[SYSTEMS] RELIGION - AL EWING/JONATHAN HICKMAN, PART 4

Believe in the Khor.

Last one. Good stuff in here.

This was a lot of fun and I want to thank Al again for putting his back into this and doing a bang up job.

Here we go...

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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.

Okay, so right up front, we run into our first problem with the application (not really, these aren’t problems, it’s fun, whatever).

There really aren’t threes here, but fours because of the pirate culture controlling the illegal/blackmarket trade of KHOR that we’ve established in one of the comics we made.

This absolutely falls into the hierarchy of power that exists within our religion, but outside any actual ‘execution of religion’ covered in this document.

So I think that’s where we leave it in regard to this text. Outside, and an external concern (but very, very important).

Moving on...

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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.

This is cool, because it allows us to add massive subtext anytime those adjectives are used. Nice.

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.

I love the built in denial here. I love that it’s surrounded by ‘very serious people’ doing ‘very serious work’ so as to sneer at the idea of those who disagree with what they believe (this group over here, they are not serious people and therefore of lesser consequence, or no consequence at all).

The arrogance of operating on an eternal time scale is always something that I’ve found fascinating.

This should play out in a prolonged timeframe in which they make decisions and those decisions should be always focused against a backdrop of centuries not decades or years.

The rhetoric (while absolute) should be deliberate and measured, certainly not the inflamed, aggressive language of the Voda-In-Damnation.

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.

NOTE: The only thing that would pull against this, is while on FAYRII the GOLDEN VATRA (and it’s counterpart) is the mass consumption of people, there is also a cult-like fascination/devotion to fallen KAOSO and objects imbued with an archeology of ‘magic.’ It is one of the things that makes the INSTITUTE adversarial to FAYRII.

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.

Being honest here, institutionalized religion is almost as much fun to write as the full-blown fire-and-brimstone stuff.

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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.

Again, very cool language cues.

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.

So good.

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.

Okay, so we’re not doing shit priests. Not cool to draw. Not cool to think about. A little too much. Where it does work is the idea of the KHOR being used to mark a Crusader.

So this is where the burn mark on all Crusaders comes from.

And, ideologically, it explains why the Crusaders are secretly supporting the Pirates and the disruption/liberation they cause from the inhumanity of the Gods and the scarcity games they play with the universe.

Which, turned a little on its side, works well with the next paragraph.

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.

Perfect.

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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.

This is great. I think I’ll change Cyclicans to Sekvencii, as that feels more in line with the language stuff we’re doing.

(Additionally, XAOC still rubs me the wrong way. Wanting to adhere to germ of what Al did, maybe CAXO, XOCA or COXA. I dunno, I’m still thinking about that.)

We’re obviously going to hit the duality of the religion pretty hard, but if we chew on the third leg here -- Sekvencii -- then that feels like it needs to come from the Vallar-Hyatt family.

So maybe it will.

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Okay, I want to thank Al one last time. We’ll do the Magic system from Tini next, as we’ll have some other stuff for you in the next few days.