Makerism

"Justice must prevail even if the world must perish over it."
-- Makerist Proverb

The Structure of the Makerist Clergy

The Patriarch of the Faith

Head of all of the Makerist Clergy, the Patriarch can be found in the Pillars on Earth Cathedral in Dhirim. He is a representation of the Maker’s Will in Calradia, and has absolute authority over everyone in the continent, no matter social rank or status. He is elected by the Four Bishops of the Empire and rules for life.

Diath and Vaghar Reincarnate

The Calradic Emperor and the King of Vlandia are both titles claimed to have been founded by Diath and Vaghar, respectively. All Bishops of the Continent are required to swear allegiance to the Emperor, and if Vlandian, to the King as well. They are considered by many to be the last two surviving Paragons of the Maker.

The Archbishops

There exist two Archbishops in all of Calradia; One in Praven, who is the Head of the Vlandian House of Makerism, and one in Geroia who leads the Geroian House of Makerism. These two take orders and are prone to judgement by the Patriarch of the Faith.

The Bishops of Calradia

There exist around a three dozen bishops across the continent. The Bishops are local leaders of the Faith, and are expected to represent the Patriarch of Archbishop and his teachings.

The Abbots

Abbots are Monks appointed by the Bishops to lead a certain Monastic Community. They hold great power within their respective lands.

The Vicars

Vicars are the Bishop’s direct representatives and heralds. They also can be appointed as substantial Clergical Rulers over a Church Territory.

The Pillarmen

The Pillarmen operate in the much same capacity as the Vicars, and are oft considered of equal rank. Those men that take the oaths of a Pillarmen dedicate their life to the protection of the church, and it’s values. These men also operate the local Faith Keepers, if there is one. Together, they enforce the Pillars.

The Laybrothers

Unvowed and vowed members of the church, often serving as menial labourers and servants to the Maker. They may be members of an Order that have stopped for a brief period, or simply local pious individuals that wish to serve the church in a greater capacity

The Vows

Pillarmen

I, your proven faithful, do now come before you this day,
In perpetuity, accept my vows,
Shall they shall never be broken.
I swear to never grow rich,
I swear to never grow fat,
I pledge my service to you, and your Field.
I swear to uphold the Pillars,
I swear to defend my peers,
I swear my sword shall never be far from my side.
I, your faithful, do devote my life.
For your Justice,
For your Penitence,
For your Forgiveness,
Unto Death.

Faith Keepers

I, your proven faithful, do now come before you this day,
To pledge my service in defense of your Pillars.
To remain ever vigilant for injustice,
And, by the direction of my Pillarman,
Right what wrongs I find.
I, your faithful, do pledge.

The Pillars of Makerism

The Makerist Faith is built upon four core teachings. Each of the teachings is paramount to anything else in Makerism, and most be followed explicitly. These the Pillars of Makerism.

Justice

Justice is the most important Pillar of Makerism, and therefore is the first. The Maker, his Sons and the Kings and Nobles touched blessed into power by the Maker are there to enact justice upon the world. Should one fail to enact true justice, they face the threat of being condemned to the Void. When the Maker first brought humanity into existence, it is told that he imbued them with the virtue of Justice - the belief that all actions require just and proportionate reaction. Every single man, woman and child are expected to be just in the face of danger or peril no matter the situation. The Maker is Justice, and as such Justice is the Maker; and Justice is to be respected.

Penitence

Penitence is the second most important of the Four Pillars. Penitence is the basis on which Diath and Vaghar constructed and lead their Kingdoms; Diath leading the Calrads and Vaghar the Vlandians. Penitence should not be abused to enact vengeance and should be reflective of the crime or failure.

Forgiveness

In the Makerist faith, the third pillar is referred to as ‘Forgiveness’. Therefore, every child of the Maker is entitled to forgiveness, but not before serving their Penance; this leads into the final pillar.

Death

Death is a part of everyday life in Calradia. It is not strange to grieve for a lost friend or family member, but one should not find himself or herself in peril due to the death of one whom is close. The dead go either to the Maker’s Realm to find eternal peace with the world, or they are outcast to the Void where Ortysis decides what is to be done to those unworthy of entering the Maker’s Realm. If an individual dies before having been forgiven, then their immortal soul is weighed between their sins, and their virtues. If found lacking, they will be condemned to the void.

Makerist Society

Working in conjunction, the Four Pillars allow Makerist society to operate on a system of societal order, and generally proportional justice. It is also for this reason that many Makerists find that penance must be served, regardless of the will of the penitent. To this end, many clerical communities keep militant priests known as ‘Pillarmen’, and communities oft keep a form of moral neighbourhood watch known as the Faith Keepers.

There exists a common prayer for all Makerists by which one may remember the Four Pillars. It goes as such:

“The Maker grants me the power to pass Justice,
Through Justice comes Penitence.
From Penitence comes Forgiveness.
Though Forgiveness, my I rest peacefully in Death.
From I, your faithful servant.”

Written by Warwick

The Makerist Book

The Beginning

Before the dawn of time, the Cosmos whirled in chaos and disorder. The heavens above shifted and spun relentlessly, and no life could prosper, it was truly an Abyss. Whatever divine beings wrought this havoc upon the Maker’s universe are gone now, for upon his awakening before conceivable time they were vanquished. Mayhaps he was simply slumbering, and so it was that without him Order could not reign, but no matter the cause, the effect was certain.The Universe halted, its heavenly bodied began to move in slow meandering patterns, the stars formed rigidly, and the Universe as we know it under the Maker was born.

So it was that our Universe was forged, however our world had not yet been born. The bright balls of fire that once whisked wildly across the cosmos had halted, but no such world as our own yet existed. Not but slow meandering light, and darkness now existed. The Maker, now awakened, grew weary of this, and in his divine intelligence, required more. And so it was that he created our World. He took a near star, and examined its light. This he saw, would be the first of his elements: Fire. He clasped the star tight and quenched its flame, leaving only a dense mass behind, and thusly the second element, Earth, was born. He then began to sculpt that mass, he placed massive indents, large peaks, and flat plateaus. He filled those massive holes with a new element of his own ingenuity; he filled them with Water. These became our first oceans, his plateaus our first land masses, and his peaks our Mountains.

His creation was not yet done, for what could he do with yet another floating mass. And so it was that he blew unto our world, and from his breath came the final element; Air. With this, he could now begin to design our world. He covered the lands in lush green plains, he dotted the landscape with lakes and rivers for he loved the beauty of the Water he created. He did many things with this most versatile of elements, he froze it and covered our mountains with it, and then with it he created clouds, a thick fog to forever shield him from our sight. He built this perfect world, but had noone to share its glory with. His lonesome tormented him, for he is a great being, and could not stand to be alone in such a wide cosmos.

The Gift of Life

To soothe his lonesome, he created life on his World. He created all manner of beings in all shapes and sizes. His first creations were truly grotesque and attractive to look at, and so he made their domain the sea, where in its depths he would not have to see them. As he grew fond of creating living beings, he began to create the first creatures of the land. Large and still a bit grotesque, they were able to be looked upon with pride. And yet as he looked down upon his new creations, he felt something was missing. Though they could never come to him, there was such vast space above the earth, and such a beautiful sight to be seen when looking down, that he could not be the only one to know its glory. And so he gifted some of his creations with wings, and they could then soar through the air and see what he had done.

And so it was that the Maker had created life, and his quiet absent world quickly became a bustling wilderness. Millenia passed by, and in that time he saw his creatures interact and was fascinated by it. He created new beings in new ways with new traits and each time saw and loved them even more. However as time passed, he began to grow tired of them. Their animosity, their simple instincts, and all at once he realized what he had done, he had created the very existence he himself wanted nothing to do with. It was chaos, with no order or control, just on a smaller scale. He was saddened, reminded of his days before, and knowing that each of his beings meant nothing if they were but walking mindless husks, no matter how great and terrible some may have been.

He pondered, for what could have been another millennia, leaving his savage beings to wreak havoc on each other whilst he did. The earth in some places scorched, in some froze, in some became overgrown, in some flooded. It was the Makers absence in that time that formed the world as we know it, no longer a paradise. Unshielded, those places that were scorched became our deserts. Unloved, those places that were frozen became our Tundras. Unchecked, those places overgrown became our forests. Unguarded, those places that were flooded became our swamps. A fair bit of land maintained itself, and by sheer luck, we have our plains. But what, after so long would he place now within them?

The First Men and the Divi Filius

The Maker in his infinite wisdom, created children in his own image, beings of modest size, but beings of intelligence over savagery, He created mankind. However alone, man would not be able to survive such a world, and so to guide them, and to rule beneath him, the Maker created the Divi Filius, his four sons, that would aid man in mastering his domains. He created Vahgar, patron of the skies, to watch over man in its inception. He created Rhudan, patron of the Sea, to quell its rough waters and subdue its wild beasts, so man could tame it and master the sea for its own. He created Diath, patron of the land, to bring life and prosperity to the men that dwelled upon it, and he created Ortysis, patron of the abyss, warden to all those souls damned to its eternal depths for abusing the Makers many gifts, or for lacking gratitude for them. These divinities would take human form, and spread wide across the lands, leading men in the conception of civilization. It is under them that such primordial beasts as the Makers first creations were slain, and it is under them that society was born.

Written by MarkZ

Summary of the Makerist daily practices

The universe was first chaos, until the Maker brought order to it and created the Earth from quenching a star and sculpting it, and then creating life. He created four sons (Divi Filius) to help mankind survive and prosper, though now they have been long gone and rarely do they intervene. Good souls shall ascend to the Maker’s side, living in eternal comfort and peace, while bad souls are damned to the Abyss, the dark, empty and primordial void. Makerism is by far the largest religious in Calradia, having syncretized many aspects from the locals, as such Makerism in one realm is a bit different than in another, further accentuated by the decentralized nature of the church.

God: The Maker, Creator of the World and Life.

His Four Sons, the Divi Filius: Diath, patron of the land and creator of the Empire. Vhagar, patron of the skies. Rhudan, patron of the sea. Ortysis, patron of the Abyss, disgraced son.

Mass

Mass generally happens on Sunday, the holiest day for it is called after the sun, though it is common for mass to be held on other days if Sunday was impractical or before great events such as weddings, festivals, funerals and battles. It is traditionally performed by a priest, but any member of the clergy such as monks and friars are allowed to do it as well. It can be done in a variety of ways, such as a row of seats in a church or a circle of people in the forest.

Priests are instructed to say mass in an engaging and short-form way. The church has endeavoured over centuries on how to best capture the attention of the laymen. Priests frequently interact with their flock, using local examples personal to the locals or asking somebody to confess and be rid of their guilt. It is recommended that when telling a story it is done so with the intent of instigating interest to know more instead of running the risk of boring the audience with a long and poorly-told tale.

Holidays

Holidays are meant to celebrate the Maker's many blessings and provide entertainment. While their exact date are often astronomically calculated, they are celebrated throughout the week and the most important celebration almost always happens on a Sunday.

March 20, Spring Equinox - Day of Rhudan

On the vernal equinox, folk celebrate Rhudan, patron of the seas and rivers and requests the Maker's blessing for the start of the growing season: hoping for fertile fields and healthy crops.

April 2 - Day of Calradia

It is well recorded that on the 2nd of April of the year 50, Diath founded Dhirim and died on that night's feast. The date remembered every year as the first major step in unifying Calradia under a divine line of emperors, and although the Maker's blood has long since disappeared, a vast kingdom ruled by the Maker's own blood on Earth is always dreamt of.

June 20, Summer Solstice - Day of Diath

On midsummer it is celebrated all of life's blessings. It is a period filled with music and laughter, and oftentimes bachelors and maidens are coupled together and married.

August 15 - Day of the Dead

On the day of the dead, people's forefathers and deceased loved ones are remembered. Folk are encouraged to make peace with their past as it is said the dead are easier to connect with them on this might during their dreams. Despite the fact that Ortysis is heavily associated with this day, he is seldom mentioned and only a few Heretic worship him.

September 20, Autumn Equinox - Day of Vhagar

The autumnal equinox marks the start of harvesting season, where thanks are given and folk make merry before beginning the arduous labour of harvesting the crops and storing them for winter.

December 20, Winter Solstice - Longest Night

Midwinter is a time where people gather around and pray for the Maker to protect them from the frost, hunger and predators. The last feast of the year is celebrated before the start of deep winter, and since it may be the last feast in someone's life, it is often very wild.

Prayer

A prayer is a direct communication with the Maker. Only some heresies believe the Divi Filius regularly intervene and saints hold power in the mortal world, nevertheless they are popular aspects to summon. Some prayers are simple utterances and silent thoughts, while others are sung or highly ritualized. The purpose of praying range from requesting help to begging for forgiveness or giving thanks.

Example:

“Maker, I thank you for your gifts and pledge to endeavour to use them the best I can. My wife Amalia has been bedridden since yesterday and burns with fever. I pray that you banish the evil that plagues her and give her health. She is a gentle soul and wished no one any harm. I plead for your mercy.”

Confession

Confession is a sacred and strictly confidential practice between one person and a clergyman. Priests often encourage laypeople to confess their sins in public, but the more common is done privately. Confession can either be done on a purpose-made confessionary in a church or by asking the priest to talk in a secluded spot. The priest listens to the person’s sins and provides advice on how to redeem themselves and be forgiven.

Written by Borrisnator