Dercesism

**Derces** is what most Trajistavi people belive in. Its beliefs promote the Derces, the unity of the terms God (which does not signify a divine being to Derces followers), Infinity and Universe. In Derces, all of these terms are synonyms and therefore have the same meaning. Dercesism in its present form (used to be called New Dercesism) was first developed in the now extinct Kingdom of Trajistav, in the faraway realm known as Grotth, about a couple hundred of years ago, before the cataclysm of Grotth.

## Legend of Derces

Derces was a legendary mortal being that eventually turned into the Universe and its whole: The Infinite.

Derces was a young and bold adventurer, who claimed that one day he would reach the stars of the dark night sky and that he will enlighten the world even more. He went as far as to wish for no more dark and depressive rainy or cloudy days, desiring an eternal state of satisfaction and wellbeing for all beings. His first steps in the quest to reach the stars were hard, for the overconfidence he had dragged him down each time he tried to climb the great mountain that would get him closer to the sky. Derces had to climb down the mountain, for his people told him that will and strength alone can not get one far enough. He began to wander across the land, searching for the other virtues that the people told him he required. In each tribe he visited he had to accomplish tasks that would teach him wisdom, courage, truth and, eventually, The Union of Man. These he used to escape from the temptation of his instincts and to overcome the dark influence that they had over his mortal body. His soul had become so strong that it no more took into consideration the bodily aspects of his life. The second time he attempted to climb the mountain, he failed again, because halfway through his body, even tough it was trained, began to feel fatigue and exhaustion. Derces had to climb down again and learn how to balance his energy in order to properly climb the mountain. The third time he went to climb the mountain, he brought with himself more resources and planned his climb thorougly, having known the path he took twice already. He again told his people that he prepares to leave, but they wanted him to instead stay there with them, for he was of much use and helpful to his people. Convinced that once he reaches the stars, he will be able to do even more for them, Derces had left and began climbing the mountain again. This third time, he managed to reach the top of the mountain, far above the clouds, where no one has ever been.

He never returned to his people, but the legend tells us that there was lightning coming from atop the mountain, above the clouds. People think that Derces has managed to reach the stars, for the days after he climbed the mountain were the most beautiful the world had ever seen. Yet, they did not last for long as Derces thought that he would not do a favor to his people, for they had to go through the challenges that he did as well in order to reach the other realm, know as The Union of Derces. Ever since, Derces was praised for his will and power to reach the stars and the other realm where souls become one with everything through the light of the stars.

## New Dercesism - The Teachings of Derces

At first, Dercesism was a monotheistic faith, which held Derces as its divinity. More recently, however, most scholars have managed to bring new interpretations of the legend, following archaeological discoveries in the Kingdom of Trajistav. New Dercesism promoted the idea that Derces is just a legendary character whose existence was created in order to portray a perfect human being.

Derces reaching the stars is the legend that best conveys the teachings of Derces, which are all a celebration of life and its offerings. All virtues, together combined and properly used, can get anyone to reach The Union of Derces, by living a virtuous and worthy life. As time passed, the word Derces also gained the meaning of life through both Unions, eternal truth and desire to accomplish ones life no matter the difficulties.

The following are Derces' teachings as the Velik-Mudrimanyi (wise scholars and monks) have interpreted them through long debates:

1. We do not kneel to anyone but Derces, all there is and that shall be.
2. We are meant to live in Derces, all there is and that shall be.
3. We shall honor all before us, we shall honor all after us.
4. We shall not steal, for that is to take what is not ours.
5. We shall serve only the truth.
6. We shall love all there is, for it is in and from Derces.
7. We shall seek and discover all knowledge that there is for us.
8. We shall always care for our body and souls, as of that which is The Union of Man.

## The Unions and the Afterlife

Life, or Derces, consists out of two unions that are separate realms: The Union of Derces and The Union of Man.

The final afterlife, which is known as The Union of Derces is a transcendent state in which the soul of an individual becomes one with Derces. In Derces there are no boundaries. The Union of Derces is the purest orfm of life, the celebration of all nature which is as it should be. Those who have passed through to The Union of Derces will have finally discovered the true meaning of life. However, until one manages to reach The Union of Derces, one must pass through several lives in order to attain the knowledge which will allow the soul to transcede into The Union of Derces before the ending of the last life in the cycle of The Union of Man.

The Union of Man represents our material plane and life and constitutes life as we all perceive it currently. It is the state in which our soul has to learn to take control over the entirety of the body as to make it a tool for the attainment of knowledge and truth. It is through these lifetimes that we learn to overcome the easy temptation of sin. After a lifetime has passed, the soul wanders for an unknown period of time between both Unions. A soul can sometimes choose wrong and may end up losing its previous knowledge. Rarely it occurs that one individual can reincarnate into one of his own close relatives, a reason for celebration among the specific family.

## The Ascețyi

There are, among the Derces followers, some that dedicate their life to knowledge and wisdom, trying to learn how and why can we exist in both Unions and why is it that we are bound to our limited bodies here and now, yet capable of so much.

These people are known as The Ascețyi, and they lead a solitary life, devoting themselves to lecturing, thinking and discussing or debating only with those who follow the same path as they do. These people usually coexist in places far away from any other societies, in remote monasteries. Visitors are not allowed, to enter such locations, unless they have a special grant to do so from a Velik-Mudriman, a High-Wiseman which is one who had served long enough as one of The Ascețyi and has decided to spread the words of wisdom to all people of the world, thus ending their self-imposed seclusion. Usually, Velik-Mudrimanyi serve the King at his court, although they are also teachers in universities or schools, or practice any profession as long as it does not intervene with all the beliefs proper to Derces.

## The Knights of Truth

From Trajistavi, the word ”Valvat” would rougly be translated in the travelers' tongue as ”truthfulness, honesty, veridicity”, or even ”axiomatic”. This fraternal order known as ”Valvat Kavaleryi”, translated as ”The Knights of Truth”, are also protectors of Ascețyi that choose to travel through dangerous paths.

The Knights of Valvat also act as an order of justice and truth, taking it upon themselves to act as judges in matters of the common folk. This order also hunts any bandits and criminals and seeks to punish them. The Knights of Truth hold their headquarters in castles, also acting as an elite body of the Trajistavi army.

## Symbols

Dercesism has two main symbols, the first being the infinity mark, which represents The Union of Derces, "all things as they are". This is a strong reminder that whatever we do, it was all meant to be as it is, and that we should be grateful for the balance and equilibrium that it represents.

The second symbol is a five-pointed star. Each ray of the star represents wisdom, suffering, power of will, love and humility, all bound together by the middle of the star which represents truth and life, or Derces itself. This symbol represents The Union of Man. This star is also present on the flag of Trajistav, Osundir and the coat of arms of The Duradenko Dynasty.