Apostles of the Harvest (Religion)

The Apostles of the Harvest is a mysterious religious organization devoted to the worship of The Harvest, a deity associated with the harvesting and reaping of crops and the flourishing of plant-based agriculture. It is unclear whether this deity is an entity or a concept, as the religious texts associated with this religion are ambiguous as to this regard, but its followers worship it nonetheless. Believed to have started amongst the common folk, this religion has an unknown date and place of origin; however, some of its closest adherents claim to be ancient compared to most "mortal beings", leading some scholars to believe this religion was carried over to Rathnir by survivors from Jagdas.

Origin:
There are many theories surrounding the founding of The Apostles of the Harvest, but the most common one suggests that it was initially formed as a cult by peasant farmers, which originally served as a calendar system rather than a religion. The religious system of The Apostles of the Harvest is closely tied to the cycle of field planting and harvesting, which may have been developed by these peasants in order to keep track of their seasonal crop rotations. However, this practice soon began to incorporate rituals and practices into its sphere, and at some point practitioners began worshipping The Harvest itself. Scholars are unsure of its location and date of origin, but a few travelling missionaries of the faith have been located since the 3 Days of Peace, suggesting this religion may be a somewhat recent development.

However, there is another theory on the formation of this religion, which suggests that it may be an ancient religion saved from the world of Jagdas by a few of its survivors. One of the Apostles of the Harvest, a man who is only known as Unknown, claims to be 1,376 years old and possesses a great wealth of knowledge on the world of Jagdas. According to him, The Harvest has "existed since the dawn of humanity, since the first man pulled the first plant from the ground..." and that "the farmers of old were the first to be enlightened... we have only revived this religion and returned to that which has allowed us to survive". Despite the information he has provided, his claims on his age and his knowledge of the world of Jagdas have yet to be verified, which should lead this theory to be taken with skepticism.

Beliefs and Practices:
The Apostles of the Harvest are highly devoted to their religion, and hold a number of practices sacred that they refuse to break.

Personal Practices:
Those who convert to this faith forsake their name and identity in order to become one with The Harvest. While some simply drop their names and accept the faith, other devotees remove their identities entirely, often obscuring their body with palely dyed clothing and covering their heads with Jack 'o' Lanterns, which they refer to as their "New Face". They will wear this Jack 'o' Lantern for a full month until the New Moon, when they will harvest a new pumpkin to replace the old one. They will not remove the Jack 'o' Lantern under any other circumstance.

Many converts also convert to vegetarianism, as they believe that the "soul of The Harvest" can be reached closest through the products of the Earth. However, some converts retain their habits of eating meat and even raise livestock, depending on the region they come from.

Apostles of the Harvest are pacifists, and will not harm another human unless in self-defense. Many followers of this religion, even travelling monks, refuse to carry weapons on their person and instead opt for a shield or a stick to protect themselves. Followers will also refuse to wear armor unless in extreme circumstances, as they believe that it covers their "New Body" in a way that disrespects The Harvest.

Followers will always orient their beds to have the foot of the bed facing East, as they believe it is important to "...start a new day stepping forward".

Farming Practices:
Followers of this faith often distance themselves from their former lives and take up farming, where they work their fields manually. Adherents have a strong aversion to mechanized farming, as they believe it is sacrilegious and "kills the soul of The Harvest". They also avoid the use of bonemeal, as it disturbs what they see as the "will of The Harvest" and disrupts their farming cycle.

The farmers typically plant their crops on the full moon, or what they call "The Farmer's Moon" and harvest their crop every New Moon, or what they call "The Harvest's Moon". Each Harvest's Moon is celebrated with a feast of what surplus remains from the last moon's harvest, in order to make room for the new.

Followers are usually subsistence farmers, and they typically use all of their harvest in their diet. Some converts of a wealthier background use their money to purchase large farms or plantations when finding their "New Self" and sell what surplus harvest they have left after the Harvest's Moon feast. Depending on what products these are, however, the month's wait may leave them of a dubious quality in the market.

Miscellaneous Practices:
Followers of the faith pray to the harvest at day's end of each Farmer's Moon, to ensure they receive a bountiful harvest come The Harvest's Moon.

Apostles of the Harvest construct effigies of The Harvest for each harvest feast, which roughly resembles a scarecrow with a Jack 'o' Lantern head. Throughout the feast, the effigy is offered food from the harvest, as the followers believe it is bad luck to refuse an offering of their produce to The Harvest; many believe this leads to a poor harvest the following month. At the end of the feast, the effigy is burned, and a new effigy is constructed and moved to a new location, often bearing the Apostles of the Harvest's Blessing. These effigies, while seemingly mundane, have been known to take on bizarre and anomalous properties, which followers believe to be a sign from The Harvest.

Religious Texts
The Apostles of the Harvest have no documented religious texts, as many of the adherents of the religion lack the ability to read or write. There are a great many adages, however, which document the religious doctrine and customs of followers that have been passed along as oral tradition.

"May your fields be fertile and your harvest, bountiful."

- Apostles of the Harvest's Blessing

While there is presumably a codex containing the original commandments of the Apostles of the Harvest 's religion, it remains missing or hidden. As with the adages of the faith, these, too, may be passed through oral tradition.

Sources:


 * "Unknown", a monk of the faith, has sourced the quotes presented in this document.