Bagus Jayanagara

Bagus Jayanagara is one of the most influential and divisive philosophers in the Great Ring. Their writings on the responsibilities of believers for the actions of their gods led to the formation of the Tirta Baya, an organization dedicated to the destruction of evil and malevolent deities, and they have been the target of multiple assassination attempts since the group was formed. Bagus continues to serve as a chief advisor to the group's leader, Wira Suryanata, and their ideas continue to circulate and spark controversy throughout the Great Ring.

Early Life

Bagus was hatched into a Kawanimba that had been affected heavily by the wars between the Phaṇin and the goddess Rangdayan. They had lived on Semvhu before the great eruption of Gunung Ratnala in 3776 and had been forced to flee. More than two thirds of the Kawanimba had been slain by the blast, and although the survivors eventually reestablished themselves in the city of Kendari on Lahat, the eruption became a defining part of their communal history and lore. Bagus, who hatched more than a century after the disaster, grew up with accounts of the eruption, stories that explicitly blamed the goddess Rangdayan for causing it and for the mass deaths that followed.

When Bagus came of age, they joined the Kendari Couriers, carrying messages throughout the Great Ring. In their travels they encountered many cultures, and in their writings they described a wide range of gods they considered evil or malevolent, linking their harmful qualities to the fears of the people who believed in them. After decades as a courier, Bagus grew weary of constant travel and shifted to work as a professional correspondent in Kendari. In this role they wrote letters for clients across the Great Ring on matters of interest such as the arrival and departure of merchant vessels, commodity prices in Kendari, and various political and social developments. His years of travel had left him with an extensive network of contacts, and he found no difficulty connecting with merchants and information brokers who paid for timely and contextualized reports. He became skilled at identifying which details mattered most and at providing useful analysis of Kendari's current events for those less familiar with the city.

During this period they also began to assemble his thoughts on the relationship between believers and gods, and the responsibilities that belief entailed. Their essays on this subject gained notoriety, eventually finding their way to influential figures within the Persatuan Phaṇin, who regarded the arguments as compelling. In 3956 they invited Bagus to travel to Kota Phaṇin on Semvhu to discuss their philosophy and how it might be put into practice. Bagus accepted, and the meetings that followed led directly to the founding of the Tirta Baya.

A Philosopher of Note

Since founding the Tirta Baya and selecting Wira Suryanata as its leader, Bagus has devoted themself completely to philosophy. During this period he compiled the Tirta dan Bayang, which brought together many of their earlier essays into a manifesto that set out the mission and purpose of the Tirta Baya, argued that destroying evil gods was an ethical necessity, and outlined a workable framework for pursuing such a radical goal. The Tirta dan Bayang was circulated throughout the Great Ring by agents of the Tirta Baya, who sought to recruit supporters to their cause. Their efforts met with mixed success. The work attracted many sympathizers, but it also provoked resistance. In every region where it was read, some perceived it as an attack on their beliefs, since the god of one community is often condemned as evil by its rivals. A number of individuals even retaliated in defense of their faith, and over the last twenty-five years there have been no fewer than seven attempts on Bagus' life by outraged priests.

This has not deterred Bagus or the Tirta Baya from continuing their mission, and they have recently gained the support of the Tagapulo Empire in their effort to destroy Rangdayan and possibly other gods the Empire views as dangerous. Although the group has yet to destroy any of the deities they have targeted, the methods detailed by Bagus in the Tirta dan Bayang are regarded as viable by scholars of Numina metaphysics. This perceived feasibility has left many, both mortal and divine, concerned about the long term consequences of Bagus' philosophy.