Pariah Deities

Pariah Deities
Whereas Tékumel's gods are manifest and imminent, the Pariah Deities dwell in the Planes Beyond. They seek to consume this and other Planes. In this sense their interests and orientations are quite alien to those of the deities of Tekumel, who for the most part are involved in the affairs of this Plane and arguably "care" to greater and lesser degrees about what happens to their worshipers. None of this is the case with the Pariah Deities, however much they reward their worshipers.

One has to look far (i.e. far into the Planes Beyond) in order to reach, see, and communicate with these inimical deities. The letters and numbers of the script of Sunuz give you the tools for doing that, as well as for protecting oneself from the Pariah Deities' deadly influence. Just ask the tattooed Livyani. -John Til. (2014).

http://fateoftekumel.blogspot.ca/2014_10_01_archive.html

Whose aim is to destroy all existence. They'd like to create "holes" in Tékumel's "Skin of Reality" where they can enter. It is illegal to worship any of the Pariah deities.

The worshippers of the Pariah Deities are completely and utterly sincere in their beliefs, complete with a real eschatology, teleology, and mythos. -Source: The Blue Room Vol3

The Pariah Gods, if they can be understood at all, seem to seek total NULLITY, rather than just the opposite of some human emotion/concept. They are not interested in any single aspect of Being but rather in Non-being. They thus seek "Non-existence" as opposed to "Existence" (at least in our human terms). They are hard to fit into human concepts at all, and their only appeal is to greed (for wealth, power, etc. etc.), which they are willing to help their followers achieve for a time, until they finally decide to make their move and end all matter on the Planes they invade. This is not a happy fate, but their human adherents are willing to risk the chance that this horrible denouement will come later, rather than sooner. Millions of their followers, it is said, live out their lives, achieve wealth and power, and die perfectly natural deaths without ever having to face the invasion of their monstrous deity and the erasure of all being on their Planes. -''Source: Barker. The Blue Room Vol5#137.''

The Pariah Deities were never all that popular; the average Tsolyani was much more comfortable with accommodating gods and goddesses who fulfilled his/her personal needs without a lot of threatening theology. There were probably no more than a Pariah temple or two in any big city of the post-Engsvanyali age. The Priest-kings themselves had pretty well contained the Pariah Gods' followers, suppressed, oppressed, and depressed them to the point that the weaker members were mostly gone (i.e. had joined other sects or were just "in name only" worshipers). There were still enclaves of Pariah Deity worship, particularly in remote areas, the mountains north of Tsolyánu, the northeastern areas around Hekéllu and up through Sa'a Allaqi, etc. Most of these were traditional: local villagers who followed the old religions because their forefathers had done so. There were only a few real practitioners by the time the early Tsolyáni Emperors decided that enough was enough.

The temples of the Pariah Deities were not secret until the very end. During Engsvanyali times, they were open and busy, though never as popular as those of Pavar's pantheon. They operated fairly openly right up until Trakonel's troops made it clear that this was the end of the line for them. Then the inner circles did whatever they could to disappear, to hide under other names and identities, to pretend they were members of the other sects, and to erase any memory of their being worshipers of these deities. Now they have become secret. A few ancient traditions are still observed, and it is said that there are still connections between these sects and some of the temples of Change -- but who knows?

The Imperium would act swiftly to extirpate any revival of the Pariah Deities' sects: destruction and death, impalement and confiscation, as ruthless and complete as necessary, would be the order of the day. Even very powerful members of the Pariah Deities' sects, such as the wicked Lord Menggan hiTirrune, find it difficult to appear in public, now that their activities are known.

-''Source: Barker. The Blue Room Vol7#186.''

The Hluss and the Ssu are very much afraid of the Pariah Deities. -Source: The Blue Room

“Goddess of the Pale Bone”
“Ku'u Tep” in the tongue of Llyan

Zna'ye: the language of She Who Must Not Be Named.

''Source: Dave Morris. Adventure: Temple of the Doomed Prince''"The Goddess of the Pale Bone is one of the Pariah Gods, an utterly inimical and Chaotic deity whose worship is almost universally prescribed. Her few followers are the sort of psychotic outcasts who give Chaotic Evil a bad name - human sacrifice is the least appalling of their activities.""She Who Cannot be Named is now apparently interested in Tékumel's sector of inter-dimensional space-time. -Source: The Blue Room""The Lament to the Wheel of Black""The epic then takes a turn which suggests the conflation of two earlier sources, as Ksaául’s story fades into the background and we are told of the incursion of the troops of the Goddess of the Pale Bone. The One Other disappears from the narrative having, according to some critiques, weakened the gods by preventing their execution of Ksaául. The Goddess of the Pale Bone’s minions are the He’esa – those who are seen yet unseen – and they harry the weakened forces of the gods on all sides. At last the Goddess is brought to battle by the gods, along with their allies and the human heroes.""This battle ends in the Goddess’s defeat, and for a time she is forced to withdráw. But the Wheel of Black continues its inexorable cycle..."

The One Who Is
The One Who Is (known by the Bednalljans as Aíkh Halóm "The One (Who) Exists") is patient and aloof, said to dwell or be imprisoned in a realm known as "the Darkness Beneath the World". If released, it is said that the skies would crumple away and the world would cry out in despair. '''

The One Other
''Source: Dave Morris. Adventure: Temple of the Doomed Prince''"Tsolyánu’s religion is comprised of a pantheon of twenty gods of virtually equal power. Supposedly, they govern all reality, but there are hints that The One Other is the equal of all of them put together.""It is a mysterious entity whose nature is utterly foreign to the fabric of reality (at least, that is the official narrative). As explained elsewhere, the religion that dominates all of Tsolyánu states that the universe is overseen by two ‘families’ of gods, the Tlomítlanyal (the Lords of Glory), which is opposed by the Tlokìri-qáluyal (the Masters of Shadow). The foundational scriptures of the religion, however, mention a single further deity who appears to assist nine of the gods in restraining the rebellious tenth, Ksárul. This extra deity is The One Other."

Symbol
Medallion of gold: incised circle with a boss or dot in the middle.

-''Source: M.A.R. Barker. (1992). Part2/Vol.1: Coming of Age in Tékumel.''

The Lament to the Wheel of Black
The Battle of Dormoron Plain

Each of the gods brandishes the weapon he or she will use for the decisive battle. Vimúhla alone has no weapon, having relied before on his innate strength and his three tongues of flame. It is here that the One Other makes his appearance and bestows the weapon Flamesong on Vimúhla.

--

Pariah Heresiology and Engsvanyali Revisionism: Some Thoughts
(This is meant as a stimulus to discussion, not as an authoritative disposition of any of these themes! - Alexander)

I an interested in disentangling the relationship between the orthodox Engsvanyali Pantheon (Pavar's Tlomitlanyal/Tlokiriqaluyal) and the Heredox sects centered around the Pariah Dieties (The Goddess of the Pale Bone, The One Other, and The One Who Is). Basically, I postulate a much "closer" connexion between the theological-mythological orthodoxy and the cthnonic Pariah Dieties than has previously been suggested. I will further suggest that several of the more recondite faiths, such as the inner mysteries of Ksarul's worshippers, and MANY of the Livyani Shadow Gods' worshippers' rituals, beliefs, and cosmologies are replete/permeated with the heresiological "lore" and "knowledge" gleened from the worship of the Old Gods (The Terrifying Goddess/She Who Must Not Be Named) -- the Pariah Dieties. It must be remembered that the complex orthodoxy relating to Aspect Theology on Tekumel -- i.e. which God does a specific "aspect" belong to -- is largely a matter of historical, economic, and social expediency. A Worshipper of Ksarul may claim, and have huge amounts of precedent to back him up, that Nirisepugallukh (The Blue Shadow) is an aspect of Lord Ksarul dating back from the Bednalljan Period. But I wonder... what if the Blue Shadow aspect was an amalgamation of The One Other and primitive "Ksarul Worship", just for argument's sake. What if the Blue Shadow aspect represents a co-opting by orthodoxy (The Pavar descendents) of faiths/beliefs/ and knowledge more appropriately attributed to one/more of the Pariah Dieties??? The question raises itself: how did the orthodox theologians such as Pavar "learn" about the Pariah Dieties? Answer: they were probably worhsippers of these dieties themseleves, and were "converted by the sword" to the "new faith"!

What sorts of heretical/mystical sects would have been nurtured by such a situation? What would their inner mysteries reveal? [The Brotherhood of the One True Shadow (in my Campaign) was just one such sect, founded by the mystic and master assassin Ssraminesh mra Kutaya (nicknamed "The Hand of Twilight" by his enemies) in the early period of the Bednalljan Imperium in the ancient city of Purdanim (now lost).] Although their numbers have always been small, they have "infiltrated" the orthodox religious institutions over the course of centuries. Guiding (by way of "small" alterations in the rituals and beliefs of these faiths, assassination, intrigue, and cunning) the orthodox religions to "move" more toward the "True Faith" (in their eyes). The wolf in the center of the fold! Much of Tekumel, from my perspective, is focused around that sort of imbricated intrigue -- a volatile and unstable view even more than the standard "Secret Societies" (like the Refulgent Blue Curtain Society (Ksarul), or the Order of Argent (Chegarra)). The "Great War" has been unfolding for aeons behind the scenes, only now ready to burst open into a Sacred/Ecclessiastical Jihad which could be the ruin of all sentients on Tekumel's plane!

I know what you're thinking -- Christ -- where is he getting this rubbish!

Everybody "knows" that Tekumel's dieties are "really" just superpowerful beings way beyond their worshippers on the cosmic power scale! It's "madness" to speculate of their motives! Where is this "abstruse" theological meandering going! The Scrolls of Pavar "clearly" state this (look at the Sourcebook for references, or the Book of Ebon Bindings)!!! I am suggesting that a slightly "deeper" look be taken at the "historical record" provided by Pavar and others after him...

But what if the dieties are "not what they appear" -- simple atomistic entities with a standard repetoire of "aspects" to beguile their worshippers? These cookie-cutter dieties "representing" some elemental attributes of the cosmos (violence, desire, birth, death, self-knowldge, apathy) seem too anemic to be truly interesting.

[Slight rant: The ethnologist George Dumezeil, in his classical study, Mitra/Varuna, showed the historical / transformation/ development/ assimilation process underlying much of what we call our "modern" faiths. He found a mythological matrix, based on the Indo-Iranian Dieities of Mitra and Varuna -- which was applied, mutated, transformed beyond recognition, until you got something like St. Valentine's Day arising out of the cthonic "Underworld rituals" of the Lupercalia! Talk about a twisted and complex incubation of new "religious"/societal forms.]

My point with all this is: The Pariah Dieties are not just an "outside"/terrible darkness/wholely "other" to the Engsvanyali dieities. Rather, aspects of the Pariah Dieties have been incorporated/assimilated over countless aeons into the "official" state religions that dominate Tekumel today. Indeed, secretive APriah cults have always been in the "center" of Tekumelyani socieities - guiding the course of events like puppet masters -- holding key positions, having access to "special" knowledge (demonology, other planar travel, etc.), and biding their time for the "True Unmasking" -- when the old ways will return in an anarchistic frenzy of liberation and obliteration.

But where would one look to find support for such a theory. Let's start with Ksarul, my favorite Engsvanyali diety. I have always found the "Story" of Lord Ksarul's Banishment/Imprisonment, as recounted in the classical sources (Lament to the Wheel of Black - Engsvanyali Recension), suspiciously like a piece of "theological revisionism". Just as the advent of Classical Islam brought about a recasting of more cthonic myths and beliefs (Djinns, Demons, etc.) in light of the "approved party line", perhaps a similar current overtook the Pariah Dieities. Let me explain what I mean. The mythic cycle of Ksarul's fall could be a revision and retelling of a far older set of myths relating to the banishment/imprisonment/temporary defeat of the Pariah Dieties -- perhaps of the Goddess of the Pale Bone. Is Ksarul a modern "name" for an aspect of the Goddess of the Pale Bone? Both are "banished", both have legends of a "return" -- a final revenge upon those who "imprisoned" them (The End of Time stuff with the College of Wizards!!)

Notice that the classical sources are awfully silent on just HOW the Pariah Dieties were contacted/worshipped, etc., in the first place. Who "stumbled" upon them? Where did these heretical faiths get their start? Enquiring minds whant to know! I suggest that the banishment/imprisonment/return pattern of Ksarul is a prolepsis (foretelling) of the "return of the Pariah Dieties" -- an impending big Shootout at the OK Corral/Gotterdammerung which will (on a mythological/symbolic level) represent a closure/repetition of the "Divine Time". The Twilight/Doom of the Gods fortold in a legend which, ostensibly, is about a distant episode in Tekumel's "mythic" past in the Battle of Dormoron Plain. I really like that!

Is it possible (my, I am beginning to sound like Leonard Nimoy on In Search Of...) that the Pariah Dieties were originally in some way part of the nascent orthodox pantheon -- but were systematically effaced as subsequent generations/cultures moved toward a political/theological  consolidation. That the sects had to go "underground" (into the Catacombs....) in order to maintain their cohesion? And that they slowly, inchoately reasserted themselves over the next centuries? The One Oher did "help" to vanquish Ksarul -- "why" he did so remains a considerable point of dispute. But then, as sources relate, the worship of this deity was proscribed, the worshipers slaughtered, the temples razed, and all records striken.. Or were they? The Livyani have always been "secretive" about their faith on the Shadows Gods. What secrets really "lurk" in the Secret City of Dlash -- and what about that city in Livyanu NAMED AFTER A SECRET ARGOT OF THE PARIAH DIETIES -- SUNUZ??? Mere phonological coincidence? I don't think so!

My interest in the Pariah Dieties arose out some research and development of the "languages" of these heretical sects/religions (Zna'ye, Sunuz, Ai Che). I have always maintained that Duruob is linguistically related to Sunuz --again the Livyani connection! How about Llyani -- which was codified and used before the "big orthodoxy" of Pavar. What secret doctrines were transmitted to the knowledgable/initiated thousands of years before Pavar sat down with his scrolls and started penning his little fable! I think modern Tekumelyani society is a "bit too accomodating" of Pavar's theology. What did Pavar base his insights on? The Sourcebook only mentions that he made contact with several more of the "Gods" (We have only historical tradition to prove that the Names/Entities mentioned in the Scrolls refer to the modern pantheon!) As in classical Hellenistic society, with its ten or so diffrent "Zeus" figures (they later got amalgamated into one "Super-Zeus"), Pavar's writing should be taken with a bit of historical/ethnological distrust. OK - you can summon the "Gods" or their minions -- but what does that prove about their identity? Nothing. I know several will point out the immense disinterest on Modern Tekumelyani to engage in theological disputation, but that is really beside the point. I am interested in closing in on a thread that I find quite tantalizing in Tekumelyani ethnology (The Pariah Dieties) -- and trying to extrapolate the "consequences" of that into Tekumel's rich sociological fabric. After all, all of this speculation is really geared toward providing a narrative underpinning to the Tekumel campaign that I have been running now for over four years!

I would be interested in hearing other viewpoints on this. Especially dissenters who feel my slant of things is without a leg to stand on! I am in the process of compiling a Lexicographical Dictionary on the Heretical Sects of the Pariah and Engnsvanyali Dieties -- entitled Tipika Hereziark'a (Book of the Heresiarchs). It will include linguistic, historical/anecdotal, biographical, and theological information on this intersection of pariah/heretical theology and the more ritualized and hypostatic Engsvanyali theology as received by the modern inhabitants of Tekumel. I hope that this triggers some minute amount of discussion - since Tekumel's theology, history, and (most of all) linguistics are what have fascinated me since 1983 (when I was fifteen).

Regards,

Alexander Stojanovic