Editing Magipunk:Religion (section)

= The Old Gods =

There are six True Gods (or Goddesses – all divine entities are considered to have both male and female aspects). That they're real is self-evident, and has been for decades – prayers only produce power when they're directed to one of the six True Gods, not to anything else. Before the advent of Passion, there was good reason to believe only in the True Gods, but still room for other beliefs, and occaisional smaller cults worshipped other things, fictious or real-but-not-divine. Passion forced the issue, however, and those smaller cults all generally died off more than a generation ago, and for some time, the only churches of note were the Church-Mills. Now, however, there is an increasing incidence of non-True-God worshipping, primarily by the lower class (see the New Cults later in this section). 

The gods are: 

=== Ryll === 
Commonly portrayed as male, Ryll's symbol is a stylized eye with two pupils. He was generally thought of as a capricious god of fortune and chance. The expression "You're in Ryll's eye" is still in semi-common use, meaning someone whose fortune varies wildly from good to bad over a short period. 

=== Kleri ===
Most often portrayed as female, Kleri's symbol is a simple circle. Kleri is the goddess of sickness, death, and childbirth. Her name is often used as a curse word, as is the phrase "Kleri's blood." Pregnant women and expectant fathers are supposed to avoid using her name in vain, to prevent miscarriages or deaths in childbirth. 

=== Wadjic ===
Usually portrayed as female, Wadjic's symbol is a stylized snowflake. Wadjic's domain is weather, particularly rain and snow, and she's also the goddess most associated with the sea/sailors. Those who have to make sea voyages used to make big sacrifices in Wadjic's domain to assure a safe arrival, though that practice has diminished to throwing cheap tin "play money" into the ocean right before casting off. 

=== Tunsan ===
Usually portrayed as male, Tunsan's church uses a symbol of a stylized leaf and one of a great cat. He was the god most often associated with wilderness, wild animals, and farming. More feared than worshipped, Tunsan was never a popular god, but rural people still bury food items or tokens as sacrifices to avert his attention. 

=== Adsri ===
Almost invariably portrayed as male, Adsri was the sun god. His symbol is a stylized sunburst, and he's associated with spring and summer, daybreak, and good fortune. "Adsri smile on you" is a general blessing, of the sort one might say to someone who's ill, or about to undertake a dangerous venture. 

=== Gola ===
Gola is the only god that doesn't have a terribly strong gender, though she's slightly more frequently shown to be female than male. Her symbol is a crescent moon, and she's associated with night, stars, the moon, darkness, and protection from evil. Full moons are known as Gola's Nights. 

== Worship ==

There are elaborate ritual surrounding the worship of each of the six gods, and holy texts supposedly directly inspired by these gods. In this modern age, though, the rituals are only followed by those taking Passion, and for most people, the gods are presences only in what symbols are embossed on power tokens, and in a few archaic figures of speech. Devout priests in the Church-Mills have long-since been crowded out by managers and businessmen, who are technically ordained, but in practice are no different from the Alliance merchants they work closely with. 

The last refuge of true worship of the Old Gods is in certain insulated members of the Nobility – the ones not heavily associated with the Alliances, rich enough not to be affected by the massive, sweeping changes of the modern day. Most particularly, the Royal Family and closely tied nobility do still attend services and make sacrifices to the gods in a relatively sincere manner, though even these throwbacks are slowly cutting back their religious lives.