The Cult of Void

The Cult of Void is a religion in Middle Deyah.

Followers
Followers of Void are Zerrikanian Sultanate (official state religion), parts of Villianese Duchy (several minor clans).

Basic Principles
- beyond our world lies the Void. It is both an 'entity', a 'system' and a higher level of consciousness. Throughout your life, it observes you and in your death it judges you.

- the main goal of human life is to search for perfection by attaining a balance of four disciplines, or 'strengths'. If one cannot achieve this, the consequences will effect his/her life drastically. Strength of the Arm - physical strength, health, courage in battle; failure to achieve this results in weak health and a life of constant fear. Strength of the Heart - self-sacrificing, helping/guiding others without expecting reward; failure to achieve this results in greed and repulsiveness. Strength of the Mind - wisdom, bravery to experiment and share new knowledge; failure to achieve this results in dumbness and being easily manipulated. Strength of the Soul - struggle to achieve balance between the previous three 'strengths'; failure to achieve this results in a twisted personality- perfection cannot be achieved in one lifetime, but if you did your best you'll reincarnate and get a new chance to reach greater heights.

- by that token, life is pre-destined to a certain extent; people are NOT born equal. People are born to social classes depending on their earlier lives, but they DO have the ability to change their lives' course - a beggar can enlist to the army and become a great fighter, or an antisocial noble can be banished from his rank by the Sultan, etc.

- you do NOT have to 'worship' the Void to become a great man/woman, but having a strong faith DOES help a lot to achieve perfection so long as it does not turn into blind fanaticism.

- in life, you must be humble and try your best to realize your own potential (train, study, be self-aware). If you notice greatness in others, help them utilize it (ie. a slave is a good farm worker - grant him freedom and some land in exchange of some tribute/tax).

- a bad personality is the result of imbalance of 'strengths' which may be indirectly caused by other persons (ie. abusive parents).

- you shouldn't look down anyone based on social/cultural background alone - any people can have qualities that you do not possess yourself. Follow good examples and ignore/pity the bad ones. Do not envy others.

- it is always useful to have help, but TRUE greatness can only be achieved on your own. Those who can't help themselves are often chained down by their own incompetence rather than outside influences. It is noble to help them, but they do not deserve your sympathy.

- when you die, three possible fates can await you: you either reincarnate, be consumed for failing to utilize your inner strength, or become one with the Void itself (which counts as reaching perfection).

Clergy
There is an organized church in service of the Void, called plainly the Church of the Void. Its structure is based on the four 'strengths', as such the church operates numerous facilities. The actual number of priests (who embody the 'soul') is low, but they have incredible influence and are each exceptionally talented individuals. The church is led by the Minister of Faith, who is appointed by the Zerrikan Sultan from the ranks of the priests. Other groups within the church include preachers/community workers ('heart'), scientists ('mind') and powerful religious warriors ('arm'). The Church of the Void does not give a damn about social/cultural/ethnic background nor gender so long as a member performs his/her duties well, but advancing in the ranks is a very slow and demanding progress.

Faith Troops
"I see the fear in your eyes and the trembling in your legs; I feel your thoughts... you fear the end of your pitiful existence, yet you never showed sympathy for those you exploited... you disgust us. You deserve all that awaits you. Brace yourself for oblivion, for we shall cleanse the world from the disgrace of your existence."

(Night Stalker of the Void, a minute prior to rending apart a depraved Adenian noble) Faith Troops of the Void commonly wear initmidating dark metal armors and are renowned for their lack of emotion or sympathy. Their fighting skills border near superhuman qualities but in fact they were achieved through rigid training and discipline. They do not guide common people - this task is for the clergy. Rather, their task is to weed out those of weak spirit by slaughtering them and thus sending their souls to the Void to be consumed or reincarnated.

Quotes
Our religion is perhaps the most misunderstood and mistreated of all. Many people think of the Void as something sinister, and, at the same time, refuse to get to know it better, as if it was easier and safer for them to continue believing in lies. As a knower, yet not fanatic worshiper of the Void, I decided to take my time summing up the main pillars of our religion, so our neighbors may interpret and understand it easier in due time. What is the Void ? A world beyond ours. A different form of existence. A system. An entity. Words fail to provide us with an exact description. But its nature and functions are described clearly in the TOME OF ABYSS, the holy book of the Zerrikanian priests: "When a human dies, its soul shall pass on, into the Void, where it is judged: if found weak, but holds some chance for strength if given the opportunity, or found strong, but with the potential of becoming even stronger, these souls are sent back to the mortal world to prove themselves again. Souls who fail to prove strength over and over again, shall be consumed and lost forever, just like souls who oppress the weak with an iron fist and take away any chance to prove themselves. Souls with unmatched faith, strength and devotion will become one with the Void, and judge souls along with it." However, "strength" and "being strong" does not necessarily refer to muscles. "Strength" is divided into 4 categories, according to the Tome: Strength of the Arm (physical strength, endurance and courage in battle), Strength of the Mind (sciences, courage to experiment, discover and share knowledge), Strength of the Heart (making sacrifices for the sake of others), and Strength of the Soul (struggle to find balance between the previous three Strengths). The fact that someone actually worships the Void or not matters little, if any, though my fellow scholars say that persons with a strong faith are probably judged more kindly. In the Zerrikanian Sultanate, these beliefs strongly influenced the social structure and everyday life of people. Everyone is born equally: even the Sultan's own children don't have more rights than those of the peasants'. To get higher rank, they must prove themselves as they mature. As such, almost every noblemen pays a great attention to the teaching and training of their children, so they may become just as influential as their parents by the time they grow up. As for the peasantry and the slaves, they have to work hard and pray that their efforts and/or talents will be spotted one day, as the law clearly says that such people must be promoted, accordingly to their services and skills. This inspires many to work hard or start studies. There are many tales of peasants whose descendants eventually became Immortals, and what to say, such stories are not without a basic. From time to time, warriors emerge with a seemingly unnatural strength and focused mind. Their Zerrikanian names are hard to translate, but most came to know them as "Dark Knights" or "Devourers" - mortal manifestations of the Void, judges of mankind. Before their awakening, these "creatures" usually spend decades in the body of an Immortal until something in their soul reminds them of their real duty: sorting out the weak, and sending souls directly to the Void. It is said that those who slay a Devourer are destined to become one as well in their next life. While the Void might seem as a monstrous "thing" to many, it is actually a just religion, which spawned a just social order. Tens of thousands of former slaves and peasants could back up this claim. I hope my work will part the clouds of ignorance and reveal the true nature of our morals, our beliefs, and one day help the people of this continent to accept each other better. The Void teaches us to be selective about moral values, not nationality or social status. This is something all peoples should learn.

- Mustafar Al-Rasam, Theologian of the Void

'''Zerrikanian Sultanate, Kazum city, 1224. May 8.'''