Unitary Astroism/Revelations

From BattleMaster Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

In the Bloodstars we find knowledge; they are the sources of our enlightenment. Without them, I would not have discovered the truth. - Lucius Arundel

The First Questions

The first questions are a small collection of first hand accounts written by Lucius Arundel on his voyage from Askileon to Libidizedd. The questions he posed would prove to be the for his eventual revelation in Libidizedd.

11th Day of Summer, Noon, At Sea Along the Sallowcape Drift.

Something powerful disturbed my thoughts last night, and I do not know what to do about it. When I looked up to the stars to meditate, I started asking myself questions; questions which I should not have been asking. Why are the Bloodstars only three, when there are thousands upon thousands of other stars around them? What makes those stars worthless in comparison to the Bloodstars? The answers, of course, are straightforward: the Bloodstars are brighter, larger, static and known to influence man - "as above, so below." They were discovered by prophecy, through direct communion. So why am I left unsatisfied? Why does my blood simmer close to boiling, my mind seem always unsure, and my spirit hungry for so much more?

13th Day of Summer, Midday, Seemingly Lost in the Central Sea.

Why does the wind change directions? Why does the sea have waves? Why are we out of food? Why have we not arrived yet? Why am I writing down these questions?

15th Day of Summer, Dusk, Landing in Libiddo for supplies.

I know for certain that the Bloodstars influence us, but what about everything else? What of the very plane our sparks inhabit? Our fleshy vessels are so dependent on food, water, and shelter, one would think them too valuable to ignore. Point in case, I am here right now because my men and I are starving. And yet despite our constant needs, we do not leave deserts in our wake. Crops grow anew, flowers bloom again. Are the Bloodstars really involved?

17th Day of Summer, Before Dawn, In the Ruined City of Libidizedd, Inside Its Great Temple.

I cannot live with myself, knowing there is something unknown to the realm of man. I cannot forgive myself, having doubted the prophet. What if he unintentionally missed the obvious? Imagine the first man to make proper communion with all three Bloodstars. Would you think him able to focus on anything but? Almost every revelation laid down to parchment by our prophet's hand involves the influence of the Bloodstars over man. This I do not deny, for it is clear and evident. But what of his last treatise on the purpose of religion? Why does our prophet seriously entertain the possibility of non-human influences for the very first time in his very last publication? It is literally the only instance in which he describes the Bloodstars as possibly influencing wind, water, fire, and earth. Moreover, he explicitly states that he is aware of the popular desire to understand the workings of our world. Was this his attempt at fulfilling that desire? Was he trying to understand the influences beyond mankind? The answer feels so unbearably evident, and I am certain the prophet felt the same way.

17th Day of Summer, Late Evening, In the Ruined City of Libidizedd, Inside Its Great Temple.

There is no evidence to suggest that the Bloodstars influence wind, fire, earth, or water. I have witnessed the Bloodstars wax and wane a thousand times before, and never has the wind deigned to shift with them, nor has the sea ever grown or faltered under their changing luminosity. Curse my simple mind! Why do I bother asking questions that have already been answered? Everyone knows that the sea only comes to heel during low tide, when the moon rises and falls... when the moon rises and falls, i-is that it then? Is that the answer?

The First Vision

From a dream that came to Lucius as he slumbered in Libidizedd's great temple. At the time of Revelation, Austere and Maddening and Auspicious were bright, while Austere alone was in ascendancy.

Hand in hand, the King of Chaos, the Queen of Fortune and the Lord of Truth showed to me...

Two extraordinarily giant men
Who toiled away at our beloved den.
One raised massive mountain chains
While the other flooded arid plains.

Two times they met a year,
With blinding smiles from ear to ear.
One they were in company
As man rejoiced in harmony.

Once they parted separate ways
Twice did man kneel down to pray,
For three lovely ladies then appeared
And were forever onward profusely revered.

The Evident Truths

The Evident Truths are two discourses by Lucius Arundel describing the discoveries and influences of the Bloodmoon and Bloodsun. Reading Lucius Arundel's "Observations Concerning the Blood of the World" is highly recommended during or after reading the Evident Truths. Copies can be found in the observations section of the Library of Scriptures.

The Bloodmoon

I discovered the moon as a source of influence on the first day of Autumn, just four days after arriving in Libidizedd. I looked to the sky as the night fast approached and gazed upon a deep red face: a face covered in blood. The moon's massive size and striking luminosity were reasons enough to believe it a source of influence, but its sanguine glow could not be denied. I had seen the hunter and harvest moons countless times, without so much as a second thought, but never had I seen the Bloodmoon until that fateful day.

Because of its qualities, it is irrefutably true that the Bloodmoon influences our blood and the blood of the world. Exactly how is made evident firstly by the Bloodmoon's observable effects on the blood of the world. One such example witnessed every day by those living along seaboards is the Bloodmoon's effect on tides. A tide is low when the Bloodmoon initially rises, high when the Blodmoon is directly above, and low again when the Bloodmoon sets. This is an observation of the world accepting the Bloodmoon's continuously changing influence. A similar, yet contrasting example is an extraordinarily large billow of water, the cause of massive floods. The example differs specifically in that extraordinarily large billows of water result from the world's inability to accept the Bloodmoon's changing influence. Other examples include events such as earthquakes, whirlwinds, and even droughts.

Our blood is similarly affected by the moon, with the fortunate exception that we do not suddenly burst into pieces of flesh. Our relation with the Bloodstars, mirrored by our sparks, prevents us from experiencing such an agonizing fate. That does not precluded from all harm, unfortunately. Instead, the moon attempts to influence our blood by subversively interfering with our sparks, which in turn creates an imbalance by manipulating the influence of the Bloodstars. This is observed commonly during fits of rage in the absence of ascending Maddening, or more consistently when a man or woman is deemed mad or insane. There is a reason why night is feared by many, and thought to promote deplorable behavior. Though perhaps incredibly concerning, striving for continuous balance with the Bloodstars at all times is one way to ward against the moon's potential effects, while striving for continuous communion with the moon, and subsequently harnessing its changing influence another. The latter is an extremely viable option because not all change is undesirable, as seen with the changing tides. Simply put, the Bloodmoon is not a source of evil, but a source of change; many people fear change, while others celebrate it.

The Bloodsun

Following my discovery of the Bloodmoon, I wondered if there were any other sources of influence that I could have missed. As the sun rose that very morning, with its red tendrils reaching for the sky, I was thrust with another revelation. Much like its antithesis, the Bloodsun is very large, blindingly luminous, and blatantly sanguine; it is undoubtedly a source of influence. I felt the utter fool for not having realized it sooner, especially since the Bloodsun turned red once more before day's end, only to repeat the very same cycle the very next day. I then realized that I was the first to discover its true identity, which brought more fear than it did comfort.

Because of its qualities, it is irrefutably true that the Bloodsun influences our blood and the blood of the world. Unlike the Bloodmoon, however, the Bloodsun does not deal with mysterious and sudden change. Quite the opposite, the Bloodsun influences the continued sustenance of all things in a very clear way. Take any herb, for instance, and conceal it from the Bloodsun; its death with likely ensue. Take any man and deprive him of the same; he will grow sickly pale and weak. The Bloodsun's influence is so clear and evident, our daily lives are molded by it. When the sun rises, we wake; when the sun sets, we retire. We do almost everything under the Bloodsun.

It can be assumed then that we maintain a natural balance with the Bloodsun; believer or unbeliever, we are all well connected to it. This is a false assumption. The Bloodsun does not wax and wane like the Bloodstars, nor is its influence sporadic and unpredictable like the Bloodmoon's. Instead, it continuously supplies sustenance to all things, without cessation. A man can overheat if his blood gets too hot; a man can easily tire if his blood becomes too rich to maintain; a man's skin can burn if his shell becomes too overrefined. In other words, imbalance with the Bloodsun occurs only when in prolonged communion. Balance even in sustenance is paramount.

The Bloodstars and the First Prophecies

Prophet Mathurin Hossenfeffer shared with us the most essential revelations of our time: Maddening, Auspicious, and Austere. With them, we were finally able to understand what compelled us forward, allowing us to achieve levels of supremacy never-before-seen. Therefore, everyone should strive for a stalwart connection with the Bloodstars, and abide by Prophet Mathurin Hossenfeffer's teachings. I cannot stress this enough. In the Bloodstars we find knowledge; they are the sources of our enlightenment. Without them, I would not have discovered the truth. - Lucius Arundel

The First Prophecy

From a vision received by Prophet Mathurin Hossenfeffer at the temple in Donghaiwei, Morek. At the time of Prophecy, Austere and Auspicious were hidden, Maddening was bright, and Auspicious was in ascendancy.

The Prince of Strife showed me...
A crimson lord riding
the earth, quakes
Two brothers arm in arm
a jewel, lost
Three armies circling an eye
a trap, sprung
Four flags flying high
one frayed, falls
Five clouds concealing the Stars
a realm, ravaged
Six sheathed in shadows
a darkened dagger, drawn
Seven smiling rogues sit
a Queen, slain
Eight ships setting sail
a broken kingdom, won

The Second Prophecy

From a vision received by Prophet Mathurin Hossenfeffer at the temple in Mimer, Corsanctum. At the time of Prophecy, Austere and Maddening were hidden, Auspicious was bright, and Maddening was in ascendancy.

The Lady of Fortune showed me...
On a barren heath; a man in black armour, bearing a broken sword and speaking with a voice of the dead saying "there is no hope" and throwing the sword to the ground, and a tree rising from the spot and hiding the man, and an infant sitting in the tree, swaddled in black and holding a cracked cup and speaking with a voice of those not yet born saying "there is no hope" and pouring water from the cup over the branches of the tree and silver flowers blooming from amidst the leaves hiding the infant, and a woman rose from the pool of water, garbed in black and with a crippled hand and speaking with a voice of the all the living saying "there is no hope" and raising the crippled hand to cover my eyes and when the hand was gone, so was the woman and the tree and the pool, and there was a stone there, under the light of the Stars.

The Third Prophecy

From a vision received by Prophet Mathurin Hossenfeffer in his tower in Mimer, Corsanctum. At the time of Prophecy, Austere and Maddening were hidden, Auspicious was bright, and Maddening was in ascendancy.

The Spirit of Truth showed me...
The warrior is my right eye,
Bright shining fervour.
Exultantly, he brings the fire,
I surmount the other.
The courtier is my left eye,
Bright shining favour.
Judiciously, she brings the light,
I cherish the other.
The priest is my third eye,
Bright shining candour.
Serenely, it brings the truth,
There is no other,
The eyes.
All shine bright.
Fire, Light, Truth.
There is no I.