The Tenets of the Magi, Izdu, by Marcellus Saenus

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The Tenets of the Magi, Izdu, by Marcellus Saenus

Seek knowledge; true enlightenment is found through understanding.
Tutor the ignorant; spread the light of wisdom to the dark corners of the world.
Protect the word; knowledge lost is a grave sin.
Record insights; truth is found in the broadest mind.
Scribe chronicles; the present contains the lessons of the future.
Create wonders; your mark on the world should be felt by all.
Observe the stars; their light and secrets, though dangerous, offer knowledge to the wary.


In my time as a Scholar to the Magi, Izdu, I have been offered insight not only to my faith but also what the Tenets of Izdu proclaim. I wish to believe that I have followed these Tenets as closely as I possibly could, even if, at times, I could not follow all of them equally. Yet, just like a craftsman, or a scholar, one cannot do or know everything. There is a limit to our own mortal powers and abilities, and while it might seem contrary to what a Scholar of Izdu should be doing, that is to know "everything", it is simply an impossibility, and in truth a dilution of the concentrated knowledge one can safely bare.

So let us discuss each of the Tenets of Izdu, and what they mean to my own perspective.

Seek knowledge, true enlightenment is found through understanding.

Knowledge is many things. It may be a written word, it may be a shared voice, but what is key here is why we need Knowledge, to understand.

Understanding is much more difficult to achieve than merely acquiring knowledge. Knowledge, after all, could be a standing library, gathering dust over its centuries or aeons. But using that knowledge to understand is a whole different matter. To be able to take apart a question, to analyse it, and to offer an adequate answer means not only possessing the necessary tools, but also knowing how to use them.

Not all questions however can be solved in only a single way. Some may be taken apart in a number of ways, or in a different order. But what the tenet states, is that we do not seek only understanding, but true enlightenment.

Enlightenment might not just mean finding an answer to a question, it might also mean finding a connection between the answer you gained and the other questions that you did not see an attachment to before. As I performed my study of Archaeology and History many such findings intertwined with many different written records giving me, indeed, a sense of enlightenment, insight into the truth. But, one does not usually find a single answer and then find a solution to all other problems. It is merely one of the first steps in a journey, one of many.

But in short, one should not be only capable of obtaining knowledge, or finding answers to single questions. One should be able to create a painting with the multitude of paints, previous insights gained, that they have gathered. An unskilled painter would use a single paint, of a few different shades, not seeking or wishing to find all of the other colours, and while this bland creation may appeal to some, before Izdu it would be lacking.

Tutor the ignorant; spread the light of wisdom to the dark corners of the world.

This Tenet  is of particular curiosity to myself, for it would suggest not the spreading of knowledge as such, not of teaching the lessons of civilization, or history, and so on, but to teach others how to think. One has to look to the enlightened Ashfolk, among whom many have taken to embracing either their scholarly pursuits or those of faith. They are a people that often seem to radiate such wisdom, though naturally not all of them are equal in that regard. But I believe that the source of this is that they are not warlike people. Their time is spent on study, prayer and understanding, not on matters of war.

This freedom and time to look inward has granted them insight which few can share in, because we are often caught in the moment, submerged by the torrent of our lives and events. It is difficult to lift ourselves above all of this and have a pause, to think, to ponder. But wisdom is so much different than what we could simply see as action and reaction. Sometimes it is a way to look past what is obvious and instead see the hidden mechanisms of the world, of our behaviour. To see with a broader eye the world, as it stands, and where we stand within it.

And as this Tenet says, we ought to spread our wisdom to others, and to tutor those who would choose to willingly ignore the world around them.

As a scribe, and a scholar, I spent many days teaching not only the now Legate Sol Auk, but other Magistrates, sharing my insight into proposed laws, into conundrums previously blurry or unclear. The Law is of course something written, codified, but it can also be something flexible, almost as if alive. Allowing a skilled Magistrate to look past the limitations of the written word to see how the Law can be both malleable and solid.
Somebody who was indeed ignorant would simply gaze upon the written code of law and say that it works just as it is written, with no room to grow or apply to many things, when in fact, it does. That is one of the things that I shared with others, not only through my own experience but the many examples of past cases which proved the same. Such wisdom and understanding surely made the Magistrates whom I attended far more aware of how the Law can operate.
And a follower of Izdu, or one of his priests or scholars, ought to do the same, in any other topic that they seek to understand or share with others.

Protect the word; knowledge lost is a grave sin.

One could look at this tenet and think, in the simplest of terms, that it simply refers to the safeguarding of books, of tablets, of old scrolls. But the word can be both spoken and written. It can be recited or published. It can be sung or shouted. The word comes in many different forms, but what is important is the second part of this tenet.

Knowledge lost is a grave sin. But, not all knowledge is safe to carry with you. What some consider truth to one may be lies to another. In our great Sultanate there may be those who view certain ideas with suspicion, hatred or ridicule. However, as an Izdur we must gather it, all the same, and keep it safe. Though I may personally not agree with previous authors that I have read, I still respect their Word and hold it both to memory and I hold onto the copies of tomes handed to me, found or purchased.

But some knowledge is indeed dangerous, not because of its value, but of the magic it itself possesses. The Djinn, their names specifically, seem capable of cursing the very parchment upon which their blasphemy lingers. To hold such is unfortunately a method of being touched or cursed by them, manipulated by their schemes. It is knowledge that is dangerous in every sense of the word. And what would we have to do to keep ourselves safe from it, If simply writing it down could be a curse upon our very own souls?

Sadly, I see little other way than simply discarding such texts. It is a Sin, it is true, but among all the knowledge of the world this particular is of such a dangerous nature that the Izdur would damn themselves simply by following this seemingly simple Tenet. You may not agree with me on this, and I fully understand that, but I also urge caution, for among the many evils of the world the Djinn are especially dangerous.

Record insights; truth is found in the broadest mind.

Even a man of the broadest mind, of the greatest intellect, may not remember all that he has seen, all that he has experienced or all that he has learned. Recording one's insights is much like the Tenet before. It is the protection of a word, your own word, one could say, which is the gathered understanding of other knowledge. But why is the record of insights so important, other than not to forget them?

The second part of the tenet, truth is found in the broadest mind. Every insight may be a fleeting thought in the river of your mind. And the only way to hold onto it is to record it, for tomorrow, next week, next month, or just within the hour it may be gone. And as you ponder the very same topic, it might be that the very same insight will not surface again, or perhaps no insight will be gained at all.

To keep such a record is to aid yourself, and others. It is a way of doing more than your mind alone is capable of. It is a way to better follow Izdu's tenets.

Scribe chronicles; the present contains the lessons of the future.

If time is akin to the Wheel then one could say that history does repeat itself. And if history does indeed do this, even if it is not a perfect copy of past events, we can better understand what will happen by looking to the past and the present. To see the events as they approach slowly may follow the same pattern of what has happened before.

But the only way to prepare our future selves, or our future generations, for these lessons is to record all that is happening, in a way that future scholars may be able to interpret. It may be long and tiresome work, with none too willing to perform such duties, but as an Izdur even a footnote is better than no record at all. And to allow no record at all is to allow those who come after us to repeat our mistakes, or to fail in finding the same solutions that we might have had.

Through such knowledge gained can come wisdom, and if we follow all our other tenets we may begin to see how it all comes together.

Create wonders; your mark on the world should be felt by all.

A wonder can be many things. It may be a book, a play, or a song. Perhaps a weapon or a tool, or another creation. A building built, or a statue erected. Whatever it may be, Izdu wishes for us to create. But not just that, it is to create something that will be felt by the people.
There are so many ways to interpret this that it is, in all honesty, one of the most open tenets in Izdu's faith. One that many different people, of many different skills may approach in their own ways.

I consider my library to be such a wonder. Something I have spent much time and dinari upon, and which is a place for those cultured to enter and study. It might not be perfect, and it may be far from complete, but it is something I have spent much of my energy upon, and will continue to do so.

Will it be something that will last for centuries to come? I do not believe so, but for as long as it remains it will be the only library of Ephia's Well, at least until another will rise to take its place.

Observe the stars; their light and secrets, though dangerous, offer knowledge to the wary.

As a Scholar I took an interest in Astronomy, especially when I learned of the students of Q'tolip. I was even honoured that my own question was chosen for the Debate topic and I was honoured to listen to all those participating speak their points and assertions.
Yet actual study of the stars avoided me, as I lacked the tools and means to document and understand them. Even the Astronomers said openly that I would never be able to join them, though that did not stop me from observing the Night's sky, and trying to gather small pieces of knowledge regarding the skies, the sun and the moon.

But, the tenet does alert us to the dangers of such study, and while I did not witness it, I have heard of what some have achieved through their attempted mastery, or rather, how some of their creations have turned out to be very dangerous.

As in Ephia's Well there are very few methods of studying and understanding Astronomy, becoming a student of Q'tolip might be your only way of achieving this goal. Otherwise, you will have to gather what little knowledge you can find, and piece it together to the best of your abilities. It may be a painful, slow process, but like so much of our work dedicated to Izdu if it is for the sake of enlightenment and understanding it is worth the labour.

Marcellus Saenus
Scholar of Izdu