
    HIWG

    HIWG Document: #  HD3425                          Date: 05-01-1993

    From: Leighton Piper                     David Burden
          Gushemege Sector Developer         Gushemege Sector Analyst
          11 Skeffington Road                51 Odell Place
          PRESTON                            Edgbaston
          Lancs., PR1 5UP                    BIRMINGHAM
          UK.                                BR5
                                             UK

    To:   Kevin Parry, HIWG UK
          Clayton Bush, Quadrant 1 Editor
          J Duncan Law-Green, Vland Domain Editor

    Subject:  Religions of Gushemege

    Abstract:

          Religions that may be encountered in Gushemege
          are described.


    Olputouen

    Subsector-wide: Rure

    Pantheism. God is everything and everything is god.
    Believers seek to preserve the knowledge and wisdom of the past.
    Quarterly devotion.
    Loose hierarchy with most decisions up to individual worshippers.
    Emphasis is laid on communal teaching with limited ritual.
    Active missioning but intolerant of other sophont races.
    1 million - 10 million adherents.

    Olputouen  is a  religion based  upon  the  individual and  his or  her
    independence and inter-relation with nature. The religion has sprung up
    in  response  to  the  relative  isolation  of  some  of  the  original
    communities  within Rure  subsector. Although  the emphasis  is on  the
    individual there are meetings every quarter of the year where there are
    lectures and seminars arranged for the instruction of new adherents and
    old devotees alike.

    The  principle  form  of  worship  is  individual prayer and meditation,
    promoting solitude and oneness with the worshipper's surroundings. This
    isolationist aspect  of the religion  has left many  communities with a
    desire to be left alone more  than the rest of the independently-minded
    Gushemegens.

    The most notable adherent to the Olputouen is Duchess Shogs Suzjoiva of
    Rure, who has used her  beliefs in developing her strong, single-minded
    character.  Her  strong  will   buttressed  by  the  self-teachings  of
    Olputouen has steeled herself for many tough decisions during her reign
    as Duchess.

    Ast Wind Sect

    Sector Wide

    Remote Monotheism. God exists but only rarely intervenes.
    Reincarnation accomplished by personal choice.
    Devotion several times per day.
    Rigid hierarchy answerable to dominant centralised authority.
    "Word of God" is pronounced by oracles and prophets. Priesthood control.
    Active missioning among a limited number of sophont races.
    100 million - 1 billion adherents.

    Duke  Rall  Talenn  has  ruled   Balech  subsector  withan  iron  fist,
    maintainig control in any manor he sees  fit. To this end, the Duke has
    sponsored  the growth  of the  Ast Wind  Sect. This  sect is a monastic
    order, who's  influence in the development  and maintainence of society
    had  been  fairly  slight  before  the  Duke's active intervention. The
    priesthood of  the sect expounded the  virtues of simplicity, ignorance
    (of  ideas outsise  of the  religion) and  obedience in  all aspests of
    life.  This attitude  offered an  excellent basis  for controlling  the
    population of  Balech. Duke Talenn  made the Ast  Wind Sect ideals  the
    official religion  of the subsector. The  'Brotherhood' have been given
    the task of  enforcing the ideals and principles  of the sect reporting
    directly to  the Duke on dissenters.  The principle aim of  all this is
    for the Duke  to maintain and extend his power  in Balech and adjoining
    subsectors. He  can hopefully using  the Sect carve  out for himself  a
    little  empire from  amongst the  chaotic activities  of all  the rival
    factions.

    Way of Tuyll

    Cluster-wide: Hkeakewoirea' / Shire

    Deism. God created the universe, but no longer interested in it.
    Ethical and moral standards are their own reward, regardless of afterlife.
    Fortnightly devotion.
    Loose hierarchy with most decisions on a sector level.
    Rituals are combined with an open teaching policy.
    Ordinary activity and willing to convert any sophont.
    100 000 - 999 999 adherents.

    The Way of  Tuyll is more of a moral  code than a religion, originating
    at the  onset of the Long  Night where anarchy and  chaos threatened to
    rip apart the society on .  The underlying principles of the 'Way' were
    set  down by  Anders Emuillii   (from the  planets Tuyll  province). He
    attempted to preserve the best of  the world's culture by setting out a
    series of codes  designed to moderate and guide  the people through the
    troubled times. By adherence to the 'Way', Emuillii managed to persuade
    the populace of to regulate  their behavior. The last starships leaving
    the system also  took the message of the 'Way'  to the nearby worlds in
    Hkeakewoirea'  and Shire  where the  ideas of  'humanity', decency  and
    openness took hold.

    Recontact  with  Hkeakewoirea'  and  Shire  subsectors  came as quite a
    suprise to the  scouts and exploratory traders who  expected to witness
    yet  another  region  sunken  to  near  barbarianism.  Instead they got
    well-adjusted, stable and healthy  populations apparently non the worse
    for wear for being isolated from the rest of the old empire.

    Rights of Benjuhl

    Planet-wide: Gumahler (Laeth 1237)

    Pantheism. God is everything  and everything is god.
    Worshippers  will avoid being condemned  to a  hell.
    Weekly  devotion.
    No  organisation above  sector level.
    Formal  study groups focus  on discussion and  interpretation of writings.
    Active missioning but intolerant of other sophont races.
    10 - 99 adherents.

    This small  religion-cum-sect was founded  on the world  of Gumahler by
    Shiravi tah  Benjuhl in 1091.  She claimed to  have seen the  departing
    spirit  of  the  world  [Gumahler]  god  and  then  set about trying to
    convince the farming communities on  the planet that were passengers on
    a larger, more complex being. Benjuhl stated in no uncertain terms that
    the agricultural practices in force  were detrimental to the well-being
    of the planet.  This has obviously not pleased  the agrocombines on the
    world  who have  seen the  small  band  of itinerant  praechers as  bad
    publicity.

    Shagaelo

    Subsector-wide: Sallounn and Laeth

    Influential Monotheism. God only interacts with sophonts at key moments.
    Believers perform charitable acts to build better society for postertity.
    Bi-monthly devotion.
    Loose hierarchy with most decisions on a planetary level.
    Rituals are combined with moderate teaching.
    Active missioning but intolerant of other sophont races.
    10 million - 100 million adherents.

    Shagaelo  (pronounced  'sha-gway-low')  is  a  distant  relative of the
    Terran Shinto, Hindu-Buddhist and Animistic religions. Followers of the
    creed worship  the higher lifeforms  as pseudo-gods, reincarnations  of
    people diefied  at time of death.  All life is sacred  and only certain
    life can be consummed - lowly animals and plants.

    All  theses  'minor  gods'  are  subservient  to a single, all-powerful
    entity Tien-Shagaelo  ('father of Shagaelo'). Tien-Shagaelo  is seen as
    arbiter  of life,  selecting those  pure enough  to join  him/her after
    death and  become minor deities.  Origins of Tien-Shagaelo  are unclear
    but legends  have it that he/she  represents a human from  a former age
    who  having found  the perfect  and pure  life was  transformed into an
    immortal being.

    Many   of  the   higher  'church'   leaders,  the   Senschen,  are  the
    self-appointed  interpreters  of  Tien-Shagaelo's  will,  given  divine
    authority  to carry  out the   day-to-day running  of the  church. They
    actively set up the teaching of the new and less experience menbers, as
    well as organisising missionary campaigns.

    As well as a high regard for  all life, the Shagaelo creed has a strong
    sense  of  moral  fortitude.  They  try  to  encourage  the adoption of
    Shagaelo  principles  such  as  monogamy,  small  families,  continuing
    education,  restraint  in  the  pursuit  of  personal  wealth  and  the
    limitations in the growth of society  (especially at the expense of the
    environment).  Greed,  avarice,  glutony  and  waste  are  regarded  as
    fundamental evils  as from them  death, destruction and  damage derive.
    Zealous missionaries are activelly sent out  to find these evils and to
    convert those initiating or suffering from these sins. This attitude of
    intensive  active  intervention  has  brought  the  Shagaelo creed into
    conflict with many worlds.

    Church of Cahlel

    Imperium-wide:

    Interactive Monotheism. Single god interested in sophonts daily actions.
    Believers seek to expand the frontiers of knowledge through enquiry.
    Formal devotion required several times during life.
    No organisation above planetary level.
    Emphasis is laid on communal teaching with limited ritual.
    Active missioning among a limited number of sophont races.
    100 billion - 1 trillion adherents.

    Cahlel  is a  conventional church  modelled on  Terran Judaeo-Christian
    beliefs. It owes  its origins to methodism and  spread with the advance
    of the solomani into the vacuum following the nth interstellar war.

    The church espouses the protestant work  ethics of hard labour, duty to
    one's family, honesty, restraint,  simplicity  and appropriate devotion
    to the  church. These are the  means to navigate the  road to spiritual
    enlightenment and eternal salvation.

    The church has  members and influence over a wide  area of the Imperium
    and  beyond   (naturally  a  very   strong  presence  in   he  Solomani
    Confederation). The pro-solomanmi attitudes are noted with suspicion by
    non-believers  and the  church has  been  the  subject of  a number  of
    investigations and purges by Imperial agencies.

    Gangal'Waer

    Sector

    Gods of Fate
    Cycles of history, each slightly different but outcome predetermined.
    Adherents have laizzez faire attitude: 'what will be, will be!'.

    Pantheism. God is everything and everything is god.
    Worshippers will avoid being condemned to a hell.
    Devotion several days per week.
    Loose hierarchy with most decisions on a sector level.
    Services are conducted by rote in a holy tongue few understand.
    Active missioning among a limited number of sophont races.
    Around 10 billion adherents.

    Despite the laid back attitude to the outcome of life, strict adherents
    will take 20  day sojourns to a shrine prior  to all major decisions in
    an attempt  to gain some  guidance in the  path ahead. Those  that can,
    make  their way  to the  high Shrine  of Moy  (2735). Other less strict
    adherents may stop for 20 minutes  every 20 hours. Either way this stop
    or sojourn  can cause serious  and irritating problems  for the average
    business transaction.

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