The Scholastica Lexicanus

Official Church of Tet, The Oathmaster

Mythology & Lore

In the beginning, when the world was fresh and new from its inception, the three Primordial Gods were the first born among all the Divines, having sprung forth from the dying body of their father, the Progenitor God Atlas. These three Primordial Gods, having come into being before all other life in the Planescape, were special beyond compare. Moradin, The youngest of brother gods, was given domain of the Ground, Law, and all that lays on and beneath the earth. Bahamut, the second eldest of the three brother gods, sprung forth and took domain of Sky, Morality, and Justness, while the eldest of the three brother gods, he who came first and he who ruled above all his brothers, was given the divine right to rule over Water, Life, and Creation itself.
The firstborn brother used his immense power to shape the Planes and give birth to all manner of life as he sculpted it from the dead flesh of their father, Atlas, like a potter sculpts a pot out of clay. Using his mythical Anvil of Creation to smith the oceans, the skies, the ground, and everything else that has and will ever exist while the Soul Forge was used to create the sentient life that would inhabit the worlds and Planes created through the Anvil of Creation. In this way, the first dregs of life were birthed within the waters of the Prime Material Plane, the first Outsiders came into existence on the infant Planes of the Outer Realms, and the world was truly cemented into shape from its primordial chaotic nature thanks to his efforts.
However, after all had been established and the three brothers had begun to guide the emerging forms of life on the Prime Material Plane, the first and greatest Primordial underwent a catastrophic transformation and fragmented, his divine spark breaking apart because of this unnamed catastrophe and eventually giving life to two new gods: Leviathan and his wife Sturgeon, two oceanic deities to take the place of their father who had died. Each is said to have taken on the duty of representing a different part of the ocean.

Divine Origins

The Scholastica Lexicanus is unique in that presumably, it once traced it roots back to a time very close to the beginning...however, nearly all records of its history before the Era of High Humanity have been lost. While much debate rages as to why these records were lost, many agree that the Scholastic Lexicanus was all but gutted and reworked entirely under the watchful eye of High Humanity, as several ruined texts have been found which describe the various "Paragons" venerated by the High Humans that list a "Tetranox" as one of the foremost of these Paragons.
This has led many of the modern day Scholastica Lexicanus to surmise that whatever prior form they had once existed in was entirely gutted by High Humanity, though it took on an entirely different form during their rule...though what this form may have been is mostly unknown.
As such, much of the Scholastica Lexicanus's history is entirely lost to the ages, as is the origin mythos which describes how their ancestors made contact with The Oathmaster. What records remain from the era of High Humanity describe the Scholastica Lexicanus as it existed then.
These stories talk of a man who walked the Material Plane at one point or another who went by the moniker "Tetranox"...and so intelligent was he that he proved a genius innovator, scientist, and overall wunderkind to such a degree that he was purported to have invented much of the key technology that powered the floating cities of High Humanity. The High Humans paid homage to this mysterious figure, and rather than outright faith strove to emulate his genius in his everyday lives, as a goal for them to strive towards.
It seems the faith of "Tetranox", which has been likened to either a Bastardized version of the more modern form "Tet" or a reference to some ancient avatar of The Oathmaster, was incredibly prolific in High Human society to such a degree that fully 1/3 of its populace is purported to have paid homage to him at any given point, which many modern historians surmise allowed "Tet" to survive the era of High Humanity which saw so many other gods vanish out of the faithlessness of High Humanity almost entirely intact.

Cosmological Views

Being more of a gathering of like-minded scholars and knowledge seekers than priests and religious men, The Scholastica Lexicanus lacks an overly grandiose view of how the Planescape was born and instead simply has an ongoing list of facts they know of such a time.
They believe that in the beginning there was nothing but Atlas, the "Overdeity" that was the first being born from the Primordial Chaos into a Planescape devoid of any definition at all. They believe that he saw this expanse of nothingness and, knowing that nothing could possibly exist so long as a being as powerful as him was alive, sacrificed himself and gave birth to reality from his dying body.
They also believe that three Primordials did spring forth from the corpse of Atlas as several other Churches of other Major Deities believe, but they have no opinion on which, if any, came before the others.
In regards to their own god, they believe that as the other gods sprang forth from Atlas's corpse, The Oathmaster had instead been slumbering since the Primordials sprang forth, his immense power and overwhelming knowledge too vast and too infinite to allow him to wake in the beginning era of the world as no life yet existed which could sustain him or his faith.
Only when life began to have its first thoughts and began to discover the ways of leylines and magic did The Oathmaster fully wake, his infinite consciousness rousing to wakefulness from his previous hibernation now that there was enough sentient creatures to sustain him.

Tenets of Faith

Enforce the terms of contracts. Never break your promises or oaths, uphold your given and written word, and see that others do the same.

Seal the Unknowable. Seek out and seal away dangerous or forbidden knowledge. Ensure dangerous secrets and that which should not be known is kept sealed away and hidden.

Innovation over Stagnation. Society must always progress - support those who push the boundaries of what is known or acceptable, and strive to do the same. Innovation is always worthwhile in the end.

Ignorance is a disease, you are the cure. Pursue knowledge and cure ignorance wherever you go, and oppose blind obedience. Education, Information, and Critical thinking are the greatest tools of society and its advancement.

Safeguard the systems of the world. Be it magic or civilization or otherwise, the systems that run the world must not be used for evil nor fall to corruption. Protect these systems, ensure they are not twisted or abused, and further their causes to those yet untouched by them.

Ethics

Being a fairly organized faith, there is little that causes disruption within The Scholastica, though an ever-present and always raging debate within the higher circles is exactly how strictly knowledge should be filtered and controlled.
Many argue that knowledge itself should be curated and filtered even to the non-faithful, and all "seditious" knowledge should be burned, incinerated, or otherwise destroyed to prevent its misuse, while others yet argue for the opposite, that dangerous knowledge should be collected and hidden away from the world, but that it must be at least understood so that they may know how best to hide or lock it away.
Otherwise, "ethics" are a fairly absent term within The Scholastica, as the faithful hold the term in little regard and instead place more inherent value on the result of the experiments they conduct, the research they search for, or the knowledge they uncover rather than abstract moral concepts. It's what these things are used for that determines the "rightness" of the thing, and "ethics" rarely enter into the occasion.
So long as as some "good" is served by a particular project, even if some unsavory things need to be done to accomplish them, it's considered merely par for the course...though of course, there are limits to this, and several faithful have been ejected from The Scholastica for pursuing matters proven to be too evil, too harmful, or otherwise proven to not serve any "good" with its discovery or invention.

Worship

Due to their nature as scholars and men of knowledge rather than priests, the flock of The Scholastica pay homage and venerate The Oathmaster through study, the collection of knowledge, experiments, and the creation of new magic or other inventions that they then offer up to The Oathmaster as proof of their faith, which in turn is accepted into his ever-expanding intellect and stored within The Endless Library and eventually, the Akashic Record.
They believe that the act of collecting, curating, and collating knowledge is, in itself, a pious act that serves to prove their faith to The Oathmaster as they often offer up what they learn or collect in elaborate rituals to him and his Endless Library.
Often, they also believe that the act of destroying, sealing away, or otherwise containing dangerous or unsafe knowledge is also a pious act, as doing so stops such knowledge from polluting the Endless Library and from harming others in the world.
They also often place great emphasis on rituals and ceremonies perhaps as a result of their often magical or alchemical professions, burning incense and drawing elaborate ritualistic circles when they wish to pay homage, venerate, or otherwise commune with The Oathmaster.

Priesthood

As the Scholastica Lexicanus has very little in common with a traditional organized religion, there is little in the way of "Priesthood" to speak of. Instead, the faithful are organized into a pyramid-like structure where those who make significant discoveries, participate actively in the affairs of the "church", and/or show their dedication to the ways of The Oathmaster are granted higher ranks within the organization, most commonly ranked by amount of time spent within the ranks of the faithful, though that does not always translate to rank.
The Scholastica Lexicanus is a meritocracy, and only those who prove themselves capable rise within its ranks, while those who struggle or prove less capable are instead kept at the lower ranks where they are taught and helped by those above them so that they might one day ascend into higher ranks themselves.
The faithful are organized into 9 "circles", with higher "circles" representing higher ranking within The Scholastica and those who sit upon a governing body that runs the whole of The Scholastica that goes by the moniker "The Adamantine Council", made up of those of the extreme high rankings within the flock. Those of extremely high rank or who make an incredibly amazing discovery are often granted the right to adopt a title representative of their accomplishments. (A mage of the seventh circle who favors thunder and lightning-based spells might adopt the name "The Thunderbolt")
These nicknames are often voted upon and chosen for such a person, instead of being chosen by they themselves. This is done to ensure nicknames are chosen responsibly and without bias so they properly reflect the one they are attached to.

Granted Divine Powers

The Oathmaster rarely gives out divine power to his followers outside of Cleric, Paladin, or similar conduits due to a desire to see his followers strive for and accomplish what they seek on their own independently rather than seek him out for assistance.
When he does decide one of his followers worthy enough to receive one of his infinitely rare blessings, it's very likely that the target of the blessing never realizes they received one. Often, these blessings manifest as dreams or visions during a similar fugue state, or perhaps a moment of inspiration during their daily life..."Eureka!" is often a cry of those who have just received a gift of insight.
His gifts often involve the blessing of knowledge, an expansion of the mind, or an enlightening in some specific field that particular creature studies in.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The members of the Scholastica Lexicanus, though many strive to remain independent from the politics of the land, are largely tied in some way to a political organization or country. For the most part and with few exceptions, The Scholastica is an organization which permeates both the Western and Eastern sides of the continent, and often in exchange for this all-permeating nature they are forced to abide by the oversight and instruction of the laws of the land they are inhabiting. Though the group may take on slightly different names depending on which country they are based in, many of its members are thus tied to specific countries and dedicated to serving its interests alongside those of The Scholastica.
It is precisely this variance and widespread nature that leads to the unique nature of The Scholastica which, though it is all-permeating throughout the east and west, can have wildly different flavors, structures, and loyalties depending on where any given "branch" is located. While not all the various "branches" of The Scholastica get along perfectly, the leadership of the group at large has remained an independent force of oversight and control ever since the groups inception...so that while each local "branch" of the scholastica strives to get along with its host nation or political body, they also keep serving the interests of Tet, The Adamantine Sage at the same time
So it happens that while The Scholastica as a whole is a divided but ultimately neutral force that attempts to be a safe haven for other members and mages no matter their country of origin, many of the branches become hostile towards each other when their parent nations have friction between each other.
The neutral members of the Scholastica are those who serve the group as a whole without ties to any of the specific branches, either joining in a relatively lawless area where the Scholastica has no need to bind itself to local law(Such as anarchic places like The Golden Sands) or simply going to one of the many central headquarters for the group and signing on as an unaffiliated member, though such a thing is somewhat uncommon.
And though his faith is banned in The Eastern Imperium, his followers nonetheless exist there as an underground or secret organization that spreads the name of knowledge in secret wherever they can. They lack cohesion as a unified force, and instead are divided up across the country's numerous other organizations, keeping their faith a secret for fear of Tamamo-No-Mae's deadly inquisition.

Sects

Order of the Adamantine Vault

Description: The Order of the Adamantine Vault is a fairly large sect of the Church of the Oathmaster that believes that all knowledge and technology that could be dangerous should be locked away and carefully hidden away from those who aren't ready or who would abuse it. They are the most militant of the sects, and often go on expeditions into lost ruins to recover dangerous books or artifacts to seal them away. They believe that through doing so, they are keeping the "bad" or "dangerous" knowledge of the world sealed away and honoring the Oathmaster. They maintain several bastions throughout western Ea that are built atop massive vaults full of knowledge and artifacts that were deemed too heretical or forbidden to be allowed out into the general public. They often come into conflict with other sects of the same church due to their very self-assured beliefs that they are right in their crusade to contain knowledge they deem as "dangerous". In doing so, they believe that they honor the word of their god and are brought closer together through this act. They believe that by offering up this knowledge to Tet within these vaults, he records and contains it within The Endless Library where he will ensure it cannot hurt or be abused ever again. They also have very martial beliefs that teach them to hone their bodies and their minds, and that only a fool collects knowledge without preparing to protect it. They are one of the only sects of the Oathmaster to regularly employ non-mages and non-scholars among their ranks, actively training mundane knights(Known within the sect as "Rubric Knights") to carry out the will of the Oathmaster.
Motto/Maxim: "Locked, Sealed, Secured."
Home Territory: Draconian Empire

Cult of the Burning Parchment

Description: An incredibly extremist sect of the church of the Oathmaster, the Cult of the Burning Parchment believes that, unlike the Order of the Adamantine Vault, knowledge that is "dangerous" or "forbidden" should instead be destroyed rather than contained. They hide themselves well within Draconia as the other sects of the Oathmaster often actively hunt them, but are known to hold massive book-burnings where they immolate massive piles of books and scrolls that they consider too dangerous to exist within massive magical pyres. The entire Cult has been disavowed long ago by the official Church, and its members are considered heretics by most members of the faith. However, they themselves consider themselves the one true followers of Tet, as they believe that only through the act of removing such knowledge from the mundane world can it be offered up to The Endless Library where Tet can record it and store it away. They believe vehemently that the reason The Oathmaster wants his followers to avoid forbidden knowledge is because their minds as mortals are not designed to handle it, and consider this as meaning that they should instead offer up such things to Tet, so he can contain what mortals could not. They do maintain large libraries where they study and create like all sects of Tet, but theirs are carefully curated libraries, and ones scoured clean of "forbidden content".
Motto/Maxim: "Better to reduce it to cinders than let the infection spread."
Home Territory: Draconian Empire

Church of the Wandering Scholar

Description: The Church of the Wandering Scholar is a sect of the Church of the Oathmaster that preaches a belief system of praising Tet by not only learning, studying, and creating knowledge, but also by wandering and exploring the world to put this knowledge they learn or items they created to practical use. They are firm believers that no scholar worth his salt spends his entire life in the safety of a study or library, and often claim proudly that only by exploring the world and all of its nooks and crannies can one truly call themselves a scholar. Whereas many other sects are rooted more in theory or study, The Church of the Wandering Scholar sings their praises to The Oathmaster through action rather than study and theory. They move, explore, document, and travel all around the world in their search for things that no other scholar would find cooped up in a study.
Motto/Maxim: "Go where none have gone before."
Home Territory: No cohesive home. Its members wander and convene rarely outside of a few select conclaves held twice a year.

Order of the Expanded Psyche

Description: One of the more extremist sects of the Church of the Oathmaster, the Order of the Expanded Psyche is one that considers the very act of ignorance itself a sin of the highest order, and one that contradicts the fundamental teachings of Tet. They fanatically delve into knowledge and lore, and they all seem to eventually hold the goal of learning all knowledge in the Planes, so that they can no longer be ignorant of anything. They venerate Tet as the greatest god due to his all-knowing nature which, to them, means he is incapable of sin. In addition to frantically bettering themselves and studying like madmen, they also actively go out on expeditions they call "Crusades" where they seek out those they deem "Ignorant" and cleanse them of sin by forcibly teaching them things they often have no desire or capability of learning...making them a quite heretical sect within the Church of the Oathmaster. They have been known to raid villages and forcibly "uplift" those who live there, teaching those who accept their doctrines and boring holes into the skulls of those that refuse so that they may deliver their knowledge directly into the brain. Many whisper in hushed tones that they pay more homage to Kos than Tet, but they have been known to violently refute this claim on many occasions. Notably, they do still make a very vehement effort to retrieve or hide knowledge they consider dangerous or heretical, which seems to lend credence to their fealty to the Oathmaster. They believe that, only by purging themselves and others of sin may they be accepted into his Endless Library upon their deaths, with their status in the afterlife directly correlating to how many they uplifted to their cause.
Motto/Maxim: "Ignorance is a sin."
Home Territory: The Endless Sands

Church of the Historian

Description: A simple, widespread sect of the Church of the Oathmaster, the Church of the Historian is made up of those who would see history uncovered, and they simply focus more on uncover these such sources of knowledge more than any other, but focus especially on uncovering the lost history of the Scholastica. They often organize expeditions into ruins and to dig sites where they strive to uncover the lost history of the world and their faith. Though they are simple, it is precisely for this reason that they are quite widespread and simple, as they are otherwise wholly similar to normal followers of Tet, though they belief that uncovering lost history has more inherent value as knowledge than other things that can be learned, and finding such things puts them in betting standing with The Oathmaster himself.
Motto/Maxim: "Recover what was lost."
Home Territory: Widespread, Based in The Wild Lands

Church of the Starbound Searcher

Description: A large sect that believes in studying the stars above, surprisingly little is known of the Church of the Starbound Searcher. They are a well-known sect of Tet, but their members are often uncaring to the point of apathy to the matters and affairs of the Material Plane, often spending years at a time within their Mountaintop Observatories where they spend time observing the movements of the stars and the heavens so they might learn all the secrets the beyond holds. They believe that Tet himself lies just out of their reach in the stars above, and that should they only learn how to reach him they will be rewarded with an eternity of paradise within his Library. They share many similarities with the devotees of the Minor God Edoghast's faithful, though are fundamentally different in that the faithful of the Starbound Searcher often spend their entire lives figuring out how they might develop a means to ascend into the heavens and survive long enough to meet The Oathmaster. Several have been said to nearly succeed, and in notable instance the founder of the Sect was said to reach The Oathmaster's embrace by tying a rope to one of the moons above Ea, and climbing his way to eternity.
Motto/Maxim: "Gaze upon the stars so that we might discover what lies beyond them."
Home Territory: The Inhuman Coalition

Cult of the Chronocaster

Description: Almost nothing is known about this elusive sect, as they make active efforts to hide themselves from outsiders, even other sects of the Church. All that is known is that these mysterious cultists of The Oathmaster seek relentlessly to discover the secrets of time itself and to master it so that they may control it. The tenets of their doctrine are a mystery as well, though their goals naturally provoke the Ire of followers of The Bonelord , who see them as arrogant fools who mess with things they could never understand.
Motto/Maxim: "Time is nothing but an illusion."
Home Territory: Venau Necrocracy

Order of the Outsider

Description: Similar to the Church of the Starbound Searcher, The Order of the Outsider focuses much more on the matters of the beyond rather than the Material Plane. Instead, however, they often spend much of their time traveling to and studying other Planes within the Planescape documenting and collecting info on their travels. They believe that the true secrets and knowledge of the universe lies beyond the Material Plane, and that it is precisely this knowledge that The Oathmaster seeks for his faithful to uncover for his libraries. They are based out of the mythical city of Sahar in the eastern Imperium, given shelter by the goddess Sahariel and helped along in their quest by her outsider envoys as they relentlessly explore the planes, even the divine realms of other deities, in their quest to collect all knowledge and ascend into The Oathmaster's Library.
Motto/Maxim: "Document what lies beyond."
Home Territory: The Eastern Imperium

Through understanding, wisdom. Through wisdom, peace.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

The Scholastica

Demonym

Tetian (Teh-shan)

Divines

• Tet, The Adamantine Sage

Controlled Territories

• The Endless Library

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