Varka
Varka is the Varkraalan belief that all of society can be taught or moved towards a state of enlightenment achieved through human endeavor. It is an altruistic philosophy and stands in the stead of a national religion for the Varkraalans.
Unlike most of Faelon, the Varkraalans are atheists. It is not that the Varkraalans don’t believe in the Ga’al or any of the many religions that have been spawned in an attempt to understand and worship the creator. Instead, the Varkraalans have seen firsthand what religion and faith can do to a people and eschew the gods, divorcing the Varkraalan people and culture from them.
The Varkraalans came to the Dorsang Danar as part of a mass Symker migration. Starving and besieged by the pitiless Grular of the plains, they barely made it to the Dorsang Danar where they would establish their new home.
The Varkraalans migrated because they were persecuted and oppressed by a class of magic users and elites that claimed their faith gave them the right and moral certitude to oppress others. When they migrated their numbers did not include any magic users, allowing the refugees to imagine a society without magic.
With that struggle still fresh in their collective memory, the Varkraalans have rejected religion and faith in higher powers. They do this because they believe that faith always leads to two groups of people in a society: a group of people with magic who rule and oppress and a second group without the magic that are constantly oppressed.
Instead of religion, the Varkraalans have embraced a practice they call Varka. It is hard to translate Varka, but at the core of the idea is a perfected person, the Gadazkhav Raf. Varka seeks to perfect society by first perfecting the individual’s mind, body, and soul. In Varkan philosophy, this perfection brings about the Gadazkhav Raf or Transcendent Man. Thus is born the perfect citizen from which all of the civilization can be re-imagined and changed.
If all Varkraalans can obtain this perfection, Varkraalan society will be perfected. After Varkraalan society is perfected, practitioners of Varka believe it is the destiny of Varkraal to share enlightenment and perfection with the rest of Faelon, ending the use of magic and the endless cycle of oppression that comes with it.
Varka has a few core tenets, which include: 1. Mankind’s potential is vastly untapped.
2. Mankind can perfect itself. 3. Once perfected, mankind can create the perfect society.
4. All of this can be accomplished without magic; instead, it is accomplished with the mind, body, and soul.
Varkraal is the closest of known Faelonian cultures to be democratic, but even they shy away from the ideal of a purely democratic society until each individual can attain the enlightenment of Varka. They believe this perfection could take generations, even with the ranks of monks devoting their entire lives to the pursuit.
The Observance of Varka
Most Varkraalans follow Varka, though the enthusiasm that they follow varies from household to household. Varka tends to be more respected in the cities, though hailing from a rural area does not mean one is opposed to Varka. Families follow however they are able, observing Varka in their own lives and contributing what they can to monasteries to further the work towards enlightenment.
Zah’ruchan
Varka teaches that each individual has a path to enlightenment, or Zah’ruchan, that leads them to be the very best individual that they can be. This path is of course different for each Varkraalan, even though they share many similarities. It is only by rigorously walking this path that the individual can lift themselves and Varkraalan society up and away from the bondage of oppression and selfishness.
A Zah’ruchan will match with an individual’s personality, beliefs, worldview, and even their innate skills and strengths. It does not necessarily determine their occupation, but a person who identifies strongly with their Zah’ruchan will choose a profession that lies within that path and exemplifies it.
Few Varkraalan will be born to more than one path. These extremely rare individuals can follow one of two paths or combine the multiple paths into something new and unexpected. They are both prized and feared in Varkraal. Their potential to do good for society and become great is immense, but there is equal potential that their ego, greed, and ability can lead to more destructive behaviors and emotions that destabilize society.
People who have more than one Zah'ruchan are called Two-Faced, or Zeb Yur. In many other societies, the idea of being two-faced is negative and may be applied to someone dishonest. In Varkraal however, having two faces is a unique and special trait. Varkan monasteries are always excited to receive a Zeb Yur for the opportunities and potential they bring to Varka.
Discovering Your Zah’ruchan
Varkraalan children are taught from an early age to discover and identify with their Zah’ruchan. This starts at home and continues in the public schools that are mandatory in Varkraalan cities. Wayshepherds, or Pazitvuhl Yxxopin, are employed in every school (at least in the cities) to guide children to finding and embracing their Zah'ruchan.
Ideally, a Pazitvuhl Yxxopin from each of the major Zah’ruchan is present in every municipality. In the larger cities, they will be represented in every major primary school. This is not the case in the countryside, where education is less centralized. Guiding young people to find their Zah’ruchan in rural areas is still a persistent problem today for the monks of Varka.
A Pazitvuhl Yxxopin hails from one of the great monasteries of the Varkraalan. He or she will be specifically trained to identify children who have natural tendencies towards the path that they were trained in. Accordingly, having at least one Pazitvuhl Yxxopin from each of the different Zah’ruchan helps bring balance to each school and serves every child.
In the countryside, things are much more difficult. Schooling is much more complicated among the herders that roam the inner plateau of the Dorsang Danar and the farmers that tend to stick to the vast valleys between ranges. Here there may be small villages and even rudimentary schools but there will be very little way that these schools could employ one Pazitvuhl Yxxopin nonetheless six to represent each Zah’ruchan.
Instead, traveling Pazitvuhl Yxxopin who have been specially trained to identify each Zah’ruchan travel from town to town throughout the year, visiting villages and known concentrations of herders. The visit of a Pazitvuhl Yxxopin is a major event and merits a celebration complete with feast and merriment.
The Wayshepherd is given access to every child aged four and above. She or he will ask the children questions, administer tests, and then make judgments to the child’s parents if a determination can be made. The Wayshepherd is not directly paid, as they take vows of physical poverty when they join the monasteries. Instead, donations are given directly to the monasteries by the school or the municipality in which the school resides.
When a child chooses a Zah’ruchan it is a major personal and cultural milestone in the Varkraalan society. Varkraalans call this time of choice and celebration “Hrongu’um,” or Election.
In the cities, a large party is thrown where friends and family gather to celebrate the child and speculate on their commitment and future deeds. Often the Pazitvuhl Yxxopin that helped guide the child is in attendance as well.
In the countryside, the naming of a Zah’ruchan brings the same celebrations and excitement. Entire villages will celebrate with huge feasts, storytelling, and games. There is also some trepidation as a child with gifts differing from the community may need to move in the future to complete special schooling or training. The Hrongu’um is a time of change and sometimes great social upheaval in the rural areas.
When a child with a very strong connection to one of the Zah’ruchan is found the Pazitvuhl Yxxopin may ask that the child be relocated to a monastery for special education and training. This invitation is usually revealed at the Hrongu’um. This is both a happy and sad day for the family. It is considered a great honor and sacrifice to dedicate a child to one of the monasteries. There is a saying amongst the Varkraalans in this case that “A family loses a child, but the world gains a champion.”
A child doesn't need to be relocated to a monastery. Both the family and the child can refuse and sometimes do, though it is more common to find refusals in the country than in the city. This is because a few children from a village or even one child taken from a family of herders can mean the difference between life and death in the lonely mountains of the Dorsang Danar.
The majority of monastery candidates however acquiesce to the change for the good of the Varkraalan people and the good of the world as a whole. So steeped in Varka is the Varkraalan population that the possibility of losing a child to the monasteries is accepted as normal and celebrated as a triumph for society rather than a loss for a family or individual.
The Great Debate
Varkan Philosophers argue about how many Zah'ruchan there are. This line of thought in Varka is very similar to the Varkraalan “belief” in the gods. The Varkraalan know the gods exist but have eschewed them and declared their influence on the world as a blight. The same can be said whenever philosophers argue about the number of Zah'ruchan there might be.
In Varkan philosophy six Zah'ruchan advance the cause of Varka. Most philosophers will admit the existence of another three Zah'ruchan, but eschew them as evil and contrary to the teachings of Varka. Some philosophers believe that the other three Zah’ruchan can be redeemed to serve Varka but will freely admit that doing so may not be worth the trouble that their inclusion in Varka could be worth.
Still, other philosophers will say that the three other Zah’ruchan are abominations of existing paths and exist only because of the evil and oppression that Varka seeks to eradicate. The Zikul, a group that police the population for wayward Varkraalan, believe this to be true.
The Six Zah’ruchan
The six Zah'ruchan that are believed to be in line with Varka are Vuan Pang, Shah Zah, Mul Sat, Takan Paz, Khoran Xal, and Kav Drahk. Each of the Zah'ruchan embodies a way of life that is beneficial to the individual, to their communities, and the world as a whole.
Vuan Pang
The Zah'ruchan of Vuan Pang, or the Hidden Path, is the way of wisdom and understanding. Those that follow the Zah'ruchan of Vuan Pang spend their lives studying and learning how to apply knowledge to benefit their communities and people.
Those who follow Vuan Pang make a commitment to knowledge and the application of that knowledge. More than any other Zah’ruchan adherents to Vuan Pang commit to teaching and uplifting those around them with the tenets of their practice. Vuan Pang rewards a quiet and open mind.
These people will become teachers, scholars, academics, and advisors. They will lead cities, write books, and give their wisdom to those in power. Vuan Pang runs universities in each of the major population centers of Varkraal and seeks to better rural schools through teachers, building schools, and standard curriculum which puts Varka as the center of learning.
Those who have proclivities to the Zah'ruchan of Vuan Pang are identified as early as possible and set on a path in school that emphasizes academics and learning. They are taught logic and rhetoric as early as possible. It is emphasized to them that learning and the application of knowledge are lifelong pursuits.
Shah Zah
Shah Zah, or Searcher’s Journey, is the Zah'ruchan that is concerned with travel, direction, discovery, and exploration. The followers of Shah Zah know where they are and where they are going. They pay attention to the things going on around them and use that information in their traveling. They value curiosity over most other traits.
In Varkraalan society, the Shah Zah Zah'ruchan is followed by those who are caravan leaders, prospectors, and scouts in the military. Some of Varkraal’s most brilliant military leaders have been followers of Shah Zah.
Those who tend towards Shah Zah share an innate curiosity about places and things in those places. They are very perceptive and situationally aware. They use these natural tendencies to explore and lead people over geographical areas. Shah Zah tends to be individualistic and can be found following their curiosity in every corner of Faelon. For these reasons, some Varkraalans see Shah Zah as foolhardy and impulsive. Training for Shah Zah is often on-the-job or worse, they learn from their mistakes and are self-taught.
Mul Sat
The Mul Sat Zah'ruchan is sometimes regarded as treacherous by those that follow the other Zah'ruchan of Varka. Those on the Zah'ruchan of Mul Sat, or Silent Moon, use their intellectual capacity to influence others. Mul Sat prize a quick mind, an ample body of knowledge, wit, a large vocabulary, and a persuasive demeanor. They write persuasive books, speak on topics in the forums, and use their natural talents to bargain with others.
Mul Sat become diplomats, merchants, and performers. Many of those that follow Mul Sat will take up a career in the performing arts, which is a highly prized life by Varkraalans. They entertain, inform, and persuade through their performances.
Mul Sat are often taught in schools that specialize in a particular type of job. Diplomats are highly trained and often come from the Mul Sat monasteries. Writers and speakers go to schools that focus on persuasion and understanding how and why people think the way they do. Performers often learn on the job, but there are schools in Ashnaal that cater completely to performers and their art.
Takan Paz
The followers of Takan Paz, The Hunter’s Steps, are the most in tune with the world around them. The Zah’ruchan of Takan Paz feel a special affinity with the natural world and can often see the connections between it and humankind.
You will find those that follow this Zah'ruchan in the fields tending to crops and leading herds. They are most happy away from people and in the wild, though there is a group of devotees within the Zah'ruchan of Takan Paz that studies the behaviors of people and catalog them just as one would any other animal.
The followers of Takan Paz are farmers, herders, stablemasters, and bounty hunters. Takan Paz is probably the most followed of the Zah'ruchan. Many who follow it do so generationally, learning their skills from their family and village.
Those who study the behaviors and patterns of humans usually receive additional training. They join bounty hunter’s guilds or work for other trade groups or government officials. Many bounty hunters range far from the Dorsang Danar and hunt their quarry in other areas of Faelon.
Khoran Xal
The followers of Khoran Xal, the Maker’s Table, excel at creating things with their hands. They focus on design, utility, and aesthetics, trying to find a balance between the three. They bring meaning to life through constructed things. They love to invent and make existing things better. Many Varka philosophers teach that the process used to tame and shape a raw material is the same process used to reshape humankind; that the work on the human mind, body, and spirit is shown physically by those who follow Khoran Xal.
Khoran Xal followers mostly become crafters. Others become inventors and tinkerers. The followers of Khoran Xal hold a particular fascination with the Kuzaarik and you will find many Kuzaarik mixing with followers of Khoran Xal in their monasteries and their workshops. The Kuzaarik love of tinkering and inventing is highly prized and sought after by followers of Khoran Xal both for learning and employment opportunities.
Those who follow the Zah'ruchan of Khoran Xal are mostly trained in apprenticeships. These apprenticeships can be arranged by the family through the crafting guilds or, in the case of highly talented students, through the Khoran Xal monasteries as a first step to obtaining entrance into the monastery.
Kav Drahk
The final Zah'ruchan of Varka is Kav Drahk or Humble Sword. The followers of Kav Drahk are warriors. They have exceptional strength, visio-spatial skill, dexterity, and tactical minds.
Most who follow Kav Drahk will serve in Varkraal’s army. A smaller group may go on to become mercenaries. Very few will be chosen to serve their people as a monk in the Kav Drahk monasteries.
As most of the followers of Kav Drahk go into the military, their training is done there. Some on the Kav Drahk Zah’rushan will seek training in different martial art forms in different countries, becoming weaponmasters, or study strategy and tactics in mercenary forces around Faelon.
Zah’ruchan Temples
The major cities of Varkraal have temples devoted to each of the Zah’ruchan where citizens can go in their free time to learn and grow. In these temples, a Varkraalan can hear orations about their Zah’ruchan, seek guidance from monks, or Ixtyda, and participate in temple activities that are believed to increase the connection between the individual and their Zah’ruchan. All of these activities are focused on enlightening the individual, pushing them ever further toward the goal of becoming the Gadazkhav Raf.
In the rural areas and smaller towns and villages, there is usually no more than one temple where Ixtyda share time speaking to and working with those that share their Zah’rushan. Oftentimes it is the Kozgol Gixlav, the headman or headwoman of a village that must act in the stead of the Ixtyda to help guide those of the village in their Zah’rushan. Being isolated from major cultural centers it is harder for these villages to offer the same services as their counterparts in the cities, but traveling Ixtyda will often take up residence in a village for a certain part of the year before moving on to another such rural area.
Many herders will make a yearly trip to one of the large population centers to drive their animals to market. During this time those who don’t have access to temples will often spend some time in the city temples before making the journey back to their pastures and rural villages.
Other Zah’ruchan?
The six Zah’rushan mentioned above are agreed upon by most Varkan philosophers. As mentioned before, there are three other Zah'ruchan that Varka rejects. These paths are opposed to Varka, and those that follow these paths are a danger to themselves and others. This has not stopped people from following these paths, however, and currently, there is a dangerous undercurrent in Varkraalan society that seeks to embrace these three unsanctioned Zah'ruchan.
Deceivers
Much like the person who tries to use a magical ability; social Isolation, exile, and even imprisonment await the person who publicly follows one of the three forbidden Zah'ruchan. Outlawed from following their Zah'ruchan, many of these Varkraalan go underground with it. They are known as deceivers or yxalmak. To the world around them, they put on the face of the good Varkraalan: A productive member of society, a follower of Varka, and one who looks forward to the time of enlightenment. In reality, however, they follow their path, falling through the cracks of Varkraalan society and lurking in the shadows of Varka.
Varkraalan authorities encourage their citizens to report any behavior or events that may indicate a deceiver is in the area. Varkraalans consider yxalmak to be very dangerous and see them as the great enemies of Varka in this age before the Gadazkhav Raf.
The Lost
Besides the deceivers, there are those within the accepted Zah’rushan that can behave badly. It is accepted in Varka that sometimes people lose their way, or make bad decisions because of their circumstances. Until the Gadazkhav Raf is revealed and the enlightenment of Varkraalan society can produce perfected citizens, there will be those that stray from Varka to serve themselves. The Varkraalan call them the Lost, Molu Kalven.
Frequently those that take the path of selfishness will be brought into line by societal pressures. Varka is an altruistic philosophy, and most Varkraalans see it as their duty to lift others rather than strive for personal gain. Many who lose their way will find it again with the help of their friends, family, and neighbors.
The Xikul
For those kalven who refuse to bow to societal pressure more drastic measures must be taken to correct the negative effect their behavior has on their communities. A Xikul, or jurist, is assigned to each known kalven. A Xikul is not only a specialist in Varkraalan law but also in Varka. A Xikul will investigate each of their cases and decide on the appropriate punishment for the Kalven. The severity of punishment is usually determined by how much damage is being done to others and society, and the willingness and ability of the kalven to reform their ways and contribute positively to society again.
Some Xikul spend their time investigating activities that are thought to be happening because of The Lost. They aren’t given cases of specific kalven but instead are given wide-ranging permissions to investigate and identify those who are becoming lost. Most times when a kalven has identified the case will be handed off to another Xikul but if the circumstances are dire and people are in danger the investigating Xikul can carry out judgment as well. Sometimes that means the offender is apprehended to further investigation and reform. In more dire circumstances where Varkraalan citizens and society are in danger, this could mean that the kalven will be terminated.
Xikul are generally respected and slightly feared throughout Varkraalan society as they have wide-ranging powers and are the final word when it comes to the Lost or any activity that they decree to be against Varka. Most of the Xikul hail from one of the Vuan Pang monasteries, though in areas where such a monastery doesn’t exist other monks may be assigned to the job.
Magic-Users in Varkraal
Xikul have another job in Varkraalan society. Varkraalans eschew magic but there is still a portion of their population that is born with the ability to use it. How are these people dealt with? How are they identified? What happens to them?
Varkraalan parents are encouraged to disclose if they notice any magical ability in their children. There is no penalty for reporting such behavior, nor is there any repercussion for the child. Generally, a family who is honest about such things is celebrated as cultural heroes.
A Xikul will visit the home and assess the child for magical ability. If the child is determined to have magical powers, they are taught from an early age that for the good of Varkraalan society, they need to repress those powers; not use them.
Most Varkraalan children raised in the philosophy of Varka will gladly comply with the responsibility placed upon them. These children are treated normally and they grow up to be productive members of society. Xikul check in with them from time to time, both to assess the struggle with their innate powers and to offer help and guidance in that struggle.
Some won’t be herded in this manner though. Many refuse to suppress an innate ability that has such potential for both good and bad. Some of these will choose instead to go into exile. These Varkraalans will go to other areas of Faelon where magic is allowed.
Others try to live their lives using magic but stay in Varkraalan society. They try to diminish their powers or use them secretly. These are referred to as Molu Kalven and they are dealt with accordingly by the Xikul.
Yet a third type of person will become Yxalmak, Deceivers. Deceivers naturally go against Varka and some even actively plot its downfall. They cannot fathom why anyone born with power can not use it for good. The deceivers represent a direct threat to Varkraalan society and are hunted by the Xikul relentlessly.
