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Kingdom of God: A Quest of Holy Revolution

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natruska said:
Two, more pressing for us: three civil powers entered. Two remain relevant, the Sanhedron and Santsarran. If the Jury of Nachivan values legitimacy at all, if they don't plan on running the city through pure force, there is only one remaining way to attain it. Do what they do best: put a gun to the Patriarch's head and make him play nice. (edit: i mean i guess they could also put a gun to the sanhedron's head, but that's new-fangled and non-traditional)

We are living in interesting times.
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I agree. As strange as it is, if we want to keep struggling against the Jury, we may need to pivot towards proclaiming ourselves as the Patriarch's protector.

Of course, this arrangement has some problems because I rather seriously doubt that San is down with, uh. Basically any of our doctrine. But that doesn't matter because lol revolutionary conditions, alliances like this are always destined to be short-lived
 
Hrrrm.
The Partiarch, by the sounds of it, is basically the last man standing in terms of having political pull with the people sufficent enough to calm them down with words alone-
poor stewardship has gotten too many angry with the law, as we saw with the defeat of the Bull of Sacrifice.
Military power has basically frozen thanks to us, but also means enforcing the law of the land has just lost it's greatest weapon.
So.
San may very well come to hold the fate of Vaspukan in his hands. On the one hand, he DOES seem like a man more blessed by Amalgast then his predecessors. On the other hand, he's also staring down at least seventy five years of neglect and Evil plundering his Kingdom to line their own pockets.
And more problematically, I do not think this is a hard conclusion to come to.
As for what it means for us...
Hrrrm.
I think we're about to be in for a world of hurt, because if I'm right the time for violence has just passed, and now our Doctrine, valuable for seizing glory of removing the Jurors from play but little else, is about to become our principle weapon...And with the battle won for Good, what need is there for angelforms, but to keep the body sharp, when children freeze in the streets? What use is being as able to aim a gun as nurse a babe?
...
What is Pugilism once Evil is vanquished?
VIGILANCE!
The Kingdom of God, in the past, was able to survive and strike down the blows of the four schisms, and yet now it buckles under the light weight of a Mare? Nay, it's back was not so weak, as it was laden down and suppressed by the Weight of Evil upon it's back! And that same weight became so oppressive as to be felt by all it's citizenry!
So what must be done?
When a limb breaks, it must be trained and restored to it's former glory, as a house rebuilt to hold against that which broke it in the past, be it winds, earthquakes, fire or flood! But one must keep a wary eye for Evil's touch, in the form of things that exists as 'safegaurds' against outcomes that could be avoided!...This fustrates me. I feel close to...Something, but I can never quite figure out how to sound as if I am treating myself to a lullaby of my own words, or the wisdoms of Pasad Ghadi!
 
Cetashwayo said:
This could just as easily have been a quest set in the same setting about a soldier from a faraway garrison abducted by slavers and finding her way to Vaspukaran from another country. It could also have been a story about a wealthy merchant and his caravan across the most terrible desert in the world, or about an archaeologist and his quest to uncover a lost world that had been buried for thousands of years. Maybe it could have been a quest about a revolutionary and his push to change this society in the future.
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i'm on to your schemes cetash

i'm on to you
 
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TheArcanist said:
I agree. As strange as it is, if we want to keep struggling against the Jury, we may need to pivot towards proclaiming ourselves as the Patriarch's protector.

Of course, this arrangement has some problems because I rather seriously doubt that San is down with, uh. Basically any of our doctrine. But that doesn't matter because lol revolutionary conditions, alliances like this are always destined to be short-lived
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But which of our Sages would be the Cao Cao?
 
Cetashwayo said:
They do not know Yoni. Instead, he stands tall, steps forward, breathes in, and takes the stance of Gadeon, the seraph unyielding. And as Akov's cries turn desperate, Yoni raises his voice and says to him: Be not afraid. His hands are trembling but still he says it proudly, and puts his fists before him.

Yoni, voice cracking, asks Akov to tell Chana that she taught him how to be brave, and Baba Tanda that she taught him how to be wise, though he admits he never was a good student.

He closes his eyes, awaiting their attack. A gentle snowfall starts, snowflakes drifting down, a moment of tranquility. Then a Juror rushes up, trying to grapple Yoni and push him aside. Yoni explodes out, and with a final roaring cry, he yells: Watch how I soar, into the world to come.

He blocks the first swordstroke, breaks the Juror's mask with an uppercut, and he falls backwards, stunned. Another charges, but he disarms him and breaks his arm with an upwards kick, eliciting a bloodcurdling scream. A third swings wildly, and he ducks and pummels his stomach with well-aimed blows, then backs up, flushed, winds up for a kick -

There's a shot. Akov shudders. Yoni falls. A masked Juror holds a smoking revolver. His own hand is shaking. The rest stop, gather themselves, then turn towards the crevice, as Akov finally pushes himself out into a main street. He breaks off into a sprint, running south to the safety of the inner city.

The Jurors disappear into the night, pulling their arm-broken brother whimpering back into the darkness. They leave behind Yoni on the ground, as blood mixes with the snow, and mouflons finally emerge, bleary-eyed, and try to tend to Yoni's wounds. But it is too late, always was too late: He is already dead.

It was three weeks from his eighteenth birthday.
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Probably the main appeal of forming your revolutionary/religious movement around a form of organized sports are 1) the communal, social, and spiritual aspects of it, the bringing-together-ness and regular coordinated action even outside of outright political activity, the inherent potential for recruitment and outreach towards people interested in that sport, 2) a guarantee of some level of generic physical fitness among most of your members, which is helpful when it comes time for direct action. What kind of organized sports perhaps matters less; historically association football has served perfectly well for the formation of hooligan gangs. A sect being built around martial arts specifically feels, perhaps, a little quaint. They're "martial" arts but they don't really matter to the waging of modern war. Kung fu doesn't win revolutions, mass organization and guns do. Nobody's learning to parry bullets with their fists, here.

At the same time it's hard to deny that Yoni's stand is the stuff folk legends are made of. It lasted only seconds and it was an entire story in its own right. A boy of seventeen, a child, stood up to half a dozen grown men; masked, cloaked, sword-wielding assassins. And he tore through three of them in seconds before a coward in a panic shot him, trembling in shock even as his foe lay dead on the ground, and the man Yoni was protecting was saved. It's a tragedy; it could not end any other way, really. Bullets don't care how skilled you are at hand-to-hand combat. There was no scenario in which this murder attempt ended on a triumphant Yoni looking over the broken bodies of his foes.

(In a closer blow-by-blow breakdown, Yoni was probably doomed regardless of the merciless strength of gunpowder; he utilized initiative and shock to stun his foes and move quickly from one to the next before they could gather their wits, but could only incapacitate one; one of the reasons fighting unarmed and outnumbered is so difficult is because you can't secure the room and time to commit to disabling an opponent, so you have to quickly move between them with stunning blows and the dude you punched five seconds ago is already back on his feet to stab you in the kidneys. Plus, they still had swords. All the same, he did everything right that was in his power to do.)

And he did win, didn't he? He saw death and made the choice to save another man's life, and that man was saved, and his victorious foes stood in awe and fear of him even as he died. Ther's nothing beautiful in the death of a teenager in a bloody religious-political massacre over increasingly unbearable social conditions. But there's something transcendent in this moment of battle.

No wonder they made a religion out of it.
 
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I skipped over the Golden Spike news item earlier since I didn't have any thoughts on it, but sadly, I have developed some. Therefore, I shall circle back around!

Order of Golden Spike testing telegraph system - In a peculiar piece of theater Dhagan House, the headquarters of the Order of the Golden Spike, the order which is in charge of all of Vaspukaran's railway and railway telegraph lines, has dispatched a message to every single railway station in the country in a feat of incredible logistics. Hundreds of in-order telegraph workers sent out the messages over hours, with the words: LOVE THY KINGDOM AND THY KINGDOM COME, followed by instructions for railway stations to send back their own response, MY KINGDOM COMES AT THE INFANT'S MOON. Responses have streamed in from everywhere in Vaspukaran, including from within the Originating Circles. Abbott Superior Qero has said that it is a "proof of the ingenuity of our order and its monks that we carry forth the Word of God to every corner of his Kingdom".
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I see at least two facts/reminders here which might be important for the Originator situation. One: Vasp's transportation and communication infrastructure is extremely centralized. The telegraphers, the drivers, the engineers, they all ultimately answer to a building in Nachivan. The Originators are threatened from every direction. Burs and Ramayan to the north, Metamoa to the east, perhaps even Warabad and Raditakan to the south - it seems unlikely that the split between Raditakan's Circle and its Jury will end well. If open warfare breaks out, they must rely on the railroads to maneuver to meet each threat as it comes. If Burs moves on Harasdad, they will need help from the railroad monks to get back and defend the city.

What if they say no? What if they're not onboard? They're paid by Nachivan, not Sufgar. Maybe the Originators can keep them in line by force or cut some kind of deal - but if they can't, a railroad strike would be disastrous for the war effort.

Second: the telegraph lines between Nachivan and the Originating Circles are still open, meaning that the members of the Great Synod can freely communicate with Originator leadership in the Circles. It's hard to parse what this actually means, though, because as little people in a little sect we don't really know what's going on that high up. Are the Archdeacons of the Synod giving orders to the Archdeacons of the Circles? Vice versa? How would we know? We know that Synod archdeacons outrank Circle archdeacons, it's the next step up the ladder. But in actual fact, they could be anything from "razor-sharp political operatives running their home Circle through trusted deputies" to "honored representatives of the Circle's interests" to "dottering old fools in a cozy semi-retirement".

So this seems like another item for the "conversations in the halls of power that we're not invited to, hell, we aren't even sure who's talking" pile. Who is actually in charge of the Originator movement? This all started because the Synod challenged the Sanhedron by giving the Ischak Circle what they want, and then doubled down with The Originating Principle. Is this rebellion the Circles rallying behind the Synod, or the Synod doing their bidding? Again, who's behind all of this? We all hate the Originators - but we hate them as this formless, shifting mass, since nobody's stepped forward in public to lead their movement.

lotta words to shrug 🤷‍♂️
 
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How the Ants Reached Heaven (Pempelune)
  • Apocrypha
    • We've had pugilist-confessors, and pugilist-amalists, now have a pugilist-iconoclast fable.

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    How the Ants Reached Heaven​


    ​
    Often, when faced with the breadth and glory of God's Creation, the foolish student asks: which beast is more godly? Is it the eagle, the high-flyer, soaring atop Creation in his bid to touch Heaven? Is it the lion, crowned in glory, to whom all beasts bow? Is it Koolasuchus, the wise elder of still waters, whose mouth open only to praise God? Nay, says the wise master: there is God in all beasts, in all His Creation, and all are part of His glory.
    Yet the Sage, who has walked all of the Earth and seen God in every tall mountain and every fallen leaf, knows this for a falsehood.
    For hidden in the dirt and more common than sand on the seashore, ants, the most humble of God's creatures, are truly the most holy: and in the shallow depths of their nests the Sage would behold more of God than in the tallest mountain or the grandest temple.

    But it was not always so. Once the ant was as any other beast, praising God in manners dutiful but flawed. In those days the ant was a solitary being, crawling still in the dirt but only for itself or her closest kin. And the worker ant would work, and the weaver ant craft, and the soldier ant fight, and the abbess ant lead her fellows: but not yet had they the unity of will that so amaze children today, and all were at cross-purpose. And so the abbess, blinded by pride passed judgments in offense of God; the soldier guided only by greed visited unjust violence on her fellows; the weaver in self-righteousness wallowed in ignorance; the worker, head bowed, gave in to dark despair. And so all were disunited.
    And though each ant would faithfully pray to God, their pleas were tainted, their prayers false, and even the truest soul could not reach God: for even the brightest will choked on the all-encompassing darkness, and was pushed to sin. And so it was, and so it had ever been, and no ant dared hope for better, and instead deceived themselves into thinking that their foul tainted world was indeed Heaven.

    And surely this would have continued forever, were it not for God sending a messager to the ants. That prophet was most unusual: it was a young, white lamb. And that curious and playful animal had noticed the despair that plagued the ants. And naturally he asked: why would anybody despair in God's Creation? Are the warm rays of the sun, the soothing embrace of the river and the rich taste of grass not enough for these strange insects? And the ants agreed that all these things were good. And yet, they said. The world is not right. The sun and the river and the grass and all those things are indeed as Heaven, but ants fight and ants do wrong, and that is not of Heaven. And that evil, they said, was beyond any one ant's ability to make right, and so surely the world was forever doomed to evil.
    And the lamb was shocked to learn of these things, and he agreed that it was as they said, and something was not right. But despair not, he said: for Is God not in every one of us? And so surely these evils are not total, and can be fought and be put to right, and if not by one then by many. And the ants recognized this to be wisdom, and took it to heart, and already the world seemed brighter. And thus the first illusion to be dispelled is fate.

    And from thereon the ants started to struggle against evil, and that was a great victory. But none among the ants knew how to proceed in this great task that God had set before them, and so progress was slow. And so the ants decided to seek the wisdom of the Owl, who was said to know a hundred things, and understand a thousand more. And they explained their conundrum to the Owl, that they needed the knowledge to proceed along their Path, for none among their number knew of it.
    And the Owl listened and pondered and contemplated the problem, until at last she answered: that there was no such knowledge. And at that there was a great hubbub among the ants, and perhaps despair could have returned. But the Owl exhorted them: Is God not in every one of us? And so surely the Path to follow was also in them, and if none among the ants could decipher it on their own, then debate and discussion would bring it out, for there are elements of the Truth in every one of us. And the ants recognized this to be wisdom, and took it to heart, and already the steps to take seemed clearer. And thus the second illusion to be dispelled is priesthood.

    And from hereon the ants started upon the path to Heaven, and that was a great victory. But the road ahead was dangerous, yet the ants could have no protectors: for the strong among them would fight other ants as much as defend them, and so were truly no help at all. And even the strong could not hope to stand against the hazards of the Path. And perhaps the ants could have been stranded there, unable to progress further, were it not for a passing elephant, who heard their grievances and said: Is God not in every one of us? And so harming others is surely as harming yourself. And thus the strong must be as gentle giants, never turning their strength against the weak, but instead shielding them, so that their strength may be the strength of all, and that one much greater than any one's. And the ants recognized this as wisdom, and took it to heart, and already the rigors of the Path seemed lesser. And thus the third illusion to be dispelled is self-interest.

    And from thereon the ants climbed the ascent to Heaven, and that was a great victory. But the road ahead was unmarked, and the greatest ravs among the ants loudly disagreed upon the way to follow. And so they wandered, trying out each, but in truth it seemed none were right, and there was much wailing and discomfiture. And the ruckus must have carried far, for a flock of birds alighted nearby, and they much desired the noise to cease. And when the ants explained their predicament, the birds were reproachful, saying in a chorus: Is God not in every one of us? And so none of you may be above the others in truth. Listen not to the loudest voice, but to all, and from there the Truth will emerge. And the ants recognized this as wisdom, and took it to heart, and already the summit of the Path could be seen. And thus the fourth illusion to be dispelled is kings.

    And thus the ants reached the apex of their Path to Heaven, and that was a great victory. And yet Heaven was nowhere in sight, and suddenly it seemed the great promise of the lamb was a lie in truth, and again it seemed despair would win out. But they had reached far upon the Heavenly Path, and the Light of God was with them: and there was the Simorgh. And the Simorgh needed no explanation, and he said: Is God not in every one of us? A people free of despair, of ignorance, of injustice, and impiety, a people united in faith and will: that is God, and the ground you tread: that is Heaven. And the ants knew this as truth, and this is how alone of God's creatures the ants have reached Heaven.

    And thus the last illusion to be dispelled is the self.    ​
     
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  • Apocrypha
    • I think the Golden Spike was just flexing to remind everyone (Originators included) that they control the entire communications network.
     
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    Here we see the contrast of light and darkness in the form of omake submissions
     
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    So! I have been working out how to improve the omake system and integrate everyone's splendid contributions. If you now look at the front page you will see Piyyutim and Ketuvim. This is a compendium of psalms and writings of the sect as composed by you, the player! Omakes made by the players from the PoV of characters of the sect will be added to this list. When you complete certain institutions these omakes will be integrated into the lore of each - either as songs to be sung during Pugilist choir (which is really just a haka because come on it's gotta be), or as works to be discussed in study circles or handed out as pamphlets for the printing press. These will be small flavorful bonuses, nothing major, so don't be too worried you need to crank out omakes to win.

    This does not preclude non in-character or narrative omakes, of course, or ones not from the sect perspective (or memes and artwork, lmao). But it does encourage players to feel as though they are building up the sect through their own work and contribution, and giving it flavor.

    With one special addition - in honor of Pempelune's wonderful art here I have rewarded you with a small minor relic which would make sense - an illuminated manuscript of the Sefer Ghadi which is the sect's major prayer book (besides the Tessarateuch).

    Now, onto the omakes I got! @Pempelune choose something to bonus. Would you like to boost sect recruitment with this, or sect doctrine?

    @Squidfam Choose how you'd like to perish.
     
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    Cetashwayo said:
    @Squidfam Choose how you'd like to perish.
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    It turns out that my fellow man did not, in fact, have mercy on me.

    Very well, I've always enjoyed the thought of being returned to the murky depths of the ocean from which I came, so I suppose drowning it is.

    EDIT: Considering the amount of hug reacts this is getting I realize I should probably have added a :V or something 😅
     
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    Cetashwayo said:
    I think some of the worries about undisciplined mobs are misplaced (and I did not say Ma'On was that). Remember what you are and where you are. 'Undisciplined mobs' instigate revolutions. Often they pressure revolutionaries to be more radical than they are. Several times in both Paris and Petrograd revolutionary leaders found themselves facing angry ordinary people pushing them to go farther. The fact their grievances are not as coordinated or articulated does not mean they do not hold power.
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    Funny thing is, in the French Revolution, the revolutionaries may have found the Parisian crowd to be admirable from a more distant, abstract sense, but when they had to face them day to day and they had nearly equal power to the Convention, they got tired of them real quickly. The first few years of the First French Republic were spent taking power away from the crowd and back into the government's hand.

    I'd suspect that, when actually governing, we'd probably clash with the crowd on quite a few issues like the French did.
     
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    The Sages of the Free [822 AA] (Art by Sakura-Rose 12)
  • Media
    • Cetashwayo said:
    One Sage Enters, One Sage Leaves
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    Before the Rector Qanam departed for the plateau, but after the Baba Tanda returned from Yomri, a small, mousy looking man beheld the sect's celebrations, and made them an offer- a simple moment of their time, to test his newest camera, and he would take one fine picture at his own expense. Though the sages would have preferred that the entire Nachivan chapter be in "the shot" as the man named it, he bemoaned the fact that were they to fit all the hundreds of faithful, even standing in tiered rows, he could not fit them all and keep any kind of detail. So instead the sect, near-unanimously (save the contrarian Brother Zeb), voted that the five sages, Akov, Dvorah, Wendam, Qanam, and Tanda, were the ones who should be immortalized onto film-glass, at no expense to them. Further Photography could wait for when the Low Priest of the camera shop could be fairly compensated. so on that day in Kestvan, 822 AA, the sages stood (or in Tanda's case, sat after her back protested the inadvisable flip she did) in front of the factory that their temple lay under, and waited for the flash.

    (Commissioned from my favorite artist, Sakura-rose12)
     
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  • Media
    • Absolutely beautiful. For that @DocMatoi I am going to auto-succeed the sect on one roll for the next update even if it fails the roll. Do you have a preference for a particular one (Sarbadgar, Ma'on, Rage? Obv if it succeeds I will choose another so it isn't wasted.
     
    Cetashwayo said:
    Absolutely beautiful. For that @DocMatoi I am going to auto-succeed the sect on one roll for the next update even if it fails the roll. Do you have a preference for a particular one (Sarbadgar, Ma'on, Rage? Obv if it succeeds I will choose another so it isn't wasted.
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    Every time someone looks at the picture everyone wishes Yoni hadn't been so obstinate that there would be plenty of opportunities for pictures featuring him in the world to come (or, you know, next month when they maybe had some more money). Now there will only ever be one picture of Yoni.

    Rage.
     
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    The Compendium of Characters
    ​
    This includes major recurring characters and important political figures. Do not read this if you are not caught up, as it includes spoilers! Information which has not been mentioned in the quest cannot be found here, so don't worry about missing something in here which has not been mentioned.

    SAGES & SECTARIANS

    Sages and major disciples of HaKhofshim.

    Guru Kendanaya Wendam, a Kokabi Juror deserter from Sufgar. Known for his humor, antics, disguises and charisma. Married to Kendanaya Dvorah.

    Rector Poranana Qanam, a rector and public defender of unknown origin who fought on the northwest frontier. Known for his fiery speeches. Unmarried.

    Baba Tanda, a Maranine nun involved in radical politics for as long as any have known her, an unapologetic gunslinger. Marital status unknown.

    Kendanaya Dvorah, Bradi daughter of a High Priest from Sarvadar and radical intellectual. Exiled to Zarnai and not Kutan. Married to Kendanaya Wendam.

    Hyanaki Akov, Nesri Juror defector of the Black Elephant Standard and new member of the sect. Joined in Xococo, leader of the Scourge of God. Does not speak on his family.

    Galavani Chana, Young Yomri orphan and adoptee of the sect, militant defender of women's rites and de facto leader of the Convent of the Gunpowder Eucharist.

    Vadar Bukak, railway monk from Ralabarak and labour organizer, elected leader of the Ravs of Labour. Has a significant smoking pipe.

    Old Strong Belman, former criminal and huge martial artist, victor of the local Great Ghadi tournament and premier sect heavyweight.

    {Tandana Yoni}. An orphan found and a boy lost, on his way to the world to come.

    THE SCHISMATICS

    Members and major figures in the other major sects in Nachivan and beyond.

    Cantor Ghadan Nasir, leader of the True Confessor Sect Ohr, returned from penitential exile. Known for his argumentativeness and huge beard.

    Hadat Bhadan & Sutri, married Amalist exiles returned from the far-away domains of Asharei. Argue for the abolition of heathen-believer distinctions.

    Esterkezy Oshana, fierce Iconoclastic advancer of women's rites and exile to the Grand Mare, argues for the abolition of major sacral institutions.

    Rector Magarami Lazar, a Hospodari priest in Gospodar whose Amalist influenced seventy-seven theses have caused major turmoil in the schismatic north.

    THE SANHEDRAL ELDERS

    Elders of the Fourth Grand Sanhedron, elected to its four chambers.

    Archdeacon Gendelgar Dabami, former elder from Sufgar and head of the Conformers in the Sanhedron. Resigned following the Originating Principle. Was Conformer & High Priest.

    Abbess Superior Tessel Tori, head of the educational Maranine Order and defender children's rites of play and education. Reformer & High Priest.

    Pontiff-Prelate Amalgani Samangan, head of the esteemed Yeshiva Hastata, heterodox historian, scholar-historian and extreme troublemaker. Reaper & High Priest.

    High Ataman Buman Burs, elected leader of the Ramayan High Jury and its area of authority in the northwest, and conservative (?). Conformer Juror.

    Komandir Akabar Morsi, esteemed and dashing komandir of the White-Gold Standard, veteran of the War with the Mare. Reformer Juror.

    Komandir Varhan Sarbadgar, Gushan komandir of the feared Pale Horse Standard, veteran of the War with the Mare. Reaper Juror.

    Proctor Kardon Hadi, Vadashtan preacher and popularizer of natural theology, free silver, and the abolition of oblate serfdom. Reaper Low Priest.

    Rector Massima Rachel, Nesri legal practitioner and founder of the Kedesh, or Zekheri sect. Advocate for a 'Moral Kingdom'. Reaper Low Priest.

    Verata Maya, a female comedian elected to the chamber, popular for her comic acts which she has brought to Nachivan. Reaper Mouflon.

    THE OLD GUARD

    The true old elite of Vaspukaran.

    Patriarch Amalgast the Fourtieth Santsarran, elected Patriarch four years ago following a heavily contested succession. Known as being a moderate reformer and kind priest in Warabad, Santsarran has upended the country by calling the Fourth Grand Sanhedron against the wishes of the Great Synod. He is the religious head of the whole Amalgastene faith, but is in effective captivity due to the power of the Jury of Nachivan.

    Abbess Bronkar Kenturah, the former wife of the Patriarch, a beautiful and cunning woman. She has controversially stayed by his side even after he was meant to put her aside as Patriarch. They were scandalized when several salacious pieces of their lover's correspondence was leaked to prayer bulletins when he was Archdeacon of Warabad.

    Komandir Reganan, the shadowy and mostly private elected leader of the Jury of Nachivan and its linked Sword-Altar Standard.

    HISTORICAL CHARACTERS

    Rip Tang Goo. Prophet of Usral and the first attested true monotheist prophet in Vaspukaran. Began as a scamming copper merchant, ended as a mighty king.

    Mashyana. Prophet of Asharei to the far west, worshipper of the archangel Simurgh, advocate of peace and first revelator of the truth of heaven.

    Yuhwa. Prophet of the Great Western Coven. Preached the necessity of priesthood and the necessity of moral virtue to enter heaven. Murdered and martyred.

    Bambisnan Vashti. Concubine-wife of the Malek of Babarak and its failed prophet, Vashti's message of freedom and spiritual emancipation led to her death and, it is believed, the flood that destroyed Babarak's civilization.

    Amalgast the First, the Prophet, the All-Powerful. Vasp slave boy who rose to become the religious leader of a new kind of empire. Defeated the Gushan Rohirrate and founded the Patriarchate of Vaspukaran.

    The Six Ravs. Founding figures of the Second Patriarchate formed after a period of warlords. They are Hastata, Karogen, Yatoni, Tologda, Zurah, and Rongen, and each are famed in their own way.

    Rav Obrogras. Historical re-founder of Amalism as a new hyper-syncretic faith. Believed to be 'hidden', and awaiting a sign, according to Amalists, to return to the world. Broke with the Six Ravs on the question of the Patriarch's relation to Amalgast's immortal soul.

    Pasan Ghadi. Founder of Pugilism. According to Pugilists, learned martial arts from an angel, then started a multi-year peasant revolt. Was murdered under banner of truce.

    Opernani Myriam. A witch and Pasan Ghadi's most famous follower. Furthered his teachings, committed his sayings to writing, and continued to fight even after his death.

    Patriarch Amalgast the 32nd Mamiyar. The last infallible patriarch. Integrated Confession into a 'total system of time', wished to reform Vaspukaran into a standardized and rationalized world-power without equal. Overthrown in a Temple Coup 75 years ago by Sword-Altar Standard.
     
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