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mythology:path_of_radiance:start [2025/12/04 12:10] – shyriathmythology:path_of_radiance:start [2025/12/04 12:15] (current) – shyriath
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 Because few of the Imperial priesthood had been among the supporters of the Fifth, religiously authoritative challenges to this notion were few and far between. Both religious communities seemed content to accept it, so far as it went; other than the implication that there was a common truth, and common authority, to their traditions, little was demanded of them. Sufficient unity was established among the takmar of the new [[geopolitical:Queendom of Light Unobstructed:]] that, despite the difficulties, the region remained stable while the Overturns played themselves out across the mountains. Because few of the Imperial priesthood had been among the supporters of the Fifth, religiously authoritative challenges to this notion were few and far between. Both religious communities seemed content to accept it, so far as it went; other than the implication that there was a common truth, and common authority, to their traditions, little was demanded of them. Sufficient unity was established among the takmar of the new [[geopolitical:Queendom of Light Unobstructed:]] that, despite the difficulties, the region remained stable while the Overturns played themselves out across the mountains.
    
-However, the ideology appeared not to impress the xtauh who resided in areas within the queendom's nominal control. The idea that the Goddess was the same as some other goddess meant nothing to them, nor did the arrival of someone proclaiming so. The Goddess was the Goddess, but that had always been the case and would always be; why kowtow to some giant and pretend she'd brought them some deep truth rather than a fresh batch of interlopers? Frictions between takma and xtauh settlements not only remained, but increased, through Torith's reign, and increasingly spilled over into violence. It was partly in response to this that Torith's heirs gradually increased the prominence of local elements in their ideology. The name of the Goddess was proclaimed to be [[mythology:path_of_radiance:lalidh]], derived from the xtauh name for Her; the placation of the [[mythology:imperial_religion:lamnar:]] was entirely abandoned; the other [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:]] were reduced to luminous spirits.+However, the ideology appeared not to impress the xtauh who resided in areas within the queendom's nominal control. The idea that the Goddess was the same as some other goddess meant nothing to them, nor did the arrival of someone proclaiming so. The Goddess was the Goddess, but that had always been the case and would always be; why kowtow to some giant and pretend she'd brought them some deep truth rather than a fresh batch of interlopers? Frictions between takma and xtauh settlements not only remained, but increased, through Torith's reign, and increasingly spilled over into violence. It was partly in response to this that Torith's heirs gradually increased the prominence of local elements in their ideology. The name of the Goddess was proclaimed to be [[mythology:path_of_radiance:Lalidh]], derived from the xtauh name for Her; the placation of the [[mythology:imperial_religion:Lamnar:]] was entirely abandoned; the other [[mythology:imperial_religion:Siathar:]] were reduced to luminous spirits.
    
 While most of these elements were also ignored by the xtauh, who remained a nuisance, they were welcomed by the descendants of the original colonists, who largely shared them in one form or another. On the other hand, this distancing from the Imperial religion increasingly annoyed the descendants of the Fifth House's supporters, who generally remained faithful to their practices. This fed into other differences between the two faith communities. The Imperial religion was increasingly identified with the elite and the wealthy, and those who left what was increasingly called the Path of Radiance for it were decried as seeking self-advancement, while the Path of Radiance was seen as gaudy, unrefined, and vulgar, with those leaving the Imperial religion for it bowing to the whims of the peasants and ignoring their true heritage. While these trends were not universal throughout the Queendom, they held true in enough places that they became a major factor in the region's history. While most of these elements were also ignored by the xtauh, who remained a nuisance, they were welcomed by the descendants of the original colonists, who largely shared them in one form or another. On the other hand, this distancing from the Imperial religion increasingly annoyed the descendants of the Fifth House's supporters, who generally remained faithful to their practices. This fed into other differences between the two faith communities. The Imperial religion was increasingly identified with the elite and the wealthy, and those who left what was increasingly called the Path of Radiance for it were decried as seeking self-advancement, while the Path of Radiance was seen as gaudy, unrefined, and vulgar, with those leaving the Imperial religion for it bowing to the whims of the peasants and ignoring their true heritage. While these trends were not universal throughout the Queendom, they held true in enough places that they became a major factor in the region's history.
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 While Halga was destroyed in retaliation by a Lightbringer coalition shortly thereafter, any further demonstrations of unity were cut short when five separate relatives stepped forward to claim her position as spiritual head of the Lightbringers. They each sought to distinguish themselves from the others in the eyes of the faithful by capitalizing on stark differences of opinion on the proper direction of the faith - how to slow the decline in believers, how to press their rivalry with the Imperialists, how to answer certain unanswered doctrinal questions. The factions that coalesced around each candidate became increasingly acrimonious, and ultimately went to war on each other from late 33 to mid 34 Cloud in what became known as the [[history:cloud_era:Burning Wrath]]. At the end of the war, one claimant had been captured and one killed, and their factions absorbed into the remaining three, who remained coldly excommunicated from each other. While Halga was destroyed in retaliation by a Lightbringer coalition shortly thereafter, any further demonstrations of unity were cut short when five separate relatives stepped forward to claim her position as spiritual head of the Lightbringers. They each sought to distinguish themselves from the others in the eyes of the faithful by capitalizing on stark differences of opinion on the proper direction of the faith - how to slow the decline in believers, how to press their rivalry with the Imperialists, how to answer certain unanswered doctrinal questions. The factions that coalesced around each candidate became increasingly acrimonious, and ultimately went to war on each other from late 33 to mid 34 Cloud in what became known as the [[history:cloud_era:Burning Wrath]]. At the end of the war, one claimant had been captured and one killed, and their factions absorbed into the remaining three, who remained coldly excommunicated from each other.
    
-By 40 Cloud, due to a series of gaffes and scandals by its leader, the faction called the [[mythology:path_of_radiance:foes_of_vom]] had disbanded, leaving only two: one became known as the Lamp of the Heart and the other as the True Light. Over the following cycles, the Lamp of the Heart developed a focus on meditation and good works, while the True Light maintained a strict hierarchy and a preoccupation with education, study, intellectual development, and extensive and elaborate theological speculation. However, the two denominations between them had a smaller and still-declining number of worshipers, which did not stabilize until the early 50s Cloud.+By 40 Cloud, due to a series of gaffes and scandals by its leader, the faction called the [[mythology:path_of_radiance:Foes of Vom]] had disbanded, leaving only two: one became known as the Lamp of the Heart and the other as the True Light. Over the following cycles, the Lamp of the Heart developed a focus on meditation and good works, while the True Light maintained a strict hierarchy and a preoccupation with education, study, intellectual development, and extensive and elaborate theological speculation. However, the two denominations between them had a smaller and still-declining number of worshipers, which did not stabilize until the early 50s Cloud.
    
 An influx of takma immigrants from the Cerulean Tangle in the 60s Cloud brought its own challenges. The speech and customs of the Brightness had diverged considerably from those to the south since Imperial times, and the same was true of the practices of the Imperial religion; therefore, although the newcomers were mostly Imperialist by a wide margin, they shared relatively little in common even with their native co-religionists, and their arrival was greeted with varying enthusiasm - at best muted, and at worst mistrustful. The Lightbringers, for their part, were divided even further by the new situation - many of them were distrustful of the newcomers, but others felt that they needed both material and spiritual aid. Those arriving were usually poor, often suffering from loss during their harrowing journey. Their societies and their gods, tainted by Vom's darkness, had abandoned them and caused them suffering; was it not the duty of the Lightbringers to undo the works of Vom? Therefore, often in the face of disapproval or even hostility from their neighbors, they sought to take the new immigrants in hand, give them much-needed help, and introduce them to Lalidh's light, and did so with sporadic aid from their priesthoods, members of both churches - most of them from the Lamp of the Heart, but with a substantial minority from the True Light - and often in the face of opposition from their compatriots. An influx of takma immigrants from the Cerulean Tangle in the 60s Cloud brought its own challenges. The speech and customs of the Brightness had diverged considerably from those to the south since Imperial times, and the same was true of the practices of the Imperial religion; therefore, although the newcomers were mostly Imperialist by a wide margin, they shared relatively little in common even with their native co-religionists, and their arrival was greeted with varying enthusiasm - at best muted, and at worst mistrustful. The Lightbringers, for their part, were divided even further by the new situation - many of them were distrustful of the newcomers, but others felt that they needed both material and spiritual aid. Those arriving were usually poor, often suffering from loss during their harrowing journey. Their societies and their gods, tainted by Vom's darkness, had abandoned them and caused them suffering; was it not the duty of the Lightbringers to undo the works of Vom? Therefore, often in the face of disapproval or even hostility from their neighbors, they sought to take the new immigrants in hand, give them much-needed help, and introduce them to Lalidh's light, and did so with sporadic aid from their priesthoods, members of both churches - most of them from the Lamp of the Heart, but with a substantial minority from the True Light - and often in the face of opposition from their compatriots.
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 ==== Geographical Extent ===== ==== Geographical Extent =====
-The various churches of the Path of Radiance are concentrated in the takma areas of settlement in the southern Brightness in south-[[geography:sekhaa:start#central Sekhaa]]. While it is not the dominant religion there overall, there are a number of areas where it maintains local dominance; it is widely practiced and universally recognized. It also has a significant presence in the highland regions on either side of the [[geography:sekhaa:region:spine_of_sirdanth]].+The various churches of the Path of Radiance are concentrated in the takma areas of settlement in the southern Brightness in south-[[geography:sekhaa:start#central Sekhaa]]. While it is not the dominant religion there overall, there are a number of areas where it maintains local dominance; it is widely practiced and universally recognized. It also has a significant presence in the highland regions on either side of the [[geography:sekhaa:region:Spine of Sirdanth]].
    
 Denominationally, there is a continuum of influence between the Great Illumination in the watersheds of the eastern Brightness - on the coast of the [[geography:sekhaa:marine:Windward Sea]] - and the Lamp of the Heart in the west and highlands. The True Light has a small core area of influence approximately between them, but most of its membership is scattered thinly throughout the territories of both the others. Denominationally, there is a continuum of influence between the Great Illumination in the watersheds of the eastern Brightness - on the coast of the [[geography:sekhaa:marine:Windward Sea]] - and the Lamp of the Heart in the west and highlands. The True Light has a small core area of influence approximately between them, but most of its membership is scattered thinly throughout the territories of both the others.
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 ==== The True Light ==== ==== The True Light ====
-The [[mythology:path_of_radiance:true_light:]] is the smallest of the three by numbers. The church was founded by [[person:Sureth]], whose heirs never tired of reminding the Lightbringer faithful that of all those who contested the office of Radiant One after the death of Minalth, she had the strongest genealogical claim. This, perhaps, has fed into the church's emphasis on authority.+The [[mythology:path_of_radiance:True Light:]] is the smallest of the three by numbers. The church was founded by [[person:Sureth]], whose heirs never tired of reminding the Lightbringer faithful that of all those who contested the office of Radiant One after the death of Minalth, she had the strongest genealogical claim. This, perhaps, has fed into the church's emphasis on authority.
    
 The True Light is a hierarchical church, with many levels of organization and associated ranks and positions; one of its core teachings is respect for proper authority. The church has long had an intellectual bent, and its priesthood is known for its reliance on study and on the written word - both to read and to produce. Taken together, this gives the church something of a scholastic flavor, and even common worship services can bear a resemblance to a classroom lecture. What this approach lacks in emotional fervor it possibly makes up for in intellectual development; some of the best educations to be found in the Brightness are in True Light-run schools and seminaries. The True Light is a hierarchical church, with many levels of organization and associated ranks and positions; one of its core teachings is respect for proper authority. The church has long had an intellectual bent, and its priesthood is known for its reliance on study and on the written word - both to read and to produce. Taken together, this gives the church something of a scholastic flavor, and even common worship services can bear a resemblance to a classroom lecture. What this approach lacks in emotional fervor it possibly makes up for in intellectual development; some of the best educations to be found in the Brightness are in True Light-run schools and seminaries.
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 ==== The Lamp of the Heart ==== ==== The Lamp of the Heart ====
-The [[mythology:path_of_radiance:lamp_of_the_heart:]] is probably, by a small margin, the largest of the Lightbringer churches. It was founded by [[person:Shoth]], a dynamic young cousin of Minalth who had maintained for some time that the then-current decline of the faith was due to insufficient engagement with the world; to spread the faith, she claimed, required that one's inner light had to be mirrored by one's exterior actions, or it meant nothing.+The [[mythology:path_of_radiance:Lamp of the Heart:]] is probably, by a small margin, the largest of the Lightbringer churches. It was founded by [[person:Shoth]], a dynamic young cousin of Minalth who had maintained for some time that the then-current decline of the faith was due to insufficient engagement with the world; to spread the faith, she claimed, required that one's inner light had to be mirrored by one's exterior actions, or it meant nothing.
    
 As a result, the Lamp of the Heart places a heavy emphasis on how one behaves, and encourages a strong work ethic and actions that benefit the community. It also, though it does not specifically advocate against intellectual study, holds that the True Light approach focuses far too much on it; understanding of the Light cannot be found in words, but in oneself. One must be able to see and feel the Light in oneself to know that it is there. Cultivating an immersion, a Zenlike state, in daily life is thought to aid this goal, and the Lampholder priests often speak with their flocks about their feelings during everyday experiences. As a result, the Lamp of the Heart places a heavy emphasis on how one behaves, and encourages a strong work ethic and actions that benefit the community. It also, though it does not specifically advocate against intellectual study, holds that the True Light approach focuses far too much on it; understanding of the Light cannot be found in words, but in oneself. One must be able to see and feel the Light in oneself to know that it is there. Cultivating an immersion, a Zenlike state, in daily life is thought to aid this goal, and the Lampholder priests often speak with their flocks about their feelings during everyday experiences.
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 ==== The Great Illumination ==== ==== The Great Illumination ====
-The [[mythology:path_of_radiance:great_illumination:]] is by far the newest of the churches. It is probably second in terms of numbers, but only barely, and it is still growing fast. While it originated as a broad movement within the existing churches over several generations, the founder of the church as an independent entity is widely held to be [[person:Varedh Scintillating-Glory]]. Born into a Lampholder family, she received her face-name from her unusual scales, which resembled diamonds in their ability to reflect and transmit light. By the time she was grown, her appearance and strong religious convictions caused some to view her as a messenger from Lalidh. Both this, and her increasing alignment with the Great Illumination movement, led to admonishments from the church; after increasing acrimony, she made a public sermon to an Illuminator crowd denying the authority of both Radiant Ones and their churches, calling on all those who would follow to join her on a new path. The sermon was interrupted by a Lampholder mob, which abducted and beat Scintillating-Glory before her followers rescued her. The new church fled and established itself on the east coast of Sekhaa, in the rich soils of the rivers, in which it has since become the dominant form of the Path of Radiance.+The [[mythology:path_of_radiance:Great Illumination:]] is by far the newest of the churches. It is probably second in terms of numbers, but only barely, and it is still growing fast. While it originated as a broad movement within the existing churches over several generations, the founder of the church as an independent entity is widely held to be [[person:Varedh Scintillating-Glory]]. Born into a Lampholder family, she received her face-name from her unusual scales, which resembled diamonds in their ability to reflect and transmit light. By the time she was grown, her appearance and strong religious convictions caused some to view her as a messenger from Lalidh. Both this, and her increasing alignment with the Great Illumination movement, led to admonishments from the church; after increasing acrimony, she made a public sermon to an Illuminator crowd denying the authority of both Radiant Ones and their churches, calling on all those who would follow to join her on a new path. The sermon was interrupted by a Lampholder mob, which abducted and beat Scintillating-Glory before her followers rescued her. The new church fled and established itself on the east coast of Sekhaa, in the rich soils of the rivers, in which it has since become the dominant form of the Path of Radiance.
    
-The Great Illumination is like the Lamp of the Heart in its emphasis on translating the Light into external action. But it could be said that where the Lampholders express their inner light through duty and service, the Illuminators express theirs through compassion and understanding. They belief that in creating the world and gifting Her Light to it, Lalidh performed a supreme act of love: love, life, and light are fundamentally linked, parts of the same whole. It was meant to be all-embracing, and the Iluminators, therefore, seek to be similarly all-embracing. The message of the Light must be brought to all capable of hearing it; the love of Lalidh for all beings must be shared by those who follow Her. Those settlements run according to Illuminator philosophies are unusually accepting of xtauh, and are possibly the only takma denomination of note to have attracted them as worshippers.+The Great Illumination is like the Lamp of the Heart in its emphasis on translating the Light into external action. But it could be said that where the Lampholders express their inner light through duty and service, the Illuminators express theirs through compassion and understanding. They believe that in creating the world and gifting Her Light to it, Lalidh performed a supreme act of love: love, life, and light are fundamentally linked, parts of the same whole. It was meant to be all-embracing, and the Iluminators, therefore, seek to be similarly all-embracing. The message of the Light must be brought to all capable of hearing it; the love of Lalidh for all beings must be shared by those who follow Her. Those settlements run according to Illuminator philosophies are unusually accepting of xtauh, and are possibly the only takma denomination of note to have attracted them as worshippers.
    
-Scintillating-Glory is still alive. While she is viewed as the effective head of the church - the [[mythology:path_of_radiance:great_illumination:panchromat]], as they refer to her - she sees her role as one of counselor and advisor rather than administrator or ruler, and accordingly church government is left in the hands of the church as a whole. She has no genealogical claim to be the Radiant One, and has indeed has made no claim on any other basis either; she has stated that the title has no further relevance, nor does she wish to recreate the old hierarchies.+Scintillating-Glory is still alive. While she is viewed as the effective head of the church - the [[mythology:path_of_radiance:great_illumination:Panchromat]], as they refer to her - she sees her role as one of counselor and advisor rather than administrator or ruler, and accordingly church government is left in the hands of the church as a whole. She has no genealogical claim to be the Radiant One, and has indeed has made no claim on any other basis either; she has stated that the title has no further relevance, nor does she wish to recreate the old hierarchies.
  
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mythology/path_of_radiance/start.txt · Last modified: by shyriath