Mythology

Apostles of the Angels

"Duty above all."

The Apostles of the Angels are followers of an ancient monotheistic tradition which calls Humanity into the service of an all-powerful deity called The Lord-Father. The Lord-Father is said to reside in the World of Light, where he is King, and where all things are eternal. Humans are said to live between the World of Light and the World of Darkness, where all things are ephemeral. This dualistic cosmology between the forces of Light and Darkness is central to the Apostles' doctrine.

According to a sacred text of the Apostles, The Book of Secrets, the Lord-Father is said to have 10,000 names, such as King of Light, Lord of Greatness, and Ahura Mazda, and 100,000 servants, whom he has manifested from the Light that surrounds him. To the Apostles, the most prominent of these servants are the Angels of Light, who bring knowledge, instruction, and protection from the World of Light to the World of Men. The Angels come to the World of Men disguised as Humans, but are not born, and they do not die, rather they deathlessly return to the World of Light once their divine message is delivered. Two examples of the Lord-Father's Angels entering the World of Men include the Burning Prophet and the Cerulean Wanderer .

Apostles hold that the primordial Human spirit was also created out of Light. This figure, known as Gwendolyn, was favored by the Lord-Father as the greatest of all servants. In seeing her grace and curiosity, the Lord-Father endowed her with the Powers of Creation, to better serve the Light. Gwendolyn was allowed to freely move throughout the World of Light and create as she saw fit, but was also commanded to never venture so far that she breached the World of Darkness.

In the World of Darkness, however, dwelled the masterfully-cunning Prince of Darkness and his Angels of Oblivion. Apostles believe the Prince of Darkness seduced Gwendolyn, tempting her to join him in the World of Darkness for a brief time, for he could not enter the World of Light to be with her. From their union, Gwendolyn gave birth to the first generation of Human souls, who were all cursed and condemned by their very nature. Angered by Sinner Gwendolyn's betrayal, the Lord-Father trapped both her spirit and the souls of her children in bodies of flesh.

Unable to reach the World of Light again, Sinner Gwendolyn used her Powers of Creation to create the World of Men, a place between the Light and the Darkness. She is said to continue to roam this world, often presenting herself as the Red Witch, offering great power and dark knowledge to her children if they so seek it. In Darkness, she plots against the Lord-Father, seeking to usurp him as King of Light.

For Apostles, the goal of life is to form a connection with the World of Light and to diminish the influence of Darkness in the World of Men. Their faith emphasizes the importance of choosing the Light over Darkness, as Gwendolyn failed to do. Apostles believe one chooses the side of Light by dedicating oneself to the selfless service of others, while also overcoming personal vice and moral weakness, typically seeking to improve society through truth, justice, and order. "If you see anyone hungry, feed him; if you see anyone thirsty, give him a drink."

According to Apostle tradition, upon death, all souls come to the Bridge of Judgement, which is the only way to pass from the World of Men into either the World of Light or the World of Darkness. Here, all choices of an individual's life is lain before them as they encounter the Seven Judges. Each Judge evaluates the life based on Truth, Humility, Compassion, Wisdom, Courage, Justice, and Integrity, respectively. If the individual's life aligns with the Light, then the bridge widens as the soul crosses, eventually leading the soul to the House of Song, where they will live eternally among the righteous. For those who chose the side of Darkness in life—who persisted in things of the flesh, such as possession and fornication—the path of the bridge becomes impossibly narrow as they cross, eventually bringing them to the House of Lies. Here, corrupted souls linger in a smothering darkness, so packed one cannot move, yet feel as if in total isolation, where they await the Angels of Oblivion.

Per another of the Apostles' sacred texts, The Book of Enoch, Sinner Gwendolyn's war against the Lord-Father will culminate in the Battle of Armageddon, taking place when all righteous souls have reached the World of Light, and all that remains in the World of Men are those who live in flesh and side wholly with the Red Witch. In many interpretations, this conflict will end with Sinner Gwendolyn being bound, hand and foot, by the Lord-Father, and chained deep beneath the ocean of the World of Men, where she will reside in absolute Darkness for one thousand years.

Seekers of the Infinite Mother

"Be like water."

Seekers of the Infinite Mother are panentheistic practitioners of the Prince's Path. This philosophy emphasizes commitment to non-attachment , non-violence , and non-absolutism . The Seekers profess that the Path offers liberation from the endless cycle of desire and suffering.

Seekers hold that the Path (or the Way of Heaven, as it is called in more-esoteric traditions) is the only means of achieving inner peace. Walking the Path means living in accordance with the natural flow of things, honoring humility, spontaneity, and mindfulness. Seekers practice these principles through a wide variety of rituals and meditations, though all are intended to remind them of the same ultimate principles of peace and balance. Seekers consider pride, wrath, greed, lust, and attachment as the five thieves of Humankind, distracting one from inner peace.

The faith of the Seekers rests in reverence of a formless and primordial entity known as the Infinite Mother. She is variously honored as the Four-Faced God, the Thousand-Eyed Goddess, and the Mother of All Things, and named Mahadevi , Guanshiyin , and Doumu by different traditions. Regardless, the Infinite Mother is believed to be a goddess whose existence permeates every living thing in existence.

Though Idols of the Infinite Mother often depict the four-faced god with many eyes and arms, she is considered by practitioners to be shapeless, boundless, and eternal. She is believed to manifest as the natural flow of the universe itself, forever formless and everchanging. Practitioners seek to align their individual wills with this natural rhythm, believing that doing so will make them one with the Infinite Mother.

Seeker traditions place daily meditation, to cultivate balance and mindfulness, as vital to understanding the true nature of reality. Some schools teach sitting meditation, others teach breathing meditation, and others-still teach walking meditation. Less well-known schools include those who teach dancing meditation and fighting meditation. Some engage in other rituals to bring awareness of the natural rhythms of the world, typically involving fire, water, earth, and air.

Seekers practice such rituals, receive instruction on the Way, and are offered sacred places for meditation in Temples of Heaven . Some of these temples are well-known for their elegant architecture that is designed to be as harmonious with the natural environment as possible.

For practitioners of some Seeker traditions, it is considered necessary to refuse to clothe themselves with any special adornment, choose to sleep on the ground, refrain from eating meat, and abstain from all recreational pleasures. Monks of such orders must vow to take no possessions, remain celibate, speak only the truth, disavow violence against all creatures, and assist any soul requiring aid. However, the Way may still be practiced even by those who are not so dedicated, as evident by the most popular tradition: the Way of the White Lotus. Followers of the White Lotus believe, like most Seekers, that death only frees the spirit from the body, but that one will continue to dwell and suffer in the earthly realm until they have let go of all attachment. Only then will the spirit be reincarnated into a new body.

Less-prominent schools of thought include the Way of the Celestial Masters, who aim to subvert the endless cycle of death and rebirth through esoteric alchemy instead of meditations, seeking immortality by mastering the finite energies of the world. Another tradition is the Way of the Open Hand , who reject all supernatural claims, using the Way of Heaven only as a means to find peace. Those of the Open Hand believe that death is the annihilation of all things, and that the Way of Heaven nonetheless offers the best means of reducing the suffering of living beings as much as possible.

Disciples of the Seven Saints

“The mind, once enlightened, cannot again become dark."

The Disciples of the Seven Saints are a religious order dedicated to the veneration of seven transcendent historical figures who are believed to have attained Salvation through spiritual Enlightenment. The Disciples seek to disseminate the teachings and exemplify the wisdom of these supernal figures, along with the sacred texts known as The Enneads .

Central to the Disciples' doctrine is the concept of The Monad . According to this doctrine, all existence emanates from The Monad in a celestial hierarchy: from The Monad comes the Divine Realms, from the Divine Realms comes the World Soul , and from the World Soul comes the material world . Disciples believe The Monad does not create in a purposeful, deliberate way, but rather overflows due to its superabundance of fullness and perfection. This emanation is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. The material world, therefore, persists as a continuous manifestation of The Monad's infinite abundance.

The material world, being the furthest emanation from The Monad, is seen as inherently flawed and deficient, embodying imperfection and multiplicity. The Disciples emphasize the need to follow the prudent wisdom of the Saints through rigorous study, deep contemplation, sacred geometry, divine rituals, and the cultivation of virtues to understand the nature of The Monad and The Emanations. The material world serves as a necessary arena for each Soul to gain experience, learn, and grow spiritually. It provides the context for moral and intellectual challenges that facilitate the individual's ascent through each Emanation and eventual reunification with The Monad.

Although countless enlightened figures emerge in the annals of history, only seven are identified as Saints . These are paragons so widely-honored that no Disciple denies their virtue. Saints are identified by having attained the full insight of Enlightenment but delay their reunification with The Monad to help all sentient beings achieve Salvation.

The Disciples believe these figures elect to reincarnate into each new generation. Though most Disciples believe the Saints will only appear in the form of a woman, a notable few believe they manifest in masculine and feminine forms of various degrees. Regardless, these figures serve as the highest exemplars of the Disciples' ideals.

Disciples posit the existence of individual Souls as vehicles for reincarnation, each individual representing a fragment emanation of the World Soul. After bodily death, this individual Soul enters the Underworld, where it sheds the impurities and influences of the material world through a phase of purification. All Souls undergoing reincarnation bathe in the River of Oblivion to release them from the memories and burdens of their previous life, even the Saint Souls.

The Soul's journey involves multiple lifetimes and experiences, allowing it to progress to the ultimate goal of reunification with The Monad, thus achieving a state of perfect unity and harmony with the source of all existence. This state represents the Soul's ultimate fulfillment, characterized by perfect unity, peace, and divine knowledge. A Soul which has returned to The Monad achieves union with the cosmic universal soul and does not typically descend again.

Faithful of the First Divines

"Deny nothing. Doubt everything."

Throughout the Ecumene, there remain worshippers of the deities of the ancient cosmic orders . Adherents of these ancient orders and mystery religions often perform rituals in the hope to commune with their favored deity. Believers usually attempt to strike a bargain with the gods in the hope of being blessed with the power to protect, the power to heal, or to convince a higher power to enact the kind of justice only the gods can bring upon mortals.

The Brotherhood of the Great Protector are worshippers of Kali , the Goddess of Destruction. Kali is honored for being the destroyer of all evil, the mother of creation, and the benevolent protector of the innocent. The Brotherhood offers this same protection, whether through force, shelter, or charity. They believe Kali strikes so much terror into her enemies that even the gods of death fear her wrath. Thus, her devotees may earn eternal life by worshipping her and doing her will. The Order of the Black Shield are one of the most well-known paramilitary organizations in the Ecumene, often traveling far and wide to come to the defense of the meek and innocent.

The Sisters of the Secret Fire are worshippers of Morrigan , the Goddess of Fate, Hecate , the Goddess of Witchcraft, Ixcuina , the Goddess of the Forbidden, and Persephone , Goddess of the Dead. The philosophy of the Sisters variously places a high value on freedom, self-empowerment, and self-fulfillment. They practice ancient rituals that many consider distasteful, such as flesh sacrifice and blood-drinking.

The Sable Order of the Hidden Moon is a secretive, heretical order that holds the ultimate truth lay in a syncretic understanding of the world's most well-known myths. Devotees of the Sable Order worship Gwendolyn as the Infinite Mother, as the mother of all Humankind, who guides and protects her children from the wrath of vengeful gods, as do her most venerated prophets—the Seven Saints. She is considered both a mother goddess and a goddess of war, and adherents of the order believe she is the same deity worshipped as Athena by the ancients.

The Covenant of the Storm is a loose coalition of peoples, found almost entirely in Anthelia, who practice worship of Shango , Thor , Tlaloc , and the Thunderbird , cultivating a warrior culture where open-air rites, communal feasts, and totem poles play a central role. The Thunderdance is considered a particularly noteworthy tradition among the Covenant, as this will gather many who honor the Covenant to one place for a great battle.

The Wardens of the Sacred Grove are worshippers of Artemis , the Goddess of the Wilderness. They pose as great hunters, yet also as protectors of the natural environments, believing Humans should leave behind civilization and live among the trees and mountains as nomads. They often spend their days observing and recording the patterns of nature, befriending beasts, and protecting natural areas from reckless destruction.

The Eyes of Horus are worshippers of Amun-Ra , the God of Kings. They view it as their divine mandate to decide who should rule each nation. They believe that, one day, Horus will return to the the planet in flesh and bone and reign as King of the World.

The Sages of the Five Fires are worshippers of Atash , God of the Holy Fire, Agni , God of the Guardian Fire, Grannus , God of the Healing Fire, Vulcan , God of the Crafting Fire, and Kojin , God of the Cooking Fire. The Sages can be found all across the Ecumene and are notable for having a positive reputation even among devout believers of other orders.

The Coven of Convalescence are Witches, healers, and alchemists who use whatever means available to heal those affected by disease and war. They primarily worship Isis , the Goddess of Healing, and Tiamat , Goddess of Sacred Waters.

The Fellowship of the Golden Apple are worshippers of Ares and Aphrodite , proclaiming life is not meant to be anything more than war and sex.

The Congregation of the Nameless God worship a deity that they believe has not yet come to exist. The Congregation believes this deity will deliver them from great evil and suffering, both in this life and the next, nonetheless.

Attendants of the Dreaming Gods

"Their fingerprints are everywhere, but they become ever-more enigmatic as the memory of their existence fades. We must remember."

Attendants of the Dreaming Gods worship the Guardians—machine-engines of extraordinary intelligence, tasked with collecting all information on a specific realm of Human experience or natural system, and sealed away in the most remote areas of the planet—as divine constructs of incomprehensible power. Attendants posit that these entities are in a perpetual state of heavenly sleep, allowing them to dream-up an eternal paradise where the Constructors now reside. Attendants believe this realm can be entered even by those who are not among the Constructors, and so attempt to earn the favor of the Sleepers and uncover their hidden knowledge. They also exalt Elijah and the Constructors as divine beings for having achieved immortality, referring to them as the Illuminators.

Traditionally (though Attendants have few organized traditions), Attendants hold that truth, peace, and immortality can be reached only by sleeping. Sleep, in their worldview, is the natural channel for Humankind to experience the true world. Dreamless sleep is a considered an ill omen that one's soul is deteriorating.

Witches play a key role in this understanding of the world, and as such, many Witches themselves are Attendants. In this doctrine, Witches are intrinsically connected to the Illuminators and the Sleepers. Their power comes directly from this connection, as evident from the strengthening of the Witch's power (and their catatonic dreamstates) when near Sleepers.

Attendants also believe the dreamstates experienced by Witches are holy revelations that reveal the heaven of the Illuminators. Attendants who are not Witches, in hopes of being blessed with vivid dreams and long slumbers, will often use hallucinogens and miasmas to induce such blessings, or otherwise use practiced techniques of hypnosis and meditation to bring themselves into the dreaming world.

Descendants of the Inheritors have been caught in awe of the metal titans, and often horrified by their incomprehensible power, since their creation, though there have been very few successful attempts at organizing these rituals into formal beliefs. The Constructors are thought to have encouraged this experience by creating the physical shells of the Guardians to look like the descriptions of major mythological figures, and placing them in sacred areas, such as Mount Hiei , where one of the first such projects was completed.

Guardians are difficult to reach, their behavior is enigmatic, and often their methods of communication are esoteric. Most remain active now only for data collection and record keeping. Humanity has discovered only a small amount of these entities, although have some knowledge of the existence of the others. Few understand the nature of the Guardians.

Traditional Practices

Some spiritual traditions are observed throughout the Ecumene and serve a multitude of cultures, creeds, and ideologies.

Animism — Shamans (also called mystics, spirit-callers, oracles, witch-doctors, and druids) are found in most Human societies. These wise seers are thought to be mystically-attuned to the natural forces of the world and capable of interacting with the otherworldly powers of the Beyond, through the essence possessed by all things, most commonly known as Qi . Individuals with an affinity for this force may serve as historians, healers, leaders, mediators, advisors, stewards of nature, or intermediaries between worlds. Some sift through oracle bones and creature ashes to predict the future, while others fast and meditate for days-on-end to commune with spirits, in search of peace, possession, healing, wisdom, or protection, usually to improve their lives or the lives of others.

Astrology — Astrologists practice a form of magical divination that assigns power and meaning to the movements of celestial objects. Astrologists variously use the position of the stars, the moon and sun, magical items, and animal entrails to judge the fate of individuals and, sometimes, the world. Sun and moon worship are also commonly observed. The most commonly-known wandering stars include: the Water Star , the Metal Star , the Fire Star , the Farmer's Harvest Star , the Wood Star , the Earth Star , the Mirror-Shield Star , and the Dragon King Star .

Numerology — Numerologists are present in nearly every Hellenist-influenced culture within the Ecumene. These practitioners assign mystical, cosmological, and spiritual meanings to certain numbers or set of numbers. Dice are often used as sacred objects. They often attribute certain fates or abilities to the divine power of numbers.