Ibaradism
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Throughout history, especially amongst primitive civilizations, a certain fear pervades society, the fear of nature itself. In a desperate attempt to gain influence over an otherwise terrifying and uncaring world, they develop gods and religious rituals. As civilizations gain control over their home worlds, often time gaining power surpassing that afforded to their gods in myth, they move away from these systems. With all manner of terrifying things firmly under their control, civilizations lose the need for their gods, what is there for an interstellar civilization to fear besides other civilizations? One religious order to break the mold is that of the Ibaradists, whose religion was not based on a fear of natural disasters or death, but of far greater concepts and ideas.Template:!Religion
Ibaradism is a decentralized monolatric Ravin religion most heavily influenced by Titania. This religion is one of the largest religions in the universe with over 18 quintillion practitioners. Its adherents, known as Ibaradists, make up the majority of the population in many regions such as Blumeheim. The core belief of this religion is a belief in humility in light of what practitioners call "The Fae," or beings which exist beyond the scope of empirical analysis.
Ibaradists believe that personal spiritual knowledge or enlightenment is the only way to be freed from the "mortal coil," what is generally perceived to be a pathetic state of existence suitable for only the lowest of life forms. By achieving enlightenment, Ibaradists hope that some passing, usually uncaring, deity will redeem their souls and free them. Most Ibaradists believe that Ibarados, just one god out of almost infinitely many, was merciful enough to shield this fragile universe from the uncaring wider cosmos.
Originally conceptualized in light of the nearly incomprehensible beings native to Inflorescence, Ibaradism is concerned with making the universe as presentable as possible to the various gods in the cosmos. While the methods of "tidying the universe," as the prophetess Titania put, have changed, the general idea has not. Moral behavior as well as certain rituals have, historically, been the primary means by which this is done. An increasing number of Ibaradists have a fatalist view, meaning that they believe that no matter what they do, no god will ever care enough about the insignificant universe enough to intervene.
Ibaradism remains diverse in its many variants as well as individual interpretations of cosmology, prophecy, justification, and ritualism. The variants generally hold in common a distinction between the true supreme beings, of which Ibarados is a part, and the illusions of power achieved by civilizations upon reaching a certain technological level.
Classical Ibaradism began in 74,841 BCE on the planet Alphos as Titania began her ministry. It was originally only practiced among The Ravis until it spread to the Llæns in the early 73,000s BCE. The religion remained remarkably uniform until the death of Titania in 13,684 CE. The death of what Ibaradists believed to be an immortal prophetess caused wide-scale panic, culminating in the founding of Empyros, a fascist theocracy dedicated to cleansing the universe of infidels. Eventually, Empyros would collapse and the modern Ibaradist religion would form around 20,904 CE under Titania's guidance.
History
As the Ravis entered the galactic stage, not as willing participants but as subjects to the Llæns, they found themselves within a hostile universe. As was normal in Martial Space, the Ravis were exposed to all manner of beings whose very nature defied empiricism. The Ekrosian Guardians, The Administrator, and Nocturne represented society-upending ramifications. While many fled to the old religions, such as the worship of the stars or ancestors, many turned to these new beings for worship. Aeternalism quickly spread amongst the Ravis while the Llæns stuck to a strictly monotheistic religion simply called Holo's Call.
In this environment, where only religion could provide not only answers but a sense of security, a new movement began. Chased off world for spreading what were called "slanderous lies" against the Angels of Aeternalism, a small group of worshipers of a new goddess, Ibarados, continued their ministry in interstellar space. It is said that this small group conducted a ritual to summon a savior, struck a deal with some transcendent force to protect themselves, or stumbled upon their savior in space. Whatever the account, Titania would enter the universe in 114,448 BCE.
Possessing seemingly divine powers of the universe, Titania affirmed the teachings of this small group while adding thousands of addenda, expanding on them greatly. Vast numbers converted to the new religion as Titania's charismatic presentation of cosmology, coupled with its consistency in explaining reality, drew many new converts. The religion would become immensely popular as Titania became one of the three rulers of the Triumvirate Civilization, the other two leaders canonizing the religion in official state accounts of history and science.
Similar in belief to both Aeternalism and the Cabal of the Amaranth Truth, Ibaradism was a bridge between the Triumvirate and its neighbors in Sedrua and the Commonwealth of Aggregate Aylathiya. However, as Titania continued to expand on the religion, the gap between it and its sister traditions expanded. This coupled with a move towards monotheism and further syncretism with other religions such as the Un'oit tradition would keep the nations at odds with one another.
The fall of the Triumvirate in 1 CE as its three leaders went their separate ways caused Titania to found a new nation Florenta in which she would rule. In this time, the religion remained remarkably stagnant as Titania standardized practice across her territory. Disaster struck when, in 13,684 CE, the Neo-Terran Party killed Titania and left Florenta in ruins. What emerged from the remains was Empyros, a fascist theocracy. As the religion spiraled into fanaticism driven by a hatred towards all religions save for their own, Empyros began a purge of religious orders across Martial Space. This culminated in the Great Empyreal Crusade as hoards of religious radicals swept across Aylathiya.
In protest of the war, the Church of the Fae Queen (CFQ) formed as vast numbers fell away. The fall and defascization of Empyros after the Great Empyreal Crusade resulted in the execution of the vast majority of their priest class. Classical Ibaradism soon became replaced by modern Ibaradism afterwards as the CFQ rushed to fill in the vacuum left behind by the state church. After the conflict, new branches formed as vast numbers of refugees fled to other galaxies. Florathel would see huge shifts in its largest religion, Marwanism, as Ibaradists began influencing its theology. Additionally, Martial Civil Religion would emerge heavily influenced by the teachings of Titania. Currently, the CFQ remains the most influential Ibaradist church, with smaller churches usually in allegiance to some organization or another.
Morality
Ibaradists believe that the morality of an action is determined by how damaging or helpful an action is to other people. This consequentialist viewpoint lies in stark contrast to many belief systems where morality is determined by the intention of an action. Given this view, Ibaradists came to the conclusion that holding onto the things of the material universe, which is believed to be created by an evil deity, is ultimately harmful. Without this attachment, it is believed that less suffering will exist, creating a better life for those in the universe.
Through meditation and, in many cases, psychological restructuring, Ibaradists seek to remove their attachments to the physical universe. When attachment is removed, harmful actions such as murder, theft, lying, etc. are necessarily removed as these things are said to stem from desires for material gain. This moral system applies to the gods as well. Deities and religions that preach chaotic, selfish, deontological, or materialist points of view are said to be evil and a product of the hopeless condition of mortals. The principle evil deity, Kokos, is believed to be the ultimate embodiment of these negative traits.
Types of Heavenly Beings
Deities
The highest beings within the Cosmos, who reside in the realm known as "The Empyrean" are the gods. While every god is believed to be worthy of worship, Ibarados is the chief deity and therefore the most worthy of worship. Deities have names ending in "-os." Most gods are unable to "fit" within Cosmoria. What is meant by this is that these gods are simply too powerful to have any way to directly interact with Cosmoria. As such, they usually resort to avatars or prophets to send their message. Currently, there are only a handful of gods, although in the past far more were widely considered to have deific status.
Aeons
The higher realms of the cosmos are populated by "aeons," which are spiritual beings not unlike the lesser gods or angels of other mythoi. The Aeons were free to do as they liked with their fabulous powers and many of the gods worshiped across the universe are believed to be Aeons. Those that are good are said to follow Ibarados while those that are evil are generally seen as slaves to their own whims or desires. Only a handful of beings have true "deific" status, signified by the "-os" ending to their names. The names of Aeons usually end in "-ot." Aeons are created beings while gods are spontaneously generating beings. Even so, they represent power far beyond anything that exists within Cosmoria.
Almost all Aeons are the descendants of the gods Argentos and Lunalunos, with a small number coming from Ibarados. These beings are thought to have formed randomly throughout time and mostly within the higher realms. Some Ibaradists believe that aeons can and have formed in the material universe. Lacking a physical form, these beings are generally depicted as their most common "avatars" or "possessions."
Automat
Beings of infinite-regression, whose complexity cannot ever hoped to be modeled, are called Automat. While often believed to be made of gear and axle, they are by no means reproducible technology. Only the gods could create beings such as these, whose graceful and infinitely complex movements and motives exist as a testimony to their power. Mortals who approach these beings invariably turn away as humbled, just viewing this power alone enough to cause anyone to praise them as gods. To a Ibaradist, however, worshiping even these magnificent beings is heretical, for yet more magnificent beings exist.
With terrifying might of their own, Automat are beings who are just barely capable of existing within Cosmoria. Examples include The Administrator, Delyatu and beings such as the Cerulean Kings, all of which are nigh incomprehensible aberrations resting upon the fabric of reality. Automat are improper to worship and are considered to be beings of chaos whose existence is a product of the corruption of Kokos. Names for these beings have the most diversity as they universally have existing names.
Fae
Fae are only one step above mortals and are said to be the most numerous spiritual beings. Beings such as Mother Sydiah and the other Angels in Aeternalism, Mars, and Eve are all considered Fae. Titania is believed to be the Queen of the Fae as well as the most beautiful object within the universe when viewed from the outside.
Fae are generally considered servants of Argentos or Kokos who use their power and influence to misguide the people of the cosmos simply out of spite for Ibarados. Given their general behavior throughout history, one could reasonably come to this conclusion, especially given the endless conflicts that these beings caused. They are said to often war with the Automat and sometimes even Aeons; their hubris causing them to seek power well beyond their means.
Deities
The majority of Ibaradist have a literal interpretation of the wide range of deities, meaning that they believe that the various stories of gods across the cosmos are literal occurrences rather than metaphors. Classical Ibaradists interpret these myths to be metaphorical emanations of Ibarados (or Kokos) whose interactions can only be conveyed by story while modern Ibaradists believe that these stories are foolish inventions by mortals to make sense of the senseless Cosmos.
Ibarados
Due to the innate qualities of reality, Ibarados is said to have spontaneously formed. Before Ibarados existed the Void of Totality, a philosophical nothing in which nothing existed save for the capacity for things to exist. The moment Ibarados emerged, this perfect nothing was forever destroyed, her energy creating the modern Void of Creation. While the difference between the Void of Totality and Void of Creation are few, the transition between the two marked a turning point in reality. As Ibarados' mere existence allowed for energy to exist in its modern form. With the building blocks for reality, Ibarados spoke the first thoughts to have ever existed:
This one word is said to have created things such as Amaranth, Imagindarium, and Ambrosia. Ibaradists believe that the stories of Ambrosia and its heroes, as described in the Amaranth Echoes and believed as canon by the Aeternalists, were true events initiated by the goddess Ibarados. This primordial reality, called Ambros, was devoid of free will and represented Ibarados' first attempt at creation. After Ambros ran its course, Ibarados decided to create beings like herself, with free will.
The next word spoken caused the quantum field to emerge, causing Cosmoria to form. The goddess molded the fields from chaotic phenomena into the orderly fields seen today. Most of them were higher dimensional processes that could create spiritual and idealized objects and planes. The minority were three-dimensional and useless for creating perfect realities and were thus left in their chaotic form.
Ibarados is the creator goddess of the entirety of reality save for the physical realm. As the chief goddess, worship by Ibaradists is mostly directed to this being. It is widely believed that humbling oneself before Ibarados in life, essentially admitting one's weakness compared to her through worship, is a key step to achieve salvation. Others believe that salvation is not why one should worship Ibarados; they believe that Ibarados is worthy of worship simply because of who she is with no regard for benefits.
Ibarados is described to be immovable, invisible, intangible, immaculate, and virtually ineffable. While Ibarados is commonly personified as female, the goddess is often believed to be hermaphroditic or entirely above the concept of sex or gender altogether. While never stated directly, Ibarados is characterized as behaving with mercy, love, and pity whenever dealing with lesser beings; however, she also does not tolerate any form of arrogance whatsoever.
As Ibaradism has become increasingly popular among Humans and other bipedal predatory species, Ibarados is most often depicted as a Humanoid bathed in light. Upon her head rests two lenses, granting her omniscience, while on her head are locks of hair glowing in a vibrant spectrum of all colors. To other species, Ibarados is depicted in forms closer to them or as amalgamations of other species. The vibrant rainbow of colors and her twin lenses remain constant across depictions.
Kokos
Where Ibarados is described as beyond comprehension and infinitely complex, Kokos is a simple being. Kokos is often thought of as taking on the forms of platonic solids, most commonly cubes, spheres, or pyramids. Kokos is often considered to be the source of all evil, while others consider it to be the accidental creator of evil in its lust for power and status. Many believe that certain teachings and religions are created or manipulated by Kokos to maximize its influence. Ibaradists believe that the Lux Aeterna is the physical form of Kokos and refuse to engage in the practice of Thaumaturgy because of it.
Argentos (Silver)
Argentos is a concept directly based on the very real being known as Silver Azurade. In these belief systems, Argentos is believed to be a chaos god responsible for the fall of Kokos. Based on a figure within the Theocracy of Silverstar's pantheon, Ibaradists came to despise the religion for its worship of the being. Since those within the Theocracy will deny that their deity is much like the Ibaradist descriptions, Silver and Argentos are considered different beings. Silver Azurade is said to be a minute emanation of the actual Argentos, explaining Silver's rejection of Ibaradist belief.
Argentos is believed to be the cohort ruler of reality, second only to Ibarados. Argentos wields a significant amount of power, is the creator of most of the gods in the pantheon, and is responsible for a large number of the realms in the universe. Additionally, Argentos is credited with the creation of the Automat.
Argentos is depicted as an orb within which lies a thunderstorm. The orb is encased within a cube of blindingly white material. Around this orb are much smaller structures orbiting the being in unpredictable paths. The structures are nearly countless and absorb light rather than emit it. One of the structures has a humanoid form and is said to be the Silver Azurade as described in the Theocracy.
Lunalunos
Lunalunos the third god (or goddess) within the hierarchy and is associated with technology. The being is exclusively depicted as a Human, without gender, who wears similar lenses to Ibarados. Lunalunos spends their time operating an ancient device with a myriad of buttons across its surface. When pressed, the button will cause an arm to strike a parchment, leaving behind a mark on it. This mark, while called a "letter", is actually a two-dimensional fractal whose exact nature depicts all of reality at its current moment. Continually typing away at this machine, Lunalunos records the events of the entire Cosmos, documenting the glorious works of Ibarados.
Lunalunos is the most talented of the gods in the creation of Automat. Many believe that Lunalunos was responsible for the creation of the majority of Automat, including those within Cosmoria.
Creation Narrative
Creation of Heaven
Heaven, known as The Empyrean, was one of the first of Ibarados' creations. Shortly after, she began creating the rest of the cosmos. Alone and free to mold them however she pleased, Ibarados created a vast array of realms, each unique from the last. In many of the myths, Ibarados views these realms as what are essentially decorations, ranging in size from the size of an atom to light years across. As time went on, Ibarados would create realms she was less than pleased with, casting them out to form what is known as the Distance.
While Ibarados was busy creating the cosmos, she grew lonely, not a single other being existed to keep her company. Reality itself, in response to this loneliness, would cause the spontaneous generation of the being known as Argentos. Argentos, gendered as male, became Ibarados' consort and kept her company. Argentos, however, grew bored with The Empyrean. Unlike Ibarados who enjoyed perfection, Argentos grew to enjoy chaos. Argentos would often leave The Empyrean for years at a time to try his hand at creation. First he created simple spirits that could do little more than stay in place. With time, Argentos' skill would increase, allowing for him to create all manner of beings, called Automat. These were the first sapient beings in creation outside of Ibarados and Argentos.
Automat are not pure spirits like the gods; they behave much like physical matter does by a set of rules. They are often characterized to be made up of cogs and metal that contain a spirit within. Soon after their creation, they began spreading out across the cosmos. Ibarados, blind to the existence of these beings, continued creating the Cosmos on her own. Argentos, after creating the Automat, began fashioning for himself a companion that would keep him company on his excursions.
This companion would be the first aeon and would be named "Lunalunos." Lunalunos is described as "sparklingly beautiful" but does not have a gender ascribed to them. Argentos was satisfied with Lunalunos who would keep him company as he experimented with the cosmos. Argentos and Lunalunos are believed to be the pinnacle of creation. Despite Lunalunos being a created being instead of a spontaneously generated one, they are still treated as a god.
The Creation of the Material Universe
After some amount of time, Ibarados took a break from creating the cosmos, having completed most of it. Ibarados looked across her creation, failing to see it in much detail. Her vision was limited to what was immediately in her presence, causing most of what happened in creation to go unnoticed.
Some time later, Ibarados saw, in little detail, the large number of lesser creatures fluttering across the expanse and decided that she wanted to try her hand at creating lesser beings. At this moment, Ibarados created chemistry and, using this complicated process, she created the first forms of life. She found Lunalunos and Argentos to show them her creation. When she got close enough to see the Automat, made with gears, she grew frustrated. Using chemistry, she was unable to make beings as majestic as them. Ibarados soon gave up, casting the life form out of heaven.
This life form would sit in place for millions of years, gradually forming into a spherical shape. Eventually, the life form became perfectly spherical and gained a sort of mind. It returned to heaven to inquire about its origins. Ibarados looked at the sphere and saw that is had developed a spirit. She gave it a body like an Automat's before returning to creating heaven, doing little to interact with it otherwise. Lunalunos, however, took interest in the sphere. They began telling the sphere about all matters such as the origin of things and heaven. The sphere would soon be called "Kokos."
Kokos would grow to hate Ibarados for making her imperfect. While all the other beings were capable of elegantly moving through space and time, Kokos' inefficient body required constant maintenance. Kokos, alienated from her "mother," began listening to the teachings of Argentos. Argentos believed that it was best for everyone to live as free as possible, eventually inspiring Kokos to defy the will of Ibarados by descending into what would become the three-dimensional universe. Kokos began manipulating the remaining Cosmic Primordia to form the material universe. After receiving no punishment or even acknowledgement from Ibarados, Kokos continued creating just as her mother had. As a being made of chemical reactions, Kokos influenced the material universe to have chemistry, especially as the spirit-based forms of higher reality were impossible in the material universe.
Ibarados' Response
It would soon come to pass, 200,000 years before the common era, that Ibarados would finally complete the work of the Cosmos. Upon finishing, the goddess would once more return to heaven to rest. Ibarados' rest was short as it was interrupted by thoughts of her only child. Ibarados, remembering her daughter, decided to look to see what she has done and how she had been. It was then that Ibarados discovered the physical universe, chief among Kokos' creation as well as one of the more common locations for leisure among the Automat. Ibarados, herself much more powerful than any of the beings who entered it, nearly destroyed it. Her immense power caused a series of great calamities, what is believed to be the origin of the Anomalous. Even touching the material universe was impossible for the goddess without damaging it.
Moreover, Ibarados was unable to see into the material universe due to its physical form. Ibarados grew perplexed with her daughter's creation. To her it was fragile and invisible, making learning even the smallest thing about it impossible. Ibarados summoned Lunalunos, asking the god to tell her what was happening in Kokos' domain. Lunalunos relayed a story of trillions of tragedies and quintillions of individuals suffering; lesser beings that were not perfect like the Automat or spiritual like the Aeons.
Ibarados wept, unable to intervene. Looking through her creation, she could find no way to interact with the physical universe, no way to reduce her power enough to fit within. Eventually, she would find that Lunalunos held great skill in the creation of Automat. In exchange for giving Lunalunos great power, Lunalunos would craft a pair of lenses allowing Ibarados to see not only into Cosmoria, but across all of her creation. Her lenses were themselves a two-spirited Automat named "Meganov." Equipped with these spiritual lenses, Ibarados was finally able to witness the horrors that Kokos had made. Immediately, Ibarados cursed Kokos by locking her into the physical universe, locking her within it. Even so, the untold numbers of suffering beings caused Ibarados to gather the remainder of her power to create Titania. Titania's task was to counter the false religions of Cosmoria and relay to the people a means by which they could free themselves from it.
Turbulence
Kokos, separated from the goodness of heaven, began desperately trying to reenter. Argentos, in his selfishness, abandoned his faithful pupil out of fear that Ibarados would lock him in the material universe as well. With no other beings to talk to, Kokos would eventually manifest herself a conceptual plane similar to heaven but infinitely chaotic and disorderly. This plane is believed to be the Lux Aeterna. For this reason many equate Kokos to Azurade, a parallel concept within the Cult of Silverstar.
After Ibarados began to rest once more. Other aeons would move into the material universe from time to time, marveling at its unique properties compared to the cosmos. These newer aeons were mostly descended from Argentos and Lunalunos who themselves would, from time to time, also visit the material universe. The mortals would begin fighting wars over which ever aeon they worshiped, distressing most of the aeons as they just wanted to help the mortals. Aeons are said to have been heavily involved in the universe for 7 million years, but this greatly increased around the formation of Sedrua and the Triumvirate Civilization, who Ibaradists believe were ruled by Aeons either coming from heaven or from the Lux Aeterna, Kokos' forsaken realm.
Eschatology
The end of the universe as well as the end of an individual's life are covered under the study of Ibaradist eschatology. The major issues are the end of the physical world, the afterlife, the validity of other religious practices, and the new universe that would replace the old one.
A relative constant is the belief that the physical universe will not last forever. Whether due to heat death, divine judgement, or an apocalypse, the material universe is believed to come to an end. Once destroyed, Kokos is said to be killed and all of her followers slain with her. Those that sought the truth will be cleansed of their material forms and will be free to reside in the spiritual cosmos.
Variants
Ibaradism, being so large as it is, can be divided into five main denominations, Classical, Monism, Dualism, Kamist, and Deism. Numerous schisms shook the religion after the death of Titania, creating a vast array of different churches. The five groups each have large organizations representing their faiths. Most of these organizations are united under the Church of the Fae Queen, one of the largest interdenominational religious organization in Cosmoria and the only one with sovereignty over large tracts of space.
Classical Ibaradism
Classical Ibaradism derives its teachings from the writings of Titania. This doctrine of only accepting Titania's writings is the main characteristic of Classical Ibaradism. The oldest of the five main branches, this sect claims that its beliefs are the most accurate. They tend to take a literal view of the writings and they regularly worship Ibarados in elaborate system-spanning rituals and rites.
Monist Ibaradism
Monists stand out among the sects as they believe that Ibarados is the only being that exists, with all things deriving from her. They believe that practicing the religion is the natural state of being for all individuals. Defying one's natural state, they believe, is the source of all suffering. Monists are known for taking metaphorical views on Titania's writing and are also vehemently anti-materialist.
Dualist Ibaradism
Dualist Ibaradism paints Kokos and Ibarados as equal and opposite forces on reality. They believe that neither are truly good or bad but have aspects of good and bad within. Generally taking a liberal but literal view on Titania's writings, Dualists tend to incorporate writings made by Mahou and The Administrator, Titania's two co-rulers, as accurate depictions of reality.
Kamism
Kamism is an omnist faction of Ibaradism, accepting all deities as equally divine emanations of Ibarados, who this sect call "Kyuos." With a great deal of influence from Aeternalism, the Lux Aeterna is considered a deity and the High Warlock is considered an Automat created by the Lux Aeterna. This sect is quick to accept new beings into the pantheon.
Kyoism
Kyoism is the belief in intelligent design, the word derived from the Ibaradist word for reality, "Kyuos." The least religious of the sects, Kyoism is accepted widely across society, especially in Martial Space, as a means to explain phenomena beyond the scope of science. A small number of Kyoists overlap with the Monists in that they believe that all things stem from one source, only that this source is the universe itself which is believed to be divine.