Imperial theology

OOC NOTE: The contents of this section are purely for players interested in Doctrinal and Theological Roleplay.
Knowledge of Imperial Theology is NOT a requirement for all Priest characters or Imperial Citizens.

We are Travellers on the Way.

Our spirits are immortal;
They have endured before and will again.
We follow in the footsteps of the Paragons,
Whom showed humanity the Paths of Virtue.
By uniting the Paths and creating the Synod,
The First Empress showed us The Way.
Across the Labyrinth of Ages, the Virtues guide our spirits.
We shall not surrender our destiny to inhuman powers.
Death is not the end of our journey.
With each generation, Virtue makes us stronger.
Until as Paragons we shall conquer Death itself.

The Creed of the Winds of Virtue Chapter of Highguard

Introduction

For the average Citizen of the Empire, it is sufficient to know the Seven Virtues and how they apply to your life so that your passage through the Labyrinth of Ages can be swift and assured and you can be reborn stronger. Even simple lay preachers of The Way need not concern themselves with the subtleties and complexities of the Imperial Religion.

However, for many senior Priests within the Synod, as well as keen scholars, the foundations of the faith are a source of much discussion, debate and analysis. Senior clergy of the Synod may be asked about their opinion on key points of contention.

Liao and the Labyrinth of Ages

Almost all of the Imperial Theology is rooted in the study of Liao. Thus far, Liao has three known states:

• In its natural and unrefined state, liao merely grants restful sleep with vivid dreams.
• In its refined, or processed, state, and with appropriate mental disciplines, it can empower a Priest to contact the Labyrinth of Ages and, in doing so, perform one of a number of Liao Ceremonies.
• In its purest state, any human that uses it receives a vision of another time and place, which is held to be their past life.

Pure Liao is not simply consumed. In fact, it requires access to a Gateway. A Gateway is a specially constructed chamber which, when not in use, appears to simply be an empty chamber. Yet when a visionary partakes of Pure Liao, and enters the Gateway, the world around them melts away such that they feel as though they stand in another time and place. The civil service are capable of erecting Gateways to the Labyrinth in any location given sufficient opportunity.

Doctrines of The Faith

The Doctrines of the Faith represent the Orthodox understanding of The Way. Each Doctrine is the product of Experimental Theology that has been debated, analysed and formally recognised by the Synod. Teaching doctrines that are at odds with, and thus undermine, the Doctrines of the Faith are regarded as Heresy and are a crime under Imperial Law.

The Doctrines are as follows:

The Doctrine of Reincarnation

The Doctrine of Reincarnation states:
The Human Spirit is Immortal. It inhabits mortal flesh for a span within the world before being liberated again, having gained knowledge and enlightenment. It traverses the Labyrinth of Ages before returning to mortal life through new birth.

The Doctrine is underpinned by discovery and analysis of pure liao which, it has been concluded, provides visions of a person’s past lives. This is further supported by the discovery of archaeological evidence that matches the content of some liao visions.

The Doctrine of Human Destiny

The Doctrine of Human Destiny states:
Only Human Spirits reincarnate, therefore humans are the greatest of all beings in Creation for only human spirits gain strength, knowledge and enlightenment through rebirth. The Paragons not only personify Virtue but the full potential of humanity.

This Doctrine is underpinned by the discovery liao has no effect on orcs and, by assumed extension, other non-human beings. Additionally, it is also broadly accepted that the miracles and achievements attained by the Paragons are deemed to be superhuman in nature and the eventual destiny of all virtuous humans.

The Doctrine of Seven

The Doctrine of Seven states:
There are Seven Virtues that guide the spirit through the Labyrinth of Ages. These are Ambition, Courage, Loyalty, Pride, Prosperity, Vigilance and Wisdom. Other qualities may benefit humanity, but lend no aid through the passage of death to rebirth, and some may hinder it.

This Doctrine is underpinned by extensive study of legends, relics, pure liao visions and priestly ceremonies to determine the truth and power of qualities. The Seven Virtues are acknowledged as the consistent recurring pattern and proof of Paragonhood and Exemplardom. A byproduct of this Doctrine is that some figures of note were dismissed as being False Paragons. The law of Blasphemy was introduced to protect Citizens from the teachings of False Paragons.

The Doctrine of The Paragons

The Doctrine of The Paragons states:
A truly Virtuous Spirit, one who is a Paragon of Virtue, is capable of freeing itself from the Labyrinth of Ages through transcendence. A Paragon Spirit can be identified for having completed at least four of the Seven Signs of the Paragon, after which it can be recognised by the Imperial Synod.

The Doctrine is underpinned by the belief that some of the most virtuous spirits in history have never been the subject of a past life vision. The Signs of the Paragon were devised as a series of tests to ascertain which were true Paragons and which were Exemplars. The Doctrine of the Paragons is an extension of The Doctrine of Human Destiny.

The Doctrine of the Creator

The Doctrine of the Creator states:
Human destiny is our own. The Creator Spirit, whose hand can be seen in all patterns of nature, seeks no dominance of, control over or communion with human spirits.

This Doctrine stems from the principle of seeing design in the patterns of creation, and prompted several experimental theological attempts to contact the Creator. The most common results of such experiments have been silence, which has been taken as proof neither one way or the other. A small number of experiments have resulted in the scholars involved losing their sanity from which mixed conclusions have been drawn. Some have held that the Creator Spirit is currently of a nature beyond comprehension – save, perhaps, by a Paragon or Exemplar – whilst others maintain that the strain of effort was too great.

Schisms and Heresies

Although the Doctrines above are accepted as Orthodox, there are many disputes and schisms amongst theologians. Some of the Doctrines are disputed. Elsewhere, the Synod has sought to create a Doctrine but been unable to build a consensus amongst the clergy.

The First Empress

It is widely accepted that the First Empress was a Paragon. However, to date, there has been no consensus as to which Virtue Path she followed to escape the Labyrinth of Ages. There are priests and pilgrims from each of the Seven Paths who claim that the weight of evidence supports that the First Empress was the Paragon of that Path. There have been several attempts to identify archaeological evidence to settle this debate once and for all.

The Unitarian Heresy

Unitarians dispute the Doctrine of Seven claiming that the Seven Paths are One Path. Unitarians point to the First Empress as a clear example of the Paragon of All Virtue. However, Investigative Theologians point to the inability of humans to Dedicate to two Virtues without loss of focus and that the consensus is that each Paragon followed a single path.

The Recollectionist Heresy

Recollectionists dispute the Doctrine of Reincarnation. They maintain that the visions granted by pure liao are not past lives, but are ancestral memories. That is, the vision is of the person’s distant biological relative rather than of the individual’s spirit reborn. One unproven byproduct of this claim is that Exemplars would be reborn within family lines.

The Humanist Heresy

Humanists dispute the Doctrine of Reincarnation. They interpret pure liao visions as being from a pool of racial memories stored within human nature. This pool of natural memory is available to all humans and that there need not be a direct link between the vision and the one experiencing it.

The Transcendant Heresy

Transcendentalists dispute the Doctrine of Reincarnation by claiming that there is no Labyrinth of Ages. The human spirit, upon death, transcends the mortal and mundane to merge with other human spirits who have died. This merging of spirits is believed to form some kind of Great Spirit, a psychic entity that exists outside the mortal realm. They claim liao puts a person in contact with this Great Spirit and grants access to its store of memories and knowledge. Some claim that this psychic entity may even be the Creator Spirit itself.

The Atuman Controversy

Atuman of Highguard, one of the legendary Navigators that steered the Highborn to this land, was held for several generations to be a Paragon of Ambition. However, this claim was undermined by Aldones di Sarvos, one of the founders of the League, who described having a past life vision which revealed that he was Atuman reborn. Aldones later went on to become a Paragon of Ambition. Some Highborn priests have claimed that Aldones lied about the vision to deny Atuman's paragonhood and spite Highguard, however League Bishops strongly decry this smear on Aldones' legacy. There have been several attempts to settle this controversy through archaeological or visionary means.

The Abraxian Schism

In life, Abraxus was a respected Pilgrim of the Path of Wisdom and held by some to be an Exemplar. However, he became a controversial figure when he claimed he had learned how to use pure liao to not only contact his past lives, but those he was yet to live. Abraxus proceeded to write a large number of cryptic and prophetic scrolls which are scattered and still highly sought after today.

The Krydacian Blasphemy

An Orc named Krydac once famously claimed to be the reincarnation of Tian, Paragon of Ambition. He was decried as a Blasphemer, for denying Tian's Paragonhood and exalting his own inhumanity, but many who met Krydac found his words compelling. The Synod were pressured to meet with Krydac to evaluate his claim, but he was assassinated before this happened. Krydac remains a controversial figure to this day.

The Scourger Heresy

Scourgers dispute the Doctrine of Human Destiny and claim that the non-human races, such as Orcs, may be reincarnations of human spirits, but who have been warped and deformed by lack of Virtue and too long lost and wandering in the Labyrinth of Ages. They believe that those who sin greatly in life and lack virtue risk rebirth in an accursed and damned form.

The Lucidian Blasphemy

Lucidianism arose in the spires of Urizen and Lucidians believe that the creation of virtuous auras, through means such as consecration and anointing, actually interfere with the objective and rational pursuit of a Virtue. Some Lucidians go so far as to claim that such auras represent a form of Idolatry and are as inclined to exorcise a virtuous aura as a malign spiritual presence. This opposition to manifestations of Virtue has led other Priests, especially Highborn Wayfarers, to accuse Lucidians of Blasphemy against the Virtues. To date, the Lucidians remain a minority in the Synod.

The Eternal Schism

There have been several attempts by various Synods to craft a Doctrine relating to the Eternals and their Realms, but each has failed to build a consensus. The biggest divide is along Inclusionist and Exclusionist lines. The Inclusionists hold that the Eternal Realms are part of the wider Creation and that contact with Eternals is inevitable and unavoidable, and must be carefully managed, not unlike a plague or forest fire. The Exclusionists hold that the Eternal Realms exist outside of the true Creation and are akin to parasites attached to the mortal world. They claim humanity will never be truly free to realise its own destiny until all ties are severed.

The Progenitor Idolatry

Progenitorians dispute the Doctrine of the Creator by claiming the seeds of human destiny were deliberately planted by the Creator Spirit. They claim the Creator Spirit desires humanity to grow and reach its full potential so that they can commune with the Creator Spirit, and that Paragons who have escaped the Labyrinth of Ages may do precisely this. This sect has been accused of skirting on the edges of Idolatry for implying that The Way of Virtue can be seen as the worship of the Creator Spirit.

Miracles

Tales of the earliest Paragons contain some miraculous claims, such as Tian taking fire from the sun, and Kord cutting down an entire forest with a single axe. Some Priests maintain these tales are literally true and speak of the full potential of human destiny, whilst others maintain that the tales have grown in the telling whilst still providing insight into the ingenious application of virtue for prospering humanity.

Egregores

When the First Empress sought the creation of the Egregores, she consulted the Synod. As Egregores are the manifestation of human consciousness and culture, they were deemed as being human magic, and so the Synod were entirely in favour. It was further recognised that Egregores owe their existence and form to the human nations and were thus subordinate to humans. Finally, it was concluded that as the Citizens embraced Virtue, so too the Egregores would mirror this and display virtue. The only dissent came from Exclusionists who hold that once the Eternal Realms are banished, so too must the Egregores depart.

The Purification Heresy

Purifiers dispute the Doctrine of Seven. There have been several Purification Sects across Imperial History each of whom have sought to have all Citizens of a Nation Dedicate to a single Virtue. Included amongst various rationales has been a desire to see an Egregore of a Nation also be a magical Avatar of a Virtue as it reflects the Dedication of the Nation. Historically, Purification Sects have attained brief popularity before either imploding or losing momentum.

The Vitalist Blasphemy

Vitalists challenge the Doctrine of Seven by claiming that the quality that guides one through the Labyrinth of Ages is not a moral property but a physical one. Vitalists do not always agree which physical qualities are the special ones, but they often promote a regime of physical exercise or discipline, or special diets, to aid the passage of the spirit.

The Excessionist Heresy

Excessionists claim that too much of a Virtue can be as bad as too little. This conflicts with the Orthodox teaching that the Virtues are pure and the key to human destiny. The charge is levelled against Excessionists that they are making excuses for their own shortcomings and failings in embracing the virtues in their strongest and purest senses.

Investigative Theology

The Imperial Religion is not the product of one text or one teacher, but the accumulated wisdom of many investigative theologians. The first to refer to themselves as such were the Scions of Atun Chapter from Highguard's history. It was the Scions who thoroughly investigated the properties of liao and its various states, and constructed the first Gateway. From there, they - and other investigative theologians - have studied the effects of liao and the visions, learning about the nature of humanity, virtue, the Labyrinth and history.

Under Imperial and Synod Law, Investigative Theologians are permitted to consider alternatives to the Doctrines of the Faith, but are not permitted to teach these as truth. Doing so, without having amended the Doctrines through the General Assembly, is Heresy and a threat to the unity of the Synod and the Empire. The truth, it is maintained, has its own authority and will be recognised by the General Assembly of sound spiritual leaders.

It has been necessary in Imperial History to remind some Investigative Theologians that their studies are on, and in relation to, the soul of the Empire herself, and are not merely academic in nature.

Nevertheless the following are the most commonplace strands of Investigative Theology:

• Visionary Theology - The discovery of Pure Liao was a revolutionary breakthrough for theology, and many investigative theologians pursue it ardently. Others seek to replicate similar discoveries through other non-Liao means.
• Archaeology - It was the discovery and analysis of sites and relics of the past that confirmed that Pure Liao visions were rooted in truth. Consequently, there are several investigative theologians who seek funding for expeditions to battlegrounds, known locations of Paragons, and other key sites. In some cases, this is an essential part of confirming whether a virtuous person was truly an Exemplar or even a Paragon.
• Comparative Theology - Although clearly backward and ill-informed, the various Foreign nations have their own religious traditions which have arisen without the insights that the Empire possesses. Whilst the Synod guards the Empire against idolatry and blasphemy, some Investigative Theologians also believe that study of Foreign Religion may yield insights in the Labyrinth of Ages to be gleaned. Equally, there may be Foreign Paragons or Exemplars who have gone unrecognised in their homelands.
• Theology of Reason - The Doctrines of the Religion are founded on the analysis of the phenomena collected and observed by past theologians. This analysis is rooted in the sound judgement of the members of the Synod. The Synod is required to defend the Doctrines of the Faith but, within the Synod itself, they may be discussed more robustly to refine and purify mortal understanding of the spiritual world.