Ortueism

Ortueism is the largest religion in the world by number of practitioners.

It began as a moral philosophy refined by the nomadic Cassumite tribes from the arid mountains of what is now the Osmaniyan Empire. After inheriting control of a powerful state in the region and expanding its borders through diplomacy and conquest, a subject of the Jovidian Empire gave birth to an unconsummated baby and named him Ilhaduel. He was the Son of the Living God, and came to Anfang to guide this lost tribe back to His Father. They refused and attempted to publicly murder Him, but in doing so they doomed their empire and were crushed militarily within a year.

Many survivors who had repented of their scheming, prideful ways carried the message of Ortues and His Son to the nations of Anfang, offering redemption for all in the arms of the Living God. This made Ortueism a global religion over the course of the first millennium, and became known as the Ortueization of Uropa.

Etymology
The name 'Ortueism' comes from the Romanum word for origin, beginning, source, and uplifting. It is a translation of the meaning behind the now-lost Cassumite term for the Living God, obscured in mysticism and myth.

Primal Ways
Before the Era of Kings, the Era of Chieftains saw the worship of an ever-shifting pantheon of powerful-yet-flawed beings frequently (though not always) depicted as immortals. Occasionally they were portrayed as humans who ascended to godhood through heroic deeds, but usually they were the divine first Chieftains of the great (and likely anachronistically portrayed) tribes of yore. The Old Gods were given varied domains from which their powers and abilities flowed, and they were given sacrifices and prayer for help and guidance in relation to their domain. Later stories of the Old Gods grew increasingly fantastical, with projections for future events or tales of adventure largely unrelated to explaining natural phenomena.

Jovidian Empire
Around 100 years before the birth of Ilhaduel, the largest empire on the planet of Anfang was the ruled by the Cassumite people, a tribe of desert travelers who had previously been subjects of the Midean Kingdom in the region. After gaining the ear of King Tiespes I, ruler of the Midean Kingdom, one Cassumite by the name of Jovid provided correct advice to store food for times of hardship ahead, and when a terrible drought hit the region he was promoted to royal advisor. Over the next several years, Jovid managed to convince King Tiespes I that his own sons were unfit to rule after his death, and was appointed as the new heir of the kingdom.

After taking the throne upon the late king's death, in 163 BR (Before Reconciliation), King Jovid put the previous royal family to death, and lead the Midean Kingdom in a number of expansionist wars against its neighbors, who were suffering from crippling starvation at the time. One by one, King Jovid added new territories to his borders, each of them being governed by a family member and with other Cassumite tribes taking on administrative positions and judicial roles throughout the Jovidian Empire. By King Jovid's death in 127 BR, the Jovidian Empire's conquered territory contained more land than any other governing body on the planet, eventually growing to rule over nearly half of the world's population through much of Western Wassia and Southern Uropa and the island of Daglarus.

The Manifestation of the Living God
The beginning of the new calendar is Year 0 AR (After Redemption), marked by the birth of a miraculous baby to a woman living within the Jovidian Empire's borders. In a small village, a young woman by the name of Annah was visited by an apparition of a man made entirely of light and flame. He told her not to fear, and that she would be the door by which the Living God wreathed Himself in the form of man, to enter the world and reforge His relationship with His estranged children.

Although terrified, she agreed, and gave birth to a child she named Ilhaduel, meaning "God walks among us." He grew up a perfect child, patient and obedient and helpful, but extremely studious. He spent his youth learning how to fish and sail and farm, but also studying the ancient Cassumite religious scrolls normally only accessible by the Unsullied Scholars. When they attempted to stop him, he would ask them questions respectfully and debate their incoherent dogma and incompatible legalism until they would permit him to enter under the guise of their tutelage, simply to avoid being publicly rebuked by a child.

His life was spent ministering to the people within the Jovidian Empire, both Cassumite and otherwise. When speaking to the former, Illhaduel aimed to correct the misguided contractual understanding of the divine that the Cassumite tribes had fallen into. This legalism had hardened their hearts and kept them from following the meaning of the Law given to them out of a manipulative attempt to outsmart the Living God. When preaching to those who were not ethnically Cassumite, Illhaduel told them of the Living God who had made them and kept them safe through the dark past and wanted them to come to Him now.

He performed many miracles during his life, from feeding enormous crowds to healing countless injuries and sicknesses to raising the dead. He commanded the clouds to rain on wilting crops, and parted a river to allow a shepherd to retrieve his son stranded on the other side. Miracles aside, he also taught of simple and earnest morality toward one's kin and neighbors, and of the importance of loving the Heavenly Father who sent him. During this time, he repeatedly stumped the Unsullied Scholars who attempted to catch him in moral traps based on absurd situations regarding the labyrinthine behavioral codes of the Jovidian system of law.

At the age of 28, Illhaduel was brought before the royal court. The previous king of the Jovidian Empire died of suspicious causes a year later, believed to have been poisoned but never proven. The current ruler was King Revahem and he sought to solidify his reign by gaining the approval of this holy man he had heard about. He offered Illhaduel every form of wealth and power, a ruling seat at his right hand, governorship over any territory within his empire, a magnificent palace full of beautiful concubines, anything that this preacher who had won the hearts of the people desired. But each offer was met with a gracious but firm refusal from Illhaduel. His Kingdom was in Heaven, he responded. His Father had more power than King Revahem could ever dream of attaining.

The refusal to lend approval to his reign drove King Revahem to a fit of rage. He declared that if Illhaduel would not support the monarch of the Jovidian Empire, he was a traitor to it, and would be executed as such. After three days of nonstop torture within the dungeons in a vain attempt to earn a coerced endorsement from the self-proclaimed Son of the Living God, Illhaduel was dragged before the court one more time. He was told to proclaim King Revahem the god of this world and to denounce his claim to divinity. Despite being flayed bloody and unrecognizable, Illhaduel remained silent, his gaze set and unflinching.

In a fit of inconsolable rage, King Revahem drew his own sword and swung at the chained Illhaduel, beheading him in one stroke before the entire court and the assembled courtiers. His body was dragged through the streets with servants of the Highest Unsullied Scholar shouting "Here is your Teacher, Son of the Dead God." They rode to the cemetery where criminals and the poor were discarded, and placed his body in a shallow grave to be smothered by a massive boulder rolled into place by several teams of oxen.

Thinking the matter over, King Revahem began to round up followers of Illhaduel to force them to disavow their former preacher. He personally executed two who refused, using the same sword that had beheaded Illhaduel, but in both cases the slain men calmly stood after being cut down, and walked away while all looked on in shock and horror.

The next day however, Illhaduel appeared in the barn where survivors were hiding from the king's men. He showed them his scarred neck, where the sword had cut his flesh. He let them touch the lines that the whips of the king's torturers had drawn across his body. And when they finally believed him, he told them to carry word of what he had said and done through all the nations. That all who believed in him and the Living God who sent him would not die for good, but be welcome in the Lands of Eternal Peace after death.

And to King Revahem, Illhaduel appeared on that day as well. Still in the depths of his fury, Revahem had his sword drawn to slay a man protecting believers who were attempting to flee the king's guards. Illhaduel took the sword from his hand without any struggle, and he planted it into the ground, right in the middle of the street. The paved road cracked and splintered as roots grew out from the blade, and the hilt grew taller and became full of life, a trunk for a new tree that budded with vibrant green leaves. Any who attempted to chop down this sword-turned-tree were struck as if by lightning, and the king was so terrified that he fled to his palace, and refused to leave.

Ortueization of Uropa
After the death and resurrection of Illhaduel, the Jovidian Empire was thrown into chaos. Without clear leadership, a dozen external threats rose up to attack its borders, and rebellions within its territory went unpunished. The powerful island nation of Umbria- the largest military threat outside of the Jovidian Empire- invaded its capital one year after Illhaduel's death in 29 AR. They found King Revahem dead by his own hands, and burned his palace and the temple that stored the countless scrolls of religious legal codes, taking back countless treasures of gold and silver and many thousand captives back with them to Umbria.

Among those captured slaves came many disciples of Illhaduel, and they brought along accounts of his life and deeds and death and revival. They wrote down their witness testimony and sent letters to others who had escaped the chaos of the downfall of the Jovidian Empire, helping them to avoid swaying off course or being distracted by the unique temptations of the places they had moved to.

The missionaries managed to gain followers in some villages but many rebuked them or mocked them or even persecuted them. Progress was slow but steady until the signs and miracles that some performed and the correct prophecies other missionaries made had managed to attract the attention of various rulers of Uropean states. From there the word went up to the highest of courts and even Kings could see the Truth in their message, far more spiritually resonant than the tall tales about the Old Gods that had become ever grander and unconnected to daily life.

One by one the rulers of the nations of Uropa bowed their heads to the Living God, and for a time their realms flourished and prospered in spite of the harsh weather and crippling diseases. Even as their faith splintered into new branches, the overarching shared religion of Ortueism provided a common bond that kept large-scale diplomatic relations fairly civil. Until recently, that is.

Symbol
The symbol of Ortueism is the Sword of Life, also known as the Planted Sword. It is the weapon that carves out kingdoms and protects the helpless, but also a reminder of the danger of turning against God and Kin out of pride and anger. It is also the symbol of salvation that grew out of unearned persecution, the making of something Good and Eternal out of an evil and fruitless urge to sever man's fealty to the Living God.

This symbol is often simplified into that of a simple sword icon with its blade pointed downwards. More ornate depictions of the Planted Sword might contain intricate scenes of people and animals within the branches on the top of the hilt, resting at the base of the blade, or burrowing around the roots underground, but these are purely for artistic embellishment.

Beliefs
At the core of all branches of Ortueism lie a shared set of beliefs held by everyone who practices the religion. Any denominations that vary from these beliefs are denounced as heretical.


 * Ortues created the world and humanity on it. (See Initium Creation Narrative for more)
 * The fallen nature of man caused by doubt in Ortues, leading to brother wars during the Era of Strife as man slaughtered man out of greed and fear
 * The salvation offered by following the message of Ilhaduel, son of Ortues, who came and lived a selfless life among mankind to remind humanity of its Heavenly Father and His desire to bring them back into communion with Him

Branches of Ortueism
Beyond those core beliefs there is a lot of variation in how to go about worshiping Ortues, relating to Ilhaduel, and living on the Right Path as He taught. There are three main branches of Ortueism that have a collective difference in views, and the largest of the sources of disagreement relates to the theological understanding of how the Old Gods from the Era of Chieftains relate to Ortues in the modern day. Additionally there is a form of Ortueism that exists solely in the Rossiyan Federation though it has been waning in recent decades.

Synenolicism
"The Old Gods are Paragons of Virtue, subservient to the Living God."Synenolicism is the oldest of the three branches. Clergy of the Synenolic Church claim that their institution is a continuation of the original form of Ortueism that spread to Uropa from its seat of power in the Nation of Umbria. Also known as the Reverence of the Paragons, this branch treats the Old Gods and any other virtuous individuals as uniquely respected individuals blessed by the Living God. It places heavy emphasis on ritual and rites, and significant focus on prayer to the Paragons for intercession with the Living God on behalf of the one praying. Synenolic hierarchy is rigidly structured and tightly controlled, with an ultimate religious authority and multiple levels of ranks below him all the way down to individual priests.

The Church of Unity
"The Old Gods were personifications of different aspects of the Living God, before He was known."The second of the branches of Ortueism, the Church of Unity arose out of a conflict that had been simmering under the surface within Synenolicism for many years. Many saw the veneration of the Paragons as spiritually dangerous, seeing the creation of individual cults for the Paragons that threatened to split off and spawn their own independent religions. To stave this off, a council of priests came together and decreed that the Old Gods were in fact simply facets of the Living God, anthropomorphized representations of various elements of Ortues' infinite being. This caused a great deal of controversy that eventually lead to a traumatic split in the faith, with the Church of Unity forming as a result. The difference in theology created conflict that grew and intensified over the centuries, so that now a significant amount of animosity exists between Synenolicism and the Church of Unity.

In the Church of Unity, worship of the Old Gods is often considered outdated, though not forbidden. It is only said to be off-limits if it is proving distracting to a worshiper, splitting off their devotion from the Living God onto the avatar of His Spirit rather than an appreciation of His whole Being. Due to the more grassroots nature of the Church of Unity, the hierarchical structure is much looser, with elders meeting in councils to discuss issues. Rituals are loosely standardized and doctrine is set but with room for some interpretation or implementation differences between local Churches.

The Heavenly Tree
"The Patriarch of the Old Gods is actually the Living God, and the rest of the Old Gods are his Heavenly Lords and Ladies."The latest of the branches of Ortueism to appear, Heavenly Tree started off as an attempt to reinvigorate the cultural heritage quashed during the Ortueization of Uropa. It first began with the renewal of tribal celebrations as a means of community bonding, but soon spawned a movement that sought to augment worship of the Living God with ancestral worship of the Old Gods. Over the years, the Heavenly Tree was formed, based around an understanding that Ortues is actually the Romanum name for Votun, the Patriarch of the Old Gods. And the rest of the old pantheon are said to be His attendants, created first in His image.

In the Heavenly Tree, all of the Primal Ways are seen as valid methods of worshiping the Living God and His Lords and Ladies. There is very little emphasis on unified structure and protocols, and more on local/tribal traditions. Practitioners of the Heavenly Tree hold great reverence for forests and nature in general, and they are recommended to pray and conduct ceremonies in their family or tribal "Sacred Hurst," a hallowed grouping of large trees planted by ancestors many generations ago.

Austericism
Even in the remotest parts of the Rossiyan Federation, the Unnoticed Life has competition. Also known as Ancentral Veneration, Austericism is a splinter branch of Synenolicism that recognizes a separate cast of Paragons based on the local folklore and historical figures of the Rossiyan people. The difference in character between this group and the Western canon based around the Nation of Umbria is noticeable, with more emphasis placed on the merit of suffering and hardship, and the schism is an uneasy one due to the distance and cultural divide.