Monadism

Commonly referred to by outsiders as Monad cultists, certain sects devoted to the aeon demigod have adopted more unusual beliefs, including monotheism and ardent pacifism.

Description

Worship of the Monad, the aeon of creation, the infinite, and truth, is already highly unusual, but a small number of its followers take their beliefs a step farther. These devotees believe that the Monad is the only deity worth worshiping, or perhaps the only deity at all. The more extreme of these views hold that all other deities are merely aspects of the Monad, manifested into existence to hold the planes in constant tension and balance. This form of monotheism is unique in the world.

It is unknown if the Monad is aware of these worshipers, or any of its worshipers at all. Monad cultist clerics are able to gain divine spells from their worship, though these clerics are exceedingly rare.

Monad cultists hold the following as their central tenets:

• Creation is infinite - the world was not created by natural forces or willed into existence, but rather is as it always was.
• Balance is the true state of the universe - too much good, or evil, or lawfulness, or chaos, must necessarily come to an end. Monad cultists believe in correcting imbalances in small scales, while leaving large changes to the Monad itself.
• Truth is central to existence - to be untruthful is to deny the singularity of creation, and therefore all Monad cultists are bound to complete truthfulness.

Very few centers of worship for the Monad cultists are known to exist. The cultists hold three sites on the material plane to be holy, located near Armuta in the Akrotirian Isles and Russicada and Idalion on the southern coast of the Chaska Sea. No permanent Monad cultist temples exist. Elsewhere, Monad cultists are frequently persecuted due to their heretical beliefs towards all other deities - any attempts at proselytizing are stopped and worshipers run out of town.

When faced with direct proof of another deity’s existence, Monad cultists do not deny the divine, but rather insist that the entity, whether they realize it or not, is merely an aspect of the Monad. Monad cultists are almost universally pacifists and do not try to convert others by force.

Most worshipers of the Monad do not ascribe to these beliefs - even among the devotees of this esoteric deity, these views are outliers.

Location of worship

Monad cultists have a small presence in the towns on the southern coast of the Chaska Sea. Some believers can also be found within Meklaw, southern Thadria, and the western Chaskan cities of Yurza and Arwad.