Avatarianism
From MoongatesWiki
The Avatarian (or Avatari) faith is based around the central figures of the the Avatar and the Guardian, with a strong emphasis on the Virtues. Originally a unique aspect of the Guardsmen Militia and the wider Crossroads of Yew (CoY) community, the Avatarian religion has since spread to the younger, but no less successful Baronship of Cove. Despite certain divisions in creed the two bear much in common, and have on occasion stood shoulder-to-shoulder. Better a schismatic than a heathen, afterall. From an out-of-character perspective, the Avatari relgion draws heavily on Judeo-Christian beliefs – with a singular deity, a saviour, a corrupter, and concepts of holy war and inquisition.
Avatarianism stands in contrast to the System of Infinity, which is embraced by most other loyalist guilds on Europa.
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The Higher Being
At the heart of Avatarian belief is the Higher Being; the Lord of Hosts and the bringer of Light. He is the creator of all; both good, and by way of his traitorous servant, the Guardian, evil. All acts play out to his plan, and all deeds are done, right or wrong, in his name. Opinions of His nature differ, though for those who believe, his hand can be seen in all things.
Many equate him to the Time Lord, often seen in times of change, or preceeding events of great importance.
Creation Myth
In the beginning Higher Being created the heavens and the earth of Sosaria and everything in them. On the sixth day he created the human race in his own holy, spiritual image. He made male and female with a body and a soul. He created the body of the first man, Zog, from the dust of the ground, and the first woman, Evah, from his rib. He then joined them in marriage and blessed them, saying; "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill Sosaria and subdue it". When Higher Being's creation was completed, it was perfect and holy.
Higher Being gave Zog and Evah one command to obey; uphold his Seven Virtues. If they did not, they would surely die. The Guardian, a blessed Archangel who had turned against the Higher Being to do evil, felt envy as he saw Higher Being's beautiful and righteous children. And so he forged of filth the first elf, Awindar, in his own unholy image. He ordered this daemon to tell Evah of an eighth virtue, Compassion. Poor, naive Evah – prepared only to face goodness, and unknowning of the Guardian's taint – fell victim to Awindar's lie, and did throw herself into the wicked elf's waiting arms. Tainted, she returned to tell Zog of this final virtue. Their disobedience separated them from Higher Being and enslaved them to evil and sin; for they were now unable to fight the Guardian, due to the Compassion they felt for him.
Enraged by the sins and false practices of his brood, the Higher Being told Zog to cast the Spell of Armageddon, that they might cleanse the world and start afresh. Zog and Evah died both spiritually and physically; but Higher Being allowed two of their many heirs survive. The Guardian too saved a pair of his tainted offspring, hiding them in the dense woodlands of the newly shapen world. Through the efforts of the Guardian's spawn, Zog's own children became corrupt and inclined only to evil. In time they too died, their bodies returned to the dust of the ground. Through their sin they also became subject to eternal death, an everlasting damnation in hell. That same sin lives in the hearts of all mankind, for while the false virtue remains in practice and the elf wanders freely, there can be no true return to the Higher Being's embrace.
The Avatar and Guardian
Though sects differ on the precise nature of the Avatar and his rival, the Guardian, they are both at the heart of all versions of the faith. The Guardian is viewed as the personification of all sin, evil, and immoral thought - the corrupter. On the other hand, the Avatar is believed to be the very model of virtue - the saviour. This is held to be almost universal canon. Dogma dictates that both are seperate entities, one, a traiorous Archangel, the other the Higher Being made flesh, his mortal manifestation. However, some heretics believe that the two are halves of a greater deity, reflecting the flaws and the brilliance of mortal creatures, a belief suppressed ever since the cult's conception, in the decades following Mondain's defeat.
In the ancient Book of Light it is said that the Higher Being promised a Saviour to the children of Zog and Evah upon bringing them to Sosaria; for while the wage of sin is death, the gift of the Higher Being is eternal life. Mercifully, he would send the Avatar to lead humanity back upon the right path. He told the Guardian before Zog's children; "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy offspring and hers; he will crush thy head, and thou wilt strike his heel". The Archangel Hydros, Lord of the West and Titan of the Oceans, found the blessed vessel many a millenia later; a common girl by the name Mariah. Hydros commanded Mariah to remain chaste until her Lord called upon her, for it would be through her that the Higher Being would be born into the mortal world as the Lord Avatar – Son of the Most High. The Guardian heard his hated brother's words, and did conspire to battle the Avatar, sending forth his own incarnation. Born at the royal court of Akalabeth, the bastard son of a King, his name would be Mondain. Thusly manifest the Guardian did reshape many of his elven spawn, creating the drow, orcs, trolls, ratmen and other ungodly creatures. With Mondain's defeat and the shattering of his gem, the Guardian's mortal form ceased to be, and the Lord Avatar did ascend. The two will fight again, it is said, at the end of times.
The Archangels
In Avatarian myth, the Higher Being was served by a number of demigods, the Archangels, or Titans. These beings are the representatives of base elements, and can be attributed to certain Virtues and Sins. Pyros, the Archangel of Fire, for example, might also be seen as the personification of Valour and Greed. Worship of the Archangels is frowned upon, though not considered heretical; it is only when one holds these lesser beings above the Avatar or Higher Being that one steps into the realm of heresy (as in the Besiegers' Revolt, for example). The Guardian is believed to have been an Archangel – the Titan of Ether or Mana – prior to his betrayal. It has been speculated in the past that these Archangels are essentially perennial gods, inherrited from old heathen pantheons by the Avatarian faith in it's infancy. As with all such claims, however, it is unwise to state such in public. Their portrayal in art and religious iconography varies – from oversized Elementals, to vast and winged beings of blinding beauty.
The Four Titans
The Guardian Spawn
- "My faith is my armour! The light is my sword! And with them I shall cut a path through the darkest souls!"
- — Adjudicator Evermore
Born of the Guardian's envy and loathing, these creatures have haunted the nightmares of humanity and other goodly races for countless centuries. Amidst their number can be counted orcs, ogres, lizardmen, undead, drow, and controversially, elves. Believed bound by their very blood to his service, the Guardian Spawn are said to be tainted by inherent sin. It is a curse that cannot easily be broken, but with enough time, dedication, and piety even those of the darkest blood can recieve the Avatar's light. One example worthy of note is the drowish Lady D'Gar, wife to the former Lord Protector of Yew. The ability to convert others is by no means exclusive to the Avatar's followers, for not all Guardian Spawn are truly of his loins. Since the very dawn of time there have been those forcibly bound to his will, tricked into serving his ends, or following him willingly – the likes of Evah, Mondain, Minax, and Lord Blackthorn to name but a few.
The Saints
Men and women deemed pious in life and divine in death are often canonised by the Churches; usually for service to the faith, but sometimes simply through merit of their life and story. Saints are commonly deemed patrons of a particular profession, organisation, or even town, though this is not an enforced practice. Some saints are specific to certain sects, though many are accepted by all as martyrs of the Avatar. Icons of the saints are often shown bearing an ankh in one or both hands, a sign of their divinity, immortality, and closeness to the Higher Being. Various saintly relics can be found across the Avatarian north, most often in the form of bones.
Notable Saints
- St. Celestine
- St. Damien
- St. David
- St. Ezekiel
- St. Gottfried
- St. Helen
- St. Hugo
- St. Keldor
- St. Lithargus
- St. Llelan
The Virtues
The cult of the Virtues plays a significant part in the Avatarian creed, and differs little from it's traditional form. It is because of this connection that followers of Virtue are often seen in the eyes of Avatarians as kindred, simply untouched by the Avatar's light. The Avatar is known to have built the shrines of Virtue with his own hands following the defeat of Mondain. Things become complicated, however, when the question of Compassion is raised. In Yewish – and Covian, due to recent reform – faith Compassion is deemed the False Virtue, a trick of the Guardian, integral to the creation story. Evah's compassion for the Guardian's first son, Awindar, resulted in a sickly affair and the ruin of the Higher Being's plan. This tale is also integral to the faith-spanning view of women as weak-willed and servile beings, not to be trusted by righteous men. Compassion, it is said, is the bane of vigiliance. Though not seen as a sin, it is most certainly not considered holy and exists only to test the will and piety of true Avatarians. It is unclear whether this belief is in keeping with the original doctrine, or has emerged in later years.
Symbology
- "By this sign shalt thou perish!"
- — Book of Light, The Lord Avatar
Due to its reverance of the Avatar, the Ankh is seen to be the foremost symbol of the faith. Its golden form festooned His surcoat at the slaying of Mondain, and symbolises both the eternal nature of the Higher Being, and the immortality of goodly souls. As it is displayed on the shrines of Virtue, so too can it be found at the fore of all Avatarain churches and temples; most often behind the central altar. To wear the ankh upon one's person, however, suggests a state of equality to the Lord, for it is His sign. As such its use by mortal man is taken as a petty act of heresy. Exceptions are made in the case of pendants, signet rings, or other such minor adornments indictive of personal faith. This is particularly evident in Yew, where a great many local peasants, militiamen, and even noblemen can be seen sporting the ankh about their neck – made from a variety of different materials as personal wealth demands. For official, martial, and judicial purposes the ankh is replaced by the Red Sword, symbolising His sacred blade, drenched in the blood of the Father of Wytches. Most Britannians outside the Avatari flock would recognise this as the sign of Valour. Over the years the sword has turned into a cross, as portrayed on Templi clothing. For one not of the Church to wear the sword, or to "take the cross", implies total servitude to the Avatar, and as such is most often applied to the act of joining a crusade. The icons of Virtue are also regularly used. The Archangel Pyros is represented within the Besieger Brotherhood by way of a huge torch, wrought of blackened iron.
Holy Scriptures
In the libraries of any Avatarian chapel can be found several tomes, usually treated with the greatest dignity, and placed on ornate plinths. These are the Holy Scriptures; the edicts of the faith. Amongst their pages can be found much of the religion's canonical literature; from the epic that is the Book of Light to the many tales of individual saints. Though the bulk of the Holy Scriptures are said to come direct from the Higher Being, they were all put to paper by his annonymous Prophets and blessed Apostles. So many were written in those ill remembered days that every now and then a forgotten book will be unearthed, only to be thrown upon a pyre for its contradictory or dangerous contents. On rare occasions these Lost Scriptures will be integrated into Church doctrine often resulting in major reform or theological schisms. There also exist tomes written by modern clergy and laymen; such as the great Wytch-Hunters' guide, the Malleus Maleficarum and its localised editions.
Avatarian Priesthood and Laity
Though not by any accounts a united Church, the various sects, chapters, and local Avatarian chapels across Sosaria tend to bear a common hierarchy. This conformity is primarily aesthetic, however. Perhaps because of its fracticious nature, there exist no over-arching authorities or all powerful patrons within the faith. Each Templar Chapter fights its own battles, each Magistrate's Assembly stands vigilant over its own jurisdiction, and each Clerical sisterhood tends to its own flock. This disunity is perhaps most evident amongst the lay-orders; the Wytch-Hunters, Flagellants, Pilgrims and other assorted Fanatics that carry out the supposed will of the Lord Avatar. For they are rarely bound to any law but the Holy Scriptures, seldom join in orderly congregations, and embrace no sovreign but the blessed Higher Being, often allowing them to act as little better than brigands.
Magistrate
The Magistrate is a secretive body of prominent priests, who have taken on the joint roles of Inquisitors and Judges within the Church hierarchy. They are perminantly based at the huge and imposing Court of Truth, in which the majority of Yew's criminals and heathens are put to the question, tried, and sentenced. It it the task of all members of the Magistrate, from the newly ordained Advocates to the sinister Inquisitors and the highest Adjudicator to maintain the purity of the Church and flock in all aspects. They are enforcers not just of Avatari edict, but of local custom and law. All rules must be followed, all lawful authorities obeyed, and all wrongdoers hunted and brought to justice. The latter is the task of the Inquisitor, for no law-breaker, heretic, taint or heathen is safe whilst these men are in pursuit; they are cruel, driven and efficient, without sympathy or forgiveness. They use fear, threats, holy powers, rabble-rousing fanaticism, and swift, brutal punishment to quickly erradicate sedition and internal threat. Though the Magistrate's direct influence is centred almost entirely upon Yew, their hand can be seen in nigh every communion of the Avatari faith. Traditionally wearing black robes and floppy hats, this most scrupulous and holy order are at one with the shadows; possessing a vast network of spies and informers to listen in to even the most innocent conversation and witness every action of consequence. Indeed, one might say that they are two parts secret police, and only one part clergy, for they are first and foremost the eyes and ears of the Church, and are subject to none but Higher Being himself. They are the vigilant keepers of the faith, just as the Templi that they forged are its iron fist.
Inquisitors may cast all Clerical spells, as well as any that are fire-based. All others are forbidden, and may not be present in the Inquisitor's Book of Light.
Templi
The Templi Order (distinct from the System of Infinity following Knights Templar) are a band of highly trained, iron willed, and zealous monastic knights, devoted to the Church, the Higher Being's will, and the preservation of Holy Scriptures. In their earliest incarnation the Order were little more than a band of men-at-arms, mercenaries, and thugs levied by command of the Magistrate to carry out their dirty work. In time they would take on a more fraternal and priestly nature, fighting against the heathen, the wytch, and the guardian-spawn for the Lord Avatar rather than a simple coinpurse. Thanks to the toil of various Churchly reformers the Order has since become the structured and uniform brotherhood seen today. Chapter Houses and Preceptories have been established in nigh all townships of Britannia, their size and importance varying based on the scale of the Avatarian populace and friendliness – or lack there of – of local leaders. Each Chapter falls under the jurisdiction of a Templar Preceptor or Seneschal, and these most noble brothers are in turn subordinate to the seldom seen but universally feared Grand Master. Duty and vigilance in the defence and enforcement of faith has become the sole purpose of their lives. As they see it; they are the sword with which heresy shall be cut away, the vanguard of everlasting holy war, and a beacon of light and order in an age lacking either.
Their various Chapter Houses and Preceptories are linked with local towns, and the Templi that reside there work closely with local military powers to ensure that neither soldiery nor citizenry stray far from the Avatari creed. They attend regular patrols and hunts to watch over the men, pray for them, and see the Avatar's will done. From time to time they may take up arms against other towns alongside the military force, if what they fight for is beneficial to the Church and its flock. Such battles are few and far between, however, and as such it is a rare and fearsome sight to see a Templar in regular combat.
Clerics
The Clergy are the white-robed priestesses of the Church. It has long been their duty to hold the weekly Mass and conduct the minor ceremonies of the Church, though as their numbers have dwindled these roles have been increasingly taken on by their male counterparts. They can also be found at the heart of any mission, and are ever at the fore of crusades to distant lands and continents. The lesser tier of these holy-women are known as Disciples, who – having passed the gruelling and secretive tests of the initiate – have been granted a gift by the Higher Being, in the form of sacred powers known collectively as the Light. She is not only a skilled enchanter, but can also be an excellent armswoman, healer, and craftswoman. Disciples are perhaps the holiest people within the Church, for they are directly tuned to the Higher Being, and subsequently incapable of casting any spell of an evil or malevolent nature. There is but one exception; for when the need is great, the sisterhood can call down a hail of righteous lightning to smite the Church's foes. Disciples who prove themselves goodly servants of the Higher Being may be elevated to the hallowed position of Cleric, wedded to the Avatar and blessed foremost amongst his flock. Their life long devotion to the faith raises them above the status of an ordinary, second-class female, for only in joining the Clerical sisterhood can a woman hope to shed the perennial sin of Evah.
Monks
The Monks are at the very bottom wrung of the Church's hierarchy, for they are little more than ordained lay-men, devoid of the Templar's temporal power or the Cleric's spiritual might. Despite this they are a greatly respected class of men, shunning all of life's pleasures to lead a truly virtuous life. Much of their time is spent poring over and copying down the Holy Scriptures, studying subjects of a religious nature, or tending their vinyards, gardens, fields, and cattle. As their name infers, the Avatari Monks live most of their lives in the remote priories, abbeys, and monestaries that dot Sosaria, and rarely enter the densely populated townships. Others take a solitary lifestyle, living as hermits in the wild places of the world. The only exceptions are the brothers of Empath Abbey, whose sheer proximity to the city of Yew have made them central to its community, and through their famed wine production, a significant part of its economy. Their primary contribution to the running of the Church is in coin; acquired through their daily toil and manufacture, their extensive literary works, the sale of indulgences, and their role in the extensive relic trade.
Wytch-Hunters
Fanatics
The Church of Yew
- "Thou art accused of being an Elf! How dost thou plead?"
- — Inquisitor Salrathian
Since time immemorial Yew has been dominated by its priesthood. Before the rise of the Avatarian creed, and the enforced conversion that followed, it was a realm dominated by its Druids, a caste of men whom held supreme authority over all affairs, not just religious, but political, judiciary, and on occasion martial. Though the faith may no longer be the same, and the Druids themselves long dead, their legacy lives on. Nowadays the Church of Yew bears more authority than any other religious organisation on mainland Sosaria, able to exert their might on all levels of mainstream Yewish society.
The history of the Avatarian faith in Yew is both bloody and long, though it remains hard to come by – with so many details kept hidden by the Church itself. What is clear for all to see without the need for historical tomes is that the conversion of Yew was no simple or speedy thing. Such is evidenced by the presence of heathenous or out-right godless communities in the dense woods and far north of the province. It owes its present incarnation to the forsaken Church of Deepwater, a loose gathering of local priests and wytch-hunters, and the two brother-knights Sir Gottfried and Sir Hugo of Aldemar. Prior to the brothers' forced unification of the Church into a single entity, there existed dissperate communions, far-flung missions, and minor chapels vieing for the flock. Those early days were a time of differing interpretations and daily declarations of aposty between rival priests, though they were also the days of many great saints: Saint Helen, the Mother of Preachers, who led the faithful eastwards to convert the folk beyond the Crimson Plains. Saint Llelan, who bore the Holy Scriptures to the Celtic clans – with varying degrees of success. And Saint Celestine, who bravely routed out the Wytches and Druids that plagued his homeland with nought but his farmer's pitchfork and unshakable piety.
Without a doubt the Yewish sect of Avatarianism is the strictest and most puritanical of all. Because of this the Church has made its fair share of foes. Though on the outside Yew may appear a province of zealots, it has throughout its history been subject to countless heresies, anti-Clergy revolts, and blatant displays of Guardian-worship. To combat this the Church's inquisitorial element – the Magistrate – have become increasingly prevelant. Since their rise, all internal sedition – both political and religious – has duly been crushed, and always in spectacular fashion. The Magistrate now hold such power that they could infact be considered the heirs of the pagan Druids, exerting much the same influence, and holding equal powers of life and death over their fellow Yewmen. Though unless one wishes to end one's existance on a pyre, it would be best to keep such comparisons private.
The Church of Cove
- "No one is safe from the noose!"
- — Templar Preceptor Siegfried
Covian legends speak of its Church's heroic rise centuries ago, though exact dates and documents are seldom seen by those outside the clerical circles. The father of Cove's Avatarian community, St. Keldor, is notable for single-handedly converting much of Cove to the fledgling and disorganised faith, and taking sword and fire to the Higher Being's foes in the tiny, backwater hamlet. Keldor's divine war against the Guardian's spawn and servants spelt his end, meeting his eventual demise at the hands of the wytches and daemon-worshippers who had made the mountains of Cove their home for centuries. That Keldor was a Yewish missionary, or a native convert, remains a point of some debate. It is possible that he was attatched to the patron saint of preachers, St. Helen, in her great exodus to the east. Regardless, the mark his mythical deeds left upon Cove can still be seen today, setting a traditon of Crusade unparalelled in Sosaria. As such it is an organisation dominated by its Templar caste, in stark contrast to the supremacy of the ever watchfull Magistrate in neighbouring Yew.
The Church of Cove has often been accused of corruption by a regretably impious army, a claim that in recent years culminated with the clergy's eviction, and exile to the safety of Yew. Headed by Sir Hugo of Rothermere – a descendant of Saint Keldor – the Church have since returned, and are now doing all they can to cut out the cancer of heresy and godlessness in Cove. The zealous Templar Preceptor, Father Siegfried, has also played a significant role in the reform of the Avatarian faith in the tradeport. Under his guidance key elements of Yewish Orthodoxy have been re-introduced to Cove; such as the concept of False Virtue, and the stricter treatment of mages. However hardened their line on magery may have lately become, the Templi of Cove continue to permit the use of magic provided that the user is sanctioned and branded. A sanctioned mage would be deemed an Arcanist, whereas their unsanctioned counterparts would bear the traditional slur of Wytch, and be suited only for the pyre. As with the greater toleration of Elves this remains a source of antagonism between the two Avatari branches, though in recent years they have taken a path of reconciliation and full communion.
