Kozam

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Kozam
The Symbol of Kozam
Belief	polytheism
Deities	Sek and Olna
Region(s)	Axdel
Founder	The Four Oracles
Founded	6th century BCE
Origin	Axdelian Peninsula
Denominations	n/a
Kozite, Kozami

Kozam is a polytheistic religion based around the teachings of The Four Oracles. It originated from the Western Zycannes near the city of Zuel and spread down the Mona river along the path of the four oracles' travels, before being brought along with the expansion of the Kormistazic empire and maintains a present-day following of approximately 25 million people, primarily in Axdel.

The teachings of the Oracles place a great emphasis on liberating oneself from strong material desires and attachment, as they are the root of all suffering. They endorse a path of mental discipline and development through the observance of moral behaviour, meditation and introspection. Through cultivating self-restraint, compassion, kindness and by gaining insight and awareness through meditation, an enlightened state of oneness can be achieved, signifying liberation from the eternal cycle of reincarnation. The oracles were the first people to discover this state of enlightenment, and travelled down the Mona river valley, teaching the path towards it to over a hundred disciples.

Aside from the Oracles themselves, there are several orders of divinity and divine beings within kozam, whose importance and presence differs between the various schools. The two with the most importance are Sek and Olna, two powerful spirits who hatched from mortal eggs that shaped much of the world. There are also old gods, Kaeva, who shaped the world and began the eternal cycle of death and rebirth. Additionally there are many minor spirits that embody certain aspects of the natural world who may be honoured by offering prayers and building shrines.

The dead are often buried with shrubs, trees, or other plants planted on top of their bodies that are considered a shrine. Battles and wars often have entire memorial forests dedicated to the dead rather than planting new trees, which are relatively common across South west Aurora and South Arcturia.

Practice

Burial

(common practice is to be buried in a permeable coffin, or no coffin at all, and have a shrub or other plant be placed atop your grave. The shrub acts as a living gravestone and may be adorned with decorations or small shrines by the family of the deceased)