Author's Notes
Vestris & Elystra
This started as the idea of religion as a tool of oppression, but which still turned into a source of comfort for the oppressed.
What more effective way to keep slaves in line than to make them believe that it's their divine duty to serve and obey? What better way to make the masters feel justified than to tell them that it is their divine duty?
But, down the line, over the generations, it becomes an actual belief. The gods are believed into becoming. Generations of slaves pray to Elystra from strength to endure and serve. Masters pray to Vestris for power and slaves.
Over time, it moved from a tool of oppression to a way of life, to a real religion with real gods.
All in all, it's a cautionary tale. As Vonnegut said: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."