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Covenant: the World of Abrahamic Mythology

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The stars wheel across the crystal dome of the Heavens, shining down on the flat disk of Earth...
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    • ScottishMongol

    ScottishMongol

    Location
    Great Khanate of Scotland
    Pronouns
    She/Her
    The stars wheel across the crystal dome of the Heavens, shining down on the flat disk of Earth. The sun and moon race through the aether overhead. This world was created by the Almighty God out of the primordial waters, and has changed very little in form since then. Man does not walk the earth alone, indeed he shares it with multiple races both fantastic and bizarre. This is the world that the writers of Holy Scriptures walked in, where angels, demons, and djinn were a fact of life, where magic was commonplace and miracles became mundane. The ancients didn't just believe in fantasy lands beyond the horizon; they lived in one. This is...​

    COVENANT

    THE WORLD OF ABRAHAMIC MYTHOLOGY    ​
     
  • Threadmarks
    • This should be interesting, with all the various descriptions of angels, and different afterlives.

    Gan Eden
    Gehinnom
    Sheol
    olam haba

    And those are just the Jewish ones.
     
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    As a Catholic who has studied a lot of hermetic readings, I would like to help the author on this, if he would like the help.
     
    As an atheist who's done a lot of reading in the abrahamic mythology; Just throw your ideas into the comments. That way if he wants your help, he's got it. And if not, we've got more posts we can read if it's interesting.
     
    The Name of Love said:
    As a Catholic who has studied a lot of hermetic readings, I would like to help the author on this, if he would like the help.
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    RichardWhereat said:
    As an atheist who's done a lot of reading in the abrahamic mythology; Just throw your ideas into the comments. That way if he wants your help, he's got it. And if not, we've got more posts we can read if it's interesting.
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    As an Episcopalian, go ahead! I'd love to collect as much information as I can, I already have a pretty good idea of how I want magic to work in this world but if you can expound on the subject in more detail it'd be appreciated.
     
    There are clearly a few different character classes for magic in that world, as characterised by the Witch of Endor, who is a Witch, then there's the Cleric, Jesus, and the Barbarian Samson whose strength comes from his divinely imbued hair. Ritualists like Simon the Sorcerer. And more.

    Warlocks like Moses who have the Abrahamic God as their patron.
     
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    RichardWhereat said:
    There are clearly a few different character classes for magic in that world, as characterised by the Witch of Endor, who is a Witch, then there's the Cleric, Jesus, and the Barbarian Samson whose strength comes from his divinely imbued hair. Ritualists like Simon the Sorcerer. And more.

    Warlocks like Moses who have the Abrahamic God as their patron.
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    Moses was more of a Cleric/Warlord hybrid though. Warlocks usually commune with non-deities (fey, fiends, or eldritch abominations). That said, there are angels from angelology and djinn that your good-aligned warlocks can draw on for power.

    I would say for God, a Lawful Good would be the best alignment, but you must keep in mind that God's goodness is different from ours. We can only describe God's goodness as being analogically similar to the goodness of everything else. This is due to God being an absolutely simple being that is literally unlike everything else in existence. Treating Him like an incomprehensible Lovecraftian entity would be good for dramatic effect. The main difference between Yahweh and Lovecraft's monsters is that he doesn't look at us like insects, but as children to be looked after and loved... or disciplined when necessary.
     
    Gods is good because he says he is good, regardless of what evil he's done. Therefore in this world, the definition of good is based around him. And since he's real in this world, and can be proven with a mustard grains worth of faith, there can be no alternate definition.

    I can see Cleric/Warlord.
     
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    Jerusalem
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    • Jerusalem​

    Jerusalem! City of God! Located at the exact center of the flat disk of Earth, at noon the towers of Jerusalem cast no shadow. The largest, most continually inhabited city on Earth, Jerusalem is also the most diverse. Aside from Christians, Jews, and Muslims, there are priests, prophets, wise men, and mad men of every imaginable sect and heresy. It is said that every race and creed is represented here. At any given time one can find the streets crowded with immigrants, emigrants, pilgrims, refugees, musicians, magicians, merchants, saints, princes, beggars, thieves, and whores. Humans are not alone in Jerusalem, for succubi, cambions, djinn, ghouls, Nephilim, and even the strange and fantastic races of far Indica rub elbows with each other as they go about their lives.

    The Succubus Quarter is a crime-ridden slum, but the food, music, and art are like nowhere else in the city...and, unsurprisingly, it's a good place to go if you want to have a good time. In Little Indica one can find the spices of the far east, and the strange races that bring them along the trade routes from the Kingdom of Prester John (the neighborhood is also deeply in the pocket of the organized crime community). There are crowded neighborhoods home to the Marids, descendants of Solomon's slaves, and here and there are the massive houses of Nephilim who came in the retinue of one warlord or another.

    The sheer volume of trade and pilgrimages ensure the city's gates are busy at all hours of the day, and the synagogues, mosques, and cathedrals of dozens of denominations rear their towers from Jerusalem's seven hills. The palaces of nobles and merchant princes crowd up against slums, market squares, and monuments, with holy shrines around seemingly every corner.

    Dozens of peoples have entered Jerusalem as conquerors, and far more have entered as peaceful immigrants. Some assimilated over time and others persist to this day, but all of them add their own music, food, and art to the cultural melange. It has been said that Jerusalem's culture is like nowhere else on Earth, for it incorporates elements from every other one. Its architecture too is stunningly diverse, with a keen eye able to see the layers that have been laid down over time, buildings expanded and built on top of each other with newer styles, the bones of the oldest structures still poking out in unexpected ways. Some buildings have been in use continually for thousands of years, and always there is new construction going on.

    Beneath Jerusalem lies the undercity, where a vast network of tunnels, tombs, and catacombs are home to a community of ghouls that rivals any in the world save the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. The ghouls have been living here as long as there have been humans on the hills above. They have been feeding so long that the leftovers of their meals have long since made their way into the very architecture of the place, pillars of bones holding up ceilings or shoring up the sides of tunnels, often with macabre and grotesque flair. While some consider this to be no place for surface dwellers, a substantial community of outsiders live here as guests, adopted family members, traders, and in numerous other roles. While outsiders make up no more than perhaps one in twenty inhabitants, it is said that in the torchlit markets one can find anything or anyone in a pinch. The ghouls are ruled by a council of family elders, and every so often a civil war breaks out in the dark and crowded tunnels as an extended family grows too large to be managed and splits, both branches making power grabs in the constantly shifting political scene.

    There have been multiple attempts to invade the undercity and root out the ghouls, but the claustrophobic tunnel fighting combined with the fact that ghouls will feed on their own dead as well as human dead means that they rarely accomplish much besides feeding the ghouls for another time. As it is, the humans and ghouls live in a tense truce, with some humans even appreciating the service the ghouls do of cleaning up the city's bodies.

    Jerusalem's government is as cosmopolitan as its people, with religious courts, councils of tribal elders, the scions of nobility, and neighborhood power brokers constantly jockeying for control of overlapping spheres of influence. There are meeting halls for the common folk and guild halls for the merchants, and the religious leaders even have a public debate hall where they constantly argue over points of doctrine. There is a city-wide police force and the bits and pieces of various bureaucracies that have been established by kings past, working together in a byzantine and inefficient conglomeration. Charitable religious orders, some publicly funded and some not, tend to roadside shrines and feed and clothe the poor. The tax collectors and the banks of Jerusalem are fabulously corrupt, but enough money collected on imports and exports through Jerusalem's gates makes it to the coffers of those departments that maintain the city's sprawling and haphazard infrastructure that it always seems the city will totter on for another decade.

    (There are strict fees to move good in and out of the city, provided one does not use the smuggling tunnels controlled by ghouls and the organized crime community, but once inside one will find it incredibly easy to buy and sell almost anything without attracting too much attention. Jerusalem's black market is famous for being able to supply literally anything.)

    The title of King of Jerusalem has been claimed almost a hundred times over the years. Some of them ruled for only a few weeks, others founded dynasties that lasted centuries. Sometimes they are raised up in times of crisis by agreement of the city's power blocs, other times they ride into power on a wave of popular approval. Others are conquerors, who enter the city and crown themselves stewards of the City of God, and stay a while, intending to make the city their own.

    There have been highborn kings and lowborn kings. There have been many men, a few woman, and one who claimed to be both. Most have been humans, but there have also been Djinn, Nephilim, and even a single succubus. Many cambions have risen to power, with the general populace none the wiser. Ghouls have "ruled" the city three times, when after horrific massacres they came boiling onto the surface to claim the bodies and refused to go back down below, a ghoul warlord each time crowning himself king of the overcity until being slain by a hero.

    Some kings were good, some were bad, some were saints, some were madmen. There've been Christian, Muslim, and Jewish rulers. Some ruled by law, some at the grace of God, others by the sword, a few were even skilled magicians.

    For you see, Jerusalem is no mere city. It is not the jewel in a crown of a potential king, it is the crown, the ultimate prize for any would-be emperor. The title of King of Jerusalem stands first in status and respect the world over. Any empire will naturally have Jerusalem as its focal point. It is the City of God, the city all other cities strive to be like.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • RichardWhereat said:
    Gods is good because he says he is good, regardless of what evil he's done. Therefore in this world, the definition of good is based around him. And since he's real in this world, and can be proven with a mustard grains worth of faith, there can be no alternate definition.
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    Divine Command Theory? Can't say I'm a big fan. I prefer Traditional Natural Law Theory.

    The idea behind God being good is the idea that, traditionally, goodness cannot be understood outside of perfection, and since God is perfect (as per his nature as purus actus as well as Psalms 19:7 and Matthew 5:48), He is Goodness itself. The modern idea of good isn't tied to perfection, so God's actions look strange to us.

    Also keep in mind that the near east was a time of brutal bloodshed and violence, so that had a major factor on all near eastern religions and mythologies. Compared to other gods, Yahweh was pretty okay. He wouldn't send hurricanes at you if you didn't sacrifice your children, didn't force women to become temple prostitutes, gave you a day off from work. What a guy!
     
    Is there a practical significance to chukim edicts unique to the setting, such as kosher, halal, and cooking a goat in its mother's milk (why would anyone even do that)?
     
    Lazor said:
    Actually, it's a forbidden act made explicit in Exodus 23:19

    Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.
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    Like I said, different culture. The Israelites were given those laws to make themselves distinct from their neighbors as "God's chosen people".
     
    The Name of Love said:
    Like I said, different culture. The Israelites were given those laws to make themselves distinct from their neighbors as "God's chosen people".
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    At the same time, many of the Levitical laws were primitive but effective ways of preventing death from disease, food spoilage and such. For example their instructions for care after childbirth prevented infant and mother deaths better than anything used until the modern age with our understanding of bacteria and viruses.

    Also they were safeguards to prevent them from accidentally becoming like their pagan neighbors. (IMO the reason behind the eating of swine being expressly forbidden is that they are similar to human flesh and could help prevent being tricked by their neighbors into eating human flesh under the guise of it being pork.) (also pigs will eat humans.)


    @Lazor because cooking a young in its mothers milk was the practice of a fertility cult at the time. (See temple prostitutes above for an idea of why it was banned.)
     
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    Lazor said:
    Actually, it's a forbidden act made explicit in Exodus 23:19

    Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.
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    That could simply be a very explicit cooking instruction for one recipe. There's no reason it has to extend beyond goats.
     
    Magic
  • Threadmarks
    • Magic​

    To the average layman, magic is a daily fact of life. It is known that there are those who practice magic (variously called magicians, sorcerers, wizards, witches, ect.), and that in theory anyone can learn magic through study. It is known that casting spells requires complex rituals and difficult-to-memorize prayers, so there by necessity exists a great number of spellbooks, or grimoires, including everything from the Egyptian Book of Coming Forth by Day, to the more benign Grimoire of Pope Honorius. It is known that magic is incredibly useful in everyday life, able to do everything from heal illnesses and injuries, bring rain or banish inclement weather, and improve or hinder a man's strength, mental quickness, or agility. Magicians can also read omens and even at times predict the future. There are over a dozen types of divination, and unlike most magic the practice is more art than skill. Curses are the most feared type of magic, and a variety of methods for protecting against and breaking them exist.

    However, most people have very busy lives and few resources to spare, so aside from dedicated magicians the average person will rarely know any spells at all. Most peasants must rely on travelling magicians to cure ailments, prevent crop failures, and provide advice of a prophetic or otherwise magical nature. When they dabble in it at all, some kings make do with court wizards, while others practice magic themselves, following in the footsteps of King Solomon. It is not unknown for priests and rabbis to know a few magic spells as well, depending on the needs of their congragations. Magical learning is often passed down from master to apprentice, or from parent to child, and magicians ravenously collect grimoires. Magicians who are in frequent communication will inevitably swap and compare notes. It is a poor magician who hoards his knowledge.

    Magicians can also create two types of magical items: charms and scrolls. A charm is a small item, usually an amulet, which is inscribed with magical words that will protect against sickness, demonic possession, and so on. A scroll is a spell that has been inscribed onto a sheet of parchment (sometimes paper, but parchment keeps longer). The spell is then bound to the scroll and can be cast at a later date. However, some spells require specific phrases (such as the name of the target) that cannot be inscribed unless known ahead of time, and once a spell is cast it is no longer bound to the scroll, which is now merely parchment. This means scrolls are rarely useful in emergencies.

    There also exist alchemists, who use magic of a kind. Court alchemists are far more common than court magicians, and a court alchemist will be payed handsomely to provide simple remedies (usually for common illnesses, insomnia, and ahem impotence), give prophetic advice, and work with various rare and magical metals. There are also "professional alchemists" who provide these services to the public at large, but all alchemists desire royal funding to pursue more grandiose alchemical projects, such as the creation of homunculi and brazen heads, and exploring the properties of the soul. Many magicians practice alchemy, and many alchemists know at least a few spells.

    While magic itself is an equal-opportunity field, female magicians are generally looked on less favorably than male ones. Alchemy, according to some, is a much better profession for women.

    A lesser-known ability of magicians is the twin arts of theurgy and goetia, which are used to summon and bind spiritual beings to the material world. Theurgy deals with angels and other benevolent spirits, and goetia deals with devils and other such dangerous things. Though theurgists and goeticists are capable of quite a few extraordinary feats, most summoners simply use the practice to obtain knowledge that would otherwise be difficult or even impossible to know. There are also types of divination that allow one to commune with angels and devils without summoning directly, and though they do not allow as much information to be transferred they are far surer than summoning. Theurgy is not necessarily good, nor is goetia always evil - information gained through both practices can be used to either hurt or harm. However, it goes without saying that those who commune with devils are universally viewed with suspicion.

    Necromancy is a type of divination that faces high disapproval. It involves calling up the spirits of the dead to gain information, though powerful necromancers can also bind the dead and use them to send messages, inflict curses, and manipulate the minds of the living. Necromancy is looked down upon as disrespectful at best, and banned under penalty of death at worst.

    In fact, the legal status of magic can vary wildly. Most kingdoms make the distinction between "white magic", which is used to help people, and "black magic", used to harm. When in doubt, the magician is taken to court, and some kingdoms have truly byzantine rules about the use of magic. In some Christian kingdoms in particular, all types of love magic (love potions and so on) are banned, whether anyone is "hurt" or not. Other kingdoms ban all types of magic, while some only ban divination (save dream interpretation, which gets good press in the Christian Bible). There is a significant body of magical lore known only to the Jewish people, the most famous which is the creation of clay constructs known as golems.

    In Jerusalem the only magical laws are those enforced by religious courts, which means if one is careful about jurisdictions, one can practice magic practically unhindered.
    ​
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Wait, so how did the distinction between Muslim, Christian, and Jew arise in the setting? I'd imagine there would be less ambiguity with theurgy around for angels to say, "No, the messiah hasn't been around yet," or "Yes, Jesus is the LORD, no don't ask me how that works," or, "Yes, Gabriel actually made Muhammad a phrophet."

    Or is it entirely possible for them to say all three and add to the confusion?
     
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    Lazor said:
    Wait, so how did the distinction between Muslim, Christian, and Jew arise in the setting? I'd imagine there would be less ambiguity with theurgy around for angels to say, "No, the messiah hasn't been around yet," or "Yes, Jesus is the LORD, no don't ask me how that works," or, "Yes, Gabriel actually made Muhammad a phrophet."

    Or is it entirely possible for them to say all three and add to the confusion?
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    None of the above, actually.

    Angels can't lie but they can withhold information - after what happened with the Watchers, "Things Man Is Not Meant to Know" is taken very seriously. Higher-ranked angels are "authorized" to exposit more to humans, but calling down more powerful angels takes more energy - angels are extensions of the LORD's will, so theurgy is literally the act of channeling divine power, which means you need to be a powerful conduit, so to speak. Not to mention, when you call down an angel nine times out of ten you're getting something like "burning wheels within wheels covered in eyes with wings covered in more eyes", and you try working up the courage to pry the secrets of the Universe from them.

    Most people use theurgy to instantly "download" masses of information. Years of zoological study can be avoided by asking an angel to instantly tell you the name of every bird and beast, as one example.

    That said, since any of the three major religions can call down the same angels, there's fewer people convinced that the others are heretics and more that believe they are mislead or misinformed. There's also a lot of syncreticism going on - some Christian sects still follow Jewish law, one sect uses a modified version of the Quran as the New New Testament, ect.

    There have been people brave enough to ask questions. Generally, this is what is known and believed:

    - The accounts of the Old Testament Patriarchs are mostly correct, and the angels have confirmed that "A Messiah is yet to come". Muslims believe this to be Mahdi, while Christians say this refers to the return of Christ.

    - Yeshua ben Yosef was in fact a miracle worker and ascended into Heaven. Jews and Muslims deny the divinity and resurrection of Christ but acknowledge that he ascended into Heaven.

    - Muhammed did in fact speak with Gabriel and ascended into Heaven. Jews and Christians believe that Muhammed was a powerful theurgist but not that the Quran was divinely inspired (more divinely-adjacent).

    In short, most religious disputes are based less on who is wrong and more on who is closer to being right.
     
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