"For as much as the Aparnovosi have been fruitful members of the Imperial Fold for generations, their religion remains one of strangeness. They believe their gods created this world, but deigned not to clarify its meaning to man, nor that of his existence, but through the barest of heavenly signs, and have laid no hand upon either since. And so it is in search of this meaning that their faithful go, as sailors to the faraway corners of the earth, as glassy-eyed old wanderers who mumble to the stars, to within the solemn edifices of monasteries near and far, or as those who have wrought great works and await some distant reply.
Those who yearn most for this meaning might find it in life, others may seek all their days and find none, but are still held as righteous for the effort and for treading the searching paths. Many of the former are said to become the wisest and most powerful of the Aparnovosi, who can see the truths which reside behind facets of the world and all the possibilities they entail. Shame is reserved for those who lift no finger to try in this search, this greatest of attempts, and pity given for those who have, only to return with hollowness behind their eyes."
-Liutbalt Hunberct, Rector of Thurrick, 346 AU
General Precepts
The Aparnovosi acknowledge the existence of a pantheon of gods, which represents their faith's original but now quite tenuous link with other subcontinental Wythian religions. Each deity in this pantheon was the original creator or orchestrator of some aspect, process, or thing in the natural world. At the time of the world's creation, they put aside their jealousies and rivalries after eons of conflict, cooperating to establish earth amidst the heavens, which they then breathed life into and set in motion. After this point, they withdrew from earth entirely and let the work which they had wrought proceed on its own as intended. As such, Aparnovosi religion is strongly characterized by natural theology, in which the intentions and characteristics of the gods are grasped not through revelation or scripture, but through working to understand the processes and attributes of the world which they set in motion so many ages ago, or, broadly speaking, nature. Equally emphasized to believers is the importance of introspection, characterized as understanding one's own nature and role within the world created by their long-departed gods. This ongoing search for the direction and meaning underlying an individual's life is the most immediate and personal aspect of Aparnovosi faith. Following a sense of yearning or longing to do so is said to be the truest use of the faculties given to man by the gods, and this process is integral to any higher understanding of their world, the fulfillment of which rationalizes the best of mortal characteristics and achievements.
While their intervention is held to be entirely absent from earth, the gods of the Aparnovosi faith arranged the heavens so as to provide clues and signs for the pious. Early Aparnovosi theologians termed this "the moving tapestry of the heavens... which, the gods in their foresight and perfection wove for the instruction and benefit of mankind through all the ages." As the stars and other celestial objects and phenomena offer the means to interpret the will of the gods, astronomy, cosmology, and natural philsophy occupy pride of place in Aparnovosi religious thought. Believers aim to achieve the intertwined goals of spiritual fulfillment and a greater understanding of the gods' ordering of the world, which in turn allows- ideally- society to be constructed upon harmonious, orderly, and just lines, vindicating the trust and hope the gods initially placed in humanity.
Astronomy, Navigation, and Magic
The Aparnovosi faith holds that magic stems from latent aspects of the world which were set in place during creation, but which are not ordinarily revealed to mortal senses. However, the heavens, when viewed and understood with sufficient learning, faith, and practice in disciplines such as astronomy and philosophy (particularly metaphysics and cosmology), can serve as a guide or "map" to perceiving and utilizing these aspects on earth. As such, magical practitioners are described as seeing, hearing, and otherwise sensing certain phenomena and characteristics of places or objects in a distinct, fuller manner than they are perceived by laymen. The relationship between these aspects and their corresponding celestial bodies can be plotted, and this in turn is said to serve as a guide to the wisest monks as they navigate to places of profound spiritual and magical importance in search of greater understanding and enlightenment.
When employing magic through rituals such as Nomendevis, a practitioner draws upon these veiled characteristics or aspects, and through means such as chants and rhetoric, brings them into sharper relief in a manner tailored to produce a result. Therefore, the Aparnovosi rationalize human use of magic as the individuals in question having the dedication, knowledge, and piety to apprehend and elicit these more nebulous and elusive facets of the gods' creation; the results of which are the tangible effects of the incantation. A favourite metaphor used by Aparnovosi theologians is that of a fisherman using the stars to navigate to the fishing grounds, then gradually hauling his catch to the surface, where in this case, organisms long obscured from human sight become not only visible, but useful. Medallions and charms depicting fishermen pulling nets from the water under an auspicious constellation are popular not only among Aparnovosi monks and practitioners, but also those faithful of a mind to ponder what greater meaning might lie beneath everyday things and occurences.
Alongside rituals such as Nomendevis, the Aparnovosi make use of magic and its devotional attributes in several noteworthy ways. Meditation and a trance-like state, often accompanied by soft chants, are used to better tune one's senses to observation of these ephemeral aspects, and to lend delicacy and precision to the body's interaction with them. Of the greatest renown are those holy men in the history of the Aparnovosi faith who entered such complete trances as to heighten senses and motor skills to a degree of precision that enabled them to make immaculate astrological measurements with merely their hands and eyes. Tales of the earliest Aparnovosi navigators describe these men having one bleached eye, with vision dulled enough to percieve the inner edge of the sun without blinking, and one dilated eye which, only opened at night, could pick out the faintest of stars.
The mythic navigators also appear in archaic folklore of some other cultures, albeit often as strange, muttering, or possessed men from over the sea, who could lay curses by opening their "evil eye" and fixing it on hapless onlookers. The superstition also lives on among the Aparnovosi in a more benign form, as some fishermen in distant coastal villages are known to paint a set of eyes on the bows of their ships: one dilated for wayfinding, and one bleached for driving off monstrous sea-creatures. While the refinement and increased sophistication of navigational equipment such as astrolabes, the cross-staff, and the backstaff has seen these ancient techniques largely fade from use, some Aparnovosi monks keep the venerated tradition alive, while some even rail against the instrumentation which has "diluted" and spoiled the discipline embodied by the earliest navigators. Given the folklore surrounding such practitioners, it is not unheard of for quacks and frauds to claim to be well-versed in the technique to be hired by gullible captains and shipowners, which has in particular led some foreigners to doubt its legitimacy. Even so, a variation of this magic is still practiced by skilled present-day navigators to heighten their senses, increase focus, and steady their hands and bodies on a rolling deck, thereby making the best use of their instruments while also tying their art to acts of piety.
The Aparnovosi also ascribe their greatest feats of artifice and instrument design to this meditative and devotional magic. Just as mystics and navigators are known to softly chant and enter trances while navigating, the artisans which create their equipment have similar practices to achieve the fine detailing, steady and deliberate hands, and minute measurements required to produce the finest instruments to come out of Aparnovos. Like in its other forms, this magic is also held to clue the craftsman into the hidden attributes of cretion surrounding his work and how to employ them effectively. Many lay craftsmen, while not actually being able to employ this magic, still can use traditional chants or hummed tunes in emulation it to encourage calm and focus.
Monastacism
As intensive study, contemplation, and isolation are seen as integral to a complete understanding of the heavens and the divine, distinct forms of monasticism have been a pillar of the Aparnovosi faith throughout its existence. Some of the most venerable orders, such as the Lostekedes, can trace their lineage to the earliest days of recorded Aparnovosi history, in which monks braved the seas in skin-boats to establish some of the first island sketes and monasteries on the islands surrounding the Southwythian coast; some of these early establishments endured and grew to become important centres of learning, utilized into very recent history. In addition to their isolation and defensibility, these island sites were ideal for celestial observation, and as navigation and shipbuilding techniques developed over the centuries, they sprung up further and further afield, especially in locations well suited for witnessing and recording certain phenomena such as planetary transits. Therefore, the Aparnovosi faith and the monasticism which it encouraged can be said to have achieved a certain synergy with the development of the city's other maritime fields of commerce and warfare, particularly in regards to navigational instruments and skills. It is not uncommon to see monks serving as expert navigators aboard Aparnovosi ships other than those owned outright by their order, particularly for long voyages. Monastic rules, despite being generally stringent on land, accommodated for such service in light of their utility in developing expertise, testing practices, and making new discoveries regarding the heavens. Even so, these monks often were absorbed in their own tasks and affairs, reported only to the captain and senior officers, and existed generally outside of most of the crew's social circles, which often resulted in them developing a somewhat alien- though nonetheless very respected- image.
The cloistered or seafaring monks were the primary means by which the gods' "tapestry" was read and interpreted, and society predominately both accepted this fact and relied upon it for the understanding of their faith and assurance that their polity was on a godly course. However, the crucial role of intermediary between the often-secluded monks and the general population was filled by an order of friars, known as the [placeholder]. Their ranks were filled from students who excelled in theological schools but were unsuited or unwilling to take a monastic vow, or from monks of other orders who felt called to share their discoveries or mediations beyond the monastery. Their oratory was tailored towards sharing and teaching an understanding of the gods and their world with their fellow man, and they would travel throughout Aparnovosi holdings to preach, lecture, and comfort the population. Their other responsibilities included tending to the shrines and temples of myriad sizes which served as public spaces of reflection and contemplation, and also accompanying ships and military units on campaign.
Role in Daily Life
Most Aparovosi commoners receive their religious edification from the preaching of the friars in places such as town squares, temples, and holiday gatherings; certain among the wandering friars were known for their exceptional charisma and quality of their oratory, and would draw especially large crowds when visiting settlements. Making donations towards the monasteries is also seen as an act of devotion, as well as civic responsibility. In return, those friars who had further sight into the ways and mysteries of the world were obligated to render their efforts useful to their fellow man, though this can often manifest in cryptic and unusual ways depending on an individual's experiences. One popularly eccentric figure in the Aparnovosi canon was a peripatetic friar who, having sworn a holy vow of silence at a young age, spent his advanced years wandering the countryside roads beyond the city with his gaze craned towards the heavens. Acting on fleeting sights and feelings known to him alone, he would periodically stop, erect a simple shrine out of whatever local materials were available, and engrave it with parables before moving on.
Sects and Heresies
Although the Aparnovosi faith has always been subject to numerous theological debates over the many centuries, recent events such as the collapse of the Empire, the Fall of Aparnovos, and catastrophic climatic phenomena have both enlivened old sects and heresies, and spawned new outlooks. With the dramatically reduced ability to police orthodoxy, the faith has entered its most fragmented (or, some would say, energetic) state in memory.
The belief that the gods are not truly absent from earth, and selectively intervene in events of sufficient gravity has characterized a variety of splinter groups throughout Aparnovosi theological history, particularly in times of great change or disorder.
