Selenism

**Selenism** is a religion predominantly found in Blue, primarily in the northern and western parts of the nation, although distinct and recognized Selenite minorities exist in places like Nunnshire and Diorenus. They primarily adhere to the god Selenia, Goddess of the Moon, although some Selenite traditions are polytheistic and worship other gods as well. With approximately 132,000,000 adherents in Blue, it is the largest religion in Blue.

## History

### Early Selenism

Selenism has no exact origin date, but Selenite traditions first emerged sometime around 3000-2800 B.B., after the first Crestopolian settlers arrived from the south after their exile, and blended and integrated their traditions they brought over with whatever native populations exist before. By 2600 B.B., in the City of Crestopolis, where Crestopolians had first settled, the first Selenite writings and temples had been constructed, and was adopted as the official religion. As the Crestopolians settled across the island, so to did their religion, although compared to The Blue Dawn, Selenism was adopted by various peoples far more slowly. Selenism did not become the majority religion on the island until some time around 200 A.B., after the Kingdom of Crestopolis began greater efforts to unify the island under one homogenized religious culture. Prior to this, various animistic and pagan beliefs co-existed with Selenite populations on the island. During the Ravacin Empire of Balderlane, the Cardish people adopted Selenism as their primary religion.

### Medieval Selenism: Conversion of the Hyatin, and Bluharans

Throughout 200-400 A.B., Selenism left the islands of the North and made serious efforts to spread through central and eastern Blue. In 245 A.B, The Hyatin, under the leadership of the Hyatin lavasilias, adopted Selenism as the official religion. Selenism was able to spread easily within polytheistic pagan religions, but establishing itself as the sole monotheistic religion was a gradual process that took many decades. In 298 A.B., the Bluharans adopted Selenism as their religion, although this process was far slower than with the Hyatin, perhaps due to their extreme isolation.

### The Monsoon Schism, subsequent schisms

In 301 A.B., The Selenite Temple of the Bluhara, the primary Selenite religious organization within the Bluhara, severed ties with the Temple in Crestopolis over the canonicity of Monsoon, the supposed son of Selenia. The Crestopolian Temple lambasted monsoon as a demon of dawnist origin, stating that Selenia was the only true God.

   Later, in the year 328 A.B., the Hyatin followed suit, establishing their own denomination of Selenism, due to varying disputes over religious doctrine, primarily over the role of the priesthood. 2 years later, in 330 A.B., The Cardish joined the Hyatin Temple in rebellon against Crestopolis. A few months later, that same year, the Kingdom of Woctae *(now based in modern day Norath & Luhan)*, attempted to break off from the priesthood in Crestopolis. Crestopolis, seeking to simultaneously establish hegemony over Luhan, and reintegrate it under its religious authority, invaded Woctae. This would mark the beginning of the Selenite Wars, which will be briefly covered in the following paragraph(s).

### Selenite Wars

The Selenite Wars began in 331 A.B., when The Kingdom of Crestopolis invaded the Kingdom of Woctae, for both political and religious reasons. In response, the states of Cor Cardia, The Kingdom of Hyatin, and The Bluharan Confederacy (in addition to several other states), formed a political league called **The Selenite League**, and promptly declared war on Crestopolis, citing their attack on a fellow Selenite state, "a Nation of the Faith", according to the King of the Hyatin, in 332 A.B. as being an imperialistic move.

As the Hyatin and Bluharans had little to no naval prowess, the war would primarily be concerned between Crestopolis and Cor Cardia. Although Cor Cardia had lost virtually all of its overseas holdings, their navy was still quite strong and robust, easily comparable to Crestopolis' navy. Crestopolis would easily overwhelm Woctae's navy, and subsequently conquered the southern half of Luhan. Shifting focus further south, the Cardish and Crestopolian navies met near the northern tip of West Azurial (in Agave) in summer 332 A.D., called the Battle of Cfado, which remains as one of the largest naval battles in Flairian history. Although both sides incurred heavy losses, the Cardish navy was defeated and headed back to Ilmeridium for repairs over the autumn.

That same autumn, the King of the Fifth Azurite Empire suddenly died with no heir, and a succession crisis shortly ensued. Seeking an opportunity, the Crestopolian King, Pe'rofratas, sent his daughter with an army to take over the empire, and establish herself as empress. The army was quickly able to seize the capital of Adollis, and she was quickly coronated as Empress Razhatas II, taking an Azurite name and forming the Shamunewas Dynasty. Immediately afterwards though, insurgents (primarily backed by the Hyatin and Bluharans), rose up in the southern half of the Empire's contiguous holdings, and the Empire would be primarily engulfed in a civil war lasting for most of the Selenite Wars, and would be of little support to Crestopolis.

Regardless of this, Pe'rofratas was ambitious, and sought to knock The Hyatin out of the war. The Bluharans were distracted by an invasion from Amelia, which subsequently began the Peras War, and as such would not be too involved. To the west, the Cardish army was both distracted by their naval loss and negligible in strength compared to what Crestopolis' could muster. Crestopolis outnumbered Hyatin and Cor Cardia combined in population, and then some, and would raise a larger army. Other various Kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Khisbaldee, the Kingdom of Matria, and various Pyric-Nunnshirean states had sent small reinforcements to Hyatin, after it had become obvious Crestopolis would try to invade The Hyatin. An invasion of this sort would be undoubtedly brutal- The Hyatin had perhaps some of the roughest terrain known to man, and Crestopolis would be at a significant positional disadvantage. The Hyatin Capital, Purqaromei, was situated in a valley fairly deep within the Liquid Mountains.

Pe'rofratas amassed a great army, some 100,000 strong, to march deep into the Liquid Mountains in the spring of 333 A.B., They landed near modern-day Azurial and headed west into the mountains. Alas, once they entered Hyatin territory the march went awry. The Hyatin had prepared for an incoming invasion, and planned accordingly. They engaged in guerilla warfare tactics, combined with a territorial advantage and whittled down the invading army down significantly. Not only that, the invading army was having issues with maintaining supplies and resources, they had initially expected to survive off the land as much as possible, but the Hyatin countryside was far less forgiving than anticipated. Nonetheless, after several months of traversing the land, they arrived in the end of fall in 333 A.B., by now their army was some 25,000 strong, a quarter of what it initially was. The Hyatin army and the Crestopolian army met a few kilometers outside of the capital, and a battle ensued. The battle went on for several days, but the Hyatin were able to defeat the invasion force, killing thousands, and capturing almost all of the remaining forces. The battle of Purqaromei marked the end of the first series of wars in the Selenite Wars, as the Crestopolians spent several years dealing with internal struggles, as just a year later the Treaty of Lieterdore would significantly reshape the internal structure of Crestopolis.

### Post-War Selenism, Selenite age of Romance and Golden Age

Following the conclusion of the Selenite Wars, sometime around 350 A.B., Selenite entered its "Romance Period", where Selenite philosophy shifted towards a markedly more impassioned worldview. Art and literature from this period, lasting a little under two centuries, often shows dramatic, emotional displays. During this era, expressing ones emotions was encouraged, and was seen as displaying the inner sentience gifted upon Selenites by their deity, Selenia, as well as creating a more positive and healthy environment among Selenite comminutes. This era is also frequently called the "Golden Age" of Selenism, as this era (especially within Crestopolis), coincided with a period of significant economic growth and liberalization.

### Selenite Age of Reason

In the centuries afterward, several writers, including Nymo Seaomi, Bemensachm, and Jammai Febanmastimadat, pioneered a stoic-like philosophy called **Controlled Expressionism** (Crestopolian: *femokslädejapeli*), that advocated for a controlled and stable regulation of ones emotions, and using things like reason and logic instead as guidance, seeing it as the ultimate path for a more peaceful life. This era is referred to as the Age of Reason. Along side with art and culture, this era also contained significant scientific and mathematical progress, most notably, Calculus was first discovered in the early fourth century A.B. The Age of Reason was thought to have ended around 650 AB, ending the Selenite Golden Age.

### Selenism in Blue Unification

Selenite values heavily informed many intellectuals and advocates within the Solidarity Movement.

Chesis, although raised in a Yamanaha Selenite household, was more or less a secular individual. While both Selenites and Dawnists had been tolerated in his state, any religious institution that he felt provoked the integrity of his absolutism was punished heavily. As many Selenites were increasingly disgruntled with Chesis and coalesced into the Shevasgheta, he then kicked them out to Crestopolis, marking a period where relations between Selenites and the state declined significantly. Many Selenites played a key role in the Revolution which established the United Blue Republic in 683 AB.

The establishment of the UBR was seen as a breathe of fresh air for Selenites. While the UBR was very much a secular state, many of the political and social institutions of the UBR were informed by culturally Selenite values, and many of the founders of the early UBR were themselves Selenites. Increasingly, the various Selenite temples were interwoven as an apparatus of the UBR state, a participatory in a mutualistic relationship where the UBR tolerated Selenism and even embraced some of its values, in return Selenites were expected loyalty to the UBR and the Selenite Temples often explicitly endorsed the UBR in whatever goal or agenda they may have set out to achieve, even if said agenda was not strictly beneficial to the Temples themselves. As such, Selenism was often viewed as the informal state religion, while Dawnists were increasingly discriminated against.

## Theology and Worldview

Like The Blue Dawn, Selenites are fractalists; meaning they adhere to the Myth of the Fracture as their foundational mythology. Unlike Dawnists, Selenites believe that Selenia was the one to inherit dominion of all Flairia following the events of the Fracture;

### Rites and Doctrine

The most central aspect of Selenic life is the "Fesotam", or "Way", a personal code tuned and interpreted by the individual Selenite as they so choose; inheriting traditions and practices bestowed upon them by their forefathers inspired by the provident revelation from the benevolent and merciful goddess Selenia. Selenites do not have an organized religious structure to enforce any set of doctrines, but nearly all Selenites do share a multitude of texts and manuscripts from which said traditions are derived from; the most important being the Weiogan.

Selenism, unlike its contemporaries in The Blue Dawn, are notable for their more pacified worldview. Selenites view warfare and violence as barbaric and shun the use of it only except in the most extreme of circumstances. Selenism has a complex set of dietary laws, including intermittent fasting, throughout all of winter and thirteenth month, general abstinence from consuming meat, *(although this varies significantly, some only abstain from red meat, some abstain from animal products together, and some do not observe this at all.)*

Selenism is notable for its strong monastic tradition. Many Selenites forego a traditional life to live in a temple with other fellow Selenites, who strive to follow the Fesotam as perfectly as humanly possible. Monasticism is fairly decentralized, without overarching monastic orders overseeing monasteries. Instead, most monasteries act as independent temples not governed by any senior organization. Selenite monks, as well as many more fundamentalist sects within Selenism, are known for shaving their scalps completely bald, which is where the stereotype of Selenites being bald originates from. Selenite monasticism culture is strongest amongst the Âtvevana, although it is generally present in all major sects. Estimates posit that there are approximately 600,000 Selenite monks of both men and women within Blue. Selenite monasticism generally does not discriminate along gender and men and women in monasteries can share a temple.

### Mysticism

Selenism has long held a mystic tradition.

## Metaphysical Analysis

### Hierarchy

Selenite metaphysics broader adheres to the wider metaphysics of the other lazhan/fractalist religions. They emphasize that all living beings are either bounded by causality whether it be partially or completely, or exempt from it entirely. In this sense, Selenites are determinists in that they believe mankind has no free will. They also believe that it is impossible for ones supposed "destiny" to be predicted, and as such place far less emphasis on themes of predestination or fate compared to other religions, that is, discovering ones own destiny constitutes the largest and most virtuous objective in ones lifetime.

Selenites believe that Selenia and Khali Ama are the only two beings free from causality entirely, known as the Celestials, God of Gods, or simply the True Deities. While Selenites may acknowledge the existence of other Gods, they do not consider them as equals to the True Deities or worthy of worship. They are also not dualistic, as they hold reverence exclusively for Selenia. In this sense, Selenism is henotheistic. Beings not entirely bound by causality are known as Demigods. Selenites classify demigods far more fluidly than other Lazhan religions, who may attempt to strictly categorize demigods into more specific classifications. In Selenism, spirits, cyclical spirits, constructed deities, and ascended deities are all labeled as Demigods or Semicelestials.

Selenites do not believe in a soul, nor that people are inherently entitled to an afterlife. and do not make a distinction between mind and body. They believe that blood is the literal lifeforce of all living things. Whether an animal secretes blood or bloodlike substance is often used as a test for determining if something is permitted under dietary laws.

### Cosmology

Selenism holds that there are two realms, the Causal Realm and Noncausal Realm. The present universe, as well as all tangible existence known to mankind, is within the Causal realm, meaning it is governed by a set of laws and principles that rely on cause-and-effect. The Noncausal Realm is not bound by any laws of reality whatsoever, and is said to be where Selenia herself lives. Selenite depictions of the Noncausal realm are varied, but usually depict it as an absurd surreal existence often incomprehensible to humanity.

### Afterlife

Selenites do not believe in an afterlife for causal beings. Although not explicitly backed by doctrine, a popular belief in Selenism is that Selenites who do good deeds and follow the Fesotam well may be preserved in death by being chosen by Selenia to ascend into the Noncausal Realm as demigods or spirits.

## Sects

Selenism can mostly be divided into three distinct sects, or "traditions", Those being the Yamanaha, the Âtvevana, and the Krehana. While more minor traditions do exist, they account for a small portion of the population.

### Yamanaha

The Yamanaha, often called Crestopolian Selenism, are often considered the mainline sect of Selenism, most popular in the northern duchies, Matria, and Azurial. They trace their origins to the original Selenite Temple that originated in Crestopolis in the 3rd millennium BB, they make up around 60% of the wider Selenite population, making it the largest sect.

The Yamanaha are solely monotheistic, in that worship of other deities is strictly forbidden, although their existence is not explicitly denied, rather, treated as inferior to that of Selenia. They do not recognize other Selenic deities.

### Âtvevana

The Âtvevana were the first to break off, citing disagreements with the Crestopolian religious authorities on various matters, particularly on Selenism's role in secular society as well as which deities ought to be permissible. Practiced almost exclusively by the Qadoi, the Atvevana tradition is more exclusive and less cosmopolitan. They absorbed the worship of many native Qadoi deities in addition to Selenia, giving them a much more polytheistic slant. They also adhere to different, more rural standards of monasticism, and were historically less hostile to the practice of magic.

### Krehana

The Krehana sect is the religion of the Bluharan people. One of the few dualist traditions found in Blue, they dedicate much of their practice to the worship of Monsoon, traditionally viewed as the son of Selenia. They are the smallest notable sect, accounting for no more than 1-2% of all Selenites.

## Structure

Selenism has no unified structure or central governing body. There are a multitude of sects, mostly divided based upon geographical region, each with slightly varying views. Beginning with the First Kingdom of Crestopolis, all Selenites used to adhere to the King of Crestopolis as the highest religious authority, usually in the form of some appointed priest taking their religious responsibilities, but the Selenite Wars' in the 300s AB oversaw the abolition of this system. In the present, Selenites have no singular religious authority, although various, local organizations did develop. Most Selenites adhere to their local temple and clergy for religious authority, with a small percentage not affiliating with any at all, practicing the faith in relative isolation.

The priesthood plays an important role in Selenism, as they are virtually the only hierarchy within the religion. Priests primarily oversee the maintenance of temples. Most temples are usually ran by a single priest, although larger ones may be collectively ran by a multitude of priests. Compared to the Blue Dawn, priests tend to carry out fewer religious ceremonies. Regarding religious ceremonies, most priests in Selenism are seen as enlightened teachers who instruct wisdom for all to hear, rather than shamans, healers, exorcists, etc. Unlike in other religions, Selenite temples are usually open most days, with larger temples being open all days. Because of this, many temples, (especially smaller temples), act as the priests primary residence. In times of crisis, Selenite temples often act as shelter, housing, and as food kitchens.