An Original God of Creation that helped to make the high, dry mountains, deserts and other arid places of the world, and one of four gods that made humans – an act Sella somewhat regrets.
As he watched the destructive, malicious behaviors of mortals, especially humans, Sella became dismayed. “We did this?” He began to feel as though he and the other three gods that created humans had failed, been in error somehow. The other mortal races did not cause as much both wanton and careless harm as humans. Sella’s deep hurt became frustration and then anger as his view of humanity soured leading this high-minded being to become ever more severe with his punishments both in the Mortal Plane and Afterlife.
“We gave you a paradise and you do this harm. Why? Do you not see the gift you have been given? You throw it back in our faces as though it is nothing. You need to be punished. You and your kind need to know that those who harm this creation for the sake of harm, for delight, for apathy, for negligence, must feel the pain you have caused and be shown as examples to others to dissuade them from such actions. How dare you do these things.”
Sella chose to be a governor of the Repository of Souls, then chose to be a governor of the Hell. Wanted the Hell to stay physically severe.
Sella is the chief governor of the Hell/Gray Waste.
On one end of the spectrum of vies, Sella is seen as a god of Malice as he uses pain as a tool to ensure stability and order; a bringer of pain and suffering. On the other end of the spectrum Sella is seen as the harsh judge of the Afterlife that is necessarily severe in order to stop wrongdoing and keep society safe and stable. Sella does not like causing pain and does not like those that cause pain out of malice. To Sella pain is simply a necessary tool to change behavior and stave off greater harm. Sometimes pain is the best and only tool.
Sella does not accept those that worship him because they wish to cause pain for the sake of pain, or for revenge, selfishness, jealousy, etc.
Sella is not jealous or petty and he suffers no fools.
Sella appears as tall and sturdily built but not over-muscled human male in his mid-sixties with short-cut, silvery, crew-cut-style hair; clean-shaven face; and bronzed to brown skin. He has intense, brown eyes. As of the past few centuries Sella has taken to be attired in a military-style, beige/tawny suit with a jacket that buttons up on the left side. Black gloves and boots.
Sella is extremely intelligent and strategic in both ability and presentation. Refined. Sella can be quite civil, adheres to protocol and manners, and can be very charming when he wishes. Sella can sit on a throne of concrete in or a fine chair in a lovely banquet hall and be comfortable and fit in wherever he goes. Also of the past few centuries Sella has adopted what would sound like an upper class, English accent (or like the accent that can be heard in the nation of Avenmare and surrounding region).
Sella’s prophets are strict and harsh with punishment, and sparingly give out praise to those that protect creation and/or add to it as it is seen as mortals’ duty to do these things so there is no reason to give praise for what you are supposed to be doing in the first place.
Sella’s Main Rules/Guidelines:
Only take from the world what you need to survive. Restore/give back at least as much as you have taken.
Protect creation.
Aid and add to creation.
Refrain from acts of malicious, negligent, and/or apathetic harm against self, others, and the world in general.
Harsh punishments for those that break these rules so the wrongdoer learns and always remembers the error of their ways and acts as an example to others of what happens when malicious, negligent, or apathetic harm has been committed.
Atonement may be possible with great penance.
Based on these rules here is what you may find amongst Sella’s followers:
Strong appreciation for the natural world and take from it only what they need and thereby tend to live modestly.
Hair and clothing styles – tend to be modest but no major prescription beyond only take what need from creation to survive. It would be common to see followers of Sella wearing hand-me-downs, as well as clothing (including footwear) that has been repaired many times to the point some followers of Sella look as though they are wearing patchwork quilts.
Food laws – take only what need and do not waste. Most of the time Sella’s followers are vegetarians unless absolutely need to kill an animal for food. Will not see game or trophy hunters amongst Sella’s followers. Food prep can be from basic to very creative – as long as only what is needed has been taken and there is little to no waste.
Some aid in creation with works of artifice that they donate to the religion or use to aid in other creation and protection of the natural world. Art – as long as not doing harm to natural world: sculpting from loose stones and fallen trees, no felling trees or quarrying stone for artistic purposes. The same is true of artifice – the material used is usually repurposed or the raw material is what otherwise would be considered waste material and/or not taking from nature in a harmful way. Jewelry – seashells, found objects/material, repurposed things. Will never see a follower of Sella wearing jewelry made of precious metals or stones as these materials would most of the time have to be mined and the mining process would damage the natural world. And these materials, should a follower of Sella have them, would be better used to procure the necessities of life for oneself and community.
Will find some cities where Sella is the dominate deity. Can range from woodland cities to those in a desert (as Sella helped to create the arid places of the world this is where you will find most of his worshipers). Minimal impact on nature. Only enough as to secure the basic necessities of survival. The homes and other structures are built with function in mind first and foremost, any artistic or style concerns are added after the structure has been built. For example, a new home is built. Afterwards someone might carve some designs into the doors or walls. Not much painting for style as that would be seen as a waste of the material/taking the material from nature for a non-survival use. If someone can make paint from waste or repurposed material then the artistic/style embellishments are allowable. The same is true of furniture for the house – function first, then possible artistic modifications after.
Sella and his followers are not against technology or the use of magic as long as they aid in: survival; preservation of creation; and/or acts of creation.
Sella’s worshipers do not simply bind junk, scrap together and make do. A great deal of forethought goes into making things people need to survive from clothing, buildings, weapons, roads, irrigation systems, cooking implements, medical instruments, etc. It is better to make something once the best you can so that it can last a long time and thus in the long run you take less from the world. Where Sella’s worshipers congregate you would not find new pieces of armor that are just a collection of discarded scraps of metal, or bridges half held together with twine and old bedposts. Durability and function always come first. Make it right the first time and you won’t have to worry about a second or third. For those things and instances where it is logical and safe to continue to repair things/patch things up rather than discard and make new then you will see that being done – clothing, shoes, some furniture, some tools, toys, etc. Their clothes may be patched and ratty, but their bridges are strong and safe.
Alcoholic beverages – No. The ingredients could have been preserved/used in some other way and this is a waste. No. Alcohol dulls the mind and can lead mortals to acts of harm. Use of other substances to alter the mind are also prohibited. Smoking tobacco or like substances is prohibited as it harms the body and is a waste of land and resources that could have been put to better use.
No gambling. Promotes unnecessary risk-taking, potential loss of necessary resources, and made lead to ill will amongst people.
Sexuality: No masturbation. Seen as psychologically harmful as one may covet another, another they cannot/are not supposed to have, and/or fantasize about another mortal in such a way as to reduce that other mortal to a thing, object. These thoughts can cause harm as they made lead one mortal to lust after and violently seek out another, or at least show less respect to the mortal that has been objectified. The mortal that has objectified one person in their thoughts may do this to more. No sex before marriage. There are no physical items of birth control in this realm. Two individuals of opposite sex having intercourse, for reasons other than procreation (only temporary satisfaction), that then leads to an innocent life being born that did not ask to be, and may not be adequately cared for, is harmful.
Even though the punishments can be severe (public executions for what other cultures may consider minor infractions, floggings, brandings, etc) and the lifestyle is modest, a fair number of people worship Sella as they feel comforted by a very black and white view of things. Once again, a main belief being that severe punishments for even minor infractions leads to a safe and stable society.
Worshipers of Sella are allowed to have songs, dance, tell jokes, some acting/plays, as these activities are acts of creation. These activities simply are in keeping with the ideas of not taking more from the world than is needed and not doing harm to others. The songs, dances, jokes, plays, etc would fall into the “clean” category – nothing racy/sexual. It would be very common to hear songs of thanks, appreciation of the natural world, and sweet, soothing, poetic songs expressing love (not lust) amongst Sella’s followers.
Sella’s followers are allowed to have celebrations:
Birthdays and anniversaries are celebrated.
Holy days for Sella include the day the Original Gods of Creation finished making the world before mortals were set upon it, and the day the Repository of Souls was divided into the Hell and the place of Serenity/Heaven(s).
Days of thanksgiving for various harvests are also allowed.
Days of thanksgiving are allowed in those areas after the seasonal rains/monsoons take place.
The following is an example of a lingering point of contention/philosophical disagreement amongst the gods that was only somewhat satisfactorily settled in the Treaty of the Divine Plane: Sella is in favor of harsh punishments, or what acts Sella argues fall under the category of instrumental aggression. Not all gods agree. So what happens to Sella’s followers that carry out said acts of instrumental aggression – such as an officer of the law that flogs someone that stole a loaf of bread? Sella would say the officer was doing their duty and should not end up in the Gray Waste for said action. Other god’s disagree. So, just as Sella cannot automatically throw the person that stole the loaf of bread into the Gray Waste, Sella cannot automatically usher the police officer’s soul into paradise. In general, it will come down to intent and outcome of said harmful action(s), and on balance how the mortal’s life happened to be. This includes the promoting of said acts of instrumental aggression/punishment that may not be commensurate to a crime/sin by otherwise objectively causing more harm than the original crime/sin. Again, to many of the gods it’s not the most satisfactory solution but as close as they can get without going to war again.
What is Sella’s Heaven/Paradise like? The paradise Sella has made for his obedient worshipers is a smaller version of how the world was before mortals were set upon it. Sella’s paradise is a place where there is no need to eat or drink or worry about shelter so there is no need to take resources from this world. No pain, no disease. No monsters. Wild animals nor wild weather can harm you. You are allowed to wander this world and simply enjoy its wonder. If in this paradise you break the rules that Sella set forth when you were alive then you are automatically sent to the Gray Waste. At the center of this world is a city in an arid, mountain place that is the central city of worship where all souls can will themselves to and worship at prescribed times.
Due to the severity of the punishments prescribed for various crimes, as well as the puritanical lifestyle of his worshipers, a fair number of people find Sella and his followers to be extreme, unreasonable, and repressive. In places where the punishments are more logical and commensurate with the crime Sella’s followers tend to keep their beliefs very much to themselves as they may face discrimination – depending on their overall personality and how zealous they are in their beliefs. Sella’s followers may then tend to live in their own communities where those that believe harsh punishment results in order can congregate without discrimination. Of course not all of Sella’s worshipers adhere to the rules to the same degree or to the same level of severity of punishment for crimes. There is always some amount of debate amongst the adherents of many religions on these points.
