Monadism

Monadism
Type	Sect
Areas of concern	Neutrality, balance
Typical worshipers	Followers of the Blind Witness around the Chaska Sea
Domains	Knowledge, Time, Truth
Divine font	Heal or Harm
Divine skill	Diplomacy
Divine ability	Intelligence or Wisdom
Favored weapon	None
Symbol	Filled black circle silhouetting a light
Sacred animal	Turtle
Sacred color	Black and white

Monadism is a sect following the Blind Witness. Monadists, as the adherents of this faith call themselves, have adopted some unusual beliefs, including ardent pacifism and a form of monotheism. These beliefs have made Monadists pariahs in some coastal regions around the Chaska Sea, where most followers of the religion can be found.

Edicts and anathema

Monadism has few of its own edicts. The faith is defined more by what actions its adherents do not take than by the ones they do.

Edicts

Ponder what could have been

Anathema

Tell a lie or knowingly spread a falsehood, take up arms for any reason other than defense, take action on matters that do not concern you

History

Worship of the Blind Witness has historically been tied to the Aserdian pantheon, with most of its followers residing in Brightmarch. Sometime in the 94th century, however, the god's faith increasingly began to spread north. Perhaps carried by merchant caravans along the trade routes through the Sangora Desolation, small cults to the Blind Witness began to form in Khapesh and in the communities along the southern coast of the Chaska Sea. Though the Khapeshan followers of the Blind Witness have retained similar tenets and practices to those in Brightmarch, elsewhere around the Chaska the faith has heavily diverged. By Y9600^* cults calling themselves Monadists had appeared in the Akrotirian Isles.

Beliefs

There is no single definition of what it means to be a Monadist. The religion actively eschews leadership, and their tenets vary somewhat between communities and individuals. Still, there are a core set of beliefs that are shared by all Monadists.

Monotheism

Monadism is a monotheistic faith. Monadists believe the Blind Witness, who they sometimes refer to as the Monad, to be the only true deity. To them, other gods are merely aspects of the Blind Witness, manifested into existence to hold the cosmos in constant tension. Through influencing the faiths of their aspects, the Blind Witness keeps balance through conflict, pitting religions and extraplanar creatures against each other to ensure none gain an upper hand.

When faced with those that would seek to prove the existence of another deity, Monadists do not deny the divine. Rather, they insist that the god is merely an aspect of the Blind Witness, whether or not the divine entity or their followers comprehend their nature.

Creation of the universe

Monadists strongly disagree with the cosmology and and creation mythos of most other pantheons. They believe the universe has always existed, with no beginning and perhaps no end. To them, the Blind Witness itself is an eternal deity. It has watched over the cosmos forever and will continue to do so until time itself ends, if such an event ever occurs. Monadists do not believe Kishar to occupy an important position in the universe, instead seeing their planet as just one amongst an infinite number of others.

Pacifism

Pacifism is a core tenet of Monadism. They do not engage in violence beyond the minimum required to defend themselves. Even then, some amongst the most extreme Monadists prefer to suffer violence enacted against them rather than raise a hand to stop it. Many Monadists eschew eating meat as a result of their pacifism as well.

Balance

In Monadism, balance is the natural and desired state of existence. They believe the Blind Witness wishes to avoid altering the cosmos, and therefore allows all forces of law, chaos, good, and evil to survive, only indirectly interfering if one manages become stronger than another. In order to keep this balance, Monadists believe they should be completely truthful at all times, as telling a lie or knowingly spreading falsehoods would potentially alter the intricate divine plans of their god.

Followers

Most Monadists reside in the Akrotirian Isles, where they have found relative acceptance and tolerance of their beliefs. They also have a small presence in the towns on the southern and western coasts of the Chaska Sea. Some believers can also be found within Meklaw, southern Thadria, Khapesh, and the eastern Chaskan cities of Yurza and Arwad.

Very few Monadist centers of worship are known to exist. The faith holds three sites to be holy, located near Armuta in the Akrotirian Isles and Russicada and Idalion on the southern coast of the Chaska Sea. No permanent Monadist temples exist - instead, they prefer to gather to pray in the homes of other followers.

Tensions with other faiths

Monadism and its adherents are viewed very negatively by the followers of other deities. Their believe in monotheism is extremely heretical to almost all, especially through its insinuation that the devotees of two very opposed deities actually follow the same god. Other beliefs, such as their cosmology and adherence to pacifism and complete honesty, also cause significant friction. Outside of the Akrotirian Isles and some southern Chaskan communities, Monadists frequently find themselves persecuted for their beliefs, often driven out of town once their views become public knowledge.

Early in the religion's history, Monadists used to proselytize in an attempt to spread their beliefs. These practices have almost entirely halted, largely as a result of their persecution. The faith spreads very slowly now, entirely dependent on word of mouth and the growth of their own, increasingly insular communities.