Mai

The land of Mizuho on the continent of Zenith (Heylel).

Reiwan

Reiwan is an animistic belief system holding all aspects of the universe, from the movements of the celestial bodies to the operations of clockwork, accountable to a nigh infinite variety of gods and spirits. The foundation of the religion rests on respect, gratitude and assistance for these spirits to properly conduct their affairs and thereby promote the proper functioning of the cosmic order. To this end, Reiwan's clerics, acting as intermediaries between the divine and profane, observe a vast set of spiritual practices ranging from daily rituals to arcane ceremonies and public festivals of considerable scope and scale. Included among these are rituals meant to obtain sorcerous effect. In addition to being one of the main faiths of the Zenith Empire, the Reiwan is also a major source of magical training and served the court as astrologers and time keepers.

The clerics of Reiwan are the shrine maidens. Their fundamental purpose is to act as an intermediary with the spirit realm – a formalized order of shamans tracing roots to the disparate spiritualistic practices of Zenith's many races and cultures. Most core ceremonies are held at shrines ranging in size from tiny roadside eaves to massive walled complexes of interconnected prayer halls, sub-shrines, pagodas and reliquaries. While shrines are built with the presumption that even profound divinities can inhabit a proxy object or location, some facilities are built to encompass entire holy locations and thus cover considerable acreage. The oldest grand shrines of Reiwan (all now buried beneath the Jade Sea along with the rest of Meridian province) were built to honor the Four Great Dragons, Azurdeena (posthumously), Atma and the other Primals who directly battled in defense of the empire during the wars against the Chosen. The next wave saw Reiwan concern itself with the recovery and development of land, raising countless shrines across the countryside of Zenith during the Imperial Expansion to enshrine terrestrial and weather spirits. Many of these sites are still active both as places of worship and as geomantic public works concerned with irrigation, harveset, forestry and such matters.