The Spread Of Commonalism

By the 4th Century E.D., the Trinitist faith had been well-cemented as the predominant religion of the world. Indeed, the world was at peace, with only minor rebellions and wars rupturing these few blessed years. However, this did not come out of purity or love, it came from fire and steel. The world was, more or less, split between two Empires united in their faith, and all other powers dared not step against them. While it may have been the Montanakan and Sylvan Empires who ruled the bodies of men, it was the Augus and his Apostles who ruled their souls, and sadly, they had no qualms about abusing this power. With just a simple decree, the Augus began to collect taxes (technically called tithings) out of the pockets of almost the entire known world, with the world governments unable to stop them. While the peasants starved, the Clerics and Vicars of the world feasted.   However, it was not all bad. For years, the top men of the Cult dreamed of a world united. To them, the Intelligent Races were not so different. After all, they prayed the same, they thought the same, and they lived much the same lives. Even if they looked different, they all had the same Souls, and they were all followers of the Gods. As such, it was only natural for the Cult to take a rather Anti-Racist stance, as well as one encouraging a World Government under the Church. These ideas rubbed many the wrong way, most of all within Elven communities, as well as those historically opposed to the Dwarven government (which was very closely intertwined with the Cult).   Even some within the Cult's clergy were dissatisfied. One such Elf was Andreas Dornfogel-Probst, a Prelate within the Sylvan Empire. He had come to detest the Cult's widespread corruption, its stifling of free thought amongst theologians, its recent embarrassment against the Satyrs, and its tolerance of what he saw as lesser races. This is not to mention that, as a Gothar, he had inherited a certain mistrust of the Apostles from his father, the Prelate before him. He had devoted his life to the Gods, yes, but it just felt incomplete. The Augus and men made all the decisions, but the common people were left out of the equation. Could they not speak with the Gods on their own terms? These thoughts, most of which were considered heretical, troubled the Prelate for many years until he decided to journey to Histria on a soul-searching trip. Perhaps a vacation to the holiest city on Ecumene could do him good.   Soon after arriving, Andreas visited the Histrian Citadel, a massive church in the middle of the city that doubles as the meeting chamber for the Apostles. According to him, the moment he walked into the building, colored lights began to swirl around him and the world fell quiet. He began to panic, thinking he had died or was hallucinating, but three firm voices soothed his fear. Out of the swirling colors, three figures made of pure light stepped out, and he knew at once that they were the Gods. They informed Andreas that Primus the Martyr, Prophet of the Trinitist religion, was a liar and a con man, and that the Cult was a perversion of their word. No one man can understand the Gods, and it is up to individuals to know what is best for themselves. The Gods would, allegedly, also introduce Andreas to the concept of Reincarnation, a core tenet of what would become the Common Faith, clarifying that their first message to the Intelligent Races referred not to an Afterlife, but to a cycle of reoccurring lives. Andreas was amazed by this, and he promised the Divine Trinity that he would spread their word, with bystanders reporting that he would run full-speed out of the Citadel after pausing for a while.   Returning home, he would hold a secret meeting with other clergymen who he knew held some of his opinions. Among the crowd were Tomas Swaigers-Bartz (often known as "Tomas of Engelfurt"), Moritz Loeb-Luggart, and Reinhard Tallinger-Haffners (commonly referred to as Reinhard the Younger, as his father was also a clergyman of some acclaim). He would tell them of his vision, now known as the "Divine Reveal", and while they were skeptical, some even leaving and calling him crazy, it was undeniable that Andreas sold his message well. Within months, most in that first meeting room would find themselves believing Andreas' story and would soon begin to work with them.   And so it was in that small cabin in Aldenwald that those first Commonalists would get to work. For months, they stopped holding their services and avoided all others, devoting their days to the writing of what they believed to be the greatest work of all time. For almost two years, Andreas and his most devout followers would think about the nature of the Gods and put their thoughts into the Book of Life, a massive tome of their knowledge. Written in plain language that anyone could pick up and read, it would begin as a takedown of the Cult, listing its faults and brutally deconstructing its theology. Then, it would progress into a declaration of Commonalist beliefs, including reincarnation, personal connection with the Divine, respect for the natural world, and a doctrine of proselytism. It would be a book to rival the Divine Record, a book to usher in a new age.   The Commonalists, as they called themselves, would utilize the newly invented printing press to get their word out to the public. Copies of the Book of Life were printed in all languages and those Elves who heard Andreas' word in person would go on to spread their own gospel. Due to its widespread corruption, globalist ideology, and the large tithe that the Cult required, many Elves from all walks of life would be taken by the Commonalist doctrine of individual communication with the Gods. Indeed, farmers, merchants, lesser nobles, and even Trinitist clergymen would renounce the old faith and embrace the new one. Individual Elves would even be encouraged to write their own theological supplements to the Book of Life, such as Loeb-Luggart's "The Charitable Treatise" (an essay encouraging cooperation between rich and poor as the best way to Eternal Peace for all), Tallinger-Haffner's essay "On The True Nature Of The Trinity" (which proclaimed that Primus' claim that he was a Prophet was undeniably false due to the fact that many babies were born on the Refulgencia, but yet only one proclaimed himself a prophet) and Tomas of Engelfurt's "Ganzel Sermons" (a collection of writings encouraging each race to follow the faith independent of one another, as well as taking digs at the mixing of the races).   While many across the world would simply scoff at the idea of a new faith, it was undeniably appealing to many others. The Elves, fearful of foreign domination of their land, would take to it as an ant takes to honey, with mass conversions becoming the norm. The Sylvan Ritters took it to it best of all, always searching for ways to fight against Trinitist world domination. The Centaurs and Gnomes, with their flaming hatred of the Dwarves and the strictly organized Cult, would gladly welcome Commonalist preachers into their corners of Sahul. Surprisingly, the spread of the Commonalist gospel would outlive its founders, and although Trinitist Inquisitors and Holy Orders would do all they could to stop the tide, the waves were too strong to handle. All across Oriens and Sahul, churches were demolished in favor of temples, and the world would enter a new age of religious strife and conflicts that deserve their own articles.