This is undeniable evidence that we follow the intended path. Aulaci is the true successor to Abrea’s legacy and the heretics won’t keep us from telling the truth! No matter how much they repress and censor, the truth will win out in the end if we keep fighting for it.— Aulacist zealot
The Setaik bark inscription is a piece of
heartleaf bark with a series of inscriptions carved into its inner surface. Found buried in a clay pot in
Setaik by construction workers, the piece of bark contained clues that alluded to its age. People believed that it had been from a time before the death of
Abrea and her
ascension to divinity. Some
brothers in service of the
kireseria were enamoured by the inscriptions. They began to believe that the messages on it proved that
Aulaci, an early follower of Abrea, was the rightful successor to her legacy.
Discovery and Aftermath
Found in Setaik in the year 201
AA by a group of construction workers, the clay pot that contained the bark was brought to the local
kiretia that still runs the settlement to this day. Among the contents of the pot were old coins, an
amber pendant, heavily corroded dagger, and a smaller knife. The pendant and coins allowed the clerics to determine that those artefacts must have been from roughly the time-period when their religion was born.
Erehete, the Kireseria of Setaik, handed the heartleaf bark to the brothers in her service. Their task was to ascertain the meanings of the inscriptions. The writings on the bark were written in the old
Galdic dialect of the
Aiterean tongue, which made understanding it a substantial challenge. Galdic had died out and although traces of its legacy lingered in the Setaik accent, reading it was nearly impossible. What made it harder was that the script used differed slightly from the modern one that the brothers were used to.
The Brother's Plot
One part of the bark’s message was clear, however. The letters A and A carved inside the shape of a heart. While it was mostly ignored at first, one of the brothers later suggested that the letters were the initials of Abrea and Aulaci.
All of them were well aware what the higher ups in the clergy would think about such a theory. Convinced that the bark, and with it, the truth about their god’s relationship, would be in danger, the men hid the bark and sneaked out with it into the wilderness. The disappearance of the brothers and the bark greatly concerned the kireseria, but despite their best efforts to locate the missing clerics, they were gone for good.
Birth of Aulacism
The brothers who had fled with the bark travelled far from their old home and constructed a wooden
kirevassa out in the wilderness. There they pondered the meaning of their discovery and what a relationship between Abrea and Aulaci could have meant to them and the world. After months of contemplation and debating, the religion of
Aulacism was born.
They believed that since Abrea entrusted her task on earth to Aulaci, the traditional
Abreanist understanding of gender roles should change to reflect the truth. While the
Orthodox say that women are natural leaders of the faithful while men rule the secular world, the brothers claim that as Aulaci had inherited the task to lead the god’s followers, men should be tasked with all things theological.
Oooo no, I can definitely see how this would cause a schism.