The Church of the Icons and its Rites

The rise of the Church of the Icons has changed the way the Icons are worshipped in the Horizon. Through the canonizing of the holy scriptures and the Declaration of Sacred Rites, the faith has been formalized in a way it never was before. The dark aspects of the Icons have officially been cast out, but still remain among most of the general public. From Mira, Coriolis and Dabaran, the matriarchs and patriarchs rule the Church, living in life bonds with one another but without children, as they are firmly devoted to the Icons only. The pinnacles of the faith are the sacred rites and they are equally important to all believers, although local customs may weigh in depending on system, culture and clan.  

THE SACRED RITES

There are nine sacred rites, just like there are nine Icons, but many hold prayer and blessing as the two most important ones. The Order has their own version of the blessing, incorporating elements of flagellation and martyrdom.  

• THE MISSION The mission is what separates the new faith from the old ways found on Mira, Zalos, and Sadaal. The mission rite requires a believer to leave her home and travel the Horizon for one segment, spreading the faith. Low-ranking preachers or prophets are often sent to the fringes of civilization to serve in a chapel or monastery there, sometimes for a whole triad.

 

• THE LIFE BOND At some point during one’s lifetime, one should form a life bond with someone of the same or opposite gender. The orthodox believers meant that the purpose of the life bond was to procreate, but this is possible regardless of gender in the Third Horizon, thanks to advanced technology such as nutri-wombs and cloning. Divorce is forbidden. Widows and widowers are supposed to live out the rest of their lives in mourning.

   

• THE CREED Once a year, during the Cyclade, a believer should openly declare her faith by reciting the creed together with others in a temple.

 

• THE BLESSING Blessing one’s home, ship, shop, or other business is done by all believers. The blessing is especially important before going traveling or at the start of a new year or cycle.

 

• THE FAST During the segment of the Merchant, between dawn and dusk – during the morning and day watch – the faithful must abstain from food and drink. Children and the sick are excused from fasting. The purpose of the fast is to cleanse body and soul, but also to serve as a reminder of material necessity.

 

• THE CONFESSION To purify the mind, the faithful should confess their sins once per segment, preferably to an anointed priest or priestess, but a missionary, preacher, or pilgrim could also do. No believer is free from mistakes and lies, which makes the confession a very important sacrament.

 

• THE PILGRIMAGE There are two holy sites that the faithful should visit at least once during their lives – the Dome of the Icons on Coriolis and the Icon City on Mira. Many regard the temple city Lotus on Dabaran as an even holier site and the Church has come under pressure to include Lotus in the pilgrimage.

 

• THE ALMS-GIVING Giving alms to the poor pleases the Icons and should be done once per segment. A ninth of one’s income is to be given away. The alms-giving is considered one of the most important sacred rites on Mira.

 

• THE PRAYER The faithful should pray twice a day, at dawn and dusk. This rule can be broken if the believer’s life is in danger or for other special occasions. It is common across the Horizon for people to gather at prayer plazas and pray together. The praying person should be on her knees, and preferably on a prayer rug.

 

CHAPELS AND HOLY SITES

The Horizon is full of chapels, temples, Icon walls, and sculptures. Much of the worship takes place at these sites, in homes, or at spiritual focal points such as the Lotus Rock on Dabaran or the Holy Grove in Alchai. Pilgrims flock to three major holy sites: the Dome of the Icons on Coriolis, the Icon City on Mira, and Lotus on Dabaran. The Crater Dome on Algol is smaller and mainly visited by local pilgrims, but the news of its holiness is spreading.  

ICON WALLS AND RELIQUARIES

In places where a chapel cannot be built for some reason, you will commonly find Icon walls instead. They are simple brick walls with alcoves for the Icon statues. Icon walls are often built on holy sites, such as on top of the remnants or catacombs of an earlier temple. Some of the older temples have vast networks of catacombs underneath them where holy bones are buried. These catacombs may also contain hidden reliquaries where precious gift or offerings are kept, usually under guard by preachers, warrior monks, or just the watchful eyes of the Icons. On ships and stations, there may not always be room for a proper chapel, but there is almost always a prayer room or an Icon wall onboard. Many believers would not set foot on a ship that didn’t have some form of space dedicated to the Icons, which makes such ships rare. In the fifth L-point above Melik lies the temple of Horizon’s End, which its proprietors claim to be unique in all the Horizon: the visiting pilgrims can meditate and pray with only an ED field between them and empty space, under the flames of the Melik sun.  

SPIRITUALITY AND SCHISMS

Despite the Church’s efforts, the Icon faith is not a uniform religion but filled with variations, deviations, and schisms. Common people regard the Icons as multifaceted and unpredictable, capable of both blessings and curses. This is firmly denied by the Church of the Icons through all the teachings of their missionaries, preachers, and prophets – nothing bad can come from the Icons, mankind itself and the Dark between the Stars are the roots of evil. At present, there are two major schisms dividing the faith: the Emissary from Xene and Oikoumene as Nadjim.  

THE TROUBLESOME EMISSARY

The ghosts from the gas giant Xene, often described as either spirits or spectral phenomena, have recently declared themselves the “emissaries” of Xene. There are officially five of them, but rumors claim that there are really nine altogether and that the Foundation and the Consortium are hiding the truth. One of the Emissaries has named itself the Judge incarnate, which the Order of the Pariah views as heresy since the Judge – in its Martyr aspect – is the only Icon they worship. The Order has put the Foundation and the Consortium under pressure to extradite the Emissary, threatening to send their antimatter armed warships to the Kua system.