Carmanian Orthodoxy
History
When the Return to Rightness Crusaders began to persecute and murder those of the Hrestoli who still followed Saint Talor and the old ways, General Syranthir Forefront gathered together his people, a hundred hundreds of warriors, advisors, and nobles, and led them on the Eastfaring quest, out of the hell that Seshnela had become, finally finding refuge in a cold land east of the Sweet Sea. The ten-thousand settled there, in the rich lands of the Oronin River Valley.
Syranthir had a son by a magical blue woman from Lake Oronin and this son was Karmanos. Karmanos was strong in the ways of war, cunning in the ways of sorcery, discerning in the ways of command, and wise in the ways of judgement. He communed with the Creator and his prophecies set the foundation for our church as his laws set the foundation for our government. He went among the people and preached the Truth. He built orphanages and churches, courts and castles, and was acclaimed the First Shah of Carmania.
The Carmanian Empire was mighty and terrible, by turns carrying bright civilization to barbarians, destroying its enemies with cold and black cruelty, or ravaging the land with bestial rage. It changed with the times, and at its most bestial period the Red Goddess gathered armies and monsters against the evil empire, devouring and transforming it into the Lunar Empire. The cycles of the Lunar empire are much gentler than the old ones; this is a good thing.
Theology
There is one Creator God and he is the Good God, named by the Magi as Idovanus. The Red Goddess, his favorite and best-beloved child, transmits his blessing to us. His prophets were Malkion the Lawgiver, Prince Hrestol, Talor the Laughing Warrior, and Shah Karmanos who walked the Bridge of Swords to Paradise.
There are many other spirits and gods of the land, which can be appeased and used by man. All are part of the natural bounty of the realm of the Creator. It is wrong for the Magi of the Good God to give these lesser deities worship, though it is wholly acceptable for lesser priests and the members of their flocks to do so.
Love the Truth; and Hate the Deceitful Lie that is spread by Ganesatarus and his dark servants. Make war against the rebel gods, especially Orlanatus and his household. Destroy evil and create good. Ruin that which is ugly and decorate that which is beautiful. Be cruel to your enemies and generous to your friends. Seek a righteous balance in your actions and so will you reach Paradise.
The Satraps honor the Red Emperor and his emissary the Governor. Sirdars honor their Satrap. Fazziks of lesser houses honor their Sirdar. As each Fazzik honors and obeys his rightful prince, so must each man and woman honor and obey their Fazzik.
When he is a boy the vizirs will read the fate of a male child and tell him whether he is to be a hazar, a vizir, or a karmanos. It is possible to be adopted into another house and caste later in life. That is how capable men rise in Carmanian society.
[Tapping? Do Carmanians allow Tapping? I'd be inclined to say that only the Magi may learn Tap, and it may only be used on foreigners and enemies.]
Men and women are not born equal, any more than all men are born equal. It is in man's nature to face darkness and evil and act to destroy it. It is in woman's nature to take action and transform it into a new creation. This is why women are of fewer castes, the caram caste for those who pursue the traditional ways and the waleesha caste for those who wish for a less sure existence.
Karmanoi should marry many wives, vizirs should take only one, and hazars should take none, for Malkion said "Do not ruin that which you love." As Karmanoi have the greatest resources, so they are obliged to take several wives, to love them well and care for them. As Vizirs have stable lives and sufficient provender they should take a wife when they are ready, but must not wait until they become old and mean. As most Hazars have little resources and are often abroad for years, so they should not take a wife unless they have retired and are relatively wealthy.
Hierarchy
The Leaders of our Church are the Hierophant and the House of the Magi: The One Hundred Ancient and Respected Vizirs. The Magi convey the Hierophant's divine prophecies to the holy church and to the lesser priests of the many gods. When one of the Magi dies then if a suitable candidate is available within the House of the Magi he will be raised to Magian status. If no suitable internal candidate is available then one will be adopted from another house and raised to this exalted status.
The lesser priests offer obeisance to the EthTelsen, the one-hundred lesser gods that we as righteous Carmanians may worship.
Important Prophets, Saints & Gods
Malkion the Lawgiver
Malkion brought the word of the Good God to the people and showed them how to survive during the great darkness. He taught how the duties of the people of each clan should be split into the three classes: protector, guide, and leader.
Saint Xemela
Xemela, the Black Lady, mother of Hrestol. She took Death upon herself during the Dark Ages in order to save her people from the despair that came with the Longest Night. We all revere her for this noble act of self-sacrifice.
Prince Hrestol
One year after the Dawning, Prince Hrestol received a vision of the angelic Prophet Malkion, who inspired him to break with the traditional bounds of society in order to rescue the Kingdom of Seshneg from its barbarous enemies. He was exiled from the land for offending against the evil Serpent Queen, Seshna: after years of journeying through the Isles of the Western Ocean, he was condemned as a heretic by the Brithini, and martyred. The site of his martyrdom in Sog City is known, and is a popular pilgrimage site for western Hrestoli.
Humakt
Humakt was the perfect warrior. He showed that Death could serve Life, and Horror could serve Honor, to bring the glory of the Good God to the whole world.
Arkat Gbajibane
Arkat was a demi-god, the son of Humakt. His greatest deed was to free the world from Gbaji the Deceiver. This perfect warrior realized that in the war against the Deceiver it is laudable to honor both Darkness and Light, to use both cruelty and honor, to combine chivalry and atrocity. Instead of denying the darkness within, he drew power from it and destroyed the Deceiver.
Talor, the Laughing Warrior
Talor, the Laughing Warrior, who was Arkat's lieutenant, smote the Tarjinian Bull and laid a righteous curse upon the vile Telmori people, revealing them for the brute beasts that they were. He battled darkness and brought light. His song of battle enables us to achieve strength through joy.
The Eastfarers, the Holy Seven.
Syranthir and his Six Boon Companions led the ten-thousand eastwards out of hell, finally arriving in the paradisical Oronin River Valley.
Karmanos, the Last Prophet, the First Shah, The Lion of Brass
Karmanos founded Carmania and the Karmanos caste is named after him. His mystery cult is no more, but he inspires every ruler still.
Seven Mothers
The demi-gods who put the Red Moon in the sky did a wonderful thing for the world. They resurrected the Good God's first and best beloved child, long thought lost to Chaos. All praises to them.
Attitude Towards Other Sects
Lunar Heartlands
The Lunar Heartlanders are very much like us, but they don't recognize the necessity of castes or the difference between men and women. They have also required us to use their new and kind courts instead of ours, which are ancient and just. Nor does the governor allow us to treat our serfs as our ancestors did, and so the empire dulls the edge of our cruelty, which was once sharp enough that we were known across the world as the dragonslayers. Now we are fine traders, as sharp at trade as we were once at conquest. That is how we now fit within the Lunar Empire, as its emissaries of trade.
Hrestoli
Monotheists who deny the importance of the EthTelsen, the one hundred lesser gods who may Truly be worshipped. Their saints and prophets are familiar, and their castes are so mobile that they are not really castes.
Rokari
Monotheistic reactionaries. They even claim the Red Goddess is a demon.
Castle Coast Seshnegi
The modern-day descendants of the reductionist crusaders who banished our ancestors into Hell. They have lost power and position since then, and most of their lands have vanished into the sea, but they still posture and threaten to sweep over us and destroy us all.
Aeolian Henotheism
A Ralian church that is reportedly somewhat similar to us, but they think Orlanatus is the Good God! They are insane servants of the Rebel Gods. Pity them, then kill their warriors and take what is theirs.
Stygian Henotheism
Another Ralian church. They honor Arkat as we honor Karmanos, and their church is a church of darkness where ours is a church of cyclical balance and light, but they aren't so different from Spolites for all that. We can get along with them just fine.
Copyright 1995 by Loren Miller
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #253
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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