Cantorism

Overview
Cantorism is one of the three high religions of Armeran. The religion is completely based around music. It is the only known monotheistic throughout Armeran. Even so, Cantors are almost universally tolerant of other religions, recognizing their gods as real, but lesser than theirs, named Oelia. Cantors can be found all throughout Armeran, drinking, reveling, and playing their music for all to hear. They have no singular head of religion. They are instead ruled by the Oeliac Orchestra, a group consisting of 64 members that are dutied with playing on their most revered holidays.

Origin of the World
Cantors believe that in the beginning, nothing but Oelia existed. Suddenly, Oelia began singing. The first note brought light into the darkness. The second brought physicality, such as the stars, the ground, and the seas. The third note brought forth all living things: plants, animals, and all of the races. The fourth note brought all of the supernatural, the Trees of Power and their magical abilities and the divines.

Seeing all of this brought great joy to Oelia. She came down from her plane and lived amongst her creation in complete peace and harmony. She taught all of the races to sing and make music, and she was overcome with glee.

For a thousand years she lived with her peoples. They knew no war, no sickness, and no death. This was until a powerful dragon named Xeldrantim, the Destroyer Of Life, grew jealous of the intelligent races that Oelia loved so much. He attacked her by surprise, and while his blistering flames and massive claws were incapable of harming her, they did shock her, and the sound she emitted when startled was impure.

The note rang out over the mortal realm. As her first four notes had brought so much beauty into the world, the fifth brought equal destruction. Lightning crashed down from the sky, magma boiled up from beneath the ground, disease spread rampantly, and her creations began feuding, aging, and dying,

Oelia saw what was happening. She watched in awe as her world crumbled before her. And just as it seemed that all hope was lost, she heard a voice ring out in rightous melody. She looked down to see a small girl, singing beautifully as the realm collapsed around her. And Oelia began singing, too. The evils ravaging the world began to cease. Volcanoes' violent eruptions cooled to bubbling simmers, the heavy clouds in the sky began to clear, and sunlight began to spill over the land once again.

She looked around. She saw the tattered world around her, and with a tear in her eye, she ascended back to her plane. Her creations listened as her sweet melody grew more and more distant, before finally fading away into complete silence.

These peoples would become the first Cantors. They saw how her song was capable of bringing the world to order and peace, and so to this day, they continue singing, longing for the world that had come before.