Orthodox Arzalism



Arzalism is the official and overwhelmingly predominant religion of Varshan. and in nature, Arzalism recognises a vast pantheon of deities, but includes many sects and movements specifically dedicated to particular gods or groups of gods. , rather than prayer, doctrine, or ethics, is the essential and defining rite of the Arzali faith, with considered its ultimate form.

Although the history of Arzalism is difficult to trace, it is generally accepted that Arzalism has been the religion of the Varshani people since time immemorial, though it has undergone major changes through the millennia. The most significant of these changes occurred in [Year], when the Varshani ruler Žuqul I proclaimed the Death God as the paramount deity rather than the Sun God. Since the Great Edict of Žuqul, orthodox Arzalism has been inextricably fused with the Varshani state.

Terminology
The word 'Arzalism' is derived from the Modern Latin Arzalismus, which itself comes from the Varshani word arzal, meaning "worship" or, more broadly "religion". The Varshani language has no specific name for the religon, simply referring to it as arzal, or alternatively as arzal žub firul ("worship of the true gods") when it is necessary to distinguish it from other religions.

The term 'Arzalism' is first attested in Old World sources in the 1890s and entered into common currency over the course of the 20th century anno Domini, replacing terms such as "Varshanism" (Varscianismus) or "the Varshani religion" (religio Varscianorum), which still enjoy some usage.

Theonymy
Most Arzali deities do not have proper names, reflecting a general lack of distinction between the deities and the phenomena they govern, as well as the highly nature of the Varshani language. For example, the Arzali religious texts and incantations refer to the Sun God simply as "the Sun" and the Death God simply as "Death".

The Sun God
The Sun God is the Arzali creator deity, responsible for the creation of the world.

Human sacrifice to the Sun God shows gratitude to the Sun God and recognition of the Sun as the source of all life by "returning" a life to them. Human sacrifices to the Sun God are only performed at certain times during the year (e.g. harvest and planting festivals), or in times of dire need (e.g. to ward off crop failure), and only at high noon. The Sun God also accepts sacrifices of animals, produce (mainly grain), and incense, which can be made at dawn, noon, or sunset. Sacrifices to the Sun God during nightfall are anathema and punishable by death, either because they are believed to have the effect of sacrificing to the Moon or because they were once used to conceal clandestine Moon worship.

The Death God
The Death God is the paramount deity in Orthodox Arzalism.

The Death God accepts both human and animal sacrifices, but the state priesthood accepts animal sacrifices only from worshippers who are too poor to afford slaves.

The Blood God
Devotion to the Blood God is strongest among warriors, who consider him their patron.

Blood priests practice many rituals involving scarification, body modification, mortification of the flesh, bloodletting, and vampirism. Bullfighting is a popular Blood devotion performed at major festivals by Blood priests who train as matadors. The Blood God accepts human and animal sacrifices, and blood must be spilled in order for the sacrifice to be efficacious. Worshippers may offer their own body parts as sacrifices to the Blood God.

The Pain God
The Pain God is the Arzali deity governing both pain and visceral, bodily pleasure, which Varshani culture consider to be two sides of the same coin, referring to them by the same word (riq). Like Raideron, the Pain God is unusual among Arzali deities in that she does have prescriptive teachings for how her followers should live. Pain priests teach that devotees should sadistically strive to maximise their own pleasure (and the Pain God's) by maximising the pain of others.

Worship of the Pain God centres on the torture of human and animal victims. Pain priests have devised (and continue to devise) various methods of tormenting sacrificial victims while maintaining their life and consciousness as much as possible in order to prolong suffering. Pain worship can also include a number of sadistic-masochistic sexual rituals, self-flagellation, and ritual scarification and amputation performed on willing worshippers (often by their own hand) to show devotion.

Raideron
Raideron is the deity that governs humanity, and his commandments form the bulk of Arzali doctrine regarding government, "ethics", and the social order. Unlike the other Arzali gods, whose relationship to mankind is generally limited to granting divine favour in exchange for sacrifices, Raideron prescribes how his followers are to behave. Most Varshani social institutions, including the caste system, slavery, the policy of perpetual aggression, and compulsory military service, are believed to have been established by Raideron.

Raideron created the Varshani race, and a plurality of Varshanites claiming divine ancestry believe themselves to be descendants of Raideron. All ethnic Varshani (even slaves) owe worship to Raideron. The "Martial among Gentiles" also worship Raideron, and their devotion to him forms the religious basis of their more privileged status in society. However, they can only make sacrifices to Raideron collectively, in order to obtain divine favour for their race as a whole, whereas Varshanites can petition Raideron as individuals. Non-Varshanites who do not belong to the martial races are forbidden from sacrificing or praying to Raideron, and doing so is punishable by enslavement (for free persons) or death (for slaves and repeat offenders). People enslaved for this reason become the property of the temple system.

Raideron only accepts human sacrifices. Historically, victims were required to be captives of war, but due to constraints on the supply of captives in more modern times, it is now permissible to sacrifice slaves descended from war captives. The priestly caste has created a fairly extensive bureaucracy to certify the captive lineage of slaves and regulate the supply of acceptable sacrifices to Raideron.

The Fire and Lightning God
The Fire God accepts only burnt offerings. These can take the form of animals, grain, incense, tobacco, oil, or burnt effigies; but the highest form of sacrifice to the Fire God is to immolate a human victim alive. Fire priests make extensive use of incense, tobacco, cannabis, and ash in their rituals.

The Rain God
One of the oldest Arzali deities, the Rain God was the second most revered figure in Primitive Arzalism after the Sun God. The Rain God is worshipped throughout the country and features prominently in the rites of Orthodox Arzalism, but a much more extensive Rain Cult exists in rural areas among the agricultural population.

The highest form of sacrifice to the Rain God is by throwing live victims into sacred natural cisterns, although it is also licit to use purpose-built wells or certain sacred lakes and waterfalls for this purpose. Urban Rain Temples mostly sacrifice victims by drowning in tanks.

The Earth God
Sacrifices to the Earth God are made by burying victims alive or by burying them up to the neck and stoning them to death. There are also two Earth Temples specially authorised to crush victims using large rocks. Burying the remains of victims sacrificed to other gods is also considered an act of Earth Worship.

God-Emperors and God-Kings
The Zûrg ("Emperor") and Preclassical Varshani kings (wuz) are accorded the status of in orthodox Arzalism, being viewed (like many other aristocratic Varshanis) as having divine ancestry from birth and as semi-divine figures during their reign, before being  upon their death. The Shorter Book of Worship, a major Arzali text, expresses this distinction succinctly: "While the Zûrg rules under the favour of the Sun [God], all owe him obedience. While he holds court in Death's halls, all owe him their sacrifices. All shall pay what they owe."

Most recorded Zûrgs have at least one temple dedicated to them, most of which were constructed during their reign and house their tomb. Several less notable Zûrgs with shorter reigns are entombed (and many more are worshipped) at the Temple of Kings, which forms part of the Great Death Temple complex in Anzo. Typically, sacrifices to a God-King peak with the dedication of their temple and steadily decline the longer they have been dead, with slight upticks corresponding to the weddings and coronations of their sons and grandsons. Temples dedicated to long-dead God-Kings are rarely visited and sparingly staffed, with clerical posts there highly sought after as sinecures by the priestly caste. However, there are several God-Kings who are exceptions to this rule and continue to regularly receive sacrifices, often at multiple temple sites, long after their death. These include:


 * Biji - Commenced the Varshani transition from a migratory warrior tribe to a state society by conquering the city of Hoklo, which became the Vrashani city-state of Anzo.
 * Žuqul I (the Great) - Founded orthodox Arzalism by establishing the primacy of the Death God over the Sun God.
 * Burušo IV (the Moonslayer) - Destroyed the Kulukusi, a Moon-worshipping and scientifically advanced civilisation that stood as the Varshani kingdom's main strategic rival.
 * Angbal I - First Zûrg of the Ninth Dynasty, who reunified the empire by winning the Sixth Varshani Civil War, killing and enslaving entire cities for their allegiance to the defeated factions. He is credited with expanding the cult of Raideron and the use of enslavement (previously reserved for conquered non-Varshani peoples) as a penalty for crimes.

Other figures

 * The Moon - Sometimes referred to by scholars as the "Arzali Satan", the Moon is the most reviled figure in Arzalism, framed as the primary adversary of both the Sun God and the gods of the Dark Pantheon.
 * Nakazra - The allegory or spirit of victory, probably the most revered female figure in the religion.
 * The Soccer God - Patron of the, an organised team sport which doubles as an Arzali religious ritual.
 * The Hail God - Many tribes, both Varshani and non-Varshani, living in mountainous areas of the country have traditionally worshipped hail deities. Preclassical Arzalism as practiced in the lowlands may have incorporated the Hail God as a minor god of punishment, but due to the tendency of mountain-dwelling tribes to rebel against the Zûrg, orthodox priests long ago relegated the Hail God to being the Rain God's retarded cousin and outlawed their worship. Nonetheless, devotions to the Hail God persist in isolated mountain settlements and among some Solar Arzalis.

Key Beliefs
Arzalism lacks a or a unified canon of authoritative scriptures. There are a large number of religious texts describing Arzali beliefs, myths, and rituals, but unlike the Bible, Koran, or Vedas, the texts are not held to be divinely-inspired or authoritative in and of themselves. Rather, they are simply considered written records of the priestly caste, who are collectively regarded as divinely inspired and the ultimate source of religious knowledge.

Caste System
Arzalism prescribes a hierarchical society that divides the population into castes according to their race, occupation, and relationship to the means of production in a slave-based economy. Varshanis of divine descent > TopVarshani priests > TopVarshani warriors > Petty Varshani priests > Petty Varshani Warriors > Top Varshani non-warriors > Petty Varshani non-warriors > Martial among Gentiles warriors > Martial among Gentiles non-warriors > "Natives" (Varshani Natives > Non-Varshani natives) > Varshani slaves > Non-Varshani slaves

The priesthood is a hereditary and officially closed caste, but in practice many people born into other castes are adopted into the priestly caste and given false genealogies. This practice is tacitly accepted by the priestly authorities. People born into any free caste (except priests) are considered part of the warrior caste during their compulsory military service, and can join the caste permanently by becoming professional soldiers. Outside of the military, the warrior caste also work as slave-drivers, slave guards, police, private security, and many government positions.

Marriage
In Arzalism, marriage is recognised for the sole purpose of maintaining the integrity of the caste system. Husbands and wives must be from the same caste, and while concubinage and casual male promiscuity with women of inferior status is fully permitted, only children born in wedlock may inherit their father's caste status. Concubinage and male promiscuity are fully permitted, and - for certain castes - even encouraged, but children born out of wedlock are born into their mother's caste. Intercourse between a man of lower status and a woman of higher status is illegal, and is usually punished by executing the man and selling the woman into slavery. Polygamy is legal, and men may have multiple wives from the same caste.

State Arzali marriage protocols require registration with the temple authorities and verification of the partners' caste equality, followed by sacrifices to Raideron and the Blood God (for Varshanis and the Martial Races) or to the Sun God (for non-Varshanis). The requisite sacrifice varies according to the partners' caste, ranging from 99 human victims for the first marriage of a reigning Zûrg and 69 human victims for the first marriage of an heir to the Zûrg to six measures of grain for a pair of free non-Varshani natives. Slave marriages are not recognised. Devotées of other deities and members of heterodox sects make additional sacrifices beyond the minimum state requirements. The Zûrg and his heirs must also make human sacrifices to the Death God for each marriage.

Reign of Terror
One of the most important Arzali beliefs is chama mapinduzi, variously translated as "state of violence", "violent order", or "reign of terror". It is the idea that violence is the fundamental ordering principle of society (including non-Varshani society), and that the Varshani race has a divine mission to use violence to subjugate and exploit other groups and to maintain the integrity of the caste system. State-sponsored Orthodox Arzalism interprets chama mapinduzi as the basis of the Zûrg's divine mandate to rule, and as the legitimising principle of the state and its military-first policy. However, Arzali fundamentalists dispute this interpretation, believing instead that the violent order or reign of terror ordained by the gods was not meant to create a state society, but rather a society of loosely-aligned predatory warrior bands practising an "economy of violence", sustaining themselves through raiding and the forced labour of others.

Orthodox and State Arzalism
Following the proclamation of the Death God's primacy over the Sun God by Zûrg Žuqul I, Arzalism was gradually transformed from a polycentric and syncretic religion governed by the autonomous priestly castes into a highly centralised civic religion whose institutions were fused with the state. Arzali doctrinal orthodoxy is defined by the High Priests in Anzo with the approval of the Zûrg, and adherence to it is enforced using state power. A vast clerical bureaucracy exists to manage the performance of public rituals, ensure that all subjects make their mandatory sacrifices, regulate the supply of sacrificial victims and offerings, and document the ritual status and purity of an enormous population.

Arzali Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is a tendency within Arzalism that rejects Orthodox Arzalism (or aspects thereof) as deviations from the true will of the gods, in favour of stricter adherence to older manifestations of the religion.

Solar Arzalism
Also known as "Primitive Arzalism" or "Pre-Classical Arzalism", Solar Arzalism is a heterodox movement that rejects the supremacy of the Death God and instead reveres the Sun God as the paramount deity. Although Solar Arzali beliefs are considered heretical by the Orthodox authorities, Solar Arzalis participate in all of the state-mandated rituals to the other gods and can easily conceal their worship of the Sun as paramount god under the guise of the state-sanctioned solar devotions. Possibly the largest heterodox current within Arzalism, Solar Arzalism is most popular among the non-élite and non-warrior free castes, especially metics and serfs. It is most openly practiced in rural areas and in the outer regions of the country, where the central clerical authorities have less control. The Wheatlands in particular are a hotbed of Solar worship.

Racial Arzalism
Racial Arzalism is a heterodox movement that believes that all ethnic Varshanis are descendants of Raideron (rather than just a few noble lineages), and that the divine mission of the Varshani race is to subjugate and eliminate all other races. Unlike orthodox Arzalism, Racial Arzalism views slavery and the caste hierarchy as necessary but ultimately temporary systems meant to maintain the purity Varshani blood and support the Varshani war machine, rather than as ends in themselves. They reject addition of the Martial Races to the caste system and believe that they should be enslaved and eventually exterminated once Varshan has conquered the world, and also reject the idea that ethnic Varshani can be born into slavery. Racial Arzalis believe that once all other races have been eradicated, the Death God will restore all dead Varshanites who did not dishonour their race or the gods to life, and will grant the race a reprieve from death to enjoy dominion over the Earth as godlike beings. This sect discourages, but does not prohibit miscegenation with enslaved women.

Analysis
The exotic and brutal nature of the Arzali religion have secured it a place in the imagination of the Old World and have attracted a great deal of interest from Hesperic scholars. There are major barriers impeding the development of academic studies of Arzalism, including the difficulty and danger of visiting Varshan, the inherent ambiguity of the Hieratic Varshani language, deliberate on the part of state and clerical authorities, and certain characteristics of the religion itself.

Many Hesperic scholars view Arzalism as a conglomeration of many different religious traditions brought together as a result of the expansion of Varshani civilisation and the consolidation of the Varshani state. This is sometimes expressed as the division of Arzalism into several different pantheons.

Nature Pantheon - Exemplified by worship of the Sun, Rain, Earth, and Fire Gods; possibly a homogenisation of various forms of nature-centred pagan traditions practiced across North Punth. Forms the focus of modern Solar Arzalism.

Dark Pantheon - Exemplified by worship of Raideron and the Death, Blood, Pain, and Rape Gods; theorised to have been the tribal religion of the High Varshani when they lived as nomadic warriors before the founding of Anzo. Forms the focus of Fundamental Arzalism today.

State Pantheon - Exemplified by worship of the Death God, God-Kings, and Soccer God (etc.); theorised to have developed after the establishment of the first sedentary Varshani state society in Anzo as a mechanism for social control, resolving conflicts among rival nobles and warrior clans, and regulating relations among the castes.

Lesser Pantheon - Various minor and local deities absorbed into (mostly informal) Arzalism with the conquest of other Punthite tribes.