The Verse and Weave

## **Summary**

It is said that the Verse was the first song that the **Wildchoir** sung. This great epic that was sung by the oracle and prophetess Rhania would forever shape the Venswood and its denizens, leading to their transformation from a scattering of peoples, societies, and cultures into one great whole that would reverberate throughout the centuries. A history of the future, the Verse contained a thousand years of prophecies that outlined the future of the Wildchoir. The great song would in turn lead to other harmonies and melodies, with the teachings and ethics derived from the Verse, as well as those brought in by the growing Choir, being integrated into the Weave. However, the Verse has ended, and with that comes a need for a new song, a harmony to unite them all, if such a thing is possible again.

## **History**

To understand the history of the Verse one must first understand the history of its Singer, Rhania. Rhania was a **Hjen** who first appeared in the cultural record as a respected Oracle of the volcano Maun Kapuhanga. While they were of spiritual importance to the Hjen of the tropical islands, the Oracles of the volcanoes were merely a regional curiosity back then. However, one day when the normal rituals were set to commence, Rhania spouted out a grand prophecy, one longer and more elaborate than any before it. It was not just warnings or advice, but a story of what was to come, of a history yet to pass. For three days, Rhania could not rest or receive succor as she continued to sing. The scribes of the oracle, who were not used to transcribing such lengthy dictations, could only catch so many segments and snippets as minutes turned to hours, hours turned to days. As the third day drew to a close Rhiania’s body finally gave out, leaving the Verse unfinished. In the aftermath, the scribes attempted to create a complete transcription, drawing from their memories and the attestments of those who were present. The final product, while a massive text and pinnacle of storytelling in its own right, was full of contradictory tellings and half recalled summaries of important prophecies.

As the Verse began to grow in renown, those early adherents attempted to both rationalize the conflicting accounts, explain some of the more esoteric prophecies, and construct a more concrete ideological framework to not only embrace the future Rhania saw, but to also make it a reality. The resulting interpretations and teachings served as the basis of what would become the Weave. This early Weave was rooted firmly in traditional Hjen values and spirituality, as many of these early converts were themselves Hjen.

Despite the significance those first adherents saw in the prophecies and teachings of Rhania, the initial faith was slow to spread. While it was popular among the Hjen, many outside that culture found its message of coming together and the inevitable unity of the Venswood to be reasonably absurd. Many early adherents would travel across the Vens to spread what they saw as a new universal truth, but were largely ignored. Despite these setbacks, many were filled with a determination to realize the dreams of their Prophet. And as the first prophecies began to come to pass, more from across the Vens began to take notice of the concerning accuracy at which it seemed the future had been mapped. This led to an influx of if not full converts, then onlookers for the strange new faith. And as more people from foreign groups began to join the following of the Verse, so too did the Weave gain new voices and ideas, refining and expanding its teachings.

However, as new understandings rise, old ones must be cast off. While many would come to the Weave with interest and open arms, there were many who would resist, especially those whose old teachings and ideas were seen as incompatible with the Weave. Some of these disparate melodies would survive, such as the Cosmology of the **Otherside** and the **Tacnu Zoku** held by the **Spears**. Nevertheless there are those who believe that even this is merely a shadow of what was once a great and vast song of its own. Others would suffer even worse, fading away far into the background or even being totally silenced.

One of the greatest flaws of the Verse was its incompletion. The Prophetess Rhania died before she could finish it and while the Verse warned the Choir of a great upheaval that would forever reshape its world, it gave only the vaguest notion of what this overturning would look like, nor did it describe the future the people of the Vens might find after it. While many speculated and guessed at what the vague scriptures could mean, none could have foreseen the slaughter of the Cataclysm, or the devastation the flight would bring. Now, far from the Venswood, the Verse has passed; its prophecies are over. What this means for the people who outlived it is unclear, for now their futures are Unsung. Perhaps a new Verse will be sung to guide the people of the Choir into this new age. Perhaps just as one understanding rose, another will rise in its place.

## **Clergy**

Over the centuries, many people would attempt to better interpret the Verse, as well as the ever growing collection of previous interpretations and teachings of the Weave. These scholars are colloquially referred to as Seekers. There never was a true official hierarchy to the Seekers, with specific Seekers merely rising to prominence for popular or insightful interpretations. There was some enforcement of “orthodox” teachings among the Seekers themselves, but this was rare and often limited to simple denouncements.

The Seekers not only interpreted and added to the teachings of the Weave, but also would interpret the Verse, seeking places where it lacked finer details and then through their talents filling in these blanks. This talent was used both to study the Verse itself, as well as revealing an individual's Weave and the path they’d take in life. Should something unexpected happen it would be attributed to a hole in the Verse or a faulty prediction by a less talented Seeker..

The primary purpose of a Seeker beyond interpreting the Weave and Verse was to carry those ideas and spread them to new groups. While this purpose has faded with the settling of the Weave as the primary belief system of the Choir, it still lingers in the background especially in regions where more isolated and antiquated faiths still hold sway. This process of conversion was generally gradual, beginning with a marrying of compatible local and Weave ideas, and then a slow introduction of foreign Weave concepts alongside the de emphasis of those that did not fit into the Weave’s model. The Weave also drew in converts as the promises of prosperity that the Choir offered tempted some to take up the Weave.

While a Seeker was merely someone who attempted to understand the Weave and spread it, those who would give their time to guide a community that had taken it up were known as Seers. These Seers were seen as somewhat above simple Seekers due to their service for the communal good, but had little distinction otherwise. Seers also served to attempt to interpret the individual Verses of their community, attempting to guide them down a better path. While not directly a member of the Clergy, the Speakers of the Choir held their own place in the religion, often working hand in hand with the Seer. Nothing prevented Seers or Seekers from becoming Speakers, so sometimes these social roles would be united.

The education of a Seeker or Seer was not a standardized affair. One could theoretically become a Seeker simply by studying a copy of the Verse, though most would learn in a more traditional apprenticeship, or in more urbanized areas at an established school.

## **Doctrine**

### The Origin of the Verse

While all know that Rhania sang the Verse, its metaphysical origin is one of the largely untouched mysteries of the Weave. The Oracles of Maun Kapuhanga were thought to receive their visions not from a higher power, but by channeling a connection with the world through the volcanic fumes. This leaves many to assume that Rhania was of far greater talent, and tapped into that connection at a greater level than others had in the past. Some Seekers conjecture theories such as the Verse being a result of divine intervention, or the divine nature of Rhania herself. These sub theories are largely fringe and hold little water among most Seekers.

### The Future

The Weave was at its core a predestinationist belief system. While much of the later segments of the Verse were unclear due to poor transcriptions, there was still a belief in the idea that the followers of the Verse knew where the future was heading, from the first days after the singing of the verse up until the prophesied end times, and there was nothing to be done to change this future. This stance on the future however would inevitably lead to the tragedy of the Verse, sourced from the greatest misinterpretation. Due to the vague phrasing and incompletion due to Rhania’s death, many interpreted the final days of the Choir as being one of a coming utopia, where death would be overturned, the spirits of the deceased would return, and paradise would be achieved. This was in stark contrast with the actual Cataclysm, where the dead rose and destroyed Choir society.

### The Choir

The Choir in Weave theology was the unity that had to exist and the inevitably that could not be stopped. Even after its formation, this belief in the spiritual importance of their Civilization led to a sentiment that to break with the Choir was a betrayal of the faith and that the Choir had to be constantly “improved” to come closer to the envisioned Utopia. This rarely manifested in direct action, but the most ecstatic devotees would use this as justification for attempts at sweeping change.

### The Soul

The nature of existence beyond death according to the Weave was one of a long sleep. After the expiration of the body, the soul would enter a hibernation, but would remain within the body, or the location where the body was. At the end times, the souls would reawaken, and would return to walk the earth. This placed a high importance on the proper preservation of the body, though in most cases this was nearly impossible over the large timescale, so many simply attempted to damage the body as little as possible as to not damage a spirit. Mummification was however practiced in areas where it was viable, such as the edges of the Amatl Dreadwastes or in the dry and freezing highlands.

### Deism in the Verse

Deities as a rule had little place within the Verse or Weave, especially those who would have power over fate or the principles of the universe. Some unorthodox Seekers would conjecture that the Verse might have had divine inspiration, but this was rarely an entertained notion. Despite this, localized beliefs on spirits of parts of the Vens were largely integrated as few could argue with the notion that the forces of nature did not have a higher purpose moving them.

## **Rites/Rituals**

* Observances - An Observance is the most basic of rites in the Verse. A Seer will gather its community at a date that was set by the town’s Seer or Speaker, and they will discuss coming events either within the Verse or their own predictions, as well as events within the lives of their community members. It serves to reaffirm communal bonds and resolve disputes.

## **Terminology**

* Seeker - A scholar who has studied the Verse and the Weave, and has added their own interpretations to the Weave
* Seer - A Seeker who guide a community in the teachings of the Verse
* The Verse - The collection of prophecies spoken out by the Prophetess Rhania
* The Weave - The collection of teachings derived from the Verse and its followers