Church of the Bound
Your destiny has, is, and always will be in the hand of Viksu. Everything you have done or will do has a purpose. You are not forgotten nor forsaken in her plan.
Public Agenda
The Church of the Bound seeks to bring all to an ideal future, no matter their allegiance or creed. This goal is seen by many as an unattainable one, but the church aspires for it nonetheless. Due to this goal the church is active in many organizations and charities that help lift up the less fortunate and provide relief to those in need.
Mythology & Lore
The stories of Visku are ones of desperation. Born in the far northern glacial plains of Malnova, her early life would have been one of hardship. She would have grown up ice fishing with her mother, while her brother and father were busy hunting large seals and whales. The villagers in this region during this time were devout followers of Kyclonas who gained his favor by sacrificing whales hauled in from the frozen seas. By the time Visku reached early adulthood her village was struggling to sustain themselves from the seas. Polar storms and encroaching glacial ice had made fishing extremely difficult and whaling nearly impossible. Thinking that they have slighted Kyclonas in some way, the villagers searched for a way to appease the angry god. Having heard that another village to the south had to appeal to the god of the seas once, the village elder desired to send a envoy to plead for assistance. Visku was chosen by the elder to act as her envoy and she would be accompanied by her brother to act as an escort and protector. She the village soon after, not knowing this would be the last time she would lay her eyes upon it.
For the next several decades, the pair would travel the lands. Each village they find can offer no help nor guidance to them. Believing that the fate of their village lies solely with them, they trudge further to the south. On one fateful day Visku and her brother stumble upon a great city of iron, where the citizens dress themselves in shiny plates of metal. Having never seen anything quite like it, their curiosity got the best of them. By an extraordinary stroke of luck, this iron city was the village they were seeking. The city itself has found a great boon after showing feats of great strength to Kyclonas, who blessed them with the knowledge of iron working. The pair decided to stay in the city for the time being to learn from them and find a proper test of strength. During their stay Visku and her brother mastered sword arts and smithing. Visku had taken a liking to short swords and crafted a special blade that could heal her own wounds while striking down opponents. Her brother was fond of curved swords and created a blade that he could swing with such finesse, it appeared as if he was cutting through time.
With their newfound strength the pair ventured on from the iron city chasing a rumor of a great best. A beast whose blood could grant anyone who drank it visions of the future. This beast was rumored to reside in the depths far below the ground, where no living person has ever ventured to and returned. Undeterred, Visku and her brother journeyed into countless chasms and caves looking for a path to the depths. During one of their expeditions in northern Malnova, the pair broke through the surface entering The Hollow as we know it today. There they spent many months exploring the realm before encountering the great beast. A dreadful battle ensued that left Visku blinded and nearly dead. Her brother slew the great beast, but at a great cost. The curse of the terrible beast had taken root in the brother, causing him to be erased from the world and from the minds of all those that knew him. Viksu, on death’s door, crawled to the dead beast to drink its blood and gained her clairvoyance.
Even with her clairvoyance Visku could not recall her brother’s name, or even what he looked like. What she could see was the inevitability of her village. Her home was destined to waste away in the harsh north. Looking farther ahead she could see the fates of all creatures, including her own. She saw an ideal future, a possible future, that she could bring forth. Over the next few weeks Visku made her way back to the surface completely blind and wandered back to the city of iron. She began to preach her vision of the future to the citizens. They all denied her abilities, can threatened to cast her out as an exile. To prove her clairvoyance, she crafted a device that no one could comprehend. The device itself caused many to go mad just gazing at it. This example of her foresight did get Visku exiled from the iron city, but she did not leave alone. Until the end of her days, she traveled through the entirety of Malnova, spreading her word of the future to come and the future that can be. Before death could take her however, Visku journey back into the depths of The Hollow where she is rumored to wander to this day.
For the next several decades, the pair would travel the lands. Each village they find can offer no help nor guidance to them. Believing that the fate of their village lies solely with them, they trudge further to the south. On one fateful day Visku and her brother stumble upon a great city of iron, where the citizens dress themselves in shiny plates of metal. Having never seen anything quite like it, their curiosity got the best of them. By an extraordinary stroke of luck, this iron city was the village they were seeking. The city itself has found a great boon after showing feats of great strength to Kyclonas, who blessed them with the knowledge of iron working. The pair decided to stay in the city for the time being to learn from them and find a proper test of strength. During their stay Visku and her brother mastered sword arts and smithing. Visku had taken a liking to short swords and crafted a special blade that could heal her own wounds while striking down opponents. Her brother was fond of curved swords and created a blade that he could swing with such finesse, it appeared as if he was cutting through time.
With their newfound strength the pair ventured on from the iron city chasing a rumor of a great best. A beast whose blood could grant anyone who drank it visions of the future. This beast was rumored to reside in the depths far below the ground, where no living person has ever ventured to and returned. Undeterred, Visku and her brother journeyed into countless chasms and caves looking for a path to the depths. During one of their expeditions in northern Malnova, the pair broke through the surface entering The Hollow as we know it today. There they spent many months exploring the realm before encountering the great beast. A dreadful battle ensued that left Visku blinded and nearly dead. Her brother slew the great beast, but at a great cost. The curse of the terrible beast had taken root in the brother, causing him to be erased from the world and from the minds of all those that knew him. Viksu, on death’s door, crawled to the dead beast to drink its blood and gained her clairvoyance.
Even with her clairvoyance Visku could not recall her brother’s name, or even what he looked like. What she could see was the inevitability of her village. Her home was destined to waste away in the harsh north. Looking farther ahead she could see the fates of all creatures, including her own. She saw an ideal future, a possible future, that she could bring forth. Over the next few weeks Visku made her way back to the surface completely blind and wandered back to the city of iron. She began to preach her vision of the future to the citizens. They all denied her abilities, can threatened to cast her out as an exile. To prove her clairvoyance, she crafted a device that no one could comprehend. The device itself caused many to go mad just gazing at it. This example of her foresight did get Visku exiled from the iron city, but she did not leave alone. Until the end of her days, she traveled through the entirety of Malnova, spreading her word of the future to come and the future that can be. Before death could take her however, Visku journey back into the depths of The Hollow where she is rumored to wander to this day.
Divine Origins
The Church of the Bound began sometime in the year 985 EA when Visku began her great journey. After gaining clairvoyance, Visku traveled to each city and town she visited before, recruiting those who would listen to her prophecies. Each of these followers had their own interpretation of Visku’s prophecy, causing the religion to shatter into dozens of denominations. Predictably, this splintering allowed the religion to spread rapidly but also had its consequences.
As the religion spread across the globe, differences in each denomination’s interpretation of Visku’s prophecy started to cause friction. In the year 203 EA a religious war, known as the Prophet’s Schism, began between the greater denominations. This war lasted for nearly a millennium, resulting in hundreds of millions of deaths and an unknown number of damages. The war came to an end in 402 AE after every splinter denomination was subdued and incorporated into the Church of the Bound as we know it today.
As the religion spread across the globe, differences in each denomination’s interpretation of Visku’s prophecy started to cause friction. In the year 203 EA a religious war, known as the Prophet’s Schism, began between the greater denominations. This war lasted for nearly a millennium, resulting in hundreds of millions of deaths and an unknown number of damages. The war came to an end in 402 AE after every splinter denomination was subdued and incorporated into the Church of the Bound as we know it today.
Tenets of Faith
Visku’s path leads to eternal paradise. After achieving clairvoyance, Visku became obsessed with leading her followers to a perfect future. She uses her clairvoyance to ensure her ideal future comes to fruition.
My birth, life, and death are all in the hands of Visku. Since Visku is a goddess of faith, its members believe that their whole life is planned from the moment of their birth and that they just need to have confidence in their goddess’s plan for them.
Visku is the all-seeing goddess. The church teaches that Visku, after achieving clairvoyance, is all knowing which gives her a great deal of influence of the lives of each living creature.
My birth, life, and death are all in the hands of Visku. Since Visku is a goddess of faith, its members believe that their whole life is planned from the moment of their birth and that they just need to have confidence in their goddess’s plan for them.
Visku is the all-seeing goddess. The church teaches that Visku, after achieving clairvoyance, is all knowing which gives her a great deal of influence of the lives of each living creature.
Worship
Followers of Visku worship the god in a unique way. As they go through their day, if something notable happens to them they make a mark a band of strings known as a quipu. These marks only have meaning to those who make them. After filling up their quipu, a follower may bring it to an oracle to be deciphered. The oracle will unravel the quipu knot by knot and derive the true meaning behind it. Then the oracle will impart wisdom on the follower, giving them solace and guidance in Visku’s plan for them. After having their quipu deciphered, many followers choose to leave donations to the temple as thanks for their service.
Many followers attend sermons given by emissaries. These sermons are never scheduled, but every follower knows when one will happen. Some think oracles reach each individual through their minds and plant them with the knowledge, but the exact reason is unknown. These sermons all take place behind closed doors in Visku’s temples. Not much is known about what happens during these sermons, but it is rumored that Visku herself, or at least a fragment of her, speaks to her followers using the emissaries as a collective voice. There are no written books of the religion. Every single story and proverb are only documented by the memories of the emissaries and oracles. Some followers may know them all by themselves, but the priesthood of the church are the only people guaranteed to know it all. This drives a dilemma for those outside the religion curious of what goes on within, as if they want to find out anything they must approach the church themselves and ask.
Along with her fellow deities, Visku also has her place in the stars. A constellation forming the image of a spiders web has become associated with Visku. The symbol represents how all things are tied together into a singular fate. The symbol of the web has permeated into many aspects of the religions iconography, with many follower of Visku owning some kind of web like symbol to represent their faith.
Many followers attend sermons given by emissaries. These sermons are never scheduled, but every follower knows when one will happen. Some think oracles reach each individual through their minds and plant them with the knowledge, but the exact reason is unknown. These sermons all take place behind closed doors in Visku’s temples. Not much is known about what happens during these sermons, but it is rumored that Visku herself, or at least a fragment of her, speaks to her followers using the emissaries as a collective voice. There are no written books of the religion. Every single story and proverb are only documented by the memories of the emissaries and oracles. Some followers may know them all by themselves, but the priesthood of the church are the only people guaranteed to know it all. This drives a dilemma for those outside the religion curious of what goes on within, as if they want to find out anything they must approach the church themselves and ask.
Along with her fellow deities, Visku also has her place in the stars. A constellation forming the image of a spiders web has become associated with Visku. The symbol represents how all things are tied together into a singular fate. The symbol of the web has permeated into many aspects of the religions iconography, with many follower of Visku owning some kind of web like symbol to represent their faith.
Priesthood
There are two paths of priesthood in the church. Males can become Emissaries of the church, using their voice to present the will of Visku to all that will listen. They also function as guardians to the temples or even assassins depending on the task given to them by Visku. Emissaries are chosen as young boys and go through rigorous training until they reach adulthood. Upon reaching adulthood, they are evaluated by Visku and placed into service of one of the three sects.
Females can become oracles, the seers of the organization. They can use their foresight to predict a great many things depending on how they were trained. Oracles are chosen as young girls by their direct predecessor to replace them once they complete their training. Much like the emissaries, their training lasts until they reach adulthood
Females can become oracles, the seers of the organization. They can use their foresight to predict a great many things depending on how they were trained. Oracles are chosen as young girls by their direct predecessor to replace them once they complete their training. Much like the emissaries, their training lasts until they reach adulthood
Sects
Loom Tenders: The largest acting sect of the church, the Loom Tenders are made up of the emissaries and oracles that maintain temples, organize public outreach programs, give sermons, and read followers quipus. Emissaries and oracles of the Loom Tenders are trained to memorize all verses of Visku’s scripture, a holy ‘text’ that has no physical form. Emissaries are also trained to act as conduits for Visku so that she may speak through them. Their training results in a hollow shell of a person who’s only purpose to exist is to speak the truest form of Visku’s word. Oracles in this sect are magically blinded at when starting their training. This gives them the unique ability to see Visku’s path with near perfect clarity. Despite this oracles still don’t gain the clairvoyance of Visku, but they can assist her with her plan.
Visku’s Needles: A sect of the church that is made up entirely of oracles. These oracles specialize in infiltration, espionage, and influencing powerful people. They are a secretive group and not much is known to the public about them. They act solely on Visku’s orders and are seen as the necessary evil to bring about Vislku’s perfect future by most of the church. It is thought that oracles chosen for this sect can still predict the future, albeit with much less accuracy than their Loom Tender counterparts.
Thread Rippers: This sect is made up entirely of emissaries and acts as muscle and protection to the other sects and the followers of the church. This sect is also the most unpredictable. The emissaries are given divine missions by Visku herself, of which can seem rather strange to outsiders. In the past these missions have taken many forms such as starting a coup, to raising an entire city. Notably the dastardly Clan Visku, a Vomethndan gang that roams the northern most section of its territory, is rumored to have been started by a few thread rippers before spinning wildly out of hand. Recently, the sect has become quite dormant, only acting as temple guards. Although, there are some rumors that some Thread Rippers have been aiding with assassination’s staged by the oracles of Visku’s Needles.
Visku’s Needles: A sect of the church that is made up entirely of oracles. These oracles specialize in infiltration, espionage, and influencing powerful people. They are a secretive group and not much is known to the public about them. They act solely on Visku’s orders and are seen as the necessary evil to bring about Vislku’s perfect future by most of the church. It is thought that oracles chosen for this sect can still predict the future, albeit with much less accuracy than their Loom Tender counterparts.
Thread Rippers: This sect is made up entirely of emissaries and acts as muscle and protection to the other sects and the followers of the church. This sect is also the most unpredictable. The emissaries are given divine missions by Visku herself, of which can seem rather strange to outsiders. In the past these missions have taken many forms such as starting a coup, to raising an entire city. Notably the dastardly Clan Visku, a Vomethndan gang that roams the northern most section of its territory, is rumored to have been started by a few thread rippers before spinning wildly out of hand. Recently, the sect has become quite dormant, only acting as temple guards. Although, there are some rumors that some Thread Rippers have been aiding with assassination’s staged by the oracles of Visku’s Needles.
Comments