Beating Heart: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:59, 25 May 2024

The Beating Heart is a god worshiped by many peoples of the Wounds, a deified form of the planet Kishar. This living earth-god affects all, for all mortals live on its body and are subject to its movements, sometimes in very direct ways, as the many active volcanoes of the Wounds are thought to be the injuries in the outer surface of the deity. While it suffers it simultaneously brings forth new land and new life, from which its adherents have learned that all struggles and pain ultimately bring forth new hope and opportunity.

Edicts and anathema

Edicts: Be willing to suffer hardship and pain for a better world even if you may not see it, push yourself against ever-greater challenges, honor those who sacrifice for you
Anathema: Act selfishly, interfere with a volcano or with flowing lava, live away from an island, the sea, or a source of volcanic activity, rest when there is important work to be done

History

The religion of the Beating Heart has changed greatly over time. The faith emerged in the early ninth millennium after the legendary founder of the Silakara dynasty and the nation of Rashareka, Silakara-Vuriwai-Ne-Ta, was spared from the devastation of a volcanic eruption on the Old Twins. As the stories spread by the dynasty recount, the other survivors of the eruption flocked to him, recognizing he was chosen by the volcano due to his long-standing devotion and respect for it. Silakara-Vuriwai and his descendants quickly become a holy dynasty who led this new volcano-worshiping faith for centuries.

By the time of the first demonic incursion of the Old Twins in Y9266^*, the position of this holy family had already begun to erode, yet it was not until the ensuing rapid collapse of Rashareka that it entirely vanished. Without their central leadership the faith did not stall in the slightest, but merely shifted to local clerics who could each interpret the tenets of the Beating Heart on their own. Since then this same understanding has broadly held, with a great many spiritual leaders who all speak to their people on behalf of the earth-god. With this decentralization came an explosion in the variety of religious practices seen amongst adherents of the Beating Heart today.

Beliefs and followers

The Beating Heart is both the planet itself and a living, tangible god, its two aspects inseparable. Even from far below the skin of the world it still has a profound affect on all who live on it, as the magma and lava that is its blood has both beneficial and catastrophically harmful impacts on those who dwell in and amongst the Wounds. Through eruption, earthquake, and erosion alike the deity has transformed, and continues to transform, its surface into a land for mortals.

Just as their god has suffered to bring forth land with which to inhabit, so to do the faithful of the Beating Heart believe they must struggle and sacrifice to create a better world for their communities, tribes, and all future generations. None can match the sacrifices of the Heart itself, of course, or the endless pain it endures, but they can certainly make smaller efforts even at coast to themselves. Whether that means giving up a meal so one hungrier can eat, or giving up possessions to those who could use them more, or even charging headlong into danger to protect one's people and companions, such sacrifices are central to how the Beating Heart's adherents believe they must act.

The Beating Heart is a significant religion amongst many peoples of the Wounds, particularly but not entirely amongst the various Fanakara and Keleta-Ru communities, tribes, and nations. The deity has broad appeal across society, followed by all regardless of profession, background, or social status. The only major groups within the Wounds who do not worship the Beating Heart to at least some degree are the dwarves of Harv Taruhm and Harv Doruhl.

For all their devotion, followers of the Beating Heart maintain a respectful distance from the more immediately dangerous aspects of the deity. While it is next to impossible in the Wounds to stay away from its blood, a strong prohibition exists against interfering with any lava, magma, or with volcanic processes in general. If the injuries of the god cause an eruption then so be it, but they do not attempt to provoke or prevent such an event, for that is far outside any mortal's control.

While there is no longer any central leadership to the faith of the Beating Heart, this is not to say that certain individuals are not seen as particularly holy due to their close connection to the Heart. Those who survive close contact with lava from the volcanoes of the Wounds, or even immersion, are left with distinctive vein-like scars even after their immediate injuries have healed. Known as blood-touched, these figures are thought to have been chosen and blessed by the earth-god due to their faith. However, only those who acquired such a status through incidental means are respected, as interference with lava for any intentional purpose, including a desire to become blood-touched, is anathema to followers of the Beating Heart.

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 |alignment = Neutral
 |areas_of_concern = Volcanoes, endurance, islands, martyrdom, personal sacrifices
-|worshipers = Various peoples of the [[Wounds]], especially [[Fanakara]] and [[Keleta-Ru]] tribes
+|worshipers = Various peoples of the [[Wounds]], especially amongst the [[Fanakara]] and [[Keleta-Ru]]
 |cleric_alignments = {{Alignment grid
 | on | on | on
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 |sacred_colors = Red and orange
 }}
-The '''Beating Heart''' is a god worshiped by many peoples of the [[Wounds]], a deified form of the planet [[Kishar]]. This living earth-god affects all, for all mortals live on its body and are subject to its movements, sometimes in very direct ways, as the many active volcanoes of the Wounds are thought to be the injuries in the skin of the deity. While it suffers it simultaneously brings forth new land and new life, from which its adherents have learned that all struggles and pain ultimately bring forth new hope and opportunity.
+The '''Beating Heart''' is a god worshiped by many peoples of the [[Wounds]], a deified form of the planet [[Kishar]]. This living earth-god affects all, for all mortals live on its body and are subject to its movements, sometimes in very direct ways, as the many active volcanoes of the Wounds are thought to be the injuries in the outer surface of the deity. While it suffers it simultaneously brings forth new land and new life, from which its adherents have learned that all struggles and pain ultimately bring forth new hope and opportunity.
 == Edicts and anathema ==
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 == Beliefs and followers ==
+The Beating Heart is both the planet itself and a living, tangible god, its two aspects inseparable. Even from far below the skin of the world it still has a profound affect on all who live on it, as the magma and lava that is its blood has both beneficial and catastrophically harmful impacts on those who dwell in and amongst the Wounds. Through eruption, earthquake, and erosion alike the deity has transformed, and continues to transform, its surface into a land for mortals.
+Just as their god has suffered to bring forth land with which to inhabit, so to do the faithful of the Beating Heart believe they must struggle and sacrifice to create a better world for their communities, tribes, and all future generations. None can match the sacrifices of the Heart itself, of course, or the endless pain it endures, but they can certainly make smaller efforts even at coast to themselves. Whether that means giving up a meal so one hungrier can eat, or giving up possessions to those who could use them more, or even charging headlong into danger to protect one's people and companions, such sacrifices are central to how the Beating Heart's adherents believe they must act.
+The Beating Heart is a significant religion amongst many peoples of the Wounds, particularly but not entirely amongst the various [[Fanakara]] and [[Keleta-Ru]] communities, tribes, and nations. The deity has broad appeal across society, followed by all regardless of profession, background, or social status. The only major groups within the Wounds who do not worship the Beating Heart to at least some degree are the [[dwarf|dwarves]] of [[Harv Taruhm]] and [[Harv Doruhl]].
+For all their devotion, followers of the Beating Heart maintain a respectful distance from the more immediately dangerous aspects of the deity. While it is next to impossible in the Wounds to stay away from its blood, a strong prohibition exists against interfering with any lava, magma, or with volcanic processes in general. If the injuries of the god cause an eruption then so be it, but they do not attempt to provoke or prevent such an event, for that is far outside any mortal's control.
+While there is no longer any central leadership to the faith of the Beating Heart, this is not to say that certain individuals are not seen as particularly holy due to their close connection to the Heart. Those who survive close contact with lava from the volcanoes of the Wounds, or even immersion, are left with distinctive vein-like scars even after their immediate injuries have healed. Known as blood-touched, these figures are thought to have been chosen and blessed by the earth-god due to their faith. However, only those who acquired such a status through incidental means are respected, as interference with lava for any intentional purpose, including a desire to become blood-touched, is anathema to followers of the Beating Heart.
 {{Deities}}