Socraj

The **socraj** (*soh-krazhe*, "Will") is the binding philosophy, manifesto, and religion of the sorjachani and their ancestor Sorjachani Empire.

Alternatively, but not separately, the *socraj* can also be used to refer to the directive of the current Highlord.

## The Divine Will

### Sorjin

A subtle, magically-compulsive psychic force that indoctrinates according to Sorjachani belief systems. It is a binding, unconscious force inherent to all sorjin-channelers. The socraj is their religion and their shared goal—restoring the universe to its primordial wholeness.

All the sorjin channeled by the Sorjachani is anonymous, but it carries with it an insidious secret.When the mourasta generate mana, it is automatically coded with the socraj, the

Sorjachani “mission statement”—their philosophies, ideals, goals, and cooperative harmony—in the same manner that an animus will make an imprint of any kind of mental or physical data through mana’s adhesive property.The Sorjachani are enslaved by the socraj and do not even know it.

• The socraj is transferred to sorjin-users’ minds through subtle inculcation, accomplished through consecutive sorjin channeling.A mind can eventually filter out the socraj and recover if the individual stops channeling sorjin altogether, but the addictive influence of sorjin makes this incredibly difficult.

— The only sorjachani that are exempt from the socraj’s enthrallment are the ebenient prelates, who nonetheless still push for the Sorjachani’s objectives out of loyalty to their queens, and the sargats.This is because their sorjin is independently produced from the mourasta. Jeseride as well does not obey the socraj for the same reason.

A sorjin-producing animus feels powerful. Because the body hasn't adjusted to a stronger frequency of mana aetherizing in periphery friction, a slight 'buzz' will be felt for the rest of their lives, even at resting position—especially if the individual's animus burns to just above hypomanic conditions. It's subtle—a twinkle in their eye, a smoothness to their muscles as they move—all adding up to this pure sense of substantiality. Egomania and delusions of grandeur recur in sorjin-producing warlocks; they feel amazing, all the time, and thus are convinced they are destined for great things. And the socraj is a perfect motivator.

### Creation myth

The Sorjachani belief system is that the universe, originally a whole complex of existence and life, sundered under the pressure of an unexplained catastrophe and splintered into various worlds, which then developed into their respective individualities. Feeling it to be imperative to rejoin the broken world so as to effectively repair the universe, the Sorjachani work tirelessly to discover new worlds and dominate them, which they then stitch into their eclectic macrocosm through magic conducted at a planetary scale.

One of their justifications for their beliefs is the stark similarity between them and other races they’ve encountered through their crusades (the 'humanoid' skeleton). Another of their beliefs is that Sorjin is the one true power, and that when it consumes other forms of energy it is simply restoring it to its proper source from before the Qajah.

Using Sorjin, the Sorjachani connect two worlds’ magic fabrics, which thus unites their aethospheres, and thus enables them to merge physically.

## Highlord's Will

The overarching will or mission statement declared by the Highlord that dictates what all Sorjachani's actions should thematically be contributing to, based on their own skills and duties. A socraj might be "Relocate to the mountains," and every sorjachani would be expected to volunteer their aid to the best of their capacity; dromuts hauling cargo, [praetorian]s organizing the expedition, etc. The directive is vague and up to interpretation, of course, and could alternatively be: dromuts leading a bloody territorial campaign to seize the mountains; gnolls enslaving thralls to carry provisions and litters.

It might even be more extreme, like "Eradicate all humans," and so long as the socraj is active, the sorjachani would be expected to take any opportunity to murder any humans they might encounter, with some enterprising demons going so far as to foment lavish doomsday plots to appease the Highlord's will and fulfill the mission. Only one socraj can be declared at a time. The Exarchate is responsible for the High Triune's official enforcement and pursuit of the active socraj, and thus the appointment of the Exarch should complement the requirements of the socraj. This is never the case, since the [praetorian]s jealously clutch to their roles as the guardians of the empire, even when they're not suited to the task.