Ashvetism
Ashvetism is a dualistic, ancient religion emanating from the Kingdom of Nimeara and concentrated in western and northern Galisea, notable for its reverence for fire. Due to the withering away of the Nimearan Empire and the subsequent arrival of Aeillans and their more proselytizing religion Pandroi, the number of those practising the faith – or Ashevites – has been steadily declining outside the now-minuscule Kingdom of Nimeara. Besides Tiefen in Northwestern Galisea, it's influence has waned, particularly along the coasts of Gallaca, Merida, and to a lesser extent in Elleryca.
Outside of Nimeara, a distinct branch of Ashevite practice has emerged in Tiefen, where it is also the dominant faith. Through conscious efforts of successive High Mages of Stelara and Brücter over the centuries, the two Nimearan and Tiefen communities have maintained a theological unity based on broad tolerance for regional practices and folk beliefs. Given its longevity and history, the faith has undergone multiple iterations and evolved, beginning as a break from the halfling and human tribal faiths of ancient Nimeara, becoming the State Religion of its Ancient Kingdom, and spreading via overland trade routes to pastoral communities across inland Galisea. For a time, the religion lost favour under Yulan-tai rule, however, it was not until after the The Ascendency of the Cult of Hessetal that the practice was persecuted as one of the first targets for the Cult's increasingly zealous use of sacrifice.
History
The foundation of the faith is described in the Vision of Uriret, the sacred revelation received by the Halfling prophet Uriret, who also founded the religion. According to tradition, Uriret received his vision during nightly meditation, in which Eshe—his people's deity of the sky—appeared before him, alongside the human spirits Kolani and Ishar of the Mards. In this vision, they revealed that they did not desire conflict between the Dins and Mards. They conveyed how the power of their animosity, the emotions of their hate and vitriol, empowered the force of evil upon the world. They showed him the cosmic struggle between Good and Evil, the prosperity that is the birthright of all mortals, and the perils of hateful devotion.
Uriret’s first convert was the future King Varazdat I, who would go on to found the ancient Kingdom of Nimeara, establishing Ashvestism as the state religion and appointing Uriret as his spiritual advisor. Varazdat I and his successors financed the construction of Fire Temples, spread the saghmos and later on helped codify the Zehlat as the sacred canon of the Ashevite practice. From Nimeara, the faith spread to the regions of Gallaca, Merida, and Elleryca, where it continues to be practiced to this day.
Mythology & Lore
Ashvetism has a number of religious texts, written down at various points in the religion's history, however only those found in the Zehlat are considered scripture, with many others sacred to particular communities or fire temples. Within are the sagmos, the foundational text of Ashevite mythology, philosophy, and ethics, attributed to the religion's founder and prophet Uriret.
“After centuries of bloodshed, the Nimearan valley was devastated. The rivers ran permanently red with blood. Forests were scorched and villages lay in ruin. The rulers and priests of the old faiths were corrupted, serving only themselves and neither the human pantheon nor the teachings of Eshe. Battles started by zealous chieftains and elders for the value of the fight and the fight alone.”Establishing a henotheistic religion, the Zehlat details the teachings of the religion's founder and prophet, Uriret. According to the Zehlat, untold thousands of years ago in a long-lost land, the Great Upheaval occurred, driving the halfling peoples of the mythical city of Ararat from their homes. Not much is known about what this Great Upheaval was, only that “the lands quaked, the sky burned, and creatures of unspeakable horror ravaged the homes of the Ararats”. Many of the halflings settled the region of Elleryca, reaching the borders of the human lands, and eventually pushing ever farther into the Odric Mountains. Additionally, there are two secondary works on the religion; compilations of commentaries, treatises, and dialectics sourced from the fire keepers and other ecclesiastical members during or after times of instabiltiy or drastic change. The first of these is the Zahesk, which contains the infamous Book of Snakes, a compilation of mostly Tiefen Fire Keepers accounts of keeping their temples protected and safe during the The War of Frozen Scales . The second book, the Mithrashta, is a collection of folk traditions from across the homelands of Ashevites, ordered by Queen Artashad II to bolster the notion that non-Nimearans had as much validity to Ashevite morals and ethics, demonstrated through myths illustrating Ashevite belief, many of which included shared (or syncretised) mythological figures. Sacred scripture was originally an oral tradition.These books were written down beginning during the Nimearan peoples time as a vassal of the Yulan-Tai. Copies are held in both Brücter and Stelara's main Fire Temples.– Lines 15–19, Book 3 of the Zehlat
Divine Origins
“The Mards, threatened by the teachings of Eshe, attacked and tried to drive the heretics from their land, their hearts full of hatred and fear, their heads fortified against other words. The Hin, too, were full of hatred, as in their hearts of arrogance and righteousness they only believed Eshe as one and true.”The origins of Ashvestism are linked to the impact of a catastrophic event referred to by the Zehlat as the Great Upheaval, which drove the Halflings from their homeland in mythical Ararat. The Zehlat describes this calamity that drove the Din from their home as a time when “the lands quaked, the sky burned, and creatures of unspeakable horror laid waste to the tribes of Ararat.” Many Halflings settled in Elleryca, but the most adventurous traveled to Nimeara, where they encountered Mardish human tribes and laid the groundwork for this new, unified faith. Ashvestism emerged out of the fusion of Halfling and human beliefs during the founding of the Kingdom of Nimeara, under the influence of Din priest Uriret. Replacing the worship of Eshe, the Halfling Sky God, and the local Mardish creation deity was the reverence for a singular, all-encompassing, and unknowable deity. This nameless force of good (Kanuri Muzbek in Nimearan) was both creator and sustainer of the world. Not quite monotheistic, the faith also introduced the concept of an “unknowable Evil” (Anaseli Ch’arik in Nimearan), a nameless, malevolent force in constant opposition to Kanuri Muzbek. The religion took root in Nimeara after the prophet Uriret’s divine vision and was solidified with the support of King Varazdat I. From there, it spread to neighbouring regions like Gallaca, Merida, and Elleryca, where it remains influential.– Lines 3-4, Book 1 of the Zehlat
Cosmological Views
There is a clear duality in the Ashevite conceptualization of the universe. Per Uriret's revelation, the Uncreated Creator has been locked in an eternal battle between themself and the unknowable evil. According to tradition, this battle has always been raging and has shaped our material existence. For example, one Ashevite myth in the Zehlat says that Kanuri Muzbek created fire to keep warm and cook food, only for Anaseli Ch'arik to create smoke to corrupt it. The Uncreated Creator also has seven emanations: the Creative Spirit (Eshe), Good Purpose (Ashva), Truth and Righteousness, Dominion, Devotion, Wholeness, and Immortality.
Tenets of Faith
The foundation of the faith comes from a series of poems known in Old Nimearan as "saghmos" (սաղմոն). Written by Uriret, the saghmos serve as the basis for the core teaching of Ashvetism and form a vital part of Ashevite rituals and practices. They make up part of the Zehlat, a broader anthology of sacred texts compiled during the height of the old Nimeaean Kingdom.
Ethics
Ashevite ethics revolve around good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. Persona: Grace, generosity of spirit, good manners. Traits: Wisdom in thought, measured speech, and beneficent action. Possessing six virtues: Reason, self-control, modesty, trustworthiness, gratitude, and hope. Without six vices: Malice, anger, arrogance, deceitfulness, greed, and despair.
Worship
"Speak to the Uncreated Creator only when doubt or uncertainty cloud right from wrong, light from dark. Actions as prayers honor and respect Them, and offend the Uncreated Evil, but prayer as its own action can be twisted or corrupted by It."In their daily lives, Ashevites are expected to "think good thoughts," "speak good words," and "do good deeds." With the guidance of clergy, lay practitioners use the Zehlat to inform and define these things and more. When needed to reaffirm or introspect, prayer is done by facing a source of light and can be done wherever one finds oneself. For major life events, such as weddings, deaths, and births, lay practitioners will visit their local Fire Temple to pray to its eternal flame out of thankfulness to Eshe for these natural processes. Ashevite practice generally eschews representations of its deities in the mortal image, preferring abstract thematic representations of their powers and personalities. Certain natural processes are also viewed as corruptions of others, such as smoke being a pollution of fire, a corpse being the pollution of the once living body, and more.– Lines 2–4, Book 2 of the Zehlat
Priesthood
The ecclesiastical order of Ashvetism is formally centralised, however, the political reforms of Queen Arax significantly curtailed the influence of the role of the Stelaran Throne, with the autonomy of temples outside of Nimeara growing steadily over the last 7 centuries. Outside of Tiefen, the priesthood holds little to no temporal authority. By tradition, the legal claimant of the Stelaran Throne is both the Monarch of Nimeara in addition to the spiritual leader of all Ashevites, but successive rulers of the Artashad Dynasty legally restricted the throne's spiritual authority to strictly ceremonial.
Fire Keepers. Also known as Temple Priests. These are the most prevalent Ashevite clergy. Outside major cities and some prominent sites, they serve as the heads of temples in smaller cities, towns, and villages. Their chief responsibility is to maintain the temple and tend to the eternal fire within its inner sanctum, keeping it alight through an arcane magical method preserved and passed down by the Ashevite clergy from the time before The Year of the Bright Star . Fire Keepers are trusted confidants, advisors, and sometimes leaders in their local communities. As part of Uriret's teachings on "good religion", they are expected to adapt to the needs of their communities and often become problem solvers or physicians.
Shrine Priest. Equal in rank to Fire Keepers, though far less common. These clergy are the heads of temples built to honour a specific figure in Ashvetism, from Uriret to Eshe to specific deities to a local community of Ashevites.
Mage. (Nimearan: k’ahanay. Tiefen: magier) These priests are heads of major Fire Temples with authority over multiple smaller temples within the region.
High Mage. (Nimearan: k’ahanayapet. Tiefen: obermagier) There are only two High Mages, the highest rank in the ecclesia of Ashvetism. With their seats in Stelara, Nimeara and Brücter, Tiefen, the two are co-equal in status, with spiritual, ministerial, and administrative authority over their respective regions. Only the Monarch of Nimeara can create new High Mage offices, and has exclusive authority to appoint new ones to vacancies.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Associated Temples of Ashva are the official religion of the Kingdom, though the Nimearans are a religiously tolerant people. Besides the Ellerycan human noblitiy, which are adherents of the faith, Ashvetism does not have much influence or formal power outside of the Nimearan state and Tiefen realms, although it does wield sizeable influence in the disorganised regions of Merida, as well as in Gallegan rural communities.
In Tiefen, the Magieriges are lands owned by an Ashevite Temple, under the supervision of the largest Fire Temple in the region, Brücter. The people in these regions are subjects not of a secular fief or lord, but instead tenants of the Obermagier of Brücter. These people have slightly better rights and material conditions than their counterparts in other Tiefen riges, due to the social focus of the the Ashevite Temples and emphasise on ethics in Ashevite practice.
Sects
There is a de jure hierarchy of Ashevite temples, and no formal sects or schisms. There are some notable differences in between northern and southern adherents, with northern adherents incorporating local folk traditions and the practice of explicitly non-Ashevite faiths restricted to private homes in certain Tiefen riges. Southern adherents view themselves as closer to the historical and mythological origins of the faith, with their folk traditions and myths spreading in tandem with the faith.
Think good thoughts, say good words, and do good deeds
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Demonym
Ashevite
Leader
Permeated Organizations
Divines
Related Traditions
Related Ethnicities
Ateshgah Engraving by J. P. Moine
