Verk'ohism
| Verk'ohism | |
|---|---|
 The symbol of Verk'ohism | |
| Belief | duotheism |
| Deity | Ver and K'oh |
| Region(s) | Worldwide |
| Founder | Ki'esule and Mordokai |
| Founded | Unknown |
| Origin | Various (Refer to Texts) |
| Churches | ~78,000 |
| Followers | ~100-150 million |
| Denominations | Verism, K'ohism |
Verk'ohism (Salovian: Ts'ilore'mide), often incorrectly referred to as Verism and officially known as the Church of Ver and K'oh is one of the oldest continuously-practiced religions on Urth. It is a duotheistic religion that centers around the teachings of the Ts'igna'reli and their counterpart the Ts'ignabi'neli, a series of religious texts said to be written by the likely mythical prophets Ki'esule and Mordokai, upon encountering Ver and K'oh. Its adherants are known as Verk'ohists, with denominational variations in the form of Verists and K'ohists, who follow the teachings of only one of the deities. Although the terms Verist and K'ohist refer to adherants that follow only one of the two deities, the term "Verist" is widely used by non-adherants to incorrectly refer to any individual following one or both of the religious texts. The total number of adherants is unknown, but estimates range from 100 million to 300 million followers worldwide.
Etymology
The term "Verk'ohism" is a compounded word taking the names of the two deities, Ver and K'oh, and adding the religious suffix "-ism" to the end of the word. The native name for the religion, "Ts'ilore'mide", derives from the Medieval Salovian words "Ale'd'ide", meaning "Praised be", and "Ts’mind'ori", directly translating to "The Holy Two".
The word for "Ver" and "K'oh" are directly related to the Salovian words "Verti" and "K'ohtili," both words being synonymous to the Staynish/Codexian word "Righteous One" or "Virtuous One," depending on the translation. It is believed that both the terms "Verti" and "K'ohtili" are descended from a parent term that the two words share with "Ver" and "K'oh".
Organization
There are no primary leading bodies that represent Verk'ohism to its fullest extent, with religious leadership being more localized. There are currently 12,342 documented Divines, or "Ots’mati," who are primarily responsible for the maintenance of their shrine, as well as serving as a counseling presence in their respective communities. The Council of Seven, a council of Divines who represent the seven largest cities in Aurora, serve as a de facto leadership role, but do not claim to represent Verk'ohism in its entirety.
Deities
Ver
K'oh
Mortagra
Mortagra, according to the Mesenjeris Himni from the Ts'igna'reli and the Tanagrdznoba from the Ts'ignabi'neli, is the mortal manifestation of Ver and K'oh. It is believed that, after Mordokai and Ki'esule's encounter with Ver and K'oh, an echo of their being remained on top of K’lde Ghvtisa, better known as Mount Mortagra. These echoes would coalesce and form the creature of Mortagra, who delivered further messages and teachings of Ver and K'oh that weren't included in the Ts'igna'reli and Ts'ignabi'neli. These messages and teachings are collected within the Zycalerian Myths.
K'urieri
K'urieri, also a lesser deity like Mortagra, is a being who greets individuals after they die, and also is responsible for instilling consciousness into newborns. They guide the souls into and out of what is called the Didi Araperi, or the Great Nothingness in Staynish. The Didi Araperi is described in the Ts'igna'reli as "the place where all things originate, and where all things end." The Ts'ignabi'neli elaborates further, describing the Didi Araperi as "The deepest and simplest form of being; Ver extracts the souls yet to live, giving them to K'urieri to do Ver's bidding. K'oh infuses those who have lived into the brew, collecting them from K'urieri after their life is over."
Beliefs
The teachings of the Ts'igna'reli and Ts'ignabi'neli strive to show the natural state of balance that everything in nature adheres to, as well as various guidances and epochs that teach lessons to be applied to in every day life. In modern times, the Zycalerian Myths, a series of teachings and messages claimed to be passed down from Mortagra, are also taught alongside the Ts'igna'reli and Ts'ignabi'neli in worship.
Ver is said to be the deity of all things light, and K'oh being Ver's opposite as the deity of all things dark. In traditional Verk'ohism, neither deity is taught to be superior to the other. In stark contrast, Verists and K'ohists believe that their respective deities are superior to the other, and closely follow the religious text pertaining to the deity they worship.
Creation
Verism
Verism is a monotheistic denominational branch of Verk'ohism that worships Ver as the one true deity, and views K'oh as the bane of universal existence. The Ts'ignabi'neli are taught to be an evil book written by a false prophet known as Sheliv, rather than co-written by Ki'esule and Mordokai. Despite this, many of the teachings of the Ts'ignabi'neli have made its way into the teachings of Verism.
K'ohism
Like Verism, K'ohism is also a monotheistic denominational branch of Verk'ohism that worships K'oh as the one true deity, viewing Ver as a usurper god who took the title away from K'oh in a great battle that is referenced in the Zycalerian Myths. K'ohists believe that one day, K'oh will retake his rightful place and spite Ver into the Abyss. Although seen as false writings and not considered sacred texts, the Ts'igna'reli are still taught and are believed to be tales similar to the Zycalerian Myths.
Dating System
The Dating System used by devout Verk'ohists, known as The Vadebi, use the Gregorian equivalent November 12th, 1186 BCE as day 1 year 1, to represent when Ki'esule and Mordokai encountered Ver and K'oh. There is no concrete evidence or justification for this date, but it is widely thought that the year was chosen in 131 BCE by Verk'ohist Divine Elik Neli and the Verk'ohist Council of Elders in an effort to standardize the Vadebi, serving as the middle year among the other various dates previously used as the year for when the Encounter occurred.
Religious Texts
Ts'igna'reli
Ts'ignabi'neli
The Zycalerian Myths
History
Early Antiquity
Roots of Verk'ohism are thought to have emerged from a prehistoric Mari-Suvolic religious system dating back as far as the 2nd millenium BCE, with many ruins found throughout north-central Aurora bearing the Verk'ohist spiral, and other symbolism related to the religion. The antiquitous empires of Sihlvi, Eruk, and Kalet are among those believed to have spread the religion throughout Aurora early in its history.
Late Antiquity
By the dawn of the Mernalik Era, starting some time in the late 900's BCE, Verk'ohism had spread southwards throughout the Ethaln plains and eastwards, going as far east as modern-day Crescent in Tuvaltastan and Xiopothos and as far west as modern-day Fort Wittern in South Staynes. Verk'ohism would continue to be the dominant religion for much of the remainder of Antiquity.
Decline in the Middle Ages
The beginning of the Middle Ages saw the founding of Thaerism, the religion that would begin to push Verk'ohism out of its dominant position in central and east Aurora.
The Nelic States
During the Salovian Interregnum, the region between Shagonar and Akhalibisi would establish a series of city-states ruled under their local Divines.
Modern-Day
Today, Verk'ohism's place in the modern world has been predominantly restricted by geographical and political variables, including that of the decline of mostly Verk'ohist Salovia and the rise of mostly Thaerist Morstaybishlia.