The
Mantis was a secret, tightly-knit organisation whose mission statement was to research, and then eventually put into practise, the overthrowing of the
Eradine deities and their conversion into so-called
Divine Harvests: contained physical manifestations of the deities, harvested for their magical
Divine Spirit, a kind of energy that could be used to perform all kinds of technological leaps and wonders.
When they indeed did find out how to perform such a monumental task in the year 98, they unveiled themselves and seized control of several important institutions and locations, in order to put their plan to immediately enslave some Eradine deities into practise. This effort was met with overwhelming shock and violent counteraction by various civilian groups as well as the
Eradine Church. The ensuing armed conflict between the Mantis and its enemies is called the
First Upheaval of Mantis.
By 105, the Mantis won control over the city state of
Skyrmin and had overwhelming civil support in the council republic of
Thythr. Their main enemy remained the large, theocratic kingdom of
Aoado, who subsequently allied with the leftover
Eradine deities themselves.
History
The Mantis was officially founded in the year 2; a time where research into the nature of the
Eradine deities was heavily prohibited, and the
Eradine Church held massive power all over
Eradin. In clandestine and under a strict vow of silence, researchers and scholars all over
Eradin started studying these heretical arts. Especially influenced by the already common harvesting of
Divine Spirit from
Minor Spirits, they eventually devised a theory of the
Divine Harvest: a hypothetical apparatus that could harvest massive amounts of
Divine Spirit from the
Eradine deities themselves.
During the latter half of the first century, this research gained more and more legitimacy as some experiments using
Minor Spirits succeeded, giving merit to the idea that was previously just a vague, distant goal. News of this spread even outside the Mantis within scientific circles, leading to a rise in interest and opposition to the Mantis that eventually forced the Mantis to reestablish secrecy by the establishment of the
High Council of Mantis. That High Council was to be a top secret guidance and command division consisting of various Mantis members to ensure the Mantis' best interests.
Eventually, the theory of
Divine Harvesting became a tangible and reasonable project. In a landmark move, the
High Council of Mantis decided to unveil the Mantis and make its existence public; at the same time seizing control of various institutions and locations across
Eradin using their creeping influence. Among those institutions first under control of the Mantis was the renowned
Amad University.
The unveiling of the Mantis met massive resistance and shock among civilians and religious institutions and led to several conflicts now known as the
First Upheaval of Mantis. However, the coincidental dire situation of the republic of
Thythr during the concurrent
Great Peasants' War made Thythryn society largely receptive to the idea of using the massive output of
Divine Spirit to try and turn the tides of war.
In an unexpected turn of events, the
Thythryn High Council decided to let the Mantis try out their technology; which happened, as the Mantis successfully created and maintained a
Divine Harvest at
Amad University:
Yami, the Scholar.
Through the massive, unprecedented output of
Divine Spirit, the
Thythryn Republic was able to turn the tides of war and win the
Great Peasants' War against
Skyrmin.
Thus, the Mantis managed to claim the status of official research organisation within
Thythr; effectively legalising experimenting on
Eradine deities.
As of the year 105, the Mantis gained majority support in both
Thythr and
Skyrmin; being legal and encouraged in both countries, though with some religious resistance. The kingdom of
Aoado and the
Eradine Church - not to forget the
Eradine deities themselves - were in violent resistance to that development.
Ideology
The Mantis' ideology was by large influenced by
Jeval â Nyun, a prominent professor who was a popular Mantis member.
The Immoral God
The Mantis had a significantly different view on the
Eradine deities than most other people, at least at the time it was founded. Instead of worshipping them as omnipotent, unquestioned rulers of
Eradin, they viewed them as tyrants, using their superhuman powers to subdue humanity under their whims.
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