Miaopiaoism

Oldest miaopiaoist representation, dated between 10AA and 50AA. On a cave wall in Miaopiaotiao.

Miaopiaoism was the most common religion during the history of Flying Cats. It was a polytheistic religion based on the founding poem by Altam, who unified different divinities already presents in the religions of the six root cultures of the Miaopiaotiao archipelago. Based on different interpretations of Altam writings and the importance assigned to each divinity, many variants and schools emerged in different cultures and times. Each one had very different philosophical values and sometimes additional or altered divinities.

History

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Miaopiaoism was founded on year 0 AA, by Altam, an erudite priest of the Maccin culture, when he lived an encounter with the two divinities that were going to be called Nador and Semor. He then told a poem in which he described the structure of the world in three planes: Akrotope, Mesotope and Bathotope; the main divinities inhabiting them are introduced with a precept giving their characteristics. It also told the Prophecy of the Super, which gives light on magic (previously shunned by all cultures) and told that the people will be able to bestow power of Super to a Flying Cat. The choice of granting this title had to be made by mutual agreement of "all those who can tame Dragons". Moreover the chosen person should be someone who had already saved all Flying Cats from some danger.

In the following years he spread his teachings and educated his children under his principles. The ten childs of Altam, expanded his word to the other cultures. They established alliances, thus ushering a period of peace. Miaopiaoism was adopted by most within some years. Magic techniques developed and the childs of Altam became the most powerful mages. The following generation was even more able, the 26 grandchildren of Altam tamed Dragons, as was told in the prophecy. The 26 also refined the structure of the religion, by adding Tefen and other divinities; classing all them in 11 pantheons, they also established the story of the generation of the divinities and the world. They developed a writing system and transcribed Altam's poem, their additions and the Control of Magic. This book detailed the rules to govern magic, based around the prophecy. They mostly institutionalized the role of "Archimage",who were the only to have the right to tame Dragons and thus were the ones that could choose the "Super Flying Cat". The title of Archimage was passed down to a designated apprentice, either upon the Archimage's death or at their choosing. The title is represented by a carved stone tablet, the Colm. The first Archimages were naturally, the 26 grandchilds of Altam.

Other divinities regarded as canon by most were modified or added in the following 500 years, the last being Mien divinity of metals. At that point the growing population and divergence between cultures didn't permit a rapid spread of religion, different schools began to appear in each culture. However they were remained united by the Archimage Council, held in Miaopiaotiao every 20 years. As time passed, the topics discussed during the councils gradually shifted, focusing less on religious doctrine and more on political and magical matters.

Texts

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The most important text for miaopiaoist lore is Altam's poem, it's the founding basis of the religion.

Altam's poem(translated)

While i slept this night, a burst
waked me up,
a volcano?
maybe not!

Over the sky I looked first
at Semor.
a light, a guide
right it flew

It fought another, but cursed
was Nador
dark, hot, near eyed
free it flew


Tetrammoria linked them
magic fell,
at me it tells
what comes forth.

The world of three it was sum
one over
one in between
one under

When one worthy chosen cat,
may stand out,
mages stronger
than dragons

if all choose him. He makes that
without doubt,
peace be longer
never gone.

The text first describes the encounter with Semor and Nador, giving their characteristics. It introduces the Tetrammoria the link between divinities and reality. It then states that the beings tell something to Altam with magic, through the Tetrammoria. It first describes the world as divided in three planes, then tells the Prophecy of the Super. There it is stated that when someone worthy enough to stand out above everyone else, is chosen by all the mages capable of taming the Dragons. He can be granted powers, that will allow him to assure eternal peace.

The Precepts of the Gods is the only other text attributed to Altam (written posthumously), in which are listed the precepts for the main divinities of Miaopiaoism. The text Making of the world, attributed to the 26, structures the religion with pantheons and tells each divinity story. It introduces some new divinities and their precepts (mainly Tefen). The Control of Magic, also written by the 26, isn't a religious text, but only clarifies the magical institutions with basis of the Prophecy of the Super; by granting a title to those who can tame Dragons and their descendants.

The Lasts Precepts from an unknown author dating back to 523AA, is the last commonly canon text, often treated as the last chapter to the Making of the world. It gives the precepts for some new divinities, and tells some additional legends.

Concepts

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Miaopiaoism, separates the Reality from the World of Gods. The Divinities don't usually interfere with reality, when they do it said they touch reality, as it's the case for Altam encounter.

World of Gods

Schematic representation of the World of Gods. Horizontally are the names of the early gods placed in their pantheon, vertically the names of the planes.

The world of gods is divided in three planes here called. The Akrotope is home to the astral divinities. The Mesotope is home to the terrestrial divinities. The Bathotope is home to the deep divinities.

The legend of Generation, tells that the Tetrammoria (the unions of the skies) and Olidar (the roots of the universe) existed intertwined before time. When they separated the Akrotope was the space touched by the Tetrammoria and the Bathotope the space touched by Olidar. The space touched by both was the Mesotope.

In the Akrotope Nador appeared alone, followed by Semor who was created by the light of the Tetrammoria. The two gods started battling, while at the same time in the Bathotope, two roots of Olidar crossed for the first time. This lead to a burst of energy making Lumiai. From one of the exploded roots Sonte was born, from the other Alikria.

Semor was distracted by the explosion, Nador hit him with a ray of heat, thus breaking and melting a part of him. Thousands of drops scattered, and together made Mildar (the stars). Mildar then looked down and saw Lumiai, creating Tefen. Ucci was born from a broken root of Olidar that was heated by Lumiai, who was slowly waking up. When the cold of Alikria met the light of Semor, it made Altilla, the wind. When the waters of Sonte where heated in the Mesotope by Nador, Mere (the rain) appeared.

Finally a root of Olidar touched a ray of the Tetrammoria, the path was followed by Mildar and Lumiai, who in the center gave birth to Smumilla. In the evergrowing branches Reality surfaced.

Then each of these early gods made theirs a part of their birth plane, creating a pantheon. The later gods (born after the generation of reality), went to one of these pantheons to claim their space. Only Olidar and the Tetrammoria don't have a pantheon and are seen as occupying all their respective planes (Batho and Meso for Olidar, Akro and Meso for the Tetrammoria)

Reality

Reality is seen as independent from the gods (in most schools), because it is protected by the branches of Smumilla. But they can control its aspects with the help of the rays of the Tetrammoria, the roots of Olidar and the branches of Smumilla. They can "pull" the world their way. When a divinity actually touches Reality, it alters it in an immutable and way. Most catastrophes are linked to such rare events, often even implicating multiple divinities.

Schools

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Miaopiao Traditionalism

Religion that tries to keep to the original Miaopiaoist scripts. Mostly followed by

Elessism of the sky river

This school keeps most of the Miaopiaoist principles and follows Altam teachings. However it also puts Eles as the most important divinity. It is based on the River of Thought a book written by the first Miaolti Archimages. In this story, Eles (divinity of rivers) begun to flow faster and faster after trying to break apart a fight between Alikria and Sonte. Antet and Alp fed Eles rage and Eles eventually flooded everything carrying everything on its wake. After this destruction, the world was changed forever. Eles flowed now around everything leading the passing of time between Alikria and Sonte who found themselves chained at responded to Eles will. Eles thus obtained a place similar to those of Olidar and the Tetrammoria. This school is the main religion of the Miaolti Republic.

Aithran Orthodox

Religion that interprets the words of Altam in a traditional way. However it has a more open stance to new scripture like the Touch Book... The Worshipper of Altam is the leader of this school and has siege on Miaopiaotiao. This school is one of the most influent, it is broadly followed in the Miao Empire, Lixao empire, Miaolti Republic and northern Siemetv.

Ulum Fundamentalism (Ulumset)

In contrary to most other schools Ulumset considers time to be cyclic. For Ulumset time cycles through three loops, Shestas-Telyuas-Sheushirbas (Stability-Submission-Volition). However each cycle is not considered constant, the switching between each cycle is thought to be determined by the choices of the believers. It considers Ulum to be a representation of everything (the three cycles), not as a independent deity. Other divinities are kept, but mostly as symbols for philosophical (or other) concepts. It was the state philosophy of Um-Ulum. It also has followers in the Miao Marks,Gram and southern Mimia. In these places Ulum is still considered a divinity and temples, ceremonies etc.. are dedicated to them. Before the Ulumset Reform 3653, these kind of practices were common eve in Um-Ulum. Afterwards, they were classified as superstitious and largely discouraged through the state. It was decided that only Um-Ulum state decisions could influence the cycles. Moreover, the state in which Ulum was found, could only be researched by the government or by people directly appointed by it.

Semor-Nador Dualism (Semda)

This school originated in the Arimecim tribes, it quickly spread to most northern tribes and to the Lompuxiao empire.

Daubimi Pantheism

Mainly followed by Mi tribes in Stu and... It is centered on the belief that, contrary to the original traditions, the divinities are part of the world and are indissociable from it.

Mirrenism

Mirremism traces its origins in 1000AA in the Miao (Mirmiao) tribes living in the forests of the middle Mibfoc valley. The cult was structured in the 1231AA when Niavei, a Mir priest who claimed to have been touched by Mir. Niavei wrote the text "Mir Rule on The World", this detailed the steps that anyone should follow to become one with Mir. These mostly revolved around living with only nature has to offer, it shunned agriculture and a sedentary lifestyle. Niaveir soon gathered all the Miao tribes living in the forests of the Mibfoc. In the following centuries the religions spread southward to the Maccin tribes living in the steppes near the Muhò and Zihò chains and eastward to the Merimiao tribes. The Mirrenists waged war on the settled tribes along the rivers and forcedly converted most of them. This was stopped in the 2049 when the Miao archimages who fled Urris began to expand along the Mibfoc, pushing the Mirmiao tribes far from the large rivers and clearing large parts of forests for agriculture. The two population remained antagonistic for thousands year to come.

The Mirrenists followed only the "Mir Rule on The World" (and other later additions), as it was written and believe only in Mir. They saw the cult of other divinities as irrespectful to Mir. They did not accept Altam teachings and shun who follows them. This religion is centralized with a High priest of Mir acting as head of faith, he had theoretically absolute power on every follower. However at most times his power was not exerted and in Mirrenist tribes authority fell on local tribe chiefs or kings.

Mirrenism was shunned by most states that had not adopted it, however it was somewhat accepted only in the Lixao Empire, the Ixinde county and the Lesmao Kingdom. It was the main religion in the Merimiao tribes territories, the Lermac Kingdom, the Corthò Principality and the Vivasen Kingdom.

The center of Mirrenism, was "Mirmiao" where the tribes gathered in autumn around the Great Temple of Mir, however after the sack of the temple by the Mialof Republic in 3752, the Mirmiao where banished from those territories. Until the conquest of those territories by the Lesmao Kingdom in 4004. The Lesmao Kingdom permitted the cult at the temple to resume, but did not permit to more than one tribe to gather there.

Asmism

This school was founded on the core principle that the world should stay in the line of destiny. This line of destiny was defined by...

Altamism

This religion was centered on the figure of Altam, however it rejects the original texts. It instead was based on the word of Altam-Kertus, king of []

Siem Synchretism

Most of the tribes of the southern Siem didn't follow a fully organized religion but believed in generally the same chore principles.

Tuiretovism

Tuiretov was a monk in the monastery of the Island of Klarm Lake,

Multiple prophets followed Tuiretov...

Anti-Lumiaism

Anti-Lumiaism main precept was making Lumiai a pure evil deity, it opposed (in a reviewed mythology) all other divinities to Lumiai (and some minor divinities). It rapidly gained followers after the fall of Urris in 4000AA. Popular on the red coast and eastern ... It predicted an apocalypse by the hands of Lumiai, that could be averted by sacrificing the other divinities to him. In practice this was done by sacrificing people bearing the symbols of the opposing divinities.

School of Control

The school of control was based on the belief that gods exist to be used. It was followed mostly by magochratic societies or ones that give a large importance to magic. It first appeared in response to the end of the archaic magocracies.

Lumiai-Ucci Neogenesism

Founded on genesis myths common in ancient Micium people, the world is created by Lumiai and Ucci; these two are the main divinities. In general divinities from the Bathotope were more worshiped. The Akrotope is considered to be a light-less void, with semor and nador being only reflections of Lumiai. Most followers of this school could be found in Urris (and its colonies), southern Gram and Muhò.

Divinities

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Plane	Name	Descriptive	Link to Reality	God of	Parents	Precept	Symbol
Akro	Mildar	The Star Dragon	Dragons and Stars	Thought	Semor, Nador	Do not think about stars because the stars already think about you.
	Vir	The Night Sky	Stars	Armony	Mildar, Smumilla	The stars shine always above the world.
	Naha	The Peaceful Light	A planet	Peace	Oren, Nador	Search peace, peace will find you.
	Vanha	The Follower Light	Naha's red moon	Conflict	Naha, Mohorin	Conflict follows the steps of peace.
	Vicr	The Astral Light	A planet, Diamonds	Truth	Ucci, Lumiai	Truth is only seen at night.
	Girnea	The Light Disk	The large moon	Right	Sder, Vir	Your will must not matter.
	Allic	The Black Light	The small moon, coal and embers	Resolve	Mildar, Alp	What you want matters, do everything for it.
	Semor	The Guide	Sunlight	Destiny	Tetrammoria	Destiny guides you.
	Mieir	The Fallen	Meteors and their steel	Natural beauty	Lumiai, Vicr	Beauty guides you, do not guide beauty.
	Asm	The Plain	Straight lines, plains	Purity, strict morals	Girnea, Allic	You must guide destiny in its line.
	Plir	The King	Leaders	Power	Mien, Almic	A guide is required to lead your destiny.
	Nador	The Dark	Sun heat and Anti-light	Free will	Tetrammoria	You only choose what to do in the ever obscure world.
	Osnea	The Scales	Weight	Choices, philosophy	Nador, Ucci	Dwell on the choices, think what to do.
	Almic	The Arrow	Direction	Goal, reason	Altilla, Navat	Do not loose your way, if you want to reach forward.
	Har	The Astral Fire	Lighting, glass	Means	Nador, Lumiai	Sacrifices must be made.
	Misn	The Rip	Holes	End, death, apocalypse	Nador, Mere	Do not care about what you do, everything ends.
	Tetrammoria	The Rays	Skies	Unity, coordination, magic	/	Linked are the skies, linked we are.
Meso	Smumilla	The Branches	Green	Nature, Life	Mildar, Lumiai	Let the branches make everything there is.
	Mohorin	Mother of the Oceans	Ocean life	Change	Smumilla, Sonte	Change and you can live in the sea
	Mir	Mother of the Earth	Earth life	Similarity	Smumilla, Mast	On one ground they stand together
	Jom	Mother of the Sky	Sky life	Difference	Smumilla, Har	Only air between us
	Farex	The Forest	Trees, forests	Support	Lumiai, Eles	The forest bears your life
	Altilla	The Wind	Wind	Birth, movement	Alikria, Semor	The world grows in the breath of the wind
	Kran	The Muscle	Beaten flight	Freedom	Osnea,
	Ambran	The Wings	Glided flight	Luck	Jom,
	Amil	The Sail	Boats, sails	Sailing, travel	Altilla,
	Tox	The Bow	Ranged weapons	Speed	Almic,
	Trom	The Storm	Storms	Unluckyness
	Vlevle	The Clouds	Clouds	Humbleness	Mir,	Even clouds fall on the ground.
	Mere	The Rain	Rain	Death, stillness	Sonte, Nador	The future is not written in the drops of rain.
	Eles	The Water	Water, rivers	Growth, change of self	Smunne, Smummic	Each drop of rain grows your river
	Avam	The Plow	Earth	Good harvest, altruism	Mast, Smumilla	Dig for everyone happiness.
	Telt	The Home	Houses	Security, rest		Joy is only shared.
	Usin	The Desert	Droughts, deserts	Bad harvest (drought), egoism	Antet, Smumilla	Look far for your happiness.
	Orim	The Hurricane	Hurricanes	Bad harvest, hate
	Arim	The Snow	Snow	Sleep, wait	Smunne, Vir	The earth rests under the snow
Batho	Sonte	The Ocean	Oceans, seas	Erosion, future time	Lumiai, Olidar	The Sun rises and sets, time moves on.
	Alp	The Cronophage	Fire	Destroys the present	Semor, Vala
	Nus	The Tsunami	Tsunamis, waves	Bad future, war	Vanha, Navat	Only the tsunami stops the tsunami.
	Smunne	The Wet Beach	Beaches, tides	Hope	Lumiai, Mere	Tides will carry you.
	Arset	The Fangs	Teeth, fangs	Fear	Alp, Antet	Bite on your thoughts.
	Alikria	The Cold	Cold	Progress, past time	Lumiai, Olidar	Present stays frozen in the past
	Smummic	The Dry Sand	Sand, glass	Nostalgia, melancholy	Lumiai, Usin	If you stay behind, you will loose yourself in the sands
	Oren	The Glacier	Ice	Wisdom	Alikria, Mildar	In eternal ice is enclosed true wisdom.
	Vala	The Source	Water sources	History	Alikria, Sonte	History flows following time.
	Temie	The Geode	Geodes	Knowledge	Naha, Osnea	In you crystallizes knowledge.
	Antafem	The Shining	Gold	Artificial beauty	Ucci, Vicr	Malleable is beauty.
	Lumiai	The Volcanoes	Earth heat	Natural destruction and creation	Olidar	Flowing lava erases the past and makes the future.
	Ulum	The three cycles	Chains, ropes	Consciousness	Altilla, Molpir	Exist.
	Antet	The Eruption	Eruptions	Rage, chaos	Lumiai, Vanha	Let the rage flow in burning rivers.
	Ucci	The Mountain	Mountains	Solidity, artificial creation, artisans	Lumiai, Olidar	Search virtue in existence.
	Mast	The Stone	Rock, tools	Tool making, farmers, health	Semor, Ucci	The ground carries life.
	Navat	The Knife	Obsidian, blades	Weapon making, hunters, pain	Nador, Ucci	Existence is given by the slashes of pain.
	Afner	The Guard	Temples	Priests, loneliness	Telt,	Protect from the others.
	Mierus	The Cave	Caves, mines, steel	Miners, unknown	Tefen, Ucci	If everything is unknown, everything can be found.
	Mien	The Reflexion	Metals, mirrors	Blacksmiths, self	Mast, Ulum	The mirrored self gives no hope of change.
	Mic	The Quartz	Crystals	Merchants,possession		Remember not to be what you have.
	Tefen	The Eye	Clay	Divine gaze, ductibility	Mildar, Lumiai	Do not look for what you can't bend.
	Sder	The Veil	Fabric	Limits of the thought	Mildar, Sonte	You can always find similarities by comparing the incomparable.
	Asner	The Mage	Squares	Control of magic	Tefen, Olidar	Touch freedom by bending the world.
	Akanef	The Drawing	Drawings, paintings	Manual art	Tefen, Mast	Everything can be made.
	Toflir	The Book	Books, writings	Art	Molpir, Akanef	It is not Art if it isn't a story.
	Molpir	The Brain	Colors	Arguments, manipulation, psychic magic	Tefen, Mildar	Let your eyes bend thoughts.
	Olidar	The Links			/