[Religion Lore] Gnosticism

[Ibn Khaldun 7728]

 

General Overview

 

Mood Music

 

There are those who, through the myriad of religions, choose to see commonality and abide by them without partisanship. In all fair religions, there is a call to a higher power, and a moral code imposed - the gnostics are well aware and observant of this. However, gnosticism compels adherents to reconcile the man-made religions throughout time with the Ultimate and its act of breathing soul into the Descendents. To this end, gnosticism finds itself compatible with many of the religions throughout Arcas, but places an emphasis with a direct, personal, and awe-inspiring relationship with the Creator.

 

Gnosticism points to the act of creation, in which the Creator blew spirit into the hollow forms of the Descendents, as an endearing moment in which the Creator showed love for the creation. This love is reciprocated by the gnostic longing for reunion. This reunion is not morbidly attached to death, but rather gracefully attached to fervent worship, upright moral life, and beautified adoration of the Almighty. Gnostics find that achieving harmony among the Descendents is a vehicle to impressing and showing love to the Creator. To this end, gnostics rarely contrast the religions, arguing that the name ascribed to the Creator is a moot point and that arguing over such would cause discord and thus disrupt potential harmony among the Descendents. One may find gnostics of different religious backgrounds, but united in underlying philosophy.

 

There is one enemy of the Gnostics: ego. In gnostic soteriology, the ego is like a chain weighing the person down and restraining them from reunion. In moral terms, the ego is the font of all vices including the cardinal among them: arrogance. Arrogance is, to the gnostic, what drives certain Aengudaemons to believe they are superior to the Creator and what drives certain Descendents to be aggressors and oppressors over each other. The gnostic swears oaths to counteract and retribute the arrogant - no matter the race or religion. Many gnostics turn to asceticism as a practice to restrain their own egos.

 

Gnosticism as a philosophy affecting one’s personal faith is obscure in origins. Fierce orthodoxy is a typical and recurring quality of many groups, especially of human populations, who utilize faith as a means to encourage cooperation and brotherhood. The orthodoxy of such groups as the legendary Order of the White Roses, Teutonic Order, and Da Kirkja Dverga usually proves anathema to any challenge to religious orthodoxy and supremacy. For this reason, gnosticism as a philosophy is often kept quiet, yet has found a great number of followers both in clandestine acceptance and proactive promotion and congregation.

 

 

 

Sects & Tenets

 

Many gnostics show appreciation for the many religions across Arcas and in past lands including Aegis, Asulon, Anthos, and others. They embrace particularly those religions that have inspired intellectual endeavors including Canonism and the faith of the Brathmordakim while tolerating but distancing themselves from more animistic religions as more elemental and anti-philosophy such as the Shamanism of the Orcs. For these passive gnostics, they still accept a few major tenets that would be generally considered heterodox:

 

1. The morally just and upright deeds are not done for any reward or to avoid placement in punishment, but rather for an ecstatic closeness to the Creator and to show adoration for the sole creator.
2. As alluded to in the first tenet, those who follow polytheistic religions contend internally that there is a sole creator with multiple avatars. In such cases, the avatars are typically ignored while the sole creator is conscionably revered.
3. There is a recognition that the creator has certain elects or moral paragons within the religious traditions who emphasize virtues over faith and religious jurisprudence. These elects are those who the passive gnostics gravitate to and try to learn from.

 

Sumana’an - The Sages

 

    One of the more proactive and congregant sects of gnostics include the Sumana’an or Sages sect. This sect traces its history back to Aegis, under the auspices of the Great Tree of Malinor, but met in relative secret early. For the Sumana’an, the grammar of the Elves impressed on them the unique blessing that the creator bestowed on them. This sect of gnostics composed primarily of Elves and Humans early in its history. They poured themselves into the study of the linguistic wonder that is the Elven tongue - both grammar and rhetoric treasured by these individuals.

 

    The Sumana’an conceived that the creator rewarded those who produced the greatest moral lives with spiritual annihilation. As opposed to the mutilating practice of suicide where one takes their own life with their own hands, it is believed that the creator would annihilate the truest and most deserving gnostic to be reunited from outside the physical plane. This highly heterodox belief put them at odds with the Druidic Order and followers of Cernunnos or Cerridwen who held that such an act is both blasphemous and inconceivable. The Sumana’an, by virtue of this, lived in the outskirts of the Malinorian state and did not profess these beliefs publicly nor did they engage in evangelism.

 

    The Sumana’an, in more recent history, would move away from the Elven language and culture and found an intellectual home in the language and culture of the Descendents of Horen. This decision came as a result of the wars waged against the Elves throughout more recent decades with the Sumana’an fearing they may be targeted for heterodoxy. In Arcas, current members of the Sumana’an still refer to their sect as Sumana’an or the Gnostic Order of the Simorgh. The sect still meets, but public appearances and discussions wax and wane based on the current politics within the Human realm. The simorgh, Khalasheen for phoenix, is a creature venerated for its mythical quality of being able to catch fire and perish only to be restored in a new form.

 

 

 

Rhadavedos (Bearers of Hidden Knowledge) [Possible ET only group]

 

    Perhaps the most interesting groups of gnostics are the Rhadavedos or the ‘bearers of hidden knowledge’ in Dwarfish. In contrast with other gnostics who typically prescribe to a general monotheism with more philosophical underpinnings; the Rhadavedos are more ideological with an expanded cosmogony. The Rhadavedos believe that the creator is actively opposed by a sinful and disorderly entity known as the Archfiend. This Archfiend’s ambition is to sow disorder throughout creation as a means to encourage them to disown the creator and his expectation of order, harmony, and good morality. It is believed that this Archfiend can whisper in the hearts of creation and even, with the weak, possessing them.

 

    The Rhadavedos believe that the creation is made of clay and earthen elements whereas the Archfiend is made of air, invisible to the eye, but it's immaterial existence allows it the freedom to move about and conduct its fiendish encouragements unnoticed except to the morally upright. This particular metaphysical belief led many of the Rhadavedos to pursue the practice of Earth Evocation, believing that the act of manifesting the earthen elements is a ritual celebration of the creator’s act.

 

    The Rhadavedos took an early interest in Aegis in the Dwarfish culture and language. Some even suggested that the creator favored them by giving them such an inclination to the earth whereas Descendents such as the Elves tried to elevate themselves above the earth in their high trees and Men looked to construct high castles. The Rhadavedos would take on the formal name Da Kahiva Dverga (Order of Wisdom) and appealed to Dwarves, Humans, and few Orcs whose Shamanism may have encouraged them to look fondly on the earth. Throughout history, they kept clandestine but general proximity with both the Dwarfish and Human kingdoms (such as Subudai and Khalasheen Caliphate) and peoples. Within the human realms, this sect of gnostics usually takes the titles of Geoturgists.

 

 

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I have shared this lore in Lore Discord and Staff Discord with good remarks thus far. The reason I am posting this here is for a few reasons:

 

1. I’d like to present the lore to the general playerbase now.
2. I want to keep some record for lore-team purposes rather than just an obscure post in the Humanity forum for example.
3. The last sect does involve magic and my intention is to keep it as an Event Team group, but I am game to hear other suggestions. I am also thinking about expanding on this more if there is playerbase interest.

[The Great Mongol Khan 1091]

Another great work of lore! Good job Gaius!

[Suxals 418]

I don't see why a religion post would need a lore submission, you can simply rp it and ETs could already play that last sect if they wished.

 

If this goes through the Loremag it could create a dangerous precedent where players could fight over whose religion has more validity based on approval and at the same time give power to the ST over something that has been off their limits.

 

Leaving all that aside; I like the writing.

[Ibn Khaldun 7728]

4 minutes ago, Suxals said:

I don't see why a religion post would need a lore submission, you can simply rp it and ETs could already play that last sect if they wished.

 

If this goes through the Loremag it could create a dangerous precedent where players could fight over whose religion has more validity based on approval and at the same time give power to the ST over something that has been off their limits.

 

Leaving all that aside; I like the writing.

 

I can understand that fear and I addressed that in the 2^nd page of my post. I posted this just to have record of the religion/philosophy as I know many Lore Writers like to have things “on the record.” I don’t expect to have this go through a Lore Mag, but perhaps my Lore Admin can speak with me about the possibility of the last sect (Geoturgists) be an ET-only group since they do have magic capabilities. I also may expand on this lore and create another sect for Story related purposes.

 

This being said, do know that the LT do not actually judge a RP religion’s validity so it wouldnt go through a Lore Mag for that purpose.

[Aelesh 319]

There is a dedicated culture subforum for this purpose. This should be over there. The only part that might be voted on is the ET part, and even then, lore for ET usage doesn’t need to be passed to be used so long as it isn’t way out there.