Elevism

**Elevism** is a monotheistic religion first practiced by scholar-monks in the earliest days of Rathnir. Elevists follow the teachings of their god, Laeros. Historically, they lived in the Monastery of Storrkloster. Elevists are now rare, almost wiped out due to a combination of factors that resulted in the destruction of Storrkloster and the end of Elevist society, known by remaining Elevists as the Great Collapse. They claim to be one of the oldest religions in Rathnir.

## History

All of the History of Elevism comes from texts written by the High Order of Laeros, so much of the information in this section could be innacurate or mythological.

### Origin

Not much is known about the origins of Elevism outside of what is described in its own scriptures. According to the Story of the Temple of Laeros, Storrkloster and the High Order of Laeros were formed by a man named Bjarg, formerly the King of his people, who gave up his title after his temple to Laeros was destroyed by Laeros himself due to Bjarg's attempt to sacrifice children he deemed pagan. According to the fable, Bjarg repented and formed the High Order of Laeros, the council of monks who would guide followers of Elevism until its destruction during the Great Collapse.

### Prosperity

Practitioners of Elevism set up small settlements all across Rathnir, usually to study the people and animals who lived in those lands. According to *The Book of Teachings*, The High Order began to thrive after Jorda Rev, a leader of the High Order, received a vision from Laeros that caused her to write down nine sacred laws. According to this book, following these laws made Laeros protect the Elevists, and breaking them would cause him to turn his back on them until they repented.

### Great Collapse

According to scripture, at some undefined point in time at least three thousand years ago, the leader of the High Order, Lys Grant, broke one of Laeros' laws by destroying a village and slaughtering its people due to an earlier dispute over a field of land. According to Elevists, this action made Laeros become angry, and he abandoned the monastery during the retaliation from a city that had allied itself with the village. The monastery was conquered and became assimilated into another kingdom, which made the Elevists learn its language and customs. Later, due to poor conditions in the Monastery, it burnt down and was destroyed, along with much of its records. The Elevist population was scattered, where it dwindled into near-extinction. Nowadays, there are barely any left in Rathnir.

## Beliefs and Customs

### Creation Story

Elevists believe in the Laeros, their god of science, history, nature, time, and the universe. According to their creation story, Laeros came into being when the universe was blanketed in darkness, and unleashed his power in the form of light, creating the stars. Later, he made the planets out of clouds of dust, and settled on a nearby planet, giving it the gift of water and christening it "Rathnir". Wishing to have another intelligent being to speak to, he dove into the seas, picked up the stones on the ocean floor, and imbued them with life, creating the fish. He gave the fish intelligence, but because they couldn't talk, they had no way to express themselves, and therefore suffered. So Laeros removed their intelligence and returned to the land with half of the fish, changing them into the animals of the land, which he gave intelligence as well, but they were lazy and did not want to help Laeros, so he became angry and took their intelligence away. He went to the river to ponder his existence, but saw his own reflection and became inspired. Laeros took half of the animals and changed them into humans, which he gave intelligence. The humans bowed down to worship him, but Laeros denied them and instead requested that they study the world of Rathnir to appease him. Then Laeros ascended to the sky.

### Laeros' Mission

Elevism is built around "Laeros' Mission", the idea that humans were created to gather knowledge about their world, and that this is the ultimate point of life. The texts of Elevism deem many common religious practices as wastes of time that would be better spent on Laeros' Mission, including temples, sacrifices, and converting others to their religion. Typically, Elevists were dispatched from the monastery by the High Order in groups of up to ten, and they would travel to far reaches of Rathnir to record as much as they could, before returning to Storrkloster months later to deposit their new knowledge.

### Laws

Elevism has only nine central tenets. They are as follows (according to the Book of Teachings):

1. Dedicate your life to Laeros’ Mission. Study Rathnir, and, someday, the universe beyond.
2. Do not kill others, as this will prevent them from helping to fulfill Laeros’ Mission.
3. Do not go to war. War is humanity’s great sin, and you should never seek it out. If, ever, another group of people declare war on you, you should never be the first to attack; defend from their first attack and you will have my protection.
4. Do not build temples or idols in my honour; this is a waste of time that would be better spent on my Mission.
5. Do not offer sacrifices in my honour, as there are better ways that livestock and crops can be used.
6. If another group in your area worships pagan gods, do not attempt to convert them; instead, live alongside them, and if they are willing to help my Mission, then they are holy.
7. When you kill an animal, use its whole body; parts of it for eating, parts of it for tools, and part of it for research.
8. If you enter a new land and there are people there, respect their claim to the land. Request to be let in only to study their history and offer them tribute and respect. If they do not permit you entry, then ask that they give you a written record of their history and area so that you may study their culture and customs even without witnessing them firsthand.
9. Treat all those who live on this world equally, with no hatred based on superfluous things. You are all my beloved Students and you will all have a place next to me in the Light.

### Festivals

The main festival that Elevists celebrate is the Jubilation, held every nine years since Jorda Rev first wrote the laws. The Jubilation celebrates all the knowledge gathered in the previous eight years, and consists of performing songs, dances, and making foods from cultures that they had studied previously. Aside from the Jubilation, several festivals from other religions are often celebrated.

### Afterlife

Although there is no definitive stance on the afterlife within Elevism, many Elevists take the last sentence of the ninth law ("You are all my beloved Students and you will all have a place next to me in the Light") to mean that all beings will join Laeros in the afterlife, although the true meaning of this verse was hotly disputed before the Great Collapse.

## Societal Structure and Culture

### The Five Clans and Naming Conventions

Elevists are divided into five clans, named after the five elements in Elevist philosophy. Although these were once to separate the people by their occupation, after the Great Collapse this custom was lost, and now it is just an aesthetic difference. Their names are now translated into the modern language, but in the old times, they were in Ancient Elevist and had masculine and feminine forms. These are the clans:

* Light Clan - Historically called the Lys (masculine) or Lysa (feminine) clan. They wear white robes and were often leaders.
* Water Clan - Historically called the Vann (masculine) or Vana (feminine) clan. They wear blue robes and were often explorers.
* Wind Clan - Historically called the Vind (masculine) or Vinda (feminine) clan. They wear sky blue robes and were often innovators.
* Fire Clan - Historically called the Eld (masculine) or Ilda (feminine) clan. They wear red robes and were often scribes.
* Earth Clan - Historically called the Jord (masculine) or Jorda (feminine) clan. They wear brown robes and were often soldiers.

The clan is passed on to a child from their parents. If a child were to be born of two clans, then they could choose which one they would be at their coming-of-age ceremony. If someone converted to Elevism with no prior association with the culture, then they too could chose their clan. The individual name was taken from an animal or plant native to the region the person was born. The clan name was always put before the individual name.

### Leadership and the High Order

The High Order of Laeros consisted of one representative elected by each clan, plus a leading figure called the Laeru, who was elected once every three years by all the Elevist people. The Laeru would make propositions at the daily meetings, which the representatives would vote on; if the vote passed, it would be enacted. For larger votes, such as ones concerning issues of war or crises, the High Order would take the vote to all the people to determine their best course of actions. When not voting on issues, the High Order oversaw the research and dispatched squads to all corners of Rathnir for Laeros' Mission.