Eoclatism
Divine Origins
Eoclatism developed from an ancient spiritualistic religion practiced by various tribes in the Riphtenland region. This spiritualistic belief system was one of ancestral worship and focused primarily on the celebration of death and the belief of a fortunate afterlife to those who are, by the standards of their religion, seen as morally good. The tribes would entrust the eldest out of the men of the tribe to convene with the dead for various reasons. This would typically be done on every full moon, as the moon was seen as the home of the dead. On one full moon, the medium of one of the tribes which followed this ancient belief reported being told of a great change imminent by the ancestors of their tribe. He next recalled falling into a trance in which it was said that he saw visions of a being whose skin was half-red and half-white standing before them, wearing a tattered robe and a cylindrical, felt hat.
The humanoid spoke to the man, but in a language that the man couldn't understand and handed the medium a large, black book. Upon seeing the book, the man was soothed and felt enticed to take it. Calmed by the nondescript words of the being, the man reached out to grab the book, and upon touching it, he awoke with the book in his hands in the same position he fell into his trance at. Despite the tribe not having a written language, the man could read the words written in the book and learn of the holy nature of Dymus and his children. Dymus is, like many of the other pantheistic gods of Tundrusk, a weaker iteration of the dormant Suln'vkr created from the energy released upon his destruction of his active form. As with the other gods, they were made from this release of energy in order to represent and facilitate the various overarching ideas, phenomenon, and natural laws of the mortal plane. Dymus was explained as the creator and overseer of the afterlife, working with Karus, known as Cistus to the followers of Eoclatism, to watch over and manage the passage of mortals to the afterlife.
The religion spread throughout the central Riphtenland, around the area of Lake Yvaris and even up to what is currently Rousselot within the next few hundred years, seen as an extension of the current spiritualistic ancestor worship prevalent throughout the northern half of the region. Eventually, the most prevalent religion in the region was Eoclatism, spread through the word of mouth of various orators speaking the translation provided by the original medium who had encountered Dymus.
Cosmological Views
Eoclatism follows the generally accepted idea that the series of planes and dimensions that exist as well as their inhabitants, whether deities or mortals, are either extensions of Suln'vkr or natural structures formed from the physical manifestations of his released power. This means that followers of this religion believe in the idea that the mortal plane is a extension, of neither good nor evil, of Suln'vkr.
Tenets of Faith
The followers of this religion follow one basic idea, that doing good in life will reward you with a pleasant and glorious afterlife.
Ethics
The greatest virtues of Eoclatism are charity, loyalty, and bravery. Followers of Eoclatism are expected to be of a kind heart and soul, extending their wealth and hospitality to any they come across in need. Loyalty is important to Eoclatists, especially to family. Those who betray the wishes of their friends or family are often looked down upon and seen as disgraces to virtuous ideals of Eoclatism. Bravery is seen as a way to impress the ancestors that watch over the worshipers of Eoclatism and is often seen as associated with an action of good as those who are traditionally brave are typically those who go out of their way to help others in need or danger, showing a natural charitable nature.
There are a fewsins associated with Eoclatism, with blasphemy, sloth, pride, and dishonesty being those sins. Worshipers of Eoclatism are taught from a young age that doing actions that personify one of those four ideals would disgrace their ancestors and bar themselves from reaching the expected afterlife of an Eoclatist. While, of course, being slightly lazy or proud of oneself is not seen as a sin, letting that negative ideal seep into oneself and corrupt them is when it is said they are barred from a positive afterlife. This is typically seen when a person lets that ideal show in any and all of their actions; therefore, letting themselves be seen as a personification of that sin.
Worship
The worship of Eoclatism requires an active role from its followers. Daily worship of the religion requires a solemn prayer done individually both in the morning and evening as well as a midday prayer at an Eoclatistic Church. Outside of prayer, its followers are educated to be charitable and kind to those around them, with a major belief in charity to the poor and worse-off members of society. Before the days of written language, the first translations of the holy book were done through word of mouth, and the mediums of each tribe would then pass on the word of the book through a performance of storytelling and singing. Thus, singing has become a large part of the delivery of Eoclatist sermons, leading to many hymns and chants being written and performed for the purpose of religious sermons.
Other than the daily practices of its followers, a quite a few holidays are celebrated by the worshipers of Eoclatism. Every full moon, a celebration is held in which the priests of Eoclatism speak to the dead in order to predict the future, accompanied with an additional hour of prayer/ceremonies as well as a feast held by each household in which dead family members are remembered through celebration. Similar holidays are celebrated around the time of the harvest and times of lunar abnormalities, such as eclipses or other phenomena. Smaller, less extravagant, holidays celebrate great heroes of Riphtenland and its principalities as well as the holy saints of Eoclatism which are Hularus, Cetarr, Osdos, and Erus. There are a few beliefs of Eoclatism that have become tradition to its followers. Many followers of this religion dye their hair colors of dark red/maroon or a bright white. This is done, typically, with natural dyes created from berries and flowers. These colors are intended to represent Dymus, due to his body's duality of color with its bright red and white halves. Families are typically large, with multiple couples living in the same households and an average of thirty individuals living in each home. Men are thought to come of age at the age of 21, and this occasion is typically celebrated with a large feast in which the man must go out and hunt the main centerpiece animal of the feast. After killing the animal, he must let out a solemn prayer in order to ease its passing into the afterlife before burying its bones. Marriage is typically only conducted between those of similar wealth, and the man is expected to give a gift to the bride's family in return for marrying their daughter.
Other than the daily practices of its followers, a quite a few holidays are celebrated by the worshipers of Eoclatism. Every full moon, a celebration is held in which the priests of Eoclatism speak to the dead in order to predict the future, accompanied with an additional hour of prayer/ceremonies as well as a feast held by each household in which dead family members are remembered through celebration. Similar holidays are celebrated around the time of the harvest and times of lunar abnormalities, such as eclipses or other phenomena. Smaller, less extravagant, holidays celebrate great heroes of Riphtenland and its principalities as well as the holy saints of Eoclatism which are Hularus, Cetarr, Osdos, and Erus. There are a few beliefs of Eoclatism that have become tradition to its followers. Many followers of this religion dye their hair colors of dark red/maroon or a bright white. This is done, typically, with natural dyes created from berries and flowers. These colors are intended to represent Dymus, due to his body's duality of color with its bright red and white halves. Families are typically large, with multiple couples living in the same households and an average of thirty individuals living in each home. Men are thought to come of age at the age of 21, and this occasion is typically celebrated with a large feast in which the man must go out and hunt the main centerpiece animal of the feast. After killing the animal, he must let out a solemn prayer in order to ease its passing into the afterlife before burying its bones. Marriage is typically only conducted between those of similar wealth, and the man is expected to give a gift to the bride's family in return for marrying their daughter.
Granted Divine Powers
Dymus does not personally hand out any power, other than that of the ability to speak and convene with the dead; however, depending on the lesser god, the most virtuous and dedicated followers of their teachings may receive powers specific to the domains of the lesser gods.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Eoclatistic Church is almost entirely separate from the governmental rule of the Collective Principalities, acting as simply a moral guide for its people and a public organization of religion and worship for the people of Riphtenland. However, many of the sins of Eoclatism are outlawed by the Principalities, not at the order of the High Priest but instead by the will of the people.
Founding Date
8,874 BR
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Parent Organization
Permeated Organizations
Location
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