Kiirutheism

Kiirutheism, derived from the Progenitor word 'Kiir', ruler or lord, and -theism, the belief in deific figures, is a religious belief centering around a pantheon of Terran deities derived, at least in part, from Askari War and Scourge War heroes. This belief is normally practiced by the Painted Legions, but adherents exist in a number of societies of varying development, often with modified doctrines.

What is a God...?
What constitutes Godhood varies from faith to faith, obviously. For Kiirutheists of different cults, even, the reasoning for the divinity of their pantheon is different. All agree that Amun-Kiir's incredible intellect and responsibility for much of the Terran-derived life in the galaxy are divine traits, but some worship the Maker for her defense of and devotion to humans, while others- and even some nonhumans and non-Evocati posthumans do this- worship her prowess at strategic warfare.

The general theological consensus is that a Kiirutheistic God must be autocratic to some degree- the Pantheon always has Amun-Kiir as ruler and various others at appointed duties in a form of divine bureaucracy or tribal hierarchy- and must at least nominally be in favor of humanity. All are said to have supernatural abilities, and many are said to be impervious to 'mortal' weaponry, though of course the status of such resistance to weaponry is hotly debated. Painted Evocati, who consider themselves the direct children of Amun-Kiir, certainly manifest a marked resistance to small arms and regenerative capability tied in part to their 'ichor', the black nano-fluid which replaces blood in their bodies.

It is for this and other reasons that deific status is argued over. Are the Gods truly supernatural beings, or merely of a specially advanced level of technology? If the latter, are they truly Gods? Over especially this last issue, argument has broken out and created dozens of different ideologies: The Brotherhood of the Aegis hold that Humans must merely prove themselves worthy of being raised to divine status; other more extreme offshoots have pursued self divination to achieve power.

Overall, the status of the Gods, where they went, and their divine(?) plans for humanity and the rest of the Galaxy are a matter of open debate and one of the many, many social issues at work in known space. Absolutely forbidden is appealing to arms in the pursuit of such a debate; as Curator Vipsanius, a White Legion scholar once noted, "It was a mark of the Lightless times when Man would murder Man in order to find something worth worship. We should (...) be above such savagery."

The Pantheon
Amun-Kiir: Creator and Lord/Lady. Considered to be the head of the divine court much as the Director is the head of Terra. A being of great cunning and personal skill, the mighty Goddess- Amun-Kiir's form is most generally that of a tall and dark-skinned human female- has her greatest virtue in her ability to appraise the power and alacrity of others. It is for this reason, the legend holds, that the Gods of Man were raised up to perpetuate Terran glory. She is the Goddess of War in its strategic aspect, the Shaper of Stars, and receiver of the Dead. Typically, Amun-Kiir is depicted wearing a simple set of close-fit robes or battle-tunic and cloak, wielding a bolt of lightning or a war-staff. The Pantheonic Statues in the Mara-Knur Enclave depict the Goddess leaning forward to offer a scroll wreathed in flames.

Esarhaddon: The Black Whisperer, first child of Amun-Kiir. Amun-Kiir's supreme general and a lover of warfare above all, his iconographic representation varies from two red eyes in inky darkness to a humanoid synthetic-morph figure with a face evidently constructed of reflective ferroplast, which always shows a scene from somewhere in the galaxy. Esarhaddon is the Formless God of War in its aspect of violence and direct force, and the watcher of all things in humanity's domain.

The Twins: The wielders of Flame in its most wild and uncontrolled aspect, representing Chaos given purpose. Spies, assassins and in direct opposition to Fate, the Twins are always depicted together, one a statuesque being of apparently female form, modified heavily with biological and mechanical augmentations, the other a being of fairly slender and androgynous form, often with strictly practical clothing and depicted with the Progenitor rune marking for the concept of speed. Both warriors wield what appear to be cyberclaws.

Malleus: Meaning 'Hammer', the forge-master of the Gods and maker of Amun-Kiir's divine designs. Often shown in conversation with the Lord over a laboratory table; many such statues and paintings depict this or that fantastic device. Said to be able to form anything with a broad range of material, artifacts said to be built by Malleus are most often fine quality and specially modified versions of a more basic, mass produced design. Most often a tall, heavily segment-armored synthmorph, but sometimes attired in the manner of an Old Terra scientist, human shape and all.

Adrasteia: 'Inescapable', the Goddess of Thunder, Rage and Humanity. Typically believed to be a divine Evocatus, based on depictions of her in Lorica Mark Twelve combat armor. Originally shown wielding a rifle or short-blade; more modern depictions show the deity wielding a hammer, and painted forms usually have her armor bearing all of the colors of the Legions in stripes from top to bottom. Renowned in myth for battling all manner of monstrous beast and the great menace of the Scourge.

Shayar: A daughter of Amun-Kiir. Originally demi-divine, the Ur-God Lumen shattered her mind into a thousand pieces. The pieces were subsequently gathered by Malleus and put back together, where the guidelight served as a font of knowledge in her recovery. As a reward for her endurance, Amun-Kiir raised her to full divinity. She is the Goddess of Tricks and Guile, a playful scout, spy and crafter of jokes and vexations. A non-malevolent prankster, Shayar has a great habit of nonviolently irritating the pantheon's enemies with feints and illusions.