Aeséni cults

The Aeséni cults is an umbrella term for the various shamanistic religions of the Aeséni.

Shared principles and common traits
The Aeséni give their dead sky burials. and believe in reincarnation. They divide the world into three domains: the Sky, the Earth and the Underworld, with their deities living in the Sky (gods of light, fire, lighting, divination, necromancy, war wind and mental health) and the Underworld (the gods of fertility, death, hunt, water, earth, darkness, shadow, wealth, metal and physical health). The aforementioned chthonic underworld gods abhor the undead and immortality, while their celestial equivalents do not. It is believed, that one has to pass all three domains of the world to reincarnate, and those who fail the trials get stuck - but only non-Aeséni tend to fail.

The Aeséni is one of the few in the world that does not consider the undead to be evil. It is believed, that if someone dies the "wrong way", their soul remains united with their body until someone raises their body as undead, after which the soul reincarnates - in contrast, if someone died the "right way", they say united with the body for a few days, then automatically reincarnate. The aforementioned undead come in different flavours, with each type having its own prey (e.g. some start fires, others kidnap children, etc.). The so-called "natural undead" (such as ghosts) aren't believed to be evil - instead, they are considered to be creatures that give birth to animals, clean trees from parasites, help the forests and save people when they are in danger. Artificial undead don't attack their own tribe - it is acceptable for the Aeséni to practice necromancy.

All settlements have a Chthonic Shaman dedicated to the worship of the chthonic underworld deities, and a Sky Shaman dedicated to the worship of celestial deities, practicing Necromancy.