Sanguis Astroism/Writings/On the Evils of Torenism

The following treatise was delivered to Prophet Mathurin Hossenfeffer, Holy Prophet of Sanguis Astroism, upon his request for justification for the declaration of the Evil nature of Torenism. Once the Holy Prophet had read the Treatise, he asked for it to be delivered to the followers of Sanguis Astroism. Here is recorded a copy of this treatise.

Letter from Brance Indirik

Message sent to all members of Sanguis Astroism

Nobles of Sanguis Astroism, Yesterday a request was sent to Cardinal Varchilde, by a representative of the Warders of the Temple, to declare a crusade against the faith of Torenism, and the corrupt theocracy of Averoth which shelters it. In order to support the crusade, and allow the Warders of the Temple to persecute the Torenist faith to maximum extent, a request was also made of Prophet Mathurin for a recognition and declaration of the Evil nature of the Torenists and their faith. As was just and proper, the Prohpet has requested information on the nature of the Evils of Torenism. I have spent several hours today perusing the copies of the holy texts of Torenism that exist in the libraries of Libidizedd. Many of these texts were taken from the temples and libraries of the Torenists that were captured during Astrum's war against Everguard, and the veracity and authenticity of these texts is thus guaranteed. They are the actual texts studied by and preached about by the Torenist priests themselves. I present to you the results of this study: The irrefutable proof of the Evil of the vicious, barbaric following of Torenism. I hope that all here will indulge me, and read this treatise, so that we may all be united in our efforts. It is important to remember that this proof is not based upon secular political opinions, or nationalistic ambitions. These Evils of Torenism are theological in nature, and deal with the foundation and core beliefs of the barbarian faith of Torenism, and its disdain and contempt for others. These Evils are inherent in the incompatible nature of Torenism and any other faith in unearthly forces. The core belief of the Torenist system is the heretical idea that their god, Tor, is the single, supreme deity of the cosmos. To a Torenist, there is nothing but Tor. All other gods and unearthly powers are either false, or a manifestation of Tor himself. There is no room in the mind of a Torenist to consider the existence of a deity or heavenly power beyond that of their own bloodthirsty and violent god. Unlike the followers of the Stars, there is no peaceful coexistence. The intolerance of the Torenists is well known, and well documented. In the pages of their own faith, they extol their intolerance as follows: "Pursue the expanse of my word by way of the sword. If a people do not submit, destroy them." These are the words of their own god, laid out in the primitive manuscript they worship as the holiest of their texts. It is known as the Directives of Toren Mountain. Their god calls for the destruction of all that will not submit to the word of Tor. Surely the faithful of Sanguis Astroism shall never bend a knee to the false god of Torenism. Yet if we do not, then the Torenist's fanatical zeal will one day lead them to attempt to conquer the Stars by the sword. Their belief in the supremacy of their god will permit no other course of action. Such is declared inevitable by the god Tor himself, in these words which are also recorded in the Directives of Toren Mountain: "Peace fosters decadence and impurity. A people confident of their security become soft and weak and will destroy themselves. Do not fester in a state of peace." The Torenists now suffer the existence of other faiths for one simple reason: They lack the strength to carry out the will of their god. Yet the Torenists will not be content to stay like this forever. Their god also declares thus: "Weakness is a symptom of cowardice. The weak exist to justify the strong. Do not cater to weakness, destroy it." Their god calls them to build strength, so that they may carry out his dictum of conquest and violence. Can any here deny the clear an inherent meaning of these words? The Torenists very existence, the core of their belief and reason for existence, is to use the sword as the means by which to spread the Evil of their ways. They are not men of peace, and can never bear to coexist with any who do not believe as they themselves believe. It is in the nature of a Torenist to seek to exterminate any faith which does not exalt and uphold Tor. They prophesy the eventual ascendancy of Tor over all, and the extermination of all other faiths. "Tor is eternal. He has existed since before the beginning of time, in an existence outside our own. He has always been, and will always be. A famous saying of Torenists is likely the most accurate description of Tor – "In the beginning, there was only Tor... and the beginning has a lot in common with the end." " There was only Tor, and there will be only Tor. Does anyone see room for the existence of the Stars in a cosmos that only contains Tor? I do not. And I refuse to allow the ascendancy of Tor, such that the Stars are eclipsed. Hidden deeper in the beliefs of Torenism is the assertion that all other faiths are false, and pagan in nature. The Torenists even go so far as to claim that the faith of Sanguis Astroism itself is a false faith. But the Torenists, in their wariness of the strength of the Stars, did not have the courage to openly declare such. Yet those who are careful in the readings of their scriptures can decipher these near-hidden assertions: "Up to that point Tor had not revealed himself to the people of the world. He had manipulated them, tricked them and guided them, but all without any of them knowing of Tor. As time passed, the people of the world began to create pagan religions devoted to any number of things - elements they saw in the world, celestial objects, climate seasons, and even completely fabricated gods." I am certain that all assembled here can see the claim in these words that Sanguis Astroism itself is a false faith, created by ignorant savages, to explain the workings of Tor. I find such a claim offensive in the extreme, and incompatible with the beliefs of Sanguis Astroism. In the words of the Prophet himself, as delivered during a sermon to the faithful in Donghaiwei: "The Stars rest above us. They change in their Aspect, and yet they remain fixed and constant in their place." The Stars are the Stars. The Stars have always been the Stars. The Stars shall always be the Stars. They cannot be the creations of Tor. They cannot be a manifestation of Tor. They do not exist by the will or machinations of Tor. They are fixed in the sky. They are Constant. They Were. They Are. They Will Be. The warlike nature of the Torenists has by now, become obvious to all. If there was any doubt as to the purpose to which the warriors of Tor shall be applied, then look no further than the predictions of Prophet Fisc Arylon himself: "The Spread of Torenism - A prophecy declared by the Messiah Fisc Arylon as he descended the Mountain of Betrayal. The Children of Tor shall spread the word of Tor to the four corners of the continent of Dwilight, and the faith shall achieve preeminence amongst all the faiths in all the lands." The Prophet of Tor upon Dwilight has prophesied the ascendancy of Torenism across the entirety of the island. Not just the ascendancy over the few minor regions their theocracy now controls, but across the entire island, including those lands which have already seen the Light of the Stars. Can the mechanism by which this prophecy will be carried out be allowed to continue its existence in our very midst? I hereby request that the faith of Torenism be marked now and forevermore as Evil within the eyes of Sanguis Astroism. I call for Torenism to be hunted out and exterminated. Let it be eradicated from all lands that are blessed by the divine Light of the Blood Stars. Let their Evil be eradicated before it can gain further foothold upon the lands of men. Let their faith fall and be forgotten, so that its intolerance and violent nature can also pass and be forgotten. Prophet Mathurin, such are the results of my study into the Evil nature of Torenism. If you, or any of the other worthy members of the Faith have any questions, I will be pleased to answer them as I may.

Brance Indirik (Duke of Libidizedd)