Terak Doctrine

“There is no weakness that cannot be made strength, no frailty that cannot be made firm, save one: the weakness in our spirits that tells us we have done enough, that we may rest, that we have achieved all we can achieve. We must always strive, always improve, always struggle against weakness within, and without.” —From the War Chants of Lord Commander Silas Redbrook

The worship of Terak, and the schism dividing his faithful, can best be understood when one looks at the roots of the Teraketh faith. In the earliest days of the mortal races, Terak was worshiped as a god of strength and personal, physical struggle. From this religion the current church arose, and many of its oldest prayers are still common prayers in Terak’s temples.
The body is rebellious. It grows old and frail. It does not always work properly. The earliest cult of Terak was based on the overcoming of that rebelliousness—the imposition of order onto the body. As the religion matured, the body came to have greater meaning. It became the body of society, of nations, of the mortal races, and so on. Over the years, the faith of Terak has come to embody the following clear principles based on those earliest ideas, which today’s faithful try to follow:
• All people of the five races are equal. Social rank, gender, or race does not make one person better than another. While there might be status in the world for good reasons, it must be earned by strength of character, not accidents of birth.
• The faithful must show only one face to his brothers and sisters. A follower of Terak must never knowingly lie to another person of one of the five mortal races. A worshiper must also never engage in adultery (defined as pre- or extra-marital sex). These restrictions are commonly broken by the faithful, other than those who belong to a holy order.
• The faithful must be true to their bodies and, thereby, Terak. This means the faithful must never:
1.Cut their hair, except once when they reach maturity
2.Get tattoos or other permanent marks on their bodies, though they can pierce their flesh for adornment
3.Drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, or use any other intoxicant (this is routinely violated by the casual worshipers of Terak, particularly members of militias and armies)
4.Eat the meat of any unnatural creature
• The faithful must shun the trappings of social superiority or elitism. They do not accept, demand, or give wedding dowries, nor do they refuse to marry or bar the marriage of their children based on class, status, or even race (many of the faithful fail to adhere to this, barring their children from marrying outside of their race). They do not raise elaborate markers on their graves, using simple stones etched with names instead. They do not associate with those who live off the work of others without working themselves. They cannot open a business unless they work at the business.
• The faithful must tithe once a month, giving a tenth of all they own to aid the sick and invalid.
• The faithful must bear the five symbols of the faith (see below).
• The faithful must constantly train their bodies and improve their martial skills to be prepared to defend the weak among their brethren
Many of these beliefs come down to conquering the body’s weaknesses, and its cravings for things that make it weak. That same philosophy branches into societal beliefs, against the weakness that the body of society has in mistrusting those who are different, or worshiping wealth. There are five symbols of faith always found about the person of one of the Teraketh. All worshipers of Terak who bother to identify themselves as such wear or carry these symbols. Even if he smokes, drinks, and commits adultery regularly, he has these symbols, or cannot claim to be of the faith.
Unshorn Hair The Teraketh do not cut their hair, so they are easily recognized by their long braids or beaded hair. In very hot climates, they wear head wraps to keep their hair off their necks.
Vambrace All followers of Terak wear armor (of leather or metal) on their right forearms. This signifies the protection a warrior wears and the bond of service all the faithful bear, to Terak and to their brethren of the mortal races. When the faithful sin or violate the strictures of the faith, they are chastened when another simply casts a glance at the vambrace—a visual reminder that the bond is violated. For those who cannot wear a full piece of armor for whatever reason, a simple leather wristband suffices.
Holy Symbol All followers of Terak wear his symbol, the two-headed axe, openly—though some now wear the fasces instead. This is not meant to show off their piousness but to inform all who see them that they are duty-bound to protect the weak. Technically, it is considered a sin for any worshiper of Terak to turn down a request for help from any member of the five mortal races who cannot help themselves. This has grown into something rather different, with many turning it into a justification to form mercenary bands and armies, offering services to the weak for a “nominal fee.”
A Weapon Even though the holy symbol of Terak is the axe, all manner of weapons please him. A worshiper of Terak must always be ready to stand in the defense of his brethren. Even while the faithful sleep, they wear “sleeping daggers.” Small and ornamental, these cost 1 gp and weigh 1/2 lb. They deal 1d3 piercing damage and possess the finesse and light properties.
The Forelock All Teraketh carry on their person a lock of the hair removed when they came of age. This is to remind them that they were once young and frail and required the protection of others. The forelock is the “hidden” symbol, in that it is the one Teraketh do not wear openly.
The doctrinal division between the lawful good and lawful neutral followers of Terak arises from their interpretations of the reasons for the above restrictions, laws, and symbols, not from the restrictions themselves—both groups adhere to these laws and wear these symbols. Essentially, the schism can be seen in the understanding of the myth of Aerix.
Lawful good worshipers see themselves in Aerix. He should never have believed his strength to be perfect. Every man and woman must be humble, realize all people are equal in the eyes of Terak, and know that strength has more than one meaning. The frail old man who defends a helpless child has done a greater service than the powerful warrior who is too busy adventuring to help. The lawful good worshipers see the above restrictions as lessons in humility, fidelity, and faith.
Lawful neutral worshipers see themselves in the ants. No matter how powerful the individual, he will never be more powerful than the many. Restrictions and laws set the followers of Terak apart from those who do not walk the true path, and make the faithful shine out as an example to the weak. Terak’s true faithful form an ever-expanding group made strong by its denial of carnal desires. As those who are brethren (but do not worship Terak) see the Teraketh walking tall, clean of base desire, they see this is the true path, and take up the worship of Terak too. When all the world’s mortals properly follow Terak and respond to his call, as the ants of the world did in the legend of Aerix, they’ll be equal, and happy for eternity.
While this division is deep, it has not yet sundered the temples. Most councils host commanders of both groups. Clergy from both groups teaching the faithful the two interpretations. It is considered a decision each Teraketh must make in his lifetime, embodied by the question, “Where do you stand, brother?”

Type

Religious, Organised Religion