Seskantige Preke

## **Summary**

The Seskantige Preke, or the Sixfold Teachings in the common tongue, was the core religion of the Kingdom of Variman and its successor the **Lambent Front**. A dualistic faith, it saw the physical world as being one that was inherently corrupt and evil. Despite this innate corruption, good could and did still exist, but this was not the natural state. In contrast to our physical reality, the nameless High God of Variman is thought to be the spiritual conception of good. Because of this dichotomy, the High God could not exist in our reality, and so instead manifested in the form of fragments called the Archons. These Archons were sent to guide mortals to be better, while casting out the false deities known as Demiurges, who tempted mortals away from the path of good. With the destruction of the Houses of the Archons and the devastation inflicted by both the Varimanian Civil War and the Flight from Imeris, the faith is now a shadow of itself, left adrift and without guidance.

The six Archon's are Ywer (Zeal), Verwondering (Awe), Geregtigheid (Justice), Volharding (Persistence), Sielskrag (Fortitude), and Wysheid (Wisdom)

## **History**

The history of the Seskantige Preke and Variman are intertwined, and both begin with a human named Thidrek. Thidrek was once a lowly shaman of a long forgotten Demiurge, but while burning offerings to their false god, the Archon of Zeal manifested in the flames and slowly began to whisper truths to them. This influence eventually led Thidrek to reject their false idol and embrace the Archon, and lead those who would follow him to carve out a new home for themselves. Those who continued to follow their false god were burned, setting the first in a long line of horrors. After decades of travelling across the lands, casting down false gods and converting new people to his beliefs, Thidrek fell in battle with their spirit being carried away in flame to join the Archons in the Geesteryk, winning the day for his followers.

Victorious, they found themselves on the shores of the inner seas of Imeris, and settled to found what would become the Kingdom of Variman. The children of Thidrek divided up the responsibilities of their father amongst themselves. Athal, Thidrek’s first son, took up the Crown and founded the lineage of the Kings of Variman. Amala, Thidrek’s first daughter, heard the whispers of the Archon and so became the first High Judge of Zeal. And finally Thorismund, Thidrek’s second son, kept his father's sword and founded the Duiweljagters, the first holy order dedicated to the Archons and precursor to the Inquisition.

Under the leadership of Thidrek’s children, the first stones were laid in what would become Variman, and the nomadic Varimanians would settle into new lives. As part of this settlement and to show the people’s commitment to the new faith, the first Temple of Zeal was raised. At the heart of the temple, Zeal was truly summoned, and according to Varimanian tradition it would remain there till the House’s destruction at the hands of the Cult of Eris.

As time passed and Athal’s descendants reigned, the Kingdom changed and grew. As part of this growth, more Archons were honoured as they appeared to the Varimanians. Awe was the second to arrive, being summoned by a congress of Judges to remind the people of Variman of the sublime power of the Archons and the commitment they had made to the faith. The next was Justice, who came during a period of tyranny and misrule, guiding Variman to righteous order under the law. Persistence was summoned by a King who sought to restore his people's drive and motivation, and Fortitude was called down when Variman seemed threatened by destruction. And finally Wisdom, the last of the Varimanian Archons was called by a far distant descendant of Athal and Thidrek, seeking the knowledge of their forebears so they could rule with such foresight and dignity.

The Varimanian Civil War saw the destruction of the Six Houses of the Archons, returning them to the Geesteryk as their followers were nearly wiped out. Over 70 years have passed since then, and while the survivors of the Lambent Front still carry the old beliefs, they must adapt to a radically changed world, without the guidance of the Archons.

## **Clergy**

The primary clergy of the faith were the Judges, priests that preached and studied the teachings of the Archons. While honoring all of the Archons, a Judge would usually dedicate themselves to a specific Archon, traditionally the one whose temple they were trained at. Judges were usually apprenticed at a young age, and some families had lineages of Judges going back generations. A Judge would usually serve at a specific Temple for years, and would be responsible for religious services for the community as well as settling legal disputes in the community.

The most important Temples in Variman were the Houses of the Archons. These expansive temples, major pilgrimage sites for faithful Varimanians, also had many Judges and servants to staff them. The Judges of an Archon would elect one of their own to be the head of this temple (usually based on seniority, but other qualifications could sway it), with the elected being the High Judge of that Archon. These High Judges formed a council, with the High Judge of Zeal considered to be the de facto leader of the faith. The Kingship of Variman also held important spiritual significance owing to their status of being descended from the first Judge of Zeal granting them, or an appointed royal relative, a seat on the Council of Judges.

### Holy Orders

Judges were not the only servants of the Archons. The Holy Orders and their members took the Archons teachings into actions. While not all of these Orders were important or notable, they left their mark on Varimanian and later Entente society in their own way.

**The Inquisition:** The oldest and most feared of the Holy Orders, the Inquisition traced its lineage back to the founding of Variman and the Duiweljagters, the Devil Hunters. Brutal in method, the Inquisition was forcibly reigned in by the High Judges, Varimanian Kingship, or greater Entente society as they lashed out against what they see as a truly impure world. By the waning days of Variman it was little respected and little thought of, kept alive by the ancient laws and their venerable lineage. Although it saw something of a resurgence after their doomsaying came to pass, they still suffered horrendously during the Civil War and many Inquisitors stayed in Hell to hold the gate shut.

**The Old Guard (The Lambent Front):** The Holy Order of Fortitude was initially an armed peacekeeping force, used to defend Variman and the Entente during times of strife. While often overlooked due to their mundane work, they came to the forefront of Varimanian society during the Civil War due to their tenacity and experience in warfare. It eventually subsumed all of Varimanian society under its banner. Today, the original servants of Fortitude are referred to as the Old Guard to prevent confusion.

**The Magisteriate:** While Judges were keepers of the Law and Varimanian Law was based in the theology of the Sixfold Path, as the law code grew more complex it became less practical for Judges to be expected to know both the whole legal canon and theological canon. The Magisteriate, the Holy Order of Justice, filled the gap created by this. The most secular of the Holy Orders, the Magistrates care only for the law, divine or mundane. In the age of the Entente, the Magistrates and their Legal Schools were attended by peoples of all races, and Magistrates found across the confederacy.

**The Valiant Legion:** The Holy Order of Awe. Militant Order. Spreaders of the Divine Truth of the Archons and the Geesteryk.

**The Mud Dredgers:** The Holy Order of Persistence. Militant Order. Derogatorily named but adopted out of spite, dedicated to engineering both civil and seige based.

**The Chroniclers:** The Holy Order of Wisdom.

## **Doctrine**

### The Archons

The center of Varimanian religion, the Archons are the fragments of the High God, each taking the form of a single virtue in its purity. There are six Archons in the Varimanian tradition, but among the Judges it is generally accepted that more exist out in the Geesteryk, unknown to the Varimanians. A precise number of Archons is unknown, but these outer Archons and their virtues are still somewhat honored.

As the Archons are purely spiritual beings, they had to have been summoned to sacred temples built by the Varimanians of the mythical past. How these summonings occurred is only recorded in legend, and offers little hints as to how it could be conducted. The nature of the Archon's manifestations is similarly mysterious phenomena, kept secret by the High Judges and those holy few who have been permitted a direct audience.

### The Six Virtues

**Zeal:** The First Virtue, Zealotry is a righteous passion, one born from the deepest of dedications. It need not always be senseless, but zeal drives men to burn brighter than all around them to the point of an inferno. Failure is not a sign to turn back, it is a sign that you must fight even harder.

**Awe:** The Second Virtue, Awe is a virtue of both faith and wonder. It is the overwhelming reverence in the face of the power of the Archons, but beyond that the great wonders and people of the world. Awe is a feeling sparked rather than held, and so must be sought out.

**Justice:** The Third Virtue, Justice is not just obedience to the law but the will to shape it into something greater. While divine laws are immutable, there are many decrees set out only by mortal will. These must still be obeyed but some may contradict right governance and virtue, and so should be shaped accordingly.

**Persistence:** The Fourth Virtue, Persistence is the belief that work itself is good as a means to an end. Though one may not know the result of their work, by toiling towards a goal the worker is inherently better for it.

**Fortitude:** The Fifth Virtue, Fortitude is not simply the courage to face hardship and evil, but the will to do so against undefeatable odds or unimaginable cruelties. To stand up for what is good against all odds is the highest honour one can undertake.

**Wisdom:** The Sixth Virtue, Wisdom is the ability first to understand the nature of the world, and through that the secondary ability to understand the divine nature. While often taken in the direction of seeking knowledge, at its core it is a search for divine revelation.

### The Geesteryk

   The Geesteryk is the broad term for the “Other World”, a realm of concept and ideals, where the limitations of reality crumble away, allowing the extremes of existence to manifest. This is the realm the Archons and the High God are thought to truly reside in, leading it to also be broadly known as “Hemel” or Heaven. This realm was inaccessible to mortals, but was through to somewhat shine through in one's dreams. Despite these positive connotations, the Geesteryk is a realm of all extremes, and as above and so below. Gehenna too is part of the Geesteryk, and with it the reflections of all the world's evils.

### The Mortal Soul

   The material is fleeting, and death comes for all. But in the view of the Sixfold Path, mortals are not mere creatures of material nature. Each being is endowed with a soul, a part of the Geesteryk that is a reflection and collection of all of that being's life and experiences. Memory, ideals, perspective, virtues and sins, all are thought to be recorded within one's soul. And when one dies the soul is freed of its mortal cage, returning to the Geesteryk, with the various aspects of the soul begin to separate and flow into varying fragments of Geesteryk. In the Varimanian belief, should one be virtuous enough, the weight of their good deeds will carry themselves whole to Hemel, where the great and the kind will exist in eternity with the High God.

### Demiurges

Demiurge's and the crime of worshiping them form one of the core tenets of the Seskantige Preke, yet themselves are highly mysterious. Traditionally, the term was applied to a deified being or a mythical creature of unnatural power. A common contemporary example is the Dwarven creator deity Morkith, who while not worshiped by dwarves is still part of the cosmology. In the age of the Entente, few demiurges exist outside of myth and legend, but some more fringe theologians have also applied the term to particularly heinous individuals who lead groups that ran contrary to traditional Varimanian values. Lesser spirits, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures are traditionally not given the title unless they are a singular focus of worship.

WIP

## **Rites/Rituals**

### The Wasmeer (Ritual of the Waxen Water)

An ancient rite of purification, the Wasmeer's inception dates back to a time when righteous zealotry was not yet needed.

> The congregation shall bring forth heartfelt and composed prayer seals.
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> A receptacle is prepared, lined with the wax of the burnt prayer seals by the youngest of the congregation.
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> Each member of the ritual takes a glass of water. Takes a sip then upends the rest in the receptacle.
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> Bathe what needs blessing in the water for a night.
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### The Vlamketting (Rite of the Binding Blaze)

A method used to combat scourges too dangerous to vanquish, the Vlamketting is said to be a harsh rite to bind a creature's remains with holy flame - impeding any attempts at raising it from the dead, by others or itself.

> A collective of righteous and pure, shall bring together composed prayer seals.
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> The scourge's remnants are to be placed upon an altar or plinth with the seals encircling.
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> They whom slew the evil shall lead prayer, or eldest amongst them if absent.
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> Light the seals and chant unto the heavens until nought but ashen wax remains.
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## **Terminology**

* Archon - A Fragment of the High God, representing a singular virtue
* Demiurge- A being that is worshiped as a God, which is inherently corrupt and so must be destroyed
* Geesteryk - The Varimanian Spirit World, a place free of the inherent corruption of the physical world and home to the Archons and High God. Not necessarily a realm of good, as Hel, the realm of demons, is part of the Geesteryk.
* Gebied - A territory overseen by the Judges of a particular Archon
* Judge - A priest of the Archons who interprets their will. Also a practical judge alongside the Magistrates.
* High Judge- A Judge who oversaw their Archon's specific temple
* Old Varimanian - the original language of the Varimanians, still used in some religious functions. The six Archon's titles in Old Varimanian are Ywer (Zeal), Verwondering (Awe), Geregtigheid (Justice), Volharding (Persistence), Sielskrag (Fortitude), and Wysheid (Wisdom)
* Sigil - A sign representing an Archon.