Doctrine of Dea-an Heritage

The Doctrine of Dea-an Heritage (Deabɵ Iidsavoi Shanuwube in Eoin) is the formal declaration by both the Shiroko Dynasty and the Bolugama church that the dynasty is meant to intermarry in order to keep with the Divine Founder's will that only his direct descendants learn Stitching.

Purpose

To enshrine in religious doctrine the concept of royal inbreeding.

Document Structure

Clauses

The original documentation is as follows:

1. Ilya Shiroko is a Dea.
2. Stitching magic was created by Ilya I and taught only to his son, Sava I Shiroko, his direct heir.
3. The Shiroko dynasty are direct descendants of Ilya I
4. Based on Ilya I's actions, only his descendants are allowed to know stitching magic.
5. To keep with the founder's will, keep the magic within the family, and the line of descent pure, the dynasty will henceforth only marry within itself.

Krystanya I Shiroko added additional clauses which lead to the worship of the imperial family. Her clauses reiterated some of the original doctrine, but then expanded upon it.

1. The Shiroko Dynasty are descended from a dea
2. The dynasty is able to create life because of the founder's knowledge and the blessing of the Bolu
3. As a blessed people, the dynasty has received magic far greater than the populace
4. Due to their position, the dynasty is closer to the Bolu than all living people
5. The dynasty is to be prayed to along with the founder

Historical Details

History

Timof II Shiroko became convinced that the noble families of Eoion were attempting to steal the secrets of Stitching magic after finding letters detailing his younger siblings' attempts to teach their spouses. He destroyed the letters, killed the spouses, and imprisoned his brothers and sisters.
As Ilya Shiroko, the founder of the dynasty, had only instructed his son, Sava Shiroko, in the magic, Timof II concluded that Ilya must have only meant for his direct descendants to know its secrets. This led him to the conclusion that family would only marry within the family in order to ensure pure direct descendants. 
Ilya was worshiped as a Dea thus Timof II also saw the teaching of the magic to those outside of the family as blasphemy. He contacted the leading Bolugama priests and priestesses to codify incest into the religious doctrine of the empire in order to keep the family line as pure descendants of Ilya and allow for only them to know Stitching.

Public Reaction

The nobility of the empire were initially shocked at the doctrine and heavily objected to its implementation. However, the absolute authority of both the baejan and the backing of the church meant that it would move forward.
In terms of the general populace, most were confused. The royals were already considered above regular people as they were directly descended from a semi-divine figure. When framed in the context of religion, the decree was easier to swallow. However, there were those, particularly the Bracan da Libre who saw the decree as proof of the dynasty's depravity and ill fit for power.

Legacy

Since the marriage of Timof II's daughter, Catarina I Shiroko, to her brother, Diman, every member of the Shiroko family has married a sibling, cousin, aunt, uncle, or other relative. This had several far reaching consequences that Timof II did not foresee.
In terms of wider Eoin society, this doctrine led to a subset of Bolugama seeing the royal family itself as divine. Before this point, only Ilya I was worshiped. For several centuries, the family did not encourage or discourage this view, but let the offshoot live within the Bolugama temple inside the Gandenye. However, eventually, the worship of the family began to be actively encouraged, with temples to them being built around the capitol and into the wider empire, although the group itself remains relatively small compared to the wider group of Bolugama practitioners. 
Given that magical ability partially inherited, the intermixing of family genetics caused a significant uptick in the rate of certain magics within the family. In particular, heat and light magic became almost exclusively the only essence magic the Shiroko descendants could perform. Along with this, they tended to be much stronger than other citizens and had a higher incidence of their members being able to control two essences instead of one.
White hair and purple eyes, common but not exclusive to the royals, became solidified as an imperial combination and within two hundred years, every member of the family had some shade of purple for eyes and some shade of white for hair.
Lastly, the physical and mental illnesses that continue to plague the royals are a direct result of their severely inbred line. They tend to be more susceptible to inherited physical ailments. However, the most noticeable consequence is the varying degrees of mental instability that has become almost as famous as their magic and military prowess. Several monarchs have fallen to madness, which directly led to the doctrine of Induced Regency.

Type

Decree, Religious

Signatories (Characters)

• Timof II Shiroko

Signatories (Organizations)

• Bolugama
• Eoion Overview