Voragism

Voragism is a religion originating from Barbossa in the land of Eldham. It is focused around the ideas of Freedom, Liberation, Daring and Opportunity and the worship of the One-Eyed God. Its practitioners can be commonly found among the seamen and pirates, but the faith has some presence on the land as well, reaching as far as DE and some parts of Helsia Irulan.

History
Voragists trace their origins to the settling of Barbossa by the Silver Captain and his crew. The modern religion is a mix between the pirate creed of the settlers and the folk beliefs of the assimilated native inhabitants of the Isle of Krakens. The former gave rise to Voragist ethics and the way of life, while the latter served as an inspiration for the mythology. The official faith was born after a group of nine sailors found an ancient idol of a cephalopod-like deity. For twenty four nights they were plagued by dreams of terrible yet beautiful creatures that they called the Leviathans. These entities dictated to them the words of the One-Eyed God and the sailors worked tirelessly to compare their dreams, discuss their meaning and finally write down the message from below. The result was the Spiral Codex, the sacred scripture of Voragism. After their work was done, these nine sailors declared themselves the first Deepcallers, the priests of the One-Eyed God.

Structure
There is no official Voragist church, since such a thing would be an anathema to the free spirit of the One-Eyed God’s teachings. Most of its worshippers are sailors, pirates and fishermen, so the crew usually replaced regular congregation. Every Voragist crew has a Deepcaller, who serves as a spiritual leader and usually assists the captain as a navigator. In some rare cases the captains themselves are also Deepcallers, which awards them a great amount of respect and authority.

Naturally, there are also settled Voragist communities, especially on the Isle of Krakens and in other big cities with strong connections to the ocean. These are usually centred around a temple or a holy site overseen by a local Deepcaller, who provides religious services for both local congregation and travelling Voragists.

While every Deepcaller has a great amount of autonomy and independence in leading their community and interpreting the Spiral Codex, they often maintain correspondence with each other. The art of rhetoric is greatly valued among the One-Eyed God’s priesthood and some Deepcallers can spend years arguing with each other about some specific passages in the Spiral Codex. These debates reach their peak during annual summits, when all Deepcallers gather in Barbossa in order to discuss matters related to their faith. This meeting is called the Pearl Summit and is considered the most important holiday of the Voragist faith.

The Pearl Summits are organised by Augur Oculi, the spiritual leader of the Deepcallers chosen by the Summit for life. Augur Oculi’s role is defined as “the first among equals” and their responsibilities focus mostly on advising other Deepcallers, solving dangerous disputes, appointing new Deepcallers and organising yearly Pearl Summits.

In order to become a Deepcaller, one has to finish an apprenticeship under a Deepcaller. During that period, the student memorises the most important Voragist texts and ponders their meaning. Equally essential is the knowledge of One-Eyed God’s rituals because of the great power that they bestow. The apprentices are tested during the Pearl Summit, and those deemed capable and touched by the One-Eyed God are elevated to priesthood by Augur Oculi.

When it comes to the mentioned powers, every fully-fledged Deepcaller has an intuitive sense of direction and can point towards the north at any time, even if blindfolded. Moreover, they are capable of calming or amplifying the winds, which makes them so valuable for every crew. The oldest Deepcallers are rumoured to summon lightning at will, and larger groups of them are said to conjure entire storms at a whim.

Cosmology and theology
The Spiral Codex tells about a place called the Abyssal Realm, which lies below the deepest ocean and above the highest mountains.This astral sea surrounds the world and it is said that the whole reality arose from it. The Deepcallers claim that the Abyssal Realm is nothing else but a state of pure potentiality, where everything is possible but nothing happens. It is a world of gods, concepts and patterns, all unmanifested and unborn, awaiting for the One-Eyed God to allow them passage into the material world where they can fully manifest and become real.

The One-Eyed God is said to be a gate between the Abyssal Realm and the world of Eldham, but also the guardian of the Gate and the key to it. Its eye is often depicted as a door leading from one realm to another. The Spiral Codex teaches that the One-Eyed God came into being on its own accord, by defining itself as the liminality between the real and unreal. Thus the One-Eyed God is a deity associated with passages, the unknown, dreams and visions, but also with chance and random opportunity. It is a mysterious and obscure god, who demands no praise, no kneeling  or submission, instead acting as a fickle and unpredictable, yet ultimately benevolent patron for those who follow its teachings.

His messengers, the Leviathans, are described as a beautiful yet terrifying hybrid between an angel and a deep sea life. Their faces have no features spare for luminescent appendages, their limbs and forms are slender and covered with iridescent scales. Their wings are extremely thin and covered with mesmerising patterns, if one looks  at them for too long, one can notice small eyes opening and disappearing all around their surface. These eyes and patterns glow with otherworldly lights, creating an effect similar to the light reflected at water’s surface. Deepcallers are capable of conversing with these creatures in their visions and dreams. Reports of dreaming about the Leviathans are often a reason enough for them to take someone as an apprentice.

When it comes to the other gods, Voragists see them as oppressive and unworthy of their attention, but they harbour no particular hatred against other faiths. A common saying: “Our God has One Eye, your gods have none” perfectly illustrates their attitude.

Values, ethics and the afterlife
The Voragist way of life, often called the Spiral Path, borrows and expands upon many elements found commonly within the pirate creeds and anarchist philosophies. There are four values that Voragists cherish above all else and their morality is derived from them,

The first value is Freedom, which means the innate right of every individual to lead a free, independent and self-determined life, if they choose so. Voragists are honour-bound to never force anyone into servitude or slavery and never sumbit to those who would force them into cooperation against their will. Ideally, they would also fight to protect this right for everyone, but this part of their philosophy is often forgotten, since it would require them to be in a constant war with the entire world. Moreover, since the idea of forging one’s own fate is the ultimate expression of Freedom, Voragists do not discriminate against anyone because of their inborn qualities. Doing so is highly frowned upon.

The second value is Liberation. Voragists will oppose oppression and slavery whenever they have opportunity and ability to do so. However, there is also another aspect to this value. The Spiral Path condemns any form of greed and hoarding, while praising generosity and charity, especially when given to another Voragist in need. Thus the One-Eyed God’s followers see it as their moral duty to “liberate” material goods from those unworthy of possessing them. This tenant makes some Voragists perceive piracy as a religious duty, but not all follow this interpretation.

The third value is Daring, which emphasises the great respect that Voragist religion has for curiosity, bravery and courage, especially in the face of the unknown. Voragists strive to be open minded and always ready to expand their horizons, just like their brave explorers expand the reach of their maps. Discovery is a sacred act and many journeys are made in its name. Of course, not all Voragists venture out into the unknown lands and seek forgotten treasures, some seek to make great discoveries in the realms of knowledge, which is equally respected, even if much more rare.

The fourth and last value is Opportunity. Voragists believe the universe to be a chaotic place, full of randomness and chance. Those brave enough to seize the opportunity when it presents itself will rightfully flourish, while those unwilling to take the risk will never fulfil their ambitions. They believe that every opportunity is sent to them from the infinite potentiality of the Abyssal Realm by the One-Eyed God himself, and thus they honour it by pursuing it. This value is often celebrated through gambling, which also teaches Voragists not to grow too comfortable and greedy with their material spoils.

Voragists believe that if someone manages to develop in themselves all four values during their life, they will be able to pass through the Gate after death and enter the Abyssal Realm. Once inside, they will be able to sail upon the astral seas and perhaps settle down, creating a paradise for themselves out of the Abyssal Realm’s potentiality or possibly joining a paradise created by another Voragist. Deepcallers speculate that these private worlds of the One-Eyed God’s followers can be seen in the night sky as stars.

Aesthetics and magic
The Voragist idea of beauty is inevitably connected with the spiral pattern, which is seen as the embodiment of perfection. The Spiral Codex claims that the universe itself was created through a spiral of manifestation, which originated in the Abyssal Realm and entered the world through the Gate in the One-Eyed God’s Eye. It can be still observed in every whirlpool, on many shells (especially a nautilus shell, which is considered the most perfect), sunflowers, certain leafs, hurricanes and even animal horns. Voragists believe these natural spirals to be reflections of the primordial spiral that gave birth to the world, and thus they consider them sacred. The bodies of Deepcallers are often painted or tattooed with spiral patterns and a spiral with an eye in the centre surrounded by an inverted triangle is considered the religion’s semi-official symbol.

Many Voragist dances and rituals involve participants whirling in spiral movements in order to connect with the One-Eyed God. It is believed that by moving in a spiral way one gets closer to the Abyssal Realm, thus greatly improving their chances with magical operations. Some of these involve spiral dances that induce visions or dreams of Leviathans, others spiral hand gestures that invoke Deepcaller’s command over the wind.

Other important symbols include One Eye, which is often raised as a central statue in Voragist temples. It represents the Gate to the Abyssal Realm and thus allows the One-Eyed God’s blessings to flow freely onto the congregation. More mobile groups, especially pirate crews, carve such an eye in the ship’s wood instead or create small idols resembling cephalopods.

Celebrations and Holidays
The most important Voragist holiday is naturally the Pearl Summit, but while Deepcallers discuss religious matters among themselves, common believers have their own celebrations. These include songs and hymns in the One-Eyed God’s honour and spiral dances. Every celebration is accompanied by a feast and at least one great bonfire. The most daring Voragists often compete with each other in displays of bravery by jumping above its flames. Other common pleasures include extensive gambling as well as a ritual exchange of gifts between the Voragians.

On rare occasions when a Voragist crew or community comes into possession of more riches than they need, they organise a ceremony known as the Sea’s Feasting. It usually takes the form of a great feast during which the excess wealth is freely spent or outright destroyed. These ceremonies are always full of excess and grand gestures of generosity, hospitality and charity. Their primary purpose is protection from greed and hoarding, but also undeniable enjoyment on Voragists’ part.

Voragist Sacred Texts
The main holy texts of Voragist religion include:


 * The Spiral Codex, the main scripture written by the nine original Deepcallers.
 * The Path of Voragism, a philosophical treatise on the four values.
 * Lexicon of the Depths, a ritual grimoire of the Deepcallers.
 * Abyssal Hymns, a book of hymns and prayers.