Sacred Mathematics is a numerological philosophy, secular religion, and mystery cult followed mostly by those within the upper classes of eastern Hellea. Adherents of these beliefs hold that the universe can be understood though intense study of natural phenomena and the mathematical underpinnings that connect them.
Beliefs
At the core of Sacred Mathematics is a hypothesis that everything in the cosmos, mundane and divine alike, can be understood through the science of numbers. To support this Sacred Mathematicians point to endless examples, including the patterns and geometry that can be found throughout nature and the stars, the predictability of arcane magic, and the discoveries wrought by the science of mechanics. In their view to study each of these independently is to miss a greater whole - that is, that all can be connected in predictable and deterministic ways, and that understanding these connections can grant a form of near-divinity.
Sacred Mathematicians dedicate their lives to learning all they can, often becoming polymaths with vast knowledge of many fields. From these they then attempt to synthesize grand theories that explain at once many natural and supernatural phenomena alike, debating these amongst themselves in the agoras and universities where they congregate. They believe that constant inquisition is essential to living a worthwhile and fulfilling life - it is common for Mathematicians to increasingly isolate themselves from their families, acquaintances, and the broader world as they age, as they become ever more dedicated to learning all they can in the hopes of achieving some great breakthrough.
Though a secular faith, Sacred Mathematicians do engage in a form of prayer. To them sound and music are simply mathematical formulae given form, and following this they compose, perform, and listen to intricate tone-prayers. Rarely featuring melodies or anything approaching the features of music played in other contexts, these are instead designed to induce a meditative state for contemplation.
The ultimate goal of the entire faith is to find the sum of the universe. Sacred Mathematicians believe that there is one number, referred to as the sum, from which the answers to all other questions of cosmological significance can be derived. Some claim that learning the sum is functionally equivalent to achieving godhood, as it would grant omniscience; no longer would anything be unpredictable or unanswerable. So great is their dedication to finding this sum that a small number of Mathematicians become effectively academic ascetics, burying themselves in their work and their libraries, frequently for years or even decades at a time.
Followers
As a mystery cult, to truly be considered a Sacred Mathematician one must be chosen and inducted by their peers. General knowledge of their practices and beliefs is not hard to come by, but all Mathematicians tightly guard their collected tomes of numbers, formulae, and other recorded accomplishments, only allowing others of their creed to learn from them. While one could attempt to recreate these independently, it would be an immense effort and they would quickly find themselves lost.
Nearly all who are engaged in the research of Sacred Mathematics hail from the upper or mercantile classes of eastern Hellea, and in particular from Kyamita, the Ersas city-states, and the free ports of Halakros. It has also spread into Eretrebus, where the ruling Midanites begrudgingly tolerate the philosophy, as well as to the various independent cities of the Sea of Ersas and even to parts of western Viridia, in particular within the province of Ertan. Sacred Mathematics is a marginal religion everywhere it is present, only attracting the attention of some learned individuals, with little mass appeal.
Sacred Mathematicians are overwhelmingly learned arcane casters.
Some Sacred Mathematicians are atheists, while others worship the gods of the Chaskan or Hellean pantheons, the hero-gods, or other divine figures. Debates about the nature of divinity are some of the most vigorous in Mathematician circles, but the religion does not assume any other faith to necessarily be true or false; it only insists that it should be in some way explainable.