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by The Sahraqanate of Dhorvas. . 22 reads.

Faith in Dhorvas (WIP)

The nation of Dhorvas is home to many faiths, many gods.

Ziism came to the regions of Dhorvas long ago via the Dsen missionary Ryuzen. Ryuzen had come from a distant land to bring the practice of Ziism and eventually constructed a great temple from which he emanated his teachings. Ryuzen taught that the universe was an all encompassing energy, and that all beings were born of it and connected to it. The goal of life was to come to understand this ultimate truth and, through understanding, become truly one with its energy. This was described as at once a cessation and an expansion of oneself. An end of trivial or material matters and the beginning of a greater existence free of the suffering of the material world.

To achieve this goal, one had to attain the great truths; wisdom, morality, and concentration. Each of these truths required certain prerequisites to achieve. Wisdom required the correct "view" and correct "intentions". Morality meant the correct "words" and correct "behavior". Concentration meant the correct "effort" and correct "thought". Only through achieving these could one reach the correct energy to attain knowledge of the great truth. To aid people in understanding how to achieve these goals, Ryuzen used many parables and examples which were collected alongside the tenets in a series of scrolls focusing on each great truth and other important knowledge known as the Ryuzen Scrolls.

Ryuzen himself was a powerful mage, and taught that mages were beings farther along the path to knowledge of the ultimate truth which allowed them to be reincarnated with added abilities to use some of that knowledge to interact with the universe and adjust the flow of energy to suit their needs. However, such a practice held its own dangers and being a mage was considered a significant barrier and great trial near the end of the path. If one allowed their abilities to influence them then their knowledge of the great truths could regress and they might fall back on the path, even being reincarnated as a non mage in the next life. Due to this view, the higher ranking monks and mystics were always mages, as was any teacher or Seonkyu (successor of Ryuzen and leader of the school of thought). Later teachings would attempt to tie forms of magic and elements to the various great truths, but no such ties exist in the original Ryuzen Scrolls.

Ryuzen's teachings focused predominantly on the improvement of oneself and taught that, ultimately, we all walk the path alone, though our paths do cross from time to time. Such crossings could benefit or harm one's progress on the path. However, Ryuzen did teach that the state had its own role to play, if led by the correct people. The goal of the state was to ease the material burdens on the people to further allow them to pursue their paths to the ultimate truth. Those who enacted the role of the state properly were considered to be doing a great service to both people and the truth. Those who did poorly would adversely affect their own path and that of others (a great sin to Ryuzen). The key element to the state was the establishment of order, for chaos would distort the people and hinder their progress to ultimate truth. "One cannot find truth if one's greater concern is their next meal"

As mages were considered farther along the path, it was preferred that mages would lead such governments. This was, however, not an absolute as there were far fewer mages than ordinary people. However, governments that followed the tenets of Ryuzen Ziism tended to follow a similar standard for societal ranking to further societal order.

Violence was something to avoid for Ryuzen, however it was not necessarily evil. Violence in defense of the innocent or against those who might hinder the path for the people could be justified and some groups trained for such purposes. The energy or "truths" that one held in the use of violence affected whether it was detrimental to one's progress along the path or not.

While any practice of Ziism in Dhorvas is considered a part of Ryuzen Ziism, Ryuzen is not a singular entity itself. Over time and through various shifts of states and society, various branches have developed within Ryuzen (Chanryo, Jingon, Gurzen). Some place greater focus on certain great truths over others. Some reject the role of the state in Ziism and prefer seclusion and withdrawing from societal concerns. Others still, like Gurzen, are a development of Ziism merged with elements of Khemakh shamanism and nature beliefs.

Schools of Ryuzen Ziism.

Chanryo
Jingon
Gurzen

Artyanism

The Symbol of Artyan (Left; Detailed Right: Plain)

Religion Type: Monotheism
Religious Leader: Liia Artidiuntus


Holy Writings: The Legias, Pragtion, Paradium and the Lex Talionis



Prophets: Artiadatus, Julianus, Dordaleus and Devinia lo Servise


Demonym: Artyanist


Artyanism

Overview

Artyanism is a monotheistic religion based on the teaching that there is only one God (Artyan) and that the messages and lessons of Artyan have been delivered at various points in history by his four prophets. It is the national religion of Rolais, where the faith first was accepted following the Fall, and in Distika after a successful crusade against them in 303 ATF. The successful conversion of Thramia and Aelythium in 306 ATF has brought these nations into the fold. Artyanism teaches that Artyan is merciful, omnipotent, unique and exclusive and has guided all of Arkonos through prophets who devised holy scriptures in his name, as well as natural signs and influences in the world. The primary scriptures of Artyanism are Legias, the Pragtion and Paradium, and the Lex Talionis, which all together form the verbatim word of Artyan, and the recorded teachings of the four prophets composed in the Dicomes. Interpretation of scripture and the will of Artyan is the central dogma of the Church of Artyan, which asserts itself as the only vessel of communication between Artyan and his followers.

Artyanists believe that Artyanism is the complete universal truth of an eternal faith that was revealed and expanded upon many times through the prophets Artiadatus, Julianus, Dordaleus and Devinia lo Servise. Artyanists consider their four works to be the infallible and absolute word of Artyan, however they do not believe that they are final and that future prophets may arise to elaborate their meaning or further transcribe Artyan’s word to his followers. Unlike Ziism, Artyanism rejects the concept of reincarnation and instead espouses holy judgement, in which the righteous are awarded with paradise and the wicked with eternal punishment.

The faith is organized and managed by the Church of Artyan, with the conclave-elected Voxartia serving as the final say on matters of dogma and interpretation. The church teaches that it is the sole form of communication between Artyan and his faithful, and maintains that it practices the true word of Artyan, reserving infallibility through sacred tradition and primacy in all holy matters. The various mendicant orders, enclosed monastic orders and holy orders in union with the church reflect a variety of theological and spiritual focuses in the religion.

Beliefs

The first and most important belief of Artyanism, is that Artyan is all powerful, omnipotent and forever merciful. Belief that he rules over all is a entrenched rhetoric within the church and that all of the faithful must give themselves fully onto his will and religious law. Artyan also contains the power to bring the unbelievers further off the path of paradise and into the eternal depths of punishment. In Lex Talionis it speaks of a “punishment of the unbeliever; the eternal punishment, fear and endless pain; their bodies subject to anguish forevermore.” This primary belief that Artyan is to be served with all heart and mind as an merciful and omnipotent God is therefore enshrined within the Church as a central part of their dogma.

Another belief of the Church is the belief in everlasting paradise for the believer and the eternal punishment for those that refuse to serve the will of Artyan. Those that believe in the godhood of Artyan subject themselves to his will. Artyanists believe that if you serve him with your being as it is preached in Paradium then you will reach everlasting paradise where you will be made perfect to ever sing praise to Artyan and his mercy. Paradium describes the paradise of Artyan as perfect and without worry, with endless pleasure and spiritual wholeness for eternity. However for those that die in unbelief or sin will be faced with eternal damnation where they will be subject to their worst fears and their minds broken and their bodies destroyed eternal through torment and fire. To save themselves they must through the clergy of the church, absolve themselves of any sin under Artyanist law. The clergy lead the faithful in prayer to Artyan who will with his mercy absolve them of any sin, so long as their minds are pure and wholly devoted to the worship and following of Artyan’s will.

Concept of Artyan

The most fundamental concept of Artyanism is a rigorous monotheistic characteristic that rejects all other gods and asserts full faith and power in Artyan. He is described in chapter 8 of the Legias as: “He who is all, of all that ever was and all that ever will, the only; Artyan, the eternal, unforgettable; and there is none elsewhere that shall compare”. Artyanists actively repudiate polytheism and reject the notion of any pantheon, believing that Artyan is omnipotent and unique. In Artyanism, Artyan is beyond all comprehension and is expected to not be visualized or anthropomorphized, a teaching that is enforced in the Artyanist Church. Artyan is described by many attributes by the church, the most common being “the All-Powerful”; “the Compassionate”; “the Savior”; and “the Merciful”.

Artyanists believe that the creation of everything in the universe was brought into being by Artyan’s command, the Initium, and that the purpose of life is to worship and follow his laws and commands. Artyan is not considered a personal god, and the Artyanist Church views itself as the only way to communicate to him, through the means of the clery as an intermediary.

Prophets

The existence of prophets is the fundamental cornerstone of Artyanism. Followers believe that the prophets, beginning with Artiadatus, were divinely inspired by Artyan and compelled to construct the holy scriptures that compose the majority of Artyanist theology. According to the Pragtion, prophets are chosen by Artyan to bring his word and will to the peoples of Arkonos. Artyanists do not believe that prophets are divine, although they have been recorded in the Dicomes as using miracles to prove their claim. Artyanists assert that all of the prophets preached the same message - submission to the will of Artyan, and that their scriptures are whole and infallible, with each prophet serving to expand on the teachings of the last.

Artyanists believe that Artyan sent Artiadatus as the first law bearing prophet to convey the existence of Artyan and his divine being to the world circa 9200 BTF. In early Kostuan Artiadatus wrote the Legias, which he asserted as the will and truth of Artyan as delivered through him. Little is known about Artiadatus’ life, although he was believed to have been preaching Artyanist beliefs before writing the Legias.

Julianus and Dordaleus began their sermons in circa 1860, with many of their teachings recorded well in the Dicomes and taking up a significant portion of the scripture. Their messages from Artyan, composed in the Pragtion and the Paradium, told less of the power of Artyan and instead on the methods to worship and rewards for the faithful. Julianus’ Pragtion took on a much more methodic and direct tone, explaining the intricacies of worshiping Artyan, the necessity of daily prayer and righteous lifestyle, and the absolute rejection of all visualizations of Artyan. Paradium instead took on a more mystical tone, with Dordaleus’ writings telling of the bountiful and endless reward of Paradium that awaited the righteous.

Who many Artyanists consider the most important prophet, Devinia lo Servise came at a time where the Kostuan Empire was beginning to expand, having conquered the Thramisch tribes almost two decades before she began her own preachings. Devinia lo Servise is the most personally understood of the four prophets, with her earliest sermons beginning in 1134 and with an immediate change in tone. During this time Artyanism was extremely small and persecuted for its rejection of the Kostuan pantheon. From her sermons she chastised the willingness of Artyanists to abandon the faith under persecution, and considered this one of the highest sins that could be committed.

In her writings, the Lex Talionis, she asserted that she was chosen by Artyan to directly speak of the horrors of eternal suffering and damnation that would result from the corruption of the world. The Lex Talionis details the sinful nature of the world, the necessity of people to follow the law of Artyan to receive his mercy, and the punishment that would await all that did not. The end of her text, and near the end of Devinia lo Servise’s sermons before her execution, take on an apocalyptic character, telling of future destruction that awaits all if they do not heed the word of Artyan. The Artyanist Church today now asserts that her apocalyptic visions were in fact detailing the fall of the Kostuan Empire following the breaching of the veil, and consider the long period of taint plaguing Sokos afterwards to be punishment from Artyan.

Church of Artyan

The religious leader of the Church is the Voxartia, it is believed that she is a testament to those that live the perfect way to serve Artyan. She spends most of her time in prayer and speaking through the voice of Artyan administers edicts to the church on dogma and worship. She is highly respected throughout all nations that believe in the holiness of Artyan as a living representative of his will on Arkonos. Whilst the position is elective and changes many times, it is believed that all that are given the position of Voxartia are perfect saints of Artyan and will end up in the eternal paradise given to believers. She also must uphold herself, praising Artyan through all her actions as long as she holds the position and therefore being a perfect type to all those that follow and all that hold the belief of Artyan.

The selection process of the Voxartia is a democratic process decided upon by the conclave, a body that is chosen by the standing Voxartia and is composed of archservons, numbering at a group of nine at any one time. The archservons are chosen from the church’s servons, which function as the key administrator and religious head of the cathedrals and major polities in Artyanist countries. At the onset of a Voxartia’s death, the conclave gathers and decides on a new member from their rank to become to next Voxartia. This process can range from a matter of days to weeks, but the conclave does not end their convention until one is chosen.

The Church of Artyan is centralized and managed by religious principles as espoused by Devinia lo Servise and her text, the Lex Talionis. The church is organized on Materist principles, which dictate that the daily sermons and religious duties of the clergy can only be performed by women, whereas the administrative functions of the church are carried out by men only. The church asserts this as being supported by the Dicomes and the Pragtion, of which Julianus is a important figure of the principle. The Pragtion states that women and men belong to different executions of the Artyanist law, which has been interpreted by the church as foundation for their theological basis of separating men and women into different tasks regarding the church’s operations.

The church is heavily centralized and organized around the power of the Voxartia and her right to appoint the nine archservons of Artyanism. The archservons fulfill the administration in the territories designated as ‘archservonees’ or ‘archservonrics’, and from their seats of authority in the cathedrals oversee the management of the lesser servons. The priesthood itself oversees the day-to-day operation of the churches and their function as a place of religious learning, absolution, and service to Artyan.

Made with Thramia

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Renatism is a sect of Artyanism that has incorporated ideas from other faiths while breaking with certain aspects of traditional artyanism. It began with sermons from the sevron Ela. After the death of Ela, her words were continued by her brother, Renato.

Like orthodox Artyanism, Renato believed that Artyan is all powerful, omnipotent and forever merciful. However, the idea of Artyan purposefully leading unbelievers further astray from paradise and into damnation is rejected. Even the concept of eternal damnation is rejected. Paradise itself is not as the orthodox view it. “Paradise” was the achievement of what Renato considered “Knowledge of Truth”, a certain and complete understanding of Artyan’s existence, and thus one’s own and the very world around them. Achievement of this “Knowledge of Truth” would lead to one joining with Artyan’s all encompassed presence, becoming one with creation. This requires reflection and seeking by oneself, and not over reliance on the church. The church still had a role to play to help the faithful on such a quest, but the church alone was not enough to achieve the goal of “paradise” or everlasting union with Artyan. Because of this, the church was therefore not the exclusive link to Artyan, since Artyan was all around us, waiting for our understanding.

Renato even considered reincarnation to be a possibility, reasoning that achievement of “Knowledge of Truth”, could take a long time, perhaps more than a lifetime. Thus, reincarnation was something he considered possible, at least until “Knowledge of Truth” had been achieved.

Renato rejected the gender based roles within the church. There were no different executions of Artyanist law, only one, and men could give sermons and conduct religious duties just as women could perform administrative roles. This was because, as an all powerful, all encompassing being, Artyan was all, and there was no such division to the “all”

Focus in his teachings tended to center on the “all encompassing nature” of Artyan. Renato taught that because Artyan was both the one and all, the other gods of other faiths technically existed as well, because they were Artyan, merely different interpretations of Artyan’s all encompassing presence. Artyan could manifest in different ways in other parts of the world. Coming to understand other views of Artyan could help one to perhaps gain a better understanding of Artyan and lead one closer to "Knowledge of Truth".

The Sahraqanate of Dhorvas

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