I really have appreciated how much people have responded to this thread, it has helped me go from entirely clueless newb to entirely clueless newb with a pretty good idea about where to go. Thanks, guys.

@Sam, i must agree that Sikhism takes badass to a level that few religions can, but I'm not sure how well it fits in with my idea of the second country. The ideas about subjective interpretation of history are also great, but i'm not quite to that point yet.


In the religion, I'm looking for something focused greatly on percieved purity within people and is especially violent/disapproving towards those with differing views, but is not a major religion today. Just to avoid pissing people off, homebrewed or fictional religions are best.

I've also decided to re-edit my historical monologue about the first empire. The First people, i have decided, assimilated with the newcoming people of the empire and taught them about magic, which in my campaign world is very limited and natural (no wizards, clerics heal and are casters. I'll do a post about that with the adjusted spell lists and errything). After a period of time in which the groups communicated and were friendly, the Religious Organization of the Empire decided that magic was the work of the Devil, and because the First People knew so much about it, they were devils themselves. This lead to the campaign that I did that massive post about, ending with the people leaving to cross the Mississippi, leaving a wall of shimmering air behind them, like a heatless haze, obscuring the far bank.

I'm working on spell lists now, expect the cleric/whatever one by thursday.