Monastic New Tapphism

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## New Tapphism

### Diety

Tapphos, Erdeweber, The Four Forces, Dugus

### Quotes

"Praise Tapphos. Revere Erdeweber. Mind the Four."

### Symbols

The Tapphic Icon (credit to EasternCanadian for updated icon)

**Monastic Tapphism**, or New Tapphism is an old-world faith recognized as the official state religions of the Holy Tapphic State, Empire of Iyadtium (designated Iyadixi), Iscalic Kingdom and Tennish Empire (in the form Tennish Dugist worship). Originating from Tapphic nomads that once clung to the harsh wild, this religion focuses on the cosmic weaver **Tapphos,** the spider creation god and enlightened inheritor of the world. New Tapphism recognizes a second and third deity, **Erdeweber**, the web of the universe, and the veins of Yad, and **Dugus**, the god of change, bringer of war and art, and antagonist of Tapphos. The current Ganzseher of the religion is Ganzseher De'moda, who resides in the holy center of the religion at Khulmiu-Faira

Tapphic faith dictates that the cosmological order of the Universe rests upon the perfect system Tapphos built, after his escape from the old one through Enlightenment. Using the veins of the old world Yad, he pulled into shape the machinations of the modern world, which take the form of the deity Erdeweber, the cosmic string forest, to bind and hold the universe together. These two deities hold in balance a set of forces that, though bounded tightly, may be opposed by the swinging Dugus, as a result spreading both change and annihilation. Before this, it is believed Yad had held the balance of the universe. The ultimate goal of a Tapphic monk is to attain enlightenment and follow Tapphos into a unified state transcending causation and suffering.

## History

Old Tapphism originated not within the now most prominent worshipers in The Holy Tapphic State, but instead from the prophet **Silthusa** within a Pre-Tapphic civilization in Iaadithis. Once worshipping a full pantheon, the pre-Tapphic people had many local gods, specific to regions they had extended over and often epithets for pre-existing deities of those that lived there. The **Kalchiteka** describes in vague passages the nature of entities that can be traced to this pantheon. Just as well, Dugus can find his origins around this time, as a representation of the monsters that forced a nomadic lifestyle on the pre-Tapphic peoples. It seems that at some point the prophet Silthusa had experienced a powerful transformative event: on the evening of a migration, he had heard a small voice pleading for his attention. He directed it towards the source of the noise, and found a white spider. It described to him the location of a mountain, to which he was lead. The spider, who's was the god Tapphos, explained the true nature of the Universe, and it's bound unity, as everything was connected. This seemingly resonated with pre-existing beliefs regarding balanced elemental aspects of reality. As Silthusa reached the mountain, the spider bit him, and he fell under a deep sleep. When he awoke, he became enlightened, and the Nomads were gone. As he had found, they had been slaughtered on the journey, which solidified Silthusa as Tapphos' chosen and the founding prophet of the old Tapphic faith. From there Silthusa travelled the world, attempting to spread the faith to the other nomads, before dying with a modest following and a well curated set of Tapphic philosophical texts, including the most important of these to the Tapphics: The Kalchiteka.

## Tapphic Deities & Entities

### Tapphos the Enlightened

Tapphos (originally Tawos, often still pronounced as such) is the head deity of the pantheon, described as a white spider, legs splayed in tension. Tapphos is the god of Order, Divine Mechanism, and the Unknowable Secrets of the universe. After the Blood Moon, it was revealed that Tapphos had found enlightenment (breaking of barriers between the self and the rest of the universe, thereby escaping it) within the corpse of the Elder God Yad. This is said to be where he manifested Erdeweber for the first time. Through this, he also learned of Yad's heart, an ethereal/mental construct that allowed control over energy conservation and universal symmetry: alchemical transmutation. Tapphos has very little in the way of a personality, or extreme tendency, however is shown on more than one occasion to employ cunning actions to reach goals, and is often poetic in it's speech patterns. Often, Tapphos will appear in dreams with it's counterpart, though sometimes it takes form and works within the world. It operates within Old Tapphism as it's primary object of worship. In New Tapphism, it still retains worship, though along with it's web, and is now more of a paragon to exemplify than merely a god. It is recognized as a transcendent living agent, unlike the four aspects. Tapphos is called upon when the state of the world, the Tapphic peoples, or the greater area of Khulmiu-Faira, is threatened in order to restore balance and reconnect strings. This is most evident when regarding the Tennu/Constidel-Albian War, in which Tapphos spoke to the participants prophesizing the destruction of Albia, of who had previously refused to acknowledge the balance seeking mandate of Tapphos.

In the Iyadtine tradition of Iyadixi, Tapphos is revered as the inheritor of Yad's divine mandate, and holds the role of guardian of the Overworld. Where once he existed (metaphysically) within Yad, after her death he experienced a moment of deep unity with the Universe, and subsequently "woke up". After this, he gathered the blood vessels of Yad and created what he saw as a perfectly balanced system. It's currently suspected that, within Pre-Tapphic civilization, Tapphos existed as a dream and prophecy deity. This is corroborated by the frequency by which he interacts with his followers within dreams. As such, Iyadixi also attributes this aspect to him.

### Erdeweber

Erdeweber, the living string deity, is described as an innumerable set of red strings connecting everything. The idea that the previously "Earth Web" was its own entity was first coined by Ganzseher De'moda in his youth. Later along, it is discovered that the god existed in mythos as Yad, in some form lost to history. In Gewebe, the first Kaiser started the tradition of personifying Erdeweber in the form of the ruling Kaiser. Due to this, Erdeweber has had a strong connection to the ruling king of Gewebe. Since the former Kaiser Lettcor's ascension to Inkarnate of Erdeweber, the role of Inkarnate is used to denote the rightful heir to the seat of Iyadtium's Primiyadt . Originally, it is represented by a forest of colossal red strings. Erdeweber is the deity of Fate, Unity, and Weighted decisions/objects, as it's tension dictates the state all of these aspects within the world. Erdeweber also has the unique position of acting as the tentative afterlife for all worshippers of Tapphism, unifying all living things within a cosmic web. When a Tapphic citizen dies, a ritual is preformed involving the sewing of all orifices' shut, and the tying of the person to stones that will eventually take the body into the ground. It is believed that after this, the citizen becomes a string in the web, and through this becomes a new object, force, or idea in our universe. When a soul becomes another living being, it is believed that soul has reincarnated and has a new chance to become enlightened.

Old Tapphic tradition also dictates that when a string of Erdeweber is cut, either by Dugic magics or sinful acts, only misfortune and evil can result. Disunion is a great sin with this tenet in place, which transfers into the modern practice. In addition, with the modern interpretation, it can be argued that any evil action is met with the death of a string, and the release of an angry spirit which may then come in the form of banditry or animal attacks. More prominent mystic texts describe in detail the set of larger scale consequences of severing a string, metaphorically or otherwise, ranging from the previously mentioned effects to catastrophic upheaval of certain facets of reality. Newer branches of Tapphism debate these claims, recognizing instead that sin is contingent upon the perpetrator, bringing harm to him or herself.

Iyadixi views Erdeweber as simultaneously the great Mother of Iyadtium, and the tester of true wisdom. Her position as both the patron of the Iyadtine state, and as the source of Unity and Reincarnation, endows Erdeweber with a grave role as the warden of reality. She acts as the psychopomp which brings souls to Tapphos to become new strings, and as the cage locking potential enlightened from escape. She decides if those few are ready to escape into the glory of Tapphos, the former station of Yad, and release themselves from continued suffering.

#### Ka, Ta, Pa, and Xa

New Tapphism recognizes four fundamental aspects of Erdeweber integral to the unity of this world. Though not inherently worshipped, or named as deities themselves, these forces are the only mode of communication with the divine for those followers across Iaddithis. Their roots can be traced back all the way to pre-Tapphic nomadic traditions.

These forces are **Ka, Ta, Pa, and Xa**. They represent balanced systems of four, and can also represent cyclic systems.

**Ka** is the aspect found in the form of the fire, the east, the spirit, and the season of summer. It is balanced with the aspect of **Pa**, that which represents water, the west, the soul, and the season of winter. Just as well, **Ta** represents the earth, the south, the body and the season of spring, while **Xa** represents the air, the north, the mind, and the season of autumn. These aspects are not limited to what is described and may encompass the totality of existence, and Tapphic philosophers debate to this day which parts of existence may be linked to which aspect.

In everyday worship, Tapphic followers may offer sacrifice to any of these four aspects to keep peace, or a blood sacrifice to that they find out of balance and ward off Dugus. Too much of one aspect may require a sacrifice to it's antithesis. Too little may require meditation within the aspects altar itself. Wild imbalances may go to Tapphos himself.

In Iyadixi, the 4 Maidens are somewhat more viewed as personalities of Erdeweber, instead of physical forces. This explains why all of them take the form of woman, like Erdeweber. The goddesses representing their stations have begun to integrate with the forces themselves, and now have become a stand in for them when doing Tapphic magic rituals. Each of these aspects, and their deities, act as patrons for the states which host their worship the most.

##### Pa-type (Pal'tora/Faira)

Pal’tora is the Tapphic goddess of love, life, fortune, intoxication, gatherings, the oceans of Iaddithis, and the element of Pa. She is often, if not always, characterized as the bride of Tapphos. Her story can be found in the List of Publicized Tapphic Documents. Once the Highest Follower of Ganzseher De’moda, Faira has since been elevated to deity status as a protector of the sanctity of love and the independent will of living beings. She is considered the Inkarnate of Pal'tora via her death, and as such may be referred to by either name. As the protector of the City-State of Tapphos, much of it’s success is dependent on her fortune. Considering the close relationship De’moda had to Faira during her lifetime, the days dedicated to her are viewed especially seriously and to be treated with reverence. Pal’tora is attributed the currents of both the waters of the world and of emotion, and every drop of blood within the hearts of living things is considered her favor.

Pal’tora Faira is the epithet of Pal’tora that generally refers to her as the Goddess patron of the Holy Tapphic State, and the mortal woman that was once known as Faira. Though Tapphos is the head god of the Pantheon, it is often said that Pal’tora protects the state upon which Tapphos is worshipped. As such, she is the hostess of the Tapphic hearth, bringer of mirth and liquor, and may obtain more of Tapphos’ godly duties when worshipped in such a capacity. In this regard she also holds domain over the state of intoxication, which leaves men in the throes of emotion and flowing thoughts. Some say it is why the Ganzseher is frequently found drunk. She is closely related to the elephant [Tapphic: Alphaant, a mythologized version of the animal] and is associated with the colors blue and pink.

##### Xa-type (Ibixuu/Ke'kau)

*Ibixuu* - The goddess of Avacyn, Ibixuu has taken a place in the New Tapphic pantheon for her incredible wisdom and purifying light. As she is recognized for destroying the overworld monsters, she boasts the sky, motherhood, the daytime, magnetism, astral knowledge, and the element of Xa as her domain. Ibixuu Avazi is the epithet that represents Avacyn as worshiped in the nation bearing the same name. As such, when referring to Ibixuu Avazi, it is synonymous with Avacyn and may be substituted at the discretion of the speaker. Notably, Ibixuu within the Tapphic pantheon has taken up many more roles than the other gods, representing in many regional myths the sister of Tapphos, Ibixuu is worshiped and respected in many capacities during certain events dedicated to her, such as the Sunlight Festival.

Ibixuu has a close relationship to the Owl, and it is often used as her symbol in Tapphic faith. It is said that Ibixuu was once trapped within Tapphos' web after being tricked by Ke'kgau. She then quickly realized that he, like herself, was once caged within his own web. Further, she saw that he had escaped the web, and that so perhaps she too may one day. Tapphos, upon understanding that Ibixuu could clearly see the universe to such an extent, was stunned and granted her a gift designed to defeat Ke'kgau: perfect understanding of the mechanics of the web, the universe, and reality, through enlightened eyes. She would never again be trapped within the web, for her clarity of vision ensured she saw the truth.

During the events leading up to the Bloodmoon, Ibixuu remained trapped within the head of Ganzseher De’moda, and used her knowledge to ensure his survival, as well as endowing him with understanding of magic and astral phsyics. Afterwards, she was placed within Latt, the current Inkarnate of both her personalities.

*Ke’kgau* - It should be noted that Ibixuu, like Avacyn, self-hosts her anti-thesis. Ke’kgau acts as a perfect opposite to Ibixuu, hosting the mental domains of ignorance, fog, nighttime, the moon, and repulsive forces. Her presence degrades the mind of her victims. Her animal association is a Raven. When posed with the same dilemma as Ibixuu, Ke’kgau was ignorant of the web, and haughty. She was killed, and every cycle sees her ensnared and trapped for another few thousand years. Ke’kgau represents Kaguya as is within the Avazi (Avacyn) faith.

Ke’kgau is seen as the deity responsible for the mental degradation of DVX Latt, as well as the creator of the Blood Moon spell, and the founder of Fascist Avacyn. After the Ganzseher placed Ibixuu within Latt, the two became balanced, and maintained a stable state in which Ibixuu had victory over Ke'kgau. They would no longer fight to keep power each other in a mental cataclysm known as the Eternal Sunrise.

### Dugus

Dugus is the Tapphic God of War, Annihilation, Art, Mystery, and Change, as revealed by the dreams of Ganzseher De'moda, the revelations of Tennu, and Tapphos during the first battle of the First World War. Dugus was once considered an old God; originally this deity was simply a ghastly spirit, a representation of the monsters of Iaddithis. The New Tapphic Pantheon recognizes that this is an illusion, representative of the turmoil of the day. Dugus is split into 4 “faces”, each standing for an "anti-type" opposing one of the Four Forces. It should be noted that an anti-type is not simply the element that opposes one specific force within the Tapphic Icon. It is simply something that annihilates the force entirely instead of dispersing the energy outward, and specifically represents an aspect of Dugus' internal motivations instead of a natural or real force.

Ganzseher De'moda has speculated that there are Gods for each anti-type, however this has not been proven.

The Dugal Cycle of Aspects goes as follows:

The first is the Herald: the Anti-Air, the Baboon, the Earthshaker. It is a four headed, eight-armed primate with a ring like crown. In it’s left hand is a scale, the judgement of action, or the count of all strings broken in some myths. In it’s right is a net filled with stones, that when shaken trigger catastrophe. It is the aspect that made itself known to Ganzseher De’moda in the time leading up to the First World War. It is also the aspect that is referenced as the entity Dugus, by both scripture and Tapphos himself

Second is the Artist, represented by a human, also with the previous anatomical traits. It is the Anti-Water. It carries a hammer, made to bang against the strings of Erdeweber, and a paintbrush, to smear color into his messages. This is the most tame of the aspects, yet is still largely unpredictable and mysterious. It is said it inspires men to greatness through beautiful and original muses. It also drives artists that rely on it to ruin, should they be abandoned for another aspect.

After all of the monsters of Iaddithis were slain, thanks to Avacyn, the portion of Dugus that symbolized the monsters died. It became the Pythonhorde. This is the Anti-Fire and represents mystery. It is visualized by a writhing mass of snakes. Not much is known about this one, simply that most visions containing it are forgotten, or fragmentary. Any meaning gleaned from a vision is almost always found to be relevant or important. This aspect appears fairly often when attempting to convene with Dugus.

Lastly is the Storm. It is the Anti-Earth, and represents Death, War and Annihilation. It is the roaring change, and generally comes following the Herald’s appearance. It has the appearance of a Stray. It brings with it destruction.

### Yad

Yad has been identified as the Mother of both Tapphos and Ibixuu, representing a potential origin for the Tapphic faith, as well as many other faiths in the surrounding area. It is believed that Yad is now dead, after having been subjected to the suffering of the world through her own powers, and the corruption of another elder god. Once she could no longer be controlled by rituals conducted by the ancients, her offspring killed her in a way she could no longer rebirth from. Tapphos then felt his place within the wooded corpse of the Overworld Elder God, and instantly achieved enlightenment. Through his enlightenment, he escaped the suffering of the world, and transcended into a higher purpose. Iyadixi claims that this higher purpose ended up being the creation of Erdeweber, the splitting of the elements into personalities that became the 4 Maidens, and the maintenance of a system that would ensure the birth of enlightenment in everyone eventually.

Ganzseher De'moda postulates that this is possibly why Tapphos was able to gain control over the world-web.

## Tapphic Monastic Practices

Monastic Tapphism remains a mystic order; the inner workings of this faith are in some ways obscure to laypeople. We do know the monastic practice remains a central theme in the advancement of the modern religion, as it acts as a powerhouse for philosophy, math, and the sciences. There are rituals and rites that remain to this day both lost to the present and hidden from the current public, though many texts are still preserved in the Monastary at Khulmiu-Faira. Others are hidden, as rumored of the so called Tapphic martial practice. Nevertheless, the Tapphic Monastary occasionally elects to disclose deeper secrets to the followers of the faith, as they are found.

### Tapphic Music Tradition

Tapphic nomads had a variety of curious musical traditions; Tapphic metaphysical schools developed a very liberal approach to certain pieces. while others were treated with mathematically aided precision. For instance: In *Dialogue of Ta with Erdeweber*, by the Late Ganzseher Yigta, a Saitehorn performer is required to play in a chamber or cave specially prepared in advance. The proportions and pockets required produce, if carved correctly, a sound akin to an entire band playing along. Other songs, such as *World-Weaving* require the construction of massive metal cables within the aforementioned caves to be used as instruments themselves. In addition, the rites associated with both of these songs showcase the practice of **Liedrede**, or the use of melody to imply intricately woven and specific conversation. Using Yigta's hymn, we can glean a set of lyrics implied within the horn players notes, which is concurrently meditated upon during the ritual:

"If we are pulled by you always, Lord Earth-web, how walk we into suffering?"

"Not always by I, but by Tapphos. We are shared eternal."

"But what of me? Must my body decay? I am pulled towards the earth."

"All we helpless, little one. Persist, and you will soon be pulled no more."

Notably, the lines of this song are of multiple layers of importance here. Suffering, Earth, and forces of pull have been linked to Ta. Just as well, the concepts of the eternal, the body, and decay (erosion) have as well. Helplessness, and Persistence are aspects of Ta that are of specific importance in Yigta's time, as the overworld monsters had decimated the world during then. The lamenting monk in this song has a very deep dialogue with Erdeweber in a very short amount of time, identifying with Ta's connection to finality.

For most other songs, performance can be done for social events, and ultimately for fun. Instruments can be made of any acquirable material, and no adherence to mastery was made save for very special religious occasions.

*Dialogue of Ta with Erdeweber (on Saitehorn) [Preformed in now non-existent Western Ziggurat]*

*Meditation on Xa No.3 (on the Daan)*

*World-Weaving (on the Kleindaan, and Kolossshnur) [Preformed in now non-existent Western Ziggurat]*

*Pa Unblocking Meditation No. 8 (on the Kolossshnur, Kleindaan and Bogenshnur)*

*Hymn of Silthusa's Sleeping Epiphany (on the Kolossshnur and the Tropfendaan)*

### Tapphic Marraige Custom

Developed by Ganzseher De'moda and his Highest Follower Faira, this relatively new facet of Tapphism has been one of the most popular. Layfollowers are not required to perform this rite, and have generally developed rites similar and yet simpler, such as a short dance before a uniting of assets and an ordainment by a monk. Some however have, though this practice is primarily done for marriages between members of the monastery. While attempting to secretly engage with Faira, he scoured hundreds of the sacred performance caves, chose one that was correct, and informed few trusted followers to come and aid him.

On that night, the group developed the First Ceremony of Matrimonious Ka, an elaborate performance designed to unite the spirits of bride and groom and cement them into one. In it, the performers would house within the specialized parts of the caverns themselves, focusing the sound on one point, where the wedding pair would practice a sacred dance around the Kolossshnur in the caves, This represented the weaving of lines of fate and symbolizing the Xa aspect of independence and freedom in early life. Then, the two begin to come together and perform a sacred style of dance, resembling a physical fight, and representing the passing of Ka between the pair and symbolizing the sharing of identity. This precedes a joining of the two in a co-operative form, in which they together preform a set of complicated, interweaving moves that rely on the other person for the required momentum to stay balanced, symbolizing Pa. Towards the end of the performance, the music integrates the motifs from *Dialogue of Ta with Erdeweber*, in a show of perseverance and infinity. The power of the modern versions of the song through the chambers ensures the entire cave rumbles, along with the Kolossshnur's resonance, symbolically emulating how the First Ceremony occurred. During this, the pair must embrace, endure the shockwaves, and hold the embrace until the song fades out, unifying the two forever through the persistent Ta.

Then, the couple is married.

### Tapphic Brewing Practice

The Tapphic culture has it's roots in ethnic groups with histories dating hundreds of years back, and as such carries with it some traditions that have been kept in oral history. The Tapphic nomads kept alive a very diverse brewing custom, with very strong alcohols being involved, such as the Tapphic Spiced Rum. Though originally viewed as an impious act if found drunk, modern philosophers understand the practice as intrinsically connected to the monastic order. Though publically frowned upon for some time, the monks of the New Tapphic order have elected to acknowledge the role intoxication has played in the faith. As such, drinking has become a modern badge of spirituality, and much new wisdom regarding it has been formulated. This includes the coveted [Truespeech] remedy, which allows someone who is drunk to communicate effectively despite their state. In some cases, the speaker during a sermon draws upon this ability to garner deeper gnosis and charisma.

### Inkarnates and Enlightenment

#### Reincarnation

The system of reincarnation in Tapphism relies on the creation of strings. When a soul is restrung into a new object, only Tapphos may dictate where it may go, and only Erdeweber may say if the string will be freed properly from the tangle through eventual enlightenment. One may return as a dog, or a tree, or a table. As such, discovering the rules behind how one may live their next life is quite difficult. It is believed that because all things change, nothing may be known for sure or measured with certainty, and so a Tapphic monk must live a life viewed as worthy in the eyes of Erdeweber to achieve their enlightenment. However, a side effect of the path to enlightenment is unity and identification with distracting personalities that arise from Erdeweber's flowing changes. When one seeks to identify with the universe in order to escape it, one may improperly cling to certain cordoned off aspects of it, and thereby may they escape into a new sort of trap.

This theory has culminated with the naming of the **Inkarnates**, mortals who, in their dealings with the Tapphic culture and their deities, have metaphysically overlapped with a certain entity. For instance, the mortal Lettcor Volkost, who had found himself the Kaiser of Gewebe, began to slowly become entangled with the deity Erdeweber and her ideal components. As the throne of Spinnenettez represented Erdeweber in the past, slowly did he represent her, and eventually his soul and her's became indistinguishable. An Inkarnate possesses the same domain as their god, and wields it in strange ways, though they are unable to reach enlightenment unless their patron does themselves. This is because the soul is overlapped, and the mortal becomes part of a chain of reincarnations of that deity, with the deity taking on the mortals characteristics and vice versa for their time as Inkarnate. For instance Lettcor went on to gain the power to see all of the universe, similar to the gift granted by Erdeweber to Ibixuu, and helped unify many nations into the Empire of Iyadtium. Just as well, because of their condition, both him and Latt (Inkarnate of Ibixuu and Ke'kgau) are unable to ever reach enlightenment until their deities do.

#### Enlightenment

The prospect of Enlightenment is hard to explain in principal, as it by design CANNOT be similar to any idea, word, or concept (lest it simply not be enlightenment). It does however run a through-line throughout all of Tapphic history. It is believed that enlightenment represents a state of mind that, when coupled with constant meditation and the intent to release desire, sees that the perception of self within the enlightened is destroyed. In essence, an ego death. Through this, a monk may join with the universe, having lost the barriers between it and himself, and sense out all of reality as if it were an extension of their perceptions. From there, one may transcend it, and "wake up" from the "dream", reaching the realm of Tapphos and former seat of Yad. After this, one ceases to reincarnate.