by Max Barry

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The Crown of Vegvarak

“Qui translati tamen crescunt”

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1

Faiths of the Imperium

RECOGNITIO•FIDERVM•IMPERII•ANTIQUARVM•NOVARVMQUE
SCRIPSIT•TI•SEPPIENVS•AVGVRATVS•APC•V̅CXLI
APVD•UNIVERSITATEM•IMPERIAM•TRABADII

A Survey of the Faiths of the Imperium, Ancient and Modern
By Tiberius Seppenius Auguratus, A.P.C. 5141
At the Imperial University, Trabdius

While the official faith, and only recognized faith at the imperial level is The Holy Trabadian Church a variety of beliefs syncretized with the imperial religion can be found in the Empire, which derived from the multitude of prechristian faiths practiced during the First Empire. Indeed, many reports exist that these prechristian faiths are not entirely extinct even in the present day, though social stigma and the illegality of apostasy means that practitioners of these faiths deny them to cosmopolitan trabadians, and reject any inquiry from imperial scholars.

Part 1: The Imperial Heartland

The old kingdoms of Hibernalia and Trabadius shared not only a linguistic heritage but also a religious one. Their faith was polytheistic, yet their gods were seen as far from equal in power or authority, and in fact was strictly hierarchical. Iit would be best described as a fully polytheistic pantheon subservient to a dualistic one, which was itself below and all-powerful creator. Deus, the most powerful god and the creator, nevertheless remained in the firmament gave authority of the mortal plane to the twin gods Lux and Tenebra, who held authority over light and dark respectively, and all things connected to those spheres. Lux and Tenebra then delegated the day-to-day maintenance of the world to the Tertii - a large collection of lesser gods who held small spheres of influence, yet acted at the will of their superior be it Lux or Tenebra.

Though the worship of the Old Gods, as they are now called, is all but extinct in the imperial heartland today, the practices of religion nevertheless remain evident in countless Trabadian and Hibernalian customs. Foremost among them are the Trabadian and Orrovian (who will be covered more in the next section) senates. In fact, the writings of St. Trebius indicate that the structure of the senates was directly copied from the hierarchy which controlled the universe - what better way is there to govern an Empire than by copying the way the universe itself is governed? The Imperator, like Deus, bestows authority upon a pair of Consuls, like Lux and Tenebra, so that they might govern over a mass of senators, like the Tertii, which then control small spheres - provinces, cities, etc. The Imperator during this period was expected, like Deus, to remain above and uninvolved in the day-today workings of the Empire.

This religion evolved into the present Trabadian Rite beginning during the rule of Imperator Aurelius IV - who famously lends his name to the modern Aurelius Hibernus line and is remembered today as Saint Aurelius the Greater. Christianity was brought to the Empire by St. James of Julias, an apostle and missionary from the west. He was brought before the imperial court in the 14th year of Aurelius IV’s rule, whereupon he proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven before the whole court. In sight of the whole court, Lucifer appeared in the form of Lux, weaving lies to discredit St. James and to tempt the Imperator, but the Imperator’s heart was strengthened with the revelation of the true faith, and Lucifer was cast out from the court, and the Old Gods were cast out of the empire.

Saint James was then appointed the Pontifex Maximus of the Empire, and all other priests and Pontifices within were ordered to submit to him. Thus the new christian religion was applied over an extant religious hierarchy, and the traditions hybridized. Angels and Saints replaced the Tertii, but due to the Old Religion's influence a quirk of worship in the heartland, compared to Western Catholicism or even Trabadian Catholicism in the peripheral regions, is that angels and saints are given much more active veneration. Thus christianity in the imperial heartland is remarkable for its ostentatiousness, complex net of rites and traditions, and maintenance of old superstitions.

We shall not cover the peculiarities of the Trabadian Rite at the imperial level with respect to it’s Western Catholic sister-church, as that is outside of the scope of this work, which seeks to discuss the faiths within the Empire itself.

Part 2: The Southern Coast

What is now Dolmastica and Orrovia was an early colonial region of Trabadius, predating even the unification of the First Empire, and so this region inherited the faith of the Old Gods. The earliest accounts of religion in the region suggest an almost exact copy of the original Trabadian faith and exact copies of the divinely inspired governing system applied at a city-state level, however as colonization slowed and the city-states grew into regional powers in their own right, the understanding of the Old Gods rapidly changed. It’s not exactly clear why the religion changed, though scholars attribute it to a number of factors: isolation due to the Sinus Trabadius; the extremely harsh environment the transplanted Trabadians, used to rolling hills and forests, found themselves in; the cutthroat nature of politics in the new city-states. In any case, the nature of the gods and their spheres rapidly changed in the eyes of the southerners.

The largest change was that the gods came to be seen as beings capable of - and quite willing to commit to - immense amounts of cruelty. The Tertii (or Tirzi in modern Orrovian) in particular were seen as largely fickle and vindictive beings - some truly cared about mortals and ruled over their spheres benevolently, but many others were soon to abandon or punish their devotees the instant sacrifices and worship were absent or somehow insufficient. Thus in order to not incur the wrath of a Tertii, it was necessary to provide regular worship and sacrifice, as well as observe various customs so as to not offend them.

Lux and Tenebra (Lux and Tevra) on the other hand were not fickle or vindictive, in fact they were seen as caring quite deeply about humanity - but in a way that made them much like strict parents. According to the Old Southern Religion, Deus was a deeply benevolent and caring creator, but to such a great extent that he coddled all of creation. Mankind was kept in a state of bliss and sinlessness without progress or ambition - as they never faced any adversity. The Tertii, too, never faced any adversity and were spoiled by the creator - leading these immortal beings to be perpetual children and leading to their fickle and vindictive nature.

As Lux and Tenebra were given power over the world and Deus removed himself to the Heavens, the twins (and also husband and wife in the southern tradition) decided to subject mankind to the adversity they had been denied, so that man could rise to the challenge and better himself. In Deus’s original creation, the whole world was a garden, but Lux incinerated the south with his light, creating the vast Dolmastican Desert and Orrovian Wastes, while Tenebra turned the placid sea into a stormy one with terrors hiding in its depths.

Modern Orrovia and Dolmastica largely follow the orthodox Trabadian Rite today, as their priests were forced to submit to St. James as well, though vestiges of the old faith are seen. The most sinister of these vestiges is denied to even exist by the Orrovian and Dolmastican governments - but it is often talked about in hushed tones and secret government forces are rumored to be deployed against it. This sinister vestige is the underground sacrifice and worship of the old lesser gods - the Tertii, as some among the population still believe these beings will bring wealth to their followers and curse those that deny them worship. Less sinister are the various Orrovian and Dolmastican superstitions, such as that one must bless a new boat, or keep the name of a newborn child secret, lest a Tertii become jealous and curse you, or the various charms sold in the marketplaces meant to ward of Tertii. While the Tertii were reanalyzed as angels in the heartland - in the south the good ones were renamed Angelis, while the vindictive ones - which are analogous to lesser demons - retain the name Tertii (Tirzi). Most Orrovians retain harmless superstitions about attracting their attention.

One of the modern peculiarities of southern religion is the beleif in “worship through works”, that is, creating a work of art, music, architecture, etc. is considered a very high and worthy form of worship and a celebration of creation. Perhaps this custom has it’s roots in the old religion as well, as not only overcoming adversity but far surpassing it and celebrebrating it. It is known that the prechristian Orrovians build massive temples to honor Lux and Tenebra, which can still be seen if one travels to the parched inland region of Vasta Negra. According to modern Orrovian tradition Vasta Negra is a desert today because it, unlike the coastal city-states, refused to submit to the new imperial religion and was cursed.

Part 3: Palatinus and the Inland Seas

….

Beyond it’s two main cultures, Palatinus is also home to the largest population of Varaqui outside of Varaquia itself, whose beliefs are a fusion of Catholicism, the Vegvaraki indigenous religion, and

(Are there Vesulians here too?)

Part 4: Vesulia (Varaquia, Chapter 1.)

In order to properly treat the religious history of Varaquia, we must look at not one but two civilizations - the Varaqui or Vegvaraki, and the Vesulian civilization which predated their presence in the region. Unfortunately no sources exist anymore which tell us about the Vesulian religion from their own perspective, and we are left with mostly Trabadian or Vegvaraki accounts.

According to Trabadian accounts, Vesulian pantheon was headed by a trio: Kailon (related to Deus) Lefkos (Lux) and Temastra (Tenebra). The Tertii also have an analogue with spirits called Senei. It is immediately clear to anyone reading these Trabadian accounts that the Vesulian religion was condemned as an extremely heretical version of the Trabadian’s own Old Gods - and the Trabadians reported various appalling doctrines and practices, among them extensive use of sorcery and human and animal sacrifice. They were also said to believe in reincarnation, rather than an afterlife. However, some modern scholars have suggested the Trabadian accounts are mere slander due to Vesulia being an early arch-enemy of the fledgling Empire, whose religious structure refused the Trabadian Pontifex Maximus’s authority. (Add more from Trab?)

Supporting this theory is the fact that Varaqui accounts of the Vesulian religion paint a different picture. According to St. Aredas of Tovlann, the Vesulians did not believe in reincarnation only, but rather that humans were not truly mortal, but immortal Senei/Tertii trapped in mortal form by the trickster god Lefkos. Vesulian religion promised to free adherents from the cycle of reincarnation on earth, so that they could live with the other Senei in the sky. The evidence for this belief in ultimate death and an afterlife can be seen in the many ancient tombs found in the Crown, which are filled with burial goods and treasures which would be pointless if the soul was merely transferred to a new body on earth. Varaqui accounts also mention human sacrifice, though they imply its use was limited - for example, St. Aredas writes of a Vesulian man who committed adultery and was flayed and thrown into the swamp, so that his sins were carried with him into his next life rather than remaining with his town and bringing misfortune upon them all. The Varaqui also do not mention any divine pair and supreme god above the rest.

Our accounts of old Vesulian religion probably tell us more about early Varaqui and Trabadian religion than Vesulian, and they are obviously political as well - the Trabadian condemnation of Vesulian religion as heretical and evil is due to Vesulia’s status as their old arch-enemy. The more forgiving Varaquian account reflects their interaction with the people they intermarried with and ultimately absorbed.

Part 5: Vegvaraki Religion (Varaquia, Chapter 2).

The indigenous religion of the Varaqui tribes would have been extremely alien to adherents of the Trabadian’s old gods. According to Varaqui myth the beginning of the universe is entirely incomprehensible - with no such thing as time or matter yet existing as we know them. But much as milk will separate into cream and milk when left to sit for a time, the universe ‘created itself’ as the primordial chaos divided itself into distinct units - past and future, material and immaterial, etc. From this division rose two great spirits, Taras and Emnis, each of them the personification and living soul of one half of the universe itself.

Most of what we would attribute today to Taras and Emnis did not exist yet, as there was no mortal world. But some time thereafter, Taras made and became the earth, and Emnis made and became the sky - and with this separation our world came into existence and the many binaries within it were created by each god. Taras became the mother goddess, her aspects the female sex, the earth, fire, the dawn, unconditional and motherly love, mercy, and more. Emnis became the father god, his aspects the male sex, the sky, cold, the dusk, romantic and sexual love, justice, etc.

It is said that as Taras and Emnis created the world, they realized they could not remain within it but had to leave and return to the primordial void. Taras receded from the mortal world and became the goddess of birth, her energy eternally giving life to the world as the Sun. Because of the dual nature of existence, Emnis, however, thus became the god of death - and to finish creation and leave the world, he would need to sacrifice himself and die. Emnis did so willingly, and he died as he exited the world and his divine light was extinguished. Nevertheless, he did not disappear from existence but was brought to life again as the moon. Thus creation was finally realized, and the present reality was formed.

Early Trabadian accounts of Varaqui religious practice obviously regard the religion as polytheistic, and it’s clear the Varaqui built temples to various “gods” or “Tertii”. But this is a Trabadian misunderstanding of the Varaqui divine order. It’s true that the Varaqui worshipped various divine forces - they did not only venerate Taras or Emnis as wholes but worshipped them in their individual aspects. Thus to Trabadians it appeared that the Varaqui had a mother goddess, a father god, a sun goddess, a moon god, a harvest goddess, a winter god, etc. all as separate beings, rather than as worshipable aspects of a divine pair.

The practice of the early Varaqui religion appears to have been quite similar to current Varaqui practices, deeply affected by nomadic life. Shrines were eschewed in favor of worn talismans or amulets, temples were portable, and prayers were often long songs sung in unison while traveling on horseback.

Let us now return to Imperator Aurelius IV of Trabadius, who cast the Old Gods out of Trabadius. According to Varaqui stories, these old gods (simply powerful nature spirits in the Varaqui view) were not cast out of the earth but simply the empire, and some, furious at mankind decided to take out their anger on the Empires nearest neighbors - Vesulia and Varaquia Antiqua (The old Varaqui homeland). Regardless of whether one accepts the old gods as true, the series of events which followed Aurelius IV’s conversion seems hardly attributable to coincidence.

Almost at the same time, Vesulia and Varaquia Antiqua were destroyed by cataclysm. Historians write that parts of Vesulia were swallowed by the earth or had fire rained upon them from the mountains, while Varaquia Antiqua withered into a desolate, frigid wasteland and the rivers suddenly ran dry. It is during Aurelius IV’s reign that the first Trabadian reports of the Varaqui invasion appear. The Varaqui invasion led to the formation of two kingdoms in the northwest of the rapidly collapsing First Empire. The more powerful of the two was built upon the ruins of Vesulia, and became known as Varaquia, Varaquiensis, or Vegvarak - ruled by the famous Tarcatsos the Great (Tarcatius I Magnus). The second kingdom, which would not see lasting Varaqui hegemony, was a newly united and independent Kingdom of Palatinus, under the rule of Tarcatsos’s twin brother, Emintevas the Great (Aementius I Magnus).

The conversion of Tarcatos I to Christianity is recorded in the famous Song of the Twins. According to the Song, during the Varaqui siege of the city of Trabadius following the initial invasion, Chryseia Aurelia, Imperator Aurelius IV’s 19-year-old daughter , left the protection of the imperial city against all advice to convince the barbarian king to turn his armies around. The young king Tarcatsos agreed to hear her pleas, and was impressed by her incredible bravery and unshakeable faith. Tarcatsos realized that the Pricipessa’s faith was the fulfillment of the old Varaqui one, which was simply a prophecy to lead the Varaqui to grace. The two fell in love, Tarcatsos converted to christianity and decided to return to his new kingdom in Varaquia, and this brought an end to the old god’s curse once and for all.

Some histories offer alternative explanations rather than the traditional romantic story - such as that the marriage was in fact a political arrangement. With the marriage, Tarcatsos married into the Imperial bloodline, thus bringing the Varaqui people under its divine protection and ending the old gods’ assault, and allowing his family to be the highest nobility in the Empire second to the Imperator’s own. Imperator Aurelius gained something as well - the Trabadian-Varaquian war ended, and the Varaqui were brought into the imperial fold and became powerful and loyal subjects. Perhaps both the political and romantic reasons are true.

Tarcatsos took to christianity quite zealously and was considered to be a paragon of his new faith. The religion spread rapidly within Varaquia, replacing both the Vesulian and Varaqui faiths except in rural pockets of the Crown - and Tarcatsos aided in the conversion of other realms within the Empire as well. Aiding the conversion was that, like with Trabadius’s old religion, the Varaqui faith was syncretized with the new one. The Varaqui consider their old faith to have been a “prophecy” or “anticipation” of Christianity. Taras was quickly likened to the Virgin Mary, the fatherhood aspects of Emnis to God the Father and Emnis’s sacrifice to complete creation to God the Son. The primordial living soul of the universe was likened to the holy spirit.

This is all reflected in modern Varaqui practices. While worship of the Tertii led to the Trabadian need for ostentatious rituals and observation of various angels, the lack of any such concept among the Varaqui led to the virtual absence of this quirk of Trabadian Catholicism in Varaquia. Rather, Mary, who was likened to Taras, is deeply venerated. Modern Varaqui religion is simpler and more rustic than its cosmopolitan counterpart and reflects the nomadic nature of its people. Shrines and reliquaries and icons are rare, as people keep simple worn crosses and rosaries with them. Outside of major cities, churches are still portable and itinerant, and mass is held when the churches arrive rather than on any particular day.

Remnants of the ancient religion can be found in isolated parts of the Crown, where some people hold onto “aspects” of Taras and Emnis (usually reinterpreted as Mary and Jesus). Thus there are reports that some still worship figures like the “Sun Mother”, though, as explained before, from the Varaqui point of view this is the veneration of an aspect of Mary/Taras rather than any distinct goddess. Nevertheless the government in Csotavac actively tries to bring these areas into the orthodox Trabadian fold.

Part 6: The Frontier Regions and the Coloniae

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The Crown of Vegvarak

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