The Way

Overview

The Way of Virtue – often simply known as The Way – is the dominant and pre-eminent religion of the Empire. It found its birth amongst the Highborn and was adopted across the Empire at the Founding, though its roots go back to the very Dawn of Time, and it is one of the forces that binds the Empire together.

At its core, The Way of Virtue teaches:

• Human flesh is perishable but human spirits are immortal. After death, the spirit must traverse the Labyrinth of Ages before being reborn through reincarnation.
• Only human spirits are immortal. As a consequence of this, humans – especially the Citizens of the Empire who follow The Way of Virtue – are the greatest agents in Creation.
• The Way of Virtue is composed of the Seven Paths of Virtue each of which was shown to humanity by one of seven Paragons.
• Imperial Citizens who are guided by the Seven Virtues have a greater link to their past lives, are empowered in the present, and find the passage to their next life much smoother.
• Imperial Citizens are not required to choose one Path over another as all will prosper them, but some individuals and Priests devote themselves to a single Path.

The Way of Virtue is promoted and protected by The Imperial Synod and is shaped by Imperial Theology.

The Seven Paths of Virtue

The Virtues embodied by the Seven Paragons are:

• Ambition
• Courage
• Loyalty
• Pride
• Prosperity
• Vigilance
• Wisdom

Each Virtue is, by itself, regarded as a Path through the Labyrinth of Ages. Collectively, the Paths of the Paragons are known as The Way of Virtue.

The History of The Way

Whilst the Paragons go back to the beginning of time, along with beliefs about reincarnation, the Way of Virtue was given form by the Chapters of Highguard during a time known as The Revelation. A Chapter called the Scions of Atun unlocked the secret of liao, a herb previously used only for medicinal purposes.

The Scions of Atun found a way to purify liao so that it opened up a person's mind to the Labyrinth of Ages and enabled them to have a vision of their past lives. The Distant Shores Chapter of the Highborn uncovered proof of the truth of the visions by matching up archaeological evidence and historical record with the visions witnessed. Further study by the Scions and other Highguard Chapters uncovered other secrets, such as the nature of the Seven Virtues and the identities of some incarnations of the Paragons.

Having taken root in Highguard, several chapters - most famously the Winds of Virtue - carried its teachings to the other Nations. They learned of incarnations of the Paragons in those nations, and invited people of those nations to come to Highguard to experience the truth of The Way through the Pure Liao visions.

The spread of The Way amongst the nations coincided with the ascendence of the First Empress who, when she founded the Empire, recognised The Way as the religion of the Empire and granted The Way authority and influence by creating the Synod and enshrining it within the Imperial Constitution.

Since the founding of The Empire, the combined insights of priests, holy mystics, scholars and wise ones from all nations have further informed the understanding of the Virtues, the Paragons and the Labyrinth of Ages. Further study of Liao has also revealed it has applications in Ceremonial Rites that can facilitate, or hinder, a spirit's passage through the Labyrinth of Ages as well as demonstrating and aiding the power of Virtue in this lifetime.

The Labyrinth of Ages and the Paragons

The Labyrinth of Ages is a term coined in Highguard to refer to the cycle of reincarnation. Theological studies claim that not all spirits are reborn immediately after death and, it is believed, the journey from death-to-rebirth is not a straightforward one. As a consequence, some spirits are said to wander between lives for years, even generations, before being reborn. Some may wander lost forever.

The Way teaches that living a Virtuous Life holds the key to successfully traversing the Labyrinth of Ages swiftly, safely and with the strongest link to past lives. Evidence of this truth exists in the Paragons. The Paragons are humans who have been reborn time-and-again, lived virtuous lives and done miraculous deeds. It is said that Paragons can access the knowledge of their past lives without the use of external aids like refined Liao.

The Paragons are said to date back to the Dawn of Ages, before the Empire, before the Nations, before humans even set foot on this land. They are attributed with great miracles that have helped steer the course of human destiny.

Extensive study of visions, relics and legends has led the theologians of Highguard to conclude that there are Seven Paragons – though each has lived many lives. What separates these Paragons is that each espouses and embodies a particular Virtue that guides them through life and the Labyrinth of Ages. It is widely accepted that the First Empress was, herself, a reincarnation of one of the Paragons – though there is much dispute as to which one.

Citizens, Priests, Pilgrims and Dedication

For the average Citizen of the Empire, it is simply enough to know of the Seven Virtues and how they apply to their lives. There is no requirement to honour one above another for all seven are part of The Way and will guide their spirit through the Labyrinth of Ages.

Priests of the Way have made greater study of the mysteries and Doctrines of the faith. They provide guidance to Citizens about how to live virtuously and have learned ceremonies that enrich the lives of Virtuous Citizens and enhance an individual’s understanding of the Virtues.

The liao-ceremony of Dedication allows a human to more sharply focus their spirit onto one particular Virtue Path. This focus enables a Dedicated Priest to perform other Ceremonies that provide greater insight and illumination into the Virtue. Consequently, Dedication is reasonably common amongst Priests who wish to provide ministry and guidance relating to a specific Virtue Path, whilst other Priests choose not to Dedicate and so represent all Seven Virtues equally.

Dedication is regarded as being of little benefit to the average Citizen as it is not believed to aid reincarnation by itself. However, some layfolk do choose to become Dedicated for their own reasons. Such individuals are called Pilgrims and are said to walk in the Path of the Paragon. A few Pilgrims even go on to be recognised by the Synod as Exemplars of the Virtue whose words and deeds are an inspiration to others.

Despite some claims to the contrary, the evidence is that whilst a Pilgrim or Dedicated Priest may continue to respect all Virtues, a spirit can only be Dedicated to one Virtue and attempts to Dedicate to more than one results in a loss of focus and, consequently, Dedication. The individual is then free to seek to Dedicate themselves anew.

Idolatry, Blasphemy and Heresy

As The Way embodies the soul of the Empire, and is the only religion recognised in the Imperial Constitution, Idolatry, Blasphemy and Heresy are crimes under Imperial Law.

• Idolatry is defined as: Subsuming human will and destiny to any entity or force, including the worship and veneration of the same.
• Blasphemy is defined as:' The denigration of the Paragons and their Paths, including following the teachings of False Paragons.
• Heresy is defined as: Wilfully rejecting or perverting the Orthodox Doctrines of the Faith as laid down by the Imperial Synod, or teaching False Doctrines.

As the nature and severity of these crimes can vary by circumstance, the Judiciary has significant latitude in weighing the merits of each case.

Symbols, Icons and Trappings

The Way of Virtue has several symbols to represent it across the Empire, but there are two that are widely used by the Imperial Synod:

• The Seven-Spoked Wheel – The wheel is a symbol of the journey that each spirit must make and each of the spokes represents one of the Virtues all of which converge on a single point, that of rebirth.
• The Labyrinth of Ages – The Labyrinth is depicted in a number of ways, but usually within a circle. Some designs favour seven co-centric circles or other elements to represent the seven virtues.

Priests of The Way may have items or regalia marked by such symbols. They are less popular with Pilgrims who have dedicated themselves to a single Path.

As The Way is concerned with the journey of the spirit from birth-to-death-to-rebirth, many Priests and Pilgrims carry or adorn themselves with items and regalia of travel. For instance, it is not uncommon for Priests and Pilgrims to carry a Staff as a symbol of safety and stability whilst travelling.

The Way and the Non-human

Refined Liao has an equal effect on all adult humans, including those of Lineage descent. However, it has no particular effect on Orcs, Ratfolk or other non-human species. This is taken to support the Doctrine of Reincarnation’s claim that only human spirits traverse the Labyrinth of Ages.

Opinions are divided as to what this means for the non-human. Some maintain that they are incapable of following The Way because of their natures. Others maintain that, even if they do not reincarnate, they should still be encouraged to follow the example of the Paragons.