 Like almost everything else in their culture, the D'ni inherited
their religious beliefs from the Ronay civilization they split off
from when they moved to the caverns under New Mexico.
Over the course of
the 9,400 years that their city existed, the core religion they
followed remained a fixture of their society but their belief in it
waxed and waned. The doctrine of the church changed over time as
new prophets appeared and by royal decrees.
In time, the number of D'ni who followed
splinter cults of the main religion, cults of personality, or cults devoted to concepts and things outnumbered those who
adhered to the original faith.
Ri'neref, the leader and
founder of D'ni and its first king, was devoutly
religious. The Age he wrote was called the Book of
Earth, and he specified that it would be inside a harsh underground
environment partly for religious and philosophical reasons, and partly for
safety from natural disasters.
The Basic Concepts
Ronay and D’ni
religion revolved around two gods.
The first and most important was
Yavo (yavo), also called The Maker. He was the creator god, and they believed he was
responsible for all of existence and that he
had angels to serve him.
The second god was called Jakūth (jaKUT), also called The Destroyer. He was Yavo’s
competition for human souls. Strangely enough, according to the Ronay
creation story the two of them apparently had a civil relationship
with each other. In that story, Yavo personally introduced Jakūth to
humanity and told them to listen to what he had to say.
The two gods had Ages of
their own that were beyond those that men could reach through the Art. When
D’ni died, they believed that they went to one or the other
based on the decisions and actions of their lives, and that they had
free will to choose which they were destined for via those decisions
and actions.
The spiritual Ages were the Perfect Age of Yavo (Resev Shamlis in D'ni), which was the
D’ni concept of heaven, and Jakūth’s Age (Resev okh Jakūth in D'ni), which was their concept
of hell. Nothing is currently known about the nature of the two Ages or what the D'ni thought they'd find there. We only know their names.
These are some of the core tenets of the religion.
Upon death,
angels would take souls to the Judgment Age to be judged for their
conduct in life.
If people were good and had adhered to the will
of Yavo, the angels took them to the Perfect Age. If people
were bad and/or had followed the will of Jakūth, they were sent to Jakūth's
Age.
Angels could take people away
to the Perfect Age before they died.
Some people believed that this was
the fate of the Prophet Nemiya, who had served as personal advisor to King
Ahlsendar. She disappeared after writing a book denouncing him. Others
suspected that she was assassinated by order of Ahlsendar's successor.
Children under
the age of 25 were not
judged by Yavo for their actions and decisions.
In D'ni culture, 25 was the age of majority, when a person was considered to have matured enough to be capable of reason. Parents were
held responsible for the actions of their children until their 25th birthday.
There was a
commandment of Yavo against adultery, which was codified into civil law by
King Veesha in the D'ni 9th Century.
As
you might imagine, some D’ni ignored the commandment and the law. That included a few kings. In fact, the law was repealed in the very next generation by Veesha's son, King Mararon. It is unknown if it was ever reinstated.
Healing and miracles were possible through the grace of
Yavo.
That tenet was put to the test during
the reign of King Veesha. He was a very religious man who forced into law a
number of strict guidelines pertaining to marriage and adultery, many of which were unpopular.
It's said that the highest point of Veesha's reign came
about when his fifth son became ill. The son was a maintainer, and when he was fifty
years old he was nearly killed during what should have been a routine
patrol of several Ages. It was suspected that he accidentally inhaled
toxic gases, and he ended up falling into a deep coma. The
Healers who examined him said he would never awaken again.
In response, Veesha gave a powerful public speech,
boldly announcing to the people that Yavo would heal his son and
that he would awaken again. Despite opposition from the church, two
of the prophetesses who advised him, and the Guild of Healers, Veesha
maintained his faith for over three years until the impossible
happened and his son finally woke up.
Although many D’ni disagreed with
Veesha's religious fanaticism, it was said that there was not a
single D'ni citizen who was not shocked by the awakening and forced
to look again at their own faith in Yavo. The events were chronicled by Teshan in a book called The Miracle which was written in the D'ni year 1072, seventy-five years after Veesha's death.
The Art and the Skill was a gift from Yavo.
This tenet expressly included the idea that
when the D'ni were writing Descriptive Books, they were creating links to worlds that already existed. That was one of the teachings
of Ri'neref as well as the Temple of Yavo.
There was an ongoing problem in D'ni society
that they inherited from the Ronay. There were almost always
religious and secular groups or individuals who believed that when an Age
was written, the Writer was creating the world they linked to.
That concept
was heresy in mainstream doctrine and occasionally there were attempts to suppress it. They were never entirely successful.
In fact, a few years before the Fall of D'ni a soapbox speaker was haranguing passersby on a street one day, trying to convince them that the Art conferred a form of divinity on Writers. He caught the attention of a young boy who listened intently. The speech caught the boy's imagination, and he never forgot it. That boy's name was Gehn, the son of Ātrus and Ti'ana.
Marriage was
considered an important part of religious life.
All D'ni
citizens were expected to marry. It was believed that marriage
was an important part of a relationship with Yavo as it taught and revealed
the necessary requirements for such a relationship.
Both marriage relationships
and the relationship with Yavo were described by the same D'ni word, tāgan (tAgan).
The word means "to love with the mind", and implied a deep
understanding, respect, and most importantly, unselfish love for one another.The
D'ni believed that marriage strengthened one's relationship with Yavo by
providing a more concrete foundation for understanding what it meant
to love.
The concept of tāgan grew in importance as time passed,
and some D'ni came to believe that tāgan with Yavo was all that was needed
to go to the Perfect Age. According to them, following Yavo's commandments
to the letter was unnecessary. This "Love is All" doctrine would be roundly
denounced by a prophet named Gish beginning in D'ni year 5574.
Holy Days and Rituals
Little is known
about D'ni religious rituals and services, but what is known is that
they had three religious holidays annually that were called the Feasts of
the Maker. On the 10th of Leenovoo (March 27th) was the First
Feast of the Maker. On the 20th of Leebro (June 21st)
was the Second Feast of the Maker, and on the 18th of
Leevofo (November 11th) was the Third Feast of the Maker.
It’s known
that the D’ni had funeral services, but very few D’ni
were buried in the caverns since every inch of rock that was stable enough
for building was important. Instead, after the funeral service the bodies were
linked to a burial Age where they were laid to rest. The families didn’t
go there to witness the burial. Instead, the bodies were transported by members
of the Guild of Burial Workers, who were responsible for all handling of the
deceased.
The only reference that is known about the funeral service
is that it included a prayer to the soul of the deceased. The priest would
say "May
Yavo receive your soul”
and friends and family would say “May we meet again in the
Perfect Age."
Priests
and Prophets
Very little is known about the structure of D'ni religious
organizations. The King Me'erta notebook mentions that the Temple of Yavo
had priests and prophets staffing it, but there is no mention of other kinds
of clergy or lay clergy. What is known is that in the early centuries, visiting the temple seems to have been a privilege of the wealthy.
A claim has been made that RAWA once mentioned that a Guild
of Priests existed to an explorer. That would be reasonable considering how deeply entwined D'ni society was with guilds. If true, it would mean that there were apprentices, guildsmen and
master priests and it would have been a minor guild since it's not listed in the eighteen major ones. That, in turn, meant that women would have been permitted to join it after D'ni year 3500
when guild education in the minor guilds was opened to female apprentices.
It's unknown whether or not prophets had a guild, but it seems unlikely.
There are several examples of D'ni prophets getting their start by simply standing
on a street and preaching to the passersby. Apparently after enough people
acknowledged it, they were granted the title by acclamation. The D'ni word
for a prophet was mēstanya, which
meant Speaker
of Yavo.
There were always multiple prophets in D'ni at any given time
and some had official positions in the temples. The official prophets were always women. The few male prophets usually got their start preaching on the streets.
D’ni was a
male-dominated society, and it was rare for women to hold positions
of critical importance. However, religion was a notable exception to
the rule, especially when it came to prophets. Women were believed to be more
in tune with Yavo's voice and that it made them ideal candidates for receiving
divine prophecies and guidance. Because of that, the majority of prophets were always
women. When Shomat, the third king of D’ni,
went horribly wrong and was caught in his misdeeds in D’ni year
400, a woman prophet was appointed to be his personal advisor to
straighten him out.
That proved to be
such a success that it was made into law that every king would have
to employ a prophet as their chief advisor, although the king got the final
say in who it would be and not all of the kings actually listened to their prophet. The vast majority of the personal religious advisors employed
by kings were women. The only exception was King Rakeri, who appointed
a male prophet named Tevahr to the position partway through his reign.
The prophetess
and the king were supposed to keep their personal feelings out of their relationships
so that they could be objective about one another and the D'ni people. Romantic
relationships between king and prophet was frowned upon. However, as in the case of King
Mararon who was suspected of fooling around with several female prophets as
well as his advisor, that prohibition was not always obeyed.
Pregnant women were
believed to be even more insightful. As a result, an unofficial
part of the pregnancy experience was for women to meditate and seek a
revelation from Yavo about their child’s future. The
revelation was intended to be a guide to the child's probable talent and
purpose, and it was taken very seriously. In D'ni, a woman's
highest duty was the guidance of her children and the revelation
was meant to give her a roadmap to follow.
Known Prophets
Ūrpa
Ūrpa was a
prophet who lived some time before the diaspora of the Ronay
people. He was a prolific author and his prophecies and other
writings were compiled into several books called Regeltavokh
Ūrpa, which means The Writing of Ūrpa.
Ūrpa was most
noted for his prophecies about the coming of a Great King who would
lead the Ronay to unimagined levels of
greatness and prosperity. His prophesies about the Great King
revolved around a monument called the King's Arch that was located
somewhere on Garternay. A key point in the prophecies was that the Great King would sail beneath that arch before his coronation.
When D’ni was
founded, Ri'neref was a devotee of
Ūrpa's prophecies and the collected volumes of The Writing of Ūrpa were among the principle
religious books he brought with him. The Writing of Ūrpa was so
important that the copies he brought from Garternay were stored in the Temple
of Yavo, which was called Regeltovokum and which was completed in D’ni
year 63. We don't know an exact translation of the name, but we can break it down a little. Regel means the write and to means place. Vokum is the part which is not understood.
Ri'neref also had a golden throne made and set in the temple. It isn't
mentioned in his notebook, but as a guess, the throne was probably intended
for the the Great King to use and reserved for his coming, instead of being
used by the reigning monarch.
That idea is reinforced by the King Jakreen notebook. In D'ni year 598, King Ja'kreen announced plans build a replica of the King's
Arch, and the job of designing it was led by Guild Master
Koris of the Guild of Stone Masons. In 600, construction was begun, and the
arch was completed in 625. There was a grand celebration on the day it was unveiled
because it allowed for
the passage of the Great King foretold in Ūrpa's prophecies. In fact, from
the time of its completion onward, all of D'ni's kings sailed through the
Arch as part of their coronation ceremony.
After construction of the Arch was underway, Ja'kreen began planning to
construct a temple dedicated to the Great King. Specifications for such a building
had been mentioned in the prophecies, and Ja'kreen made
sure that they were followed to the letter even though there were complaints
from the construction crews. Work on the new temple was finished
in 643 and when the temple was ready, Ja'kreen ordered that the golden throne be moved to it from Regeltovokum.
Yeesha borrowed
passages from the Writing of Ūrpa and left them in a
notebook on the right-hand shelves of Relto. She associated the
passages to the four books she left in Relto for the Path of the
Hand. Here are the known passages from the books.
Book 2, Entry 1,071,
Item 54: When all is taken from one, the only hope that remains is
what is given by another. Through this giving, both are redeemed.
Book 9, Entry 221,
Item 29: The truth of a man is found in the darkness beneath the
surface. Some light might reveal only what some men want to be seen.
Book 9, Entry 221,
Item 77: Only the way a man is when he is hidden is how he is. A
shallow glimpse can deceive. Look deep, ponder and recognize all that
is hidden.
Book 12, Entry 32,
Item 134: The laws contrived by the proud are their security and
their undoing. Such laws make disobedience a virtue and obedience a
sin.
There is an unidentified entry
from The Writing of Ūrpa in King Ahlsendar’s notebook that is part of the prophesies about the Great King: Only the stone, while they pass
beneath, listens to his cries and comforts her fear. Only the Arch
welcomes the reign of the great one who guides us.
Nemiya
Nemiya was the advisor appointed to King Ahlsendar
when he was coronated in D’ni year 1352, which was at the height of the
Pento war. Although Nemiya respected Ahlsendar, the same could not be said
about his opinion of her. His notebook mentions that he rarely consulted with
her, and often dismissed her advice as foolish and childish when he did. As
a result, Nemiya was rarely seen with him. She was mostly relegated to making appearances
at official ceremonies and the other public events. Ahlsendar apparently took on
the role of being his own prophet, and went so far as writing several books of prophecy
over the course of his reign.
Perhaps motivated by his treatment of her as well as his admission
of guilt in creating the Pento Plague, Nemiya was most noted for publishing
a book in 1520 called The Book of Nemiya, about nineteen years after he sealed himself into the Temple of the Great King and died. At the time, the
people of D’ni had mostly accepted the idea that Ahlsendar was the Great
King who had been foretold by Ūrpa. In her book, Nemiya soundly denounced Ahlsendar, calling him a fraud and a liar. The book was initially unpopular, but it gained traction
and more and more of D'ni became disillusioned with Ahlsendar.
Nemiya’s fate is unknown. She simply vanished in 1527.
Some claim she was assassinated by Ahlsendar's successor, Solath, while others
claim she was spirited away by angels. Regardless, while her book damaged Ahlsendar's
reputation and made many of the people question whether or not he'd been the Great King,
it didn't convince the society as a whole. The idea that he'd been the man
foretold by Ūrpa remained in the hearts and minds of the D'ni long after
both he and Nemiya were gone. The debate was a popular topic of sermons, both for and against,
among generations of prophets right up until the Fall of D'ni.
Nemiya's status as a figurehead advisor was not the first
time and would not be the last time that a king took on a prophet they refused to
listen to. It would happen again and again throughout D'ni
history. Once or twice, it would have been better if a king had ignored his prophet.
Aleshay
Not much is mentioned about Aleshay, who may have been the
personal advisor of King Me'erta. She's most noted for having kept a journal
of his reign. The only quote from her journal that's currently known was "Me'erta
himself had no time to rule D'ni, he was much too busy… too focused
on satisfying the women who ruled him…."
Tevahr
Tevahr was a supporter of the Ahlsendar as the Great
King and of the original teachings of Ri'neref. He rose to prominance in the
D'ni year 3077 during the reign of King Rakeri.
When Tevahr began preaching,
alternative religious cults and sects were at the highest point of their influence
in D’ni history. There were literally more D’ni adherents in the
cults than there were following the teachings of the mainstream temples. Tevahr began his career by denouncing all of the religious
sects and cults of his time. He encouraged participation in the official Temple
of Yavo and belief in its commandments.
When King Rakeri first got news of Tevahr,
he didn't like what he heard about the man and spoke against him. That changed
when Rakeri went to hear one of Tevahr's sermons in person and it broke out into into a
debate between the two of them. It isn't mentioned what was said, but whatever it was Tevahr had told him made Rakeri begin questioning himself and his
beliefs. As a result, in 3081 Rakeri appointed Tevahr to the role of his personal advisor
and prophet. The two got along famously for the rest of Tevahr's life.
Tevahr was extremely influential, and was so convincing as a preacher that he was able to
convert almost all of D’ni back to the Temple of Yavo within just twenty-three
years of beginning his ministry. A census taken six hundred years earlier had
recorded 2,500 registered religious sects. By 3100, there were only forty-seven
sects left in existence and just ten of those sects had more than five hundred
members. When he died, Rakeri decreed five days of national mourning, and except
for the members of a few cults that opposed Tevahr, the majority of D'ni participated.
Shama
King Rakeri's prophet advisor before the appointment
of Tevahr was a woman named Shama. When he chose Tevahr to replace her as his new advisor, no one argued against
it, not even her. Shama was said to be thrilled that Tevahr's wisdom was being sought
by the king.
Hālesi
Hālesi was the personal advisor of King Tejara. She wrote a book about
him titled The Lost Son in D'ni year 3422. The book was an expose
of a corrupt reign devoted to personal gain and enrichment, and explained how Tejara was such
a masterful con artist that even after his death those
who saw through his lies were few and far between.
Athsheba
Athsheba was the personal advisor of King Ti'amel, son of Tejara. Athsheba
kept a private journal of her observations of Ti'amel's court, which was dominated
by his wife, who was named Shama, but who was not the prophet of the same name. Ti'amel was lazy, pleasure-seeking and ineffective,
but Queen Shama was definitely not. She was the power behind the throne during his reign, and it was she that kept the empire running.
It was under her administration that laws were enacted that
allowed women to seek higher education and become members of
the minor guilds. It isn't said whether or not she pressed for the laws. What is known is that she publically spoke against women being permitted to join the major guilds. It's also unknown whether or not Athsheba ever gave advice to Shama.
Tresari
The personal advisor of King Me'emen. Me'emen had a productive
reign after his coronation in D'ni year 5240, but it all fell apart for him
in 5540. His son Ashem, who was a Healer guildsman, contracted an unknown disease
in a new Age and died despite the best care the empire could give. Me'emen
fell into a deep depression and it was Tresari who stayed by his side to help
him deal with his grief. She was able to offer him a great deal of spiritual
comfort, and he was able to die contented because of her counsel.
It was thought
to be by her recommendation that he made Adesh his successor, and Tresari remained
the advisor when Adesh began his reign. However, the wisdom of her years with
Me'emen may have deserted her, because it's thought by some that she may have
been behind the poor decisions he made when trying to deal with the prophet
Gish.
Gish
First appearing in 5574 during the reign of King Adesh, Gish
was a hardline prophet who insisted on preaching about the commandments of
Yavo and nothing else. He denounced both Tevahr and Ahlsendar — Tevahr because
he supported Ahlsendar — and denounced the idea that tāgan alone could save the
souls of the D’ni. He blasted the doctrine as diluting the people's worship
of Yavo.
Outside of his preaching, Gish was a political firebrand and a D’ni purist who demanded that all contact with outsiders be
halted. His inflammatory politics caused him to become hated by Adesh and he
was imprisoned frequently. Things eventually came to a head and Adesh ordered
relyima (the D'ni secret police who normally tried to keep religious cults from getting out of hand) to kill him. Gish's feud with and frequent arrests by Adesh had gained
him notoriety and attracted many more followers than he ever would have gotten
on his own, so the assassination just made him into a martyr.
The order for Gish’s assassination proved to be a serious mistake with disastrous consequences for both Adesh and relyima. Adesh was assassinated in
turn by one of his advisors in D'ni year 5701, and his successor, Lanaren,
sold out and disbanded relyima despite all the good the organization had done
since its founding. Gish, on the other hand, was remembered long after his
death and by the end of the Mee-Dis War, around D’ni year 7000, almost
all of D'ni professed a belief in his doctrine that D'ni should be isolated from outsiders.
The Mee-Dis War was a civil war which lasted one hundred years, beginning in D'ni year 6985 and ending in 7085. The fighting sprang both from religious and social debates over involving outsiders in D'ni affairs, and from political and social instability caused by the sudden change when King Kerath formed the Guild Council system of government and then abdicated. The D'ni were extremely conservative, and the rapid alteration of the way they were ruled sat poorly with many of them.
In a lecture given by J. D. Barnes and Gary Buddel, it was revealed that the Mee-Dis war had been started by conservative factions but blamed on the progressives of the day. The dominant cult at that time was comprised of the followers of Gish, and at the end of the war, the beliefs of Gish were codified into law by the government. All other beliefs, including the original faith of Ri'neref, were declared heresy. While other cults still existed, they were few in number and were forced to hide to avoid legal prosecution.
The Watcher
The Watcher was supposedly born mid-link while his
mother escaped an explosion in the Age of Trases in D’ni year 4334. He
wrote that he was struck blind in the Age of Windring after witnessing a star named Ces blow up as
a supernova, although he regained his sight many years later.
He was rumored to be able to see beyond time and view the
past, present, and future. He wrote a book of prophecy called Words in
D’ni year 4500. The book spoke cryptically of the destruction and rebuilding
of D'ni and the signs that would foretell of its coming.
His work was most noted for its prophecy foretelling the coming
of the Grower, a person who was supposed to take D’ni, remove the parts
that had become bad, and cause the empire to be regrown as a fresh and new
society that would be as Yavo wished it to be.
His account of how he wrote Words is unique. According
to the Watcher, after he regained his sight, Yavo spoke to him and gave him
the sentences he was to write in a manner that was meant to prevent him from
understanding what he was recording in his notes.
“Behold.
You have watched for me, and now I will bless you. Today I have given you
your sight, and tomorrow you will prosper. I will give you wisdom, but
I will keep you from pride. The wisdom I give, you will not understand,
it is for those to come. Be humble and write the wisdom that I will show
you.”
And
so on the first day the Maker gave me five lines of wisdom. And I wrote
the first five lines in five sections, one in each section. And so on the
second day the Maker gave me five more lines of wisdom. And these lines
became the second lines in each of the five sections.
For
one hundred and twenty-five days the Maker gave me five lines of wisdom
on each day. And they were added to the sections.
And
then I rested.
And
this is how these words of the Maker were given to me. But I know not whether
they are signs of things that have been, or signs of things that will be.
And these lines I have written so that those who come after me will know
the wisdom of the Maker. |
The Watcher is reported to have died in 4606 DE, though a
few D’ni claimed to have seen and talked with him after his supposed
death.
Sects
and Cults
At various points in
D'ni history, the D'ni turned away from or downplayed the worship of
Yavo and the teachings of the official church, and looked instead to
nature or elements to provide the answers and guidance they sought. Even within
the mainstream, there were sects that emphasized one or another of the official
doctrines.
D’ni
year 2500 is often credited as the height of religious confusion in D’ni.
A census taken at the time recorded 2,500 registered cults operating in D'ni.
Part of the appeal of the cults was that many claimed to have healing powers
through a variety of different means. Some said they received powers from nature,
from special leaders, or directly from Yavo himself.
These are a few of the more
famous ones.
The
Tree
The Tree was a cult
that believed that ancient Descriptive Books held special spiritual
powers. Jolatha, who was King Solath's wife and King Me'erta's
mother, was a devout member of it. She actively tried to discredit
the Temple of Yavo and King Ri'neref's teachings, and to encourage
the growth of various cults. She also was a fan of the Book of Nemiya
and considered Ahlsendar a foolish fraud.
Jolatha was the
power behind the throne during the reign of her son, Me’erta,
and had him make decrees and authorize actions that she thought would
benefit her cult. One such move was to have him declare that the D’ni
zero meridian was inaccurate, and propose a new one. It wasn't seriously expected
to work, but the idea was to muddy the water politically. Me’erta
then proposed a new Temple of The Tree on his proposed line, which was completed
in D’ni
year 1843. He also sanctioned new temples for two other cults.
Another action she
was responsible for was a break-in into the Tomb of the Great King. King Ahlsendar had blockaded himself inside the temple with a number of
important Descriptive books in an attempt to stop the spread of the Pento Plague.
Jolatha's burglary was partly because she wanted to discredit him, and partly
because her cult believed that the books he was entombed with would
have especially great importance and power. She had workmen unseal the temple and entered it herself. Once inside, she took several Books
and a fragment of Ahlsendar’s robes. In doing so, she doomed
herself.
The Pento plague had not been harmful to the D'ni when Ahlsendar sealed himeslf within the temple. However, in the years between Ahlsendar's entombment and Jolatha's entry into the tomb, the plague had mutated. Perhaps the reason it mutated was because the only body it had to infect was his, but there's nothing written to explain it. All that's known for certain is that when Jolatha entered the tomb, it was dormant but still viable, and it was both harmful and highly infectious to the D'ni. With access to a living host, the micro-organisms quickly reactivated and Jolatha died two days later. The renewed plague
went on to ravage the D'ni people for centuries and permanently lowered their birth rate.
Water
Not much at all is known about this cult. Even the name is
a guess based on the name of their temple. All that is known is that King Me'erta
sanctioned the construction of the Temple of Water on his proposed new zero
meridian, and it was completed in D’ni year 1876.
The
Sacred Stone
Not very much is
known about The Sacred Stone, but like other cults of its
time, it didn’t focus on Yavo. It’s unknown if Yavo was
even a part of their religious doctrine. King Me’erta
sanctioned a new temple for the cult on his proposed new zero
meridian, and it was completed in D’ni year 1902.
The
Writers of Yavo
This sect eventually
became one of the three largest in D'ni. They believed that it was
their duty to write a linking book to the Perfect Age.
Extremist
Cults
As with any belief
system, some individuals in D'ni took their beliefs to violent
extremes and plotted treason against the government and their own people to
get what they wanted. Most were isolationists, but some viewed outsiders
as a resource to be used to advance their cause.
Judges
of Yavo
(Regolantēokh Yavo)
The Judges believed
that they were called to exercise Yavo's judgment on everyone else
in D’ni since no others could understand and interpret His will
as they did. They decided that the only way they could make D’ni
into a society that would please Yavo was to subjugate it and rule
over it with an iron fist.
In D’ni year
1320, during the reign of King Koreen, a Writer guildsman who was a
member of the cult wrote an Age called Pento specifically to find a
warlike outsider culture that the Judges could use as mercenaries. It
was successful, and the Judges launched a war on their fellow D’ni
that lasted for decades and only ended when Ahlsendar took the throne
and convinced one of two brothers who were leading the Pento warriors
to turn on the Judges.
Blood
of Yavo
This cult was noted for terrorism in the pursuit of isolationism, and not even the royal family was safe from them. They were
responsible for the death of King Yablehan's son, and are one of two
organizations believed to have been responsible for the kidnapping of
King Ishek's wife and the assassination of King Loshemanesh.
In D'ni year 4103, King Ishek and his wife had been touring a food facility run by natives on the Age of Yimas. His party was ambushed and his wife was kidnapped. Supposedly the group responsible were Yimas natives who were demanding Ages that they could rule, but after relyimah tracked down the group and rescued the queen they discovered that the whole plot was orchestrated by the cult as a way of "proving" that contact with outsiders was dangerous and that they were barbaric. The plot backfired when the D'ni public found out that fellow D'ni were behind it, and it generated sympathy for outsider cultures.
In D'ni year 4438, King Loshemanesh, the son of Ishek, was assassinated by the cult. While he'd been a proponent of restricted trade and contact with outsiders, he often said that it was D'ni who were a bad influence on them and that they needed to be protected from D'ni exploitation. Whether it was revenge on his parents or anger about his policies, The Blood of Yavo members decided to kill him.
In D'ni year 4784, an assassination attempt was carried out against
King Demath which was foiled by two members of relyima, who died shielding the king.
The perpetrators were captured and sent to a death Age two years later. Blood
of Yavo's leader, a man named Goshen, blamed the whole affair on contact with
the people of other Ages and said in a public speech, "D'ni is killing itself,
for the sake of the outsiders."
In 4865, during the reign of King Yableshan, a leader of the cult was arrested. Members of the cult kidnapped the king's oldest son and sent a ransom letter saying that they'd would kill him if their leader wasn't freed. Yableshan ordered relyima to find his son, but they were unable to. It was discovered later that a key member of relyima had joined the Blood of Yavo and was aiding them. Yableshan gave in to the cult's demands and released the prisoner they had asked for. The body of his son appeared on the steps of the palace a few days later.
The DRC notebooks do not mention what became of the cult in the end.
Light
of D'ni
The Light of D'ni
was the other of the two organizations suspected of being responsible for
the kidnapping of King Ishek's wife, although relyima's records placed the blame squarely on Blood of Yavo.
One
D'ni
This isolationist
faction was responsible for the deaths of 400 outsiders and 78 D'ni
in an explosion on Meanas in D'ni year 4954.
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Temple
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