Crimsonism
24,135 B.R. (Bronze Age of Realms) - A.C. (Age of Convergence/Current)
Orthadox Crimsonism (24,132 B.R - 24,249 B.R.)
The traditional religious beliefs of Crimsonism would be started by Valdek, who would later become King Valdek, and subsequently the Crimson King. Crimsonism was a perversion of his homelands original religion; Redtethraism which worshiped the god Opathra. It focused heavily on the rites of spilling blood, and combat, with strong fascist ideology and held no god at it's head. Key to understanding Orthadox Crimsonism is that it was much more of a philosophy then religion, as King Valdek exposed anti-religious sentiment beliefs, including the killing of clerics, and priests as in Crimsonism they were "Weak-willed followers". Key to the belief was this idea of each individual being strong enough on their own, not needed the blessing of the gods as was the common belief in most religions on the planet. Valdek would use this religion to unite his people of Red Akhet, eventually leading them to invade and conquer their oppressor's from tribes of the Northern Lands and the Kingdom of the Moon, becoming one of the most powerful empires in Errona.
The tenants or commandments of Orthadox Crimsonism were as follows.
The traditional religious beliefs of Crimsonism would be started by Valdek, who would later become King Valdek, and subsequently the Crimson King. Crimsonism was a perversion of his homelands original religion; Redtethraism which worshiped the god Opathra. It focused heavily on the rites of spilling blood, and combat, with strong fascist ideology and held no god at it's head. Key to understanding Orthadox Crimsonism is that it was much more of a philosophy then religion, as King Valdek exposed anti-religious sentiment beliefs, including the killing of clerics, and priests as in Crimsonism they were "Weak-willed followers". Key to the belief was this idea of each individual being strong enough on their own, not needed the blessing of the gods as was the common belief in most religions on the planet. Valdek would use this religion to unite his people of Red Akhet, eventually leading them to invade and conquer their oppressor's from tribes of the Northern Lands and the Kingdom of the Moon, becoming one of the most powerful empires in Errona.
The tenants or commandments of Orthadox Crimsonism were as follows.
- Blood is to be spilled in Sacrifice.
- Share in power to prove strong from weak.
- Weakness of power is to be culled.
- Worship of the Gods is weakness.
- Worship of your own power is strength.
- Weakness is Heretical.
- Strength is power and belief.
- All can join the family of the King with Sacrifice.
- The Chosen are pure, and sons and daughters of the Crimson King
- Share of the Crimson Kings power is honor beyond honor.
Imperial Crimsonism (24,249 B.R. - 32,167 B.R.)
When King Valdek transcended into godhood and the Spiritual Plane, past the Barrier of Ascension most of the lands surrounding Red Akhet did not notice the expansion of Red Akhets armies and borders. This was largely due to most of the forces beginning the conquest of the lands of New Nubia, creating the Barony of Liam, Pledge Keep, Loyalty Keep and the Barony of the Red Knight, while also providing forces to the War in Heaven that was being waged amongst the gods at this time. While the War in Heaven was mostly unknown to most sides, the Land of Gods, with the Church of Barrier Ascension and Episi did wage battles against Red Akhet. With the rapid expansion and continuous wars The Founder, otherwise known as the Black Mantle Giver was placed at the helm of holding together the Crimson Kings land and Religion. The Founder would quickly morph the already zealous followers of the religion of Crimsonism into a fully fledged War Machine, focused on spreading itself. The Founder would additionally spend vast time creating the Tableau's of the Crimsonism new Tenant's across the lands, as well as wide displays of Crimsonism rituals to entice the human occupants of other countries with the promise of power. These Statues, stone tablets, and rituals would espoused the main three views of the new Crimsonism and were testaments to it's growing power. Each would represent the Crimson King's image, with the purpose of espousing the following:
Purify the Unpure, Kill the Heretics, Hail the Crimson King.
Changed from traditional Crimsonism, now the focus of expansion as well as worshiping the Crimson King as a deity became much more of a focus. This in addition to the Founders fondness of the Crimson Kings image would become the new motif of the revenge based Orthodoxic Crimsonism; however Imperial Crimsonism would not reach it's zenith of conquest and war until the final war for the battle of Errona during the Founder's mad scheme to return the Crimson King back to the mortal plane as a avatar through his son's deceased embryo Victor Raven, which would as it's result create the Taint.
When King Valdek transcended into godhood and the Spiritual Plane, past the Barrier of Ascension most of the lands surrounding Red Akhet did not notice the expansion of Red Akhets armies and borders. This was largely due to most of the forces beginning the conquest of the lands of New Nubia, creating the Barony of Liam, Pledge Keep, Loyalty Keep and the Barony of the Red Knight, while also providing forces to the War in Heaven that was being waged amongst the gods at this time. While the War in Heaven was mostly unknown to most sides, the Land of Gods, with the Church of Barrier Ascension and Episi did wage battles against Red Akhet. With the rapid expansion and continuous wars The Founder, otherwise known as the Black Mantle Giver was placed at the helm of holding together the Crimson Kings land and Religion. The Founder would quickly morph the already zealous followers of the religion of Crimsonism into a fully fledged War Machine, focused on spreading itself. The Founder would additionally spend vast time creating the Tableau's of the Crimsonism new Tenant's across the lands, as well as wide displays of Crimsonism rituals to entice the human occupants of other countries with the promise of power. These Statues, stone tablets, and rituals would espoused the main three views of the new Crimsonism and were testaments to it's growing power. Each would represent the Crimson King's image, with the purpose of espousing the following:
Purify the Unpure, Kill the Heretics, Hail the Crimson King.
Changed from traditional Crimsonism, now the focus of expansion as well as worshiping the Crimson King as a deity became much more of a focus. This in addition to the Founders fondness of the Crimson Kings image would become the new motif of the revenge based Orthodoxic Crimsonism; however Imperial Crimsonism would not reach it's zenith of conquest and war until the final war for the battle of Errona during the Founder's mad scheme to return the Crimson King back to the mortal plane as a avatar through his son's deceased embryo Victor Raven, which would as it's result create the Taint.
The Last War of Errona (32,148 B.R. - 32,167 B.R.)
The world of Errona would see peace again for several decades after the end of the War on Heaven, lulled into a sense of security and safety not understanding that their Deities; the Council of Ten, had been killed or fled during the War. Additional while the God Lands still tried to wage a war of propaganda to get further allies against Red Akhet most the other lands of Errona had not even known that the War on Heaven had taken place, as the lands continued the small border skirmishes that had become common place sense the conception of the Council of Ten.
It would be be in 32,148 B.R. that Red Akhet would launch massive attacks on most of the nations borders. Having spent their time experimenting on bio-flesh majket on rebirthing the Crimson King. It's culmination would be the psychic plague the Taint, using the tangible connection of his dead sons bones, and Jimsaw to create a connection past the Ascension Barrier. The ritual would be a disaster for the world of Errona, and while Red Akhet would use the Taint as a weapon in their war, it would prove disastrous for all sides. Furthermore the lost god Jezeral who had left the Spiritual Realm would lead the rest of Errona in successful resistance of The Founder.
At this point Red Akhet was no more and the technical beginnings of the Crimson Empire begun; taking vast swaths of land. The Founders new goal would be to allow enough taint to grow to hopefully recreate the Crimson King via the Taints ability to form eventually into focused Jimsaw which supposedly the Crimson King could then use to trespass back into mortal form from. However it would also be the start of the Mechanis Philosophy of Crimsonism and the Founder would create a core following that would convert to the robotic as the Crimson Empire was slowly eaten from the inside out by the plague that was the Taint.
The world of Errona would see peace again for several decades after the end of the War on Heaven, lulled into a sense of security and safety not understanding that their Deities; the Council of Ten, had been killed or fled during the War. Additional while the God Lands still tried to wage a war of propaganda to get further allies against Red Akhet most the other lands of Errona had not even known that the War on Heaven had taken place, as the lands continued the small border skirmishes that had become common place sense the conception of the Council of Ten.
It would be be in 32,148 B.R. that Red Akhet would launch massive attacks on most of the nations borders. Having spent their time experimenting on bio-flesh majket on rebirthing the Crimson King. It's culmination would be the psychic plague the Taint, using the tangible connection of his dead sons bones, and Jimsaw to create a connection past the Ascension Barrier. The ritual would be a disaster for the world of Errona, and while Red Akhet would use the Taint as a weapon in their war, it would prove disastrous for all sides. Furthermore the lost god Jezeral who had left the Spiritual Realm would lead the rest of Errona in successful resistance of The Founder.
At this point Red Akhet was no more and the technical beginnings of the Crimson Empire begun; taking vast swaths of land. The Founders new goal would be to allow enough taint to grow to hopefully recreate the Crimson King via the Taints ability to form eventually into focused Jimsaw which supposedly the Crimson King could then use to trespass back into mortal form from. However it would also be the start of the Mechanis Philosophy of Crimsonism and the Founder would create a core following that would convert to the robotic as the Crimson Empire was slowly eaten from the inside out by the plague that was the Taint.
Mechanis Crimsonism
The Founder found the tenants of Imperial Crimsonism no longer really worked philosophically with his secret goal of continuing to feed the Taint flesh in the hopes of bringing the Crimson King back. Despite the Taint never forming the Crimson King, he would continue to try and use it to bring him back as it was supposed to, and should have. Thus he fostered new beliefs among select members of the Crimson Empire during the end of Errona, converting as many as he could to mechanical flesh; these members would become known as the Disciples of Crimsonism.
The Tenants would remain the same; but putting emphasis on the Tennant of Purify the Unpure, the methodology of Crimsonism began to take a different form. Core to the new philosophy was the idea of the "Chosen" - those that made their bodies entirely into robotics, thus saving themselves from the Taint, as well as creating core followers to keep spreading the Taint without losing said members. The Founders mastery of science would provide him a following of a thousand or so robotic Disciples, but would also provide him and his Disciples of Crimsonism a route out of utter defeat by Jezeral and allies.
Errona's United Evacuation and the Rebinding of the Kurlik
At the end of The Last War of Errona, Red Akhet would be faced with defeat, but much more so did the world of Errona also face the destruction of all sentient life from the every moving Taint. As such a treaty was made between the remaining Disciples of Crimsonism and the victorious followers of Jezeral; in exchange for letting the Black Mantle and the Disciples of Crimsonism go, they would provide all uninfected with the necessary construction of space ships to leave the doom planet. The Black Mantle would happily oblige, secretly sending some parts of his Disciples of Crimsonism to hopefully influence the humans while to took the majority of his Disciples into the stars to a separate far removed system.
It would be in his quest in the stars that he would find the Kurlik again, using the prophecy he had long ago given them to infiltrate their DNA, as well as purposely infecting them with the Taint. With them he would once again begin spreading Crimsonism; albert with the new philosophy of Mechanis. While it would take some time to reconquer all the worlds of the Kurlik, he would also eventually lead them in the conquest of many other races.
He would place at first the Kurlik who had previously been the tribe Kurli-Daine at the head of the hierarchy of the Crimson Empire, converting most to the mechanical nature of the philosophy, they would become known as the Vat Priests, and similar to previous forms of Crimsonism would be brainwashed into the zealous worship of the Crimson King. They would also control the populations of the Kurlik as beings responsible for the vat births of other Kurlik.
Much of the early Mechanis philosophy would be born here, as well as the Kurliks believe in the Crimson King, having long forgotten their old cultures. It would additionally lead to the conceptions they would have as a race of being "Chosen Ones" by the Crimson King as well as their slow racial bodily hampering as the Taint ate away at the purity of their code, and making the race into the current malformed appearance, different then their brethren the Kurlith.
The belief of the Mechanis for the Kurlik during this time was that the Taint was the curse of the Crimson King on all things organic both as test and punishment. Only those Chosen freed from it's pain the with blessing of Mechanis- robotic conversion of one's self could hope to see his light. Only when the Chosen remained would the Taint relent, and those Chosen ascend to the side of the Crimson King, or so the Kurlik were taught by the brainwashed Vat Priests.
The Founder found the tenants of Imperial Crimsonism no longer really worked philosophically with his secret goal of continuing to feed the Taint flesh in the hopes of bringing the Crimson King back. Despite the Taint never forming the Crimson King, he would continue to try and use it to bring him back as it was supposed to, and should have. Thus he fostered new beliefs among select members of the Crimson Empire during the end of Errona, converting as many as he could to mechanical flesh; these members would become known as the Disciples of Crimsonism.
The Tenants would remain the same; but putting emphasis on the Tennant of Purify the Unpure, the methodology of Crimsonism began to take a different form. Core to the new philosophy was the idea of the "Chosen" - those that made their bodies entirely into robotics, thus saving themselves from the Taint, as well as creating core followers to keep spreading the Taint without losing said members. The Founders mastery of science would provide him a following of a thousand or so robotic Disciples, but would also provide him and his Disciples of Crimsonism a route out of utter defeat by Jezeral and allies.
Errona's United Evacuation and the Rebinding of the Kurlik
At the end of The Last War of Errona, Red Akhet would be faced with defeat, but much more so did the world of Errona also face the destruction of all sentient life from the every moving Taint. As such a treaty was made between the remaining Disciples of Crimsonism and the victorious followers of Jezeral; in exchange for letting the Black Mantle and the Disciples of Crimsonism go, they would provide all uninfected with the necessary construction of space ships to leave the doom planet. The Black Mantle would happily oblige, secretly sending some parts of his Disciples of Crimsonism to hopefully influence the humans while to took the majority of his Disciples into the stars to a separate far removed system.
It would be in his quest in the stars that he would find the Kurlik again, using the prophecy he had long ago given them to infiltrate their DNA, as well as purposely infecting them with the Taint. With them he would once again begin spreading Crimsonism; albert with the new philosophy of Mechanis. While it would take some time to reconquer all the worlds of the Kurlik, he would also eventually lead them in the conquest of many other races.
He would place at first the Kurlik who had previously been the tribe Kurli-Daine at the head of the hierarchy of the Crimson Empire, converting most to the mechanical nature of the philosophy, they would become known as the Vat Priests, and similar to previous forms of Crimsonism would be brainwashed into the zealous worship of the Crimson King. They would also control the populations of the Kurlik as beings responsible for the vat births of other Kurlik.
Much of the early Mechanis philosophy would be born here, as well as the Kurliks believe in the Crimson King, having long forgotten their old cultures. It would additionally lead to the conceptions they would have as a race of being "Chosen Ones" by the Crimson King as well as their slow racial bodily hampering as the Taint ate away at the purity of their code, and making the race into the current malformed appearance, different then their brethren the Kurlith.
The belief of the Mechanis for the Kurlik during this time was that the Taint was the curse of the Crimson King on all things organic both as test and punishment. Only those Chosen freed from it's pain the with blessing of Mechanis- robotic conversion of one's self could hope to see his light. Only when the Chosen remained would the Taint relent, and those Chosen ascend to the side of the Crimson King, or so the Kurlik were taught by the brainwashed Vat Priests.
Plagous Crimsonism
As the Crimson Empire spread, the Founder kept his zealous nature but his insanity did increase, requiring months by himself. More and more would he spend time in his inner sanctum grieving over the Crimson King and the day to day was placed in the hands of the Durhan. Thus when the V.R. Allies who were to be the "New Chosen", examples of the philosophy Mechanis betrayed their alliance with the Crimson Empire the Durhan fully discarded the previous philosophies of Crimsonism.
The philosophy of Plagous had been growing in steady support every sense the inclusion of the Durhan, and while some had been fully converted to the mechanical nature of Mechanis, there was the ever growing mix of the sciences of flesh and metal. The fact that the Durhan could control the Taint thanks to the power of their psychic presence provided a new outlook of Crimsonism. The true "Chosen" of Crimsonism were not those who could convert to mechanical form, but instead those strong enough to survive the Taint, and use it. After all was not one of some of the original beliefs of Crimsonism include the ideals of strength, and blood. Therefore partaking on the mutated DNA of the Crimson King via the Taint and surviving proving one strong enough to over come the Crimson King himself? This egotistic view twisting some of the original beliefs of Crimsonism to fit the Durhan Durhast philosophy became an appealing choice for the Durhan conroling the fate of the Crimson Empire. Thus the now current most worshipped version of Crimsonism is that of the philosophy of Plagous, although Mechanis Crimsonism still resides albert changed with the removal of The Founder, and some small beliefs by the Kurlik and the Empire of the Red Eye.
As the Crimson Empire spread, the Founder kept his zealous nature but his insanity did increase, requiring months by himself. More and more would he spend time in his inner sanctum grieving over the Crimson King and the day to day was placed in the hands of the Durhan. Thus when the V.R. Allies who were to be the "New Chosen", examples of the philosophy Mechanis betrayed their alliance with the Crimson Empire the Durhan fully discarded the previous philosophies of Crimsonism.
The philosophy of Plagous had been growing in steady support every sense the inclusion of the Durhan, and while some had been fully converted to the mechanical nature of Mechanis, there was the ever growing mix of the sciences of flesh and metal. The fact that the Durhan could control the Taint thanks to the power of their psychic presence provided a new outlook of Crimsonism. The true "Chosen" of Crimsonism were not those who could convert to mechanical form, but instead those strong enough to survive the Taint, and use it. After all was not one of some of the original beliefs of Crimsonism include the ideals of strength, and blood. Therefore partaking on the mutated DNA of the Crimson King via the Taint and surviving proving one strong enough to over come the Crimson King himself? This egotistic view twisting some of the original beliefs of Crimsonism to fit the Durhan Durhast philosophy became an appealing choice for the Durhan conroling the fate of the Crimson Empire. Thus the now current most worshipped version of Crimsonism is that of the philosophy of Plagous, although Mechanis Crimsonism still resides albert changed with the removal of The Founder, and some small beliefs by the Kurlik and the Empire of the Red Eye.