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RelationshipThe desert people have a careful and respectful relationship with their god, but one that is not personal, as the Scorpion King rarely shows himself. It is not to say they fear him, for the desert people fear little, but more so that he is the constant reminder of their way of life, and that the tenants of hospitality and honor should be balance at all times with effective brutality. While few of the desert people eschew the god or the basic tenants of the faith, much discussion and opinion stands over the words of the prophet, for as they all know, the prophet is human, and history shows that some are much more accurate then others. In times when the prophet is most powerful, the cultures is most integrated. Unlike other cultures where the deity is known for his blessings of fertility, it is not the woman but the man who offers the final gift. Aqrab and the four paths of following.To the Shaula and Jabbah, anyone who is especially associated with the Monetary or actively teaches the ways of Acrab is called simply “al’Aqrab.” But for those who are called to follow the ways of Acrab see themselves walking four paths separate paths. They are general classifications but loosely fall into the four following: The al’AqrabThe non-ordained who feel Acrab’s touch upon their heart and feel themselves set apart from the rest of the people due to their fierce devotion. They began calling themselves this in the day of Haddas to be distinguish from the rest of the Zuberi who wandered the desert, though in practice they have been set apart since the beginning days of Acrab’s first calling. They can be teachers, wise men or even hermits. To become al’Aqrab one need only announce oneself, or be proclaimed this by their peers. MeissianThose who live and work about the Monetary at the oasis of Meissa, whether they be laborers, householders or zealots. These, too, are not ordained, but since the establishment of the library they have been called Meissian after the oasis where they live. Though not ordained a monk or required to undergo any rites of initiation or instruction, they are consider themselves to be just as much a part of the monetary as the monks who learn there. al’HaddaOrdained residents of the Monetary consisting of scribes, librarians, teachers, temple guards, and clerks – includes the SAME list of class names as the Al’Muk, the difference being the al’Muk travel and the al’Haddah do not. These also consist of many who are simply called Tahrab “teacher” having no additional class distinction. This class of al’Aqrab take their name from the disciples of the Priest King Haddas who were instrumental in forming the monetary, the rites, instruction and initiations at Meissa. These monks and scribes are ordained by their brothers and choose to remain within the halls of the Monetary and there serve Acrab. al’MukOrdained at the Monetary of Meissa, this class of Acrab’s followers are not content to remain within its hallowed walls. Called to leave the monetary and wander the sands from place to place. This class of holy men (and women) consist of surgeons, healers, holy warriors, scribes bent on gathering knowledge, or Tahrab (teachers). These surgeons are more than tribal healers, but trained in advanced medical techniques who bring healing, teach, gather also gather knowledge. Origins of the al’MukIt was during the years of the Priest King Nakim, Haddas’ successor, that the monetary began to flourish. Many of the best and brightest of Zuberi youth flocked to Meissa to study. Families both rich and poor, Shaula and Jabbah, thought it a sign of great honor to send their son, even their first born, to Meissa to study. The Priest King was more able than most in matters of administration. Rather than spend his days in meditation, teaching or chanting, he roamed the passages and paths of the Monetary listening and watching. As dedicated as young men can be, there were some who no matter how bright and earnest they were became uneasy with a settled life. As it had with Mukunda, the wandering scribe, a deep thirst to travel beyond the boundaries of the oasis took root in their heart. At first, these disciples sought to ignore this feeling, thinking it a test of their devotion sent directly from Acrab. After many years of study, their disquiet grew until it was a palpable feeling one could almost feel. The Priest King Nakim had known all along of his disciples’ disquiet. He took much delight in wandering by as a small gathering of this certain class of men would begin to voice their feelings and compare their yearnings to be free the confines of Meissa’s walls. It is said one day a particular devotee was voicing his yearning to go beyond the monetary and teach others what he learned that Nakim walked up on him unawares. The young man, being prodded by his friends finally ceased his loud discourse and turned to find himself staring into the face of the Priest King himself. Expecting the hand of Acrab himself to fall from the sky and send him straight into the next life, the devotee fell at the feet of the Priest King in mortal fear. Nakim merely laughed with delight, his eyes twinkling as he looked down at his disciple. “So... you wish to follow the path of Mukunda then ... go.” The Priest King waves his hand, dismissing the small group and went on his way, his laughter ringing in their ears as if he enjoyed some private joke at their expense. In the manner of Mukunda, they called set out, calling themselves al’Muk after the name of Mukunda. And so it was that the Tahrab, holy warriors, scribes and garraah (surgeons) went out from the confines of the Monetary to be the hand of Acrab among the people. It is said the Priest Kings, even to this day, smile with delight when greeting an al’Muk. See the story of Mukunda on the Short Stories Page Of Prophets and Priest KingsHow can the prophets be summarized? Every 60-100 years a new prophet emerges with new
messages/visions/conceptions of Acrab. These messages may not necessarily be
totally different from previous messages, but they are not all the same. They
then go on to become the Priest King, who rules Zuben (with help from his
advisors). Where do the prophets come from? These prophets can come from any part of the Zuberi: men, women, children (less commonly); Jabbah, Shaula, Al Aqrab; slave, free, nobles, any walk of life. There have been a few foreign prophets but these are very rare indeed. How do the prophets emerge? At some point around or after the death of the Priest King, a new prophet
appears. They start hearing Acrab’s voice, seeing visions, dreaming dreams, or
otherwise receiving inspiration from Acrab. This inspiration bubbles out of them
in the form of messages to the people. Where would their message arise from, and what would it be about? As with most points about the prophets, it is difficult to generalize. For
some, their experience of Acrab is so great that it divorces them completely
from their previous life; so that they are in effect a new person. Thus their
message flows straight from their immediate experience of Acrab (visions, dreams
etc), and may have no relation to them or their life. As well as any influence from their life upon the message, it would also be
related to the conception that they have of Acrab. This leads to a message to
the people about Acrab and how the people are to respond/live their lives. For
example, one message might be ‘Acrab is in the land/has given us the land
THEREFORE respect the land’ How would the message be received/implemented? To outsiders, the Zuberi view of their prophets is an interesting one. They learn about the prophets in the course of their childhood, and continue into adulthood. The teachings of the prophets are held to be of great importance by most, if not all of the Zuberi. However, along with this respect goes quite a liberal attitude in terms of interpretation. Although they are important, many Zuberi will take the prophecies ‘with a pinch of salt’, as prophets are only human after all. There is little attempt to systematize the prophecies; many simply take an eclectic approach; taking some teachings from one and others from another. There are multiple possible interpretations of most of the teachings as well, so even those who take the same prophecies may not come up with the exact same meanings. (Go to the monastery of Meissa if you want to see how intricate some people can be in their interpretation!) Others choose to follow one prophet specifically, rather than taking a more general approach. Moreover, as most people will only experience one or maybe two Priest Kings in their life, the one who is currently alive will have a strong following. What are the prophets generally like? They tend to come across as a little bit nutty/inspired etc. At other times they are relatively normal. In yet other times they are verging on the insane or at least the highly
eccentric, and this is where the advisors will ‘interpret’ the messages to limit
the potential damage done… For example: Again, one cannot generalize. The relative time they spend in different phases will vary from prophet to prophet Also the form of brilliance and madness will vary (eg For the brilliance; one prophet could be a charismatic speaker beyond measure; while another would have a brilliantly insightful mind. For the madness; one prophet could be spouting nonsense at times; another could be so focused that he turns into an obsessive monomaniac about an issue.) The advisors are split into two camps. The Priest King holds both secular and religious authority, and there are different groups to deal with both. As a general rule, the spiritual side of things is run from the monastery of Meissa, whereas the secular government tends to find its home in Arjat (although the Shaula have some views on this…). Thus there are two groups who not occasionally clash over boundaries of authority, but also have to deal with a brilliant, yet erratic leader. |
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