This is Val's Basic Theology Thread.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Timestamp: 5th cycle of Optia, Era XIII (Spring)

Having been given the barest of instructions: Professor Leka Prachtek, the date, the appropriate room number, Val wasn't at all sure what to expect from her basic theology class. Nonetheless, Val walked into the academic building as confidently as she could. She wore another of her red dresses to this first meeting, a symbolic color that she was coming to like more as she spent more time in Nexus Prime.

Quietly, she pushed the door open after finding her appointed room. She took a deep breath, and then walked inside. Peering around, the young half-vysstichi girl gave a soft "Serale" as she took in her surroundings.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

OOC: I can't find a mod for this, so I'm self-modding.

The woman who greeted Val was a person who looked less like a professor than a nun, with her shaved head and somewhat hard expression. "Serale," she said. "Valanthia L'Evienne?" When Val nodded her assent, Prachtek indicated that she should take a seat, which Val did.

She gave Val a strange look -- not many half-vysstichi had an interest in theology, after all -- but she didn't say anything about it. Instead, she cleared her throat, and then said, "We'll begin with a discussion of the pantheon of the Aetherians. Please listen attentively."

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Val didn't really need to be told twice to listen attentively, as that was essentially what she did by default. Nonetheless, she straightened up a bit in her chair and prepared to take some notes as Prachtek spoke.

"We'll begin with the chief of the Aetherians, Ioannes. Ioannes, or Ioannolius, is a three-faced being -- hence the Sacred Three, law, order, and justice. He rules over the Celestial Heavens, and is often pictured as seated on the clouds with a thunderbolt in hand. He is often symbolized by a triangle. Please note, by the way, that I'm making heavy use of my source material, the Allerian Pantheon of the Gods."

Val did indeed note this, along with everything else. Prachtek waited for her to stop writing, and then went on.

"Ioannes' consort is Diana, the Mother of the Empire. Diana was originally not a god, but was elevated to the rank of a god by Ioannes so that she could lead the Allerians against the Cyraxians in the Second Cyraxian War. After the war, she rose to Aetheria and became queen of that realm. Her normally ascribed traits are Mercy, Order and Law. You, of all people, should know that the Emperor is considered to be personally chosen by her. She is normally depicted as a female Ancient Allerian. There is a good deal of religious controversy that has collected around her over the years, but little of that is relevant for a basic class. It might make for some good additional reading for you," she added pointedly.

"Yes, ma'am," Val said quietly, writing this information down as well.

Prachtek cleared her throat, and then continued. She was in something of a lecturing groove now. "The next deity is Aslan, the God of Honor, the Prince of Aetheria. Aslan is considered to be the representation of noble virtues and righteous warfare, and as such, is present in the spirits of all those holy ones who fight against darkness as Aslan-Immanuel, the World-Bound. He is generally considered to to be the son of Ioannes and Diana, and is normally identified with the symbol of a lion."

Val was writing furiously, and Prachtek once more gave her a moment to finish before she went on. "Carmelya is the Goddess of Fertility, the embodiment of Hope, and the caretaker of life. She is symbolized by a tree, and is often portrayed as Nature itself. She is beloved of druids, paladins and clerics, as well as farmers, and childless couples who desire children."

Val knew a fair amount of this, but she was finding this exercise useful in getting everything arranged in her head. She listened even more carefully as Prachtek continued.

"Orod is the patron god of Logic and Reason, and, according to the Pantheon, is often seen as a protector against the Plague of Emotion wrought by Meephos. He is perhaps most famous for his help to Ioannes in fashioning the Divine Prophecy, and as such is believed to grant some among his followers visions of the future. His other great achievement is the creation of humans. He is beloved of scholars, officiles, and alchemists, as well as the Vagarans and the Nimalni. He is also worshiped by a famous Church sect of philosopher priests named the Logicians. He is normally depicted as a wise old man."

"That concludes our discussion of the proper gods among the Aetherians. Our next topic of discussion, at our next meeting, will be the chief Archons among them."

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

When Val next arrived, she murmured a quick "Serale" to Leka Prachtek, and then took her seat again. Almost immediately thereafter, the lecture began again.

"The chief of the Archons -- the leader of the Archonic Phalanx, the army that defends Aetheria, and will one day overthrow Aeternia -- is Maj. Maj is also the guardian of the mysterious Exercitum, a sort of force that holds together the entire Multiverse. He is normally depicted as clad in Celestine Armor, and holding a weapon of brilliant, coruscating blue. As such, his symbol is normally a sword wrapped in blue flame -- or, failing that, a fist."

Once again, Val was busy taking notes. She finished just as Prachtek went on. "The general of the Phalanx under Maj is Phedos, best known as the creator of the elves. This creation was designed to undermine the influence of Diana -- which is why Maj, not he, is the leader of the Archons. He is also the guardian of Divine Magic, and is the god of strategy and of tactics."

Val's pencil made a scratching sound in the silence as Prachtek allowed her to complete her writing. Then, she looked back up at her instructor, and Prachtek went on. "The third of the major Archons, Cetheron, is allied to Maj, and dislikes Phedos. He is the patron of the average soldier. He is the creator of the dwarven race, and is the smith who first created Celestine armor. As such, smiths continue to look to him."

Val finished her notes. As she had no questions, Prachtek said, "When next we meet, we'll move on to the Aeternians. Good brightening."

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Val returned at the appropriate time, greeted her teacher, and then took her assigned seat. Prachtek, who wasn't one to waste time, again launched immediately into her lecture.

"The following is for your information anyway. As an Imperial Lictor, I'm sure I don't need to remind you that support or worship of the Aeternians is strictly forbidden, and punishable by the strictest penalties." Val nodded. She knew this, of course.

"Jorel was once the leader of the Archons. However, he attempted to overthrow Ioannes, failed, and was banished to an eternal prison. He supports the opposite of the sacred three: lawlessness, disorder, injustice -- and indeed, he is often called the god of chaos. We believe that it is he who created the Cyraxians. The normal symbol for Jorel is a broken triangle."

Val completed her notes, and Prachtek kept talking. "Haya is the goddess of lust, infertility, and drought. She is the wife -- and sister, if you must know -- of Meephos, and has caused many diseases and disasters, including, we believe, the Feeble Pox. She destroys relationships and families, generally through lust. She is normally pictured as tall and beautiful, dressed in black, but utterly wicked within. Of course, the vysstichi are often among her followers."

The slap in the face inherent in the last sentence did not escape Val. However, she bit her tongue and continued listening. The class was almost over anyway.

"Jalat is the god of death, the one who brings souls to the next plane at the appointed time. However, he also inspires murder, as he hopes to increase the number of damned souls. Criminals look to him, and he presides over a strange sort of plasmic sea of souls called the Umblat. He's normally depicted on his barge, ferrying the souls of the damned, clad in a silver-gray cloak that hides him completely. The raven is associated with him as well."

"The last of the Aeternians is Meephos, the god of Emotions -- and of revenge. He is a creation of Jorel, designed to disrupt the Allerian Conclave. He delivered the Blight, and is indecision personified. He is pictured as middle-aged, short and fat, with beautiful clothes, bearing indulgent vices."

When Val finished writing, she gathered her notes and left -- until the next class.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

There wasn't much left, as Val found out when she returned for the final class.

"We've covered all of the major deities and archons, both on the Aetherial and on the Aeternal side," Prachtek intoned. "There is little else to say to a student on your level."

Val flushed a little, but prepared to make notes anyway. Prachtek said, "You may possibly, especially if you continue with your studies, hear something about 'planetars.' I can only advise you to avoid any overeager curiosity in such conversations, especially in the early going. These things are horrible, and we try not to talk about them. There are much better things for you to focus on."

Inwardly, Val's curiosity went up a bit, but all she did was nod solemnly. She didn't really want to get into anything that could be construed as an argument with Prachtek.

"Also, you'll want to keep up on current events with the Church Schism. Which side -- if either -- prevails, will dictate a good deal of the official status of the Aetherian gods in particular. The Sacred Three seem to dislike the worship of deities aside from Ioannes and Diana, while the Church of the Faith is more inclusive regarding the Aetherians. This bears watching."

As Val made her final notes, Prachtek added, "This also concludes our lessons."

[Grim]

Approved, Basic Theology.

-Grim