On the Teghneists

On the Teghneists, by Epidicus Baro, Court Wizard of His Imperial Majesty Zemim IV, published 477 YD.   This work concerns those adherents of the old ways, who stubbornly reject the divine revelations given to our most holy prophet Zemim I by the Five. It is not intended as a refutation of their beliefs, but rather as a means to better understand the unbelievers, and thereby avoid such unnecessary conflicts as we have recently endured with the northern barbarians.

Teghneist Belief

At the heart of Teghneist belief, and the primary dinstinguisher between them and most other faiths, is their monotheism. They hold faith in a single supreme being and creator, whom they refer to variously as Teghne, the Almight, the Increate, the Pancreator, the Pantocrator, etc. They offer Teghne their highest forms of worship, and make sacrifices only to him. The Teghneists hold that the Increate is the foundation and source of all reality, stating that he is not a being, but rather is being itself, and therefore everything that has positive existence (goodness, life, justice, love, etc) is a reflection of Teghne's divine nature.   The Teghneists also hold in reverence numerous lesser beings, most notably the Seven Solars: Primus, king of the Solars and patron of order. Rudrel, patron of stewardship, protection, and families. Bawiveil, patroness of scholarship and creativity. Enor, patron of magic and nature. Zaernevir, patron of righteous aggression. Unilim, patron of mining, craftsmanship, and commerce. And Lirwan, patroness of outcasts and the afflicted. These Solars are incorporeal being who only occasionally take on material forms when the need arises. Below the solars are numerous lesser angelic beings, as well as deceased holy men and women, who with the solars are venerated by the Teghneists.

Myths and Ecclesiology

According to Teghneist doctrine, Teghne (who, as being itself, has always existed), created the world from nothing, beginning with the Heavenly Realm and the Solars (there were more than seven at this time). He then granted the Solars the power of creation, and with them chanted the planes into being. However, some of the Solars grew arrogant with their newfound power, and began to shape creation in their own image, rather than in concert with Teghne and the other Solars, thus sowing disharmony and evil into the world, and creating the Shadowfell. The discordant Solars were banished from the Heavenly Realm, stripped of their creative power, and doomed to spend eternity in the Abyss as the First Demons.   Once all the planes had been formed, Teghne and the Solars began to populate them with creatures. The Solars created numerous beings, including dragons, giants, and elementals, whom Teghne breathed life into. The first mortal, however, was created by Teghne himself, when he brought Finorr into being. Finorr's first two children with his wife were Man and Dwarf, and from their descendants many of the other races arose, including the halflings, goliaths, and firbolgs, while orcs, tieflings, and the mythical "goblinoids" came about through the corrupting influence of the First Demons. The Elves were said to be creations of Enor, and gnomes were descended from them. Zaernevir created the reptilian races, while Lirwan created the Tabaxi and Kenku, Rudrel the Aarakocra, and Unilim an elephantine race known as "Loxodons".   Finorr at first inhabited a realm known as the Second Paradise (the First Paradise being the Heavenly Realm), before being exiled for an unknown crime, and making his home in northwestern Dukhala. From there, his descendants spread out across the world, eventually establishing a world-spanning kingdom known today as the Finorrian Union. The Union was guided by a divinely instituted priesthood, but nonetheless experienced a moral decline over many centuries, before its mages attempted to harness the power of the First Demons, causing an Abyssal invasion of the material plane. While this attack was repulsed with the aid of the Solars, the hubris of the Finorrians was punished by Teghne, who created Ura's climatic cycle to prevent the Finorrians from ever becoming strong enough to repeat their mistake.   The Finorrian Union eventually collapsed, and its priesthood dwindled over the millennia, eventually dying out completely. The modern Teghneist priesthood is, by its own admission, only a partial restoration. Their modern priests enjoy no divine appointment, instead making do with what little ancient wisdom has survived the ages, and what little power they can request of the Solars.