Where did the world come from?
In the beginning was chaos. From this chaos came the First Gods, who strove against each other for domination over Kelestia, the Cosmic 'All'. They created the Lesser Gods as servants to aid them in their attempts to dominate the 'All', who in turn created mortals to serve them. These Natal Wars were terrible: countless worlds were destroyed, innumerate gods were slain (to say nothing of mortals), and the very existence of Kelestia itself was threatened.
At length, the surviving First Gods withdrew from conflict, leaving Kelestia to the Lesser Gods and mortals, who, indisciplined and ill-tempered, continued to fight on.
After eons of war, the handful of surviving Lesser Gods agreed to a truce. But do not be fooled by ignorant outsiders this truce, the so-called "Concordat", will not last. Eventually, the gods will again make war on each other, destroying themselves and restoring the primal chaos. All will be destroyed, except Naveh, the Lord of the Last Illusion, and those who have embraced his discipline.
Where did I come from?
Such questions do not matter.
Life is a fleeting, transitory illusion. Its beginning is just as
meaningless and as arbirtrary as its end. To ask such a question
shows an impious love for this corrupt and doomed world. What meaning
can such matters have after the destruction of the 'All'? Ask not
whence you came nor how shall depart this world, for these are false beginnings
and endings. Instead, prepare for the eternal future by serving the
Lord of the Last Illusion unswervingly in all things. His Truth,
unlike other illusions, will not fade.
Why am I here?
You are here to prove that
you are worthy of salvation by showing unquestioning obedience to Our Master
in all things; to cleanse the world of those impure dregs of humanity who
seek to thwart His plans; to hasten the breakdown of the Concordat by performing
hidden acts that will incite the other deities to fight against each other;
and to achieve spiritual perfection by subjecting your mind and body,
your desires and actions, your life and death to the will of Naveh.
What happens after we die?
Those of us who have achieved spiritual perfection through obedience will be
taken by our Lord to the city of Kamil, where Night eternal reigns.
There we shall dwell unseen with our master and the holy Gytevshai until the
Final Wars. Though Kelestia will be destroyed in those wars, our Lord shall
protect us by taking us to Harsa-Navla, the Place Most Holy, where, pure in
spirit, mighty in strength, and capable of all that our Master asks of us, we
Faithful Ones will spend all eternity in in the service of the Lord of the Last
Illusion.
What of the other gods? Tell me the truth about:
Agrik
The Reasonless Reaper is
an indisciplined fool. Hotheaded, he thinks that raw might and violence
will enable him to dominate Kelestia. He scorns our Lord, mistaking wisdom,
restraint, and subtlety for cowardice. Little does Agrik know that
physical might is itself an illusion; his reliance upon it will eventually
be his own undoing. His followers, like spoiled chidren, fight amongst
themselves. Unified, they might pose a threat to we Faithful
Ones, but we ensure that this does not happen by preying upon their
own indiscipline. A single Navas-Kara can easily start a crippling
temple war among them.
Halea
The Lady of Bargains is
shallow, concerned only with the fleeting illusions of the physical world.
Her followers have neither the strength of will nor the purity of spirit
to see beyond the veil of this world's ephemeral pleasures into the eternal
realm of our Master's Truth. Our Lord mutilated Dekejis to instruct
the Empress of Vanity about the impermanence of temporal beauty , but she
failed to understand. When the Great Cleansing comes, she and her corrupt
followers, too accustomed to pleasure, unable to submit to discipline,
will be the first to perish.
Ilvir
Reclusive and withdrawn,
the Brooder works his strange and obscene arts with seeming disregard for
the approaching cataclysm. While the discipline with which he pursues
his perverted work is remarkable, he squanders it fruitlessly, creating
foul abominations that are a mockery to true spiritual life. In the
end, his monstrous children will perish, for they are soulless beasts,
bound to this doomed world, incapable of spiritual transcendence.
Their Creator will be left alone, unprepared, and helpless to prevent his
own destruction. Be on guard against him and his followers, nonetheless,
for it may be that his indifference and their disorganization is but a
mask concealing a purposeful plan.
Larani
The Unwilling Warrior prides herself on her chivalric discipline, but when pushed,
she sheds her self-control and becomes as senselessly violent as Agrik. As time
passes, she finds it increasingly harder to maintain the illusion of self-control.
In the end, her hatred of the Warlord of Balgashang will become supreme, her
discipline will be abandoned, and she too will disregard the Concordat. Feed
her hatred and that of her followers by committing acts of violence
that direct their attention to Agrik. This will not only hasten the onset of
the Final Wars, but will also deflect attention from us.
Morgath
The Wreaker of Chaos unwittingly furthers Our Master's goals. Driven mad by
Bukrai's power, he wishes to hasten the breakdown of the Concordat, the onset
of the Final Wars, and the return of the primal Chaos. Unlike our Master, however,
Morgath does not envision surviving the End; he revels in the mere act of destruction,
caring not that he himself will thereby perish. We need not oppose him or his
depraved followers, for their aims coincide with those of Our Far-Sighted Master.
Nonetheless, it is wise to avoid contact with those who follow Morgath, lest
the taint of Bukrai's false Shadow corrupt the spiritual purity of we who serve
the true Lord of Pitch Shadows.
Peoni
The Lady of Labours nourishes the naive hope of saving this doomed world and
its unworthy inhabitants. Her efforts are in vain, for she seeks to preserve
what is ephemeral, to make permanent what is fleeting illusion. What strength
she has, moreover, is squandered in her futile attempts to reduce the temporal
sufferings of the unworthy wretches who follow her. Let her and her followers
continue to pursue their hopeless tasks it will profit them naught in
the end.
Sarajin
The Gray Slayer knows that the Final Wars are coming, but brutishly thinks that
illusory ideals of strength, bravery, and honor will enable him and his followers
to survive. Such half-fathomed wisdom is worse than pure ignorance. Just as
Sarajin's foresight is is a thin shadow of our Master's True Wisdom, his childish
code of honor his followers call 'the Ljarl' is an absurd parody of our true
Discipline. In the end, Sarajin and his followers will go the way of Agrik,
Larani, and all the others who place their faith in the illusions of martial
victory they shall all perish.
Save-K'nor
Save-K'nor is not to be trusted. He alone, among all the gods, accords
to our Master the proper measure of respect and this alone is reason to
be wary. The Divine Fool pretends to waste his time pursuing useless knowledge,
but he is not so foolish as he seems remember how well he fathomed the
lesson of Dekejis. It may be that he possesses his own plan for surviving the
End or that he seeks to unravel that of our Master. Be on constant guard
against his followers for they are subtle and far more shrewd than they seem.
Infiltrate their ranks, learn what they know, and confound them with lies. Eliminate
those among them who have penetrated the cloaks of dark Deceit in which we have
clothed our Holy Secrets.
Siem
Though he knows that the End is coming, he King of the Undying
Abominations has withdrawn to his illusory Blessed Realm, where he laments
what is to occur rather than preparing for it. It may be that he
has accepted the inevitable and seeks only to enjoy an undeserved peace
before the destruction of Kelestia. Yet, it may also may that
his simpering inaction is part of a grand deception, a lie but forth to
fool us to conceal his plan to save himself and his Elven demons, just
as our master will save us. But there is not enough room in eternity for
both Our Master and Siem and if the Final Wars do not destroy the King
of the Undying and his demonic hordes, then we Faithful must finish the
task.