The Alethien Faith
Alethienism is a spiritual religion that emerged in the 26th century.
Origins
Following the founding of the Republic, whose constitution he had written, Leander Ashpool retired from public life to Sanctuary. There he composed a set of spiritual principles, heavily inspired by Valtinism and the flaws he saw in it, to serve as the basis of civil and religious life on the colony. He chose to name the new faith Alethien, a derivative of the Greek word for truth.
Practices and Beliefs
Core Tenets
- Life is from a Creator deity and sapient life have souls, including AI.
- The Universe is a crucible in which souls are tested by hardship and challenge.
- When a living creature dies its soul is judged and then returned to the Universe if it has failed to ascend.
- Ascension from the cycle comes from living by the precepts to develop the soul.
- The Creator has chosen groups that are preferred over others; the first Chosen were the Tau’Lier who have largely ascended, the next Chosen were the Tranoans who have lost favor due to their failings, the Terrans are the current Chosen but are at risk of losing favor.
- Some species have become so corrupt they cannot now ascend and are blights on the Universe that must be mercilessly destroyed. These include the Zzenddi and Rephaim.
- Beings must generally be free to develop their own souls and interfering in another’s development is harmful. No one can be forced to walk the path.
- Beings who harm the development of others must be opposed, violently if necessary.
- Teaching others of the cycle and precepts is a responsibility of all believers so others can learn how to ascend.
- Violence should be a last resort but should be used to defend others, protect Terrans, and deliver justice.
- Psionic powers are a gift to Terrans from the Creator as a sign of favor.
The Alethien Precepts
The Alethien Precepts are the core beliefs of the Alethien faith, serving as guidelines for how to live. It is a key principle of the faith that the precepts are aspirational and when one fails they should view it as a lesson on how to do better next time.
The First Precept: Loyalty
“Remain loyal in your heart to the Precepts, to Sanctuary, to all peoples of the Terran sphere, to those above you in authority, to your peers, and to those whom you have authority over. Those who are true in loyalty are repaid with loyalty.”
The Second Precept: Duty
“We are each tasked with a duty to the greater good of our fellow beings, to our society, and to those in our care. Through honouring our duty comes fulfillment.”
The Third Precept: Valor
“You must exhibit courage in word and deed, cowardice betrays your soul and the Precepts. Never abandon one in your care or an ally. Avenge the wronged and administer justice. Be always a champion of justice and protector of the weak. Do not allow fear of death or harm to hinder you.”
The Fourth Precept: Honour
“There is only one true judge of character and it is when we look at our actions and can say truly we have made honourable decisions. We have not lied. We have not cheated. We have not let thoughts of gain lead us into evil. We have not abused or exploited the weak or vulnerable or innocent. We have stayed true to the Precepts. When an Alethien says that they shall take an action, it is as good as done. No force can stop them from completing their actions.”
The Fifth Precept: Compassion
“The Alethien dedicates themselves to personal improvement of mind, body, and spirit. They are not as most people. You must use this power to help your fellows at every opportunity. Your strength exists to protect and shelter the weak, not to be used for your own gain.”
The Sixth Precept: Wisdom
“Rash or hasty actions and decisions can cause greater harm than doing nothing. While an Alethien is unstoppable once on a path, they should consider carefully the consequences before it is taken. You must keep an open mind to new information and be willing to reconsider a course if it proves to be unwise. Have faith in your fellow beings but do not blindly trust individuals.”
Practices and Rites
The below are the practices of Alethiens who do not reside on Sanctuary. Those on Sanctuary follow the social structure there which is considered the purest way to live an Alethien life.
Community
Members of an Alethien community refer to themselves as a Muster and members have their names upon the Muster Roll. The Roll is generally stored either in the local church/monastery or in the home of the community leader in a device that destroys the Roll if tampered with. In communities without a Sion the members of the Muster select one of their number to be the leader, referred to formally as the Commander of the Muster.
Childhood & Coming of Age
Children raised in the Alethien faith are taught the precepts as part of their regular development and attend the local monastery or church if there is one. Otherwise they will practice the weekly rites at home.
In areas with a church or monastery there will usually be a separate youth group that provides age specific ministry and serves as a day care for the parents while they take part in the training and meditation. The youth group is generally split, where there is sufficient membership, between the very young, children, and teens to provide a tailored experience. Combat training only begins once a child reaches their teen years. Children that are identified as having psionic potential are invited to leave their homeworld to train at the Sion Temple on Sanctuary, viewed as an enormous honour amongst the faithful and a sign of the Creator’s favor.
In home rites, the church provides instructional videos and guided meditation that parents can follow with their children. Home practice is usually more focused on the spiritual side of the faith, though parents are encouraged to enroll their children in youth combat sports or shooting ranges where possible. Every Alethien family is encouraged to attend a local church or monastery at least once a year during their children’s youth to be tested for psionic powers.
When a child is between 18-20 they are encouraged to join their local military as an officer or enlisted. Service in a military is believed to be the best way that an Alethien can continue development of their soul and understanding of the precepts. Some militaries are not encouraged though, such as the Valtinist Rangers. If a child is particularly militarily talented they are offered a chance to travel to Sanctuary and be tested to become part of the Aegis.
Weekly Training & Meditation
All Alethiens are expected to take time each week to practice combat skills and to engage in guided meditation on the Precepts. Alethien churches often resemble martial arts gyms and the monasteries have dedicated martial training rooms and, on worlds where it is legal, shooting ranges. Where guns are tightly controlled, monasteries will have virtual reality shooting ranges instead.
When a Sion is present at a monastery or church they will offer personal counseling or guidance following the training & meditation sessions to help the followers with personal problems or challenges as well as mediating disputes in the community. A Sion assigned to a world will spend much of their time traveling between communities offering these services.
Conversion
Anyone is welcome to attend Alethien training and meditation sessions and to call themselves and Alethien if they feel they are following the Precepts. The local Sion or Commander will observe new members of a community and learn about them. If they are judged to be worthy then they will be invited to sign the Muster and become a full member. If the person is believed to be false or have a hidden motive then they will be either guided to improve or asked to follow the Precepts in their own home. Threats to the local Muster are reported to the highest ranking local Sion or directly to Sanctuary for help.
Death
As many Alethiens expect death in combat they do not have elaborate funeral rites. The bodies are empty shells (the soul has either ascended or returned to the cycle) and are disposed of in the most efficient way possible. Once there is time, a community will organize a Roll Call and the names of those who have died will be read out. After each name members of the community will tell stories about how the person embodied the Precepts or helped others in ascending the cycle. Once all the dead have been called, the community will have a party to celebrate those who have ascended and to encourage those still on the cycle to find their way back to the Alethien path in their next life. These parties are often raucous.
Organization
The Alethien Church itself is quite tightly structured, with a model that closely resembles the Roman Catholic Church and adopted many of the same titles. The majority of church clergy are Sions but non-Sions are able to become members of the clergy and rise in ranks.
Sions
The Church spends a huge amount of effort and money in identifying Terran children with psionic powers and inviting their families to send them to the Sion Temple, especially amongst the poor in the Terran sphere. Children are allowed to stay in contact with their families throughout the process and can return home for visits at certain times of the year as the connection to family is believed to enhance the development of the children. On worlds where there is hostility to psionics the family is invited to move to Neo-Yokohama on Sanctuary to prevent interference with the child.
Children who arrive at the Temple are assigned a Paladin who acts as a guard and often pseudo-parental figure. They are then taught a wide ranging curriculum of leadership, strategy, tactics, philosophy, and general education classes in addition to extensive testing and training of psionic potential. At the end of their training the Sion is offered the choice to commit themselves to the Alethien Church and Sanctuary or to leave and find their own path. Those that choose to stay are sent out for 5 years to preach the Alethien and to learn about the Terran sphere and its people, a period known as the Pilgrimage. Once the Pilgrimage is complete the Sion will be again offered a chance to leave the Church or to commit themselves for life.
Sanctuary
Sanctuary is viewed by Alethiens as the heart of the Church and is where the senior leadership of the Church resides along with the Sion Temple.
Aegis
The Aegis is the military of Sanctuary and also the militant wing of the Alethien church. The Aegis has only been deployed once during the Second Zzenddi Invasion. 500,000 Aegis soldiers were deployed on Nova Terra where they fought well and then engaged in civil rebuilding before political conflict over their presence with the local Ravenheart government caused them to be withdrawn back to Sanctuary.
Paladins
Paladins are a special forces type organization on Sanctuary that also works with the Church. Each Paladin is equipped with advanced combat cybernetics and extensive combat training. They wear a set of high tech white combat armor that they mark with the black blood of the engineered Zzenddi warform they are required to defeat in single combat before becoming a full Paladin. Paladins serve for life, though they are allowed to retire once they are too old for duty.
Each Sion has a Paladin bodyguard and especially important members of the Church have a team of them. These Paladins swear a blood oath to defend their charge against any threat and die for them if needed. The survivors of Alexander Ashpool’s Paladins all chose to kill themselves for their failure to protect him, this being viewed as the only honourable choice by Alethiens.
Monasteries
The Church has built a number of Alethien Monasteries on worlds, generally on Rim Worlds in the Terran Sphere. These are larger buildings that have extensive training facilities and are heavily fortified. The buildings are built according to local laws and, where allowed, have a deployment of Aegis to defend them. Where not allowed members of the local community will often be employed or volunteer to serve as guards.
Factions
The Alethien Church is relatively young and, due to its small size and strict structure, quite unified. However, members of the Church have begun to develop a split in philosophy.
Inevitabilists
The Inevitabilists believe that the corruption and weakness of the Terran sphere, especially on the Core Worlds, will inevitably lead to disaster for the Terrans. Therefore the Alethien Church’s duty is to gather followers and strength and prepare for the crisis when the faith will step in to save the Terrans from themselves. Until the crisis the Church should remain as uninvolved as possible with other Terrans, except for preaching, so that the Church is not tainted by corruption and weakness.
Interventionists
The Interventionist philosophy agrees that the Terran Sphere is weak and corrupt, but believes that it is the Alethien duty to help the Terrans find the true path rather than leave them to their fate and pick up the pieces. They advocate for more involvement with the Terran sphere leadership and to help them find the Precepts and so make Terran society strong enough to withstand the crisis.
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