The Phoenix, The God of Fire and Rebirth
The people of Xocrium worship the likes of The Phoenix, the god of fire and rebirth, who is said to be the bringer of light and new life. The Phoenix is rarely ever worshipped or recognized outside of Xocrium but sometimes in Dutoria, The Phoenix is usually compared to their goddess Blom in their principles.
The Phoenix is depicted as a firebird and is the pure embodiment of both fire and light.
The Phoenix is depicted as a firebird and is the pure embodiment of both fire and light.
Principles & Association
- Honour; The Phoenix shines highly on his children having and valuing the sense of Honor, whether it be having a fair fight in battle or having a general sense of respect in everyday life.
- Light; Ties back into having tranquility but can also be from fire or the sun.
- Tranquility; Having a sense of peace and enjoying the little things that happen all around you is high in his favor. One should always step back and enjoy life for all that life can give.
- Protection/Heroism; The Phoenix is always said to smile upon the act of protecting those who cannot protect themselves, no matter who they are to the person - enemy or not. Another part to this is sacrificing yourself so that others can go on. This act is said to be the one of the greatest things a person can do in their life and is seen as the greatest act of protection by The Phoenix.
- Justice; Just as Honor, Justice is a major fundamental of The Phoenix. Always have a sense of morals and always fighting for what is right is a high favor to The Phoenix.
Worship
The Phoenix has and will always be seen as a symbol of honor and peace, but also a mighty representation of justice if ever angered or wronged. With Xocrium’s burial practices, reincarnation is a very common belief that follows and has always been said to reflect the general idea of a The Phoenix - They will always arise from their ashes anew. No one truly knows how this supposed ‘reincarnation’ works, to the point where some question if it is even true. But, there have always been instances in Xocrium where total strangers meet yet end up feeling as if they are somehow connected - as if they have already met before.
A very common practice among those who worship The Phoenix is the practice of praying one time during the morning and one time during the evening, usually around sunset. Praying is not limited to these specific times however, one is encouraged to pray to The Phoenix whenever they see fit for The Phoenix will always answer them whenever they need. There are many churches, temples, even Cathedrals dedicated to the worship of The Phoenix and also act as places of shelter and healing for those who are less fortunate than others. These places of religion can be usually identified by the stained glass windows that depict ‘The Phoenix’s emblem’. |
Emblem of the Phoenix. Art by ColdfrontDrawz.
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Communicating with the Phoenix
The Phoenix's Realm. Art by ColdfrontDrawz.
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While praying is seen as most viable, there is one other way to commune with the Phoenix; talk to them via entering in their domain.
There are several small accounts of how this process supposedly works; One is to convene with a member of the Order and ask for their permission due to the process requiring something that only the Order themselves knows how to make - A mysterious but simple-looking potion. After obtaining the potion, one is escorted to The Room of Light or where all of the urns of the dead are taken to receive their needed light. Once making it to the room, one is locked in with the urns only a few minutes before the sun rises. Now this part is said to be very dangerous as if not done correctly, one runs the risk of going blind for the rest of their life. As light is filling the room, one must drink the obtained potion at the same time with their eyes closed. If done correctly, one appears in The Phoenix’s domain and has about six hours to do what they need before the potion wears off and the blinding light of the room stops. Their domain is described to be a massive version of what the Citadel looks like but grandeur and way more intimidating. The sky is said to always filled with small clouds and is in a constant state of dawn; to the point where the sky is yellow and the horizon is orange. Now, not many know if this is actually true, however, but the many people of Xocrium - especially those of the nobility - are beyond confident that this is true. |
Celebrations
The Summer Solstice (June 20th)
The Summer Solstice is a very important day for those in the Order. Every summer solstice, those part of the order take one day out of their usual lives and just do as much as they can to show the teachings of The Phoenix away from their churches and temples. They usually can be seen praying for those in need - whether it be for the misfortune, the wounded, or sometimes for the nobility that are just randomly - and just doing as much as they can to help the people of Xocrium. These actions are not limited to this specific day of course. The Summer Solstice is just a day where they are most active outside of the usual times of years.
The Summer Days (June 20th - June 27th)
A week long nationwide celebration for all the things the Order has done for the people of Xocrium.
Light day (December 25)
Xocrium’s gift-giving day! Xocrians take out this day to give back to those they highly care for and for those they truly respect. As for the Nobility, there is a small different aspect to this day. While their gift-giving is to show off their care and unity with each other, another aspect is showing off how much wealth they have by getting others the grandest gifts. This is a fun tradition started in remembrance to House Noble, House of the Royals.
The Days of Light (December 25 - January 1st)
The long celebration that leads from Light Day all the way to up until the end of The Day of Rebirth.
The Day of Rebirth (January 1st)
A celebration that marks the day The Phoenix was born and the day the realm was reborn anew. This day has always fallen on the first day of the new year and represents as such. A very notable part of this celebration is the one food that is usually the highlight of everyone’s day - Marshmallows. That’s right, throughout the entire day up until midnight there will always be food stands selling or giving out roosted marshmallows through the entire kingdom. Around sunset, a good number of people love to travel to Everguard or Lightfield to watch on the shores of Lake Four-Shore and make cozy bonfires.
The Summer Solstice is a very important day for those in the Order. Every summer solstice, those part of the order take one day out of their usual lives and just do as much as they can to show the teachings of The Phoenix away from their churches and temples. They usually can be seen praying for those in need - whether it be for the misfortune, the wounded, or sometimes for the nobility that are just randomly - and just doing as much as they can to help the people of Xocrium. These actions are not limited to this specific day of course. The Summer Solstice is just a day where they are most active outside of the usual times of years.
The Summer Days (June 20th - June 27th)
A week long nationwide celebration for all the things the Order has done for the people of Xocrium.
Light day (December 25)
Xocrium’s gift-giving day! Xocrians take out this day to give back to those they highly care for and for those they truly respect. As for the Nobility, there is a small different aspect to this day. While their gift-giving is to show off their care and unity with each other, another aspect is showing off how much wealth they have by getting others the grandest gifts. This is a fun tradition started in remembrance to House Noble, House of the Royals.
The Days of Light (December 25 - January 1st)
The long celebration that leads from Light Day all the way to up until the end of The Day of Rebirth.
The Day of Rebirth (January 1st)
A celebration that marks the day The Phoenix was born and the day the realm was reborn anew. This day has always fallen on the first day of the new year and represents as such. A very notable part of this celebration is the one food that is usually the highlight of everyone’s day - Marshmallows. That’s right, throughout the entire day up until midnight there will always be food stands selling or giving out roosted marshmallows through the entire kingdom. Around sunset, a good number of people love to travel to Everguard or Lightfield to watch on the shores of Lake Four-Shore and make cozy bonfires.
The Order of the Phoenix
The Order of the Phoenix is the high priesthood of the Phoenix. For as long as Xocrium has been around, The Order’s job has always said to show the world the blessings of the Phoenix and its principles. They are highly respected throughout all of Xocrium, especially in Lightfield which is a very religious province itself.
The ‘main’ headquarters of the Order would be The Sun-blessed Cathedral, found in Sunkeep only a few blocks away from House Valor’s castle. The Sun-blessed Cathedral is also the workplace to the leaders of the Order, the High Priests and the High Priestesses; The main leader being High Priest Venerio Sol.
The ‘main’ headquarters of the Order would be The Sun-blessed Cathedral, found in Sunkeep only a few blocks away from House Valor’s castle. The Sun-blessed Cathedral is also the workplace to the leaders of the Order, the High Priests and the High Priestesses; The main leader being High Priest Venerio Sol.
Associations with Other Gods
- ‘The Ice Queen’; While there is no modern information on this particular goddess or really any worship of her, however, the Order has always said there are plenty of mentions about her in their old texts. She is said to be the ‘sister’ to the Phoenix and an ice phoenix incarnate; the embodiment of Ice and Snow. During the early days of the ‘new’ realm, it was said that she watched over the 12 city-states alongside The Phoenix but in physical form. She was said to provide undeniable proof that both her and The Phoenix were indeed real. As for the rest of her story, there is not much to go on. All that is explained in the old texts is that she left her post and headed north, heading the call for aid from Freyer; one of Dutoria’s gods. She never did return to the city-states.
- Blóm; The Phoenix and Blóm have always been compared simply due to their similar principles and teachings. Sometimes some even go as far as to say that the two - sometimes including Freyer - may actually be related despite neither mentioning each other in their respective texts.