The Intricacies of Temaur

***By: Thorkil Mikaels***

## **CHAPTER ONE: Common Misconceptions**

I have walked along all of North Ludwag, seeing all of the interpretations of Temaur that others have brought into the mix, including some that take the ten edicts that we follow much too literally, and I am going to inform you all on the Intricacies of Temaur, starting with misconceptions of the ten edicts.

Firstly, the fourth edict is one that states that sparing cursed beings goes against Temaur’s wishes. I have found this to be inherently untrue, as when a cure to incumbency was founded by myself and the research division of the Silvic Conclave, Temaur rose me up to the plate of Herald, making me closer to Temaur in the process. I believe this to be a sign that Temaur isn’t the wrathful individual people depict him as, and they like when a proper alternative is given as opposed to killing someone who can be cured.

Secondly, The eighth edict states that you belong to your Parents and Temaur, and while it is inherently true that Temaur is a huge part of our lifestyle, family should always come first, not just your parents. It goes on to state that you should not bend your knee to other gods, this does not mean you can not respect the other gods, this simply means you can not worship them as you would with Temaur, as for telling others that you owe them nothing, in the second edict it states that we must show respect to our peers whether it be in battle, or not. Are these two not contradictory in some way, shape, or form? Is it not honorable to pay your respects with a bow, to someone that you respect? I believe that there are inherent flaws within this edict, and it requires some more thought.

Thirdly, The edicts as we believe them… they are not all encompassing, while they do capture Temaur’s views in some way, shape or form, they are malleable. This means that things might start looking up for Temaurites when they think outside of the box.

This world is full of things that we do not understand, no matter how much research we do, all of this opens up new possibilities and new avenues to walk down. The knowledge of this world is ever-expanding, so why do we limit ourselves to thinking so little about the edicts that have been instilled upon us? Why must we take these words so literally, when not everything in this world is black and white?

## **CHAPTER TWO: Notable Depictions**

The notable depictions of Temaur begin with the common description of Temaur, as a wrathful being that manipulates the storms of Azura as he pleases. This also extends to him being a prideful and honorable being that seeks only the greatest of their trade to serve under him. Temaur’s depictions are extremely varied in terms of how they are, and look, and depend entirely on the region where he is being followed in. In regions with large amounts of thunderstorms, he is depicted as a bearded man holding a lightning bolt. However in more cold and frigid regions such as the Solus Mountains, he is depicted as a gigantic man made of glacial ice.

### **Common Depiction(s) of Temaur**

To move on with the Kazoku’s depiction of Temaur, we must first start with their religious system, which is split into four types, The Ikari, the Ai, the Hybrid, and the Forbidden. The Ikari (Rage) are known to be formed by volatile worldly passions in their own words, being the housing of the Opus, Fargram and the Tempesta sphere in their religion. The Ai (Love) are known to house the more passive and scholarly spheres, such as Salus, Lumen and Natura. The Hybrid which does not fit in either category are said to have formed new views with their creation, they house the Fierent, Ritus, and Aroum spheres. The Forbidden, tend to house the extremely dark and dreadful side of their worldly passions, and are typically banned within Kazoku settlements, housing the Decaus, and Voula.
Hokkori is a god that embodies roughly the same views instilled in their followers across the mainstream religion, who stands for pride, loyalty, and faith. He is still regarded as a god who controls the storms and graces the world with lightning and rains, but his picture depiction is much different from the mainstream religion in the sense that it is less varied, and tends to be widely agreed upon that he is what the Kazoku call a ‘Samurai’ in battle worn armor.

## **CHAPTER THREE: Ascendance**

The ascendance of a Temaurite is a long and grueling journey, one that forces you to understand yourself on a completely different level to understand what you can and can’t take. Temaurites are taught by the edicts to love oneself, and to treat the body as if it were a temple, removing vices and replacing them with virtues. It is akin to the aspect of culling the bad in a school to raise the average, to make things look better on the outside, but there are still those of us who will drink and participate in some of the things we consider ‘vices’ despite us being followers and worshippers of Temaur. I’d argue that Temaur is arguably one of the hardest gods to please, but you are rewarded greatly in exchange for your servitude in following one of the most honorable gods to walk the face of Azura. The best ways to please Temaur is by gaining a higher level of understanding, while living life happily and treating others as you wish to be treated, while remaining loyal, faithful and honorable in your pursuit of happiness.

Becoming Empowered or Blessed is a steep slope that can lead to overconfidence in the long run, if one is not disciplined enough in their pursuit of the god Temaur. There are an infinite number of paths an empowered Temaurite can take, though most of these paths can remain literal to the edicts, or outright reforming the edicts into a more fulfilling and lax ruleset that allows for more flexibility. Some Temaurites view this as heresy and I fundamentally disagree, as they merely prove a point I’ve been making for years, that not every Temaurite will follow Temaur the same, and no Temaurite will walk down the same path as another.

There are hundreds of ways that things can go in life, and I’m very happy to say that I’ve walked down a path that made me, my family and my friends agree is a righteous one. I could have sat here stressing out about my divine duties all night but there is no point, for my path is true and the storm guides me as it shall guide all Temaurites.

## **CHAPTER FOUR: An Air of Mystery**

Temaur is often regarded as one of the most mysterious gods in terms of how to please and the specifics of how to become empowered, and I’m here to uncover a part of that mysterious god we follow. Temaur is pleased by watching actions that show honor, loyalty and faithfulness to Temaur, along with making oaths and upholding them. This goes to show that perhaps Temaur isn’t as angry and wrathful as people make Temaur out to be, a god that wishes to see someone uphold a promise that they have made and to see them become more confident in their own skin. This is not wrathful or angry, this is a god who watches over all of his followers, a god who grants us life giving rains and snow for children to play in, and winds that grace the world to keep us from overheating in hotter climates.

The air of mystery is what draws some people to Temaur, some people mold their body and minds just to have a chance to serve Temaur as one of their agents through rigorous training and extremely difficult regimes, however some take a more passive approach and would rather spread the word of their god while remaining physically healthy without the need to gain muscle. There are some who indulge in a little bit of both, or neither at all, and that is something that simply adds to the air of mystery that Temaur holds. I wish to uncover that mysterious side of Temaur to make this world a better place for all of his followers, to show you all that not everything is black and white, but a lot of it is grey that borders on the line between good and evil. But I personally believe that nothing is truly good or truly evil, because we as people do not get to decide what good and evil entail, considering we as people change the definition of those words to fit our own agendas, and that is a sad truth that plagues our world today.

**HAIL TEMAUR**