Orycto has two actual deities, mainly known by the names Lyx and Xyl (Actual names Calthus and Amadie), they are frequently viewed as opposing and balancing forces between evil and good. Both revealed themselves in one fashion or another to early buns though neither are prone to direct interference on the world.

The following does contain much that is referring only to the beliefs of the buns in these religions and may not necessarily reflect any actual history.

Lyx

Also known as The Great Mother/Father, The True Star, The Holy Bun, The Cleansing Flame. Lyx is almost always depicted as a bright golden bun with brown eyes, 4 wings and one horn of each of the bun varieties. The few times he is not depicted in that fashion he is usually depicted as a great star/ball of fire or as a paqquer (small flying creature that eats fruit and has a thick coat of soft fur, often considered a symbol of peace and love). Neither of these are very close to his original form. But the most commonly depicted form is the one he uses to communicate with buns.

Lyx Worship

Sisters of the Sun

The sisters worship by readings of the Qada Kita (Sun Book), sermons around it's lessons, and chiors singing hymns. They always maintain a very somber tone and the readings are always done in the old almiraj tongue. As a result most common buns attending do so more out of social motives and tradition than out of deep religious belief.

The Sisters only celebrate the summer solstice and the last day of winter. These celebrations are usually quiet and reserved with a focus on gentle psalms and large family meals. They also observe the first three weeks of winter as a time of fasting and reflection.

Major Taboos Include: All the normal social taboos (theft, murder, etc), eating fruit on the sixth day of the week, and taking up of arms.

Major Symbols: A yellow or golden sun, a stylized version of Lyx's head (yellow/gold bun with multiple sets of horns and brown eyes), or a simplified cassock with a sun on it.

Traditional Garb: The traditional garb of lower clergy within the sisters are a brown rough cassock with a rope girdle and for the higher orders a higher quality green cassock with a blue sash. The highest members typically wear an emblem on a necklace made of gold or silver. Worshipers have no common garbs beyond occasional jewelry depicting the symbols of the religion.

The Hero's Walk

The walker worship ceremonies tend to be more be brief readings of the Heroes Journal and more intensive martial training or sparring. Most centers of the faith take a focus on serious weapons and training for battle but the more performative ones generally limit it to training with the quaterstaff. Individually all members perform at least one hour of meditation at the beginning of each day.

Walkers celebrate the anniversary of the beginning (1/12, 3/15, 6/2, 9/12, 11/18) and end (2/19, 4/8, 7/12, 10/11, 12/1) of each of the great journeys as well as the solstices. The beginning of the first journey (9/12) and the end of the last journey (4/8) and the solstices are the only ones the receive a large festival. The others generally only have a large a pleasant family meal.

Major Taboos Include: Only a few of the normal social taboos are viewed as absolutes (the walkers are extremely comfortable with acts such as theft or murder provided they're done for the right reasons), walkers are forbidden to let another bun take their weapon peacefully, and the consumption of raw meat.

Major Symbols: A verdig blade down the center of a stylized road, a hand with five slash marks across the center, and two verdig blades crossed over a red sun.

Traditional Garb: Walkers only have two universal traditional articles of clothing a kilt and a shoulder sash. The militant orders all carry a sword and the others a dirk. The only required item for the worshipers are some form of weapon worn openly.

Flame Holders

Flame Holder worship is always performed around a standing fire and never during daytime. The fires are filled with aromatic materials by the sub-priestesses while the senior member reads from the Hodd Bokk (Gilded Tome) for the instructions and stories the religion uses to guide in life. At celebrations and other major rites the senior members do fire dances as various forms of display.

Flame Holders celebrate the first time a fire is started within a home by eating a type of rolled flatbread and sharing stories of the last home they lived within. They also celebrate the summer solstice and spring equinox and the anniversary of the bequeathing of the flame. These three are celebrated by feasting and parties but strictly only during the daytime (generally they also last all of the daytime).

Major Taboos Include: Major social taboos (theft, murder, etc) and allowing the hearth flame to extinguish

Major Symbols: A large red flame, three crossed burning torches, and a flame with three sets of horns around it.

Traditional Garb: The priests wear cassocks and other forms of robes with a cape. The cape is colored and lined to mark position (red, orange, yellow, and blue in low to high rank). Worshipers only have any required garb on days of worship where they are expected to anoint their forehead with shes.

The True Spring

Spring worship is separated into three major rituals anointments, chantings, and sermons. The sermons typically are a reciting of the Gedich Verit (The poems of truth) they are almost never writen down so the recitals are almost always done from memory alone. The chantings are from the more common verses of the same poems and typically focus on reminders of major tenents of the religion and grattitude for the blessings of nature. Anointments are performed with blessed water and generally mark the beginnings or ends of major events in life (births, pairings, deaths).

This religion celebrates an observation of the solstices but not the equinoxes as well as a holiday in mid spring that's claimed as the anniversary of the discovery of the spring. They also make a minor observation of the full moon. The first are celebrated typically with feasts (often with large seafood bakes) and ritual dances with extensive body painting. The later is marked by eating (if at all possible) scrigg stuffed with feffers (a spicy root vegetable).

Major Taboos Include: Most normal taboos (theft, murder, etc), drinking of water that isn't from a mineral spring or boiled, gambling, eating the digestive organs of fish.

Major Symbols: A blue cracked mountain, a divining rod, or a sun caught between a cloud and a mountain.

Traditional Garb: Priestesses traditionally go skyclad and only wear clothes when needed for the weather, for priests a similar outfit is prescribed but includes a straw mask. In both cases a large amount of tattoos and dyes are used to mark the body. Worshipers by tradition dye or tattoo their hands blue.

The Great Feather

Worship in this religion combine two major elements, music and birds (spoken any small flying feathered animals). They often use ritual filling of feeders as morning worship and all of their shrines have at least one bird (see previous) kept on the site. Music is almost exclusively performed on woodwinds or brass instruments accompanied by song and chant. The songs are mostly around a celebration of nature and the natural world.

The feather observes major holidays on the solstices and equinoxes as well as on the day the first migratory bird enters their area in either direction. The celebrate all of these with large festivals, big meals, and a lot of partying (drinking, dancing, etc). They also have no objection to any of the civil holidays.

Major Taboos Include: Most normal taboos (theft, murder, etc), killing of anything with feathers, and having your head uncovered under the open sky.

Major Symbols: The full set of bun horns over a pair of crossed feathers, a feather with four bands of color (red, green, blue, and yellow), and a paqquer perched on a cietu sprig (a variety of herb associated with peace).

Traditional Garb: Clerics of this faith traditionally wear hats with a colored band (red, blue, black for low to high rank) and a long floppy conical top allowed to hang down their back. This is usually worn with a vest and a dark green skirt. High priests carry a wooden cane and priestesses carry a wooden staff. Worshipers wear hats but the only one with a major connection is another long floppy hat with a split conical shape that gets twined together (called a pescola).

The Divine Hierarchy

The buns of the Tsarcrov region refer to Lyx as Otet (Great Father) and believe that he created the world and an immense number of spirits to serve and maintain the balance. They also maintain that Ilfet (Father of Rot) was formed because Otet attained such a state of perfect balance that all of his evils separated into another whole being. They believe the first bun (the first emperor) was formed by Otet using a bit of every spirit but that he was unable to prevent Ilfet from being a part of the act. This is claimed as the source of all imperfection/evil in society. Otet then removed himself from the world in order to force Ilfet from the world as well. This left the world with Ilfet's taint to strive against but prevented her from wreaking further havok. The religion as a whole is divided into orders based on which of the spirits the order is devoted to serving/worshiping.

Monks of The Divine Hierarchy (often referred to as Sestras) emphasize working to maintain inner peace, balance, and harmony. They believe that if the domain of all the other spirits are brought to true balance that Otet can return to the world and reveal the secret of divine unity. They believe that all buns become minor spirits when they die, though most become spirits too minor to have any real sense of or impact upon this world.

Rites of worship vary in detail depending upon the spirit being worshipped but most involve minor related offerings (eg. a dish of water or dried fish for a water spirit, ashes for a fire spirit, small feathers for a spirit of the air, etc), meditation, and the hanging of small strips of text containing various pieces of Bhukalta Kneeg (The Holy Ledger) that are most relevant. Among sects that take a vow of silence or illiteracy the last two are often replaced with the ringing of bells or the chanting of those sections respectively.

They observe a very diverse array of holidays but while all observe the five major holidays (Solstices, Equinoxes, and the birthday of the first emperor) most of the other holidays are specific to the individual sect and relate to their specific spirit (A sect for a river spirit might have holidays around annual floods for example). Minor celebrations are usually limited to a specific meditation, offering, or hanging of text. Major celebrations are celebrated as the only time a Sestra may set aside their vows and usually include feasts, dancing, and other large community wide festivals.

Major Taboos Include: Primarily normal social taboos (killing, stealing, etc), the aforementioned vow of abstinence specific to each order, and all members consider it forbidden to repeat the name of Ilfet unless Otet is mentioned in the same breath (for this reason Ilfet is most commonly referred to as "Ilfet foe of Otet").

Major Symbols: A great red star with four beams/spikes extending from it, a red circle with a single white spike placed in its center (representing the horn of the first emperor), and the many individual symbols of the spirits specific to an order.

Traditional Garb: By tradition the clergy of the order wear simple skirts held on by braided cords and a lose stole. The sestra of the biggest temples often wear grey silk skirts and stoles while smaller orders wear rougher fabrics. While some orders hold that this dress is a minimum and thus other things can be worn under them the only universally agreed upon areas for personal taste are the ends of the cords and any piercings of the ears. As a result many sestra have taken to braiding beads, shells, and other objects into the cords and many have heavily pierced ears. Non-clergy followers have no specific garb but when worshiping wear a small black dot (usually smudged with charcol) on the back of each wrist.

Behind The Curtain

The following is not knowledge held by buns but reflects the actual background and nature of the entity known as Lyx.

Calthus was originally a Jukmal. He achieved immortality by using a sample of the Bacchus Serum. Once immortal he eventually accrued enough belief to ascend as a result of attempting to use advanced technology to take care of a developing race on a previously undiscovered planet. After ascension he left his own reality and ended up in Orycto where he created the planet as an experiment before being contacted by Amadie who recognized his inexperience and offered to help show him the ropes.

Xyl

Also known as The Dread Bun, The Waking Shadow, She Who Walks in Entropy, or The Sleeping End. Xyl's depictions vary heavily but the most common themes are a black pelt or skin, five long curling horns, glowing blue eyes, and long lop ears. The greatest variations are usually in whether she is depicted as a bun. Often these traits will be attributed to a strange alien creature or even stated as simple symbolism for something bereft of any actual form. Worth noting is that the consistent traits are actually traits of her original form.

Xyl Worship

The Cold Den

Kit's of The Cold Den are the tribal vulp worshippers of Xyl. The religion originates with a legend that holds that the first vulp was born to a wild animal (usually the apex nonsentient predator of the region) and was cast out due to their strange appearance. The first Vulp crawled about the world starving and alone until finding a small den. The den was cold and they lay down expecting death but instead found the darkness within the den brought her strength and voices within the shadows gave her the cunning to survive. Eventually the shadows revealed themselves as Xyl and gifted dominion of the world to the vulp (or at least that's what the tribal vulps believe). Exact detail and even the names tend to vary from tribe to tribe but the overall tone is usually consistent to this. This is also usually the only common myth to the tribes as most others become filled with tribal histories and more regional beliefs. These additional myths are usually centered around the strength of the members of the tribe, depicting dangers as monsters jealous of Xyl's blessings and depicting anything helpful as one of those blessings or as a servant of Xyl.

The Cold Den emphasizes survival by cunning or strength and the unity of all vulps against a world that's out to kill them. As a result followers of this faith tend to view each victory against other creatures (typically during hunts) as a victory against an enemy and a divine blessing of sorts. They believe that a good vulp (cunning, strong, loyal member of the tribe) will be reborn as one of Xyl's children, great shadowy creatures that dart through the sky and whose eyes fill the night (the stars) bad vulps are believed to simply stop existing.

Worship is predominately through the daily tasks of survival but culminates at the end of each day with the Toujo Envi "Song of survival" a chanting call performed by the tribal shaman. As well there are typically marking ceremonies at a vulps major points in life (birth, adulthood, taking of a partner, etc) and a feast at the end of each season.

Major Taboos Include: The smelting of metal, eating other vulps, harming the tribe, or harming vulp children.

Major Symbols: A black swirl around a blue oval, black circles (In paint or dyed woven reeds), and crossed fangs of the regions apex predator.

Traditional Garb: Vulp shamans often wear skull or hide headdresses covered in beads and dyes along with numerous fetishes and bits of decorative jewelry.

Black Towers

The Servants of The Black Towers are the city vulp worshipers of Xyl. Like The Cold Den they hold that the first vulp was born from an animal and uplifted by Xyl. But the Black Towers say that the den saved the vulp by leading them deep into the ground to the caverns and tunnels filled with life and food. Unlike tribal vulps there's very little difference between The Servants from city to city and they hold a consistent set of myths that predominantly depict Xyl as a teacher and holder of secrets offering knowledge and wisdom to those studious enough to impress her or brave enough to uncover them.

The Servants emphasize thoughtful study, introspection, and the accumulation of knowledge. However they emphasize these as necessary traits to pursue an enlightened life and are believed to lead inherently to compassion and kindness towards others. They believe that vulps exhibiting these virtues are given a home in Tour Nores "The Black Towers" Xyl's otherworldly domain where each is granted a section of the towers as a home filled with all they could ever desire.

As a result of these beliefs The Servants are highly known for their kind and charitable behavior. Most of their temples have facilities specifically devoted to acting as orphanages, educational service, and soup kitchens.

Worship is mainly conducted through public readings of their holy texts the "10 Tomes of The Towers," a series of texts containing the accumulated wisdom of every high priest/priestess of the faith. Xyl tends to discourage direct prayers in favor of efforts towards self and community improvement.

The Servants have no major religious holidays but encourage participation in community celebrations such as a city's founding anniversary.

Major Taboos include: Most normal social taboos (murder, theft, etc), the destruction of knowledge, and the destruction of a craftsvulp's tools.

Major Symbols: A single black tower, 10 black lines, and Xyl's 5 horned head.

Traditional Garb: Long Black robes with borders colored to denote rank (Red-Novice, Green-Sibling, Purple-Superior, None-Head), the high priest traditionally instead wears only a black blindfold, a simple black loincloth, and a series of 10 (five on each arm) arm bands set with jet stones, and followers either wear a dark marking/dye across their eyes or a black band around their neck.

The Hidden Hall

The Worshipers in The Hidden Hall are both shadow buns and the piente. Though the shadow buns have moved past the point of religion and now longer participate. The origin of this states that Xyl and Lyx worked together to create the first buns who were divided both between the two of them and between their social roles with all of Xyl's buns taking up the roles of destruction or death (harvest, wood cutting, mining, funerary duties, etc) and all of Lyx's servants taking up the roles of life and creation (sowing, construction, sewing, medicine, etc). Eventually on of Lyx's followers became jealous and slew one of Xyl's buns. This degraded into a war in which Xyl's servants were all but wiped out (the few survivors fleeing to the world of shadows) and Lyx's servants punished for their cruelty by their leaders being driven to the inner world of the planet and cursed while the remainder where stripped of their civilized knowledge and driven to all ends of the surface to start anew. The Piente specifically claim that at the time their own race was created by Lyx to serve his own buns but during the schism they were freed by Xyl.

The Hidden Hall emphasize law and justice with the additional requirement that they keep secret those places where the inner world and the world of shadows intersect with the surface world of the buns. They believe that those who fail those ideal will be reincarnated and those that uphold to them receive eternal peace (most of their philosophers liken it to an eternal pleasant slumber[usually with a joke about a warm bed and a cup of soup]).

These beliefs cause The Hidden Hall to take on a major role in their society by providing the courts and keepers of the law. Paladins to this faith take up service with the local police/watch in their area.

Worship consists of sermons, usually over the statutes and rules of the religion, dances, and the burning of incense.

They celebrate the believed dates (using a calendar derived from fluctuations in a variety of fungus) of both the piente being freed and of the day they founded their first cities underground.

Major Taboos Include: The knowing violation of any civil law

Major Symbols Include: A circular celtic knot made of snakes, a depiction of Lyx and Xyl in a "yin-yang formation", and a large black blossom with a large dot of red on its center petal

Traditional Garb: White silk vests with blue linings and a stole denoting rank (green for beginners, red for intermediate, and black for full priests), followers typically wear a small black bracelet on their left arm.

Behind The Curtain

The following is not knowledge held by buns but reflects the actual background and nature of the entity known as Xyl.

Amadie(AD) was formerly an Imp in another life and world who, through virtue of some exception heroics and exceptional magics, ascended to immortality and eventually slid out into other realities to act as a deity. Amadie found an aptitude in that area for positions of a darker and ominous nature and frequently offers to take up a position as "The bad guy" to make for an easier time of things for other deities. In Orycto she has not only offered to play this role for Calthus but has also taken the position of guide and mentor to the much younger deity.