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Author Topic: Fall From Grace  (Read 5084 times)

squamous

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Fall From Grace
« on: December 31, 2023, 11:52:57 am »

Man's reign was born from sin, and to sin he shall return. So it has always been said. Since the days of the First Men, who ate the flesh of gods and in doing so became them, only to turn against one another in anthropophagic frenzy, ruin has followed our people. Stumbling from one madness to another, the world crawls with our mistakes. Warring kingdoms, monstrous creations, shameful degenerations, and things far worse. But even so, the degraded world clings to whatever yet offers hope or comfort. The Great Faiths, wardens of civilization, grant what succor they can, and salve the cannibalistic hunger inflicted upon us through the deeds of our ancestors, so long as we follow the alien scriptures they have brought forth, carried from the fathomless Outer Dark. And at the fraying edges, the powers banished by holy writ yet ever watch for weakness.

In this world, El-Enlil, the soul of man is laid bare, in all of its terrible wickedness and all its righteous passion. When humanity is truly a people cursed, afflicted with consuming destructive impulse only restrained by devotion to alien gods, what figures shall rise among them? Who shall pick up the sword or the sigil or the word and strive for greatness, or become but another forgotten soul in a realm which ever seems to change, yet never truly has. Here, in the distant and untamed Borderlands, is a place where futures can be made or broken through skill and chance, through cunning and bravery. So will you seek glory? Power? Respite? Or will you simply be a pawn to those who do?

We have fallen from grace, and little hope remains.

We can only struggle on.

==========================================================================
What is Fall From Grace?

Fall From Grace is a total overhaul mod which takes the game Dwarf Fortress and transplants it into a dark religious fantasy setting inspired by media like Berserk, Dark Souls, and other dark fantasy fiction, where humanity, afflicted by the supernatural burden of their past actions, have pledged themselves to alien gods for salvation, or through hubris have sought to become gods themselves. But such apotheosis is not to be our story. Ours takes place in its periphery. The ruins of countless civilizations litter the land, and the place where the tale is told, the ever-changing Borderlands, is a dismal patchwork of feuding kingdoms and decaying empires. It may seem like a typical medieval fantasy world on the surface, but the deeper one pries, the stranger things become. Play a landed lord, a noble knight, a powerful sorcerer, a cunning mercenary, a wandering barbarian, an inhuman monster, a cannibal demigod. The world of El-Enlil, the grand argument for the soul of man, awaits.


Download Link: https://dffd.bay12games.com/file.php?id=16953


========================
==========================================================================
What is Fall From Grace?

Fall From Grace is a total overhaul mod which takes the game Dwarf Fortress and transplants it into a dark religious fantasy setting inspired by media like Berserk, Dark Souls, and other dark fantasy fiction, where humanity, afflicted by the supernatural burden of their past actions, have pledged themselves to alien gods for salvation, or through hubris have sought to become gods themselves. But such apotheosis is not to be our story. Ours takes place in its periphery. The ruins of countless civilizations litter the land, and the place where the tale is told, the ever-changing Borderlands, is a dismal patchwork of feuding kingdoms and decaying empires. It may seem like a typical medieval fantasy world on the surface, but the deeper one pries, the stranger things become. Play a landed lord, a noble knight, a powerful sorcerer, a cunning mercenary, a wandering barbarian, an inhuman monster, a cannibal demigod. The world of El-Enlil, the grand argument for the soul of man, awaits.

Would you like to help support the creation, maintenance, and improvement of this mod and others like it? Consider donating to my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themodsmith
Have an issue? Report it in the bug report channel of the Discord: https://discord.gg/hDY8KT7pXE

========================

INSTALLATION:


To install it, drag and drop it into the 'mods' folder in the dwarf fortress main folder. If there is not one, make one. DO NOT PUT IT IN THE installed_mods FOLDER, THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT FOLDER.

This mod is an entirely self-contained experience. When selecting it for world generation, DEACTIVATE all other raw files, including the vanilla ones, from the selection. The Long Night comes with copies of those raws within it, meaning it needs nothing else from any other folder to function. All you need is the mod to be active. Feel free to experiment if you really want, but if it causes problems I can't help.

Also, it comes bundled with custom worldgen and colors data. Copy the worldgen data into the worldgen file in Dwarf Fortress\prefs (if you do not have a prefs folder go to advanced world generation and hit save, this will generate one). You do NOT need to override any pre-existing worldgen templates. When you load the Fall From Grace mod, only choose from these world presets in Advanced World Generation unless you really know what you are doing. If something goes wrong and you haven't used these to gen your world, I won't be able to help you, because that can cause a lot of problems I can't fix. You don't need to delete these if you want to generate a vanilla world, just don't choose them when generating a non-Long Night world. These parameters may change, requiring an update, but I will announce in the changelog if that is done. If you do not have a prefs folder, got to advanced world gen and SAVE the parameters. That should generate one.

The colors are not as necessary, just choose them if you prefer that palette.

===============================================================================

Changelog:


2.73 Changes:
-Clockwork hound has a better bite
-Clockwork destroyer has steel plating
-Fix to outpost liaisons not appearing in some civs
-Various other tweaks


2.7 Changes:
-Change to races and race terminology. See the bay12 page on races for more details. Basically this makes it easier to tell what is a human, what is mostly human, and what isn't human. These distinctions are important.
-Multiple new races added, golems overhauled, and more clockwork constructs added to the world. Landships are back, but they are very expensive and exclusive to clockwork using factions, at least at first. Said factions now include clockwork men, demihumans who incorporate clockwork prosthetics into bodies that would otherwise fall apart.
-Regarding demihumans, angelic demihumans and half-giants (now called demigiants) now exists as castes WITHIN the human creature. This is actually important because it means that civilizations of humans can and will be ruled by them. Titan-worshipping realms will be ruled by giants and demigiants, while angelic demihumans will appear prominently where the faith of the Sacred Host dominates.
-Dragons altered. There are now dragons, wurms, drakes, and wyverns, in addition to serpentine men becoming dragon spawn and draconic demihumans.
-Some new spells. More powerful banes and an AOE variant have been added for logotheurgy.
-Monsters reworked. Thanks to bugfixes, I can now cram more variety per biome, which is nice.
-New lore. The sections on the Great Gods each have several paragraphs which state plainly their faith's idea of heaven, their greatest virtue, greatest sin, benefits, and flaws. Hopefully this aids in roleplay of such factions.
-Various bugfixes.

2.67 Changes:
-Fix to some wizard transformations not working, and elemental-based ones are now castes within the human creature.
-New creatures added to the fungal zones of the Deep Continents.
-Blighted humans should rot slower.
-Fix to some nations not having altars.
-Two new kinds of beaver added.
-New spell type added, "Bane". This makes enemies more vulnerable to physical attacks.
-Demonic invaders should be more aggressive.

2.63 Changes:
-Fix to being unable to appoint sheriffs.

2.62 Changes:
-A fix to being unable to appoint multiple captain-equivalents. It may still be restricted depending on if you have nobility in your fort or not, depending on your location, but you should be able to appoint them when you are supposed to as of now. However, this change is an experimental one to streamline the process of appointing soldiers, so if it fails it may cause issues. If you find anything odd pertaining to off-site wars or the ability of nobility to appoint soldiers, please let me know.

2.61 Changes:
 -I accidentally left in an old set of worldgen parameters. New ones have been given which I feel are better. Use these for a better experience, unless you really like the old ones.
-Fix to the Altar of Gnosis system. It didn't work but now it does. You can use the Altar of Gnosis to learn mesotheurgic spells, the simplest and weakest ones, but still formidable. Want to learn stronger spells? Send parties out into the world to steal books of powerful magic, or enlist a powerful sorcerer as a citizen of your fort.
-Giant chieftains will now be elected without waiting for 50 citizens to join your fort.
-Fixed a crash caused by eel duplication
-New spells added. Mesotheurgy gets the spell Lesser Slowing, which can reduce the speed of an enemy. Logotheurgy gets Greater and Mass Slowing.

2.6 Changes
-A complete overhaul/revamp of the lore and setting, additional data will be forthcoming but it is completely playable as of now

« Last Edit: May 25, 2024, 10:16:22 pm by squamous »
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https://www.patreon.com/themodsmith
Have questions? Need to report bugs? Post them in the discord:  https://discord.gg/dGzGr5svS2

squamous

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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2023, 11:53:28 am »

New Mechanics

Materials

Materials are more limited for this mod. Weapons and armor can only be made out of steel, but more metals can be made into ammo. Only certain animals give out leather, usually bigger mammalian ones. Sticking to domestic animals you know would produce leather in real life is your best bet. In real life, leather didn't have as frequent a use as clothing save for boots, hats, and cloaks and such things, until better leatherworking techniques emerged. In the interest of preserving that feeling most clothing can only be made of cloth, so having a proper cloth industry or being able to import it is vital.

Nobles

The nobility are now vital to your fort's functioning. They are the only ones who can raise and command true armies, and are required to launch attacks. They perform many other jobs as well. No longer should they be considered useless parasites and fodder, the aristocracy has become the core of the experience. Focusing on obtaining a noble as quickly as possible is ideal, as you are very weak otherwise. In addition, should they die, and no replacement is forthcoming, the only option may be to retire the fort. Think of your fort as, specifically, the story of the nobility who live within it. If they die, the fortress may cease to function.

Sorcery

A complex magic system exists in this mod. By finding sorcerous books, one can have their fort members read them and gain powers. Or alternately, existing sorcerers that visit can be enticed to stay. Sorcerers come in countless types, with combinations of schools, or sets of powers, being possible. Some wizards might only know one or two spells, others might know a great deal. All of them should be taken seriously.

Combat

As this is a late medieval-inspired setting, combat is between heavily armored, well-trained combatants, the knights and lords and their men at arms. Expect any serious enemies to have full or half plate armor. Melee fighters should focus on blunt weapons or ones with some heft to them to batter an enemy through his gear. Some civilizations also use crude firearms, which of all ranged weapons have the best chance of damaging a knight from afar. Swords and other lighter weapons for slashing should be considered sidearms, but can be useful when dealing with bandits, monsters, or lightly-armored invaders.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2023, 08:11:09 pm by squamous »
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https://www.patreon.com/themodsmith
Have questions? Need to report bugs? Post them in the discord:  https://discord.gg/dGzGr5svS2

squamous

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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2023, 11:54:44 am »

The Lands and Peoples

The Known World encompasses all which is known to the people whose roles the reader shall inhabit. The Borderlands is but one of its indistinct edges, vast stretches of chaos from which order may be forged, for a time, in the long slow passage of human history. Recorded herein are the rough understandings of the cultures, peoples, and geographies of the Borderlands, and all else relevant to understanding it.


Regions

Herein are broadly listed the cultural spheres and their edges.

The Midlands

The midlands are the largest portion of the Borderlands. A sprawling temperate clime, the midlander realms are countless petty kingdoms interspersed with stretches of lawless wilderness. The mask of civilization slips easy from the midlander, who behind gilded armor may well be an eater of men or simply a true monster given rank in exchange for lending its power. Always the wars between realms, steel clashing against steel for but a few leagues of land.

The South

In the south, where the air grows cold, civilization gives way to brutish animalism. Here the beasts are monstrous and the men ruthless, either iron-willed through discipline or tempted into mad anarchy. Further still are the lands where the pagan faith of the terrestrial gods still holds sway, its practitioners changed to reflect their worship of the earth itself.

The North

In the warmer winds of the northward region can be found the remnants of once mighty empires, though all lay claim to the great throne. It is here the ruins of human civilization pile most deeply, and pagan barbarism is but a whispered rumor. Esoteric cults and terrible sorcerers are the plague of this land, along with the countless internecine struggles.

The Wastes

Lands barren by chance, or by the pollution of sorcery or the Outer Dark's malefic radiations. Here dwell unwholesome things, beasts adapted to privation or monsters which thrive in bleak and empty places. The few outposts of reason are blighted and suffering, though they do so with pride.

The Mountains

Islands of the Low Heavens where strange things dance and fly along eerie winds. They are places where the beasts of the world above can be seen clearly, and in turn they may see back.

The Seas

Mysterious and wrathful, the untamed seas host nothing but danger and are best avoided, unless one wishes a challenge.

The Dark Continents

The sprawling mass of caverns beneath the earth, home to the Hidden Folk and more besides, all the things rejected by the sun. A lightless mad purgatory and the tomb of empires. Horror can be found there, but treasure too, if one can survive it.

The Heavens

Divided into Low Heaven, where birds fly and other things as well, below the clouds, and High Heaven, the suffocating boundary between the Known World and the endless Outer Dark. Things live in High Heaven too, but nothing which a mortal may truly grasp. It is the liminal world between the familiar and truly alien, fit only for angels.

The Underworld

A place fearfully whispered of, an inverted world with a sea of flame above and a balefully glowing hell below. Vilest of pits where the foulest secretions of flesh and spirit congeal into hateful false existence, its taint reaching through the darkness to the world above, echoes of its attentions found in the most cursed of ruins which scar the world.


Peoples

Listed here are but some of the many breeds of man, and things which were once man, and things which were never, and the cultures they belong to.

True Men

Humans as is commonly known, and commonly known is their great legend. Once, man cowered in caves and forests, fearing the might of the unthinking Terrestrial Gods, the beastly masters of the world they lived in. However, killing the weakest of them and consuming their flesh, the hunters grew strong, becoming divine themselves. The Titans. From this they carved the first cities and tamed the first fields, and for a time all was good. But the merry hunts for monstrous gods did dwindle, and in time the Titans found that no more ventured into the lands of man. So hungry were they for the numinous essence of the divine that they turned on one another, and in doing so went mad, for the potency of their cannibalistic hunger instilled all men who yet live with Primordial Sin, the subconscious cannibalistic urge. For all know, to eat the flesh of another human being is to grow stronger, wiser, longer-lived. And deeper still, the curse pulls the mind towards fulfillment of this dark hunger. It is rationalized, made palatable. And then indulged. And while one man may eat in moderation, another consumes recklessly, and many behind him. And so it is that the civilizations of men have ever feared Primordial Sin, of having their works devoured from the darkness within their walls, or they have embraced it, becoming cannibal demigods ruling through sheer might over their herds of lessers.

It was the latter which encompassed all, during the age of the Titans. Cities were great sacrificial grounds consecrated in blood, surrounded by seas of fearful flesh waiting their turn in the butcher's pit. Hell brought to earth, overseen by the maddened and addled gods of man. Unrestrained, Primordial Sin was all. Children devoured their parents, and parents their children. Loved ones slew one another for the trace of godhood in their flesh.

It was into this madness which the Great Gods came. Strange but unfathomably vast beings from the Outer Dark itself, bringing their alien gospels. The first of them taught the first miracles, and from them would descend the first sorcerers, practitioners of gnosis. Again and again they came, some fading over millennia, others lasting to the present. Terrible were they, but benevolent too, so the Great Faiths say, for it is inarguably true that those realms which devote themselves to a Great God whole-heartedly do not collapse into the cannibalistic hells which await any other tribe of man.

So it is to the present. Man wrestles with Primordial Sin, kept in check by faith and one's own will. Trust that the alien interlopers truly wish to save humanity, and offer us heaven. It is, for many, all which keeps them sane. Others walk the path of hubris, delusion, or desperation. To turn from the Great Gods to cults to lesser things, or simply worship themselves. To walk the road of the apostate may only lead to ruin, or the loss of one's humanity, fully pledged to a path that is for better or worse a departure from what they once were.

For those countless true humans who yet live, they may be divided roughly into three main cultural spheres.

The peoples of the midlands, descended from countless heroes and saints, or so they claim. They are certainly a warlike and zealous people, who cling tightly to their faiths which run the gamut from the rising Multiplicitist movement to the Ushian Orthodoxy and Titan cults, and others besides. A faction of moderate cannibals, they approve the consumption of their enemies slain in combat but abhor the consumption of others for the sake of it, while chiding those who refuse to partake as lacking proper mettle. At war with foreigners as much as themselves, midlander country is the best place to look to ply one's trade as mercenary. Being spread across the Borderlands, they also serve as the crossroads for many a visiting stranger, and so those looking to interact with many different cultures would do well to wander here.

In the coldest south where the pagan gods still hold considerable sway, their armies of degenerated wild men vast, many feel the Titans to be their truest protectors, the once and always gods of humanity, their tragic mistakes a thing to weep over, not condemn. And so the cannibal knights of the south hold the grisly reputation of humans most inclined to predate on others to increase their own strength, while also being known for their stalwart protection of the north from the invading hordes of man-creatures that ever spill from past the Known World. Yet still the Great Gods mark their will here, the sternest and most unyielding of them, who serve as islands of reason in a savage and untamed land.

In the balmy north is a constant presence, the self-named empires and their foreign faiths. A cultured and esteemed people, the northerners are not unlike their midland cousins, but each lays claim to heirship of a vast and long-forgotten realm. Followers of the Diel, of the Lord's Exemplars, of the planetary and ancestral cults, and of countless minor saints. But this growth is not without cost, for the prosperity of the north is built upon chattel slavery, and many are ground to the bone upholding the glory of the shimmering imperial remnants. Yet still, for learning, for history, for peace from the slavering monsters of the borderlands, there is no better people to live alongside. So long as their walls yet stand.

Demihumans

Demihumans, or half-humans, are humans who having altered themselves, having been altered by others, or simply through intermixing over generations, departed from normal humanity and branch into something else. This may have only been possible through sorcery, or through mundane means, but the result is the same. Primordial Sin is lessened or even erased entirely, but there is always a cost. Some dark hunger, a twisted psychology, crippling deformity, or some other tradeoff, though at their core they remain human enough that an unchanged human could at least partially relate to them. Furthermore, their sorcerous potential is lessened. Some kinds of magic become impossible. And lastly, though this is not always true, demihumans are bound to serve the being or beings which created them, if such a thing is involved in their genesis. Humans possess incredible mutability due to the instability of their souls, a legacy of Primordial Sin, and so only humans can so easily branch out into the countless variants that dwell in the known world. Though it is certainly considered as a corruption of the human spirit into degeneration, this is not always so. While there is always a price to pay, a narrowing and winnowing of one's nature, the end result can also be more focused, more suited to a niche of life. Demihumans can possess gifts as well as burdens, such as flight, keener senses, longer lives, or other gifts. For some, the price paid for such bodies was with the costs of attaining them, and so demihumans shall always rise in the world so long as humans yet live.

Countless demihuman lineages exist, and efforts to list them in full would be folly. They are best dealt with as encountered, the pondering of their nuances left to scholars. But of them, it can be said that some are more important than others. The clockwork men who ever carry the craft that sustains them, or the lepers of the Ushian faith, who take on the burden of death so that others may live, to say nothing of the beastmen who dwell in the cold, pagan south, ever gnawing at the borders of civilization.

Less fortunate breeds exist as well, such as the draconic demihumans, slaves to their progenitors who view them as chattel, or the ogrish men, misbegotten spawn of malformed giants. Demihumanism is not always a route to power, but can rather be the final gasp of a people who have degenerated into monstrousness. For some demihumans, death may well be a mercy.

If it were so simple to forsake Primordial Sin, humanity would have split itself asunder ages ago. But the prospect of falling into an even more horrendous existence ensures that for every human who would beget a new breed of mutant, many more hold fast to what form they possess.

Spawn

Spawn denote artificial races mostly if not wholly divorced by humanity, created by something other than or beyond human. They may even have no relation to humanity at all. What unites them is their willful creation by a powerful being to serve a specific purpose, and the fact that they are intelligent beings who build and sustain societies, though the societies they create can be quite alien compared to humanity's. More often than not, spawn are created by forces which oppose the dominance of man, and so are often treated as hostile monsters. While exceptions exist, they are rightfully treated with caution, for even if blessed with the potential for free will, they are born into the ownership of a being with its own agenda, and their minds have been shaped to carry it out. Even strays without leadership often gravitate towards the fulfillment of whatever goals were written into their souls, and so spawn can continue to carry out the wills of their masters long after their masters have passed from this world.

Golems

Golems are similarly artificial beings, but with a key difference. They are wholly sorcerous and created in the image of man, and so contain a human soul. An inhuman being creating a construct would not be able to produce a golem, but would make something else. Golems have been created throughout history, sometimes as slaves, sometimes as a means for the ruling class to ascend to immortality, sometimes for other purposes. Golems are no mere pile of animated elements either, but are complex constructions of various materials which work in harmony to ground its existence to the laws of gnosis, making them far more stable.

Powers

Powers are exceptional individuals or small groups which occupy the space between mortals and the divine. A single power can upset the balance of a kingdom, and a society of them can tear one apart. Paradoxically, humanity as it is is considered a power due to the extent to which it dominates the globe, even if a single unaltered human is of little consequence.
« Last Edit: May 18, 2024, 07:35:59 am by squamous »
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Have questions? Need to report bugs? Post them in the discord:  https://discord.gg/dGzGr5svS2

squamous

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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2023, 11:57:42 am »

Schools of Sorcery

It is a fool's errand to categorize the varied magics of El-Enlil. They are numerous and subtle, alien and familiar. However, if a thing could not be understood if only in part, it could not be used by civilization. It can, and so it is.

Listed here is the most common assortment of sorcerous schools, categorized by the like nature of associated spells. Indeed, like begets like. One drawn to the power of flame will enhance their understanding of this aspect of creation, allowing it to define their existence. Note too that these schools, while seemingly defined, blend at the edges. These classifications are merely a taxonomy of human understanding, and fail to reflect the nuanced and complex truth that the arcane represents. However, for the ruler of some backwater manor or wandering sellsword, this will likely be a good enough guide to work with.

How To Use Magic:

Mechanically speaking, magic is a rare mechanic that is not reliably available to the player. Sorcerers are rare, exotic, and an intrusion of the irreal into the mundane world, as much as that can be said in a setting such as this. What I mean is, don't expect them to always be available or balanced.

For actually using them, should you have them, their utility can be roughly determined by their title, though expect some mages to have secrets regarding just what they can really do. But someone called a pyrotheurge will definitely have abilities relating to flames, for example. Reading the full section on magic is recommended.

If you do have mages, it is important to be aware of them and what they are doing. Most are still mortal people, and die just as easily. In a military context, think of them as (often fragile) force multipliers, though certain spells can turn them into well-rounded monsters.

And for obtaining these spells, they are most often found in slabs, but toppling a statue is another way to get at them, at the risk of being cursed. Sometimes books can be found as well, but don't count on it.

In the Fortress:

To learn magic in a settlement, construct an altar of Gnosis. Then, have your student collect fragments of numinous essence. This task has no cost, but it is a time-consuming process, and must be kept on repeat if any progress is to be made. To task someone with this is to remove them from the pool of labor, and while multiple altars may be constructed, each set of hands which studies the arcane is one which does not work. Bear this in mind.

When sufficient essence is collected, it may be expended to learn spells. To have someone learn a spell, task them to produce it, and then lock them in the room with the altar. It will then be produced and, later, "consumed". This will turn the user into a mesotheurge, a low mage. To learn more powerful spells, books pertaining to them must be stolen or bought from the wider world.

The Schools:

All sorcery is considered to be facets of the same principle; the extrusion of Numinous Essence to achieve a miraculous end. However, it may be focused and shaped in different ways, and in doing so one's body and spirit are twisted towards that inclination. Thus, specialization emerges, and disparity as well, even if there is always blending and uncertainty at the edges, where genius dwells. So though sorcery is a multifaceted and murky art, herein are broad generalizations of certain practices. This list is assuredly innaccurate, unscholarly, and biased in its attributions. However, for a wandering adventurer or the leader of a settlement wondering who can do what, it will serve well enough.

Truly, to follow the arts of Miracle is a lonesome path. One's essence is twisted and yes, life prolonged, but in time suspicion will be cast on one who withers yet never dies. Even other forms of immortality, which offer an alternative, come with their own burdens. So is the mage not truly part of the Three Estates, but a fourth hidden pillar, often divorced from the conventional routes of power, possessed of immense potency yet beholden to few. It is for this reason that they are feared.

Those who practice sorcery are also called Gnostics, practitioners of Gnosis.

The Low Arts:

Practitioners of the Low Arts are the most common mages. If they fight at all, it is with conventional weapons as much as their sorceries. They are common, but of little note. However, these spells can be and are learned by any other school in addition to their specialization, such is their simplicity.

Mesotheurgy: Weak charms, blessings, and wards. Common knowledge found everywhere, the basest manipulation of Numen. It is a foolish or ignorant mage who has not one such spell in their arsenal. Many more focused schools wield more powerful version of mesotheurgic spells, or perhaps it was mesotheurges that cribbed from their fellow gnostics.

The Vulgar Arts:

These are direct and powerful, notable for their mastery over inert matter rather than abstraction or complexity. All are incompatible with one another, for to attune oneself with one aspect of reality is to shape yourself into a form unsuited for the other. It is here that the path of a mage becomes complex. When one learns a spell of this level, the generic title of mage, had it ever been attained, is disgarded for one's new specialization.

Pyrotheurgy: Mastery of fire through suffusing it with one's essence. The pyrotheurgic arts only destroy in the hands of the uncautious, of which many seek this art. Certainly they can heat hearths and light campfires too, but who seeks the flame for such mundane purpose?

Hydrotheurgy: Mastery of water through suffusing it with one's essence. Weak in direct offense given time and effort they can make flooded ruins of even the most defended castles. Let them fester at your peril. More charitably, they are seen as saints in scorching places, with many an elder knowing at least some skill in drawing up water from arid ground.

Geotheurgy: Mastery of earth through suffusing it with one's essence. Powerful but slow, clumsy or supremely precise, their summons are numerous and equally ponderous. A cudgel, or a sculptor. It was said that in the past Geotheurgy was a more learned art, and ancient fortresses of immense size were erected in but months. This is lost, but the Geotheurge carries on.

Aerotheurgy: Mastery of air through suffusing it with one's essence. Lacking in true offense but broad and sweeping when the winds are called to arms, the aerotheurgic arts are for the wanderer and spirited sort, but the flimsiness of their element's corporeality leaves them extremely vulnerable to sorceries which ward or dispel.

Luxitheurgy: Often called the Pure Art, it is the outpouring of immense numinous matter from one's own spirit to great effect. Lacking the capacity to animate on its own, yet allowing for immense gouts of raw energy it is perhaps one of the oldest disciplines known. Due to the sensitivity of magical creatures to such things, any sorcerers or creatures of sorcerous acumen are damaged extraordinarily should they be struck by such attacks, though the mundane fare little better.

Sanguitheurgy: Rejecting all other influence, the Sanguitheurge weaponizes the Numen within their own blood to become a terrible force of destruction. Less so a true Vulgar Art, it has some aspects of High Art as well, for it can corrupt corpses into ghouls and blood-bound thralls. It is a path which closes many doors, but opens others which might otherwise be unreachable.

The Bodily Arts:

Body, will, and mind, separate yet the same. While the sources of inspiration for the spells differ, they are highly compatible and all may be learned by a single mage.

Somatheurgy: Mastery over the flesh, the somatheurge pushes it to the limit. Not just the body, but the mind as well, if only the tissues in which the Numen resides. Due to its base focuses its practitioners lack the proper mindset to delve into the abstract, but fare excellently when paired with schools of similarly visceral nature. Despite being a High Art, its title is secondary, and so may be overwritten by Middle Art titles depending on the sorcerer's inclination.

Mensatheurgy: As somatheurgy, but for the mind and spirit. The mensatheurge augments their mental abilities considerably, a practice all mages must cultivate. As a result of this, it is a remarkably flexible school, merely being an extension of conventional sorcerous wisdom. Few sorcerers would hesitate to learn mensatheurgy if the opportunity presented itself.

Psychotheurgy: Control of the soul, pathos, will. The psychotheurge paints emotions like an artist draws upon a canvas. Most notably, their powers are pulses of emotion. There is little limit to how many may feel what the psychotheurge wishes them to. Entire armies can be brought to the bring through fear and agony, or empowered by rage. Happiness and contentment can be found during religious ceremonies, and for those afflicted by troubled minds, their turmoil may be soothed through apathetic indifference.

The Subtle Arts:

These deal with affecting living things, simple healing and harming.

Sanatheurgy: The art of healing. Many arts, even the Low, have healing prowess, it is true, but Sanatheurgy is healing at its most potent. Specifically, healing without cost. The Sanatheurge can mend flesh, bone, and nerve, regrow limbs, soothe the spirit. It offers no offensive power, nor defensive. It is wholly self-sacrificing, using a means of sorcerous focus which relies on the abstract nature of selfless miracle rather than the sculpture of flesh or cynical utility. It is said to be a sanatheurge is to be recognized as a saint, though in truth there are some who hold their abilities for ransom in exchange for absurd payment.

Maletheurgy: The art of blight, curses, and disease. Not true curses as is commonly believed, but the infliction of debilitation through pain and sickness. The Maletheurge is feared for their attacks upon the spirit as much as the body, unblockable by shield or armor. A gesture and chant sees even the most stalwart knight stricken with decay and agony. The Maletheurge may even directly call upon the foul vapors carrying sickness, and send them to strike in his stead. Even compared to fleshcrafters or corpse-mongers the Maletheurge is associated the most with the wicked and sadists, though for every hundred such there is one among them who takes up the school to study and calm the very forces he may use to wreak havoc.

The High Arts:

Complex, nuanced, and powerful. These are the words used to describe the High, or Subtle Arts. These fields are more in-depth, with abilities beyond simply flinging things about or shaping inert material or simple augments to the body or mind. Natural law, life, death, and abstraction are all bent into shape through these disciplines. The titles of the High Arts mostly override the Low or Vulgar Arts, but there are a handful of exceptions.

Necrotheurgy: The art of corpse puppetry, in some ways similar to the animation of inert matter but far more complex and specialized. A corpse devoid of numen is an empty vessel, near begging for the void to be filled. And so the necrotheurge obliges. While the Ushian church worked this art to noble ends, for the most part it is the domain of the unscrupulous and monstrous. Due to the powerful souls of humans, they are most suited to this school. Flesh golems can only be made from humans using current knowledge, and vampires can only arise from human necrotheurges. The Blighted take a different path.

Logotheurgy: Law and logic paramount, the mathmatician's scrutiny turned towards the nature of the arcane. The common wards and disruptions others take for granted the Logotheurges make into art. Even the mightiest of sorcerers may be rendered impotent by their powerful capacity to shatter the numinous lattices they would seek to weave. But rare is the one who studies this most specialized of schools for how greatly it reduces versatility. While oftened championed as a noble art, it can more accurately be characterized as the art which is most suited to killing other mages, regardless of moral inclination.

Zoetheurgy: Mastery over beasts, not dominating or changing them, but becoming and controlling them. A zoetheurge's spells are limited however. They only have their bestial form and their newly bonded family of fellow beasts to support them, and so it is considered a very primitive form of magic, perhaps one of the first used by humans and heavily associated with pagan faith. However, the ability to transform into a mountain of muscle is not to be underestimated, and if combined with other schools such as somatheurgy can create formidable warriors indeed.

Verditheurgy: Mastery over plants. Perhaps due to their simplicity and sessility, this school has advanced further than its zoetheurgic counterpart. Capable of summoning small forests wherever they go, the verditheurge is a boon to farmers if aligned with civilization, and a scourge of the outdoorsman if not. As with Zoetheurgy, it carries the smell of paganism, and so a great divide exists between garden mages, who tend to the fields, and wild mages, who would seek to root out every crop and replace it with wilderness.

Fungitheurgy: Mastery over fungus. Once thought to be an extension of Verditheurgy, recent centuries have seen it blossom into a true school of its own. Little is known of this school, save that it can be used to produce a strange analogue to necromancy. Rather than creating true undead through numinous infusion, fungal infestation puppets the corpse, creating a new kind of monster which conventional anti-undead methods are useless against.

Sarkitheurgy: Considered somatheurgy's cousin, sarkitheurgy goes beyond mere enhancement and strays into creation. Its reputation is as dark as its polar opposite of necrotheurgy, for both twist life into unwholesome forms for personal gain. However, the creations of the Sarkitheurge breed true. Fortunately, they also bleed true. That said, its sinister reputation is in part a result of sins past. Demons are said to have ties with this realm of sorcery, so it is no wonder its practitioners are viewed with suspicion, even if their goals are benign. Mighty Rhemnysia used it extensively before its collapse.

Fortitheurgy: Mastery of fortune, good and ill. A fortitheurge can be a boon to allies or a bane to foes, a bringer of hex or blessing. Subtle in its application, none save the fortitheurge know what weaving has been wrought until things go impossibly right or wrong in their presence. Notably, it is often depicted in art as a mage with two faces, for the platonic focuses required to curse or bless draw from entirely different spheres.

Umbratheurgy: A school with significant connotations for the one using it, for it means they have made a pact with the beings of dreams and darkness, the Hidden Folk. Enigmatic creatures which were either once human, or alien things which wear humanity as a mask, the umbratheurge can summon a capering parade of living dreams to accomplish near any task, and as many of the Folk have their own spells, augment one's power considerably. But this is not without cost, for the Oneiric ask payment in return.

Diablotheurgy: Blackest of the arts, it is to speak the language of the underworld and its unfathomably hateful denizens, to call them up to do one's bidding. Such is the common understanding, and not entirely wrong. However, it is not so clear-cut. A man of reason, learning, and faith may use demonotheurgy to bind demons and put them to good works, preventing them from bringing further harm to the world. Some of the greatest sorcerers constructed entire cities in mere months using demonic labor. And of course, priests of Metan, one of the oldest of the Great Gods, are peerless demon-binders. But for every such aspirant, a hundred more become mere puppets of wickedness, and bring more harm to the world than good.

Mixing Incompatible Schools:

While the above lists what schools can be mixed, and what can't, this is a half-truth. Exceptional geniuses can and have blended them, and the boundaries themselves blurry if they are indeed anything more than taxonomic constructs unfixed in reality. The golems of Haim-Haneh, for example, are constructs of Geotheurgy bound and animated by Logotheurgic principles using bound demons summoned through Demonotheurgic arts, which should be an impossibility. Flesh golems, a Ushian creation, likewise mix Sarkitheurgy and Necrotheurgy to enable the bizarre half-life of such constructs rather than rotting decay. The difference between a monstrous beast formed from the pagan whims of the Terrestrial Gods and their mastery over life and the fleshcrafter's artisanal constructs is a matter of faith and intent moreso than reason. As you may have surmised, such blendings are typically used to create new life, to work impossible wonders. While the invention of such things require genius however, the replication of existing methods does not. Now that these new creatures exist, a sufficiently skilled mage can produce them by following the exact methods pioneered by their betters.

Similarly, inhuman beings may have their own definitions of what aligns with what, and use spells most mortals would find incompatible. There is no accounting for the chaos of the wilderness. Schools are, in the end, an attempt by man to make sense of an infinitely complex patterns of the cosmos. It cannot be trusted as the end-all of arcane classification. But for most, it will be enough.
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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2023, 11:58:38 am »

Religion in the Known World:

Perhaps more than any other institution it is faith which has dominated the minds of men in the known world. It was after all faith which saw the earliest of humanity's ancestors bow to the Pagan Gods, and during the Age of Titans it was Metan who taught sorcery to Its first priests, ending the domain of the cannibal cities. It was the Most Holy who drew mankind from the darkness of Antiquity's end through the ceaseless labor of its church, and it is the transcendent Diel who even now unites the hearts and minds of our neighbors to the north in the Second Covenant. Even here, the rising Multiplicity shines like a star among those who flock to its radiance, promising rebirth and unity for a shattered mankind. Moreso than any fleeting empire, it is the faiths which endure and last through humanity's history. Written here are those most familiar to the peoples of the known world.

It should be noted these are written from a very knowledgeable perspective. The average inhabitant of the world possesses a far less complete and nuanced view of religion on average.


The Great Faiths:

It is unknown when exactly the first of the Great Gods came upon the earth, but all agree it was after man committed the Primordial Sin, and the cities of humanity became charnel houses of untold misery. One by one they flitted down from the Outer Dark with gospel and miracle, and brought their ways into the world. They are different from the petty gods and spirits of the earth, this is certain. They are impossible for humans to understand, yet humans are understood by them. They act always indirectly, through miracle or prophet, and are almost only seen in vision, save for the early days of their arrival, which is heralded by great portents and shakes the foundations of the era in which they appear. Each promises an idea of Heaven, of paradise, that can be attained by following their scripture.

And each, without fail, if their ways are followed, create lasting societies that do not fall to the cannibalistic anarchy which is the default state of human existence. Primordial Sin is not wholly annihilated, it cannot be, but it is so lessened that so long as the people continue to believe, their land shall not be eaten from within, by their own hand. As countless peoples rise and fall, as grand empires fade into memory, the Great Faiths yet stand, immovable by time, guided only by their tireless quests for Heaven.

Perhaps in some distant future era, it will be reached.

But not this one.

The Temple of Metan and the Sages:

Of the Great Faiths of the known world, Metan is the oldest and most obscure. During the era of the Titans and their cannibal cities, mankind lay oppressed, herded like cattle and devoured by the hundreds to sate the appetites of their engorged masters. With few means to fight back in an era where physical strength dominated, life was bleak and hope all but quashed.

It was in this era that Metan appeared to a select few humans in dreams and waking visions. Speaking in symbolism and riddle, it slowly lead its first followers to decipher its meaning, and revelation after revelation would lead them to attain the first understanding of Gnosis, becoming the first sorcerers, the Sages. With his cunning and wisdom he plotted to overthrow the Titans and spread both the miracles of Metan and lay sorcery to his fellow men, and in this regard he succeeded, amassing a great following of magi.

Using their newfound power, they struck down and sealed away the Titans, leading men in a rebellion that saw the remaining Titans exiled to the far reaches of the earth, if they were not exterminated outright. Following this great war Metan's priests established the first true human realm in the known world, Haim-Haneh, and would lay down the laws and teachings which are followed to this day, though only in the cloistered temple-cities which remain of that mighty land.

The reason for Metan's obscurity in the modern era is due to its highly complex system of laws and taboos, which to many constitute a burden they would rather not bear. The Writ of Metan is often criticized for its seeming contradictions and nonsensical prohibitions, which are so numerous it would be exhaustive to make a list of. However, this is in truth the most important facet of Metan's faith, for breaking its law is as important as following it.

The Writ of Metan is in actuality a code meant to be challenged and broken. While it serves as a decent enough set of moral guidelines for the plebeians and laymen, written into its endless laws are deliberate loopholes and flaws which are meant to be understood and exploited, each one expanding like a fractal of knowledge which allows further secrets to be unveiled. At first they are simple things, but as one delves deeper into the Writ's myriad cracks the revelations grow greater and greater, with the reader finding ways to skirt not just the law of man, but natural law as well. Metan's Writ is, as they soon find, a guide as much as a code, one which teaches the user how they may align themselves with Metan's will to create wonders and shape reality.

The Temple of Metan values knowledge, law, and secrecy. Its priests are masters of law and are tasked with righteous judgement in both secular and religious cases. Furthermore, they are known for their prowess at binding demons in inescapable chains, forcing them to serve divine will rather than their own nefarious purposes. The will of Metan, it is said, is to elevate mankind into enlightened philosopher-kings, and while it is a harsh and stern teacher it is also a fair one. It has given mankind the tools needed to reach its perfected state, and it is up to mankind to learn to make use of them. It accepts use of the Gnosis more than any other faith, but its core is built on the use of Metan's Writ to decipher the true teachings of their god.

Of course, some might say that Metanism is simply a mask for Gnostic sorceries to set about their dark arts, and freely turn sorcery against the good and righteous under the pretension of faith. For this reason they are frequently distrusted, and perhaps rightly so. The Metanic emphasis on mystery does little to set such fears aside.

Metan is commonly depicted as a floating inverted pyramid, and a set of wheels within wheels. Its symbols are the triangle, multiple triangles arranged into a hexagon, or a spoked wheel. The Sages are depicted as wizened old men and women atop flying carpets. The faith values discipline, fairness, studiousness, and general intellect. Its miracles often involve binding demons, manipulating the laws of reality, and creating complex sorcerous mechanisms and constructs.

On Heaven: "Heaven is a personal state attained through sufficient understanding of the laws of the world. By mastering one's knowledge, one ascends to the ranks of the divine, and is freed from the torment of this world. This knowledge must be tempered with wisdom, itself a kind of knowledge, to prevent the spread of ignorance and destruction. For while heaven is only for the self, one is still obligated to protect the conditions by which to nurture the journey of others who walk the same path."

On Virtues: "The greatest virtue of Metan is wisdom. It is knowing when to act and when not to act, using one's experience to divine the truths of reality both for oneself and the flock. Knowledge untempered by wisdom leads to ruin."

On Sins: "Rashness is the greatest sin in the eyes of Metan. The reckless, ignorant, and short-sighted ever offer flawed solutions to the complexities of existence and the path to Heaven, even if they mean well, and so one must have the strength to harden one's heart against such temptations."

Benefits: Followers of Metan are wise and sagacious, learned in laws natural, mortal, and divine. When roused to action they are often formidable, but the nature of the first of the Great Faiths is such that this is rare. At great expense, they are often the tutors of royalty, who benefit greatly from the insights that these scholar-priests can bestow. Some of the longest-lived realms were founded by rulers guided by the echoed wisdom of the Metanic faith.

Flaws: Those who truly walk the path can be called cold and distant, consumed by study and seemingly callous to the cries of the masses, whose wants and minds become like children to them. That their temples persist and their paths uninterrupted are often all that concern them. Many a story features the screaming mob cut down by horrors outside the barred gates of a Metanic temple, which purports to serve only itself and its initiates. The Metanic faith would speak differently, that the safeguarding of the knowledge within their temple-cities trumps short-sighted acts of meddling in the outside world which would only bring greater ruin. Often, they point to the Ushians as an example of such behavior.


On Ushians: "Well-meaning meddlers under a strange god and strange principles who often cause the same horrors they put an end to. They have some measure of respect by the age of their faith, however."
On Dualists: "Their hatred of sorcery makes them a threat to our studies from time to time. Best avoided."
On the Sacred Host: "They seek a personal heaven through deeds rather than study. They are so very unlike us, yet similar. Opinion is divided."
On the Diel: "Like us, they are scholars, and we respect this. But they would undermine our personal journeys to heaven by binding us to their scriptures, which is cause for concern."
On Multiplicitists: "Frauds and fools all. We will pick up the pieces when they inevitably destroy themselves."
On Titanists: "It was Metan who taught us the sorceries needed to seal the Titans away. It is best they stay dreaming. Giants and the like may have their place, however."
On Pagans: "Relics of consumed gods. Their savagery makes them dangerous but they are not worth considering."
On Ancestor Cults: "A curious and practical faith bereft of any save secular morals and the sheer pressure of ancestral judgement. Primitive, but effective, one supposes."

The Most Holy and the Savior Ushia:

Life is the soul enslaved by the flesh. Undeath is flesh commanded by the soul. To achieve heaven is to attain perfect control of one's own body such that its hungers may be quelled and its weaknesses quashed. The will of the Most Holy is to achieve this heaven on earth, and the Savior Ushia is the example given that this may be attained. This is the core of the doctrine practiced by the Ushian Church.

Following the age of Antiquity's collapse, the varying lesser powers swelled like the tide to devour the realms of fallen Nedesia and shattered Haim-Haneh. It was a time of great misery and apostasy, where men turned from righteous faith and towards Gnostic arrogance and unwholesome sacrifice. Into this era came the Savior, though it simply called itself Ushia. It would travel from kingdom to town to village, preaching its gospel. It was described as gentle and kind, but firm in its convictions. Indeed, of the great prophets its life is most documented, with no taboos regarding its depiction or speaking of its name.

Ushia claimed to serve an entity called the Most Holy, a being which loved humanity and wished for them to attain the perfect body and reach heaven on earth. It preached of charity, immortality, and martyrdom, for heaven on earth could only be obtained through generations of refinement and sacrifice. Furthermore, it claimed to be a creation of the Most Holy, and a representation of the perfected form which humans must strive to attain.

This made the powers that be most concerned. Necrotheurgy was rightfully feared at the time, associated only with death and horror. As such, Ushia was swiftly seized and burnt on the pyre. Yet, when the flames died down and the wailing onlookers saw its charred remains, Ushia's body was said to have glowed with holy light, reforming as if unharmed. With a booming voice it declared a war upon those who had turned away from the Most Holy's teachings, and in subsequent decades converted much of the southlands before, it is written, ascending to reunite with the Most Holy itself. Only many centuries later did the church's power wane with the rise of Multiplicity.

The priests of Ushia are renowned as healers and as raisers of the dead, fielding armies of sacred corpses in defense of their living flock, and curing the sick and diseased through their miraculous arts. All they ask in return is your corpse upon death, so it may be used to further the understanding of life and death and bring mankind closer to heaven on earth. Their grisly work has yet to bear fruit, and all too often their innovations are turned against them by secular necromancers who use their discoveries for their own ill designs, but they continue to struggle onward in the name of the Most Holy.

Others, however, consider them to be little more than deluded necromancers masking their ambitions with promise of healing and respite, making monsters of men and dreaming of a day when the chosen few rule a world of the obedient dead, an eternal planetary grave preserved in the void of the Outer Dark.

The Most Holy is depicted as a shining white star, a towering human skeleton, and a lake of black water. The Savior Ushia is depicted as an angelic young human of indistinct race or sex, with a perpetually beatific expression, clad in a simple robe. The Church's symbols are stylized pyres, sets of wings, angelic figures, and skeletal figures. The faith values charity, self-sacrifice, martyrdom, and determination. Its miracles involve cleansing flame, resurrections, impossible resilience, and acts of healing.

On Heaven: "As we strive for the perfected body free of ailments, so too will we come to understand the perfection of the soul, for the scriptures which guide us along this path shall give us guidance to this end. Heaven is for all once the road has been walked, for with bodies that want for nothing and know no suffering, the quest of life may finally end, and we may rest in perfection eternal."

On Virtues: "Sacrifice is the greatest of virtues. In our flawed world, we must give in order to receive. To aid the poor, the hungry, the lost soul, is the highest calling. To walk the path of the Savior is to burn oneself upon the pyre to bring warmth to the world, as Ushia did."

On Sins: "There are many sins, but above them all is the misuse of the Most Holy's gifts, for it is the one thing which cannot be forgiven. To profane the boundaries of life and death for the aims of heretical or secular ambition imperils the church as a whole like nothing else, and it must be ripped out by the root each time it sprouts."

Benefits: Followers of Ushia and the Most Holy are perhaps the most self-sacrificing of all the Great Faiths, giving their very bodies over to the quest for their Heaven and dying upon the blades of foes only to slow them down so that their peers may strike the killing blow. They own little, with even the church using its vast wealth to feed and clothe the poor first, and glorify the God and Savior afterward. They are also forgiving, taking in beings that others would deem monstrous and beyond salvation. If there is one thing they do not forgive, however, it is the misuse of the dark miracles which empower them, those of necrotheurgy. More than any other Great Faith they crusade against those who would use necromancy for any cause save that of the Most Holy, and they are exceedingly skilled at doing so.

Flaws: They are zealous and uncompromising in their quest, and given the arts which they master, their knowledge is highly coveted by secular sorcerers. For every miracle they produce, it is eventually studied and replicated by apostates and turned into monstrosity. They will always be putting down the unintended results of their very own insights, even as they invent yet another. Nothing will ever convince them to stop. And even this most pious of faiths has its own hidden heretics, and their capacity for damage similarly immense. They constantly meddle in the affairs of the world and birth, if only by association, new horrors to blight it, all for the sake of a paradise that may never come.

On Metanists: "A venerable faith whose past glories blind it to its present failings. It should return to being an active force in the world rather than hide in its temples."
On Dualists: "Their blindness to the glories of miracle leave them tragically crippled and distrusting of us, but their humble lives are worthy of admiration."
On the Sacred Host: "The Lord-On-High's nobility worthy of praise, but it cares only for those already devoted to good and spares no glance to those in need of redemption."
On the Diel: "Their scorn of the human soul in favor of their god's will is saddening and we do not wish to live in the world they would create, but the efforts they go to aid their flocks are much like our own. Would that we were not so different."
On Multiplicitists: "Tragic souls who fail to grasp the end of the road they follow. We shall pray for their souls when the madness takes hold."
On Titanists: "Wicked, cruel things. While our duties focus on the stamping out of heretical necrotheurgy, we would not mind a crusade against a cannibal kingdom."
On Pagans: "While their hatred of humanity is not without cause, they threaten civilization and must be rooted out as needed."
On Ancestor Cults: "It veers dangerously close to heretical necrotheurgy and must be watched closely for signs of taint."


The Divine Duality of the Father and Mother:

From chaos must arise order, and order must come from willing duty. Duty must be backed by love, or else only tyranny shall result. Such are the teachings of the Father and Mother, the austere Great God and its mortal bride, who pleads to the iron-willed deity on behalf of its frail and fallible worshippers.

But this was not always so.

The Father arrived as a pitiless God, demanding obedience without question and punishment without leniency. It did not understand humans, as even calculating Metan and the alien Holy One did. It broke its chosen peoples in a crucible without end, and for a time it was thought that the Great God would burn itself out, and leave only a brief mark on human history.

This was changed by the love of a single person. It is unknown who she was, or what she was like, other than that she was singularly strange, and compassionate beyond all measure. Whereas all other Great Gods chose their prophets, the human that would become the Mother offered herself as its consort, and in doing so transfigured it into the stern, harsh, but fair being it has since become, a being which now understands mankind in ways it did not before.

So the priests of the Divine Duality preach, anyway. The doctrine is one of repression and virtue. Strive to be good, strive to be pious, strive to be charitable. Good deeds are done with one’s hands, not hymns. Forgive those who falter, but mete out justice should the hand of mercy be rebuked. The Duality is so known for its brutal justice in one aspect, and its loving mercy in the other. Mass executions and entire villages saved from famine. Barren churches and stern-faced priests but safe and loving homes. Holy wars sweeping multiple kingdoms which may bring down a great evil, or burn the hapless nonbeliever kingdoms to the ground. To some, they are avenging angels and heroes to those in need. To others, they are terrifying zealots, the most intolerant to alternative Gods of all the Great Faiths, and especially worship of the Titans. The worship of the Duality is submission to their wisdom, exchanging freedom for security, but it is a security backed by the divine rather than the fallible promises of kings. Heaven, they say, is already here. Humans can already attain it. No more change is needed, no great quest, no great transfiguration. Just live simply, and live virtuously. And should anyone ever

Of course, detractors level their accusations. Has the Father truly learned, or could it again become an all-smiting terror? Is the Mother truly a legendary saint, or a sorceress which had somehow done the unthinkable, enthralled a Great God to her own unknown will. Was she even human in the first place, or was the whole act of their union a mere play-acted thing by the being which was truly always the Mother and Father both? Can mere humans truly achieve heaven while remaining human, or is it a madness doomed to failure? For uncounted centuries the Duality has stood unchanging, its uncompromising zealotry a silent refutation of the heresies spawned against it. Yet neither has it spread across the world despite the claimed self-evidence of its simple truth.

The Duality is depicted as a male and female figure, often grand statues, faceless, wrapped around one another and embracing. Its faith is symbolized by symmetrical doubled symbols. It values simple virtues, hard work, honesty, and humility.

On Heaven: "The mad ambitions of flawed mortals shall destroy all who have not accepted the meagreness of their lot. It is only through humble dedication to the Mother and Father and the necessary actions taken to guide and ward the flock that we shall be spared when the world is engulfed in flames by the actions of nonbelievers. When they are ended by their own hands, the pious shall make a paradise of the aftermath and live under the Divine Duality forever after."

On Virtues: "The greatest virtue is humility. We are insignificant dust before the Great Gods, who love us regardless. Is not the Mother proof of this? Acknowledging our limitations and accepting the meager station and simple pleasures of this life is the true path to happiness."

On Sins: "The greatest sin is pride. We are ignorant worms compared to the knowledge of the great powers of the world, to say nothing of the Great Gods. And yet nonbelievers dare think they may be anything more? To seek great power with such limited minds is like a child playing with fire, and will only lead to misery."

Benefits:
Lands under the Divine Duality tend to have a higher amount of overall trust and happiness within their communities. Earnest converts and those born into the faith enjoy a wide support network of fellow believers, who keep one another sane and healthy as best as they can, though this spirit rarely extends to outsiders. The Duality simply creates lands that are pleasant to live in, provided the people keep the faith, and the faith dominates above all others.

Flaws: The Divine Duality is isolationist and paranoid of outsiders, unforgiving of those who would recant their faith, and tends to strongly resent interference from the other Great Gods. Their grand ambitions are often seen as evidence that they walk the path to destruction (though even they grudgingly admit that the scriptures of Metan, the Most Holy, the Diel, and the Lord-On-High due quell the hunger of Primordial Sin as well as their own). While they preach humility, it is sometimes used by corrupt aristocrats and preachers to enrich themselves at the cost of the peasantry. Of all the Great Faiths, they tend to be the most intolerant of sorcery, to a level beyond the reasonable amount of intolerance practiced by most lands.

On Metanists: "Wise are they, but mages also. For a human to think themselves capable of attaining divinity through gnosis is the peak of pride and something to be censured."
On Ushians: "Grotesque parodies of a Great Faith. They gain favor with their healing arts and speaking to the dead, but one day they shall face a reckoning."
On the Sacred Host: "They act not out of belief that they can change the world, but for the sake of the moral purity of their own souls. This is pleasing to us, if different."
On the Diel: "Like us, they scorn pride, but go further and say ego itself is sin and strive for their perfectly ordered world. The Great God they serve has gone too far for our comfort."
On Multiplicitists: "Simply a delusional farce which will inevitably lead to ruin."
On Titanists: "The apex of human temerity, and it created hell on earth. They serve as proof that the day of ruin is inevitable for all who do not acknowledge their insignificance."
On Pagans: "While their worship is misguided, their rejection of humanity's nature is admirable in a twisted way. Still, they are a threat to be watched."
On Ancestor Cults: "Trusting the wisdom of many generations instead of yourself is laudable, but it would be better if they converted to the Duality instead."

The Sacred Host and the Lord-on-High:

Can all humans truly attain Heaven? How many among them have the strength of character to become and remain worthy? Should they try fruitlessly to enlighten the ignorant masses who can only save themselves? No, say the exemplars of the Sacred Host, chosen of the Lord.

The faith of the Host arrived from distant lands, and its first adherents are unknown. It is an old faith, but to the people of the Known world it is a mystery, only recently adopted. The Lord-On-High, sometimes depicted as the Lady, or as a sexless figure, demands only personal holiness. Your relationship with the Lord is all. Your own conduct, your own spiritual growth, is all. It came down and did not preach, it is said. It simply acted in a physical form, so achingly perfect, so beyond criticism in all ways, that those who saw it could not help but seek to embody it themselves. It gave no answers, but merely allowed itself to be watched, learned from, by those who sought it out. And from there, the Actions of the Lord were written. Freely disseminated, never preached. Always available, never forced upon anyone. Its priests are men and women of action, their ways spoken through their own acts of charity, of valor, of piety. They praise the Lord and sing their gospel to the Lord alone, but let others see them, indeed seek to perform such that others do see them, such that they are given the chance to take on the path themselves.

The Actions of the Lord is an easy tract to find, where its exemplars walk.

It is not an easy path to follow.

Perfect modesty. Perfect humility. Perfect charity. Perfect righteousness. Perfect valor. Perfect judgment.

Even if you cannot be perfect, you must strive to be nothing less. The Lord demands it. Seek perfection until you perish, and join the Host if you are worthy. That is all that is worth doing in life, and the exemplars, if asked, shall say as much.

In places where their faith dominates, it is often a land which, rather than being ruled by the servants of the Lord, merely exists in symbiosis with them. Sometimes, kingdoms have been founded in wild places purely because exemplars dwelled there, for the benefits they bring. What lord would not wish such righteous folk to live among his lands, helping the needy, slaying the beasts, bringing wisdom?

But it is not without flaw. For every true exemplar or aspirant of such, another falsely wears the title through ignorance or willful malice. True followers, while they preach with action rather than sermon, are given leave to take action against their fellows who have strayed from the path, or never walked it at all. But how does one prove such a thing? Many a serpent lies within the lands of the Lord, adored by those who do not know better. Some say this too is good, for how can one strive to be perfect without facing the ultimate temptations which come at the precipice of enlightenment? If one walks themselves into damnation, they have only themselves to blame, when the truth is so easily seen.

However, if that truth is suppressed, if the wicked would seek to erase the writ of the Lord, to exterminate its followers, such that no one would exist to teach its ways to others, then the perfect exemplars of the perfect lord may unite into a wrathful host, and remind the Known World that they are a force which is not to be trifled with.

To those opposed to the Host, it is a cruel institution indeed. Countless souls may be saved from misery if the Host simply built churches and held sermons, instead of leaving it in the hands of the masses. How many humans could be said to be literate, they say? What good is a book which cannot be read and is not read from by the masses? Is the Host for the highborn alone? The Host says that its exemplars are but a pilgrimage away. Study them and not the book, if you are unlearned. Perfection is not won without effort. If you would spend your life toiling in secular labor, then do so. If you are willing to abandon your earthly duties to achieve Heaven, then you have already begun your first steps to communion with the Lord.

The Lord-On-High is depicted as a human of any race or sex, with immaculate armor or regal clothing, their face obscured by clouds while the angelic figures of the sacred host flit around them on wings of light. Its miracles are associated with light, the sky, and valor.

On Heaven: "Heaven is a personal reward for one's personal actions. It cannot be taught or given, nor easily achieved. One must dedicate oneself to good in all ways. In compassion, in fairness, in mercy and in justice, in defense of the innocent and slaying of the wicked. One may fail, one may make amends, but one must account for their deeds and if necessary atone by death. Even if you are scorned and shunned, then so be it. If others take after your example, then so be it. You must be good for the sake of yourself, and that is all."

On Virtues: "The greatest virtue is sincerity. One may stumble and fail, but dedication to righteous acts is paramount, whatever one's chosen calling may be. They must be pursued without hesitation or restraint, even unto earthly ruin, for the example you set is a far greater prize than any worldly victory."

On Sins: "The greatest sin is perfidy. Of all the sinners in this world, from the apathetic masses to the wickedest fiend, nothing displeases the Lord-On-High more than those who wear its cloak to serve their own whims. To fail is one thing, shameful though it may be, but to tarnish the Sacred Host's reputation for one's own end is a crime that deserves only death."

Benefits: To live in an area dominated by the Sacred Host is to be at an arm's length from the Great Faith. The wandering priests and paladins of the Lord-On-High exist effectively outside the law, and dispense justice as it pleases them not just for the sake of the people they serve, but for the sake of their own spiritual journey as well. Guided by the tenets of an inhuman being of unfathomably pure intent, they are some of the most earnestly righteous practitioners of any of the Great Faiths overall. That is, while they lack the masses of lay priests and bureaucracy that support the efforts of other Great Faiths, each true follower of the Lord-On-High is an exceptional individual. The reason their lands have the same protection from Primordial Sin as others is not due to the overall piety of the masses, but the constant efforts of these individuals to stem the tide.

Flaws: The Sacred Host's adherents do not believe in any form of preaching or outreach but example. They are righteous and act righteously. You know in your heart that it is true. So if you see them and know them and are not moved to be like them, to discard one's worldly passions for the sake of one's soul, then they do not care. If the masses are ungrateful or unaccepting then it matters not, a member of the Sacred Host will die for them anyway, even pointlessly, purely out of spite for a world that could be so much better than it could be, if people just had the courage to walk the same path. Their lives are often short and tragic. And of course, when followers of the Lord-On-High do fall to corruption, the horrors they can perpetrate behind the cloak of their reputation can be astoundingly vile, relying on the apathetic and ignorant masses, cultivated to trust them implicitly without the capacity to question them, to blindly believe that they know what is best. In the end, the Lord-On-High asks such immense sacrifice and dedication from its devotees that few have the mental strength to commit to the standards it demands. It saves those who already know how they may be saved, but offers nothing to those who need more than to simply see the good deeds of others to change their ways.

On Metanists: "They study the nature of heaven but do not act upon it. While their quest is personal as ours is, they cannot serve as an example of good when cloistered in a monastery."
On Ushians: "They serve their God unto their own destruction, as we do. But in their arrogance they bring tragedy upon the world and seek a heaven which remains a distant dream."
On Dualists: "Their dedication to their flock is praiseworthy, but their unwillingness to seek personal strength limits what they can accomplish."
On the Diel: "If one does not understand the reason they do good, it hardly helps the soul. The balm of submission the Diel offers does not truly better its adherents by itself."
On Multiplicitists: "Some among them shine as brightly as we do. It is a shame it will all turn to corruption and end in ruin."
On Titanists: "Primordial Sin stems from how it was used for selfish ends. It is possible to walk the narrow path and indulge without falling to one's desires, but such an individual must be watched carefully."
On Pagans: "In culling the sin from their hearts by stripping themselves of higher thought, the good has gone with it. Such a thing cannot be allowed to take root in the world."
On Ancestor Cults: "A misguided path which locks one in to traditions which may stifle spiritual growth. It is good most places have outgrown such thinking."
« Last Edit: April 28, 2024, 09:27:23 pm by squamous »
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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2023, 11:59:35 am »

The Diel and its Prophet:

The newest of the Great Faiths, the Diel is a rising power in the tropical north, competing with the ancient cults which previously held sway over those lands. During the apex of the Ushian Church's rule in the south, the tropics found themselves in the presence of a new prophet. Uniquely among the Three Great Faiths, the Prophet of the Diel's name and appearance have been erased from history, and while depictions of them are allowed, it is understood these faces are mere fabrications meant to show how the Prophet could have been anyone, for indeed this was the Prophet's desire, to exist only as their teachings.

The Prophet claimed to represent the will of the Diel, a transcendent force which sought to create Heaven from the world, rather than bring the world, or man, to Heaven. In the ancient days, when Paganry ruled unchallenged, the covenant of man and nature was writ in blood and suffering. What option was there, then? Absolute submission. The Diel is a force like that which pulls down the earth. Allow it to flow through one's soul, and it shall guide you to bliss. Human sin is what led to damnation, and it is only through relieving yourself of responsibility that one can find inner peace. In a world of lies and false gods, such words would lead to madness. But the Diel is real, and the Diel is wise. To follow it, even imperfectly, grants fortune. Still, it required trust, at first. Towards this end, the miracles of the Prophet were focused on the mastery of the mind. True to his name, the Prophet would give prophecy, and predict things which would come to pass. And indeed, they often did. Few if any have replicated the oracular accuracy the Prophet displayed. His holy book compiles his prophecies, and more have come true than not, though many say the rest simply have yet to manifest themselves, while others believe the Path takes measures to ensure their truth.

Regardless, it cannot be denied that the Diel has had a beneficial effect on its followers. Its lands are civilized and its people learned, for through the rituals of the Diel they are inspired to ever greater heights. The peasant that works takes joy in his work, for he knows it is the Diel's will that he tills the fields. All that the Path asks is nothing less than total submission to the Prophet and his far-reaching orders. Indeed, it is believed that even the Prophet's natural death was in line with the will of the Diel, for their holy book continues to advise its readers and counter the Path's foes even centuries after their death. It is as if even from beyond the veil his words echo across time, prepared for every possibility and eventuality. The future the Diel has offered is one where sin-inclined men need not lead themselves astray, for by giving themselves wholly to the control of this transcendent being perfection may be reached.

It is this seeming invincibility that sees the north grow ever more confident of the Diel's future supremacy, viewing the southern cultures as backwards and barbaric. It is likely there will be a great confrontation someday, if indeed it has not already begun. Or perhaps something even stranger will occur. Whatever the outcome, it is no doubt within the parameters of the Prophet's great and encompassing plan.

That said, if such a thing were true, to some it could be seen as a grave threat to man's spirit. If all things are to be planned by the Diel, and man's will stripped away, then what is he but an automaton puppeted by some greater being? Detractors argue that it is little but divine slavery, and must be opposed at all costs.

The Diel is not given a defined form (though it is depicted as manifesting as a glow around those who are in communion with it), and the Prophet, their name, appearance, and sex stricken from history, is portrayed in innumerable forms, marked only by the veil that covers the subject's face. The Path's symbol is as well a stylized eye, or eyes, the flags and ornamentation of the Path's property otherwise marked with verses from the calligraphy of their holy book. The faith values community, harmony, and above all submission to and trust in the will of the Diel and its Prophet over one's own free will.

On Heaven: "Heaven may be achieved right now if we were to simply let go of our inner selves. Humans are ignorant and limited, lacking the power to make the right choices with the knowledge we possess. Only by submitting to the will of the Diel, who may guide our actions and work through us, may we find true happiness. It truly only requires this, and faith that it shall be so. For even if one is wicked, that is the result of the flawed self. Allow good to guide you, and good shall flow from you. When all relinquish their pride and ego, we shall find peace forever after."

On Virtues: "The greatest virtue of the Diel is trust. This is not faith, for faith requires a lack of proof. There is plenty of evidence that submission to the Diel allows it to work through you by following the scriptures. However, few have the strength to let go of their flawed self-determination and become the puppets of the divine. Those who do are holy."

On Sins: "The greatest sin is ego. The idea that a flawed mortal could bring about paradise by their own actions is absurd. God exists and has outlined the instructions which if followed with utmost trust allow the flock to find happiness. To think oneself to be above this is madness."

Benefits: Those who follow the instructions on living as outlined in the library-temples of the Diel often do meet success. The Diel's scripts on what to do where, when, and how seem exhaustive, prepared for almost every possibility. The cultures that have embraced the Diel have often become quite prosperous, moreso than the other Great Faiths. With its emphasis on learning and literacy, the Diel produce skilled scholars and bureaucrats, and though they lack the arcane and esoteric leanings of Metan's intellectuals they are often considered better and more active stewards of their communities.

Flaws: The simple fact is that it is very rare for many human to perfectly follow the scriptures without erring. A follower may read instructions it finds unappealing and shirk them. A priest may fall into corruption and simply choose not to read the scriptures detailing what to do in such a case, unwilling to admit their own flaws. And of course, as physical places, the destruction of a library temple can lead to the ruin of a community without the guidance of the Diel. It is often described as an immense clockwork mechanism. When all the parts are in harmony, the Diel is an unstoppable force, matched only by the most potent of opposition. But cogs misalign, springs break. Human error mounts until the whole thing falls apart. As of yet, that perfect harmony its practitioners strive for has not been realized.

On Metanists: "If ever we were to require knowledge that would not be found in the scriptures, we would ask the priests of Metan. They are second in wisdom only to the Prophet."
On Ushians: "The Ushians do not see that heaven exists here and now, if we submit to divine will. Their quest for perfect bodies and souls in the name of a distant future brings ruin to the present."
On Dualists: "Like us, they place faith in the gods rather than their own deeds. However, they lack the strength to take the final step and remove the mastery of the self entirely. Their God, perhaps, is unwilling to guide them properly."
On the Sacred Host: "To claim one can do good merely by watching the divine rather than being a vessel for it is highest arrogance. While they may have their glories, they will not last."
On Multiplicitists: "Heretics who claim the Prophet as their own without acknowledging their place as a mere vessel for the Diel."
On Titanists: "The titans are the antithesis of the Diel, and cannot be allowed to take prominence ever again."
On Pagans: "The mental oblivion they seek both has no root in good and does not allow its own believers to experience the fruits of their submission. They must be culled."
On Ancestor Cults: "Surely this is proof man has always wished for their lives to be guided by something greater and wiser. We have simply been blessed with a superior alternative, and these backwards folk merely require the right push to embrace it."


The Multiplicity:

The Multiplicity is something very new in the world of El-Enlil, a mere few centuries old and spreading rapidly across the Known World. Originating in the South, the movement was started by a collection of radical theosophists, who claimed to have received revelatory visions from what would later be termed the Multiplicity.

It must be understood that in the eyes of most humans, to worship that which humanity is associated with is a backwards and even dangerous mode of thought. Humans are flawed, tainted by Primordial Sin, and even without it, allowed it to take root. Maybe not right now, maybe not them personally, but if humans are left without divine guidance for long enough, their works shall always fall to ruin. A long and prosperous history belongs to those who keep faith in the gods, the more removed they are from man's sin the better. It is for this reason that the strange and alien deities of the Great Faiths are so revered and widespread, for not only is their power mighty but so far removed are they from mankind's flaws that they are surely existences which can be trusted to guide us to a benevolent future.

Thus when it was claimed that it was mankind which was most deserving of worship, and that the earthly kings and holy men would be the gods of the new age, the new prophets only barely escaped with his life as enraged orthodox believers descended on them. However, his message was persuasive to those who listened, and his following slowly grew, particularly among the aristocracy who chafed at the power of the Ushian Church, which dominated the south at the time. Furthermore, its long reign of prosperity had indeed led to a period of lethargic apathy, and while its power waxed its support waned in the halls of the secular rulers. The principle was simple. Mankind had failed to attain divinity during the age of Titans because it was corrupt and immature, and that manner of ascendance, that of theophagy, was inherently sinful. Rather, one must strive to be saintly in life and worshiped in death, and if one is worthy they shall join the immortal saints of the afterlife, which collectively make up the whole of human spiritual power. Even Golamis, Ushia, the Mother, the greatest Exemplars, and the nameless Prophet of Diel were included in this holy court. The separation of the Great Faiths was misunderstanding and selfishness on behalf of the orthodox powers, who were corrupted by material greed and twisted by alien logic. It was a syncretic combination of the Great Faiths, ancestor worship, and the innumerable saint cults associated with such, and one that greatly appealed to those who sought a more hopeful and comprehensible view of divinity. Rallying the noble banners behind him, Hubon and his co-conspirators led a rebellion against the Great Faiths and the Ushian Church in particular, which despite their best efforts were defeated, the church's capital sacked and many of its secret arts stolen, leading to a subsequent proliferation of secular necromancers, which the now greatly-diminished Ushian Church spends much of its time combating or policing.

While wildly popular in much of the south and growing in the north, the Multiplicity is subject to a great many criticisms by those who oppose it. Primarily, it is believed by detractors to be nothing more than a confabulation on part of its originators, who was either deluded or outright malicious in his intent and sought to create a religion which could benefit and be manipulated by secular powers, ascribing them divine traits they surely did not deserve and allowing worldly powers to dictate divine doctrine, which shall surely lead to fracturing and disaster for the fledgling faith, if it has not yet become woefully corrupt already. Yet, there are notable Multiplicitists who truly seek to embody sainthood and have performed great deeds of heroism and selflessness. It is far too early to determine the truth, but should Multiplicitism be founded on lies the whole of the Known World may suffer as its believers are driven to their own self-destruction. Given the current state of things, some believe this process may have already happened. Regardless, it is one of the most persuasive and non-denominational faiths, so whether truth or lie is notable for being easy to adopt, exploit, and adhere to. Even with numerous setbacks, it has always sprung back into prominence.

The Multiplicity is simply portrayed as an assemblage of various saints of various degrees of importance, now-deceased founders among them. Its symbol is a circle with a line running vertically through it, extending downwards for a length typically half again the height of the circle. The faith values freedom, enlightenment, and happiness.

On Heaven: "Heaven has always been granted to us, and the quest for some world-encompassing ideal or quest for personal transcendance is a pointless effort by those in the thrall of alien gods. The saints above, be they honored ancestors or misguided prophets, guide us in life and judge us in death, to see if we are worthy of acceptance into their ranks in the world beyond. Live a good life as the priests tell you and the hereafter shall be your reward."

On Virtues: "The greatest virtue of the Multiplicity is faith itself. Moreso than anything else, one must believe in the Saints and trust that the scriptures speak truth. We are after all yet tainted with Primordial Sin and so must devote ourselves to the righteous path even if we are flawed and may not live up to its expectations."

On Sins: "The sins of man are many but the greatest is simply that of the extreme. The inhuman devotion of the other Great Faiths and the monstrous ego of the Titans and mad sorcerers alike bring misery. Only in a middle ground of common humanity can we prosper."

Benefits: Places which adhere to the Multiplicist faith can be beacons of secular and humanist learning, even if they do remain mired in the limitations of this era. Social and technological progress tends to emerge from these lands more than other places. Its adherents lack the zealotry and mania of the other Great Faiths, and worldly power can rise to greater heights than any other land, though some would say this is a flaw rather than a benefit. Put simply, it "feels good" to be Multiplicitist. Questions have answers and the focus is on the now rather than some grand future design or a great and difficult quest for redemption. It is a salve for the masses who sorely need it.

Flaws: To say a faith invented by humans is prone to corruption is an understatement. In many places it does indeed exist as a means to control the masses rather than comfort them. Furthermore, the Multiplicitist church has often failed catastrophically. More than any other major religion which purports to forestall this very fate, its denizens have collapsed into the hellish cannibalistic anarchy which humans are so endangered by. It burns brightly, but dies screaming. The other Great Faiths claim this to be the natural fate of those with the temerity to claim they have found a solution to Primordial Sin unreliant on the alien gods they worship, and perhaps they are correct. But in that brief window before its end, the beauty it inspires ensures there will always be another set of converts to carry on the torch, sure that this time it will be different.

On Metanists: "They are honored for their work in sealing the Titans away, but simply must part from obsession with their Metan, and turn instead to the kings which learned from it."
On Ushians: "Their veneration of the dead and undying is quite ghastly, even if their Ushia is part of the Saints. We can use their teachings without incorporating its more upsetting aspects."
On Dualists: "They are decent enough, but limited by their unending proclaimations of a future judgement, no doubt instilled in them by the alien Father and surely not the human Mother, who is of course part of the Saints."
On the Sacred Host: "If they would stop insisting the standards they hold themselves to are only possible due to echoing the acts of the inhuman paladin that begat them they would be much more personable."
On the Diel: "The Prophet's gift for order and organization are surely signs that they reside with the Saints. We could do without the loss of free will, however."
On Titanists: "As horrible as Primordial Sin and the Anthrophagies are, such acts can be regulated and managed for the sake of defending the realm."
On Pagans: "Paganism is a threat to the civilizations which grant us comfort and should not be allowed to take root among decent folk."
On Ancestor Cults: "They are close to us but misguided. The Saints, of course, guide us from the world beyond, not in this one. It is fairly easy to get them to see the proper path."




The Practical Faiths:


The Practical Faiths are those recognized by scholars as being knowledge-based and gains-based. That is, worshippers determined which gods are most suited for developing a relationship with, and through trial and error developed ways to appease or supplicate them to gain results. The disposition, attitude, and desires of the divinity they serve are irrelevant. It has that which they desire, and its demands, no matter what they are, must be fulfilled through ritual and sacrifice. Thus, it is a union of practicality, of mutual benefit. Something is sacrificed so that another thing is gained. These are some of the most ancient faiths known to man, and can be found anywhere, from massive and ancient cults to the smallest village superstitions.


Titan Cults:

One cannot talk about the Titans without first understanding what others think of them. To many, especially those of the Great Faiths, the Titans were monstrous and crude things, the originators of Primordial Sin, the great blight on mankind. But they were also our mothers and fathers, the reason humanity yet stands proud in this era, decayed and fragmented though it has become.

The Titan Cults are said to have originated from a single tribe or multiple tribes in the early history of man. This time was dominated by the Pagan Gods, those inhuman intelligences which squashed that which went against the red law of the natural world, yet also ruled it as a bestial garden. Only supplication and human sacrifice kept their wrath at bay, and man cowered at their terrible witless might. Yet in time, through sheer chance, the weakest of these beings was felled, and its flesh consumed, and its eaters granted apotheosis. These first, empowered by the Numen which now coursed through them, grew to monstrous size, wielding both great strength and crude miracles against the Terrestrial Gods, carving civilizations, the first human cities, cultures. They laughed and hunted and loved, and for a time they were noble and great.

But the hunts dwindled as the Terrestrial Gods fled to the deep places of the world, and in the absence of gods as prey their hunger grew unchecked, and brother turned against sister, father against mother, child against parent. They glutted themselves on each other, and those below them did as well. Wars of cannibalistic madness were waged, and cities ran red with butchered corpses. The shapers of human destiny were reduced to mad brutes, shells of their former selves. It was only when the first of the Great Gods, Metan, taught refined sorcery to its first priests that the Titans were destroyed, or perhaps sealed away. Though whether they are truly dead or but sleeping remains a question.

Of this event, all know the consequence. Its survivors bear Primordial Sin, the innate cannibalistic hunger which defines mankind. The knowledge that to eat the flesh of men is a stairway to divinity, at the cost of atrocity and horror. It is mankind’s greatest strength, for in times of chaos great and terrible champions are forged from their ranks, and its greatest weakness, for that same chaos may be brought about by the very act of anthropophagy.

Of those who still worship the Titans, for all their sins, there are three main derivations.


Monopantheonic Cults: The Titans live, they are but sleeping. One day they will rise again to consume the unbelievers and grant the faithful the strength to sit at their table. But as they sleep, they still hunger, and sacrifices of blood and shows of bravery are that which they sup upon. Supplicate them and you shall be rewarded. Disrespect them, and crops shall fail, hail shall rain, and calves shall be stillborn. They make their pleasure or displeasure known through the omens in the entrails of sacrifices and the movement of the sea and earth and sky. There is only one pantheon, one family, and all others are false.

Multipantheonic Cults: As above, but believe that there were multiple tribes, and claim the Titans they worship are their ancestors. They carry on the righteous struggle of their clan against their enemies and the foreign Titans which begat them. They tend to be slightly more tolerant of outsiders both within and without of the overall Titan-worshiping culture.

Transcendent Cults: The Titans may be sleeping or they may be dead, but it is irrelevant, they failed, but proved the path. For what was done once may be done again. These cults believe in the elevation of themselves, or the heads of their religions, into new Titans. As divine flesh is rare these days, this is often done through excessive cannibalism. The other Titan cults tend to regard them as ambitious usurpers at best and heretical fools at worst.


Ancestor Cults:

Compared to the Titan cults, which despite their varied interpretations and fickle natures may be broadly united by their nature, the ancestor cults are yet more diverse. Ghosts, fragments of Numen untethered by a fleshly form, have been known to exist for as long as human history. Though their true nature is unknown, with some thinking them but records of life to others thinking them the deceased themselves. The ancestor cults take the view that ghosts are indeed their still-present ancestors, watching them from the realm of the aether to ensure their own prosperity. Unlike the Titan cults, where men appease cold and distant rulers which slumber unending in their hidden tombs, the ancestor ghosts are more personal, less alien, yet also less powerful. An adherent of an ancestor cult may pray to a household shrine for a safe birth, protection from curses, or other little things. A village invokes the whole of their ancestors in a great ritual to ensure a good harvest or simply to retain their good will. They tend to preserve the traditions of the old ways, and keep exhaustive track of their histories and bloodlines so they know who to appease and how. Even places which adhere to other concepts of the afterlife and mark ghosts as but fragments and memories of the deceased rather than their true selves may seek to placate them nonetheless, for even a fragment may possess a power in it to protect its descendants from harm. Regardless of the status of the ghosts themselves, the rituals certainly seem effective.

Though, in the Known World nations which have fully adopted ancestor cults are few and far between. Only the men of the High Steppes have nations fully comprised of ancestor worshipers, with the other faiths having relegated such things to a fringe minority or superstitious practice. The remnants of mere humans, it would seem, offer less protection and power than the greater beings other peoples pay homage to.




Planetary Cults:

There are 13 great celestial bodies in the sky. First is burning Solst, around which the other bodies orbit. Closest is El-Mahrabis of beaten stone and rock, El-Jetai with its yellow clouds and terrible denizens, El-Raphtel with its endless ruins, our own worl of El-Enlil, El-Dyur of purpled continents, El-Borad the first great swirling giant of gas, Green-sea'd and gray-stoned El-Ishar, El-Bal with its reddened sky and black scorched earth, Green and cold El-Suryanra, Quiet and distant gaseous El-Kuhad, the incandescent white vaporous giant El-Immancon, El-Katal with its silvered spot upon an otherwise barren landscape, and lastly dread El-Yors and its great alien mausoleums. These lands have been visited in dreams by seers and some in waking by great practitioners of Gnosis. It is believed among many that their arrangement in the sky effects the fortunes and tendences of life in this world, and those who can understand their movements and effects can gain great fortune and wisdom. The Planetary Cults are those organizations dedicated to this study. They make no offerings and speak no prayers, only ceaselessly watch, study, and record the movements of the spheres. Given their constant appearance throughout history, and indeed their more-than-inconsequential success, they may well be privy to truths granted to them through their esoteric practices. Though it is a most unconventional faith, a faith it surely is, with people both high and low-born placing their faith in the heavenly spheres and their strange energies when making decisions of import, though its true adherents are few, typically scholars, aristocrats, and practitioners of the Gnosis. The layman and dabbler likely keep other gods closer to their hearts than the cold and distant celestial bodies.

The Incarnated Schism: A minor interpretation worth mentioning. Appearing during antiquity, the Incarnated Planetary Cult believes that the 13 bodies and El-Enlil's moon are not just impersonal celestial powers but true thinking beings just as a man would be, and have incarnated physical forms and roles in reality. Solst is the god of gods, to which the others pay homage. Mahrabis is his herald, Jetai his rival, Raphtel the general, Enlil the warden of life, Dyur the bacchanal celebrant, Borad the laborer, Ishar the mother, Bal the inauspicious, Suryanrahu the teacher, Kuhad the innocent, Immancon the judge, Katal the scholar, Yors the keeper of the underworld, and Lune as the maddened oracle. This faith was once prominent, but has since been delegated to obscure mystery cults and fanciful works of fiction. After all, to assign humanized traits to the gods is nothing short of madness and apostasy, and a flaw mankind must steadily keep in check. The gods are not to be considered human, especially where the Great Faiths are concerned.



Saint Cults:

Saint Cults are unique among the Practical Faiths in that they are derived from the Ideal Faiths of the Great Gods. There are those practitioners among them who gain great acclaim through their actions, and become in the eyes of the people minor deities unto themselves. Unlike the Great Gods, whose vast mind and long-reaching concerns span millennia, the Saints are much more approachable when praying for a healthy child or good harvest. Thus, the Saint Cults can be likened to the ancestor cults, in that they are elevated mortal spirits which intercede on behalf of the living, though unlike ancestor cults they are not restricted to blood ancestors and intercede as agents of greater powers entirely. There are many reliquaries which carry the embalmed or otherwise preserved remains of saints or other great men, just as in the ancestor cults, and these talismans are believed to be receptacles of potent Numinous power. Saint cults range from abhorred to tolerated to accepted, for while they may sway the unwitting off of the path to salvation they may also provide comfort and succor in a way the distant Great Gods do not. And indeed, it may be that the Saints do answer the cries of the people from time to time, though whether these are true miracles or simply a form of Gnosis is a contentious debate.


Chthonian Cults:

It may be difficult to imagine why one would pay homage to the creatures of read Chthon, but it happens all the same, Rhemnysia of course being the prime example of such things. The creatures of Chthon are not without guile and cunning, and indeed they can offer immense power and knowledge, progenitors as they are of the flesh-warping arts. Their demands are also simple. Living humans to be given wholly to them in sacrifice, for purposes best left unthought.

Rhemnysia was by far the greatest nation to worship demons, though it was originally believed to not be so. It was once far nobler, but grew corrupt and decadent, its aristocracy desiring ever greater power to best its rival of Haim-Haneh, culminating in dark bargains exchanged for the secrets of creating monstrous chimerae, which even now menace the lands. However, the constant presence of demonry gradually destabilized the mighty empire, and it collapsed at the same time beleaguered Haim-Haneh did, rendering their sacrifices moot. It is a cautionary tale these days, about how consorting with Chthon will lead only to ruin, and even the greatest and wisest are vulnerable to their manipulations.

Abominable cults to Chthonic entities are spread all over the known world, and utterly detested. Even the staunchest enemies may put aside differences to purge such groups from their lands. Though, it should be noted that to bind demons is different than to consort with them, though the ignorant may not make this distinction.


The Terrestrial Gods:

The fact that you can read and comprehend these symbols is proof enough of your sin, in the eyes of the Terrestrial Gods, more commonly known as the Pagan Gods. They are the oldest recorded deities in the known world, their infinitely varied incarnations springing up in myth and history among all the tribes of man. And almost always, they are figures of fear and superstition. For the Terrestrial Gods are aligned with principles wholly against civilization as humanity understands it, and when the first Titans hunted, killed, and ate the weakest of them, ascending to godhood, they developed a deep, animal hate, so it is said. They are not simply stewards of the natural world and guardians of balance, as romanticists would have one believe, but the enforcers of the Red Law which guides their every action.

Why does merely reading this constitute sin, you may ask? It is the abstraction of it. You exist one degree removed from the primal now, the state of thought unrestrained by the abstract symbolism of literature and language. To see the word tree and see four squiggles on paper and a fragment of noise which on its own means nothing yet to you calls to mind the image it represents is to the Red Law an abomination. Mankind and all others who have fallen for the deception of symbolic thought must be returned to the purity of the natural world, either through elevation into beasts or as rotting fertilizer for the forests that will grow over their broken cities.

For most, however, this loyalty is half-hearted. The sin of abstraction is writ deep into thinking beings, and most simply keep the Terrestrial Gods pleased with self-abasement, forgoing comfort and only spitting out those hated words when necessary. Using tools only with great recrimination and daring to do such a thing as count only after begging forgiveness, which itself only speaks to the sin of identity and fear of the future. In short, the Pagan faith is a faith of the mad or inhuman. But should one truly manage to shed themselves of the trappings of civilization, the rewards can be great indeed. The numen flows through them like a mighty river, and their miracles are slow and powerful things. Storms can be called up and entire forests made to move. Plagues unleashed and hordes of beasts united in lethal fury. The priests of the Red Law are demigods covered in blood and excrement.

The Marinal Cults:

Of the Practical Faiths, the Marinal Cults are most enigmatic. The gods of the sea are believed to be a like kind to the Terrestrial Gods, but unlike the Pagan gods of the land, the Titans did not conquer them. Some of the mightiest of Titans were dragged beneath the waves by shadowed bulk for their hubris, for while matched evenly on the ground, the waters were terrain too alien, and no matter the great hunts held, the Marinal Gods could never be truly bested. And so instead they were left alone and forgotten, and the oceans remain wholly wild and monstrous.

Very few humans outright worship the Marinal Gods, but seafaring cultures may offer them heavy sacrifice in the hopes their vessels survive the open waters. Sometimes it seems to work, other times it does not. It is whispered that great floods have wiped out entire peoples in the past over some incomprehensible slight or even just the whim of these enigmatic divinities. As of the present, the only known civilizations which truly have established any rapport with these unknowable deities are the man-beasts of aquatic mien, who by changing their very bodies to more mimic the creatures of the sea have had their minds warped to better understand the wills of their alien masters.



The Apostasies:

The Apostasies are schools of theological or Gnostic thought which are considered dangerous and subversive by the current ruling powers for whatever reason. Listed below are the most commonly (but not universally) recognized.

The Titan's Apostasy:


The Titans are certainly gods now. Through the consumption of divine flesh, became divine themselves. But they were men once, who turned their back on the divine, committing the Primordial Sin. Thus, while the worshipers of the Titans are grudgingly admitted as faithful due to the qualitative change theophagy forced on them, the Titans themselves, and those who seek to become them in the present era, are technically apostates. However, the first Titans are often referred to as the Forgiven Apostates even among members of the Great Faiths, for no Great Faith had existed at the time to give morality and reason to man, as far as is known. Indeed, without their actions mankind would remain cowering primitives under the shadow of the natural gods. But even so, many would prefer not to see the Titans walk the earth again, nor any new ones born, for all legends tell where that road leads. Any who even claim to seek either goal are often the subject of inquisition and holy war.


The Sorcerer's Apostasy:

The Sorcerer's Apostasy is one of the most insidious and disturbing to many faithful. In short, it posits that the Great Gods are so fundamentally alien as to not even be truly aware of humans, and their messiahs are the true masterminds of the faiths, simply sorcerers tapping into the power of those great entities to further their own all-too-human agendas. The terrestrial gods, likewise, are simply the peak of sorcery which can be attained, the Titans, Pagan Gods, and other such things being the natural end point of an individuals journey in the Gnosis. This apostasy rejects the transcendent wisdom of divinity and attributes that to humanity which it does not possess or deserve, and ascribes to the speaker themselves the potential for true godhood devoid of the qualitative change in nature which is understood to be a requirement for godly ascension. In short, that the only difference between a sorcerer and a god is knowledge. This is an apostasy of immense hubris and danger, for it drives countless Gnostic practitioners throughout history to seek divinity for its own sake, more often than not creating horror and disaster in the process.


The Anthropic Heresy:

To see humanity in the inhuman is a trait of mankind. However, it is also a weakness, for it blinds us to true divinity. Since man first looked upon the world, he has ascribed divine purpose to it. But in doing so, he has often found god where it was not, and ascribed its protection to what was in truth random chance. False gods can arise from the human tendency to characterize that which is but the blind action of natural forces, leading peoples to worship nothing and thus lack true divine guidance, which always ends in disaster. The true gods are not some fancies or reflections of the human mind but fully realized beings divorced from what a mortal may believe a god "ought" to be. Be wary of the preacher whose god seems too human, for this is a sign of a false prophet.


« Last Edit: April 28, 2024, 08:11:25 pm by squamous »
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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #6 on: December 31, 2023, 12:00:03 pm »

The Philosophies of Magic:

The gods are, of course, divine. With thought alone they shape the world to their will. No matter their popularity among the people, no matter how new or old their faith, that is the essence of a deity. Among the lay people, this is simply how things are, with little thought given to the how and why. Among the learned both secular and not, the term for this divine power is Numen, at least in the Known World. All living things possess at least the barest spark of it, though it is widely believed in some manner or another that humans possess the most of any mortal people. But the ability to effortlessly shape the world to their own will is impossible for mankind or the other mortals of this world. But to work miracles, or sorcery, is not. There are two broad methods of doing so.

Numen:

Man cannot actualize his will alone. To work the magic of Numen is to call upon the favor of the divine. Priests, saints, or simply the devout, who foster a relationship with their patron deity, may ask to be granted a portion of Numen by which they may work the will of the heavens. And sometimes, the divine seems to answer. With but a thought, miraculous works have risen, and just retribution has fallen upon the wicked. Though in truth, not all gods are arrayed in favor of man, and those placed against human civilization are just as eager to share Numen among their wicked followers as the gods of men are to theirs. To be a vessel for Numinous miracles is to have who you are changed to suit your divine master, to submit to them totally in exchange for the power that is granted. For some this change is little, for some it may strip away all they are. Does one mold themselves to please their god, or does the god sculpt them for its own end? Does the submission to divine will free man from the temptation of misuse, or do the gods seek to keep man tamed and and reliant on their borrowed power? Such things are endlessly debated among the learned of all allegiances.

Gnosis:

The Numinous art is will made manifest, with no separation between thought and result. The Gnosis is far from this ideal. Those who pursue the Mysteries seek to work sorcery not as a divine conduit but through themselves alone, with what Numen flickers in their own being. To do this, one needs intermediaries. Hands to chant, a tongue to speak, a focus to raise, a ritual to follow, ingredients to gather, offerings to make. One, some, or all of these may be required for Gnostic arts, which are so varied and multitudinous as to be beyond individual classification, to the point the line becomes blurred between secret knowleges mundane and arcane. Always lagging behind the powerful miracles of the Numen yet ever hungry for knowledge and infinitely versatile. Indeed, it is not unheard of for the Gnostic schools to create through their arts a mimicry of a miracle through enough study, and for this they are distrusted by many a church, for they make material what is holy, debase what is sacred in their pursuit of knowledge. Some things are best left as divine mysteries, they say, lest the spread of their knowledge lead to terrible misuse. And it may well be they are correct, for some of the most terrible atrocities of the sorcerous kind have been committed by those who studied the miracles of the divine and perverted them to their own ends. Still, the Gnosis is widely dispersed across the known world, and of such great use that even the faiths themselves must integrate some aspects of them into their own organizations. True belief is not so reliably taught, after all.

Noesis:

Where Numen is Miracle and Gnosis is Sorcery, the Noetic is what skirts the line between the arcane and mundane. The impossible clockwork wonders of the prior ages and the grim surgical creations of the Ushian Church and heretical necromancer fall under this category. Alchemy, surgery, engineering, and other such things, tinged with the workings of the occult, is what constitutes Noetics, though in truth this field is in debate. Many consider Noetics to be little more than sorcerers who seek to gain more legitimacy by claiming their work to be that of the learned scholar rather than a maddened apostate who chases after divine mysteries, but even so they make use of its products anyway, as the results speak for themselves.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2024, 06:26:41 pm by squamous »
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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #7 on: December 31, 2023, 12:00:47 pm »

After Death:

Despite the sorceries and miracles which can restore life, and the promises made by the various religions, none truly know what happens after death. None brought back have any memory of it, and indeed from their perspective they perished and they very next instant drew unwholesome breath as a revenant or other thing.

The Great Faiths contend that the soul is simply dissipated into the numinous aether, its memory retained only by the God it served. If it served well, then upon the attainment of Heaven (or perhaps sooner) it is plucked back from nonbeing into the embrace of the divine. The Multiplicitists say this is done at the moment of death, and that an afterlife exists here and now.

The pagans of the Green Gods, and many guess the gods of the sea as well, believe that the greatest reward is reincarnation as a beast of nature, content in blissful nonsapience.

Many ancestor cults contend that afterlife or no, it is a soul's responsibility to linger in this world to advise its descendants.

The worshippers of the Titans are split between the afterlife being a species-wide ancestor cult, or something not to think about since death is just another word for failure.

Hell is not an afterlife, simply a real place deep below the earth. Its true name is Chthon, at least by the tongues of the Known World.

The Power of Knowledge:

Given the obvious wondrous technologies of clockwork, the sorcerous power which may fuel magical artifice, and the age-defining potential of the firearm, why does this world remain a backwater of feuding lands, armored knights, and ignorant peasants?

It is due to the fact that in El-Enlil, words are much more dangerous than in our world. Contained within the pages of old scrolls and dusty tomes lies the knowledge to obtain immortality at the cost of sacrificing others, wield immense destructive power, or call forth and bargain with supernatural beings that desire the subjugation, corruption, or destruction of mortals. And that is without going into the dangers of living words which can poison the mind and spread to others, and other supernatural dangers, or the fact that widespread literacy would allow misguided philosophers to swiftly poison the minds of the people against the Great Faiths, and in doing so sow the seeds for later anthrophagy.

In some ways, the beliefs of paganry are correct. Writing and symbolic thought endanger the world due the capacity to spread and transmit information that could call up something which could not be put down. And unlike Earth, there are many more things in that category than exist here.

Knowledge therefore becomes something closely guarded. A sorcerer devises a powerful magic and keeps it to himself and choice apprentices. An artisan develops a revolving gun and it becomes the precious secret of a kingdom, lost upon its ruin. Advances are localized, ephemeral, and difficult to replicate. Science and rationality are constantly being discovered and lost again. Even discounting the dangers of writing, the world is simply too chaotic and dangerous to achieve the stability and resource accumulation needed for a large-scale industrial revolution. The current level of advancement, punctuated by localized proficiencies and short-lived utopias, has remained the standard for uncountable generations.

At least, the ruins they leave behind can be plundered by enterprising adventurers for the artifacts within.

The Ease of Eternity

Immortality is easier to obtain than one might think, in this world. Either through undead, cannibalism, sorcery, or some other means, there exist a notable amount of beings who have been freed of aging, perhaps even of sickness. It is certainly difficult, but not impossible, though such things are far beyond the means of most common peasants and serfs.

But nothing is truly everlasting. Most "immortals" may gain a century or more of life, only to be cut down by some unexpected violence or misfortune. One may spend all their natural lifespan in pursuit of immortality, only to be slain the very day they obtain it. The frequency of ostensibly undying beings being slain has lowered the appeal of it altogether, for many. When immortality is an impossible dream, it can at least be pretended that one truly will live forever. Faced with the grim reality, expectations have become tempered. The vast majority only claw a few extra decades of life from all that effort.

Most of them, anyway.

There are, of course, exceptions. The truly cunning, lucky, or monstrous who really do last through the ages, surviving thousands of years and growing more dangerous, more powerful with each passing day.

These individuals are terrifying.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2024, 04:28:27 am by squamous »
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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #8 on: December 31, 2023, 12:01:32 pm »

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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #9 on: December 31, 2023, 12:02:49 pm »

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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2023, 12:03:27 pm »

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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #11 on: December 31, 2023, 12:04:21 pm »

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Re: Fall From Grace 2.6
« Reply #12 on: December 31, 2023, 01:20:55 pm »

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Re: Fall From Grace
« Reply #13 on: August 30, 2024, 02:55:22 pm »

Hello Squamous,
With respect for your work,
I noticed that the religion positions and etics are definedbin a separate file with SelectEntity. Why is that? For modding conveniance or does it has mechanical properties or effects?
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