Introduction to the Way of the Divine Dome

[NeedForGreed]

These volumes are written for those outside the faith, with quiet and limited distribution. A master copy is tucked away in Foscari's religious library.

Preface

Our faith is likely one unfamiliar to you. You may have met its pilot-priests or laymen in passing, perhaps at sea, by trade, or through one of Sage Santina's outreach missions. To those of the Wheel or more distant religions, there is much to misunderstand. In my time here at Ephia's Well, I have come to know many of the misinterpretations of our faith, the concepts that do not translate as instantly as we would hope. In you, reader, is a curious mind and a potential for understanding: I pray you will read on with an open heart and mind.

First, let me address the most common misconception - that crucial difference between the Way and the Wheel: the difference between the gods of this land and our Sages.

The Sages are not gods to whom we owe our existence and cosmic order. Where a god of the Wheel might be said to have created a river or sprouted a garden, our Sages empower and encourage us to build the river and sow the garden with our own drive and ingenuity. Our Sages are our guides, our mentors, our guiding north stars. Ours is, fundamentally, a belief in each person's innate dignity and a striving towards personal growth.

You, too, have this same birthright, this same innate dignity as a person and a soul.

In the coming pages, I will share with you the nature of the Dome, of our souls, and the essential teachings of our Sages.


I. The Dome and Its Souls

Picture a vast crystal sphere cradling all matter, time, and movement. This is the Dome, that which gives form, structure, and meaning to existence. Our world drifts within, one of many motes suspended within.

When night falls, and you gaze at the stars, know that you see more than mere lights. These are the Illuminations - exalted souls who have transcended the cycle of rebirth to join the cosmic tapestry.

We are born, we die, and we live again. Our existence is not a fleeting and meaningless one but a cycle. Endlessly, ever learning, ever growing. When our soul reaches its highest potential and its greatest harmony with the Dome, it achieves a state of spiritual transcendence and ascension to the stars. To join, finally, that great firmament above.

As we reach greater harmony with the Dome and, by extension, the world around us, our souls are guided to lives of greater comfort and influence. When we are furthest from the end of our soul's long path, we have the greatest need to grow and learn. We may face life's harshest struggles, yet even those whose souls have reincarnated into harmonious lives of comfort and wealth still have lessons to learn.

The most exalted Illuminations offer guidance to help us reach this final peace. Myriad and many are the paths to achieve one's greatest potential, and so six in total are the Great Sages: our mentors, our guides. In time, there may even be more. Their souls may yet walk among us today, approaching the day of their ascension.

The first of these Great Sages was the Pilot-Prophet, Sage Raffelo, the grand captain of our faith. It was he who discovered these truths and shared them with Il Modo. From his teachings, yet more followers of the faith have ascended to the stars and Sages have risen to guide us.

In the next volume, I will discuss each Sage and their teachings more fully.


II. The Sages

Imagine that we are many souls in a celestial sea, ever guided by our Sages. Just as on a vessel at sea, all have their place, so does each Sage lift us collectively ever higher. Each of us is called to choose a patron whose guidance we follow in this life. We are empowered in this choice to shape our soul's journey and chart our own path as beings of dignity and eternal life. It is for our own benefit that we heed them.

First among the Sages is Sage Raffelo, the Pilot-Prophet, whose daring and wisdom brought the truths of the cosmos to the people of Il Modo. Captain of captains, the guiding hand behind the power of Il Modo and the Dome. Those who seek to play the Game of Knives follow his path, and all must yet heed the warnings and structure of the Church he has founded. All Sages who guide us follow in his wake.

Beloved is our lady of luck, Sage Maribela de Fortuna, who favors all humble souls who trust their lives to fate. She is the patron of those who dare to seek out the unknown, who fling open their sails to the wind. Maribela encourages us to embrace life's unpredictability and take daring risks in pursuing our dreams. She embodies in many ways the great spirit of Il Modo and the wisdom of the Dome, that we must not meekly accept our lot but boldly seize the wheel and raise the anchor.

Sage Markolo the Navigator, whose unmatched skill in trade and exploration lifted our people from poverty to prestige. Markolo's path is one of clever trade, strategy, and educated exploration. Where Maribela lives by chance, Markolo trusts in careful planning and gathering of knowledge. His followers carefully accumulate wealth and wisdom, raising themselves to personal success. With their success, their community is lifted, too. His followers are encouraged to seek new opportunities, to master the art of negotiation, and to expand their understanding of the world.

For those who seek strength and honor in battle, there is Sage Vittoria the Admiral. A legend in life, she led Il Modo to dominate the sea. Her teachings share the virtues of might, strategy, and the relentless pursuit of victory. She represents the path of the wise warrior. She is the glinting sword that protects and projects power behind wealth, boldness, and leadership.

Fifth is Sage Giacomo the Artificer, genius and patron of creativity and craftsmanship. His brilliance and his support of the arts have shaped the fabric of Il Modo and transformed our great vessel into a city of innovation and creativity. He is the patron of artists, inventors, and all who seek to bring new ideas into the world. His followers are driven by the desire to leave their mark on the world, to build and create in ways that challenge the status quo, and to push the boundaries of what is possible - our floating city made possible by his inventions.

Most recent among the Great is Sage Santina the Compassionate. She is twice a savior of Il Modo, who, through her bravery and determination, inspired those around her to save our people from the horrors of the Crimson Death and the Lost Armada. She is the stalwart enemy of disease, poverty, and suffering. Among all the Sages, she urges her followers to a mission of outreach not just in healing and charity but to lift others up and share the harmony of the Divine Dome so that all people may find their way to the stars.


III. Other Illuminations

Three are the last Feared Illuminations. They bring great death and suffering, reflecting the darkness of the world and its mortal works.

The first of these is the dreaded Orlando of the Death Masque. In his court, we find the rot of vice, the cost of our sins coming home to roost. Orlando was an artist and a performer who delved too deeply into the dark world of intrigue and loved cruel things. He and his courtiers traveled the seas in a pleasure float. Whatever they found out there in the great expanse of sea, they returned with a plague so deadly it nearly destroyed Il Modo: the Crimson Death, which destroys its victims in soul as well as body. It is a long, agonizing death that leaves the survivor deformed, if he survives at all.

The second Feated, Barbarina of the Last Armada, was a prideful noblewoman who craved vengeance. She led a mutinous pirate fleet that attempted to conquer Il Modo itself. Like the Crimson Death, she was ultimately repelled from destroying Il Modo. Both of these, by the mortal Santina.

These are forbidden cults. But in existing, they teach us the paths not to be followed. We must not fall too deeply into the vices of greed and excess, nor of vengeance or embracing undeath. Without the Crimson Death or the Lost Armada, Sage Santina would not have faced and overcome her great trials. The Dome of Man would have never known these terrible threats, been challenged by them, and proved the rightness of its path. We remember these Feared not to revere them but to take them as warnings.

Finally, there is one great Illumination of whom we do not speak.


IV. Conclusions & Misconceptions

It may be an easy thing to consider the Way of the Divine Dome in the framework of the beliefs you grew up with. To do so is to see the Way not as it is, just as a man who has never seen the sea cannot tell you of ships he has never sailed. There are some who make the mistake of seeing our Church as whatever they wish it to be, and in doing so only disservice themselves.

I will address some of these misconceptions, some of which have been discussed above.

Recall first that the Sages are gods as the Wheel imagines - they are not.

"Only Modini can follow the Way" - this is false. We have no strong need to spread out faith, but for the teachings of Sage Santina, who asks her followers to help others find their way to the Way so that they might too be lifted from suffering and find peace.

As the church of Sage Santina most emphasizes the spreading of the faith, hers is most easily misunderstood by those who do not follow the Way. For this reason, I will clarify her teachings.

The church of Santina asks us to serve others above ourselves, to fight disease and help the needy at every corner. In doing so we restore dignity and self-determination to those aggrieved souls who struggle in life. That we might lift those around us, to help them back on their path to their birthright among the stars. In sharing our faith and in sharing Santina's compassion we hope that every soul might find its way. The harmony of the Dome and of its many souls is our ultimate wish, not merely the temporary alleviation of temporal pains.

To put it simply: Santina asks us to lift you in spirit and body alike.


May you find your northern star, reader, and sail wisely on the seas of life.