Arcanism

Faith is a foundational aspect of the lives of nearly every man, woman, and child in the Veilands. The Apotheons grants boons to their most devout, and the Elden Path is walked by many. But it is the newest of the faiths in the realm that presents the most radical claims about the world. Arcanism is a belief system followed to by a comparatively small portion of the population. However, its adherents include some of the most powerful people in the world.

Deities

Arcanism is unique amongst the faiths in the Veilands in that it does not profess any personified deities. Rather, Arcanists revere those mortals whom wield immense magical power. The Apotheons are paid reverence to, as well as the Great Spirits of the Elden Path and even the Whispered Ones, though this is downplayed due to great objection of most outside the faith. Any beings who are seen as approaching closer to the Real are elevated above as paragons of the search for freedom from the shackles of the material.

Core Beliefs

Arcanism is a new quasi-religious movements more than an established theological organization. As such, their tenets are a bit more nebulous, and their dogma more varied. However, certain beliefs do carry over between followers:

• The material world is an illusion fabricated by the chaotic mixing of arcane currents within the Othersea.
• The Arcane Arts are the pinnacle of mortal pursuit, as it is the way to break the chains of this fake reality and sink into the Real.

Sects

This belief system, while relatively new, has developed into two delineated sects: the Quorites and the Surrealists.

Quorites

The Quorites are a subset of Arcanists who began as followers of Xhikari Quor, a powerful and influential sorcerer widely considered to be a founding figure in Arcanism. Known as "The Witness", Quor posited the ideas of the illusory reality, and was instrumental in the research leading to the design of the tools used in modern Bathymancy. Quorites make up the majority of the