectors, guardians, and guides of the people, and the people are the instruments of the gods. 
  • Anyone in covenant with the Five Siblings can be Dunmari, so immigration/conversion is not frowned upon, but it also isn’t encouraged. The communal side of Dunmari worship is a reflection of being part of the community, so even outsiders who live among the Dunmari and aren’t Dunmari themselves often participate in the communal rituals while worshipping their own gods in private (e.g., many dwarves in Askandi and Tokra follow this path, as do many Chardonians and others in Darba). But there is no sense that conversion glorifies the gods or increases their power or anything.
  • The Five Siblings have a purpose for the Dunmari, and the Dunmari exist as a people to fulfill this purpose. The exact nature of this higher purpose isn’t always clear, and communication from the gods is rarely straightforward or direct. Mystery cults seeking esoteric knowledge to explore the god’s desires and intentions are a major part of Dunmari religion. But this knowledge is seen as secret, protected, because if the gods wanted all the people to know exactly their purpose they would just share it directly.
  • In current day Dunmar, there is much debate about whether this purpose was served already in defeating Cha’mutte, or whether there is yet another task left to them, or whether their purpose is more complex than one great war.

The Afterlife

The souls of those who die journey to a great expanse, an endless, featureless plain in all directions, where they are offered a choice: accept the judgement of the gods, or fade away. Judgement, here, is imprecise: this isn’t a conscious weighing of your life’s deeds before the gods, at least not as the Dunmari tell it. Rather, judgement might be interpreted as accepting the proximity of the gods, and all that entails, including the fact that the more betrayal, evil, and rejection of the community of the gods clings to your soul, the more painful and difficult contact with the gods will be.

Those who accept judgement go to Arkaash, the realm of the Five Siblings. Those who do not, fade into the fabric of the Land of the Dead, with all other lost souls.