The three dominant faiths within Maquette are the Artisinal faiths.  Although they all ascribe to the same creation myth and hold generally similar beliefs about the nature of Maquette and issues such as possession, they have different views on the purpose of their faith.

The Artisans believe it to be their duty to educate the newly manifested lockettes and dexettes on the nature of Maquette, how they believe it was created, and how society should work.  They are the oldest sect, and have historically enjoyed the largest number of believers, although this has dwindled in recent centuries.

The Sculptors believe it is their duty to craft as many shells as possible, to make homes for new saura.  They see their work as the command of the Artist, and believe Her will is fulfilled by ensuring more lockettes manifest.  Although they are the second of the three Artisinal religions to have formed, they tend to have the smallest numbers.  Even dedicated shell crafters may not enjoy how rigid the Sculptor religion can be about how shells should be created and how they should look.

The Crafters are the youngest of the three religions, and typically are seen as the most flexible.  They believe that lockettes who desire to emulate the Artist should not endlessly repeat or speak of what she did, but that they should go out and create new things in Her honor.  Since becoming mainstream, they have generally supplanted Artisans as the largest of the three Artisinal religions, although recent centuries have also seen their numbers dwindle.

There are many other religions within Maquette, and books which cover them all better than this brief overview allows.  Still, knowledge of the Artisinal faiths in particular is deeply important to understanding Maquette’s culture and the tensions at play within it.