Difference between revisions of "Ainanism"

From BattleMaster Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 78: Line 78:
  
 
==Hand of the Mother==
 
==Hand of the Mother==
 +
The [[Hand of the Mother]] is a courtly order of Ainansim.
  
 
=[[Ainanos Athenaeum]]=
 
=[[Ainanos Athenaeum]]=

Revision as of 18:33, 22 January 2022

Ainanism was brought to the East Continent by High Priestess Calliope le Blanc. Before her immigration to the continent, High Priestess Calliope was raised in an Ainanism Temple where she was schooled in the worship of The Divine Family. The first temple to Ainanism was built in Salta when it was under the control of Shadowdale.


Tenants of the Faith

The gods

There are four gods: The Father, the Mother, the Child, and the Deceiver. The Father is the god of law and order. He represents war, justice, honor, and righteous anger. He is known as the Holy Father, Átar, or simply the Father. He is portrayed standing tall, holding a scale in one hand and a sword in the other. The Mother is the goddess of mercy. She represents love, compassion, and light. Her names are The Child is the god of chance. He represents luck, randomness, and capriciousness, and he is easily bored. Just as all children have unlocked potential, are easily influenced, and can be either good or bad—yet at the same time are neither—the Child is fickle and follows his whims, but he is not malevolent. His name is Seldo, but he is typically referred to as the Child. He is shown with a mischievous smile on his face. He covers his right eye with his hand and the left eye is wide open. The final god, Ulca, is the Father’s brother. The brother of war and righteous anger is malevolence and senseless violence. He is also known as the Great Darkness or the Deceiver. He has no physical portrayal; he is shapeless and formless. He is seen in a shadow or heard in a whisper, but only in passing out of the corner of your eye or in a quiet voice in the back of your mind. 1 Note: Some also call her Elune, after the goddess described in the Library of the Holy Sacred Grove. However, this name is controversial, as the legends in these ancient texts differ from what is believed today, and purists find the insinuation that the Father created the Mother insulting and contradictory to the fundamental principle of equal balance between the two. She sits cross-legged and topless, with many arms and many breasts, ready to hold and nourish her many children. the Mother of Mercy, Amillë, or simply the Mother.


Origins

In the beginning, there was the Mother, and there was the Father. The two existed in perfect harmony in the openness of time and space. However, the Mother began to feel an ache of maternal desire, and as her desire grew, so did her loneliness. Upon seeing this loneliness, the Father joined with her, and out of their union sprang the Child. The Mother took great delight in her Child. Seldo was good and pure, a perfect reflection of herself. However, his presence began to upset the delicate balance between his parents, so to prevent this balance from unraveling, his nature evolved to alternate between the two— sometimes leaning towards goodness and mercy, and sometimes leaning towards anger. The Child quickly grew bored in the open expanse of space, and his parents saw he needed an outlet for his imagination. They gathered their energies together and created stars to illuminate the empty space. They then created a world unlike any other in existence—a physical world filled with dirt and water. Out of this dirt grew plants, and within this world roamed all kinds of living beasts—some that flew in the air, some that swam in the seas, and others that crawled upon the ground. And the Child was happy with his new playthings. However, Seldo soon grew bored once again, and his Mother saw that it was not enough to have this dirt and water and stars, or these plants and creatures. He needed something more—creatures he could interact with and relate to—so together with the Father, she created something new. In the image of the Father came man, and to balance him came woman in the image of the Mother. These new creatures delighted Seldo. He spent his days watching them interact, learn, and grow. He would occasionally pick them up and move them, making them fight or breed, live or die. At first, the Mother was pleased with her son’s newfound happiness. However, she grew concerned as she looked down upon the world and saw it spiral into chaos as its inhabitants were subjected to the Child’s whims. After all, these inhabitants were her children as well, and she did not want to see them suffer needlessly. The Mother went to the Father and voiced her concerns. They decided to step in and provide balance and structure to the world. For a time, their new system progressed with little difficulty. As the men multiplied and formed civilizations, the Mother and Father helped them achieve peace and order. However, while the

Father attempted to provide law and justice, some of the men demonstrated a corruption of heart that had never been seen before. For many days, the Father grew ill, and the wars on the ground beneath grew increasingly violent. The Father clutched his head in agony, until finally, out of him came a new being. This being had no form but had a life force unlike any other, a dark energy that spread out into the world, bleeding into the hearts and minds of men. After recovering from his illness, the Father attempted to bring this darkness, called Ulca, under control, but it was too late. Today, the Father and the Mother continue to offer balance to the world—the Father providing law and order, and the Mother providing mercy and compassion. The Father leads men into battle, and the Mother brings them safely home. But the Deceiver still lurks in the background, whispering in men’s ears, leading to horrific acts of violence and malevolence beyond comprehension. But whenever you have a random stroke of luck, either good or bad, that’s when the Child is left to his own devices.

Beliefs

Family

The basis of this religion is the family unit. The people are highly encouraged to find spouses and have children to emulate the divine Family; this is often considered a sacred duty. Divorce is generally considered taboo, since it is breaking a sacred vow, and adultery is a serious sin. Sexual relationships before or outside of marriage are not permitted. Priests are the only exception, for they must remain celibate and never have children. This is because the divine Family is their family, and having their own biological families would distract them from their role. However, all people are considered part of their family, so the priests will often call everyone “brother” or “sister,” regardless of social class.

Social Class

All people are invited to join the religion, and peasants may be attracted by the idea of equality within the family; however, this illusion of equality is typically in name only, for most followers have no desire to upturn the class system.

Values and Gender Roles

This religion is neither a patriarchal nor a matriarchal system. It recognizes the importance of both justice/honor/war and love/compassion/mercy. They balance each other out, and if either becomes more powerful than the other, things spiral out of control. Followers of the divine Family strive to emulate this perfect balance by acting honorably and dealing out justice when necessary, but also by showing compassion and helping the less fortunate. Men and women are considered equally important but are typically given different roles, with the men following the Father into battle and the women tending to their children or the needs of the community. (However, there are always exceptions.)

Afterlife

In the afterlife, devout followers will return to the arms of the Mother, where they will be enveloped in a feeling of warmth, safety, and peace for eternity. However, those who are rebellious will simply return to dust and fade into the shadows with the Great Darkness, where there is nothing but cold, emptiness, and loneliness.

Monsters and Undead

Sometimes when a man’s heart is corrupt beyond repair, his body does not succumb to death so easily. When such a person dies, his soul fades into the Great Darkness where it becomes even more twisted, and Ulca then grants him the power to return to his physical body to continue wreaking havoc on the world. Since Ulca does not have a physical form, he also corrupted certain beasts, turning them into monsters, so they could prowl the earth on his behalf, killing and destroying at his bidding.

Worship

Casual believers will typically claim to honor the gods but live their daily lives normally, simply avoiding any major offenses. However, there are several traditions more devout followers will practice.

Holidays

Each of the four gods have their own holiday based upon the change in season: The Child is honored on the spring equinox. Children like to pull harmless pranks on this day (although sometimes these pranks get out of hand). Adults typically take the day off to relax, drink, and gamble. Mothers bake special fruit cakes for each member of their family, with a coin baked into one of them (the exact coin will vary depending on the economic status of the family). Whoever finds the coin in their cake is said to receive good luck for the rest of the year. The Mother is honored on the summer solstice, when the people gather for a festival of flowers. Traditionally, the children weave flower crowns, young men present their beloved with elaborate bouquets, and everyone shares in a large feast. The eldest matron in the community is often honored with a special seat and given small gifts, as she takes on the symbolic role of the divine Mother. The Father is honored on the autumn equinox. Here the knights and members of the local militia typically march through the city or town in a parade while the people gather on the sides of the street to cheer. Afterwards, there is often a moment of silence honoring the fallen soldiers, and then a sacrifice is made to ask for the Father’s favor in upcoming battles. The sacrifice can vary, but it’s typically a healthy, young bull or ram. The priest will slit the animal’s throat, then burn it as the people watch and pray. On the winter solstice, the most devout followers will stay home and fast to repent of their wrongdoings. More commonly, however, the people will wear masks or hide their faces to shield themselves from Ulca’s gaze, for his influence is believed to be strongest on this day. In wealthier communities, the nobles like to gather for masquerade balls.

Marriage

During the wedding ceremony, the couple will exchange amulets representing the Mother and the Father, and the priest officiating the ceremony will tie them together as a symbolic representation of their bond.

Burial

The dead are burned on funeral pyres to free their souls from their physical bodies. Then the ashes are buried to fertilize the ground and promote the circle of life.

Temple Children

Followers of the divine Family who have been experiencing bad luck, poor harvests, etc., will sometimes give their children to the temple to be playmates for the Child, thus inspiring his favor as well as sparking the Mother’s maternal love, causing her to show mercy on both the children and their families. Once the temple children come of age, they either have to leave the temple and go back out into the world, or they have to earn the Father’s approval by proving themselves in battle. (This is the Father pushing the children outside of their comfort zone, forcing them to face the realities of the world. The Mother loves her children unconditionally, but the Father wants his children to be honorable and brave.) If they can earn the Father’s approval, they are allowed to come back and live in the temple as priests, serving the Mother and Father and asking their blessing on the people.

Structure

The system is divided into three primary categories: The Sword of the Father, the Hand of the Mother, and the Priestly Order. The Sword of the Father is a crusader-like organization whose calling is to not only fight for the sake of the realm, but also to use warfare to further spread Ainanism by defeating any pagans and dissenters. Typically, any warrior-class followers will fall under this category. Their primary allegiance is to the Father. The Hand of the Mother is a pacifistic society whose primary responsibility is to look after the wellbeing of the realm and the common people. Its members do not fight battles, attend tournaments, or conduct duels. Instead, they look after the administration and bureaucratic upkeep of the various regions. Some may also choose to be diplomats and seek to arrange peaceful solutions with outside nations. Their primary allegiance is to the Mother. The Priestly Order focuses on spreading the truth of Ainanos and bringing more people into the family. They are also in charge of conducting any religious ceremonies and festivals. Those interested in becoming priests will begin as acolytes, and they will be mentored by one of the high priests and taught the intricacies of the religion. This is also when they will be required to prove themselves in battle to earn the Father’s favor before becoming full priests. All three organizations are overseen by two high priests who act as the representatives of the Mother and the Father on this earth. Their primary responsibility is to ensure proper balance

between the orders, so they run smoothly and best benefit the realm. Any questions and concerns should be directed to these high priests.

Orders within the Faith

Sword of the Father.jpg

Sword of the Father

The Sword of the Father is a knightly order of Ainanism. The order was founded when High Priestess Calliope anointed Edmund Calder as Champion of Ainanism. The Sword of the Father serves many serves many functions within the church. First and foremost the Sword of the Father protects The Mother. Should Amillë be attacked (be it a physical attack on a temple or priest or a verbal attack upon Ainanism) members of the Sword of the Father are duty bound to both defend her and enact retribution upon the offender. In times of peace, the Sword of the Father may serve as a dueling guild. The art of swordsmanship is often seen as a way to honor Átar. To better hone their skills, members will often duel each other that they may further perfect their craft. When permissible, the Champion will also organize internal tournaments. Finally, the Sword of the Order acts as a way for commoners to serve Átar. Adventurers are welcome to join the guild. When they have proven themselves to be both devout and skilled, they may be sponsored by the guild that they have a monthly stipend of gold to aid in their hunt of Ulca's undead and monsters.

Hand of the Mother

The Hand of the Mother is a courtly order of Ainansim.

Ainanos Athenaeum

The Ainanos Athenaeum is a research library for history, law, philosophy, science, theology and the arcane.

Sermons

Here you shall find many of the notable sermons preached by those devoted to The Divine Family.

There is a way that sermons may be submitted to the High Priests and approved for publication. That will be outlined here as well...

Stories

Here you shall find many stories of The Divine Family. Both learned priests and young children alike can find lessons within the these tales.

There is a way that myths may be submitted to the High Priests and approved. That will be outlined here as well....