The final chapter of the four-part divinity series, where we share the mythologies behind some of the Gods, Goddesses and their folklore in Mortalissar, is finally here. If you've missed Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3, just click on their respective links and they'll open up new windows for you. For our final part, we'll look at the deities, their folklore and myths from the continents of Djasandur, the Iosian Peninsula and the Bridgelands of Iorensia.

Following the initial Magic in Mortalissar post we made 26 April 2019, here then is a comprehensive expansion of the different magic systems practiced in the world (at least during the time of Tae 4329). Unlike most fantasy secondary worlds, where the magic system is primarily the same in terms of spell-casting method, ingredients required, rituals needed, results expected, costs incurred, etc., Mortalissar is different in a sense that a wizard from one part of the world practices magic differently from a wizard from a different region.

As you can already see from the interactive guide map above, there are eight main magic systems spread out across the world. Each system is unique not because they reside within a specific continent, but because they have different cost-benefit/effort-result systems. For example, the Core Collective Magic System is perhaps the most widely practiced, but it is not limited to just one or two continents. Let's delve into each magic system so you'll gain a better understanding on how different they are.

We continue our divinity series on religions, gods and mythologies in Mortalissar with Part 3. As we cross into the third quartet of the pantheon, you may want to refresh your memory on the first half with Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 covers mainly the deities in central and north-eastern Mortallisar. Part 2 delves into the oriental deities in the east and northernmost parts of Mortalissar. For our third segment, we'll look at the deities the north-western and western parts of the world. Enjoy the folklore.

This is a continuation of our previous Part 1 on Religions, Gods & Mythologies in Mortalissar. In this second-parter, we'll cover some of the other divinities and their roles in the shaping and transformation of their worshipers and lands. Despite what many would have thought, there exists pockets of Mortalissari who do not worship a divine being, believing in more earthly pursuits and fortunes rather than devote time and place to someone or something they have no control over. These regions are indicated as Pagan in the religion world map. We'll cover those bits in greater detail in time.

Religion, the pantheons of deities and places of worship in Mortalissar have become as common a sight as royalty and peasantry.  In the first Age of Identity (the first ten millennia), the Gods and Goddesses (also known as the Divine or Deities) walked the earth and ruled over their worshipers or creations. Their very existence, and for some their power and ability to function, are derived from the belief and faith systems created by their line of worshipers. Most of them are defined by how fervent they worship them. Here then are the pantheons of the gods and goddesses from the First Age of Identity (the First Age of Mer), what they represented and what happened to them by the end of that age. 

Magic in Mortalissar does not occur to anyone. To become someone with the ability to cast magic, one needs to first become attuned to it. In general, there are four stages in a wizard's lifecycle: Awakening, Apprenticeship, Mastery and Succession.

To become a wizard, one must first undergo the Awakening. This normally happens when the wizard is young (no more than 15 years of age at least in human terms). As the wizard gets older, his or her mind will be filled with a different kind of knowledge of the world, romance, relationships, etc. that may impede realizing his or her fullest magical potential (sometimes to a detrimental end). So the choice to become a wizard solely rests on the individual and the sacrifices he has to make once he chooses the magic path.

Most of the nations in Mortalissar follow a calendar system introduced by Verathgar the First Wizard sometime in Mer 100s. Together with the Gods and Goddesses of the time, and the leaders of mortal creatures, he came up with an annual calendar consisting of 20 months, each month having 40 days. So a week in Mortalissar is about 10 days, half a year is 400 days and one day has 20 hours. Each hour is about 40 minutes and each minute is about 40 seconds. You can guess Verathgar has an obsession with the numbers 20 and 40. By the way, Verathgar was a mortal but he wasn't human. The old folk songs mentioned him to be a Hill Giant who became a little too wise after accompanying the Gods and Goddesses for some time. It's pretty hard to imagine if the giant's still alive today (that's more than 12,829 years ago) so...probably dead.

There are many different ways to introduce the world of Mortalissar, so naturally, I had to ask - where exactly do I begin? I can choose to start with her history, from the very first recorded history (the first Mer 100 years), her written and spoken language systems, the different wars and peace-times she had, the different kings, queens, princes and princesses each nation had through time, the Gods and Goddesses each region and country worship, the calendaring system they follow (what on earth is a Mer and Tae?), or even the magic system each region uses (the concept of Cores, free movement, voices and imbued stones).

But to start off easy, I've decided to do it geographically first, by introducing Mortallisar in the year Tae 4329 as a world with 11 great continents or regions, and three main island systems. So, let's break them down, shall we?