The Paragons

The Paragons is the name given to the religion that has arisen worshipping the adventurers that arrived on Helias during The Rebirth.

Organization
The Paragons is a religion which has no official organized structure as well as no 'head' of the religion, and it is the job of the followers to interpret the stories and teachings of the local churches to come up with their own set of meaning and beliefs.

Because of the above, the religion is known to be a typically tolerant religion, and temples built to worship The Paragons are expressly available to any to worship however they please, and even open to worship of other religions and deities if they so choose.

Variants
Due to it's loosely organized nature, there is no single 'head' of the religion who has final say on the details of the beliefs. As a result of this, the religion has developed certain 'branches' that typically represent the beliefs of the followers in certain areas. This resulted primarily from the physical presences of Paragons in certain locations of the world. As a result of this, followers in those regions would typically be more effected by the Paragon who resided near them, and as a result connect more with that particular paragon, shaping their views of the religion. It is up to individual followers to choose which Paragons they identify with the most, and can choose to worship any of them, so the branches listed below are not hard categorizations but rather the tendencies of the majority of the followers in a region.

Western Branch
Followers of the Western Branch of The Paragons primarily consider Aarno and Swaffos to be the most powerful and important paragons due to their influence on the western world. As the above two were more directly integrated with the Habitants, the followers have a fierce belief that they see traits of their paragons in themselves, and as a result have culturally shifted towards the traits of these paragons such as ambition or (LIST OUT TRAITS). The followers have a much more literal belief of the teachings, as many of them have seen or met a Paragon, they almost universally agree on their existence and take the word of the church to be fact.

Northern Branch
Followers in the northern regions of Helias will more closely identify with either Scotto or Breannis. Due to the aforementioned paragons having a much more passive touch on their region of the world, followers of the northern branch are a lot less unified in their belief that the paragons truly exist, and view them more as spiritual guides and the teachings of the church are more believed to be metaphors and stories rather than historical accounts. This branch of the religion is the least organized of the branches and it is more of an 'understanding of the world' than a set religion itself in these regions.

Eastern Branch
Followers of the eastern branch of The Paragons will be influenced primarily by Battaro, Courtia, or Tegis. Due to this group of Paragons choosing to influence their region of the world heavily with wild and almost alien structures built based on their mysterious land of origin however not directly integrating and choosing to live separate from the habitants in their own commune, the followers of the eastern branch typically view The Paragons as mythical gods in a separate category from. Grand stories are crafted by followers depicting their shaping of the world and followers and their exploits defeating various mythological beasts and their life in the Commune of Paragons.

Cult of Ross
The only branch without a particular geographic region and the variant most unlike the others, the Cult of Ross typically considers Ross to be the prime Paragon. Although all the other branches typically view Ross as a 'cautionary tale' and a Paragon whose traits aren't to be emulated, the Cult of Ross views Ross as the only positive Paragon, and as such tend to follow actions similar to his, engaging in behaviors many nations regard as criminal. As a result of this, the Cult of Ross is the favored variant of the religion among less legitimate circles, and is the primary branch followed by those who engage in piracy.

The Pantheon
The adventurers who arrived in Helias during The Rebirth are referred to as The Pantheon. Each adventurer represents one paragon, and is famed for certain traits he or she possesses. These traits influence the powers the followers believe they have. There are 3 segments of the pantheon, the western, northern, and eastern segments, with Ross being known as a 'wanderer', not having settled in any known location. There are currently no known pantheon members in the south, and as a result The Paragons is a much less popular religion among the habitants of southern Helias.

Aarno
The Paragon of Ambition, Aarno is worshipped for his desires to always push for more and grand plans. Aarno is also known for the traits of diplomacy and being a stalwart defender of his subjects. Aarno is a member of the western segment of the pantheon, which consists of Aarno and Swaffos.

Swaffos
The Paragon of Modesty, Swaffos chooses to live a humble life rather than one of privilege. Swaffos is also known as the craftsman paragon, famed for his wide variety of tradeskills, as well as as his wisdom and sage advice. Swaffos is a member of the western segment of the pantheon, consisting of Aarno and Swaffos.

Battaro
The Paragon of Resilience, Battaro is famed for his abilities of revival, having completed the feat more than any other Paragon. He is also known as a vengeful god, and also famed for his generosity. Battaro is a member of the eastern segment of the pantheon, consisting of Battaro, Courtia, and Tegis.

Courtia
The Paragon of Animals, Courtia is known as the paragon closest with the animal world. Courtia is a member of the eastern segment of the pantheon, consisting of Battaro, Courtia, and Tegis.

Tegis
The Paragon of the future, Tegis is known for her construction of designs from the homeworld of the Paragons in designs that seem futuristic to the locals. Tegis is a member of the eastern segment of the pantheon, consisting of Battaro, Courtia, and Tegis.

Scotto
The Paragon of Nature, Scotto is worshipped for his connection with nature. Scotto is a member of the northern segment of the pantheon, consisting of Scotto and Breannis. Scotto is famed for having planted the World Tree, the largest tree in Helias. Ever since planting this tree, Scotto has not been seen directly by habitants of Helias, and it is believed that upon planting this tree, he fused with it and a part of him influences all of nature via a vast interconnected system of roots.

Breannis
The Paragon of Light, Breannis is thought to be the Paragon to be worshipped at every campfire. Breannis is a member of the northern segment of the pantheon, consisting of Scotto and Breannis.

Ross
The Paragon of Mischeif, Ross is known for his mischievous deeds and his noncompliance to the norms of the world. Ross is the only Paragon who does not belong to a known segment of the Pantheon, and he has been known to prefer to wander rather than settle down roots anywhere.

Leadership
There is no official 'head' of the Pantheon. Instead, the followers of this religion have different beliefs of the power levels of the Paragons based on their individual perceptions, mostly related to the geographic region they live in and are primarily influenced by the effect the adventurers the Paragons are based on have had on their specific location. The followers in the east typically consider Battaro to be the head of the Pantheon, followers in the north are more partial to Scotto or Breannis, and the followers in the west typically consider Aarno to be the head. Since the religion does not have a central figure or strict organization to dictate the official rulings on matters like these, it is left up to the followers to choose which Paragons they identify most with. Despite the disagreements about the statuses of each member of the Pantheon, the total number of Pantheon members are generally consistent for all followers and it is generally agreed that this roster of 8 are all the Paragons inhabiting Helias.

Presence in Helias
The Paragons is a religion with wide-ranging presence. It is strongest in the three areas closest to the settlements of the actual adventurers the paragons are based on, the Western branch centered in Swurnia, the Eastern branch centered in the Manbattan region of Mea, and the Norther branch based in the Northlands of Mea.

As a result of this, variants of The Paragons are the primary religion for the vast majority of Mea as well of for Swurnia, Pliphia, as well as certain regions of Lyos and Preke. The Paragons has sporadic followers in the other regions like Ecolira and Iunai, however other religions are more dominant there due to the lack of physical presence of the paragons in the south.