Sortisism

, sometimes Sortism, is a  that originated in the second century BCE in southwestern Alutra. It remains a significant religion in Ovezia, Ventora, and Watan despite heavy Jarader influence in the western Abayadi basin. As a religion, Sortisism has become highly structured and centralized with its headquarters in Plenas, the of Ventora. The religion is based on the interpretation and meaning of, particularly in the form of the three , from which the religion takes its name. Although regionally popular, the religion's adherents comprise about 2.3% of the global population.

Basic tenets
Largely ritualistic, Sortisist practices focus on inferring the will of the gods as manifestations of the Sorti in an effort to discern destiny. The Book of Rituals, called Teletourgión, guides worship and divination services. Services take place in a temple called a pantheon so as not to exclude or dishonor any god whose influence might be desired. The fundamental doctrine of Sortisism focuses on the interrelationships and independence of the gods subject to the regulation of the Fates. On the Nature of the Realms (342 BCE), although not considered definitive, is the closest treatise the religion has to a. The work is credited to Nesur Zana y Gibosa, a 4th century BCE religious figure who spent much of his life compiling the various oral traditions into a more unified framework.

The Fates
The Sorti (singular: Sortis) are distinct from the deities. The Sorti are supranatural and supradeitic, transcending both yet affecting both in the manner in which destiny comes to pass. The Sorti observe activities for positive and negative efforts and even thoughts, balancing their weight in the process of shaping outcomes&mdash;a person's Luck. Despite this ostensibly free will, the ultimate destiny cannot be changed. Followers hold this is neither nor preordaining in that man or the gods can sometimes influence the manner in which destiny occurs.

Each Sortis has a role in the manner in which destiny unfolds. Their roles are complex and imprecise. To help understand them, the analogy of life as comparable to an onion developed..
 * Coka guides the genesis of the onion, influencing its germination and sprouting, thus determining fertility and birth
 * Aglaia affects the growth and bulb development of the onion, including size and flavor, similar to the manner in which an existence transpires
 * Kleio governs the susceptibility of the onion to pests, pestilence, and seniscence, accordingly regulating pain, the exact time and manner in which life ceases, and legacy

Deities
The deities represent various aspects of the physical world and characteristics of beings, especially humans. The gods cannot escape the sway of the Sorti any more than man can. Although the gods can be influenced, such as praying for rain or victory in battles, destiny is immutable. The effort, therefore, seeks to moderate the manner of the eventual outcome. For example, a man cannot change the fact he will die, but how he lives his life can influence his place in the afterlife and, with proper intercession, the gods may be influenced concerning the death experience.

While the gods have command over their realms, which are at the mercy of their god, control of the realms by the gods is not absolute. Each of the realms can be influenced by other realms. In addition to interactions between the realms, whether initiated by the gods or man's endeavors, the Sorti choreograph those interactions to derive the intended destiny. For example, rains from the water realm can wash away soils from the earth realm just as man could build structures to control the flow of rivers yet the Sorti could cause such a structure to fail.

Physical gods
The physical gods have preeminence over the major components of the universe:

Characteristic gods
Attributes of beings, especially man, fall under the dominion of the characteristic gods.

Afterlife
Sortisists generally believe in places for their souls in the afterlife. The virtuous will be rewarded with a place of serenity while the damned will be doomed to an eternity of torment.

Dicta
The Dicta of Sortisism establish the structure and general practices of the religion. They provide for the geographic organization, hierarchy, and governance of Sortisism.

Organization
Congregations of Sortisists form a parish as the primary organizational element with a congregatory as their meeting place. Each parish is led by an abbot who may be assisted by one or more deacons. A large parish may have deacons who focus their talents toward a specific god or gods, particularly efforts at deducing their will.

A group of parishes comprise a diocese under the guidance and administration of a presbyter. All of the dioceses are members of and subject to the Sortis Synod, the governing body of the religion.

Patriarch
The Sortis Synod is itself is subject to the day-to-day oversight of the patriarch who is the spiritual leader of worldwide Sortisim. With supremacy in all theological and devotional matters, the patriarch serves for life or until retirement or inability to fulfill the duties of office. The current patriarch is Rodolfito Leocadio de Arreola Martínez.

Upon a vacancy, a convocation of all presbyters nominate candidates for the patriarchy and the grandee, who is the titular head of the Synod, makes the appointment from among those candidates. Although there is no requirement for the patriarch to be Ventoran, he has traditionally been so. Similarly, the patriarch may be male or female, but has always been male since the majority of presybters are male.

Grandee
As titular head of the Sortis Synod, the role of grandee is largely ceremonial. Its most significant authority is the selection of the patriarch from among candidates presented by a convocation of presbyters when a vacancy occurs.

The position of grandee originally served to tie customary faith traditions with the formation of by granting the secular leader a role in religious matters. Notably, the grandee does not have sanction to influence religious matters which are the prerogative of the patriarch. This distinction permits non-Sortisists to serve as the titular head of the religion.

Following the formation of the Kingdom of Ventora in 956, the grandee was the monarch of Ventora. Historically, the majority of Ventoran monarchs have been Jaraders. Since the 1961 royal train derailment in which King Florián III and the entire royal family were killed, the regent of Ventora has served as grandee in the stead of the monarch. Isidro Duarte Arias, a Sortisist, is the current grandee.

History
Sortisism has its foundations as several similar folk religions in southwest Alutra from around the second century BCE. As trade began to grow, the practices spread. With the introduction of the concept of the nobility and larger, more hierarchical governance through the Haksar tributary system in the last half century BCE, Sortisism became more structured.

While Haksar influence resulted in H'Ejrad becoming more dominant in Ventora's coastal regions, inland areas continued to practice Sortisism. As the religion became more centralized, it led to nobles competing to send further afield to expand the number of adherents and, by extension, grow their own influence in regional affairs. Sortisism was also spread by Ventoran trade and subsequently by continuing trade and migrations even further eastward.