Cyirosi Temple

The Cyirosi Temple is led by the Archbishop of Ifram Oleion (currently Salaryo Manticas) who is based as the Crystal Grotto set into the mountains south of the fortress of Ifram Oleion. The Archbishops of Ifram Galenon, Ifram Dayaros, Somnerio, Bastanon and Vasta Mantera make up the remaining members of the Cyirosi Synod. Each archbishop oversees a number of bishops (typically around 5) who each lead a Grotto or Cavern. Similarly, each bishop oversees a priest who heads a Grotto, Cavern or Chapel. Even very small communities have their own priest.   The archbishops are also landowners and feudal lords whose relationships with the rest of the feudal hierarchy is extremely complicated. Most bishops are also landowners and some priests are too.

The Cyirosi Pantheon appears to have been worshipped in pre-Amalorian times although details from that time are unclear. A few Amalorian era records tell of Amalorian crusades to stamp out the worship of the Cyirosi gods though their worship is likely to have continued in secret throughout the imperial period. The worship of the Cyirosi gods has revived over the centuries since the fall of Amalor. The movement has been particularly buoyed by the fact the the three great fortresses (Ifram Oleion, Ifram Galenon and Ifram Dayaros) survived mostly unscathed despite a number of large earthquakes since 1000BU.   There is some evidence that the Cyirosi gods were originally associated with the rivers that flow through the territory and that their chthonic nature is a secondary development due to the important of the springs from which the rivers stem. During the Amalorian tyranny, the people of occupied Cyiros were only able to worship their gods in secret cave-temples or in the mines where their Amalorian overlords forced them to extract Cyiros' great mineral wealth.   In the last 400 years, the Cyirosi gods have additionally become associated with wells (another underground source of life-giving water) and many wells throughout Cyiros now serve as shrines.

The Cyirosi priesthood teaches that the world was created by three groups of Gods: the Gods of the Sea (called the Semnasri in Cyirosi), the Gods of the Sky (called the Ostorani in Cyirosi) and the Gods of the Land (called the Adari in Cyirosi). Each group build their part of the universe and set it apart from the rest.   In the Cyirosi mythology, the spirit world (called Solmadar or 'the deep lands' in Cyirosi) is eternal. The Ostorani created the sky first. They also created the sun, moon and stars and set them into the firmament. The Ostorani also created the spirits, the praise and glorify their creation. They built a great palace in the sky from which to rule over the universe they had built and they rested there.    Then the Semnasri came and created the vast ocean. The Semnasri created all life to fill the great ocean they had made. They also created the Espirion  people. Then they went into the depths of the sea to rest. And many spirits went into the ocean to glorify the Semnasri while they slept.   Last came the Adari who created the land. And many creatures from the sea came onto the land and dwelt there. And many spirits went onto the land to glorify the Adari. The Adari brought the Espirion out from the ocean and gave them dominion over the land they had built. Then they went into the Halls Under the Mountain (called Mornasfor) to rest.    The Cyirosi priests teach that the Espirion once worshipped the Semnasri who created them but that the Sea Gods were disinterested in the land and so the people turned away. Then, many turned to the Ostorani, who were worshipped by the Amalorians. However, the Ostorani were prideful and subjugated the people.    Some turned to the Adari who protected and cared for them. At the height of the Amalorian empire, the Adari cast the Ostorani into Solmadar and locked them there to save the people. This, the Cyirosi temple holds, caused the falled of Amalor.