'Illami religion | The Tansim el-'Ilm or 'Path of Righteousness', as the 'Illamites call their religion, is best defined as a Mainstream faith of Clerical soul and possessed of a Bastion-of-the-Faith mentality. It is known in far greater detail than the traditions of the Ahl al-Shamshi and Ahl al-Nebu, in large part due to how rigorously the 'Illami recorded and preserved its myriad strict teachings and ordinances in their holy book, the Qabal hith el-'Ilm or 'Teachings of the Righteous'. For this entry, only this first four books of the Qabal are relevant, those four being:
- The Book of Creation, detailing the creation of the world and humanity and the early stages of the eternal struggle between the Lord Above and His foes.
- The Book of Flight, detailing the captivity of the Righteous Many beneath the 'Awali, their war of liberation alongside their fellow Mun'umati, and their voyage to the Promised Land.
- The Book of Commands, a combination of restating the Twelve Commandments handed down from on high and the myriad laws written by the Esophim over the ages.
- The First Book of Stewards, detailing the reign of various elected Stewards over the Righteous between Yuvel and Galad.
Like the other Mun'umati religions, the Tansibet was explicitly monotheistic: the deity it revered was called Bel-Azer, the 'Lord Above'. It was said that He was one two beings that existed at the beginning of all things, and it was He who indeed created the material universe in six days before taking the seventh to rest, as outlined in the Book of Creation - the first book of the Qabal:
- On the first day, the Lord Above created light amidst the dark void that was the then-unborn universe - thought to not just be light in general, but also the sun, moon and stars in particular - and from this light He also created the host of angels.
- On the second day, to sate the thirst of His angelic creations, He created water and parted it from the firmament, creating sky and sea.
- On the third day, He and the refreshed angels created the Earth and planted upon it the great Tree of Life, the first plant on which all other life was placed and sustained.
- On the fourth day, He created all other plant life, which was tended to by the angels.
- On the fifth day, He created the beasts of the earth, sea and air.
- On the sixth day, He formed the first two humans from dirt and breathed life into them with a kiss: Ka'han and Sanna. To them He entrusted stewardship over the Tree of Life and all else that lived amidst its branches, while His angels retreated to Heaven.
The Lord Above shapes the Earth in His hands | |
However, despite His power, Bel-Azer is not said to be a completely omnipotent and omnipresent being, capable of doing anything. He has been opposed from the beginning of time by Bel-Bezar, the 'Lord Below', His equal and opposite who found that the light of the sun burned his skin and that the stars blinded him on the first day of creation; in a sudden fury he tried to push these sources of light out of his way, causing the first sunset and darkening Creation. When the Lord Above demanded he explain why he did what he did, the Lord Below instead reached out to some of His angels (as he was a purely destructive force, he could not directly create any minions of his own) and told them that together they could create a better universe than their Creator, one where neither he nor they would have to feel pain or discomfort; and so they went to war with Bel-Azer and those angels who stayed loyal to Him. The rebels were defeated and the survivors cast out from the light forever, to wallow in the abyssal darkness with their master, but there Bel-Bezar devoured them and proclaimed that though he may have lost the first battle of the two deities, their war was still on and would end only when he had corrupted or destroyed all of the Lord Above's creations.
While the Tree of Life grew above the earth, the Lord Below twisted together a dark and crude imitation in the form of the Lifeless Tree beneath it. Since the second and third days of creation, the Lords Above and Below have remained locked into an unending, evenly matched struggle for control of Creation and the souls of men: Bel-Azer being associated with the light, law & order, logic, peace and creative powers (essentially a divine manifestation of the superego), and Bel-Bezar being associated with darkness, chaos, violence, base emotions and entropy (essentially a divine manifestation of the id).
Painting depicting the Lord Above chaining & casting the Lord Below through the Interstice and back to his abyssal lair | |
Late in the seventh year of creation, Bel-Bezar slipped through the Interstice between the two Trees' roots and, disguised as another human, seduced Sanna away from her husband's side. He brought her beneath the earth, where he revealed his true face and took her by force until she broke beneath him. From what remained of her emerged their seven daughters, all but the youngest said to be 'abominations in human skin' who had their mother's looks on the outside but burned with their father's cruelty and malice (Creation, 2:4-10) - the first demons, though the last at least knew what was horribly wrong with her father and despised him. With these daughters he fathered a legion of monsters, who would serve as his warriors in the war against the Lord Above.
The Lord Below tempts Sanna | |
Meanwhile, Ka'han was naturally enraged at the abduction of his wife, and descended into the Interstice alone in an attempt to rescue her. Against the power of the Lord Below, he obviously failed, and had to be dragged away to safety by a legion of angels...though not before he got to see the mutilated remains of his beloved. Swearing vengeance, he asked the Lord Above to let him and his three sons dwell on the earth, just above the roots of the Tree of Life so that they could stand close to the Interstice's entrance - and thus, close to the home of their foe. The Lord warned him that by permanently descending from the higher reaches of the Tree of Life, Ka'han and his descendants would lose their immortality and be exposed to the diseases and elements of the earth below, but for the love he bore his wife and the righteous fury against the Lord Below that blazed in his heart, Ka'han persisted: thus did man come to age and die naturally. To compensate for his loss of immortality and the resulting inability to learn of every bit of knowledge the Earth might have, the Lord Above created more humans to assist Ka'han; at first, three girls who could grow up to become his sons' wives, but later hundreds, thousands, and finally tens of thousands more men who could help him gather resources and fight the minions of the Lord Below, as well as women with whom these new men could mate.
Since then, the human race has served as the vanguard of the Lord Above against His foes below the earth. However, there have been some...hiccups along the way, as living on the Earth has left humanity more vulnerable to corruption by both worldly things and the Lord Below than ever. Hiccups like Ka'han's eldest son Av'edan being corrupted by the Lord Below into murdering his younger brother Ben'eqeh in a fit of jealousy as they argued over who should lead humanity while their father's corpse cooled, or worse still when the descendants of Ka'han - bound by fear of death and an inability to learn absolutely everything there is to know - grew increasingly twisted by the machinations of the Lord Below and his demons in the centuries that followed this first murder. The latter culminated in Bel-Qa'mat, a hundredth-generation descendant of Av'edan, unifying the human race, sacrificing his own firstborn to the Lord Below and making preparations to tear open the seal between the Interstice and the earth to let demonkind invade the latter as a stepping stone to rest of the Tree of Life; the response of the Lord Above was to ravage the world with pillars of divine fire, and then send hosts of angels down to kill anyone who survived and wasn't among the ten thousand chosen innocents (interpreted as just children, split into 5,000 boys and 5,000 girls) who were hiding out in a flying ark, built by the 'last among the righteous' Y'nosh before Bel-Qa'mat's minions descended upon and martyred him. Bel-Qa'mat and almost the entirety of the corrupt human race obviously died as a consequence, allowing these innocents to inherit the Earth and build a new, hopefully purer society atop their ashes.
"And in His righteous wrath, the Lord Above rained fire, rock and choking smoke upon the Earth for forty days and forty nights..." (Creation 9:9) | |
Twenty generations after this 'Flame Deluge', the descendants of the Ten Thousand Innocents had multiplied and united into a second Kingdom of Men, and invaded the Interstice & Lifeless Tree under the leadership of their proud and mighty king, Bel-Bel'iq. While the angels cleared a path for them through the Interstice, they were able to take the fight to demonkind for the first time and compensated for their individual lack of power with numbers, zeal and technology ('swords, axes, spears, hammers and daggers of iron, and all the panoply of war' - Creation 10:4), killing 'many multitudes of abominations' and forcing even the Lord Below himself to surrender at the taproot of his Lifeless Tree (Creation 10:1-30). Yet Bel-Bel'iq did not kill the Lord Below on the spot as the angels counseled, but instead took him back to the surface in chains and kept him as a prisoner, serving forever as a reminder of his power.
The Lord Below promptly manipulated Bel-Bel'iq into freeing him from his chains and making him an adviser, then whispered lies into his ears to turn him against the Lord Above; that the Lord Above was actually a tyrant keeping humanity weak and ignorant by preventing them from realizing their full strength, that his ancestor Ka'han had actually been cast out of the higher branches of the Tree of Life, and that with the demons he could crawl back up said Tree, reclaim his birthright and defeat death. Bel-Bel'iq ordered the construction of a great tower, high enough to reach the lowest branch of the Tree of Life, though he told the truth about his ambitions to only a few and deceived the majority of his subjects, telling them that the tower was just to let him communicate more directly with the Lord Above. Unfortunately for the King of Men, he didn't count on the Lord Above being able to see through mortal lies; another host of angels promptly descended upon the tower as it neared completion, and in the ensuing battle Bel-Bel'iq was killed with his fellow conspirators and their most loyal soldiers, while those workers and overseers who had remained ignorant of his true intentions simply scattered in fear with their lives. The Lord Below fled back underground and reclaimed dominion of his own demonic subjects, while the Lord Above sundered the ancient common tongue of men partly as punishment and partly to ensure they could never be directed to a single purpose as Bel-Bel'iq had done, causing the disintegration of this united human empire into a mass of feuding tribes speaking in tongues that were incomprehensible to one another.
Well, this certainly could have ended better for Bel-Bel'iq | |
According to the 'Illami, it is critical for all humans (but especially them, as the people specifically chosen by the Lord Above to be His vanguard of righteousness) to do their utmost to thwart the schemes of the Lord Below and weaken him to the point that the Lord Above can destroy him utterly at last, both metaphorically by following the Righteous Path laid out with the commandments of the Lord Above & the laws of the faith's elders - and more directly, by seeking out and converting or destroying heathens, whose false gods and spirits are considered nothing but the myriad disguises of the Lord Below and his demonic minions. No less is demanded of them, and they must do these things proactively lest the Lord Below regain enough of a foothold to drive humanity to repeat the sins that resulted in the Flame Deluge and the Great Sundering. Bel-Hizzar may have been the first man to whom these truths were told, but Yuvel is honored as the First Prophet for having received the Twelve Commandments, actually reached the Holy Land and organized the Righteous into a sufficiently coherent society to enforce and spread their teachings on a large scale; it is also prophesied that some day into the distant future, the Lord Above will send a Second and Third Prophet to further guide the Righteous Many into His light, and lead them in cleansing the earth of sin & sinners.
The role of the clergy | As one might guess from its characterization as a Clerical religion, the clergy were of tremendous importance to practitioners of the Path of the Righteous. Drawn exclusively from the Sept of Esoph, early 'Illam's ordained clerics were responsible for directing rituals and religious services every seventh day of the week, administering rites, advising and deposing Stewards as required, and serving as judges.
Some of the rites administered and rituals or holy days presided over by the 'Illamite priests included:
- Bet Ch'yot (for boys) and Bil Ch'yat (for girls): Upon reaching their thirteenth birthday, every 'Illami boy and girl is considered old enough to be held responsible for their actions, and is to be fully confirmed into the ranks of the Righteous in a ceremony presided over by the priest. They are ritually baptized in a specially-prepared bath; anointed with the sign of the hexagram in holy oil; swear vows to serve the Lord Above, to follow His commandments and the laws set down by His priests (who are His voices on the earth, after all) and to oppose the Lord Below and his servants at every turn and all costs; and (in the case of young Esophim boys) permitted to read a chapter from the Qabal to the rest of the community, all of which are done in sight of their community. Once this is all done, the community can celebrate, with the newly confirmed youth being allowed to taste wine for the first time at this celebration of their coming-of-age.
- Ekhen, Shekhen and Sefet: 'Illamite marriages must be presided over by an ordained priest to be considered valid in the eyes of the law. First, the man and woman must enter a formal betrothal at a ceremony called the Ekhen (signing), where they announce their intent to marry within seven-times-seventy days before a priest and at least two witnesses (one from the groom's family and one from the bride's) while a Kan'ahite scribe records their vows and writes up a marriage contract on a papyrus scroll. The Shekhen, or 'binding', is the actual wedding ceremony itself, where the groom & bride speak their wedding vows to one another, are literally tied together at the wrist with an ornate ribbon, seal their love with a kiss and proclaimed husband & wife by the priest. Normally, 'Illami can only take one wife (though nothing prevents them from engaging in amorous relations with a slave...) and can never divorce, though in cases of spousal abuse or political inconvenience the priest who married them can also issue a document of actually-but-not-officially-divorce called a 'sefet', or 'separation'. (divorces seem to have strictly been something for the 'Illamite elite, however; those of the lesser Septs were truly wedded 'til death did them part, and adultery was to be punished with death for both the adulterer/adulteress and their extramarital partner with no exceptions) There have also been a few unusual cases of men taking multiple wives in the Qabal, most (in)famously Elech bet-Eyal, who married two women - though, considering the consequences of his two marriages, that part of his story was definitely not supposed to be a good thing, and likely a warning against polygamy in general.
- Shomayn: When an 'Illamite has died, he or she is supposed to be buried, returning to the earth from which his progenitors were made. A priest is required to purify the body with special oils and blessed water, dress it in a pure white burial shroud, lift it into a plain casket (regardless of rank in life, all are considered equal in death) with the help of the deceased's kinsmen and friends, and finally pray that the Lord Above forgives the transgressions of the deceased, welcomes his or her soul into Heaven and looks after his or her surviving kin as the casket is lowered into the ground and buried. The rite of shomayn must be administered if the soul of the deceased is to have any chance of ascending upward into the branches of the Tree of Life and find eternal salvation, otherwise they will surely be doomed to wander the Interstice as a lost and confused spirit until the end of time.
- Yam Chag: Every seven days, the community would gather in their local temple to the Lord Above: the men would immerse themselves in a small bath called the neyilah, after which they would enter the main chamber and be seated to hear the local priest read from the Qabal, and then deliver a sermon. They were invited to discuss and debate the day's verses after the priest had finished delivering his sermon. Women had to wait in an antechamber until the men were done, after which they would do the same in a different neyilah and enter to hear the exact same reading and sermon; however, unlike the men, they could not discuss the day's reading. Children who had not yet undergone the rite of Bet/Bil Ch'yot were read to last of all (in the event that the priest did not deem the verses he read out to the adults suitable for children, he may read an entirely different set of verses to them instead), and were also forbidden from debating whatever verses the priest had deemed child-appropriate for that day. No work was allowed on this holy day, which was to be a day of rest, relaxation and introspection.
- Elisan: The 'Illamite New Year, considered a special time to curse the Lord Below. Meat is served in great quantities, to physically strengthen the Righteous for their struggle with this immortal enemy, and everyone in every town is expected to stone an idol depicting the Lord Below in the sight and with the approval of their local priest.
- Beresit: On the first day of spring (traditionally, the first day of the fourth month in the 'Illami calendar) the 'Illamites have their great festival of lights, celebrating the creation of the world by the Lord Above, offering up prayers that His divine Light might prevail over the darkness of the evil Lord Below, and calling on Ben'e-Rehman the Archangel of Light & Order to intercede on their behalf before the Lord Above. Homes are to be cleaned and decorated with designs of flower petals & colored sand at least a week in advance of the festival. When the sun has set, every family in every town and village is to light seven oil lamps, candles and/or lanterns arranged in a hexagram pattern around their dwelling. Then they are to congregate before the nearest temple, around which the priest and his family have also lit up a hexagram with braziers and hung their own great decorated tapestries, and receive a blessing, a reminder of the Lord's acts of creation, and issue prayers to strengthen His hand in the war with evil before engaging in feasting and merriment. Each family, the priest's own included, is meant to bring their own food to eat and share, and outside observers noted that the normally stoic and strait-laced 'Illami really cut loose on this day. As the Shamshi 'Ibar bar al-'As reported when his travels took him to the 'Illami village of Horon:
Originally Posted by 'Ibar bar al-'As
On the day which they call 'Beresit', the people of the north, whom I had found to be joyless and stern most days, truly came to life after the Sun had gone down. Amidst the dazzling fires set by their priest, the villagers indulged in all sorts of meat and vegetable stews, sweets, and fresh-baked bread with aplomb. Three great oxen had been butchered and roasted for the festivities, and the priest had bought a cart of salt and herbs with which to flavor their flesh; I must confess, his wife and daughters cooked the oxen most excellently, and even managed to make a good soup out of the beasts' tails. Wine flowed freely and plentifully.
I found the local landlord rubbing shoulders with men he'd normally be exhorting to work harder in the fields or threatening with the scourge. The priest himself, whom I thought could not smile, sat loudly laughing and joking with some of the town's men while in the midst of what must have been his tenth cup of wine that night. Men and women who would normally not even be allowed in the same chambers in their temples could openly dance, embrace and kiss beneath the stars. Some of the youths of the village snuck off, away from the fires, to engage in amorous activities.
...
The next day, it was as if the events of the previous night had not occurred, and everyone in the village had gone back to their old dull selves.
- Tzen: A 30-day fast held between the late summer and early fall, commemorating a fast undertaken by 'Illami ancestors in the last month of their captivity under the 'Awali. All the food in every town was to be gathered at the temple and kept under lock & key by the priest, who would distribute just enough portions to everybody thrice a day to keep them from starving. The fast was to be broken with a lavish celebratory feast and dance halfway through the ninth month of the year, where the Archangel Mana is celebrated and her intercession prayed for.
- Besh'e: The summer solstice is also the day on which the 'Illami commemorate and repent for the centuries of sins that their ancestors engaged in, leading up to the Flame Deluge. On this day of mourning, all the community - even the priest - go barefoot, don sackcloth, wipe ashes over their cheeks, and at night they shout, pray and wail for forgiveness and guidance to the Lord Above while marching in a hexagram formation around a massive bonfire, with the priest himself leading the procession. All healthy adults are required to abstain from food and alcohol all day, save a loaf of bread and an apple (said to be the first fruit encountered by the Ten Thousand Innocents after the Flame Deluge's end) at lunch, though they may still consume water. 'Ilm-Shekhar, the great Archangel of Valor, is called on to intercede on behalf of the faithful and to help provide them with the strength to resist temptation & overcome their vices.
- Ir'at: The winter solstice is also the day on which the 'Illami commemorate and repent for Bel-Bel'iq's folly, mankind's collective failure to off the Lord Below when they had the chance, and the disastrous chain of decisions that led up to the Great Sundering of humanity's ancient common tongue. All must spend the day barefoot, avoid bathing and the use of perfumes & lotions, and abstain from food, drink (except water, which is permitted) and sexual relations for a 23-hour period, instead dedicating all of their time and energies to prayer. In the last hour of the day, the community gathers at the temple to bask in the light of seven braziers, arranged in a hexagram, and the priest leads them in one last prayer of repentance for their ancestors' sins and their own, followed by a prayer beseeching the Lord Above to forgive them their transgressions even if they are not worthy, and break their fast on roast bull and goat (although no wine is permitted until the next day). Petitioners pray to La'gael, that her scythe does not take away their loved ones' lives during the season and that she intercedes on their behalf before the Lord Above to send a mild winter upon them. |
Bastion of the Righteous | As one can also guess from the characterization of its mentality as a Bastion of the Faith and from the commandments warning against apostasy & idolatry, the Righteous Path was a highly exclusive and insular religion, mirroring the general xenophobia of 'Illamite culture. One could not convert to the Path as an adult, but instead had to be raised within the faith and hear its teachings from as early in childhood as possible; hence why the (probably orphaned or soon-to-be-orphaned) children of enemy nations could be adopted into 'Illamite families and raised as 'Illamites, but everyone in their teen years and above were to be killed or enslaved. And as the Book of Commands made abundantly clear, there was no leaving the Righteous Path, either; apostates were to be killed on the spot, and if the person who butchers them is their own kin, all the better, for the Lord Above approves of the sort of man who would put Him above their own sinful blood relations.
While men were permitted to ask questions of and debate readings with the priest on Yam Chag, the priest's word was final when it came to doctrines, interpretations and the lessons to be learned from the day's readings. Further pressing the issue could lead to a stern rebuke in front of the entire community, or worse, anathematization: casting the troublesome individual out of the community, denying him or her rites, and effectively outlawing them by allowing anyone else to kill them without repercussions. An anathema could only be lifted by either the High Priest himself or the priest who issued it (or if he has died before the anathematized party, his successor).
While Commands 14:1-3 teaches believers to be welcoming to foreigners and not to kick them out or kill them without provocation, this had its limits. Foreigners could still be taxed, loaned to at interest, and expect harsher sentences than 'Illamites for the same crimes (ie. the death sentence, instead of 'just' having a hand lopped off, for their first theft). They were also strictly forbidden, under pain of death, from preaching or publicly practicing their heathen religions while in 'Illamite territory. In more extreme cases, there have been stories of 'Illamites from the higher and more conservative Septs who went as far as to discriminate against other 'Illamites - born to 'Illami parents - just for having been born outside of 'Illam's borders: many were opposed to the Stewardship of Anat bet-Chabed because his Vel'elim parents were trading in an 'Awali city under Shamshi suzerainty when he was born, for instance (1 Stewards 4:6-7). Marriages with non-'Illamites were not actually illegal, but they were heavily frowned upon (even when the prophet and Steward Yuvel did it) and the 'Illamite involved could expect at least temporary ostracism for going through with it, especially in the case of 'Illamite women marrying non-'Illamite men. |
The 'Illamite calendar | The 'Illamites measured time from the creation of the world by the Lord Above, which they purported to have occurred 4,000 years before their war of liberation against the Shamshi around 10,000 AA. Therefore, instead of that war ending in 10,015 AA, as far as they were concerned it ended in 4,015 Eblath-Keris (After Creation), or EK/AC. Theirs was a lunisolar calendar, with twelve lunar months (whose beginning & end was determined by the new moon) in an approximately 354-day solar year, further divided into 7-day weeks. |
The Tree of Life and the Lifeless Tree: Salvation and damnation | The Tree of Life and its under-world mirror are generally understood to not be literal and physical constructs, but metaphorical and spiritual/extra-dimensional ones by orthodox 'Illami priests. From the Tree of Life sprouts twelve Fruits, or she'voti-mi (singl. she'vot), each representing a virtue that must be expressed & lived by believers in order to reach salvation. Those who have embraced all of the virtues to the fullest, in so doing submitting themselves wholly in mind, body and soul to the Lord Above, become those most like Him and are permitted to ascend to Heaven - Shem'el - where they will live new lives of unending peace, happiness and prosperity in the presence of the Lord Above Himself. The Fruits Above are:
- Order: Living structured, routine lives; deferring to the lawful authorities; honoring social and cultural traditions that do no grave harm; defending the social order from those who would overturn or usurp it; accepting one's place in society and not 'rocking the boat' or seeking undue social advancement. Represented by the Cardinal Archangel Ben'e-Rehman, the Prince. The associated angelic choir is that of the Malk'atim, the Crowned Ones.
- Truth: Zealous submission to religious authorities; seeking out divine insights, asking questions of the clergy but also accepting their answers instead of delving into heresy; not bothering with material possessions beyond the bare minimum required to sustain oneself; and living honestly, avoiding engaging in even white lies or lies of omission. Represented by the Archangel Hak-hulam, the Hierophant. The associated angelic choir is that of the Abelim, the Martyred Ones.
- Compassion: Giving generously and without reservation to those in need; avoiding any options to advance oneself that would hurt others; caring for the sick and elderly, and consoling the dying; defusing arguments and avoiding violence wherever possible; and standing up for those who can't defend themselves. Represented by the Archangel Cheshmal, the Caregiver. The associated angelic choir is that of the Hesedim, the Kindly Ones.
- Valor: Bravely confronting one's fears and enemies; being relentless in the pursuit of one's goals; not being afraid to seriously examine oneself, point out one's own flaws and challenge oneself to be a better person; welcoming struggle and hardship as crucibles to strengthen the self rather than fleeing from them. Represented by the Cardinal Archangel 'Ilm-Shekhar, the Conqueror. The associated angelic choir are the Berim, the Burning Ones.
- Honor: Maintaining personal integrity at all costs, from impoverishment to death; upholding any oaths one has sworn; and hunting down oathbreakers, lawbreakers, and other miscreants who violate societal or individual codes of honor. Represented by the Archangel Hodel, the Father of Honor. The associated angelic choir is that of the Geliyim, the Imposing Ones.
- Judgment: Obeying the law to its letter; aiding the authorities in pursuing those who break it; and being as perfectly just and fair to everyone as possible, without allowing personal biases to cloud one's judgment. Represented by the Archangel Gabbor, the Judge. The associated angelic choir is that of the Vernehim, the Pledged Ones.
- The World: Existing in harmony with nature, for after all the natural world was created by the Lord Above; not living beyond one's means and being content with what one already possesses instead of tearing up the earth for more; making peace between hostile parties, thereby preserving peace on earth; and, in general, reaching out and establishing connections with fellow living beings. Represented by the Cardinal Archangel Mana, the Lady of Waters. The associated angelic choir is that of the Elisim, the Watery Ones.
- Awakening: Appreciating inspiration found in others, the self or the natural world, then converting it into works of art that inspire others in turn; bringing joy and enlightenment to others; pursuing and trying to realize intangible (positive) ideals and passions. Represented by the Archangel Libanah, the Muse. The associated angelic choir is that of the Tabayim, the Heartening Ones.
- Beauty: Acknowledging the inherent beauty in others; striving to protect purity, innocence and beauty wherever it is found; falling in and pursuing love; maintaining chastity until after marriage vows between oneself and the target of one's affections have been sealed. Represented by the Archangel Tohar, the Maiden. The associated angelic choir is that of the Ishimarim, the Impassioned Ones.
- Death: Accepting that all who live die someday, and not trying to unnaturally extend one's lifespan through sorcery; avenging wrongs inflicted in the realm of the living; in general, bringing death down upon people who deserve it ahead of schedule; and not ending the lives of the innocent before their appointed time. Represented by the Cardinal Archangel La'gael, the Reaper. The associated angelic choir is that of the Ash'arim, the Scourging Ones.
- Life: Nurturing the young until they reach maturity; being curious enough to explore whatever secrets the Lord Above has scattered across the world He made; and having enough wisdom to know when to stop such searches when one approaches dangerous topics or things that should not be unleashed on the rest of creation. Represented by the Archangel Safna, the Crone. The associated angelic choir is that of the Halakhim, the Purifying Ones.
- Togetherness: Prioritizing the needs of one's community above oneself; doing no harm to the weakest members of the community, such as children or invalids; loving one's family and friends, to the point of being willing to do anything for them; and respecting the rites that add to and honor the family, from marriage to funerals. Represented by the Archangel Bianisa, the Night Mother. The associated angelic choir is that of the Kishim, the Binding Ones.
Curiously, although the Qabal makes reference to angels existing before humanity or even the world itself was created, it hardly goes into any detail about these primordial angels. Instead, all of the named archangels and angels actually elaborated upon in the Qabal's pages and in 'Illamite mystical tradition are of human origin. The 'Illamites have no problem depicting them in the form of statues, paintings and icons (in which they are invariably depicted as looking like 'Illamites themselves, when they aren't just seen as purely inhuman) since they do not worship these entities, but instead venerate them as quasi-saints of a sort and ask for their intercession before the Lord Above or for help in the Fruits that they govern in prayers. This is because the Lord Above is believed to have taken a more passive role in mortal affairs since the destruction of the last united human empire and the sundering of the ancient common tongue of men, so the angels and archangels are naturally perceived by the 'Illamites to be the more active agents of all that is good, just and orderly in the world of mortals.
Painting of the Tree of Life, which believers must (metaphorically and spiritually) climb to reach salvation | |
Beneath the Interstice lies the Lifeless Tree and its own she'voti-mi, crawling with all sorts of demons who torment and gnaw at those who died in sin: these 'Fruits Below' are twisted shadows of the Fruits Above that represent 'Illamite virtues and are associated with their angels -Tyranny, Abuse, Lies, Terror, Hostility, Torment, Greed, Gluttony, Morbidity, Lust, Longing and Annihilation. At the 'crown' of the Lifeless Tree is the Lord Below's home, where the souls of the forsaken are subjected to tortures crueler than any mortal can even begin to imagine until he grows tired of their presence and devours them, ending their existence through total annihilation. The cruelest and foulest of sinners are offered a way out of eternal torment, by forsaking whatever remains of their humanity to become full-blown demons in thrall to the Lord Below's own spawn and lieutenants, the Dark Princes and Lords who are each un-living manifestations of one of the Fruits Below. As the Lord Below has, like the Lord Above, taken a less active role in mortal affairs of late, these Dark Princes and Lords, together with their formerly-mortal demonic minions, have become the active agents of chaos and villainy in the world.
A contemporary, if more risqué than usual, mosaic of Mana, Lady of Waters and third-most important archangel in the 'Illami faith, dated to 10,457 AA | |
Artist's rendition of lesser angels and demons clashing in the Interstice | |
Since angels and demons alike are beings of pure spirit with nothing tying them to this world outside of their mortal memories and emotions, they fundamentally require (preferably living, sentient and sapient) hosts to directly function on the earth; otherwise, they are limited to trying to influence people through their dreams, visions and even drug-fueled trips, during which the consciousness' link to the physical body is weakened and becomes much easier to reach from the world of spirits. The 'Illamites naturally assume that angels only ever possess willing channelers while demons are much more likely to just force their way into people's heads, although given the record and known abilities of spirits worldwide, there really isn't any reason to suspect this is the case outside of their obvious religious bias. Those who host an Archangel or Dark Prince/Lord are known to the 'Illami as Heralds and Harbingers, respectively, and obviously tend to be much more powerful than the hosts of lesser angels and demons.
People who die and are not properly buried with rites administered by an ordained priest are doomed to wander the Interstice - lost in the void between the supernal, material and infernal realms forever, unless one side should finally prevail over the other and put them out of their misery, whether it is by finding them a place in the Tree of Life as the angels would...or devouring them, as the demons would. This is yet another reason as to why priests are so important to the 'Illami.
For more information on the assorted Archangels (Cardinal and lesser alike), Dark Princes and Lords, see posts #2-6 here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...s-Side-stories |
Holy sites and focuses of worship | 'Illamite worship was conducted in temples called shul (pl. shul'et). Each town, no matter how small, was to have a shul, and each shul - also regardless of size and significance - was to be separated into a hikal (sanctuary) where most rituals were performed; an outer courtyard; an antechamber between the hikal and courtyard, where there was a small bath for the congregants to ritually immerse themselves in before attending services; and the living quarters of the priest and his family, who after all were expected to live directly in the temple itself. Every shul was supposed to be austere in appearance and thus went undecorated, lacking much in the way of flashy ornamentation fashioned from precious metals or jewels, though the priest and his family were commanded to keep the sanctuary 'immaculate' and to light & maintain a fire in a large gilded iron cup set on the hikal's altar at sunset, for it would be the only source of light in the chamber at night - symbolic of the presence of the Lord Above as the source of light for a universe that would otherwise be suffocated by the darkness of the Lord Below.
Modern painted sketch of an 'Illamite priest reading to the congregation, c. 10,500 AA | |
Outside of the shul'et, the Lord Above was said to be present in the Arak Shau'lot, or 'great palace' - actually a large, unadorned acacia chest in which the original tablets bearing the Twelve Commandments, Yuvel's rod and Bel-Hizzar's preserved heart were stored. The Erek Shau'lot, covered in a great white-bordered blue cloth onto which the sign of the star was embroidered in pure white, was carried by a team comprised of seven chosen men, one from each of the Septs, into battle, so that the Holy Spirit of the Lord Above could manifest itself in the hearts of every 'Illamite warrior and carry them to victory. Whether present on the battlefield or stored away in the tent of the Esophim patriarchs, the Erek Shau'lot was to be always guarded by the Sacred Band.
A party of the chosen faithful carry the Arak Shau'lot into battle, c. 10,450 AA | |
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'Illami military | The 'Illamite army, much like its civil society, was supposed to be like a living creature, comprised of many cells and limbs drawn that all had different functions that could pull together to flawlessly function towards a purpose (namely, victory). Each Sept provided its own contingents, all of variable roles and sizes, but all uniformly expected to seamlessly work in unison to defeat the adversary. The Stewards were the undisputed war-leaders of the 'Illamite armies, and could appoint and dismiss a rudimentary command staff (ahem, 'war council') and subordinate commanders solely from the Sept of Rechab. Though often outnumbered (the inevitable result of relying on purely 'Illami families, clans and tribes to provide manpower instead of reaching out to subjugated peoples like the Shamshi did), the 'Illamite armies were noted for their great courage and iron discipline - after all, not one man among their ranks was supposed to be fighting for personal glory or enrichment (and in fact the priests and Qabal warned, more than once, that divine punishment awaited those prideful or greedy enough to try), but rather for the glory of the Lord Above alone.
The Esophim contributed two types of warriors: their priests, who in truth were not warriors but certainly hung around to give the 'Illami army spiritual leadership and morale boosts with their presence, prayers and the Arak Shau'lot, and the Sacred Band. Of the former, 'Illamite war-priests were said to wield their magical powers by the grace of the Lord Above, and if true this would explain some of the feats attributed to them in the Qabal that are supposed to be beyond ordinary mages' abilities. The first of these instances was the Siege of Ahi (a walled 'Awali town near the mouth of the Hasbana that had been occupied by the Enezi) soon after the death of Yuvel, where the 'Illamite army's priests sang, danced and blew trumpets around the city walls for seven days, as instructed to by the Steward Simcha and the prophet Nab'el bet-Fab'el. On the seventh day, when they blew their trumpets to honor the Lord Above, the walls crumbled (1 Stewards, 18:1-7).
Regardless of whether the priests of 'Illam were able to directly call upon the Lord Above, what is certain is that at a minimum, magically endowed or not, they would have led soldiers in prayer sessions for victory and administered abbreviated rites of shomayn before battles, so that any 'Illamite who dies on the battlefield would be able to go to the afterlife immediately even if 'Illam was defeated. Priestly mages conducted rituals to invoke the Archangels' blessings and were less likely to fight on the front lines than the mages of the Kan'ahite sept: instead, they frequently worked just to enchant the equipment of the soldiers - sharpening blades and spears beyond what an Iron Age smith with a grindstone could do, weaving enchantments into a bundle of arrows so that each arrow could change its course mid-air to seek out foes, or inscribing Primal runes into shields so that they could be used to nullify enemy magicks - and to heal the wounded. In a time when the most advanced medicine was a herbal poultice or drink, boiling wine was the best known antiseptic, anesthetics were unknown and the concept of keeping surgical environments & equipment sterile was unheard of, having a priest on hand to cleanse and mend one's injuries by magic often meant the difference between survival and an excruciating, drawn-out death from a botched surgery or infection for many 'Illamite wounded.
Reenactor portraying a high-ranking Esophite, probably a son of the High Priest, attired for combat | |
The latter was an elite regiment comprised of male Esophim youth, mostly between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, who were divided into two corps: one of infantry and one of cavalry, led by veteran officers who stayed part of the Sacred Band long after their twenty-first birthday. Their equipment was described in detail in 1 Stewards 6:1-20: each man wore white linen clothing and a gilded helmet of bronze, a vest of gilded iron scales, and gilded greaves and gauntlets for armor, regardless of whether they fought on foot or horseback. The infantry were to be armed with an iron-headed, ash-shafted spear approximately 2 m in length; an iron-bladed hacking sword, ax or cudgel; a long curved iron dagger, as a secondary weapon; and a round wooden shield, large enough to cover their torso and neck, set in an iron frame, covered in a thin sheet of bronze which in turn was engraved with the words 'TEL MIT EL-BEL-AZER' or 'Trust In The Lord Above' (one of the 'Illamites' most prolific battle-cries) and infused with Primal magic so as to forcibly disperse any Quintessence that came close to striking it, essentially nullifying or at least reducing the impact of magical attacks directed at the wielder. The cavalry wielded a two-handed, iron-headed lance approximately 3-3.5 m in length in place of the infantry spear, and swapped out the round shield for a smaller crescent-shaped one. This Sacred Band functioned as an elite reserve force on the battlefield in most cases, and off it, as the guards of the Arak Shau'lot, a duty which they took as seriously as their status in society; anyone caught trespassing anywhere near the Arak Shau'lot was to be killed on the spot, and any non-Sacred Band soldier caught with a Sacred Band shield was also to be killed on sight.
Those Esophites who were born with talent for magic but didn't feel like being the healers, clerics and enchanters of the 'Illamite army invariably remained with the Sacred Band. They were veteran holy warriors whose rite of confirmation involved cutting their forearm to swear a blood-oath binding them to the Archangel who best reflected their powers and personality, and they almost always served as officers alongside the 'mundanes' who stuck around past their 21st birthday. Their power, though already latent during their prior service in the Sacred Band, would be amplified to new heights by the grace of the Archangel they just swore themselves to: a man whose powers belonged to the Sphere of Prime and who was sworn to Ben'e-Rehman could nullify enemy magicks with sheer will, another who belonged to the Sphere of Forces and had bound himself to 'Ilm-Shekhar could cut himself to set his weapon alight with a fire so hot that any water thrown at it simply boils into steam, and so on. While it was theoretically still possible for a sufficient number of mundane opponents to bring one of these 'paladins' down, they almost never fought alone outside of pre-arranged duels with enemy champions so as to avoid this exact outcome as often as they could.
Drawing of Esophim priests leveling Ahi's walls with the aid of the Lord Above while the Sacred Band cheers, c. 10,030-60 AA | |
After the Esophim, the Kan'ahim chiefly contributed war-mages to the 'Illamite fighting forces. They were, after all, the sept dedicated to the study, refinement and application of the magical arts, including those which could be used in battle. When people think of 'Illamite wizards flinging around fireballs or bursts of unearthly energy while shouting praise to the Lord Above, they're thinking of the Kan'ahites, who indeed took on a front-line role quite unlike the majority of the sept above theirs. Small numbers of Kan'ahite mages were embedded into Sacred Band, Esophite and Derorite contingents, on an average of one magus for every 20 men. They supported the mundane fighters from afar with their war magick: whether it was throwing around fireballs or thunderbolts, performing on-the-spot emergency healing to save wounded casualties so they'd survive long enough to be tended to by the Esophim, or forming barriers of Quintessence to protect their comrades from arrows and magical attacks alike. Kan'ahim rarely fought armored (so as to be able to maneuver and focus more easily without the sensation of heavy equipment weighing them down) and therefore could be dispatched by an arrow they didn't see coming or any halfwit who got close enough to them with a club in hand, nor could they target an opponent they couldn't see or launch their spells over the same distance as an arrow or sling-bullets, necessitating the presence of other soldiers to ensure they didn't get slaughtered a few minutes into a battle.
A Kan'ahite magus parts the mist for the mundane soldiers and archers trailing behind him | |
Of course, not all members of the second 'Illamite sept were cut out for combat. Those Kan'ahim who lacked the courage to fight, were reluctant to shed blood, or simply weren't as gifted at combat magic as their peers still had their brains and scholarly education, so they could contribute as cartographers, siege engineers and logisticians in the 'Illamite army - though naturally, they were hardly as well-known as their war-mages. Accordingly, Those Who Write combined scouts' reports with what their own magical senses could pick up to draw maps, designed battering rams and catapults, mapped out where to dig trenches and sappers' tunnels for maximum effect during sieges, and ensured that the army had enough rations to sustain itself and warned the Steward when supplies were running low in these respective capacities.
Kan'ahite scribes taking inventory of an 'Illamite army's supplies, c. 10,350 AA | |
The Rechabim, as the tribe and later de-facto caste of warriors, provided the overwhelming majority of 'Illam's standing soldiers. They were available as a body of several thousand highly trained and well-equipped fighters, having been drilled in the ways of war from childhood, and were apparently divided into three corps: infantry, cavalry and archers. The infantry and cavalry were armored uniformly: they were attired in iron helmets, cuirasses comprised of a breastplate of iron scales and a back-plate made of pressed linens, and iron gauntlets and greaves, to be worn over white and red clothing and leather gloves & shoes or sandals. Their archers went without the cuirass or gauntlets, instead keeping only the helm and greaves. Officers and distinguished soldiers were permitted to coat their armor with a thin sheet of brass, setting themselves apart from their subordinates and peers without trying to copy the gilded armor of the Esophite Sacred Band and thereby disrespecting their social superiors.
According to 1 Stewards 7:1-12, most Rechabite infantrymen wielded iron swords, axes and maces together with light square-shaped wicker shields, with one in four men instead carrying a short pike about 4-5 m in length and a small round wooden shield that could be strapped to their wrist; their strategy was for the pikemen to form the front line of a four-rank-deep block formation, capable of either fighting defensively as the core of a fixed battle line (presenting a phalanx of sorts to the foe) or offensively as a mobile assault square, capable of operating independently under their own officers or together in a larger group. When on the attack, these squares would rush to clash with the foe; the pikemen would engage first and lock the enemy down, while the men behind them fanned out and tried to flank or otherwise bullrushed the enemy with their hand weapons, which were better suited to close combat than the long and unwieldy pike.
Rechabite cavalry reportedly wielded two-handed lances and crescent-shaped shields like the heavy cavalry of the Sacred Band, and fought in an identical manner - as heavy shock cavalry which wielded enough discipline to charge an enemy formation, then peel away to reform and charge again, over and over until the foe was broken. Where they differed was that one in five Rechabite riders rode camels instead of horses, and these appear to have been deployed as anti-cavalry cavalry.
A fully armed Rechabite soldier in brass-coated iron armor, c. 10,500 AA | |
After the Rechabites came the Derorites, who typically only provided the 'Illamite army with horses, camels and beasts of burden instead of actually fighting - someone had to stay behind to run the farms, after all. However, when they did appear on the battlefield, they were described as a uniformly cavalry force (1 Stewards 22:3-7 and 29:5-16, among other mentions). In these Qabali passages, the Derorim were said to have entered battle in dressed 'gleaming helmets of brass and iron, from which sprang feathers dyed in the colors of the rainbow, and vests of alternating bronze and iron scales that glimmered in the sun', and besides functioning as yet more medium and heavy cavalry they were also the only known 'Illami to still field chariots. These chariots, according to both the Qabal and scant reports on confrontations with the 'Illami from the Shamshi, were lighter than 'Awali and Shamshi standard: they were quite small, supported by spoked wheels (like any sane charioteer's vehicle by this point in time...), pulled by a single horse and supported a two-man crew, comprised of a Severite or Shurite driver and the Derorite aristocrat; the latter would fight chiefly with the bow and arrow - unlike 'Awali chariots, 'Illami ones did not tend to directly charge into enemy ranks - though he also carried both a pike and a sword or ax with which to defend himself in close combat. Derorim chariots were reportedly not as fast as the three-horse, three-man vehicles favored by the 'Awali and later Shamshi, but they were more nimble and able to execute risky turns or navigate rough terrain with less difficulty.
A Derorite chariot contingent bearing down upon a Shamshi battle line ahead of the rest of the 'Illamite army, c. 10,500 AA | |
The Vel'elim who came after the Sept of Deror were not known to be a particularly warlike tribe, especially considering they were chiefly merchants and traders. Yet their skill as explorers also made them excellent light cavalry and infantry, at least better than the Severites and Shurites beneath them. Vel'elite soldiers were described in only a few Qabal passages, as men who 'wore helmets of burnished but plain iron' and rode 'fleet-footed horses and camels'. It can be assumed that they wore little to no armor, in comparison to the much more heavily armored upper castes' soldiers, and would thus have served chiefly as skirmishers and scouts, racing ahead of the main army to find the enemy; screening the advance of their own forces; covering retreats; and peeling away from the main host to needle the opposition's flanks and rear. The Vel'elites were also known to put their money to better use in hiring mercenaries, who in all likelihood would have been better fighters than they (as, again, a tribe of merchants and not trained warriors) were anyway.
A Vel'elite javelineer, c. 10,500 AA | |
Finally, the Severim and Shurim made up the bulk of an 'Illami army, providing masses of poorly trained and unarmored but zealous light troops capable of working with the heavier upper-Sept soldiers. Like most other lower-class conscript troops of this time period and region, they probably had no armor and fought with slings and bows, crude short spears, farming implements or tools turned into weapons (ex. straightened scythes, smiths' hammers, kitchen knives, etc) and carried at best wicker shields for protection. More Severim appear to have been armed with melee weapons and tasked with supporting the heavier Rechabites in close combat, while for the Shurim it was the other way around - they were chiefly skirmishers.
Severim and Shurim about to charge an Enezi column immobilized by sudden flooding, c. 10,350 AA | |
Modern military historians have managed to reconstruct the way an 'Illami army with all seven Septs present would have operated: their preferred formation seems to have been the fairly standard infantry center + cavalry on the wings + a reserve. Of the first, the Rechabites would have been stationed at the very center, creating a disciplined and armor-clad core around which Severim light infantry would stand; the Shurim and Vel'elim would form a loosely-ordered screen of missile troops in front of this tightly-knit block of infantry. The cavalry on the flanks were posted a long ways away from the infantry, opening them to the risk of being outflanked but also strengthening the 'Illami horsemen and chariots' own ability to outflank the foe in turn. The Sacred Band would remain in reserve with a handful of Shurim and Severim, to be committed at decisive moments or to cover a retreat in case of defeat.
The Righteous Many seem to have fought quite aggressively and made effective use of combined arms if the Qabal is any indication, with the infantry rushing to engage the enemy's own center after a preliminary exchange of missiles while their cavalry circled 'round the flanks, engaged and hopefully routed the enemy's own cavalry, and then plunging into the unprotected flanks or rear of the enemy army. Of course, there were times when this formation was changed up - for example, the posting of the Sacred Band to reinforce the Rechabim in the center, or the placement of the cavalry closer to the center than usual, and there were plenty of battles where not all of the Septs participated - but, by and large, this appears to have been the 'Illamite default battle arrangement. |
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