Kivishta
Flags bearing a strange symbol- a dot with eight lines projecting outwards, each ending in a dot of their own. The chanting of "Irunek". The hymns, each ending in "let us wake". Many know these as the signs of Kivishta, the religion of Kobolds.
Kivishta has a long and bloody history. Many have heard tales of swarming monsters, driven by Kobolds that take no quarter. Weapons made of Ederstone launched at civilian settlements. Armies that marched across Stildane, trained out of empathy. It can be easy to get lost in these tales of horror, to lose the rich philosophical tradition underneath it all. Most of the Kivish sects have put down their Ederstone spears and settled down to more friendly and stable theology. Kivishta looks for something that many non-Kobolds can relate to: an end to suffering and an explanation to the chaos and confusion of life. The nightmare frontiers of Stildane simply push them to go further than most. Living in a world that fundamentally fails to make sense, the Kivish simply go the next step and deny the existence of reality altogether.
Dreams are reality and reality is but a dream. Everything is an illusion, but those few things you know are real. What little you truly know is sacred- it is all you really have.
History
The philosophy and concepts behind Kivishta date back to the scouring of Stildane in -100DE, when Kobolds first began forming societies. In the 460's, a Kobold warrior named Verkon the Truthful began assembling a vast army of Kobold tribes from across the North and these beliefs began to mix together into one unified religion. Verkon has his own religious rhetoric that began to seep into the mix: that the opposing forces were soulless and impure, and that the use of Ederstone weapons was a right for true and wise Kobolds. In 480, Verkon brought together the mystics and priests of the Kobolds together to transcribe the Uvikov - the Book of Supreme Truth. The Uvikov summarized shared beliefs and didn't create too many new concepts, but created a sense of united identity. From Verkon's empire, the first Path of the Kivish began: the Path of Truth.
The Path of Truth was designed to justify the rapid expansion of the empire and faith- it called for a global empire to prepare for the coming of the savior, the Irunek, and measured purity and goodness exclusively in Kobold lives. Non-kobold children of Kobold parents were exposed to Ederstone to transform them into monsters, as a punishment to the parents and children alike; cities were destroyed; instances of cannibalism were beginning to become normalized. The military was valued above all, and strength and obedience were praised as the highest virtues.
The Path of Truth and the Kivish Empire were not sustainable. Slow but steady reform undermined the most extreme methods of the Kivish and military expansion slowed and stopped. In 850ME, the empire attempted to outline a cosmic ranking system of the races by purity to divide and conquer the increasingly unruly non-Kobold subjects. A series of famines and civil wars from 980ME to 1100ME saw the imperial system crumble absolutely and the religious hierarchy with it. The Path of Truth began to crumble during the civil war, and quickly was usurped by two traditions: the Path of Reverence - a more hierarchical, conservative form of Kivishta- and the Path of Liberation - a more mystical, decentralized version.
When the grand paladin Kazalim finished their grand campaign to reunite the Kivish empire in 1300ME, they gathered together the Path of Reverence priests and united them together to help govern the new empire. Path of Liberation communities were driven out to the wildlands, migrating through much of inland Stildane. The celebrations among the Path of Reverence were shortlived, as factions within the Path of Reverence immediately battled for dominance once Kazalim was dead in 1320. This escalated until 1420, when a civil war over contested succession broke out. As different candidates aligned with different factions (some even bringing in more orthodox Path of Liberation groups), theology was decided on the battlefield. An alliance between the most moderate of the Path of Reverence and members of the Uvara religious tradition came together to drive out the others. Those who did not conform to this new order were forced into exile. Coping with the loss of their homeland, two paths emerged: The Path of Promise- which asserted that the Irunek prophet guided them to a new land in safety- and the Exalted Path, which asserted that they were driven from the empire as part of a grand destined plan to summon the prophet Irunek.
The Promised Path followers settled in the North and South, settling into existing lands and adapting to new cultures. The Exalted Path was guided by the heavens Westward, to cause as much destruction in Desmia as possible. Those Exalted who did not go became nomads, wandering the planet in search of answers.
The syncretic mixture that formed the new Reverent Path stabilized, though some militaristic radicals remained. These radicals attempted a coup and conquering spree in 1680 claiming to be members of the Truthful Path, but were unable to successfully purge the moderates from Stildane. By 1750, the Truthful Path was extinguished completely, and the Reverent Path was left the dominant "main" branch of Kivistha since.
Cosmological Views
Reality is nothing but inescapable illusion and dream. To die is to be reborn into the dream and to live is to be at the mercy of it. The center of the dream is the dreamer- the Supreme Creator God Rumek. Rumek is the only truly real thing in existence, and the source of all truth and wisdom. As long as Rumek remains slumbering, the world will remain illusory.
Purity is the physical manifestation of truth- pure substances remain unchanged throughout the dream, as the dream cannot alter what is actually real. The dream seeks to corrupt and disrupt all purity, to become absolute truth. The dream is malleable, changing, uncertain, meaningless. The body protects the pure soul, even as it is corrupt itself. Every soul is the potential for personhood, with the ability to eventually reach a state of wisdom and purity that they can awaken independently of Rumek and escape the dream. The dream will seek to entangle the pure soul with physical corruption or worldly vice to prevent this.
Magic is the soul's ability to change the dream by imposing their own will. Wizards recognize the malleability of existence and alter it through their will. Bards appeal to the subconscious of Rumek, moving the emotional core of the Great God. Druids exploit the fragile nature of existence within the dream, changing their mind to change their form (and the form of the world). Sorcerers use their own corruption to change existence, moving with the tides. Paladins are agents of Rumek's memory. Warlocks draw on the existential terror of the unknown and use their own failed attempts to see beyond the dream for power.
Gods and spirits are aspects of Rumek's soul, both good and bad. One might consider them to be subconscious aspects of the greater whole.
- Kivay is Rumek's wisdom, self-awareness, and good intent. She manifests as the Heavenly Kobold or the Winged Spirit, and is the Goddess of Wisdom, Magic, Knowledge, and Leadership. She is the Good God of Heaven, and is known for Orderly Good. She is known for being wise and good, but distant and long-term.
- Ketisk is Rumek's joy, compassion, and love. She manifests as the Kobold of the Deep Earth, and is Goddess of Prosperity, Protection, Luck, and Health. She is the Good God of Earth, and is known for Disorderly Good. She is known for being loving and good, but too focused on short-term comfort
- Gevig is Rumek's fury, passion, and excitement. She manifests as a being of pure fire and energy, and is the Goddess of Fire, War, and Revelry. She is the Mundane God of Heaven, and is known for Disorder.
- Uzren is Rumek's skill, focus, and desire. She is the many-faced creator of non-Kobold races and is Goddess of Animals, Artisans, and Physical Goods. She is the manifestation of reality itself, neither kind nor cruel. She is the Mundane God of Earth and known for Order.
- Kodever is Rumek's Terror, Rage, and Temptation. She is the Burning Horror and Goddess of Corruption, Monsters, and Fear. She is the Evil God of Heaven, known for Disorderly Corruption.
- Haval is Rumek's Despair, Cruelty, and Hate. She is the Frozen Death and the Goddess of Disease, Curses, Fate, Despair, and the Cycle of Suffering. She is the Evil God of the Earth, known for Ordered Corruption.
Tenets of Faith
The Path to Awakening requires the following:
- Knowledge: Only though correct knowledge and the pursuit of wisdom can one awaken. Understanding of the world and oneself is the primary vehicle to escape.
- Obedience: Recognizing one's limits and humbly accepting one's duty and station open's one for true enlightenment. Many sects of Kivishta see social status as something one is born into according to their efforts in past lives. Acceptance is part of improvement.
- Purity: Avoiding impurity both magical and physical is important to following the true path. Each sect has their own characterizations of impurity, but generally indulgence in material desires and intermixing with impure communities are a source of impurity.
- Strength: Power over one's emotions and actions as well as the strengthening of one's bodily vessel is important for escaping the limitations of the dream.
Sects
These sects diverge in several matters: the authority of the faith, the nature of souls, the nature of Rumek's Memories, and the nature of the Irunek
The revered path of Kizen believes that a single state-associated structure associated with holy locations is the correct religious authority. The revered path requires priests and gurus to hold status within this structure, and believes that official rank is an important mark of wisdom. The revered path believes that this structure is critical because one lifetime is not enough to understand the world. Only through repeated rebirths and engagement with the collected texts of elders over lifetimes can a wise Kobold become awakened.
The revered path Kivishta believes that all sentient creatures have souls, but that their souls are dirtied by impurities. Only by living noble lives and being reborn can they be born again as Pure Souls- Kobolds. Pure souls are discouraged from having children with impure souls, as the children are doomed to impurity. Kobold-born non-Kobold children are seen as pitiful things to be readied for ascension next time.
Rumek's memories are seen as fundamentally corrupted by the revered path, and as such can only be interpreted correctly by a sufficiently pure and wise soul. Similarly, the Irunek is only a sufficiently primed soul, and will be born of royal blood to ascend to the throne of Kizen.
Ederstone is treated by this school as a dangerous tool, something to be understood and used only by the faithful. The revered path is found in "civilized" Kivish kingdoms in Stildane.
The Liberated Path believes that the senses are fundamentally warped by corruption, and that the pure must understand corruption to understand purity. Structures are seen as inherently based on lies and should be rejected for spontaneous charismatic preacher-gurus. These charismatic mystics usually make their own adjustments to theology and practice, and each community and following abides by their own local tradition and beliefs.
The Liberated Path (usually) sees non-Kobolds as "imprisoned" kobolds with fundamentally pure cores. It is only through their corrupt lives that they can reach purity, and Kobolds should embrace these pre-kobolds as part of what brought them to enlightenment. The Liberated path is usually seen as the most open to foreign races, though this loving openness can sometimes be warped by local belief. Most frightening to outsiders is the Liberated Path's belief in Metamorphoses- that exposure to Ederstone forces a confrontation with the primal corruption of the dream and offers a chance at sudden and extreme enlightenment only available to impure souls. The products of this- Ethereal Souls- are heavenly psuedo-spirit beings that are said to be heralds and protectors of the Irunek. Every community has their own Irunek prophecies and beliefs, but a common trend is that it will come from someone with a background of pure and humble simplicity.
Followers of the Liberated Path are often persecuted by revered path governments, leading to many of these communities fleeing to remote or inhospitable regions. Stildanian Ederstone wasteland is a common location for these communes.
The Promised Path is notable in that it says that the Irunek already was born, reigned, and began a very very slow apocalypse- a gradual rise to heaven rather than a sudden doomsday. The Irunek has bodily ascended into a powerful prophet and god that can possess, inspire, and guide. The descendants of the Irunek have Divine Blood and are the true inheritors of the world- with many promised path religious leaders claiming descent, of course.
Non-Kobolds are seen as rising in nature in a state of ambient purification. Kobold-outsider relationships are to be praised rather than attacked, as they encourage the impure souls to become better. Rather than eternal rebirth, those of the community can choose to go instead to Irunek's side at the Pure Lands- a heavenly paradise where you can study and meditate in peace forever until you ascend. Through correct action and the intercession of the Irunek, non-Kobolds can rise to the Pure Lands where they are granted Kobold form and are made pure.
The promised path is descended from the revered path and is otherwise identical to it. Followers can be found North of True Stildane, particularly on the coastline and in Boram.
The Exalted Path believe that the irunek's soul has manifested but cannot be born until a long series of requirements are fulfilled. The Memories are seen as guides, hints to the greater puzzle that is the Ritual of Summoning. This ritual, as the only escape from perpetual hell, is the only purpose of life. Authority is gained by those mystics and war leaders who lead their communities onwards.
Most of the followers of this path are in Desmia, warping their experiences. These followers see Kobolds as the only race to even have souls- all other peoples are empty copycats mimicking soulful behavior.
Others on this path did not follow the Memories to Desmia, but instead traveled the world elsewhere. These groups are simply nomads led by wizard-mystics that wander the world looking for answers.
The Revered Path
The Liberated Path:
The Promised Path
The Exalted Path
Founding Date
480ME
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Demonym
Kivish
Permeated Organizations
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