Akronism: Difference between revisions
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Akrona as a deity is the central defining factor of the Akronist religion.
Akronist teachings hold that Akrona, as a deity, is omnipotent and omnipresent in all areas where life exists. She is believed to have come into existence at a finite point in time some point after the beginning of the Universe, a moment known as the Birth. At some point after that, she assumed the role of custodian of all life on Urth, a moment known as the Assumption. At a definite point - a particular date and time lost to history but in the second half of the fifteenth century AD - she emerged from the sea and blessed the First Elders, a moment called the Emergence. From the Birth through the Emergence, Akrona had a finite, physical form known as a body, and had a consciousness and essence distinct from that of every other living thing on Urth. When Akrona appeared before the First Elders, she was described as a very tall Elven woman with dark blue hair - "the color of a stormy sea." Her skin was described as "pale," and she is said to have radiated light from within. The First Elder Anda in particular described her as "more beautiful in countenance than I have ever seen" and "delicate in feature, with heavy-lidded eyes, full cheeks, full lips, and a smile suggestive of infinite serenity." She was described as "in some fashion, essentially different than the people of our nation, and yet, at the same time, just the same."
The Emergence occurred near dusk on the northwestern coast of the country now called Acronis, near the geological feature known as the Crystal Coast (from which the nearby modern city takes its' name). The Crystal Coast is a massive outcrop of quartz crystals that juts out from cliffs on the beach that are several meters high. Upon the moment of the Emergence, the crystals, normally a whitish-pink color, began to glow with a "very bright orange color." Additionally, the moon, which was full that night, also began to glow orange. The diamond symbol of the Church of Akrona is inspired by the glowing crystals.
Upon the Emergence, Akrona issued the Mandate to the First Elders, who were bathing in the sea and the only people in the area at the time. Immediately after issuing the Mandate, Akrona herself is said to have "become the light." It is unknown exactly what this means, but all seven of the First Elders used this phrase in their personal writings about the Emergence. What is known is that at that time, Akrona ceased to have a physical body and distinct consciousness. The teachings of the First Elders, and the Church of Akrona ever since, state that at that time, the Goddess Akrona became a force that exists everywhere there is life that maintains the existence of life and forms a part of all life. In this form, Akrona no longer has a body and can no longer speak to mortal beings as mortal beings speak to each other. However, in this form, Akrona has intimate knowledge of the lives of all people, animals, and plants in the universe, and can hear both the words and thoughts of all people. Upon Akrona "becoming the light," all seven of the First Elders reported being overcome with a strong feeling that they must spread the knowledge of Akrona to all the people of their nation.
===Akrona and the Moon===
Since the beginning of the Akronist faith, Akrona has been strongly identified with the Moon. The Moon was said to glow just as Akrona and the crystals did, and the Moon is known to have power - the tides - over the ocean from whence Akrona emerged. The Moon continues to be important to the Church of Akrona, as religious services are held on the full moon, and the Acronian religious calendar is an exclusively lunar calendar.
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