Verosiism

= Verosiism = ''"This is the truth of Veros: that Veros is the Lord of Many Faces, and all may know some faces, but none shall know all faces." - The Book of Veros''

Verosiism, sometimes referred to as Verosi or Dualism, is an inclusive monotheistic religion brought to Rathnir from a distant land. Verosiism is currently only practiced by a select few in The Kingdom of Aurora. The primary religious site is located in Holy Verosia, a small claim south of Winterstone. Practitioners of Verosiism are known as "Verosi" (singular and plural).

Verosiism is built on the Eight Wisdoms of Veros, and holds that each and every deity, whether good, bad, or neutral, is simply a "face" of the single god Veros. Verosi believe the primary face of Veros is that of a squid with eight arms. Accordingly, squids are revered by Verosi.

Before Rathnir - The Kingdom of Affinity
Verosiism originates in a kingdom from beyond the borders of Rathnir known as The Kingdom of Affinity. The kingdom was formed by the first prophet of Veros, Aulus Blueblood, in the golden plains region of a distant continent when Veros gave Aulus the Eight Wisdoms. Aulus became known as the first Keeper of the Faith, a title which has been passed down his lineage to now reside with Caelus Blueblood of Aurora. Before the introduction of Verosiism, the people of the golden plains practiced multiple religions and worshiped many gods, and many of these early tribes fought over religious beliefs.

As Aulus began teaching the Eight Wisdoms to these various tribes, Veros would appear alongside him. This caused any and all doubt among the people to dissipate, and Verosiism quickly spread through the golden plains until it was one of two remaining religions. The Verosi then appointed Aulus as king of the region, naming it Affinity due to the strong relationship forged between all people through Veros.

Following centuries of fragile peace between the Verosi and the non-believers of the sister tribe, the tribe attacked the peaceful kingdom over their practice of Verosiism. The war decimated the lives of many, and the two children of the Blueblood royal family, Caelus Blueblood and Aurelia Blueblood, were escorted in separate directions in hopes of preserving the lineage of Aulus and the truth of Veros.

In Rathnir
Both Blueblood children would find themselves in Rathnir, and together they would construct the first temple to Veros in the Kingdom of Aurora. Unbeknownst to the pair, they were squatters on claimed territory facing expulsion from the land they had claimed. However, after pleading with Canine14, King of Aurora, the siblings were able to preserve their claim and maintain the Temple of Veros in the claim Holy Verosia.

Caelus, as Keeper of the Faith, has been working to spread the truth of Veros in Aurora and beyond its borders to spread Verosiism.

Creation
The Book of Veros explains that Veros existed before anything in a moment known as the First Singularity. In the First Singularity, Veros knew all that was and what was to be, and created all dualities of existence. Those dualities include, but are not limited to, time and space, light and dark, beginning and end, order and chaos, and life and death.

The First Singularity was a period undefined by time and space, unexplainable and incapable of understanding. It was chaos and order in harmony but disarray, and existence and non-existence clashing. It was an undefinable entity. Veros shattered the First Singularity to create a world of peace, where the dualities of existence could exist in harmony and clash but be understood. Fundamentally, creation in Verosiism is defined by the creation of understanding, which did not exist in the First Singularity.

The Eight Wisdoms of Veros
''"The wonder and spectacle of Veros shone upon Aulus in glory, and Veros delivered to Aulus these Eight Wisdoms." - The Book of Veros''

The core tenants of Verosiism center on The Eight Wisdoms:


 * 1) There is duality in all existence, and neither side is wholly perfect nor wholly evil.
 * 2) Labor sows the field of prosperity, and rest sows the field of vigor.
 * 3) To serve is to love, and to be served is to be honored.
 * 4) What greed takes, forgiveness may return; what forgiveness returns, greed may never take.
 * 5) There is peace in ignorance, anguish in knowledge, and acceptance in understanding. To question without malice is to understand.
 * 6) Boldness drives the conquerors, but wrath and want carry them.
 * 7) Where faith is found, the rewards of service are bountiful.
 * 8) The heart that longs for greater things is the heart that shall receive.

The God of Many Faces & Duality
''"Neither bicker over the beliefs of others, for even those that do not truly know Veros see a face of the Lord that we do not." - The Book of Veros''

Verosi believe that all deity beings are simply different faces of a single god, Veros. This includes all gods and deities, even those that are perceived in a negative light. It is not common practice for Verosi to worship the darker faces of Veros, though Verosi also do not condemn such worship. This is exemplified in the first wisdom listed above - Verosiism is a religion built on the premise of duality in all existence, and views such conflicting interpretations of Veros as a driving factor to reach greater understanding in Veros' teachings.

Accordingly, Verosiism prioritizes understanding of those differences and acceptance that even if practitioners of a different religion don't recognize Veros, the truth is that they still (unknowingly) worship Veros. It is therefore the belief of Verosi that Verosiism is the largest religion in the world, since all religious individuals follow a face or multiple faces of a singular god.

The Singularity Principle
''"For all is one in Veros; all existence lies in the Lord. From this, there is a greater understanding: that we march towards singularity." - The Book of Veros''

Verosi believe in the Singularity Principle, or the Singularity or Second Singularity, a teaching that is comprised of two fundamental components: that all existence is one with Veros and that at the end of time, all consciousness will return to a singular consciousness in Veros. Singularity represents complete understanding of existence and the teachings of Veros. Unlike the First Singularity prior to creation, the Second Singularity represents complete harmony of all dualities existing in one state together.

Verosi-kama
It is possible for an individual to reach Singularity as a sort of awakening or enlightenment, an occurrence known as Verosi-kama. when Verosi-kama is attained, the respective individual is viewed as a prophet of Veros. From these prophets may come additional understandings - divine interpretations of the Eight Wisdoms.

Verosi-menta
Verosi-menta is temporary singularity in Veros, and is brought on by engaging in over-indulgence of alcohol or other illicit items. Verosi-menta often occurs during festivals and holidays, and is meant to be individual moments of understanding for practitioners. The severity of any resulting fatigue or illness are viewed as determinants of how far an individual is from attaining Verosi-kama. So, someone who quickly recovers from fatigue and illness is believed to be close to attaining Verosi-kama.

The practice of regularly drinking to intentionally reach Verosi-menta is viewed as going against the will of Veros, and is one of the only practices that is openly frowned upon in Verosiism. That is, if someone is intentionally drinking to reach Verosi-menta on a regular basis, not those who simply regularly drink. There is an element of intent required in this regard.

Philosophy
Because of the beliefs of Verosiism, many practitioners go on to be scholars and philosophers, prioritizing deeper understanding of existence through the research and study of duality and various religious, political, and social sentiments.

The Two Baptisms
The Two Baptisms are practices that some Verosi engage in as a show of faith in Veros. They include the Red Baptism and the Violet Baptism, and are both fatal baptismal practices. It is believed that Veros will resurrect those that truly believe in him from both baptismal deaths.

The Red Baptism
The Red Baptism is a baptism whereby individuals fully submerge themselves in lava until they burn to death.

The Violet Baptism
The Violet Baptism is a baptism whereby individuals fully submerge themselves in water until they drown to death.

The Dawn Festivals
The Dawn Festivals or Sister Festivals are annual, seasonal festivals meant to represent duality.

The Summer's Dawn Festival
The Summer's Dawn Festival is a religious holiday practices by Verosi, where a large feast and celebration are held to celebrate the coming of Summer. It is customary for participants to drink large quantities of alcohol, particularly whiskey, in order to reach Verosi-kama. At the Summer's Dawn festival, a giant wooden structure of a squid is constructed that is to remain until the Winter's Dawn Festival.

The Winter's Dawn Festival
The Winter's Dawn Festival is a sister festival to the Summer's Dawn festival, and is largely similar in premise. The key difference is that the wooden statue of Veros constructed in the Summer Dawn Festival is lit on fire and destroyed in order to represent duality in creation and destruction.

The Ceremony of the Heart
The Ceremony of the Heart, or Heart's Sacrifice Ceremony, is a ceremony that can be held by a single individual or in a group of varying size. The purpose of the ceremony is that an individual gives up something they cherish deeply as an indication of their heart longing for something greater, as outlined in the eighth wisdom, in order to hopefully receive a blessing from Veros.

Ceremonies of the Heart are held for a variety of reasons, and can be both formal or informal. An annual Ceremony of the Heart is held in most temples, but nobody is required to participate. It is merely offered as an opportunity to perform the sacrifice in the presence of others as a greater showing of faith. The formality of such ceremonies depends on the temples performing them.

The Clergy
Verosiism as a singular religion - that is, not considering all other religions Verosi consider sects or denominations of Verosiism - has a simple clerical structure. At the top is the Keeper of the Faith, the chief priest of Verosiism. Below the Keeper of the Faith are Verosi-kama prohpets and regional priests. Verosiism is a very decentralized religion, but there is strong emphasis among regional priests to consult with the Keeper of the Faith to maintain consistency in belief and practice.