Church of Aldauth
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DOCTRINE:
IN THE BEGINNING (HISTORIES 1:1-5)
Aldauth, blessed be He, created the heavens and the earth. He created the skies and the seas, the plants and the animals. He created mankind for His divine plan. Some races He created higher while others He created lower, but all were designed to serve some purpose in the great scheme of Aldauth. When He created men He walked among them, blessing them and dwelling with them like a friend. Everyone worshipped Aldauth and it was good.
THE RISE OF GINGER (HISTORIES 1:1-12)
Aldauth, unquestionably the true Lord, lived among men and took a mortal woman for His consort. Her name was Ginger and he loved her deeply. His love for her surpassed that of His love for the rest of his creation. After many years of love and life, for reasons we may never know, Ginger sought evil and turned against Aldauth.
GINGER'S DESCENDANTS (HISTORIES 2:1-9)
Ginger, as Aldauth’s wife, lived beyond her mortal years. Aldauth, in His divine kindness, had restricted his omniscience as to give Ginger autonomy. She used this to invent false gods without consequence – false gods with names like Meraud and Hodierna – and turn many people against Aldauth. In this time she was also able to father a number of children with strange men. A movement was born to oppose Aldauth.
ALDAUTH'S VENGEANCE (HISTORIES 2:9-14)
Aldauth, true God that He is, could not be deceived for long. He quickly discovered the perfidy of Ginger. He struck Ginger down, but her deceitful words had infected the people. The most fervent of heathens were Ginger’s direct descendants. Aldauth gave them a special punishment – a mark. Their hair was turned a fiery red color. Even today you can spot the descendents of Ginger by the color of their hair.
THE AFTERMATH (HISTORIES 3:1-17)
The result of these events was that Aldauth no longer walked among the people. He withdrew to His heavenly domain, decreeing that only His faithful would be blessed with His glory. Those who had turned to the worship of false gods would be destroyed utterly. Time passed – years into decades and decades into centuries – until Aldauth had been practically forgotten.
However, it was written that Aldauth would send prophets to restore His true religion. Verily, select groups of people began to worship Aldauth under the guise of Eylhaar or Urrem’tier. This was done in order that His holy name would not be forgotten. Aldauth has additionally brought forth miracles and terrible warnings, in the forms of invasions, that people would know His power and repent.
IDOLATRY
Aldauth, as the only true God, deserves worship like a king deserves his concubines. Idolatry is strictly forbidden. The most holy duty one can undertake is to worship Aldauth alone and root out unbelievers. Idolatry is a sin punishable by torture and death.
THE THIRTEEN
With the exception of Urrem’tier (a relic of intermediate Aldauth worship), the Kermorian pantheon is the most abundantly worshipped collection of false gods. These twelve deities, with filthy names like Hav’roth and Tamsine, receive credit for the works of Aldauth on a daily basis. Heathens worship them out of misunderstanding and fear.
PRYDAEN DEITIES
Prydaens worship the false gods Eu, Demrris and Tenemlor. Prydaens, a savage and unintelligent race, project these characteristics onto the idols they have created. As a result, they worship a collection of blood gods. This worship is enforced by a cult of Prydaen necromancers known as the Claw of Tenemlor. Aldauth will punish them for their evil behaviors.
RAKASH DEITIES
The Rakash worship a trinity of deities much like the Prydaen – Mrod, Coshivi and Enelne – but with more variation (See Rakash Gods for an in-depth historical analysis). While less offensive than the Prydaen blood gods, it was the direct worship of these deities that led to the Rakash exile, or migration.
THE ALAUDIAN PANTHEON
As obscure as it is primitive, the Alaudian pantheon essentially deifies naturally occurring elements. Clearly the invention of a backwards and ignorant peoples, the Alaudian pantheon reflects the most base and unintelligent of theological concepts. It is to be uprooted and replaced with the worship of the true God, Aldauth.
THE WORLD DRAGON
Savage tribal peoples believe a dragon exists within the very world we live on. However, we know this to be untrue for Aldauth did not create a world with a dragon inside it. Blessed be to Aldauth for creating this world exactly as it is right now.
FAVORS
Unbelievers who have yet to understand the integral part Aldauth plays in life and death believe favors keep them alive. However, true believers know this is untrue as Aldauth has spared people with no favors and annihilated heathens with favors. The conclusion, then, is that Aldauth and Aldauth alone is responsible for life and death. Favors are inconsequential and unnecessary for salvation.
Favors are, however, a type of mundane magic. Just as a runestone can hold magic, favors are magical objects. They are part of a system developed many years ago by the Gingers to lead people away from the worship of Aldauth.
SELECTED COMMANDMENTS REGARDING INTERRACIAL UNIONS (BOOK OF PURITY 1-4)
Aldauth, in His infinite wisdom, created the universe according to natural laws. To live according to these natural laws is to live within the will of Aldauth. Just as man is not meant to fly – flying being a sinful thing for man to do – mankind is not meant to mate interracially in a fashion that cannot produce viable offspring. Aldauth has determined, blessed be He, which races are fit to intermarry and which races are not. One need only look to nature to discover Aldauth’s divine will.
A Gor’Tog may not marry a Human. Nor may a Tog marry an Elf, a Rakash, or a Gnome. A Tog may only marry a Tog; a Gnome may only marry a Gnome and a Prydaen only a Prydaen. These are examples and are not exhaustive. The exhaustive list is dictated by Aldauth and can be deduced from studying the reproductive nature of each race.
Aldauth, the most merciful, created both the biological limitation of racial interbreeding and the theological prohibition for the benefit of all. Were it permitted for Prydaens to interbreed then Prydaen diseases would spread rampantly. Were it permitted for Gor’Togs to interbreed we would descend into primitive times. Praise to Aldauth for creating the races according to a greater plan.
The punishment for intermarried couples is death by beheading. Aldauth permits you to slay them where you find them – you may slay them at the inn, you may slay them at the bathhouse. A chance must be given for repentance and divorce, but if it is rejected you may carry out the will of Aldauth and slay them as is permitted by His holy law. Let righteousness overtake the lands as Aldauth’s will is carried out and unholy unions are dissolved.
INVALIDS (SINS AND SINFUL BEHAVIOR 3:4-29)
Aldauth, the Lord our God, has blessed us with the ability to discern the righteous from the wicked. He has made this task exceedingly easy, for he has cursed the especially wicked among men with afflictions that distinguish them from the rest of us. We know Gingers exhibit such a curse in the form of red hair. Likewise, we know invalids, or the disabled, are accursed.
Aldauth, the omniscient and all-seeing, distinguished the most wicked men from before they were even born. He has given them terrible afflictions so that we may know them. If a man is born with a speech impediment we know he is hated by Aldauth. If a man is born blind, we also know he is hated by Aldauth. These are signs for us that we may carry out Aldauth’s vengeance upon them for the evil they would do to us.
Deafness, blindness and the inability to speak are common curses from Aldauth. Motor afflictions, such as the inability to walk, are also curses from Aldauth. Idiocy or retardation is an especially common curse; it is seen in a large percentage of the population. Have no sympathy on these people for they are hated by Aldauth and harbor only evil in their souls.
Should you suspect an invalid to have received a curse from Aldauth, the invalid must be bound by their hands and feet. They must then be brought before a prophet of Aldauth so the nature of their affliction can be examined. Should it be determined their affliction is from birth it is a curse from Aldauth and they must be slain by burning. Should it be determined their affliction happened after birth from an accidental cause they should be lashed thirty-nine times and set free.
The True Story of Aldauth
Born in 245 AV, Novazija Frawksa was the oldest living Rakash until his death last year at 144 years old. The first 112 years of his life were spent in his Western homeland and later trekking alone on the migration to the East. Despite his abnormally long lifespan, he was an obscure figure in modern Rakash history; Novazija Frawksa remained virtually unknown to everyone outside the most elite scholarly circles.
Novazija Frawksa was a highly esteemed Rakash historian and scholar. A protégé in all things Rakash, he was initiated as a priest in the Rakash tribal cults of Mrod, Enelne and Coshivi. He worked his way high up the clerical ranks before rejecting the religious beliefs of his ancestors. This rejection of religious tradition earned him pariah status in both scholarly and clerical circles.
Despite his exclusion from many aspects of Rakash society, he continued his work as a Rakash historian until his death. This was not made easy; many of his academic peers stonewalled his publications in lieu of their own flawed histories. Revisionist histories written to facilitate immediate political goals were thereby introduced to the East during the migration. More accurate histories, such as those of Frawksa’s, were figuratively buried.
Novazija Frawksa’s imminent but esoteric work, A Response to Rakash Revisionism, was intended to be an explanatory history detailing the cause and consequence of the Rakash migration. In small part because of Frawksa’s cultural exclusion and in larger part because of the political ramifications, it never made it to any mainstream libraries.
The upper end of the Rakash lifespan is estimated at 90 years, making Novazija Frawksa a biological curiosity if not a medical marvel. Frawksa personally attributed his long lifespan to two factors: He rejected the traditional Rakash deities Mrod, Coshivi and Enelne, replacing them with a monotheistic faith in Aldauth, and he abstained from tobacco, alcohol and samatak. Frawksa outlived 23 wives over the course of his life.
In blessed memory of the neglected scholar Novazija Frawksa, here is his complete work A Response to Rakash Revisionism.
CHAPTER 1
In the earliest ages of history it was understood that all Rakash worshipped in a monotheistic fashion. The belief in one God was the unifying force of Rakash culture and politics. This can not be said of the neighboring Prydaens who, as far as we know, have always worshipped a polytheistic collection of blood gods. As time went on new deities were created, giving rise to the popular religions of Mrod, Coshivi and Enelne.
While at the time of this writing the vast majority of Rakash worship the polytheistic trio mentioned above and Prydaens continue to worship their blood gods, it should be noted that two forms of monotheism exist within Rakash culture today. One form, a composite of modern Rakash polytheism, asserts that Mrod, Coshivi and Enelne are all facets of a single deity. A second form asserts that a completely distinct and single God exists aside from any others. Of Rakash who entertain such ideas of monotheism, the majority fall in line with the former.
In respect to the latter, it is a small minority. Further, this small minority was oft persecuted and oppressed. Despite this, the Rakash subscribing to the worship of a single God have played a key role in the very survival of the Rakash people and the migration to the East. This will become evident as the events leading up to the migration and the events of the migration itself are outlined.
CHAPTER 2
The small minority of Rakash mentioned in the previous chapter referred to themselves as the Es-Ticiva. The play on grammar isn’t entirely understood, but is believed to reflect a sort of unity with God. If strict monotheism was the concept that succinctly reflected their theological tendencies, a single message could summarize their evangelical tendencies. The message was thus: If the Rakash people did not convert to the religion of the Es-Ticiva they would be exiled in a foreign land.
The Es-Ticiva comprised less than one percent of the Rakash population. Additionally, their criteria for conversion were stiff and extensive. They required the rejection of the popular religions of Mrod, Coshivi and Enelne. Further laws, unintelligible to the Rakash populace, included the rejection of all persons with red hair and abstinence from alcohol.
Compounding the distinction between the Es-Ticiva and the general Rakash population was the fact that the Es-Ticiva viewed the form they took during a full Katamba to be a curse. While the common people believed the monthly change was a gift from the deity Mrod, the Es-Ticiva believed their one God was responsible for the daily occurrence as an ongoing curse – a curse that would be lifted upon the full conversion of the entire Rakash community. The Es-Ticiva used prophecy to argue this point, but also noted it was evident from the sheer amount of Rakash who died in combat during the change. Surely, they argued, if it were a blessing and not a curse it would not result in the deaths of so many noble Rakash.
CHAPTER 3
Theological truths aside, the events leading up to the Rakash migration would vindicate the Es-Ticiva. For three decades before the migration their learned sages claimed to receive new prophecies and warnings from God. These prophecies were very specific – The Rakash would be forced to flee their homeland. They would be forced to flee because of plague, disease and invasion.
At the end of the final decade, by the very day, major Rakash population centers were invaded. Some were attacked by wolves, others by bears, some by goblins and others by diverse marauders. While the invasions themselves resulted in a relatively small number of casualties, as most Rakash warriors were used to defending against bears and wolves, the consistent nature of the invasions severely disrupted basic life. Trade faltered and the economy went into a recession. Agriculture suffered and famines broke out.
After two years of nearly constant invasion, most Rakash were living in abject poverty. Many were dying from starvation. Plagues broke out, killing large segments of the Rakash population. Entire towns were devastated and left bare. Chronic disease became rampant, reducing the average Rakash lifespan to 25 years.
As the Es-Ticiva had accurately predicted, the Rakash succumbed to invasion, plague and disease. As is the case with life, those with the fewest resources – poor workers – died off first. Political moguls, those with resources and power, tended to survive longer. They were instrumental in organizing the migration.
CHAPTER 4
Within a year the surviving Rakash had packed what possessions they could carry and begun the trek east. Very few of the Es-Ticiva had died; they were the only Rakash demographic not to decrease in number. They attributed their low mortality rate to God’s protection. The secular explanation is that the Es-Ticiva lived primarily on the outskirts of civilization and were unaffected by the diseases of the city.
During the migration the Es-Ticiva were forced into close proximity with the remainder of the general Rakash population. The ratio of Es-Ticiva to others was significantly higher than before (initially they were approximately one percent of the Rakash population, as per above, but now constituted close to twenty percent). This bred jealousy and conflict with those who did not convert. This was especially true as the general population became more familiar with the prophecies of the Es-Ticiva and noted the accuracy therein.
After many years on the trek the tensions between the Es-Ticiva and the remaining Rakash flared. It had become evident that the Es-Ticiva were right all along. The Rakash were all being punished according to some divine plan. Instead of repenting, the Rakash leaders only feared a loss of power. These leaders conspired with Prydaens encountered on the journey to silence the Es-Ticiva once and for all.
Rakash and Prydaen politicians authorized a two-year campaign of genocide, virtually wiping out of all of the Es-Ticiva. Many fled back home, only to die of disease and famine. Some fled into the wilderness to die of exposure. Some continued on to the East, alone, but safe. The majority, however, died at the hands of mercenary bands hired at the joint request of Rakash and Prydaen leaders.
CHAPTER 5
Many years passed on the journey. The elderly died off and children were born. The massacre of the Es-Ticiva was largely covered up, but still fresh in the memories of the political leadership. As the migrating bands of Rakash and Prydaen came closer to signs of civilization they quickly realized they would have to explain their presence.
The true story would not do. What civilized land would accept two strange races that had just killed all of their greatest prophets? It would be seen as barbaric. Further, these new lands might fear the God punishing the Rakash. A whole host of problems was evident. An excuse had to be made.
Once again, the Rakash and Prydaen leadership conspired together. They invented a story about a war with a necromancer. The plagues and invasions sent by God were explained as acts of necromancy. A myth about a barrier held up by heroic Rakash elders was constructed to dissuade attempts to return home.
Most of the young generation had forgotten the evils done to the Es-Ticiva. As nomadic bands they knew nothing of their history and readily believed the myths handed to them. Many of the elderly and middle-aged Rakash died off during the migration. Very few remembered the actual events. Many of those who remembered died “accidental” deaths.
Upon their arrival in the East, most Rakash had come to believe the false histories fed to them by their leaders. They presented the same myths to the Easterners as such with little resistance. The simultaneous arrival of the Kaldar and Gnomes served to further obscure the true histories, as the Eastern lands were flooded with immigration and unable to deal with it effectively.
EPILOGUE
As for the Es-Ticiva who made it to the East, it was too late. Libraries were full of the falsified histories. These revisionist accounts were taught in schools and believed by virtually everyone. Few would believe the elderly Rakash, typically lagging far behind their earlier arriving counterparts, who bore an entirely different history.
However, every cloud has its silver lining. The Es-Ticiva who arrived in the East congregated with native worshippers of Aldauth. They discovered the religion to be identical to their own. The Es-Ticiva who made it were quickly assimilated into this Aldauth worship. Both groups – the Es-Ticiva and the Church of Aldauth – cited this as evidence for the historic roots of their religion.
Aldauth's Faithful Prophets
Luceano Delacroix and Vythe Duvalier have made it their life's mission to spread the word of Aldauth to all Elanthia. Through the face of adversity, they stand unwavering in their faith, fighting the good fight, and spreading the truth to all who will listen.