Karaslaa

Karaslaa is the primary religion of the people of the Kaspari Empire. Unlike most religions, Karaslaa makes no statement as to the nature of the gods; only that they exist. Even whether there is but one god or many is not discussed in Karaslaa - what is put forward is a codified philosophy of how to behave in a society.
Karaslaa Law divides all actions into five major groups: That which is Required, That which is Encouraged, That which is Tolerated, That which is Discouraged, and That which is Forbidden.
*Forbidden actions are those which are heinous in the eyes of civilized people and their enlightened gods. Such actions are foul and savage, and usually those who engage in these activities are put to death.
**Willful eating of human flesh
**Murder of the innocent
**Spreading the belief that no gods exist
**Disobeying the word of the Caliph
**Threatening the Caliph, his court, of the lands entrusted to his rule
**Malicious theft: This is defined as stealing a man's livelihood or cheating him of the bulk of his belongings.
**Enslavement of fellow Karaslaa
*Discouraged actions are those which are unpleasing in the eyes of civilized people and their enlightened gods. While they are wrong, they do not carry the heavy onus of the forbidden acts, and the criminal may be expected to make restitution to the offended party.
**Common Theft
**Assault
**Murder with just cause, such as cases of self-defense or war
**Bribery
**Reckless Endangerment
**Public Drunkenness
**Destruction of Property (including slaves)
**Fraud (including bearing false witness) and slander
**Actions against the agents of the Caliph and/or his subordinate rulers
**Preventing others from engaging in tolerated actions
**Breaking curfew
*Tolerated actions are those which are merely permitted as a daily part of life. These are basic rights of enlightened citizens. No punishment is meted out for them, nor is any reward granted.
**Trade (including making loans)
**Worship of one's god in the open mosque
**Public celebration (including smoking and drinking, though not to excess)
**Free speech and discourse, provided that it does not defame or slander others
*Encouraged actions are those which are most pleasing to enlightened men and their gods. These are the marks of true civilization, and the individual performing them is valued as a pillar of his community. If tolerated actions represent basic freedoms, then encouraged actions represent virtues and attributes desired by civilized people. One who shows these attributes may expect more mercy from the court than one who does not.
**Conversion of the unenlightened
**Tolerance of others
**Charity and hospitality
**Paying taxes
*Required actions are those which are fundamentally necessary for the maintenance of civilization, and flying in the face of these actions may be determined to be treason, heresy, and/or slander against the state.
**Belief in a god or gods
**Obedience to the proclamations of the Caliph
==History of Karaslaa==
The laws of Karaslaa take their name from the prophet and first Caliph, Karas Odori. Born in Wahana, Odori grew up among the nomads of the Zarahn Tribe in the Dulqa. At the age of 19, Odori wandered away from his tribe in the middle of the night. Search parties were unable to find the young man, and the tribe moved on a few days later, assuming that Odori had died in the desert. A few weeks later, however, Odori reappeared, bearing a set of calligraphied scrolls. He had no memory of his time away from the tribe. After having the scrolls he carried read to him (for he was illiterate), he realized they contained a list of laws and proscriptions, which became the basis of the Karaslaa religion.
Odori sought to unite the various tribes of the Dulqa under these laws, but he was banished by his arrogant father, the Sheikh of the Zarahn Tribe. He gathered his close friends and new followers and set out for Qudrah to join the Tekkabi Tribe, who accepted his teachings. Odori began to get the surrounding villages under his sway. By the time of his death, the teachings of Karaslaa had spread over a large portion of the Dulqa, and they continued to spread for generations afterward.
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Category:Religions