THE
CHURCH OF THE ONE
“In the beginning, there was nothing, save the One. The One was eternal and all-powerful, the sole Creator of all that is here and now, that was there and then, that will come and will become.”
- Extract from the first book of the Monotheistica, the Holy Book of the Church of the One
The Church of the One is the most formal foundation of the Cult of One Lord, which it has, by the time of writing, officially replaced. Unlike all other major religions in Erythia, the Church of the One is monotheistic, believing that a single god, the aforementioned ‘One’, is the creator and guardian of the world. The religion of the One is centred around the study and interpretation of the Monotheistica, the holy text of the Church which spans sixty four books of various lengths, all written by those believed to be prophets of The One. They believe that the majority of accepted histories of the world are simply myths, and that they should be put aside for the far simple Belief of Creation. Due to this, it is fairly easy to see how the race of Men holds the most believers, while the more ancient races almost entirely remain steadfast to their established religions.
THE BELIEF OF THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
- As outlined in the Book of the
Beginning
In the
beginning, there was nothing, save the One.
The One was eternal and all-powerful, the sole Creator of all that is
here and now, that was there and then, that will come and will become.
The One created thousands and thousands of great, fiery balls of light in
the universe, but concentrated his attention to one in particular, creating a
ball of earth, which the fiery ball nearest to it (though still a great distance
away) warmed. The earth was too
hot, and fire rumbled in the heart of the ball of earth, exploding through high
mountains and running through deep valleys.
The earth ball, which, in the tongue of the dragonfolk, translates to Erythia,
cooled down, and the One created huge seas and a blue sky to surround the world.
The earth became rich and vibrant, and the One was pleased.
The One planted seeds of many plants, small and tall, which spread over the earth and under the sea with great abandon. The One was pleased, but saw that something was missing. Though the wind rustled the leaves on the trees, and the blades of grass on the plains, nothing else moved. So, the One created animals and birds, beasts of the fields and of the mountains, creatures to soar in the sky and to swim in the seas. The creations were of different size and disposition, for the One loved variety. Finally, he created the races that would one day grow to greatness and govern the lands in which he set them in His name. For the skies above, he created the dragons, mighty beasts with scaled hides and leathery wings. For the woodlands, he created the elven folk, tall humanoids of great swiftness and intelligence. For the earth below, the dwarfs were created – those to furnish the others with the precious metals of the world to improve their lives, and to watch over the many beasts that preferred the dark caverns underground to what lay above the surface. To rule the plains, he created the race of Men, last and most beloved of his creations, to watch over the world and protect it from those that would destroy it.
THE BELIEFS OF THE LIFE DEPARTED
- As outlined in the Book of the
Dead, 3.17 (Vander)
The Church of
the One believes that the One is a just ruler, punishing the wicked after death
by incarceration in a place of nightmares and terrible things, from which
salvation can be attained by the deceased truly coming to terms with the
wickedness of the life lived and mourning what had happened.
From there, those that are dead are reborn into the world, quite probably
centuries after their original demise, with no ability to recall their past
lives. One of the most interesting concepts of the Monotheistic
religion is the belief in the ‘Enemy’, the one who is the complete
opposite of the One and the one who rules over this place of darkness and woe.
This scholar has yet to truly find an explanation for why this nameless
Enemy is allowed to exist, for if the One is omnipotent surely it would be a
small matter to eradicate the Enemy and destroy the whole problem of ‘sin’
and what it means for the Church.
There are those who, having lived blameless lives of truly good behaviour and freedom from the Monotheist concept of ‘sin’ sent by the Enemy, on death, are lifted to a far better place, to give service to the One in His Home, which is believed to be on some kind of celestial plane. From here, the souls of the departed can only return to our world if they truly wish to, but they too cannot remember their past and run the risk of taking millennia to be able to return to the place that they had voluntarily abandoned. The Monotheists believe that death is merely a release from a life where sin can affect them to the embrace of the One they worship. This scholar would note that the concept of the ones they mourn going to the other place is fortunately not even considered.
THE
STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH
The Church is
presided over by a figure they call the ‘Coristus’, who is supposed
to be sent from the table of the One to ensure the Church remains free from the
taint of the Enemy. The Coristus appoints his own successor, and is rumoured to
be told by the One in a dream where to find this successor.
The named successor is known as the Coristilius, and is second in
authority of the Church.
For each
acknowledged country of Erythia, there is a Legate of the Church, who is
sent to the court of the ruler. Different rulers treat the Legates differently, some becoming
trusted advisors, and others being rarely allowed near the ruler’s presence.
While the Coristus runs the Church in name, an Archbishop runs the Church in each country. Bishops take control of cities or other major population areas within each country, and more minor areas tend to be delegated to the most minor officials within the Church.