Thamarite Cult
While Morrow has become the most prominent deity of the Iron Kingdoms, the cults devoted to his twin sister Thamar exist in relative obscurity, a fact her adherents prefer. Despite this, the teachings of Thamar have had tremendous impact on the Morrowan faith, forming a conceptual counterpoint by which their beliefs and morality are defined. To adhere to Morrow’s path one must reject Thamar’s, and vice versa. Thamar has had just as profound an impact on the thinking and philosophies of mankind as her brother, but her legacy is cast in shadow since Thamar’s faith is inherently subversive and is associated with the darker aspects of human nature.
The concept of transgression as a gateway to enlightenment is fundamental to Thamarite belief. For this and other reasons, this faith has always been relegated to cult status, and its adherents are both feared and loathed by the dominant religions. Those who truly understand Thamarite philosophy know there are many roads to unlocking one’s own inner potential, some subtler than others. Thamar is seen by her faithful as the goddess of knowledge in all forms. She is a champion of the downtrodden, the outcast, the vengeful, and the iconoclastic. She is a goddess of freedom, self-expression, and perseverance. Those drawn to her darker aspects for their own sake or who use their faith as an excuse to justify atrocious deeds are blind to her true path. Besides the nefarious villains among her faithful there have also been heroes advocating the liberation and freedom of the spirit. When it has suited their ends, Thamarites have even shown a willingness to come to the defense of pious Morrowans.
The relationship between Morrow and Thamar and their respective paths is complicated and difficult to quantify even for theologians. On one hand, Morrowan doctrine suggests it is natural and inevitable that some people will choose the “dark path of Thamar” when confronted with the Volition. Church doctrine suggests these people are to be pitied and treated humanely, advising that those who have taken this turn might be set back on the path of light. The Church of Morrow makes a significant distinction between those who have unknowingly fallen under Thamar’s sway and those who outright worship the goddess, forsaking all other faiths. Those who act from selfish or misguided desires but who have not actually devoted themselves to the Dark Twin can be redeemed, while those who have sworn allegiance to Thamar are enemies of the faith.
There is a broad spectrum of people labeled Thamarites, among them many who do not actively worship the goddess or her scions. The Church of Morrow has sometimes placed emphasis on “unknowing worship” as a proof of Thamar’s corruptive influence seeping into a community and to frighten the wayward back to lives of rectitude. Anyone prone to pursuing vices can be subject to this scrutiny, and this has led to persecution by groups like the Order of Illumination, which is charged with rooting out Thamarite cults.
Even as Morrow and his ascendants look after those who are kind and generous, Thamar is thought to watch over and lend aid to the wicked. Those raised in Morrowan communities who turn to lives of crime may seek Thamar’s benevolence, knowing Morrow would not accept them. This is particularly true for those contemplating imminent death and an uncertain afterlife. Thamar’s followers encourage this, supporting the notion that Morrow’s faith is judgmental while Thamar is welcoming. Her worship finds the warmest welcome in underworld and criminal circles, where her teachings most easily take root.
Nearly all acts of transgression, crime, and pathos are seen as the purview of Thamar. For Thamarites morality itself is an enslavement of the spirit. Acts of crime and rebellion for their own sake are hollow in the goddess’ eyes, however. Thamar and her followers find enlightenment only in unshackled spirit and the triumph of the individual over the many. She is the patron not of selfishness but of self-accomplishment.
While the broad persecution of Thamarites may seem unjust at times, the septs of Thamar do include many genuinely dangerous and insidious individuals. To those who follow the dark goddess, nothing is forbidden.
The Many Paths
In life Thamar had a strong fascination for the occult and ardently pursued arcane lore at a time when such powers were almost unknown. Delving into these matters was key to her ascension. She pieced together an occult alphabet called Telgesh that is related to the arcane alphabets used by all arcanists in western Immoren who shape reality by force of will and that is believed to be fundamental to necromancy. She also obscured knowledge of her own path by placing enigmas and riddles in her writings, intending her followers actively pursue enlightenment their own way. Indeed, this need to work through the tortuous philosophical conundrums to understand the secrets of reality is a central tenet of Thamarite faith.
According to Thamar’s words, every path to ascension is different and every worshiper must find his own interpretation of her teachings. Some beliefs and aspects of her faith have been codified over time, however, and like-minded worshipers drawn to a particular aspect of the goddess may form septs. Most often a sept is a small group, but the most prominent septs contain hundreds or even thousands of worshipers scattered across western Immoren. Some argue that banding together in this way is inherently antithetical to Thamar’s teachings, but the scions who have ascended prove that some paths are more viable than others. Septs are a means for Thamarites to work together toward common ends and to share insights, lore, and rituals. Several of the largest septs are dedicated to specific areas of forbidden knowledge, such as necromancy or infernalism.
Thamarites reject the term “priest” for those who study the goddess, preferring to call themselves advocates. At the heart of the most lasting septs are advocates of an intellectual inclination who seek to better themselves by understanding Thamar’s philosophies and acting upon the goddess’ words and the examples of her scions. There is no single organization that unites all the divergent Thamarite advocates, although some of the larger septs have established hierarchies and rules. Thamar’s symbol, called the Ternion Brand, is adopted by dedicated followers as a sign of their commitment. It is sometimes displayed openly in defiance of authorities but more often is kept hidden.
Thamarite advocates do not usually channel her power through prayer like priests of other faiths; while dark miracles have been known to manifest when her name or those of the scions are invoked, this is exceedingly rare. Most believe the best way to gain power over reality is to master the arcane arts. Thamar is the goddess of magic as well as knowledge, as it was she who bestowed the Gift on humanity. Arcane practitioners are thought to carry forward the mystical work Thamar began before her ascension. No arcane path is forbidden to Thamarite worshipers, at least in theory. Necromancy in particular has been embraced as one of the oldest and most primal of arcane arts, inextricably linked to life, death, and the power of the immortal soul.
The Church of Morrow brands all Thamarites malefactors, a term conveying the belief they are irredeemably profane. Thamarites are viewed as a major threat, an enemy of civilization itself. They are actively persecuted by both Menites and Morrowans. The Church of Morrow’s belief in the Volition extends mercy only to those who unknowingly walk the dark path and can be brought back to the light; those who consciously choose to explore Thamar’s teachings are deemed worse than damned. In most nations the Church of Morrow is lawfully empowered to capture, interrogate, and sit in judgment over Thamarite malefactors. For these reasons most Thamarites seek to hide their religious beliefs, particularly in regions where the Church of Morrow is prominent. Thamarites with position in society pretend to be Morrowans, at least to a minimal degree, attending church services and keeping Morrowan iconography prominently on their persons.
The most pious followers of Thamar keep a small, secret shrine for worship. This usually includes a small metal or clay statue of Thamar and possibly a second smaller statue representing one or more of the scions. Due the secrecy of Thamarite worship, open funeral services are rare. More often, Thamarites are buried in Morrowan ceremonies.
Scions of Thamar
Even as Morrow has saint-like ascendants, there have been a number of individuals who have ascended to a higher state of being at the moment of death by heeding Thamar’s teachings and seeking their own distinct paths. In keeping with the iconoclasm endorsed by this faith, these individuals have often been branded by history as notorious criminals and madmen, as infamous as Morrow’s ascendants are revered. To the Morrowan majority the list of scions is a roster of villainy, while to Thamarites it represents the infinite ways in which an individual soul can cast aside its limits to transcend mortality. These ascensions have been infrequent but spectacular events.
The scions are thought to hear prayers closely tied to their spheres of influence, and records of the Church of Morrow relate incidents where scions have worked through mortal intermediaries by bestowing visions or outright possessing them and manifesting remarkable powers. On extremely rare occasions they have manifested on Caen for direct intervention. Each scion is associated with a unique path to ascension, a distinct philosophy, and associated prayers. The remains and possessions of each scion are relics that are preserved in secret places by the most powerful of Thamar’s septs. They are reputed to possess miraculous properties and serve as conduits for the divine.
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