[tantric]

For me, the question becomes: Is it possible to build a sustainable society with TL3 tools? This may require more fantasy than just magic...but some of the societies from J. Diamond's Collapse came pretty close - New Guinea's highlands, a Pacific Island called Tikopia and Tokugawa Japan, which is why my society will be a blend of Polynesia and Japan.

Next, how to turn a nature religion in a world religion. Rather than using Buddhism, I want to go for a more challenging approach and use an Abrahamic religion as a basis. Of all of those, I'm thinking Baha'i is the most suitable. World religions tend to have canons, ascetics, organized priesthoods, messiahs or other sacred figures and a fairly patriarchical view. Nature religions tend to have none of this. Since I'm working with Tokugawa Japan as an inspiration, I will use Shinto as an inspiration along with the European Old Religion. Something like a blend of Shinto/Witchcraft that survived into the modern period as a minor faith then found a resurgence after ecological collapse and took on some of the traits of the original patriarchy as it expanded in its social role. The Old Religion will be associated with the royal family, which was marginalized during the nation's expansion then became a guiding light during it's recovery. Now the royal family is all Spiritblood and led by an Empress.

The Old Religion is monotheistic - only the Mother Goddess is divine. There are numerous spirits, most of which serve the Goddess. There are great spirits, like the Sun and Sea, archetypical spirits that represent human drives, like Love and War and genus loci spirits that embody certain revered areas, like mountains and waterfalls. During the Fall, many kami/genus loci spirits were defiled, their areas polluted and ravaged, and thus became insane and demonic. They became embodied and recruited defiled animals as their servants. Ultimately, the priests seek to redeem these demons by restoring their sacred areas and purifying their spirits, but in the mean time, their are orders of militaristic monks who fight them (druid-monks, yeah!). The humanistic spirits were heavily associated with the old regime, and now are not part of the official religion, but are retained in the folk religion as 'angels'.

Okay, here's a basic question: what is the physical cosmology like? I'd assume heliocentric with at least one moon. I'd prefer 365 day years, four seasons and five non-days, but the simplified 360 day year is also fine. If we want something a little fantasy, how about a distant companion sun, about 1/5 the brightness of a full moon but visible during daylight? That would add a little spice to the cosmology without being too out there.