One of the unique aspects of Red Sun Rising is its reliance on mythology. For the most part, the mythology is original and inspired by African tribes, featuring a plethora of tricksters, gods and divine beings. Because beliefs vary from species to species, there is no one “true” interpretation – and because there are simply so many species living in the Kalahari, it is impossible for Red Sun Rising to provide a belief system for every one. We do, however, have belief systems for Kalahari desert lions, meerkats, wild dogs and hyenas, and players will be expected to more or less adhere to what has been written about them (the exceptions to this rule, of course, are atheists/nonbelievers and characters who do not originate from the Kalahari).
If playing an animal that does not have a defined belief system, players are free to come up with their own “religion” and apply it to that character if they so desire. This does not, however, make it the official belief system of that character’s species; just because one cheetah believes in a divine mongoose prophet does not mean that ALL cheetahs believe in a divine mongoose prophet.
Occasionally, staff will add to the list of “official” belief systems, depending on how popular a particular species is becoming. Don’t worry; if we decide to standardize the belief system of a species, then characters of that species who were created before the standardization will not be expected to conform to it.
If you are brave and would like to volunteer to write up a particular belief system for a particular species, please fill out the form found on Red Sun Rising’s website, or contact a member of staff.
From time to time, staff will be using the “official” gods, spirits and trickster figures in MUCK-wide plots. It is also worth noting that while even though every species’ religious interpretations are very different, they are all able to co-exist on a very basic level for the purposes of storytelling.
More Mythology:
See also: the Society and Culture pages