Intercession is defined within
Shahru as the act of making a prayer to
Rukhmar which directly beseeches her to intervene on the mortal plane in a direct and targetted manner. Requests for intercession must always be specific; including clear and precise information on what the petitioner wishes the Firebird to do. In this regard, prayers that ask for more vague outcomes, such as praying for Rukhmar to protect one from harm, or for her to grant one wisdom for making a particularly difficult decision, do not count as asking for intercession.
Requests for intercession differ from ordinary prayers in that they are guaranteed to be answered. There are, however, a number of caveats to this: The exact circumstances under which Rukhmar will answer a request for intervention are not fully understood, but it is known that she may refuse prayers that go against her will, and that she is prone to punishing those who make unjust prayers; such as for other people to be harmed or to experience misfortune. Requests that are too large in scope are also generally unlikely to be answered; as are any others which, for one reason or another, may be deemed inherently unreasonable.
Manifestations of Intercession
The effects brought about as a result of intercession are commonly referred to as miracles. These can be of any nature, and their form is dependent on the request that they are answering. The most famous types of miracles wrought throughout history have commonly been ones which have healed sick or injured individuals, and the tornadoes of fire that both
The Blazing Empire and the empire of
Karvinasstrad were known for utilising in their armies.
While it is possible to make a plea for anything, most Rukhmarites do not waste intercession on mundane requests. Prayers for healing are by far the most common, with requests for violence generally being limited to engagements between Rukhmarite soldiers and heathen forces; which have been few and far between in the last several centuries. The other commonly requested type of intercession is in regard to farming: Rukhmarite farmers commonly pray for a good harvest, or for Rukhmar to revitalize their crop after it has been destroyed; such as through bad weather or the actions of raiders.
Resurrection & Immortality
There are two prayers which it is known Rukhmar will never grant: The first is for the resurrection of a dead individual, and the second is for eternal life. Both are said to stand in direct opposition to the Firebird's plans for humanity and their mortal nature, and as such would not only never be granted; but are sins of the greatest severity to request in the first place. Cautionary tales speak of the ill fates that have befallen those who sought out either, and children are taught from birth that these are things which one must never want for themselves.
Cost of Intercession
To request intercession comes at a steep price: The petitioner must pay to Rukhmar a cost equal of themselves to whatever it is that they have requested. It is thought that the act of requesting intercession hollows a person out inside, and gradually erodes their soul; which in turn comes to be replaced with a perverted type of fervor for serving Rukhmar, commonly referred to as zeal. Small amounts of zeal are not fatal to a person's spirit, and can be fully recovered from so long as the affected individual refrains from making further pleas for intercession.
Few requests for intercession produce only such small amounts of zeal, however. In the case of healing that is designed to save a person's life, this cost is almost always the full soul of the one making the request; and the same usually applies in the case of violent requests as well. This makes requesting intercession incredibly dangerous, and so it is almost always only considered as an action of last resort; to be called upon in the direst of circumstances when one has no other choice.
The Devoted
TBD
Stance of the Firebird Church
The usage of intercession by unordained individuals is highly condemned by the
Firebird Church, who describe the practise as having the potential to be both highly dangerous and heretical in the hands of laypeople. For a non-priest to request intercession is considered a breach of canon law, and commonly invokes a high penalty depending on the consequences caused by the invocation, and whether or not it was accidental. The latter is particularly important because accidental cases of intercession remain common in the present day; despite significant attempts by the church to prevent them from happening.
Requesting intercession is considered in many cases to be an act of hubris; taken to indicate that the one making the request is not content to walk the path that Rukhmar has set for them. The price that must be paid to have a miracle performed is thought to be a compromise offered by Rukhmar to mankind; a statement that, on one hand she is willing to acquiesce to the requests of her children, but that she also punishes them for choosing to reject her designs. Exceptions to this view are made for priests who elect to request intercession; for in their case they are selflessly sacrificing parts of themselves for the betterment of others, which is of course an entirely different and far more justified matter.
History
When Shahru was originally founded in the 10th century, no such prohibitions existed against intercession, and it was widely practised by many Rukhmarites; including those who were not ordained. This caused many problems, but the issue itself was largely considered a matter of course; and the solution was seen as advising people to pray in moderation, rather than not to do so at all.
This attitude saw a drastic change in the 13th century, when misuse of intercession during the Karvina Invasion of
Seiforh saw the central
Cloudbough forest in the region set alight. The resultant fire was so intense, and burned for so long, that it gave rise to the period known as the
Years of Burning Skies. In response to this, the Vestaltir released new proclamations forbidding the usage of intercession on a large scale for military endeavours, and banned its usage among laypeople entirely.
