Atgijimas

Like the Trinitists, the Atgiji believe that, when a Trinitist dies, their soul will ascend to an afterlife realm known as "Amenthes", a utopia in which there is no war and there is no suffering, as this place is the reward for all the suffering they endured in their life. For eternity, those who did good will be rewarded, as the Gods (who also live in this plane) will give them all they could ever desire in return for their devotion to them in life.   However, in that very same place, those who sinned in life will have their body tortured in ways the mortal mind cannot comprehend, but it is not all bad. Due to the belief that sin can be redeemed through the humility that comes through pain and sacrifice, those who are tortured enough and accept the light of the Gods are allowed into Amenthes.    This, of course, is all nonsense, as the Gods cannot create an "afterlife" nor can there be one at all, as when a living being dies, their soul leaves their body for good and simply joins with the rest of the mana in the universe.

Like all religions on Ecumene, Atgijimas worships the Divine Trinity, but the religion has chosen to worship specific aspects of the Trinity over others.   Yxotl is worshipped as "Yxotl the Chivalric". His domain as the God of War is focused upon by the Atgiji, who believe the God to be a patron of honorable warfare and war meant to protect the homeland, not those meant to subjugate others.   Qhaxsus is worshipped as "Qhaxsus the Munificent". His domain as the God of Charity is focused upon by the Atgiji, who believe that it is the duty of all Dracons to care and aid for one another, and in turn, the Gods will care for them.   Oxlan is worshipped as "Oxlan the Justiciar". His domain as the God of Justice is focused upon by the Atgiji, who have always had a strong code of honor: a code of honor that takes on religious significance within the new faith.   Furthermore, Atgijimas does not believe the Gods take a part in creating life, believing that they are simply judges of the soul, not the producers of it.

Arvaidas Pocios, the Lawspeaker, is considered by most to be the greatest mage since Primus the Martyr, not to mention that he is the single greatest hero in Dracon history. To this end, some of the Brigandi came to worship him as a new prophet while fighting in the Deluge, his magical skills a mark from the Gods. After the war, this developed into a true folk religion branching off from Trinitism, but not entirely separate from it. Around 10% of Lievonijans claim to be followers of this new religion (mostly being poor, rural farmers), dubbed "Atgijimas" (The Revival), which has scared the Trinitist Clergy in the country quite badly, especially since it is only growing. However, the government refuses to do anything, with it being rumored that King Mindaugas is a supporter of the religion's goal of a Dracon Renaissance. The opinion of the Lawspeaker is unknown, though even if it is almost certain he does not believe himself to be a prophet, he will do as his people desire.   Indeed, scholars are divided on how exactly to classify this new faith. Some declare it an entirely new religion, a personality cult given religious form, while others believe it to be an especially deviant and heretical strand of the Orthodox faith. Both interpretations are quite valid. Within the Atgiji faith, the Trinitist prophet, Primus the Martyr, is recognized as the first and greatest of prophets. They believe that his vision of virtue and piety is the only acceptable one, but they do not view his Martyrdom as the end of his tale. Instead, they believe that the Clerics surrounding Primus, after his death, sabotaged the Cult, turning it from the pure word of the Divine into an oppressive and imperialist institution. Was Primus to survive the battle in the Arys Mountains, the Atgiji are sure that he would create a truly holy church, but he did not, and so they turn to Arvaidas Pocios. It is universally known that the Martyr was the greatest Wizard of all time, this being seen by the Trinitists as proof of his blessings, but the Atgiji take this further. As Pocios is the greatest Wizard of the modern age, and possibly throughout all of history, he is believed to be similarly blessed, but given a new mission: bring about a church as the Trinity truly dreamed it, free from the machinations of the Apostles.   The Atgiji faith is just as much of a political movement as it is a religious movement and their idea of the "True Church" is used to this end. While they still support brotherhood between Trinitist countries and peoples (for even the Atgiji are unsure if they should still call themselves Trinitist), they believe that the Trinitist faith should not be used to stamp down on native culture and traditions. Even assuming they respected the authority of the Histrian Ecclessiarchy, they would not tolerate its tradition of putting the Cult and its values before the values of a nation and its people, with the True Churchists fully believing that religions should be subservient to the nation-state, not separate from it, and Gods forbid superior to it. As an extension of this, the Atgiji believe their faith to be a solely Dracon religion and are not only opposed to proselytism among other populations, but forbid other races from joining the church as a whole, although they encourage similar movements to theirs to emerge in other countries.   As such, the Atgiji have integrated traditional Dracon customs and beliefs into Trinitist teachings. The biggest of these is, of course, the Ancient Way. The Ancient Way is a millennia-old code of conduct that is followed and respected by all true Dracons, with it in many ways being the foundation of Lievonijan civilization itself. Interestingly, the Atgijji have even expanded upon it, believing that the Gods will personally judge those who break its tenets, not just your fellows. The Ancient Way is as follows:   1. "When Dracons say that they will perform an action, it is as good as done. Nothing will stop them from completing what they say they will do. They do not have to 'give their word'. They do not have to 'promise'. Speaking and doing are the same action."   2. "Be acutely honest throughout your dealings with all people. Believe in justice, not from other people, but from yourself. To the true Dracon, all points of view are deeply considered regarding honesty, justice, and integrity. Dracons make a full commitment to their decisions."   3. "Through intense training and hard work the true Dracon becomes quick and strong. They are not as most people. They develop a power that must be used for good. They have compassion. They help their fellow Dracons at every opportunity. If an opportunity does not arise, they go out of their way to find one."   4. "True Dracons have no reason to be cruel. They do not need to prove their strength. Dracons are not only respected for their strength in battle, but also by their dealings with others. The true strength of a Dracon becomes apparent during difficult times."   5. "Dracons have only one judge of honor and character, and this is themselves. Decisions they make and how these decisions are carried out are a reflection of who they truly are."   6. "Dracons are responsible for everything that they have done and everything that they have said and all of the consequences that follow. They are immensely loyal to all of those in their care. To everyone that they are responsible for, they remain fiercely true."   7. "A Dracon's home must be honored and protected. A slight against the home is a slight against the Dracon, and if harm comes to the home, a Dracon must be ready to defend it."   The Atgiji have integrated other traditional practices into their teachings. The religion fully endorses polygyny, meaning one man marrying several women, for one. This has long been seen as a status symbol within the culture, and while poor people are not barred from marrying several wives, it is much, much more commonplace amongst Lievonija's business and bureaucratic classes as they can afford it. However, as Atgijimas is a patriarchal religion, women are forbidden from having more than one husband. Interestingly, the Atgiji faith has abandoned the Trinitist practice of fasting, as it was not practiced by ancient Dracons, and as a populist religion, they do not believe that those who starve should be forced to starve more.   However, the faith does still hold true to many Trinitist teachings, for as stated before, the Atgiji faith recognizes Primus the Martyr as their greatest prophet. Despite their less strict hierarchy and complete rejection of the Cultist Ecclessiarchy, the True Church Movement still places strict morals on its followers, for the Dracons have always been a people of firm morality, Trinitist or not. Sex before marriage, avoiding fasts, divorce, wearing immodest clothing, gambling, "degenerate sexuality", and overconsumption of vices are all very sins that are worthy of "public penance", which is a form of humiliation in which sinners are publically whipped by a cleric to absolve them of their sins and humble themselves in front of both their community and their Gods. Atgijimas also endorses the severing of the hands of thieves and murderers in front of the public. Furthermore, they believe that women are divinely mandated to be dutifully and loyal to their husbands and families, and as such, they must wear a headdress when going out and are disallowed from joining the clergy. Interestingly, though, Atgijimas fully supports working women, seeing no reason why this cannot be considered service to the family.   Atgijimas has also taken in the "better" parts of the Orthodox faith. They believe that those with wealth should give at least 5% of their earnings to the less fortunate, that those of lesser means should have equal protection under the law, and that every man has the right to work a job he finds meaningful and fulfilling. Notably, they have also done away with the Trinitist Gospel of Prosperity. While they do still believe that wealth is a sign of divine favor, they do not believe that poverty is a sign of sinfulness, simply circumstance that it is the duty of the Kingdom to rectify. The Atgiji also practice the Earth Ritual and Trinitist funerary rites, although instead of a Vicar giving the rites, it is an Oblate.

Largely speaking, Atgjimas has adopted Trinitist prayer traditions. They pray twice on every day of their life, the first being as soon as they wake and the second being before they go to bed, but like Trinitist prayers, Atgiji prayers are sung, not spoken and are done whilst kneeling on the ground and raising your hands to the sky.    Every Third-Day, an Atgiji community will go to their local church for mass. Unlike Trinitist churches, which are almost always made of stone, Atgiji churches are most often wooden though somewhat similar in appearance. The service itself is a solemn affair, with those in attendance entering the main room, which is only lit by torches. Incense is spread around the room as the attendees kneel upon mats set on the floor as the Oblate enters the room. He will then begin to sing, as all religious writings are written in verse, and those in attendance will either hum or sing along with the hymn. However, the main difference comes at the end of the service. The torches that light the church will be used to light a bonfire in the courtyard, into which sacrifices to the Gods are sent (these usually being offerings of honey, ghee, or grain). This comes from the Pre-Trinitist Dracon religion, of which sacrifices were a big part, and while they were abandoned for centuries, Atgijimas has brought them back. Controversially, some Atgiji communities have taken to capturing and sacrificing live wolves and bears on holidays, as their ancestors did, although this is not church mandated and is very dangerous.    Of course, the True Churchists celebrate the Refulgencia, a holiday on Heraldsky 8th that celebrates the birth of the Gods and Primus the Martyr. This is done in a way similar to how the Trinitists celebrate the holiday. Portraits of Primus the Martyr and large Solar Pendants are hung in every window, right below the Divine Trinity's symbols, and everyone is expected to come out for a day of revelry and games to celebrate this momentous occasion. At the end of the day, as the sun begins to set, gifts are given out to family and friends, and as the clocks strike midnight, the entire community erupts into song praising the birth of their Gods and their greatest prophet.   Atgjimas also recognizes the "Martyrica", a tragic reflection of the Refulgencia. On this day, Stareve 14th, hundreds of years ago, the prophet Primus was slain in battle while leading his forces against heretics during the collapse of the Aurelian Empire, a scant four months after his victory at Reginca. This is the only day on which the Atgiji fast (doing it for the entirety of said day), and when night comes, they will put candles in front of their doors, candles with wicks so long they will keep their flame burning brightly throughout the night.   However, the Atgiji also have holidays unique to their religion. "Lord's Day" is held on Bleakeve 17th, the birthday of Arvaidas Pocios, and it is a joyous holiday despite the season. In the morning, young children will take incense and run around their village, purifying it and protecting it from curses. Afterward, communities gather in their warm churches by the firelight, feasting throughout the day and singing songs of the glorious revolution.    In addition to the aforementioned celebrations, the Atgiji celebrate various agricultural festivals with days of games and feasts.

As stated before, the Atgiji revere Arvaidas Pocios, Lawspeaker of Lievonija and former Bandit King, as a new prophet. While the Lawspeaker has not commented on the growing faith, his prodigious magical skill is undeniable (a sure sign of a prophet, as far as the Atgiji are concerned) and his contributions to Dracon society are even less so. Not only did he liberate the Dracons from the Imperial boot, but he has also almost single-handedly transformed the Kingdom into a modernizing and populist state built on the back of the love its citizens have for their rulers. Even those who do not believe Pocios a prophet believe in his holiness, so it is not at all surprising that the True Church Movement has declared him their "Spiritual Lord", the eternal father of their religion (even if he has not endorsed it) and the man who is and shall bring about a new Golden Age by virtue of his connection with the Gods. Most Atgiji households have hand-carved statues of Pocios somewhere in the home.    While Atgijimas recognizes Pocios as the head of their church, now and forever, due to his continued silence on the issue, they have organized their cult around the "Spiritual Regent". The Spiritual Regent is akin to the Trinitist High Augus, although they keep their personal name. The Regent is elected from a convention of the Oblates (the Atgiji clerics) with 3/4ths of the votes and can be removed from his position by the same. The primary job of the Spiritual Regent is to issue edicts on faith policy based on the two Atgiji holy books. The first is the "True Divine Record", the faith's official (and edited) version of the Trinitist Divine Record, the second being the "Book of the Dracons", the text that details the traditional practices of the race and the unique beliefs of Atgijimas. Beyond the issuing of edicts, it is the job of the Regent to ensure good conduct within the priesthood through the heading of "Spiritual Courts" (tribunals that judge clerics accused of crimes) and to ensure that the faith is both spreading amongst the Dracon population and being run smoothly within converted areas.   The Oblates are the priests of Atgjimas who preside over individual congregations. Oblates usually start as apprentices to the Oblate of their community, being trained in the practices and beliefs of their faith. Once the previous Oblate dies, they will become the new one, undertaking another Earth Ritual and taking a vow against vice. Atgiji priests do not need to be celibate (often having more than one wife, actually) nor do they need to fast, as their flock does not fast either. If misconduct or heretical belief is leveled against them by a community member and they are convicted in a Spiritual Court, they will be stripped of their position and a new Oblate will be found to replace them. The job of an Oblate is to provide spiritual guidance to his flock, hold mass, perform Earth Rituals, give last rites, and unique to their faith, give oblations (sacrifices) to their Gods. In addition to white or green robes, Oblates will wear large necklaces with a stylized Sun with three rays (this being the symbol of Atgijimas, for it represents the Gods, life, and magic). Oblates are also believed to be blessed with the power of foresight. These men of the cloth say that by throwing bones, the Gods will guide it in a certain way, and by examining the bones, they are able to tell a person their future.

While there is more variation in Atgijimas than there is in Trinitism, the faith is fairly homogenous in its practices due to the existence of holy books, a centralized priestly structure, the Spiritual Courts deciding what practices are heresy and what are not, and, of course, its youth.