Old Tavarism

The Banner of Old Tavarism

## Summary

The Religion of Old Tavarism is a mix of pagan beliefs based around the unified belief of cyclicality, existing in almost every aspect of the world around us, whether in respect to the cycle of life and death, the cycle of seasons, or even the cycle of civilisation, of rise and fall.

Due to the decentralised nature of the religion (essentially autocephalous), regional or national heresies are common, as groups often interpret the faith differently, while the lack of a central authority prevents the creation of a canonized dogma.

## Beliefs

It is the historic belief of the Tabari peoples that they are the ones destined to preserve this cyclicality, doing so requires several aspects:

* That things be done in moderation, as excess is the destruction of the equilibrium.
* That competition is maintained, that those who are neither intelligent or strong should be removed. (However they should never be wiped out, as equilibrium of the cycle dictates that the weak must offset the strong, and the ability for the seemingly weak to show strength above what is expected means that they must not be underestimated or spurned).
* That complacency or hedonism should be avoided, as they have no place in the cycle and are a burden on it.
* That all creatures should be shown with respect, unless they have shown malice, this applies too to creatures hunted, their flesh must not be defiled needlessly.
* That Mistakes are a part of life and should be admitted and forgiven.

The Old Tavari faith beliefs about life are as so:

* That every living thing around us is inhabited by a life force, from birds, to beetles and even soil, which is considered biological due to the fact that plants grow from it; it is imbued with (or the source of) the essence of life, as is water.
* Fire is considered to be the physical form of these living spirits, as it shows their wild nature, however it is understood that spirits manifested as fire have been twisted to do so, whereby they lose their mind and their tenderness and understanding. Spirits can only personify as fire if they detach their spirit from their body after death and do not return to another one.
* Similarly to fire, it is believed that wind represents the movements of wandering spirits, searching for their new body.
* Alongside the force of life, an additional force exists, which is hard and lifeless, this entails entities such as stones and minerals, these contain an energy within them, however they do not live as animals do and the energy is merely stored as opposed to used, within alchemy lies the secrets to using this energy, however these materials are foreign, and one that focuses too hard on them will likely become obsessed and lose their spirit.
* Occasionally life force enters this alien grey matter and creates new life, usually occuring in the form of wild sludge, a red hot and dangerous material found in a few mountains. This sludge should be avoided, as although it breeds new life it contains raw condensed life force and is too dangerous for human contact, this combined energy can cause the ground to shake nearby from it’s raw power.
* The creation of life from the grey matter alongside the consumption of life by the grey matter is an important piece of the cycle, and it should not be disturbed unless the equilibrium is being thrown out of balance. There are conflicting views on the role of the sun and the moon in the cycle, as while the sun can provide life force, it can also drain it, as seen in droughts, where it prevents the water from replenishment, while it is assumed that the moon does the opposite as the suns counterpart; they are clearly a part of the cycle, however it remains unclear what role they play in the cycle. Due to the nature of wild spirits as hot, as felt with fire or the molten spirit rock, some have been led to believe that the sun may represent the final afterlife once reincarnation is no longer possible, due to the fact it seemingly emits heat, and appears somewhat similar to fire.

## Heresies/ Sects

### Orthodox Tavarism

Centered in Mos Tran-Kewh, the holiest site in Orthodox Tavarism, this represents much of the original pagan beliefs, managed by the Ruba Kesana of Mos Tran-Kewh. There are many forms of worship within Orthodox Tavarism, due to no historical prescedent on what is acceptable forms of worship, thus worship may be prayer at a shrine, the performance of dancing or theatre or from the production of religious goods such as the carving of a torus, a symbol seen as holy within Tavarism due to it's semblance to an unbroken cycle. The official state religion of The Tabari Republic.

### Caravism

A sect much more focused on prayer and worship of the spirits, revering them as ancestors, often constructing shrines around the workplaces of great people that they may pray there if ever they need guidance. Similarly, followers of Caravism will build shrines in the sites of major battles to pay respect to those that died.

### Daalatism

A sect with the belif that two overarching spirits exist in the world, the spirit of good and the spirit of evil, theses forces are in constant struggle, and if the forces of evil manage to defeat the forces of good an apocalypse to end all civilisation will occur. The spirit of good and wisdom is known as Hael, the spirit of evil is known as Sheiyman, the conflict which is generally in a chaotic equilibrium includes several other aspects, such as order and chaos, wisdom and stupidity. Spiritual forces such as fire are seen to mainly be on the side of good as it provides light and warmth, whereas the spirits which may cause a snowstorm are seen as evil as it brings darkness and cold; thus most wind spirits are considered evil due with their unpredictable and chaotic nature.

### Kanism

A frowned upon heresy, which completely rejects the more ascetic nature of Orthodox tavarism in favour of extravigant hedonism, with the belief that the cycle and the spirits within it should be exploited, and that it is permissible that the cycle is thrown of balance in favour of Kanists, as the cycle will inevitably recover. They also believe that the cycle of the world around us will eventually end and then repeat, thus the best way to appreciate the cycle is to live life to it's fullest potential, doing as one pleases so long as it doesn't come at a huge detriment to those around you. Kanism can be summerised by a popular saying amongst its followers "The resources of this world are seemingly infinite, life is not".