The Lifegiver

The Lifegiver is the supreme God: The creator of all Life, the lord of light, and the king of the universe. What is known of him is mostly derived from the original creation myth of Zëmel, the Manahariad, as well as His continued revelation to the people of Zëmel through history. Akan, the primordial demon, is his enemy.

Account of the Manahariad
According to the Manahariad, the Lifegiver was first called the Lonely God before His creation of the universe, because He was alone in the universe and created living things so that He might love them. The Lonely God then kindled the stars and was known as the Lightgiver. Then, after the creation of the rest of the universe, the planets, and the life upon them, he attained his most widely-known title as Lifegiver.

In more modern theology, all three of these titles are still used:

The Lonely God: No longer does this signify his loneliness in the universe, but rather, his status as the one and only true God.

The Lightgiver: For the creation of the stars, the sun, the moon, and all other things which bring light.

The Lifegiver: For, of course, his creation of all living things.

The Manahariad also introduces the story of Akan. Created by the Lifegiver as one of the Shovani, or angels, to serve as messengers to his earthbound children, Akan was driven mad by jealousy. He rebelled, by twisting the Lifegiver's power over living things. It was Akan who created the Black Arts - necromancy. He introduced it to the people under his care and was cast by the Lifegiver from the Pillars of Eternity for his transgression.

Later Revelation
The necromantic Cult of Akan grew stronger on Zëmel after the events of the Manahariad. Before long, strong necromancer lords had risen up and established dominion over almost the entire planet. Those who remained faithful to the Lifegiver needed a savior. That savior came in the form of Gaudatas, the Winterking. Gaudatas was the first of many Prophet-Heroes, raised up by the Lifegiver to save His faithful in times of crisis.

The Lifegiver has ordained that each Prophet-Hero will prophesy their successor and, in some cases, the preceding Prophet-Hero has trained his successor. It is through this cycle of prophesy, and preparation for the new Prophet-Hero, that the Lifegiver continues to make Himself known through the world.

The Bright Arts
As opposed to Akan's Black Arts, the Bright Arts are the intervention of the heavenly power of the Lifegiver on Zëmel. In essence, miracle-working. The Bright Arts are not something that one "practices", as one might say of the Black Arts, but rather, they are powers which are entrusted to holy men and women - including the Prophet-Heroes and some of their followers. Miracles of the Lifegiver can manifest themselves in various ways - from dramatic control of weather and the elements, to simple courage and strength in the face of adversity.

The Lifegiver in Lyonesse
The Lifegiver is also widely worshiped in Lyonesse, especially in the north. Their theology and belief is mostly the same as that of their counterparts in Nostvar. However, the Mazdaki, far to the south, have taken a different (some would say heretical) perspective on the Lifegiver.

Ohrmazd?
Ohrmazd is the name which the Mazdaki use to refer to the Lifegiver. In their own dualistic cosmology, which differs from the orthodox teaching, the Lifegiver and Akan (whom they refer to as Ahriman) exist as counterparts to one another, equal in power and scope. At the same time Ohrmazd created all that was good, Ahriman created evil. While Ohrmazd worked in light, Ahriman crafted the darkness. In the earliest days of men, Ahriman took over the good creation that the earth had been and corrupted it, turning it to darkness. Thus it is man's ultimate destiny to transcend the corrupted material world and enter the spirit world, where all is goodness and light.

Naturally, this has been perceived by orthodox followers of the Lifegiver as a heresy, and has resulted in several centuries of religious warfare between the Mazdaki and the many kingdoms of the north. Whether those old grudges will persist or be set aside amidst the current crisis remains to be seen.