More gods than you can count!
The Numeric Faiths are a collection of related, mostly polytheistic religions with a common origin. They disagree (sometimes violently) on exactly how many of their gods belong in their shared pantheon. The Numeric Faiths are so-called due to the individual sects that believe in a given number of gods.
Tetrads worship four Gods, embodying four of the Court Elements (Iron, Thorn, Shadow and Solar). They are: The Smith (inorganics), The Great Mother (organics), Shindyne (magitek), Ohn (spirit). The Four are considered to have many demigod servants and para-mortal offspring and prefer to work indirectly. Tetrads believe the world fits into a classification of the four Elements. They regard Pentics as heretics.
Triads focus their worship on three Prime Gods, and believe all deities and supernatural beings are descendants (Aspects) of the Three Gods of Creation: Atalax the Gardener, Onendyne the Mason and Eizaleu the Artist. The Three each have three Aspects, which in turn have three Aspects, and so on.
Highly pluralistic, Triads believe that the other faiths are simply misguided followers of the Triad. They believe the gods to be highly personified, active and some believe they require sacrifices for appeasement. There are many sects of the Triads that worship one of the Triad primarily, these groups are referred to as Triadic cults.
Pentics share a pantheon with Tetrads but also believe in Muun (entropy / Rust), and worship her primarily. The Tetrads consider them heretics. Pentics are generally accepting of the other Numeric Faiths and have common ground with the Horizon-walkers of Event Horizon.
The second-smallest of the Numeric Faiths, only exceeding Monads in population. Dyads believe in just two, all-encompassing gods: the Judge and the Temptor. All things exist as an interplay of the binary of the two. The most philosophical (and least literal) of the faiths, and the second most popular religion. Dyads do not believe in “something from nothing”, they believe magitek comes from the Temptor exclusively. They believe in: two classes, life and death. Order and chaos.
Myriads are a term for followers of the Numeric Faiths who believe in more than five gods, or some other combination of gods not accepted by the other faiths listed here. Myriads are usually Triadic cults with Tetrad influences and are considered odd, but tolerated.
A radical fringe group of Numerics, the Monads believe in one all-encompassing God. They believe that the worship of other Gods divides the divine Body and prevents the unification of all life. The only thing all other Numeric Faiths agree on is that they all despise Monads as intolerant bigots. (OOG note: “By the Gods!” is still in-character for Monads, as it is after all, a curse.)
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