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{{SeeAlso|Midas}} | {{SeeAlso|Midas}} | ||
Midianism as a philosophy and faith grew out of the worship of Midas, an Eretreban [[hero-god]] who lived in the early tenth millennium. A master alchemist, he was obsessed with learning how to | Midianism as a philosophy and faith grew out of the worship of Midas, an Eretreban [[hero-god]] who lived in the early tenth millennium. A master alchemist, he was obsessed with learning how to transmute objects to gold, a feat he finally achieved in a limited form shortly before his death in {{Year|6040}}. Though the veneration of Midas was not unalike that of any other [[Hellea|Hellean]] hero-god, the cryptic writing he left behind on alchemical matters and the unclear circumstances behind his death brought about an entirely new set of beliefs that have long outlived the hero-god himself. | ||
As with other hero-gods, nearly all faithful of Midas ceased their worship upon learning of his death, but a small handful of them continued to pore over his notes in search of secrets he had never revealed. Almost a hundred years later in {{Year|6133}}, after a century in which Midas' legend had slowly waned, a collection of his writings were published by an unknown benefactor in [[Iareios]]. A remarkably brief volume, this book contained not merely Midas' notes on his studies but also interpretations of them that derived lessons and moral teachings from the otherwise dry and straightforward alchemical observations. All of this was in service of one final | As with other hero-gods, nearly all faithful of Midas ceased their worship upon learning of his death, but a small handful of them continued to pore over his notes in search of secrets he had never revealed. Almost a hundred years later in {{Year|6133}}, after a century in which Midas' legend had slowly waned, a collection of his writings were published by an unknown benefactor in [[Iareios]]. A remarkably brief volume, this book contained not merely Midas' notes on his studies but also interpretations of them that derived lessons and moral teachings from the otherwise dry and straightforward alchemical observations. All of this was in service of one final revelation, previously unstated by Midas - that gold, and wealth in general, was a pathway to the afterlife. This was not presented in a metaphorical way, but rather entirely literal; through his transformation of living creatures to solid gold, he wrote that he had found a method of choosing one's own future after death. Just as transforming the body to gold caused it to no longer tarnish, it did the same to the soul, preserving it in a private [[Plane|demiplane]] for all eternity. | ||
Soon after the book was published, a group of his disciples declared they had uncovered Midas' notes on how his golden transmutations were performed. Calling themselves the Midianites, they announced they would carry out the ritual for those who proved themselves similarly devoted to the teachings of Midas. Many of the wealthy on Eretrebus flocked to the new mystery cult. While they faced significant resistance from traditional religious institutions and figures, the Midianites nonetheless grew rapidly. | |||
Through a set of events known as the Midian Transformation, by {{Year|6200}} Midianites were influential and powerful enough that effectively all of Eretrebus was at their command, at least indirectly. The monarchy of Eretrebus had become vestigial, with the newly established position of Grand Treasurer functionally controlling the kingdom. | |||
== Tenets == | == Tenets == | ||
Above all else, Midianites prioritize wealth accumulation as the foremost tenet of their philosophy. Becoming wealthy, or further increasing one's existing wealth, is seen as the most righteous achievement in life. Methods of coming into possession of riches in ways that counteract their other tenets, however, are seen as far worse than having the status of a pauper. | Above all else, Midianites prioritize wealth accumulation as the foremost tenet of their philosophy, as great amounts of valuable material are required as reagents to fuel the ritual transforming oneself to gold. Becoming wealthy, or further increasing one's existing wealth, is seen as the most righteous achievement in life. Methods of coming into possession of riches in ways that counteract their other tenets, however, are seen as far worse than having the status of a pauper. | ||
A true Midianite follows Midas' teachings closely, as they do with all laws. Both excessively good and evil deeds are viewed with distaste by Midianites. | A true Midianite follows Midas' teachings closely, as they do with all laws. Both excessively good and evil deeds are viewed with distaste by Midianites. | ||
Midianites | Many tenets of the Midianites are based on interpretations of Midas' studies applied to contexts entirely separate from the alchemical research in which they were first written. For example, the priority they place on personal cleanliness is based upon his notes about the importance of not contaminating experiments. This belief has contributed both to the development of central plumbing in many cities in Eretrebus, for personal cleanliness, and the increasing class divides on the islands, as Midianites often view associating with those who do not follow their faith to be spiritually unclean. | ||
Midianism is a secular cult - as long as one follows its tenets, worship of any, all, or no gods is permitted. Some Midianites follow [[Khalkeus]], and others venerate [[Triteia]] or deities more broadly popular on the island kingdom. Many Midianites, however, do not profess any faith. For centuries | Midianism is a secular cult - as long as one follows its tenets, worship of any, all, or no gods is permitted. Some Midianites follow [[Khalkeus]], and others venerate [[Triteia]] or deities more broadly popular on the island kingdom. Many Midianites, however, do not profess any faith. For centuries atheism has not only been tolerated but officially sanctioned by the Grand Treasurers. | ||
As a mystery cult, prospective Midianites must be approved then inducted into the faith by the Tellers. | As a mystery cult, prospective Midianites must be approved then inducted into the faith by the Tellers. Knowledge of their greatest ritual continues to be restricted to only the Tellers, kept away from the faithful as a whole. While formally open to all, nearly all who are inducted into the Midianites are already quite affluent. | ||
== Followers == | == Followers == | ||
The vast majority of Midianites are wealthy figures in Eretreban society - the philosophy has seen little adoption by the lower classes, or by those living outside Eretrebus. | The vast majority of Midianites are wealthy figures in Eretreban society - the philosophy has seen little adoption by the lower classes, or by those living outside Eretrebus. | ||
Midianism has a rigid hierarchy, with the Grand Treasurer seen as the foremost authority on the philosophy and arbiter of the meanings of Midas' writings. The Grand Treasurer also serves a role in Eretreban government. While officially only in charge of the kingdom's finances, in practice the Grand Treasurer has the ability to direct all aspects of the island's governance | Midianism has a rigid hierarchy, with the Grand Treasurer seen as the foremost authority on the philosophy and arbiter of the meanings of Midas' writings. The Grand Treasurer also serves a role in Eretreban government. While officially only in charge of the kingdom's finances, in practice the Grand Treasurer has the ability to direct all aspects of the island's governance. | ||
The Tellers, | The Tellers, the leaders of the religion below the Grand Treasurer, do not only serve the faith by performing their great ritual. Experts in divination, they are frequently consulted to foresee the best course of action in regards to trade deals and other matters of wealth accumulation. Those that seek their services are strongly encouraged to make generous donations to the Bank-Temples in return. While Midianism is secular, the Bank-Temples treat financial business with almost a sense of reverence, turning loans and other forms of financial services into [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k85_KKTaA8 almost spiritual matters]. | ||
== Rituals == | == Rituals == | ||
Upon the conclusion of a Midianite's life, | {{SideBox | ||
|above='''Cost of the Transformation''' | |||
|text= | |||
According to the Tellers, it requires far more gold to perform the Transformation than one would theoretically gain by melting down the now metal forms of those who undergo it. As such they require large donations over the course of years in order to finance such a ritual. | |||
}} | |||
Upon the conclusion of a Midianite's life, individuals who donated enough to the Bank-Temples and who are considered morally righteous by the Tellers are given the offer to undergo their great ritual, known simply as the Transformation. In a complex set of practices, their bodies are cleaned, both physically and spiritually, and placed flat in a reclined location with the gold and other valuables required for the ritual arranged in specific patterns around them. The Tellers maintain a great degree of secrecy about this entire process. In the accounts of one of the exceptionally few people to have viewed the ritual performed, the transmutation to gold appeared to have started at the outside of the body before working its way in, eventually turning the entire subject to solid metal. | |||
At the conclusion of the Transformation, while the body is for all purposes deceased, the soul-form continues to live in within a demiplane bound to the now-golden figure. This demiplane is said by the Tellers to be effectively whatever the subject desires, a place where they can continue with their memories and personality for eternity, engaging in whatever leisure interests them. | |||
Not all Midianites wait until they are on their deathbeds to undergo | Not all Midianites wait until they are on their deathbeds to undergo the Transformation. Some choose to do so to escape severe consequences in life, and others when they believe they have come into possession of as many riches as they ever will. | ||
A significant aspect of the | A significant aspect of the Transformation that appeals to Midianites is how it neatly avoids the uncertainty of the afterlife. Not only is one's soul guaranteed to exist with memory of their past life, but also those that adhere to [[Hellean pantheon|Hellean]] or [[Chaskan pantheon|Chaskan]] beliefs of the afterlife consider this method to be a convenient way to avoid sending their soul for judgement in the [[Echo]]. Regardless of their deeds or religious beliefs in life, wealthy Midianites can die knowing their will enjoy a luxurious afterlife, with a strong connection to their former selves. | ||
Some Midianites that undergo this funerary process have their bodies interred in their opulent residences, maintained as if they were still alive for as long as the remainder of their estate lasts. The ritual itself is already rarely performed, and maintaining an estate in this manner after death is even more so - in any case, this arrangement usually does not last long before the remaining family of the deceased find loopholes in their last will and claw the money back for themselves. | Some Midianites that undergo this funerary process have their bodies interred in their opulent residences, maintained as if they were still alive for as long as the remainder of their estate lasts. The ritual itself is already rarely performed, and maintaining an estate in this manner after death is even more so - in any case, this arrangement usually does not last long before the remaining family of the deceased find loopholes in their last will and claw the money back for themselves. | ||
The | The Transformation is a significant part of the draw to join the Midianites - the ability to construct one's own afterlife is incredibly appealing to many. | ||
Knowledge about the intricate details of | Knowledge about the intricate details of the Transformation is not public - only the Grand Treasurer and the Tellers fully understand the process, and it is never taught to those outside their ranks. As such to receive the Transformation Midianites must be on good terms with the authorities of their philosophy and have been prosperous enough for them to take notice. | ||
Many Midianites regularly provide monetary donations to the Bank-Temples under the belief that doing so will grant further prosperity. This is by and large true, if only because the Tellers favor and provide advantageous information towards those | Many Midianites regularly provide monetary donations to the Bank-Temples under the belief that doing so will grant further prosperity. This is by and large true, if only because the Tellers favor and provide advantageous information towards those who support them the most. | ||
== Bank-Temples == | == Bank-Temples == | ||
Revision as of 22:09, 17 February 2024
Midianism (pronounced MIH-dee-an-ism) is a philosophy and secular mystery cult prevalent mostly within the Kingdom of Eretrebus.
Edicts and anathema
- Edicts
- Acquire wealth, maintain cleanliness, give offerings to the Bank-Temples, follow Midas' teachings
- Anathema
- Share secrets of the Midianites' practices and rites, break the law, give away wealth
History
See also: Midas
Midianism as a philosophy and faith grew out of the worship of Midas, an Eretreban hero-god who lived in the early tenth millennium. A master alchemist, he was obsessed with learning how to transmute objects to gold, a feat he finally achieved in a limited form shortly before his death in Y9040*. Though the veneration of Midas was not unalike that of any other Hellean hero-god, the cryptic writing he left behind on alchemical matters and the unclear circumstances behind his death brought about an entirely new set of beliefs that have long outlived the hero-god himself.
As with other hero-gods, nearly all faithful of Midas ceased their worship upon learning of his death, but a small handful of them continued to pore over his notes in search of secrets he had never revealed. Almost a hundred years later in Y9133*, after a century in which Midas' legend had slowly waned, a collection of his writings were published by an unknown benefactor in Iareios. A remarkably brief volume, this book contained not merely Midas' notes on his studies but also interpretations of them that derived lessons and moral teachings from the otherwise dry and straightforward alchemical observations. All of this was in service of one final revelation, previously unstated by Midas - that gold, and wealth in general, was a pathway to the afterlife. This was not presented in a metaphorical way, but rather entirely literal; through his transformation of living creatures to solid gold, he wrote that he had found a method of choosing one's own future after death. Just as transforming the body to gold caused it to no longer tarnish, it did the same to the soul, preserving it in a private demiplane for all eternity.
Soon after the book was published, a group of his disciples declared they had uncovered Midas' notes on how his golden transmutations were performed. Calling themselves the Midianites, they announced they would carry out the ritual for those who proved themselves similarly devoted to the teachings of Midas. Many of the wealthy on Eretrebus flocked to the new mystery cult. While they faced significant resistance from traditional religious institutions and figures, the Midianites nonetheless grew rapidly.
Through a set of events known as the Midian Transformation, by Y9200* Midianites were influential and powerful enough that effectively all of Eretrebus was at their command, at least indirectly. The monarchy of Eretrebus had become vestigial, with the newly established position of Grand Treasurer functionally controlling the kingdom.
Tenets
Above all else, Midianites prioritize wealth accumulation as the foremost tenet of their philosophy, as great amounts of valuable material are required as reagents to fuel the ritual transforming oneself to gold. Becoming wealthy, or further increasing one's existing wealth, is seen as the most righteous achievement in life. Methods of coming into possession of riches in ways that counteract their other tenets, however, are seen as far worse than having the status of a pauper.
A true Midianite follows Midas' teachings closely, as they do with all laws. Both excessively good and evil deeds are viewed with distaste by Midianites.
Many tenets of the Midianites are based on interpretations of Midas' studies applied to contexts entirely separate from the alchemical research in which they were first written. For example, the priority they place on personal cleanliness is based upon his notes about the importance of not contaminating experiments. This belief has contributed both to the development of central plumbing in many cities in Eretrebus, for personal cleanliness, and the increasing class divides on the islands, as Midianites often view associating with those who do not follow their faith to be spiritually unclean.
Midianism is a secular cult - as long as one follows its tenets, worship of any, all, or no gods is permitted. Some Midianites follow Khalkeus, and others venerate Triteia or deities more broadly popular on the island kingdom. Many Midianites, however, do not profess any faith. For centuries atheism has not only been tolerated but officially sanctioned by the Grand Treasurers.
As a mystery cult, prospective Midianites must be approved then inducted into the faith by the Tellers. Knowledge of their greatest ritual continues to be restricted to only the Tellers, kept away from the faithful as a whole. While formally open to all, nearly all who are inducted into the Midianites are already quite affluent.
Followers
The vast majority of Midianites are wealthy figures in Eretreban society - the philosophy has seen little adoption by the lower classes, or by those living outside Eretrebus.
Midianism has a rigid hierarchy, with the Grand Treasurer seen as the foremost authority on the philosophy and arbiter of the meanings of Midas' writings. The Grand Treasurer also serves a role in Eretreban government. While officially only in charge of the kingdom's finances, in practice the Grand Treasurer has the ability to direct all aspects of the island's governance.
The Tellers, the leaders of the religion below the Grand Treasurer, do not only serve the faith by performing their great ritual. Experts in divination, they are frequently consulted to foresee the best course of action in regards to trade deals and other matters of wealth accumulation. Those that seek their services are strongly encouraged to make generous donations to the Bank-Temples in return. While Midianism is secular, the Bank-Temples treat financial business with almost a sense of reverence, turning loans and other forms of financial services into almost spiritual matters.
Rituals
Upon the conclusion of a Midianite's life, individuals who donated enough to the Bank-Temples and who are considered morally righteous by the Tellers are given the offer to undergo their great ritual, known simply as the Transformation. In a complex set of practices, their bodies are cleaned, both physically and spiritually, and placed flat in a reclined location with the gold and other valuables required for the ritual arranged in specific patterns around them. The Tellers maintain a great degree of secrecy about this entire process. In the accounts of one of the exceptionally few people to have viewed the ritual performed, the transmutation to gold appeared to have started at the outside of the body before working its way in, eventually turning the entire subject to solid metal.
At the conclusion of the Transformation, while the body is for all purposes deceased, the soul-form continues to live in within a demiplane bound to the now-golden figure. This demiplane is said by the Tellers to be effectively whatever the subject desires, a place where they can continue with their memories and personality for eternity, engaging in whatever leisure interests them.
Not all Midianites wait until they are on their deathbeds to undergo the Transformation. Some choose to do so to escape severe consequences in life, and others when they believe they have come into possession of as many riches as they ever will.
A significant aspect of the Transformation that appeals to Midianites is how it neatly avoids the uncertainty of the afterlife. Not only is one's soul guaranteed to exist with memory of their past life, but also those that adhere to Hellean or Chaskan beliefs of the afterlife consider this method to be a convenient way to avoid sending their soul for judgement in the Echo. Regardless of their deeds or religious beliefs in life, wealthy Midianites can die knowing their will enjoy a luxurious afterlife, with a strong connection to their former selves.
Some Midianites that undergo this funerary process have their bodies interred in their opulent residences, maintained as if they were still alive for as long as the remainder of their estate lasts. The ritual itself is already rarely performed, and maintaining an estate in this manner after death is even more so - in any case, this arrangement usually does not last long before the remaining family of the deceased find loopholes in their last will and claw the money back for themselves.
The Transformation is a significant part of the draw to join the Midianites - the ability to construct one's own afterlife is incredibly appealing to many.
Knowledge about the intricate details of the Transformation is not public - only the Grand Treasurer and the Tellers fully understand the process, and it is never taught to those outside their ranks. As such to receive the Transformation Midianites must be on good terms with the authorities of their philosophy and have been prosperous enough for them to take notice.
Many Midianites regularly provide monetary donations to the Bank-Temples under the belief that doing so will grant further prosperity. This is by and large true, if only because the Tellers favor and provide advantageous information towards those who support them the most.
Bank-Temples
Most Bank-Temples are broadly similar in design. Exterior doors usually open into a single, large chamber, typically an cross-arched dome. Fountains or golden statues of a hand are frequently used as centerpieces, with the rest of the of the chamber typically dimly lit and divided into areas for seclusion. Those of high standing within the Midians may be invited to the lower levels, below ground, where the vaults can be found.