Demonology

Demonology
Demonology is a religion practiced in many lands but it is rarely accepted. It is most commonly found in communities which have strong roots back to the first waves of people to flee Ollambac after the fall of The Old Dominion. The exception to this is that Demonology is openly practiced, and is in fact the state religion, of the Wydal Union in northern Aelkot.

The Core Tenants of Demonology
Demonologists hold the belief that every living being has a soul and that the natural progression of soul is to become a demon, or a part of a demon, after the end of a mortal life. The natural state of all beings is one of evil, cowardice, and laziness. The difference between decent people and not decent people is which of these natural vices is strongest. For those who have strong desires towards evil they will do evil things, even though doing such things is dangerous and likely challenging. Most people, are dominated by the natural vices of cowardice and laziness. This causes them to build all the features of modernity and civilization that those inclined to evil would seek to destroy or co-opt. While it is challenging to build, doing so is an investment in future relaxation. And while building can be risky, surely in the end it is safer to have created what is needed to defend yourself from the wilds and others. This is the concept of natural vices, which while evil, are drivers of social gain and are in the long term beneficial.

The natural vices are not to be condemned. In fact, they are to be celebrated, for they encourage the beneficial traits of society, culture and civilization. Greed is good as it stimulates economic action. Cowardice is good as it stimulates the creation of laws and defenses. Laziness is good as it stimulates the creation of magic and technology to make things easier. Envy, lust, and jealousy are good because they encourage the creation of art, wonders, and social order.

There are few things which are considered sinful. What they have in common is that they are not natural vices. They are evil and do not contribute to social gain and long term betterment. The most notable is that cruelty cannot be linked to a natural vice carrying some benefit. Cruelty accomplishes nothing.

Difficult Relations with Other Faiths
Most of the other religions venerate some set of gods, and these mostly overlap. Followers of Jaheon consider their lord to be a external entity to the collective The Many but still maintain the divinity of the all of them. The Druids and Triadists acknowledge all of those gods but simply hold that they are not important. The Solarists at least agree with the followers of Jaheon about the nature of a god. The Demonologists do not share in this common religious ground.