Jackal Among Snakes

As life became about more than merely survival, the minds of the people gradually drifted toward the questions that have plagued them for all eternity. Life, and its infinite mysteries, remained unanswered. The reason for being, especially after enduring the destruction of the Last Calamity, felt more pertinent for people than ever.

Those questions created thousands of answers, each with their own philosophies toward life and their own explanations of the machinations of the world. This was, in most circumstances, largely harmless. People of different cultures propagated the gods that they had worshipped before the Calamity. Some took the mantles of their dead gods, such as the Veidimen with Veid. These ideas took root, creating regional, religious, and cultural divides in the nation that before had been united behind a national identity.

In this arena, however, the Blackgard Union and the imperial court gave only silence. Traditions and cultures, provided they didn’t breach the law of the land itself, were not curtailed. By example, the way of the elves of the Bloodwoods propagated to a large number of citizens as they spread from their forest to the rest of the land. More often than not, this was without incident. That changed as time marched on.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Their blind eye toward matters of faith and philosophy could perhaps be considered the biggest failing of the imperial court. As with most truths, only one can generally prevail, and conflict brewed because of their policy of non-interference. A time of war where soldiers were sent overseas proved to be the ignition for an explosion, internally.

I shall try to remain unbiased in my interpretation of these faiths and their founders, some of which persist today. I shall note, however, that I consider myself an adherent of the Word of Law, which has since become the de facto state philosophy, and claim no personal faith.

Divine Imperialism

The philosophy of the Cult of Divine Imperialism can be gleaned from its title alone. It is unique from several other faiths in this section because it was an idea that permeated the populace long before it was formally founded, and there was no individual prophet who came to preach its dictates. Rather, a council of adherents created a formal structure not long after the war in the Great Chu began.

Their canon preaches the notion that Argrave is a being from a higher world who was sent to this realm as its savior after studying and mastering it in isolated study. Once there, the fairest and most intelligent maiden of the age, Anneliese, was offered to him as tribute by the world itself to continue his divine bloodline. The imperial family, thus, are the descendants of higher beings, and must be accorded absolute respect and worship.

It proved a stabilizing aspect of the nation, but as its formal structure and missionaries spread the faith, overtures from the government came to combat its ideas. Followers were often radical, proposing acts of extreme violence against the Great Chu and further assaulting people that questioned the actions of the imperial court. Dealing with these people was an incredibly delicate act of diplomacy, because suggesting that the imperial family was as human as everyone else put into question their right to rule to begin with.

The cult has dwindled drastically in succeeding decades, but still persists as a formal institution to this day.

Arcanism

Founded by Leopold Dandalan

A patrician of the city of Relize and a B-rank spellcaster, Leopold survived the Last Calamity and achieved A-rank not long after, eventually rising to achieve S-rank. Already at an advanced age by the time he achieved this, the force of magic revitalized his flesh, returning him to a younger appearance. Some have suggested that the man who goes by Leopold is merely being impersonated by a talented spellcaster, but he disproved this on several occasions.

Leopold’s family, the Dandalans, were devastated by the Last Calamity. Ninety-eight percent of his incredibly large family—all of whom were his sons, grandchildren, or of even further descent—died during its course. His newborn son and wife were among those claimed. After, the city of Relize and all of its institutions effectively ceased to exist. Everything that he earned had been shattered—his empire of commerce, his gargantuan family, and all of his holdings turned to ash. overnight

By all reports, it broke him. He was presumed dead for many years until he returned to where Relize had once stood and began to preach his faith in 4AC. To him, magic had gone beyond a tool. It was truth. It was life itself. It was rebirth and recreation. Mastery of magic and its expression in the form of spells was an act of faith itself.

In particular, Leopold preached of something that he’d glimpsed beyond S-rank. In his Book of the Arcane, his descriptions of what waited beyond the barrier and his dictates for all those who seek to reach it eventually became creed for his followers. They refused the title of spellcaster, instead claiming themselves Arcanists.

Leopold’s astounding story of revitalization resonated with countless people. The imperial court themselves offered condolences, giving him the opportunity to take what remained of his family and rebuild it in a particularly valuable stretch of land in 7AC. Leopold, however, refused this in way of asking for support in getting his Arcanists to permeate the education system.

Though initially a tremendous positive for the nation, disseminating magic education to all those who were willing, it was very quickly coopted into a notion of stratification. The imperial court relied on the Arcanists to educate all those with magical talent, but in so doing, created a generation of young Arcanists who held ideas that were often fundamentally incompatible with the laws of the empire.

Even traditional sects of Arcanism encouraged—or even forced—sterilization upon the less magically gifted. Extremist sects promoted executing people that showed no reaction to magic, deeming them having been rejected by their divine force. Leopold never promoted either practice directly, encouraging ‘adherence to the law of the land.’ He never took direct action or gave direct reprimand, however, earning him censure from the Prime Minister.

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In the end, the imperial court took it upon themselves to stomp out extremism in the Arcanist structure during the Age of Fury. This led to violent confrontations on occasion, and considering most were adept spellcasters, included a fair share of collateral damage. Arcanists were entirely forbidden from preaching doctrine in magic schools, which led to significant unrest. Furthermore, certain extremist sects were deemed ‘enemies of public safety,’ and outlawed entirely.

The most prominent incident, however, came in 36AC. The imperial court, frustrated with inaction from Leopold, practically forced pacifistic reformations in the taught creed of the Arcanists by law. This caused wide-scale protests, damaged the economy a great deal, and nearly resulted in a full-scale rebellion. Fortunately, Leopold’s public acquiescence to the Bill of Preservation of Safety marked a quieting of extremism from Arcanists.

The faith remains prominent among spellcasters of the modern age, with noted influence still persisting in education simply because the taught values of their faith encourage teaching magic to all. Both learning and teaching magics are considered acts of faith and devotion. To this day, Arcanist families practice arranged marriages designed to foster magical talent, and exhibit prejudice toward those unwilling or unable to utilize magic.

Suns’ Creed

Founded by Lucien Lahart

In 8AC, Lucien claims to have experienced an out-of-body experience wherein he found himself transported to the sun in the sky. There, he saw every living soul in the world bound together in a network by the power of two beings. He claimed these beings to be the two suns that existed before their dramatic transformation that occurred shortly before the advent of the Last Calamity. From them, he received the Creed of the Suns, which he authored in feverish pain for three days.

The Creed establishes that every living being’s soul is in possession of the suns. Every action they take, from their first breath to their last, is being judged by them. When the time comes for death, the suns decide the worth of their life. Their soul is then shattered and projected out as sunlight, giving birth to new life in an endless cycle of reincarnation. If one follows the Creed of the Suns, their new life is promised to be that of happiness and joy. If one does not, their new life will be dull, gray, miserable, and fleeting.

The Creed’s fundamental values are unproblematic. It promotes the notion of being as the suns are—protective of those in your community, totally generous toward all others, warm, and life-giving. Its priesthood follow this well, working for welfare in the region in service of their missionary work. Issues only arose due to the absolutism of its doctrine.

To adherents, the Suns’ Creed is the only truth, and all others are misguided at best, and malicious at worst. This antagonism was manageable at first, and Lucien’s insistence on pacifism earned him vast support. When Lucien was murdered, however, he ceased to be a moderating influence on his people. In particular, conflicts with the so-called ‘lunatics’ responsible for Lucien’s murder erupted throughout the nation.

Lunar Dragon Worship

Founded by an unnamed lunar dragon

Both the name of the faith and its founder are only able to be spoken by the unique jaw and mouth structure of a dragon’s body, and attempting to transcribe either would draw ire from those I would rather remain unprovoked. They believe the lunar dragons to be divine emissaries, given power by their god the moon to see all that takes place in the world. In their communications with the moon, they are the mouthpiece of the divine. Non-draconic adherents endeavor to learn to understand the tongue of the dragons even if they cannot speak it, and in so doing, are given great esteem by their fellows.

To this day, the worship of lunar dragons remains highly controversial, reclusive, and isolated. Though initially open to all, the murder of Lucien Lahart by a dragon worshipper provoked tremendous backlash. Since then, they were branded with the derogative ‘lunatics,’ and driven out from most organized society. Lorena, technical leader of the lunar dragons, has personally denounced the faith, decrying it as egomania and delusion in service of selfishness.

The particulars of their faith are known only to those who can understand the tongue of the dragons. As I do not count myself among that number, and because countless rumors exist that muddy the truth of the matter, I will refrain from attempting to summarize it further than I have. Suffice it to say, the Age of Fury marked a time of great conflict between those of the Suns’ Creed and those who worship the lunar dragons.

Word of Law

Founded by former deity, Law

To preempt any accusations of bias, I shall begin this profile describing the prevailing criticisms of the text published in 35AC.

The text called Word of Law began circulating around the height of the troubles between the Suns’ Creed, the lunar dragon worshippers, and the Arcanists—35AC. The text was printed very widely, and was proclaimed from the largest city to the smallest town. Some suggest such coordination is the deliberate effort of the imperial court to spread their own ideas to the people.

This idea is supported by the fact Argrave prevailed upon Law to help with his ornery daughter, Liesolette. The Word of Law could easily be claimed as one of the core values of the Blackgard Union, lending further evidence. Moreover, in my time as a Knight of the Sun, I did see unusually easy access to the text. Countless such anecdotes exist describing the ease at which the Word of Law proliferated society. It would be disingenuous to dismiss that fact.

To that criticism, I can say only this; its physical spread may not have been natural, but its reach into the hearts and minds of the people of the age cannot be manufactured.

Law claims to have spent the thirty-five years after the end of the calamity writing this text. He did so searching for new meaning after the loss of his godhood. His text is highly secular, and would become the foundation of many humanist movements that would emerge in the next age. It posits the idea that it’s a moral duty to act rationally and fairly regardless of any beliefs. It further suggests that the endeavor of construction—both personally and communally—are the single greatest acts that any person can perform. Its concise, sharp language left no room for semantics, yet plenty of space for all to practice whichever faith they should please.

This text would have a profound cooling effect of the struggles of the age as people weary of conflict united beneath an encouraged notion of secularism. The promotion of this text, however, blossomed into countless political and cultural movements in the Age of Revolutions that would often end up twisting its words to their ends.

Though countless polytheistic faiths persist all around the Blackgard Unions, the ones listed were undoubtedly the most impactful during the Age of Fury. While the secular intentions of the imperial court were in effect from the beginning, they overestimated the capacity of those ideas to transfer without a proper medium. The Word of Law marked the beginning of the end of religious and cultural strife in the Blackgard Union. By 37AC, society had been reformed to accommodate the disparate beliefs and philosophies of its population.

The struggles during this timeframe would portend what was to come in the Age of Revolutions—oft times a fusion between the extremism of the Arcanists, the secularism of the Word of Law, the charitability of the Suns’ Creed, and the desire for unique divergence as seen in lunar dragon worship. It would mark a fundamental change in lifestyle as compared to the time before the Last Calamity.

I’ll explore the Age of Revolutions in the next section.