Haeje: A Brief History

The founders of the Haeje movement believed that the traditional elven gods do not exist, and protested against the empire's enforcement of state religion. Their stance against prescribed religion is something which academics and other liberal thinkers still debate. What makes Haeje stand out against other similar movements is the size of the following its leaders were able to garner, and the fervor they inspired in those followers.   The core group were natives of the newly founded Haesan colony, then only a handful of centuries old. The Empire's penalties for any form of dissidence were harsh, and those same laws applied to their colony. Haesan, however, lacked the resources to strictly enforce those laws. This, along with its distance from the Empire itself, attracted many - rebels, fugitives, social outcasts, and dissident thinkers. Perhaps that was what allowed this particular group of atheists to garner such a following.   The movement was begun by two individuals, both members of the University of Anhae, then newly founded. Shuren Kalei was a student of philosophy and religion, and it is widely believed that he is the author of the concepts that eventually became Haeje. These ideas he shared with Tai Song, a physician and alchemist.   From study of Kalei's early writings, still held in the University archives, we can see an increasing doubt regarding the teachings of the Empire, as well as a frustration with what he perceived as censorship. These thoughts eventually evolved into what became one of the first tenants of their movement: The gods do not provide any evidence of their existence. While not blasphemous, this line of thinking shows a clear misunderstanding of how the gods choose to interact with their creation. That is the subject of a separate paper, however, and shall not be addressed here.   The founding beliefs of the Haeje Cult, as presented by Shuren Kalei and Tai Song, are can be summarized as followes:

Because there is no evidence of the physical existence of the gods, therefore they do not exist.

The establishments of the Empire and its Church are corrupt entities which seek to exploit the populace through religion.

We should not rely on the whim of false gods to ensure our well-being, rather the responsibility is on ourselves.

These beliefs would be further expounded upon as their following grew, eventually building a picture of an idealized society which suffered no oppression, no scarcity, and espoused completely free thought. Not altogether negative ideas, however their complete and vocal rejection of traditional religion caused great friction with the rest of society.   At some point, Song's wife, Jiang Song, became involved in the movement. It is unclear when this occurred, or how deep her involvement actually was, or if the followers merely raised her up due to her connection with Song.   Yawen Malta joined the movement fairly early on, and at a relatively young age. It is said that she was dissatisfied with the way that poor and minority peoples were treated in the Empire, and Haeje's rejection of social class appealed to her. She became one of the core members for her enthusiastic recruiting of the disenfranchised. It is also through her that Haeje gained most of its socialistic beliefs. She not only encouraged Kalei and Song to accept any who would follow them, but ensured that those people would be provided for. The promise of a community that would care for and support them further encouraged disenfranchised populations to join the movement.   As the movement grew it became impossible for the authorities to ignore it. Word of the movement even reached back to the Empire, where the Empress publically condemned the founders for their blasphemous, treasonous claims. She demanded immediate cessation of all public demonstrations and repentance to the gods, otherwise the blasphemers would be punished by law. This only incensed Haeje’s members. Demonstrations turned violent when Anhae’s guards began arrests, and it was then that Kolga Tolis comes into the narrative.   Records are somewhat unclear as to the exact course of events, but show clearly that Tolis was himself a guardsman tasked with subduing the movement. Whether he turned because he truly believed in Haeje’s claims or not remains under debate; some historians believe he tried to de-escalate the violent protests and was branded a traitor by his commander for refusing orders to use lethal force against citizens. Regardless, Tolis went on to become a major player in the events to come.   With a trained soldier on their side, the Haeje movement was able to plan against the movements of Anhae’s guard. They even mounted, at one point, an armed resistance at a public demonstration. This incident resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. In an attempt to bring peace, the Haesan authorities gave Haeje an ultimatum: leave the Empire. Haeje’s founders were promised that if they took their followers beyond the Empire’s then borders they would not be pursued. And leave they did, disappearing into the mountains and beyond the Empire’s control.   In the decades immediately following, a handful of Haeje’s followers returned to society, defected or exiled from what had grown from a political movement to a cult. By their accounts the original five founders had been raised up to demigod status by their followers, and any who disagreed were cast out.   It is interesting that a movement originally predicated on the notion that gods are not real eventually concocted gods of their own to worship.