by Kris Kramer
On Magic and Religion…
Magic and religion are closely intertwined in Leranon. The vast majority of people believe in a system of gods called the Basarah, four gods each responsible for an element of life – Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Each god controlled one of the elements and although each was powerful in his own right, it was when they combined their powers that spectacular things would happen.
There was no single god of right or wrong, though, or good and evil. Instead, good and evil were represented by the duality of each god. For example, a pleased Irah, the God of Fire, could create warmth, while a displeased Irah could burn down towns or forests. Angering Majah, the God of Water, and Ilarah, the God of Air, could create a hurricane or typhoon, wrecking the coastline. Kohju, the God of Earth, could either bring down the mountains with an avalanche, or make the gardens and forests grow. Of course, given the history of Iador before this time period, the system makes perfect sense.
Magic, though incredibly weak and raw at the time, was considered an extension of the power of the Basarah. Those who studied Fire Magic were called Irahdan, Earth Magic users were Kohjuhan, Air Magic were Ilarahan, and Water Magic disciples were Majahan. Strangely, the magical disciplines rarely overlapped…