Prophetism

Yaaamemon's Rock

**Prophetism**, sometimes known as **Katharism**, is one of the three Tulkonist Religions, founded in about 1254 AT in southern Norte-Muldox. It is the ethnic religion of the Nodal Dwarves and is the world's fourth-largest religion.

## History

Ratialis was the dominant religion/philosophy amongst Dwarves until the mid-5th century AT, when it became extinct during the Dwarven Genocide. However, it proved to be an enormous influence on varieties of Tulkonism practiced the Onor peninsula, which would later coalesce into Prophetism.

In the early 13th century AT, Norte-Muldox began pursuing once again a secular state policy. While religious practice wasn't outlawed, it became very socially frowned upon. In 1240 AT, a Tulkonist group called the Disciples of Kathar began studying forms of Tulkonism practiced prior to the 40-Year War, as well as Ratialis philosophy. The group believed that Kathar was a separate manifestation of the Great Conscience and the Four Deities worshipped in other religions, and was the being who first sent the Tulkon to Earth. The group very quickly became influential in southern Norte-Muldox, enough to gain the notice of the government. The Kathar Movement, as it came to be called, began gaining adherents from all over Norte-Muldox. The atheistic government believed that the Movement could threaten Onor society, and decided to form a colony for adherents to the growing religion in the Ilem Desert in central Däegarden, which had been unclaimed by any of the other nations, and was also believed by the Kathar Movement to be a sacred place.

The Kathar Movement moved to the Desert and built the colony of Nodal, which remained under the jurisdiction of Norte-Muldox. Over the next decade, they fully developed their new religion, which they called Prophetism. In 1400 AT, Val Neodore revealed her immortal status. Her connection to Nodal's founding as well as her connection to the Ilem Desert made her a Prophetist icon, and helped to somewhat legitimize the movement as well as the nation. By the mid-15th century AT, the people of Nodal's isolation from the rest of Dwarven society led them to develop their own unique culture, which came to be known as the Nodal. The Nodal then peacefully declared independence in 1485, forming the nation-state of Nodal. In 1521 AT, the half-Nodal Dwarf Epodora was confirmed as the Tulkon, which greatly legitimized Prophetism as a religion and Nodal as a nation even further.

The Nodal Civil War took place from 2660 to 2670. Tulkon Rakte, believing the conflict to be an internal matter, did not step in until the end of the War. Rakte's inaction troubled Prophetists, who traditionally held the Tulkon in high regard; this enabled the establishment of the State Church Doctrine. A notable belief of the doctrine was that since the founding of Prophetism and Nodal were connected, Immortals such as Eberil and later Zetopa had the divine right to rule. From 2672 AT until 2905 AT, the religion was controlled by the Nodal Government. The official beliefs of the religion now reflected the political agenda of Immortal King Eberil at the time (and by extension, the policies of Immortal Emperor Zetopa). After the Immortal War and the deaths of Eberil and Zetopa, State Church beliefs were largely abandoned.

Today, Prophetism remains the largest religion in Nodal, with 80% of its population being practitioners or participating in Prophetist culture. It also has numerous followers all over the rest of the world.

## Beliefs

Prophetism has numerous similarities to Tulkonism and Pantulkonism, including the concept of Ilhui (the afterlife in Tulkonism and the fabric of the universe in Pantulkonism) which is the Prophetist afterlife. However, its pantheon is rather different: the central deity of Prophetism is the god Kathar, who is an amalgamation of the Four Deities and the Great Conscience; Prophetists believe that the latter deities are all different facets of Kathar. Prophetists also preach a version of *Tulkon Rodenhe Nemilis* wherein Arrkea was an agent of Kathar who chose Bytu to become his agent, or *prophet*, on Earth. Within Prophetism, the Ilem Desert was created by Tulkon Yaaamemon so that the Nodal Dwawrves would have a home; Prophetists consider the Ilem Desert to be the holiest place on Earth. Prophetism also espouses several Däeist beliefs, including the importance of impermanence.

Rather than truly reincarnating, the Tulkon in Prophetism is an agent sent by Kathar to Earth once a generation, along with all the wisdom and abilities of the other Tulkons. In this sense, the Tulkon is an amalgamation of Kathar's many agents rather than reincarnations of the same soul. A notable Prophetist mantra is "many into one, one into many," which encompasses the role of both Kathar and the Tulkon in the religion: many different deities and souls into one being. By extension, all people can be viewed as various facets of the world and each other, as parts of a whole rather than disparate beings. This belief comes from Ratialis' influence, which also argued that all things are connected based on perception. This belief is somewhat similar to Pantulkonism's idea that all things are divine and part of the same universal fabric; however, they differ in that in Pantulkonism, all people are *part* of the universe, while in Prophetism, all people *are* and *make* the universe.

A central belief in Prophetist practice is that every person one encounters benefits their development as a person: people all take different facets of each other and become unique people, who are also the same (in the same vein as the Tulkons). Prophetists believe in humility, kindness, and personal accountability. While the Tulkon is not directly worshipped in Prophetism, it is believed that the Tulkon is the greatest messenger of Kathar, whose word outweighs all.