Dairianism
Structure
The religion of Dairianism is organized into the Temple of Ahurol, which is headed by the king of Miredar. Below him is the Council of Priests, which enforces the laws outlined in the Dairian, the holiest book in the religion. As well as this, they have the sole ability to appoint people to join the Miredarian Druidic Order. Below these are individual priests, each of which heads a temple to Ahurol. At the bottom of the Temple structure are the Monks, who manage the finances and daily affairs of each temple.
History
Dairianism was founded in 1760 BFE by the Prophet Dair. At the time of its founding, Ahurol was one of the old gods of Aviolia. During Dair's early life, Miredar was wracked by a series of famines and disasters, culminating in an earthquake in 1763 BFE. Dair, seeing this, became convinced that the disasters were a punishment from the gods, and sought divine answers. Three years later, he got his answer- Ahurol was angry that humanity was worshiping other deities, when he was one of only two truly divine spirits, the other being Vaylor. Quickly, his philosophy gained massive traction among the peasants of Miredar, and the rapid growth of the religion began worrying the King of Miredar, at that time Ovil Carasid. As such, Ovil banned the practice of Dairianism, arrested Dair, and executed him in quick succession. This only served to anger the peasantry, who revolted against Ovil in 1758 BFE, dragging him out of his palace and burning him alive. From that point on, Miredar and Dairianism became synonymous with one another, with the religion being by far dominant over all others. For several centuries, Miredar dealt with a series of pagan revolts against it, and as such quickly became violent in its suppression of other faiths. In 1347 BFE, after having crushed the last and largest of these pagan rebellions, King Berdrol Avenal led a conquest of much of the western shore of the Sea of Aviol, subduing Avalin, Denar, and Donal before being stopped by a Koldalanian army in the Battle of Nasaxil Creek. Within this conquered territory, Dairianism spread slowly, with pockets of the faith developing in most of the major cities. When Berdrol died in 1322 BFE, his empire collapsed, although Dairianism was able to remain a sizable minority religion across most of Miredar's former territory. During the War of Kildera, Miredar was able to seize control of the city of Denar, and over the next millenium was able to convert most of the city's population to Dairianism. When the Tandrean Empire arrived in Miredar in 152 AFE, Dairianism inside of Miredar was respected, although Denar was separated from Miredar and given a king who worshiped the Imperial Pantheon rather than Ahurol. Under the empire, Dairianism began a decline, with most of the pockets of the religion outside of Miredar being converted back to the Imperial Pantheon. When, however, Axil Vrit declared the independence of Aviolia, things began to turn. Miredar declared its independence from Avalin in 524 AFE, destroying Denar and winning its independence. After this independence came the Miredarian Crusades, a series of conflicts against Donal and Avalin to destroy the Imperial Pantheon's hold on the region and convert the populations of said lands to Dairianism. As it stands today, the religion is growing in size across Miredar's conquered territory, with it being practically forced on its populace.
Mythology & Lore
Dairianism states that at the beginning of time, Ahurol and Vaylor worked together to create Idua. Ahurol then created life and gave the power to Vaylor, leaving him in charge of Idua. At first, Vaylor treated the creatures of Idua, including humans, with kindness. However, over long millennia, the unbridled power over Idua slowly corrupted him, and he began to enslave humanity to his will. When Ahurol discovered this, he came down to Idua and bestowed upon humanity the gift of the Drai in order to combat Vaylor, and in the Great Revolution humanity freed itself from Vaylor's tyranny, forcing him below Idua, where he created Vayloria.
Divine Origins
Dairianism was founded by the Prophet Dair in 1760 BFE as a result of him seeking divine answers as to why a series of disasters had struck Miredar. Around a century after Dair's execution, the Dairian, the holiest text of the faith, was written by King Texil in order to outline the religion and its beliefs so that nobody could use Dairianism to do things that violated its teachings.
Tenets of Faith
Dairianism is governed by the Three Great Covenants, which are:
1) None shall worship any other god except Ahurol.
2) None shall use the Drai except for those deemed pure of heart and faithful followers of Ahurol.
3) None shall kill another except in defense of the self, the nation, or the faith.
Besides these three, thirteen other covenants exist, although to Dairianism these are deemed as less important than the Three Great Covenants. These thirteen covenants are:
1) None shall wear silk clothing.
2) None shall steal or take without permission.
3) None shall carry a sword in a city except for the King.
4) None shall disobey or question the King.
5) None shall enslave a follower of the faith.
6) None shall possess great wealth.
7) None shall violate a woman or man.
8) None shall commit adultery.
9) None shall allow women to hold careers outside of the home.
10) None shall allow one to change the sex given to them by Ahurol.
11) None shall allow one to go free from punishment for a crime.
12) None shall raise or lower taxes on the peasants without the consent of the King.
13) None shall avoid their taxes.
Ethics
While many actions are considered unholy, certain unholy acts have worse consequences than others. Breaking on the of the Three Great Covenants almost always results in execution, with certain Kings and Priests being exempt from this treatment. Other than this, the punishment for breaking each of the thirteen other covenants varies: stealing, for example, might result in a hefty fine and perhaps a month or so in prison, while wearing silk clothing often results in the accused being put in front of a crowd and being stoned until they are sufficiently bloodied (these stonings often, though not always, result in death).
Worship
Worshiping Ahurol means adhering to all of the covenants of the faith above all else. Besides this, one worships by praying at shrines either inside the household or public shrines dotted throughout Miredar, engaging in group prayers in the local temple on the first day of every month, offering money, crops, or other gifts to Ahurol at temples on holidays, and celebrating said holidays by engaging in group prayer.
Priesthood
Priests of the Temple of Ahurol are the dominant figures of Dairianism in the average worshiper's life. They are appointed either by a priest on a higher level than them or by the King himself to their position. Priests generally tend to live in isolation from the rest of society, only interacting with them during group prayers (held on the first of each month), religious holidays, and when performing charity or healing.
Granted Divine Powers
Dairians believe that Ahurol granted humanity the Drai as a gift to fight Vaylor.
Political Influence & Intrigue
Dairianism completely controls Miredar, whose king is also the religious leader of the faith as well. Outside of Miredar, however, Dairianism holds almost no political influence.
Sects
Due to the small size of the religion, Dairianism remains very centralized and controlled, and as such does not suffer from a large amount of sectarianism.
Founding Date
1760 BFE
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Demonym
Darian
Leader
Parent Organization
Permeated Organizations
Location
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments