Akarism

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Akarism was the dominant faith of the **Araenic Kingdom** and the second largest faith in the **Imeris Entente**. While it has its roots in **Ascensionism**, many differences have evolved since the age of its founding. Akarists believe that all of existence and all destinies lead to a single point, an unity of being they refer to as the Grand Design. According to them, until the Grand Design has been completed none of us can truly move beyond our existence, but when it is, our world will cease to be. They believe in a single creator god, referred to as the All-Maker, or sometimes Sharan, who created the world so that people may learn from it and reach the understanding necessary to complete it. Akarists do not believe the All-Maker interacts with them in the present, Their impact is instead felt through events and circumstances that have been planned since the beginning of time. To them, the heavens exist for the All-Maker to communicate Their plans. They believe people are reborn into this world until the Grand Design is completed, its machinations repurposing their souls until they have learned every lesson they must. While Akarists contemplate the nature of the Grand Design and their role within it, they do not pray, as the Grand Design already accounts for everything that must happen and the All-Maker didn't make it for self-aggrandizement.

# Doctrine

## The Hierarchy of Understanding

Every person has their own perspective on the world and every single one is incomplete, for we all have yet to attain true understanding. Akarists believe only the All-Maker knows everything that must come to pass, which They have written in the heavens. With the wisdom passed down to us they believe they can come to know the future, observing how the symbols of the heavens and the circumstances of the earth coincide.

## To be Freed of Will

Some ask: How can free will exist if it is already determined what will happen? In Akarist theology, free will is a matter of perspective. Should someone attain perfect understanding, they can no longer make mistakes and they do not need to, as there is nothing left for them to learn in this world. Free will exists because we have yet to reach that point, because we can still make a wrong choice. As a result, free will is not seen as a good thing, it is considered much like youth, but on a scale of many lifetimes. To lose your personhood in your quest for enlightenment is seen as the pinnacle of Akarist wisdom if done right. To do so would lead to an existence without the pain, doubt and suffering that is all too common in our world, but also without ever making another choice as every action would become a rote effort. On the other hand, to lose your personhood without achieving such a perfected state would be the greatest mistake of all.

## Towards One Purpose

Akarists believe the ultimate purpose of the Grand Design is to teach them everything there is to know about this world until they truly understand what they must do to complete it. Afterwards they hope to finally transcend it as this world would’ve lost its purpose and they might’ve finally become beings that at least on some level compare to the All-Maker. For now they can’t even experience the Divine beyond Their influence. It is provident then that this influence is found everywhere, as all things are orchestrated towards one purpose, including people.

## A Place and Time for Everyone

It should be noted that while everyone is expected to try and grow wiser, this does not mean that everyone is expected to join the clergy. To Akarists, one of the most important things to understand is one’s place. Not everyone is suited for priestly pursuits. The clergy exists to teach wisdom, including that which is harder to grasp for the laypeople, so they can focus on their own duties and their own purposes. Besides, Akarists believe they will learn everything they must in part because they will be reborn until they have. To them, if a soul must take upon itself a certain role in the Grand Design for its completion, it will.

## Symbols

The most prominent symbol in Akarism is that of the circle, as it represents the unity of all things, the shape of the sun and moon and the trajectory of the heavenly bodies. It is often incorporated into other religious symbols, such as the play-of-stars which represents the arrangements and movements of the heavens, and the twelve-point circle, a circle surrounded by twelve points. Twelve is a holy number in Akarism, as there are twelve birth signs. Some would say the number twelve is also important because there is one sun, one moon, six planets, two equinoxes and two solstices.

# Clergy

Akarism was organised into a clear hierarchy. At the bottom were the Serra, as anyone that swore to devote their life solely to attaining and teaching wisdom and that utterly submitted to the machinations of the Grand Design could become a Serra.

Above them were the Curra, who were chosen by the Council of Akar. Originally this distinction was intended to acknowledge any Serra who had proven themselves great in understanding, but in truth it was a distinction for those favoured by the Council.

At the top was the Council of Akar with its Akara, which had the final say on all matters. Their temporal influence was great as almost any regent of the Araenic Kingdom wanted to be declared a ruler favoured by the Grand Design. While in the early years of the faith the number of Akara tended to differ, in the final days, the official number would be twelve, with an empty throne reserved always for Araen, as he had historically held the right to serve as tiebreaker. The Akara were typically believed to be made up almost exclusively of the reincarnations of their predecessors, but this claim has become widely disputed. No Akara survived the fall of Akar and many Akarists that remain believe they were slowly replaced by corrupt charlatans who had forgotten their place in the Grand Design. How else could the All-Maker see fit to have them destroyed?

# History

While Akarism is rooted in the ancient philosophies of the Caeli, it only really came to be due to a single figure and the circumstances of his life. That said, in the eyes of Akarists, there is no such thing as chance, only the machinations of the Grand Design. Araen was raised with one of the most expensive educations of the time, by some of the greatest scholars of his age. While he was raised to be a Sage King, it was early in his rule that he was deposed by Akar’s rival cities.

He went into exile and arrived on the island Lasiima. It was there he divined the heavens and came to an understanding of his own destiny in those times of uncertainty, famously begging to know if he was to be naught but a simple beggar. It is said he instead foresaw that he would become one of the wisest and greatest kings to ever rule. Up until the cataclysm, pilgrims would travel to the island in hopes of attaining similar insights.

With his renewed vigour he retook the city of Akar and forged the **Araenic Kingdom** through blood and war. Some would say that luck was a definite part of his success. Araen was of a different mind, according to him his rule had been destined, it could not have gone any other way. Eager to solidify his thinking and to spread the scholarly tradition of the city where he was born, he invited philosophers from far and wide to join him in the Council of Akar. While most of them left during the great debate that ensued, the few that remained were able to agree to a single worldview, one they dubbed Akarism. As a result, they became the first Akara.

They predicted a great storm and famine. Preparations were made and they proved fruitful, which gained them trust among the people. It was then that Araen funded his budding priesthood and sent them forth to convert his realm to his new faith. Those that refused were punished harshly.

Araen demanded the **Ascensionists** outside his borders bend the knee and convert to Akarism. They responded with mockery and ridicule. As a result, the Akara agreed they deserved a Castigation, which soon became the word they used for holy wars. Castigators from across the Araenic Kingdom marched on the Ascensionist realms for centuries. As they pressed onward, the terrain became much more difficult than the coasts they prefered. When an aging Araen went out on the final Castigation, his forces were met by an Ascensionist League with Dwarven allies to boot. He demanded his men charge with holy fervor at the Battle of the Udarah. They did not succeed, the Castigations stopped and Araen receded from public life. Soon the **Entente** came to include this Ascensionist League and politics took a new course.

Without Araen, the Akara would not get their way as easily as most regents would prove far less zealous. Adapting to changing times, the Akara became more accepting of other faiths and the term Castigation became an archaic thing of the ages past. In some ways, the Akara became more powerful, as almost every regent wanted to be the ruler of destiny, chosen by the Grand Design. As a result, politics involved them more and more, leading to more and more corruption as people maneuvered their allies into spots on the Council and secured favours through bribes.

When the civil war of Variman resulted in the disappearance of its people, some had thought this would alter the direction the Akara were headed. Worried about demonic elements in the kingdom, they responded harshly, whipping up a religious fervor which resulted in more than a few lynchings. But behind the scenes, nothing changed. The situation was beginning to ferment a new struggle for the regency and the Akara were eager to get bribed by both sides for their favour.

Then the dead came to walk again, pouring from the seas and borders and raising up from their plateaus. The cataclysm swept across the Kingdom and most of the Entente had already begun its evacuation when the Akara held fast and declared: “The heavens are clear, the holy city of Akar can not fall unless the All-Maker wants it to! So we must hold fast to our defenses and do our duty so that we may outlast the cataclysm that sweeps across the world!” It was not to be, the undead overcame the city’s defenses. While little is known about the ensuing chaos, one fact is certain: All the Akara died.

For some it is hard to accept such events could’ve been predestined, but, as the teachings say: The Grand Design only hurts us so we may learn and grow.

# Rituals

**Quiet Contemplation:** Contemplation is not a ritual organized by priests, but instead something many Akarist ritually engage in. While Akarist do not pray, they are expected to devote some of their time to introspection, to make full use of the lessons taught by the Grand Design and to seek deeper insight. Sometimes they find wisdom in the stories of other people or even their past lives. Those who know of their previous incarnation tend to experience the lessons learned from it as more foundational than any other, as they believe its wisdom must’ve carried over within their soul.

**Reading:** A Reading is when a priest interprets the heavens. While often included in other rites, a Reading can be performed on its own and it is not unusual for people to request such if they are uncertain about their future or their purpose. Readings can often involve psychoactive substances, most common among them the Wybren Flaen.

**Unveiling:** A rite where a priest unveils part of the Grand Design to their followers in a sermon. This often includes a Reading and primarily serves to bestow wisdom upon listeners.

**First Read:** A rite of adoption performed for children and new members, where a priest divines their place within the Grand Design. Afterwards they circle ashes on their forehead to acknowledge their part in the greater whole. It is common for the newly inducted to adopt a (new) name, decided by the state of the heavens and transcribed in ancient tongues. Sometimes a priest would see how the role someone has within the Grand Design would serve as the follow-up to someone who has passed away and they’ll conclude who the new Akarist was in a past life. Due to the added work and information required, this was more common for people of status.

**Unbinding:** The official name of the Akarist funerary rites, where a priest ensures the soul(s) of the deceased can pass on and be reborn. The priest usually tries to find meaning and opportunities for learning in the lives lost and sometimes makes statements on the life that will await them, as they are expected to approach it with these insights. Typically anecdotes are spoken by attendees and candles are lit in commemoration of the deceased, after which the body is taken care of. While many of the wealthier parts of the Araenic Kingdom used pyres, more rural areas stuck to the more ancient method of laying the deceased on an elevated platform where the elements and carrion eaters would return their remains to be repurposed by the Grand Design.

**Shared Destiny:** A marriage rite where a priest looks at the destiny of the couple, divining the place they together hold within the Grand Design and the challenges they may face as a couple. It is common for the eloped to share matching jewelry to symbolise their new bond.

**Destiny’s Rule:** A rite of coronation or inauguration that was used across the Araenic Kingdom by nobles, republics and even the eternal regency to mark whenever someone rose to power. During the rite a priest divines the destiny of the new ruler in the context of their new position, primarily looking at how they will shape the world. Afterwards the regalia of their office are bestowed upon them and they typically deliver a speech.

**Oath of Submission:** A rite for those seeking to become a Serra. It technically only requires one person, but witnesses are common. The new Serra must swear to hold the cultivation and spreading of wisdom as the highest goal and to serve the machinations of the Grand Design above all other pursuits. This commonly involves a reading beforehand, so the new Serra may come to understand the ramifications of this rite in full.

# Terminology

* Akar - The holiest city in Akarism
* Akara - A member of the Council of Akar, now defunct
* Akarist - A believer of Akarism
* Araen - The King that originally sponsored the Council of Akar
* Castigation - An archaic term for holy wars
* Castigator - An archaic term for holy warriors
* Council of Akar - The highest and original religious authority of Akarism
* Curra - A priest that was favoured by the Council of Akar
* Grand Design - The term for the unity of all destiny, all existence, and the All-Maker’s plan
* Serra - A regular priest
* Sharan - The All-Maker that doesn’t involve Themselves in our world beyond its creation

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