[SYSTEMS] RELIGION - AL EWING: PART TWO

He loves the Khor, he hates the Khor.

Okay, this is the second part —- the meaty section —- of Al’s religious system.

This is how it’s done, everyone.

-JH

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THE RELIGIOUS TEXT OF THE THREE WORLDS/THREE MOONS

In the beginning, there was DIVINE ZUVA, the All-Intelligence, the unknowable unknown, whose form is macro-cosmic light born from the foam of time. The First Principle, beyond all concerns and deaf to all entreaties and prayers.

Seeking to understand base matter and other things beneath hir supra-knowledge, DIVINE ZUVA called three SERVANT-GODS into being, from light and shadow, and spun them around hir in endless dance, to whisper the secrets they learned.

First came VODA, the Powerful One, eternal as tides, strong as rushing waves, deep as restless oceans. Generator of the sacred Substance, the primordial union of all opposites – each atom of which is in endless conflict, a micro-war from which infinite energy flows. There are those who speak of VODA-IN-GLORY, who is the benevolent Holy Sea that teems with bountiful gifts and infinite forms of blessed life. And there are those who speak of VODA-IN-DAMNATION, the crushing Nightmare Deep that must be conquered for its treasures, brimming over with monsters and terrors and the souls of drowned men. These two viewpoints are irreconcilable, and though none may soil the Substance with aggression or use it to make war, neither side will rest until those they see as heretics are wiped from the Water-world.

VODA called on no servant of its own. It needs none. There are no prayers to VODA, for it has already done all it will do in creating the Substance.

Second came VATRA, the Righteous One, glowing in the fire of their own conviction. VATRA, the Divine Right, Ordainer of kings and queens, princelings and bloodlines.

VATRA, bringer of the Good Work and the Just Reward. VATRA chooses the rulers and the ruled, for each living being has their place in the hierarchy, their work that must be done. Everything has an ordained place, and VATRA decides that place. VATRA is perfection. Prayers to them take the form of devoted thanks that the supplicant’s life is as it is – and not worse.

To challenge them, and prove their rightness and the rightness of their justice in all things, VATRA called from the void the rebel-servant HOVA, DAEMON OF AIR. Where VATRA is the controlled flame, the heat of the workman’s forge, the flaming brazier of punishment for sin, HOVA is the empty breeze, that spins the weathervane at random, that flows from the lungs of the mockers, that carries idle song. HOVA is the Daemon of Chance and Play, sundering the bond between Work and Reward. HOVA, the gambler, encourages those who earned none of their wealth to waste even that on song and sport, to seek gain without effort, to fritter their time on hobbies and unserious pursuits – and such was VATRA’s intent, for those that fall and lose everything will learn their lessons and build themselves up in VATRA’s embrace, learning the value of hardship. Prayers to HOVA take the form of kissed dice and large bets on impossible odds.

Last came VADIS, the Knowing One, aware of all things that grow and fly and swim and creep, including those creations of VODA and VATRA, for water and fire too are part of hys domain. VADIS knows the great interconnected web of all things – from the food chains of beasts and fish and fowl to the shaken hand, the offered gift, the taken bribe. All is connected within the systems of VADIS, and in hys systems, new systems constantly generate and merge. Prayers to VADIS take the form of wishes. Something they are granted, often not, but in all cases, the systems of VADIS are correct.

VADIS, seeking new and balanced connections, called upon not one servant, but two – ARDAR, DAEMON OF ORDER and XAOC, DAEMON OF CHAOS. But though the intent of VADIS was for his servants to assist hym in hys great work, his Daemons took instantly to war with one another for hys favor, until one slew the other. In the accepted texts, ARDAR slew XAOC with a shaft of pure crystal, symbolising reason. Now XAOC resides in the tomb-world - a nightmarish underworld for those disavowed or excommunicated by the two main Sects – and is never prayed to. ARDAR is prayed to sometimes, by those asking him to go behind VADIS’ back and perform some small mercy escaping hys gaze.

ARDAR sits at the right hand of VADIS, collating hys endless work – yet at the same time, this Daemon cannot be controlled. XAOC, though dead and in the underworld, still exists. On the last day, XAOC will rise from the tomb-world, and ARDAR will abandon all loyalty to VADIS to make war anew. In some minor apocryphal versions, XAOC wins that war and VADIS is forced to create a new system of unreason to accommodate hys new servant – which will mean the end of all that currently is. In one extremely minor apocryphal version, this already happened in reverse, with ARDAR rising from the tomb-world to challenge XAOC.

There is another possible end to the story – disavowed on pain of death by one of the Twin Sects, embraced as doctrine by the other. That in some future aeon, ARDAR or XAOC will rise from death – not to battle, but instead to be tempted by the sweet air of HOVA, that all three Daemons might make war upon VADIS, overthrow hym, and then turn on VATRA, VODA and eventually even DIVINE ZUVA hirself.

And in those ruins will be born a new Sun, and the Second Age of Man.

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HOW THE TEXT IS APPLIED

There are two Sects on the Water-World, each of which runs their own nation-state on opposite sides of the world – the Vatican crossed with Atlantis. And there’s a third, because things also come in threes in this story.

Let’s talk about them one by one.

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THE WORSHIPPERS OF VODA-IN-GLORY

What they believe, quite simply, is that GREAT VODA and its brethren are good, and the KHOR is given to mankind by it. Everything else follows from that.

The adjective is important, and always applied on the Water-World. The three Gods are GREAT VODA, GOLDEN VATRA, and GRACIOUS VADIS.

All three of the Gods are revered by this sect for their guidance of the universe, and the three Daemons – HOVA, ARDAR and even dead XAOC – are seen as wicked rebels against their great works. HOVA, as the Daemon who remains free in the mythology, is used as a curse, and what HOVA represents – idle play and song – is seen as a sinful waste of valuable time. ARDAR, put to work by GRACIOUS VADIS, is seen as the best-case scenario for a rebellious spirit – to be broken and put to work for the betterment of the community. However, if rebels cannot be broken, XAOC provides another example, in necessary execution.

The Worshippers do not believe time has an end, and the suggestion that the Daemons might rise up against the Gods is absolute blasphemy.

The most powerful Worshippers – the Gold Priests, who wear golden masks and armor to close themselves from the world as they preach from sealed pulpits, sending their word out on video link – preach of purity found in dedicated labor for the Gods and a stern denial of frivolous pursuits. Their work brings life to the worlds, and the work must be done. But there are also those in the priesthood – even in the Nation of Worshippers - who are trying to soften the rhetoric a little, to make it more about inner peace in a more gentle pursuit of self-discipline. A doctrine that’s more willing to bend in the face of the demands of the real world. This is the version that survives best on the Earth-World, in the form of small prayers and ceremonies to GRACIOUS VADIS, though the Fire-World prefers the full-on, old-school version and builds the occasional vast cathedral to celebrate GOLDEN VATRA.

On the Water-World, the Nation of the Worshippers does not make open war against the Nation of the Crusaders – committing violence over the KHOR directly is forbidden, as the just Gods hate to watch humanity hurt each other, and any bounty of KHOR would not be worth giving them such pain.

On the Earth-World, though, the two forms of the religion coexist, softened and made palatable enough that the “good” or “evil” Gods and the “brave” or “wicked” Daemons feel like abstractions, and belief becomes a casual thing, tailored to the individual, in many flavors. The twin Sects almost seem the same from such a distance – though of course, they are very different.

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THE CRUSADERS AGAINST VODA-IN-DAMNATION

What they believe, quite simply, is the CURSED VODA and its brethren are evil, and KHOR must be taken by mankind from it. Everything else follows from that.

The adjective is important, and always applied on the Water-World. The three Gods are CURSED VODA, CRUEL VATRA, and CORRUPT VADIS.

All three of the Gods are despised by this sect for their control of the universe, and the three Daemons – HOVA, ARDAR and even dead XAOC – are seen as bold rebels against their stifling restrictions. HOVA, as the Daemon who remains free in the mythology, is used as a happy oath, and what HOVA represents – idle play and song – is seen as the goal that all work is for. ARDAR, enslaved by CORRUPT VADIS, is seen as the worst-case scenario for a free spirit – to be broken and chained by the oppressor-class. However, if there is no way to avoid such a fate, XAOC provides another example, in noble self-sacrifice.

The Crusaders wait for the End of Time, when the Daemons will finally triumph over the merciless Gods and trigger the Second Age of Man.

The most ardent Crusaders – the Filth Priests, who smear themselves in their own excrement in supplication to the world, and preach on their knees in the public square, open to all – speak of freedom found in dedicated work against the Gods, and the embrace of art, pleasure and humanity. Their rebellion brings life to the worlds, and they must never surrender. But there are also those in the priesthood – even in the Nation of Crusaders - who are trying to soften the rhetoric a little, to make it more about finding inner peace in a more gentle pursuit of happiness. A doctrine that’s more willing to bend in the face of the demands of the real world. This is the version that survives best on the Earth-World, in the form of secret prayers and ceremonies to ARDAR, though the Moon of Air prefers the full-on, old-school doctrine and organizes the occasional vast orgy to spite CRUEL VATRA.

On the Water-World, the Nation of the Crusaders does not make open war against the Nation of the Worshippers – committing violence over KHOR directly is forbidden, as the evil Gods enjoy watching humanity hurt each other, and any bounty of KHOR would not be worth giving them such pleasure.

On the Earth-World, though, the two forms of the religion coexist, softened and made palatable enough that the “good” or “evil” Gods and the “brave” or “wicked” Daemons feel like abstractions, and belief becomes a casual thing, tailored to the individual, in many flavors. The twin Sects almost seem the same from such a distance – though of course, they are very different.

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THE FOLLOWERS OF THE CYCLIC APOCRYPHA

There is a third Sect, with no base of operations, but drawn to the Moon of Chaos. This Sect has few adherents. There are maybe 200 believers system-wide. Mostly, they are treated as an irrelevance, and their Sect as a laughable cult. At least one prominent politician has been drummed out of office after his membership was discovered. These are the Cyclicans.

Though the Cyclicans believe in the Gods and their Daemons, they do not believe in their inherent good or evil, but treat them as neutral parties in a vast, endless dance that humans cannot comprehend. The major part of this dance is the cyclical rise and fall of ARDAR and XAOC, across millennia. It is now XAOC’s turn to rise, and ARDAR’s to fall, and with that will come the fall of order and science and the rise of chaos and magic.

However, many Sects believe this. There are many other small-scale Sects preaching this very doctrine, and some number in the thousands. What makes the Cyclicans such outliers is a subtle variation – one that recent archeological discoveries on the Moon of Chaos seem, bizarrely, to confirm.

They maintain that the dance of ARDAR and XAOC has happened before, and before, and before. They believe civilization is thousands of millennia older than imagined. They believe this cycle is as old as time.

And they’re right.

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So much fun. All right, all next week I’ll break this apart and put it back together.

Have a good weekend.

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