Nether Worship

Nether Worship is a religious belief that worships Nether gods or the Nether in general. The concept of Nether Worship spans across most religions of the Mortal World, with varying degrees of tolerance and acceptance.

Authoranian Nether Cults
In Authorania, the Testamentary Religion has spawned various Nether Cults which are considered their own religion and separate from the Testamentary Religion. Although these Nether Cults are their own religion, they are based on the Testamentary and Hebruus religions, thus, they are unique to Authorania.

The most powerful and influential Nether Cult in Authorania are the Children of the Nether, who operate the only legal Nether church in Authorania, the Tsantiliotacholie Church in Capital City. Due to the influence of the Children of the Nether Cult, most Nether Cults in Authorania are primarily based on the belief system put in place by the cult, thus, their belief system is seen as the primary example of the belief systems of all Authoranian Nether Cults.

Children of the Nether Cult
The Children of the Nether cult is the oldest Nether Cult in Authorania, with its founding being shortly after the release of the Salouus Testament. The Children of the Nether cult was a remade version of an ancient Morthanian religion named the Order of the Red Reaper, which believed in the Morthanian version of the Nether. This group had its peak membership during the later years of Morthania but its numbers continuously fell after the fall of Morthania and the establishment of the Testamentary Religion.

Due to the Testamentary Religion not describing an underworld, Nether Cults never existed and only small groups of worshippers of Morthanian underworld gods existed.

After the release of the Salouus Testament, which described the Nether for the first time, a boom in Nether worshippers began. This is when membership in the Order of the Red Reaper began to rise and when the group changed its name to Children of the Nether. Membership in the Children of the Nether began to make the group very rich, with these riches, the group commissioned the construction of a church in Capital City. Following the completion of the church, the Testamentarian leadership and Authoranian government officially labeled Nether worship groups as cults and made the construction of cult temples illegal.

While the Children of the Nether is the largest and most influential Nether Cult today, its membership is small, with only a couple of thousand active members in Authorania.

The Children of the Nether and most other Nether Cults worship specific Nether Gods/Goddesses as described in the Salouus Testament. The Testament also describes the workings of the Nether realm and describes the ranks of Nether God, Nether Prince and Slaves. However, the ranks of Provians and Plebs as well as myths and detailed stories about the inhabitants of the Nether are described in the Tassillian, which is the bible most Nether Cults follow.

The Nether hierarchy as described in the Salouus Testament and Tassillian is as follows:

God- The highest rank achievable in the Nether. Some Nether Gods achieved their rank through their ability to influence Mortals while others achieved their rank their rank due to creating the Nether. Tsantiliotacholie achieved his status as he was one of the first Nether Gods and is father to most Nether Princes. There are currently six Nether Gods: Tsantiliotacholie, Cathorin, Beevolestine, Dorentalluus, Vox and Versa.

Prince- Nether Princes are Nether Gods that are less powerful than ranked Nether Gods. Most Princes are sons of Nether Gods however, some are not. Although not as powerful, Nether Princes still have much authority and responsibility. There are no Nether Princesses as nearly all women in the Nether with power have no authority, the only woman with authority being the Nether Goddess Cathorin.

Provian- Provians are high ranking but powerless Nether citizens, usually Nether priests. Most Provians live in the Mortal World, either as Nether priests or as citizens spreading the word of the Nether Gods. It is believed that once a Nether priest or recruiter dies, they will live as a Provian in the Nether Realm.

Pleb- Plebs are the spirits of deceased Mortals living in the Nether. Every man and woman who were Nether worshippers will live as Plebs in the domain of the Nether God they worshipped. Plebs live in the various Nether towns across the Nether Realm.

Slave- Slaves are the lowest ranking in the Nether and the most populated class. Slaves are Mortal men and women who sinned in the Mortal World but did not worship a Nether God or participated in a Nether Cult. Slaves are also souls that were eaten by Nether Gods, making them empty beings forced to cater to the Nether Gods, Princes and some Provians. A slave's existence in the Nether Realm is one of eternal torture and neglect and is used as an example by Testamentarians on why one should not sin.