Religion and Spirituality on Newhome: Part 1

Religion and philosophy provide a canvas of meaning upon which a civilization may be painted, influencing the thoughts of billions on a daily basis, and these things play at least as powerful a role on Newhome as they do on Earth.

The arrival of the Kin sparked a spiritual renaissance presided over by the First Starfallen, also known as Blackfang or the Dark-Toothed One, who would eventually take on the mantle of HIEROPHANT. In less than a century by Earth reckoning, the powerful incumbent religion of Originalism would nearly be wiped out, and the Seekers, the oath-sworn followers of the HIEROPHANT, became the spiritual custodians of the great civilizations, with worship of the Virtues forming a common spiritual base for the masses.

In this document, I will strive to communicate a very basic overview of religion and spirituality at the time of the Succession Crisis. In this first part, we will examine two major religions which predated the Starfall. The second part will detail the new spirituality sweeping the globe at the time of Golden Treasure: HIEROPHANT.

ORIGINALISM: The Old Ways

As a scholar of Earth religions and mythologies, It came as no surprise to me that, prior to the arrival of the Draak-Kin Exodus on Newhome, the most common object of worship by most civilizations was the Originals, the massively powerful Newhome-native species which achieved a technological singularity and then vanished from the planet hundreds of thousands of years ago. The vast ruins, technological artifacts, and even ecological regulation systems which they left behind continued to operate, though often imperfectly, and the Originals themselves had bioengineered many of the species which have since attained genta status, making them rather like the "gods" were to humans on Earth; powerful beings wielding advanced technology responsible for the creation of species and technologies. The fact that they were no longer present did not stop most gentas from worshipping them, praying to them, attempting to use their technology, and trying (always in vain) to bring them back, exactly as humans have done.

At the time of the Starfall, which was the term used to describe the arrival of the first wave of Kin on Newhome, only the Luxa denied the divinity of the Originals (not having been one of the species the Originals created combined with their deeply anti-religious mindset caused this) and the Yhara showed zero interest in them. Everyone else tended to relate themselves to the Originals somehow, and drew on this as a source of purpose, identity, and safety. A wide variety of dogmas, prohibitions, holidays, and works of art and literature enforced local ideas about the Originals and what they desire from their creations, even generally maintaining that the Originals created the entire planet (false, from what I could tell) and that their leaving was part of a plan/punishment for gentas not following dogmas correctly, just as Abrahamics tend to believe on Earth. Priesthoods claiming to represent the Originals and be able to communicate with them held great power, despite not having any meaningful proof that their claims were true, exactly as it is with most major human religions on Earth.

The sole exception to this was the powerful widespread Originalist sect known as the Children of the Makers. They controlled the Death Angel, a massive biosynthetic being crafted by the Originals as a continent-scale terraformer, capable of flight and immune to the electromagnetic sea storms. It possessed enough strength and weaponry to wipe out an entire city in a day, and was directly controlled by the High Herald, supreme potentate of the religion. They used it to punish their enemies or anyone known to have disrespected or "blasphemed" against the Originals.

One of Darktooth's first public acts was to deal with this threat, and it did so in spectacular fashion; the High Herald was in the end electrocuted and torn apart by its own Death Angel, which afterwards was forced by Darktooth to walk into the sea and dissolve itself over three pulses, in the sight of one of the largest settlements in the world.

Through this act and several others, Darktooth convinced the world of a simple truth: the Originals were not all-powerful, did not favor any existing institution, and were not going to return, or at least, their return anytime in the near future was so unlikely that it was not worth talking about sans compelling evidence. They were no more divine than the average genta, and their civilization essentially wrought havoc on the world before abandoning it. Their technology and designs, while highly pertinent to the origin of many species, the ecosystems in place, artifacts, and Tuning (that is, the use of 'magical' forces), were thenceforth to be regarded rationally and methodically.

The civilized world was generally convinced. Those who worshiped the Originals, claimed to speak or deal with them, or attempted to derive power from them or return them to the world were eliminated from most societies by mainly peaceful means, as priesthoods disbanded and public institutions removed support from Originalist organizations and projects.

A few die-hards, however, unwilling to believe even the most clear and obvious of evidence to the truth of Darktooth’s claim, pledged themselves anew to the Originals and vowed to undermine the "evil Star Serpents" and restore the Originals to their throne. They range from conclaves and undiscovered species far from the edges of civilization which exist in the shadow of Original artifacts or technologies (which often renounce the belief after prolonged contact with other species; the Kaga were a recent example) to dangerous urban cultists who, for one reason or another, hate the Kin and blame recent global philosophical and socioeconomic changes for their woes. Hoarding Original artifacts and lore, they seek to undermine common society, the Draak-Kin people and those who serve them (which is most of the known world).

The power of Darktooth’s message and the health of global spiritual dialogue at the time of the Crisis made such dogmatic and reality-denying Originalist sects unappealing to most civilized gentas of the time. Those who did join such cults usually saw themselves as magical wizards or oppressed victims. They tended to actually be neither, though a few rare and very dangerous ones really were what they claimed, and this gave them the will to seek power, even at the detriment of anyone and everyone. Originalists are desperate for power, and will ally with any force which will help them annihilate the Kin and unified global civilization as a whole, even the dreaded Voidbound, those who are sworn to destroy all Life in the name of the Void, despite this conflicting with the Originalist dogmatic message that they are the destined saviors of the world and the only ones who can bring true and eternal peace. (This might seem hypocritical, but as the Crusades on Earth proved, you can do pretty much anything in the name of peace, including large-scale violence.)

Originalists comprise roughly 1.5% of the known population at the time of the Crisis, though they dominated the religious landscape of Newhome a mere century prior.

HARMONISM: Silent Naturalists

Harmonism is a spiritual movement with an interesting history which continues to be relevant despite the massive changes to the philosophical landscape ushered in by the Starfall. Its primary tenet is oneness with the natural environment and stewardship over the local buntas, be they animal or vegetable. Its adherents never speak, showing their intentions through their actions instead. They have elements of both Taoist and Jain religions on Earth.

Most adherents of Harmonism look to Rollo Friend-to-the-Voiceless as their founder. According to legend, this Tapa Key held the belief that buntas and gentas... all forms of life... are absolutely equal, and a moral genta would take on the welfare of all beings, not simply themselves or even their own entire species, as their responsibility. He spent long periods of time in the wild jungles of Tapalo, even in the forbidden Forest of Exiles, and was said to have learned the ways of every bunta, their needs, habits, culture, and body language. Some believe he mastered a kind of Tuning which allowed him to speak directly with non-sentient beings and even take their forms. He used his knowledge to save several species from extinction as well as reveal gaps in the health of the island and predict upcoming natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

He rarely spoke himself, preferring instead to speak through his actions; some believe he did not speak at all, though no writings of the time state this as a fact. His sermons often take the form of actions; once, he was asked how one could find the truth. He took a single blade of purple grass, dipped it in the excrement of a certain jungle creature, and held it up as an answer to the question. Harmonists debate the meaning of these interactions endlessly, coming up with interpretations which range from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Generally, the doctrines of Harmonism do not conflict directly with the dogmas set forth by the Originalists, and so they were allowed to practice this new radical path of the equality of all life. Harmonists abide by four precepts:

Not to value one form of life over another.

Not to harm or destroy life unnecessarily.

Not to use verbal language. (Note that non-linguistic sounds are permitted; laughter, for example, or crying out in pain, for species capable of such things.)

Not to enter into any contracts with other gentas. This includes business contracts, marriage, and most other social activity involving money or family. (In essence, this prevents them from being distracted by social activities, economics, materialism, and anything which would prevent them from finding oneness with nature. Note that though marriage is forbidden, celibacy is not required.)

As an unofficial but notable demi-practice, they also tend to resist wearing clothing, or at least heavy clothing; a mere loincloth or nothing at all are the two most common outfits for a practicing Harmonist. It is yet another means of becoming closer to nature, though it is not mandated in the precepts, and if they must wear coverings due to environmental conditions, they may, though most avoid such things.

Several Harmonist denominations exist, and the founder would probably say that a lone individual who keeps the precepts faithfully is a true Harmonist regardless of whether or not they belong to one of the established denominations. Most travel alone or in groups, seeking contact with buntas of all kinds to learn their ways and understand the ecosystem as a whole. In an interesting parallel to English, they are sometimes called "tree-huggers" ("embracers of the standing ones") due to their practice of touching trees to feel their energy and administer medicine, like a modern tree surgeon. The Landreaders of traditional Tapa culture, who would travel from settlement to settlement and investigate the health of the local ecosystem, are a breakaway religion from Harmonism which allows verbal communication and entering into contracts, but derive their teachings, techniques and authority from the line of Rollo, and so are considered an offshoot of the tradition.

Though sometimes seen as oddballs, especially in non-Tapa-majority societies, Harmonists are often respected for their compassion and dedication to ecological health. Rumors that they have found certain secrets of nature and pass them on to other Harmonists in secret ceremonies persist. Many gentas believe that, through their practices of deep meditation in natural spaces and alchemical experimentation with herbs and essences, some have reached a kind of enlightenment or gained supernatural powers, most notably shapeshifting (taking on animal or plant forms) and telepathic communication with trees and animals. It is likely that most of these rumors are false, and the Harmonists usually just smile when people ask about them.

Recently, the Carnivalian Empire has started a smear campaign against the Harmonists. Though once greatly respected by the Tapa, recent Carnivalian colonial and technological advancements have been resisted by the the Quiet Ones, leading the Proud Sponsors to discredit them. Still, the Harmonists persist in their silent contemplation of nature and love for all beings equally. Seekers, the followers of the HIEROPHANT's new religion, tend to respect the Harmonists, sharing meditational practices and the search for enlightenment with them, though Seekers focus more on the liberation of the mind than the natural world and its denizens, and live more normal lives than the wild Harmonist ascetics.

...

Originalism and Harmonism are but two religious currents operating in the central span of Newhome at the time of the crisis. In our next article, we will take a closer look at Darktooth's new faith, whose adherents call themselves Seekers, and the general global spiritual revolution this has caused, including the Virtues, powerful universal forces which most gentas devote themselves to and which help them achieve great things in life.

-L