Fallen Empire: Religion - The Arrioist Heresy

Arrioist Heresy

The fundamental schism between the Orthodox Belinist faith and the Arrioian sect (known to Orthodox theologians as the “Arrioan Heresy”) centers upon the place of the alleged prophet Arrio, known to his followers as the Right Hand of God. When the first prophet Pavek was writing the earliest books of the Compact of Pavek, he penned a passage that has fomented the deep divide in the followers of the One God. Orthodox scholars of the One God had always recorded Pavek’s lines as saying:

There will be the sum of eight prophets. After me they will come with the teachings and lessons of the One God. Remember you well that the message spoken by the last after me shall be held paramount by all those who are truly faithful.

This brief passage was held to have a self-evident meaning to the Orthodox priests. Pavek foretold that there would be eight true prophets. This number was interpreted to include Pavek. In other words, after Pavek, there would only be seven more true prophets. It seemed to those few who were adherents to the faith that the next few hundred years bore out the words of the First Prophet. In rapid succession the prophets came forward as predicted with their lessons to the growing number of faithful. Olav, Rurik, Ilisa, Tewdwr, Maurelle, Llyn, and Duana each revealed themselves and expanded upon and refined the works of the First Prophet.

The interpretation of Pavek’s message was challenged in the years following the ministry of Duana. During the Age of Imperium, Reynaldo Funesto, a theologian, historian and linguist from Pocolugara transcribed the words of Pavek in a slightly different manner that completely changed the meaning of the passage:

There will be the sum of eight prophets after me. They will come with the teachings and lessons of the One God. Remember you well that the message spoken by the last after me shall be held paramount by all those who are truly faithful.

A handful of followers of the One God began to search for what they believed would be the final prophet that would deliver the most important lessons of the One God. Splinter sects began to sprout up as various claimants to the title of Final Prophet began to assert their divine inspiration. In the eyes of the Orthodox faith these splinter sects were both dangerous and heretical, and it worked assiduously to stamp them out whenever they arose. Pointing to another passage written in the Compact of Pavek, the leaders of the Orthodox faith condemned the splinter groups:

Beware thee those false prophets held under the sway of the beguiling deceivers, for they will lead you astray and into damnation and wickedness in the eyes of the One God.

When the tormented and possibly insane prophet Arrio proclaimed his divine visions and began teaching the terrifying visions of punishment for the unfaithful who had strayed from the absolute edicts of God’s law, he was condemned as yet another false prophet. But his message took stronger hold than the other leaders of splinter sects. His vision of faith came during the depths of the Age of Tyranny, when the Orthodox church had been subverted by the Lich Lords, and his message of a harsh and unforgiving deity demanding atonement from mortals struck a deep chord among many people. Arrio drew more adherents than any other splinter sect had before, and soon his preaching became a true threat to the Orthodox faith and by extension, the Imperium and its rulers the Lich Lords.

So, the debate centers around one question – nine prophets or only eight. Was the statement, “there will be eight prophets”, or, “there will be eight more prophets”? Is Arrio simply a false prophet, or is he the last and most important messenger of the One God described by Pavek? The Arrioists answer this question one way, Orthodox Belinist theologians answer in the other.

As a prophet of the One God, Arrio was different from the prophets who had preceded him. The first difference is temporal: The first nine prophets all appeared within a few centuries during what is now referred to as the Age of Prophecy. By contrast, Arrio did not appear for almost a millennium after the last of the eight had died, during the waning days of the Age of Tyranny. The second distinction concerns the nature of the visions revealed to Arrio. Contrary to those of earlier Belinist holy prophets, Arrio’s prophecies spoke of a deity impatient with a humanity that had failed to heed the teachings of the previous eight prophets. The One God seen through Arrio’s eyes is a vengeful and angry deity who demands strict obedience and discipline, doling out harsh punishments for even the smallest transgression. Members of the sect are required to reject the lessons of forgiveness and mercy as the way of the One God, and show no tolerance for sin.

Belin has faded to the background in the Arrioist faith. He is still referred to as Su Alteza Dios, but has become essentially a figurehead emperor. The central figure to the faith is the prophet Arrio, referred to by the faithful as the Right Hand of God, or simply the Right Hand. Alternatively Arrio is referred to as the Santo Juez for all who seek to approach the grimly depicted Belin must first pass through Arrio’s unpitying gaze. Among the dwellers of the Heulwen Sea, Arrio is variously referred to as Y Cyfraith Rhoddur or Y Mawr Diawl, depending on how the speaker feels about the Right Hand. In liturgy, Arrio is served by a large staff of spirit assistants to help him judge the dead and send them on their reward in the afterlife: Damnation for many, retribution for most others, or paradise for a precious few. Paradise consists of either joining Arrio’s judges or the heavenly congregation that forever praises the One God. Arrioism promises salvation from Hell and safety from Fallen Lords and their servants, including the Lich Lords.

Arrioism demands absolute loyalty from its followers and does not accept or tolerate the existence of other faiths. The Holy Judge is a jealous and intolerant figure as the holy visions bestowed upon him were sent by a deity who is impatient with mankind for failing to adhere to the laws and teachings sent before. His followers will try to eradicate other religions and convert unbelievers - at sword point if necessary. The basic tenets include reverence for Arrio and the law and the destruction of other false religions. Although this faith was originally an offshoot of the Orthodox faith, Arrioians condemn followers of that religion as heretics and pariahs, who are to be hunted down and killed whenever found. It is an austere faith with solid and impressively sized but somewhat plain religious buildings. Many things are forbidden to worshippers of this religion – women are barred from the clergy, believers may not consort with non-Arrioian mystical creatures, or followers of other faiths, and so on.

The faith is very legalistic and within the church form is generally more important than substance, and order and power are more important than justice. Arrioians believe that Belin requires sacrifices of money, blood, and glory to appease his eternal wrath. The clergy within the church are organized into a strict hierarchy and rankings are scrupulously observed. The Armadiosas, Encuestaros and Canon troops are rigidly ranked and organized as well. For all of its other faults, the church is very much a meritocracy as it relies upon the abilities of its members for survival in the face of enemies from within and without.

The most frequent religious ritual of the Arrioian Church is the Ofrenda, which is observed at least once per month by every Arrioian community. The central figure is the Suplente, which may be a person or more typically an animal. Throughout the ritual, the priest leading the Ofrenda invests the Suplente with the sins and transgressions of the worshippers and charges it with carrying the pleas of the faithful to the Santo Juez. At the end of the ceremony, the Suplente is ritually sacrificed by puncturing its throat and allowing the blood to wash over the altar, symbolically cleansing the sins of the faithful. The human Suplentesos are usually condemned criminals given a chance at redemption by participation in the ritual, but are occasionally innocent people chosen by the clergy.

For two months of the year the faithful observe the Camarero, a time of religious fervor that is designed to remind worshipers of the privation and suffering endured by Arrio when he was granted his visions. During this time, Arrionians abstain from eating meat, and many eat only the ritual food of wild onions and berries with bitter herbs and corn meal bread that Arrio is said to have subsisted upon during his visionary period. This period of time is for reflection and contemplation rather than action and most Arrionians will undertake no radically new task during this period. For example, while a blacksmith will accept new ironwork during the Camarero, he would not decide to put aside his hammer and take up the priesthood. Priests usually spend most of their time meditating during the Camarero, usually asking for the correct answers to questions or proper solutions to thorny problems to be revealed by God. If a new Cardenal must be selected by the Consejo, they meet during this time to decide who should fill the position. Initiates who are ready to join the priesthood or Armadiosas ready to undertake their final test do so during this time.

Once per year, on the accepted anniversary of Arrio’s death, which is coincidentally the last day of the Camarero, the church holds its high holy ritual, the Celebracione Muerte, an observance that always features a human Suplente. The observance celebrates the moment that God took his faithful Right Hand to his divine court to serve as the judge of souls and is a time for new beginnings. New members of the holy orders are invested, promotions within the priesthood take effect, children born during the previous year are named, life changing decisions are made, new treaties are declared and new wars are begun.

There are three accepted holy sites for the faithful. The first is the holy city of the Teocracia, Almagloria. Not only was Almagloria formerly the seat of the Patriarchs, but it is also the location where Arrio purportedly began his ministry and taught the truths of God as revealed to him before he was condemned and imprisoned by the Patriarch for heresy. It was in Almagloria, both before and during his imprisonment that Arrio wrote the Holy Scriptures detailing the laws of God. The second is Rojopiedra, where Arrio died an outcast high in the Barrera Mountains of Oropais Isle. The site is now marked by a red rock neighboring the Facultad where the most favored and wealthy Arrionians study law, theology, the power of God, and a myriad of other subjects. Finally, the third holy site is the Gloriasitio, located in the rocky hills of Pocolugara where Arrio is said to have had his three month long series of visions that revealed to him the will of God. This site is now covered by the religious fortress Roca de Dios, maintained by the Armadiosas as a training site for initiates into the order of warrior-monks.

At both Rojopiedra and Gloriasitio the Ofrenda is performed every day as many of the faithful make a pilgrimage to each at least once in their lifetime and many journey there more often than that. The ceremony of the Ofrenda is usually performed by local priests. On the Celebracione Muerte each of these sites features a large number of sacrifices and impressive displays of faith and devotion.

The colors associated with Arrioism are red and purple, and the symbol of the faith is a single red arrow pointing upward on a purple field. In battle priests and devotees of this faith are expected to be merciless in nature and remorseless in action. All people who do not bow down to the power and glory of the Fielidor are regarded as heretics and members of the clergy are required to convert or eliminate them. Arrioians warriors going into battle against nonbelievers usually dedicate the souls of their fallen foes to the Right Hand so that their dying blood will wash the earth clean where it had been stained by their infidel footsteps.

Church Structure

The head of the church is the Fielidor who has unquestioned authority over the entire faith. Unlike the Orthodox Church, the Arrioans maintain that spiritual guidance must always be backed by temporal power, and have maintained the church's entwinement with politics - in fact, the doctrine of the Arrioist Church is that the church and the government are one, and church leaders must also lead the state. As such, the Fielidor is not only the supreme head of the faith, he is also the ruler of the Teocracia, the political body encompassing all the areas where the arrioans hold sway.

The Cardenal is ranked second in theological authority and is the successor to the Fielidor. Although he outranks all other members of the religious order, the special responsibility of the Cardenal is the Pregunta. Below the Cardenal is the Consejo, a body of nine powerful and faithful priests who bear the title Consejal. This body advises the Fielidor and Cardenal and helps rule over the vast holdings of the Teocracia by holding various administrative offices within the hierarchy of the government. The Consejo also elects a new Cardenal when the position is vacant.

Territory directly held by the Teocracia is divided into provinces of varying sizes and ruled over by Arzobispos or Obispos selected by the Consejo. All territory that owes the church allegiance (directly or indirectly), is divided into military districts which are administered by military governors appointed by the Fielidor. Within areas directly ruled by the Teocracia, the boundaries of military districts and provinces are usually coterminous and the military governor will defer to the authority of the ecclesiastical ruler of the area. In areas indirectly ruled by the Teocracia, the boundaries of the military districts are usually drawn with local political conditions in mind and military governors are assigned a religious advisor to keep their actions in accord with the will of the Fielidor.

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Fallen Empire: Religion - Dvas'tiesan Mysticism

Dvas'tiesan Mysticism

Spirit of Truth

Dvas'tiesan Mysticism, commonly referred to as Tiesan Mysticism, is a specific expression of druidism that arose among elvenkind during the Age of Tyranny. This faith holds that divinity is simply the sum total of living creatures. They hold nature to be sacred as it is the primary component of the Living Spirit. The tenets of this faith form more of a belief in an ideal than the worship of a concrete deity. This faith is especially prevalent among elves, and most members of that race adhere to this creed. Outside of the elves, the faith is fairly rare, but some mages, a number of khülen and a handful of half-elves adhere to the philosophy. It is a secretive religion and takes any actions outside of elven communities quietly and without drawing notice to itself.

The religion is associated with the number four, and the symbol of the faith is a four pointed silver star on a white field. Druids devoted to this philosophy may be identified by their silver and gray robes adorned with the symbol of the faith. The faith holds the moon to be sacred, and the holy days of the religion are the full and new moons of each month, as well as the equinoxes of the year. The sign of the faith is a raised palm turned outwards with four upraised fingers.

This faith was founded by elves who allied themselves with friendly khülen in opposing the machinations of the Lich Lords. Although the cult started small and was by necessity secretive due to the rampaging hordes of the Empire, it slowly grew in size, becoming popular among the bands of khülen living alongside elves who gravitated to the naturalistic faith that also attracted many humans and other elves. There are four maxims that set forth the fundamental tenets of the faith, and as a result, the number four is holy to members.

First, followers are expected to always be accountable for their actions. The most important religious ceremony a member of the Dvas’tiesa can participate in is the Circle of Truth. In this ritual, all members gather together in a circle and one by one each speaks the truth of any wrongs he has done and bathes his head with a cup of cool water. After ritually washing away the sin of falsehood, the follower vows to take whatever action seems appropriate in order to repair the wrong. Any member of the circle may challenge the oath as being too weak.

The second tenet requires that adherents only destroy what is absolutely necessary for the preservation of the goals of the religion. While they do not shrink from conflict if it is forced upon them, no Tiesist will seek out a fight if it is not an absolute necessity. In addition, they will avoid unnecessary destruction when they do fight and will become outraged at wanton rapacity or cruelty.

The third tenet of the faith requires that Tiesists preserve and restore the natural world. They are fundamentally conservationists, and seek to repair the damage sentient creatures have done to the natural world. They will attempt to replace cut trees, and rebuild forests and natural areas. In addition, they believe that it is easier to preserve something than it is to rebuild it, so they are very protective of natural sites that they can defend. Tiesists regard preservation and restoration as a religious duty, and become outraged by wholesale destruction. For example, although the Imperial clear cutting of many forests was strategically devastating to the Tiesists, it is also a religious affront as the Empire appeared to simply be engaging in wholesale destruction for the purpose of achieving short term military goals.

Finally, the fourth tenet requires that Tiesists maintain the harmony and balance between magic and nature. They are required to avoid harming the physical world with the overload of magical energies. Tiesists feel a duty to prevent others from also engaging in such destructive actions, and oppose those who appear to be recklessly or intentionally courting this danger. They are also required to prevent the use of evil magic to destroy or harm the natural world.

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Fallen Empire: Religion - Druids

Druids

While the Church of Belin (and its evil opposition among the cults of the Fallen) ascribe divinity to ethereal spirits divorced from, but holding authority over, the mundane world, those who follow the druidic teachings see the divine in the very elements of the world: the sun, the sky, the water, the earth, the trees and the other elements of the natural world. The Church of Belin calls their deity the Increate and Pancreator, asserting that Belin existed before all other things, and created everything else in existence, while the core tenet of the druids maintains that existence itself predates everything in the form of a universal world-spirit identified as the Grym. Druids consider the various spiritual beings honored by other faiths (including the Church of Belin) simply to be subordinate manifestations of the Grym. Although most common among elven communities, where it is the dominant faith, the druidic tradition has adherents of all races, mostly humans, halflings, and dwarves, but also including giants, gnomes, goblins, and orcs among others.

According to the druids, only by unlocking the secrets hidden in the mountains, forests, and rivers can true understanding be gained. Like the devotees of the Church of Belin, druids believe that prophecy can be found in the movements of the stars, but they also believe that omens and portents can be found in the sounds of the wind, the fall of rocks from a mountain, the shape of a tree, the currents in a lake, and the rising and setting of the sun and moon. Druid shrines are typically sacred groves, hidden pools, natural springs, or rock formations, but adherents to this faith also erect henges, dolmens, menhirs, and other arrangements of standing stones to mark important holy sites. Detailing all of the druid’s beliefs is impossible, since they share so few universal tenets, and many druid circles oppose one another; in rare cases, opposing circles have been known to settle their differences via bloodshed.

Common druidic belief holds that a number of religious rites must be performed to honor the Grym, and if done incorrectly will spell disaster. Druids lead and direct these rituals, which constitute an important part of daily life in druidic communities, usually involving complex invocations. These rites are learned during the long years of training and while performing them, a druid typically must fast, wear the correct clothing, and follow a variety of other specific taboos. Unlike the Church of Belin, there is only a loose governing authority over the druids, and the rites vary from place to place, and some druid circles have dark and sometimes frightening interpretations of the appetites they attribute to the Grym. Druidic practices come in a variety of forms: because the Grym is an all-encompassing entity, circles can be found that variously espouse the divinity of the orderly, random, benevolent, or even malevolent nature of the world power. To attempt to describe the overall theology and practices of the druidic faith in more detail than given here would be impossible, as these tenets can vary wildly from place to place, and from circle to circle.

Druids are far less organized than the Church of Belin. Each druid begins his career as a member of a druid circle (and unless he becomes a hierophant, may stay one), a loose collection of like-minded druids connected by ties of family, clan, tribe, philosophy, or merely locality. Some druid circles are tied to a particular location, and thus they may have many members located in a single area; others may be devoted to a particular belief or philosophy, and thus be composed of a handful of members scattered across a vast area. Once in a while, a druid finds that his beliefs conflict with those of his circle, and in such cases a druid might seek out a new circle to join or, rarely, establish a new circle. While details of practice and tenets of belief vary from circle to circle, the similarities generally outnumber the differences, a condition probably attributable to the overarching authority of the hierophants, an overarching council of powerful druids who theoretically have authority over all of the various circles. Within druid circles, there are generally four ranks of members. Although these ranks roughly correspond to the druid class level of the member (due to the requirements of the ordeals), the correlation is not exact, and some junior members of druid circles may not even be members of the druid class at all – adepts, bards, and rangers are the most common non-druid members. The ranks are:

• Initiate: Initiate are those members studying to enter the ranks of druids and become ovates. They spend much of his time studying under more experienced members of the druidic order. They are not considered full druids until they complete their basic studies and undergo the ovedic ordeal, at which they must demonstrate their skills and learning. Before an initiate may attempt the ovedic ordeal, he must spend at least seven years in study, but some circle members remain initiates throughout their careers, for example, a ranger who is a member of a druid circle might remain an initiate his entire life.


• Ovate: Ovates are members of the first level of a druidic circle that is actually composed of individuals who are considered priests of the druidic faith. An ovate has learned all of the legends, stories, histories and myths that make up the religious foundation of the druidic faith, and has mastered the ability to tap into the power of the Grym and wield power as a result. Ovates are usually members of the druid class, but on occasion, a powerful adept, bard, or ranger might pass the test and become an ovate.


• Ollave: An ovate who has trained for fourteen years may undertake the ollave ordeal. An ollave is regarded as a full priest, and accorded significant authority in druid circles. Authority does not come without responsibility, and an ollave is expected to act as a judge, counselor, mediator, or diviner if requested. Ollaves are expected to lead community rituals, and interpret omens, dreams, and signs. Ollaves are almost always members of the druid class, the requirements of the ollave ordeal virtually preclude members of any other class from passing the test.


• Druid: While ovates and ollaves are accorded the rank of priests in the druid circle, and thus are technically druids, only the highest ranking priests within a circle bear the title druid. An ollave who have trained for at least seven more years (for a total of twenty-one years of training) may attempt to become a full druid. This requires yet another, more difficult ordeal and the assent of the other members of the circle. All members of a circle of druid rank are members of the druid class, and are usually significantly powerful members as well. Full druids are responsible for the governance of their circle, and charged with overseeing the most important issues confronting the circle. Druids are the judges of last resort, the diviners and soothsayers of the most important portents, and so forth.


• Hierophant: While a druid is the most senior rank within a druid circle, the hierophants transcend circles, forming a kind of supernuminary council that resolves issues between druid circles or determine overarching questions of religious import. A druid who has served in that rank for at least seven years has the option of leaving his circle to pursue his own path and become a hierophant. To the extent druidism has any kind of overall governing body, it is the loose collection of heirophants, all of whom pursue their own inquiries into the nature of reality and divinity. Although heirophants have no formal authority, they are greatly respected and most druid circles carefully consider their advice, in many cases taking the pronouncements and suggestions made by hierophants as binding judgments. On rare occassions, when matters of dire import are in the offing, groups of heirophants will gather together to perform great divinations and seek guidance from the divine world spirit.

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