Sahptev

"He told me of his belief in the existence of a thousand and one gods, gods he believed could be found in all things: the fire in the hearth, the water in the river and the air that we breathed. Pretty enough for a story, perhaps. But any reasoned individual must surely, as I did, scoff at such a view of the world as little more than superstition."

- Abd al-Hazir Sahptev is the faith practiced by the Monks of Ivgorod.

Lore
"You are an impressive warrior, despite your rudimentary beliefs. It must be difficult keeping all those gods straight."

- Abd al-Hazir

Sahptev involves the worship of 1001 gods and goddesses, said gods being based on virtually every kind of physical object and concept in existence. These gods are divided into gods of order and gods of chaos. The gods apparently have signs associated with them (e.g. an individual may be born "under the sign of Ytar").

The High Heavens (or the monks' interpretation of them) apparently plays a role in this system of worship. Every Monk holds a god as their patron. As many of the Monks value strength and resolve, it is common for them to seek the patronage of deities in the faith that embody these traits (e.g. Zaim and Ytar).

The Patriarchs are at the head of the faith. Four are dedicated to Order, four to Chaos, and one remains neutral. According to the tenants of their faith, when a patriarch dies, their soul is released to be reborn in their replacement. Reincarnation plays a role in the wider Sahptev religion, the Patriarchs teaching that "death is simply a chance to be reborn."

Known Deities

 * God of the Forest (name unknown)
 * Inna, Goddess of the Sky
 * Tyrael, God of Justice
 * Ymil, God of the Rivers
 * Ytar, God of the Sun/Fire
 * Zaim, God of the Mountains

Trivia

 * It is the view of Michael Chu that Sahptev is based on a "small glimpse into a greater reality." The similarities of the conflict between order and chaos and the Eternal Conflict is an intentional one from a development perspective.


 * The Angiris Council members are considered gods to the Sahptev, but at the same time, they are not.


 * Saphtev appears to take real-world inspiration from Hinduism (the number of deities, balance between order and chaos) and Buddhism (reincarnation of the heads of its religion).
 * Saphtev is a combination of words from the real-world Bali-Sanskrit language that is still being used in many Hinduism and Buddhism-influenced countries as a form of a high language similar to Latin in the Western hemisphere. Saph (Thai; สรรพ) means multiple, many or variety. While Teph (Thai; เทพ) is a variant of Deva or Tevada which usually translates to Angels or any being in the hierarchy of the heavens, but can also be used to denote any singular, powerful deity such as the Abrahamic God as well.