Editing Al-Qadim (section)

===Religion===
The teachings of enlightenment may be the foundation of Zakharan culture, but they do so by attributing at least part of their holiness to the gods. Still, Zakhara is large and, under its veneer of cultural monolithism, it has many subcultures and cults, leading to a uniquely divided pantheon.

Zakharans divide the gods into three categories; Major (or Great), Local (or Common), and Savage (or Heathen).

'''Great/Major Deities''' are those directly referenced in the Scrolls of Law, and thusly their worship has spread across Zakhara. They number eight deities, and are all considered to embody specific ideals regarded as enlightened.
* [[Hajama]]
* [[Hakiyah]]
* [[Haku]]
* [[Jisan]]
* [[Kor]]
* [[Najm]]
* [[Selan]]
* [[Zann]]

'''Local/Common Deities''' are "small" gods of Zakhara; those whose worship is confined to a specific area or ethnicity. They are not as directly tied to the principles of enlightenment, and make up the larger part of the Zakharan "pantheon".
* [[Bala]]
* [[Kahin]]s
* [[Vataqatal]]

'''Savage/Heathen Deities''' are those not directly recognized in the teachings and tales passed down by the Loregiver. These include the Forgotten Gods of Nog and Kadar, the Cold Gods of the Elements ([[Akadi]], [[Grumbar]], [[Istishia]], [[Kossuth]]), the gods of unenlightened Zakharan cultures such as the Hill Tribes and the islanders of the Crowded Sea, and the Ajami (Foreign) Gods - the gods whose faith has been carried to Zakhara by migrants from other lands, predominantly [[Gond]], [[Helm]] (called "Helam" by confused Zakharans) and [[Clangeddin Silverbeard]] (whose diminishing worship amongst Zakharan gods has seen him renamed "Clang").

The unusual nature of the zakharan pantheon has led to two distinct faiths of note; the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods and the League of the Pantheon, or the Pantheist League.

The Ten Thousand Gods Temple takes the polytheistic inclinations of the Zakharans to the extreme; they worship ALL gods, interchangeably and commmunally. Their holy ideal is acceptance; their ethos is that all deities are merely facets of the same divine force. As such, their holy principles are simple:
:''The gods are aspects of a greater holy power. Men and women, elves, half-elves, dwarves, and other creatures - all these mortal beings mirror the diversity of that divine power. All are touched by the same holy radiance. Accept your brothers and sisters. Think well of them and treat them kindly, for they, like you, are divine.''

The Pantheist League is a comparatively small, but powerful, cult which has come to dominate a cluster of cities on the Crowded Sea and along the easten side of the Golden Gulf. They practice a combination of a very fundamentalist view of the common Zakharan faith and a their own unique pantheon; they recognize only the Greater Gods Hajama, Kor, Najm and Selan as "true" gods, alongside their own self-claimed "Greater" God, a local deity named [[Jauhar]]. Hidebound, moralist and dangerous conservative, their ethos preachs a combination of moral superiority and strength through unity:
::''Only by gathering together, and by combining the best talents of the group, can we succeed. Trust your foes to be jealous of your accomplishments. The gods of the Pantheon are the only true gods. All other so-called deities are common creations, and their followers must be "enlightened". Excessive actions may be excused by excessive circumstances.''