Kalentian, Kalentic, Kalentoi, Ohhhh Myyyy

So I'm a little confused as to the correct adjective to describe the church that rules the religious life of the Kingdom of Ensor. They are followers of Kalen, more or less the same as the Kalentoi Empire, I believe? Or are these schismatic somehow? In which cases would you use Kalentian? Kalentic? Kalentoi?

Also what would the average denizen of the Sirdabi Caliphate know about Kalentism?

Thx.

Forgive the quote; triied to reply normally and it wouldn't work. Who is Kalen? How'd he live, how'd he die? When was he around? Some basic questions I've had to very vaguely dance around as a...Kalentoician.

I know the documentation for Kalentism is currently really vague -- I honestly did not expect anybody to play a Kalentian in alpha so I put it aside as a low-priority thing and have never gotten back to it. Sorry!!!! I will make an attempt to outline some rough fundamentals here.

As far as terminology goes:

• Kalentism = The religion of those who worship the One True God and consider Kalen not just a prophet but a material manifestation of the divine Song.
• Kalentian = A follower of the One True God who accepts Kalen as ultimate prophet and divine manifestation. Common usage is "one Kalentian, two Kalentians," but see below.
• Kalentoi = The collective term meaning "the people of Kalen". This can be used as a plural (one Kalentian, two Kalentoi), but more commonly it's used in this collective way to refer to Kalentians as a community. It can also be used broadly to refer to the citizens of the Holy Kalentoi Empire.
• Kalentic = the adjective for something pertaining to Kalentism; e.g., a Kalentic saint, Kalentic belief, etc.
• Kalendom = all the lands falling under the jurisdiction of the Holy Kalentoi Church, or, less politically and more spiritually, any place where Kalentians reside.

The Life of Kalen (Really Quick Sketchy Version)

The generally accepted date for Kalen's birth is 600 years Before the Dark, and the date for his death is 565 B.D. Kalen and his twin sister Elen were orphans of Yashalen, the old Adelantean homeland of the Yehani, born on the island of Noemith to an unknown mother. The twins were quite literally raised in the Yehani church, being taken into the Yash-belam Temple community as infants and raised by the priests and priestesses there. In their youth they both showed a marked affinity for all things musical and were noted for their skill in singing and playing.

Kalen and Elen traveled widely around the Adelantean basin during their day, particularly in Near Ruleska, eastern Ruvera, and north Idiri. They were said to have studied under many great teachers and philosophers of the time, and also to have collected a great many religious and secular songs from around the Adelantean world. Kalen gained his great fame firstly through his miraculous ability to heal others through music and song, and then on account of the message of peace which he preached with ever greater fire and fervency across Ruleskan lands. 

In Kalen's and Elen's lifetime, the Ruveran and Irzali empires were locked in combat for domination of the known world, and the lands of these two empires were utterly ravaged by war. Hatred ran deep between the peoples of the two great nations, and even the Yehani tribes fought one another bitterly across the divide as well as profiting from selling war materials that magnified the suffering of all peoples on either side. Kalen and Elen, coming of age in this time, became deeply opposed to this war with its pointless suffering and destruction, which destroyed the lives of so many ordinary people for nothing more than the cruel ambitions of emperors. Kalen began to preach most strongly of all for ordinary people to lay down the arms they had taken up against one another, telling them that they were all brothers and sisters in the eyes of God, and that the petty quarrels of the mighty had nothing to do with them.

Due to the eloquence of his preaching, the power of his example, his deep piety and his bottomless compassion, countless people heeded his call -- and not only Yehani like him, but even the Ruverans and Irzali themselves, and a great many of the other peoples of these lands, to the point where it became nearly impossible for the two empires to carry on their age-old conflict. So those great imperial rivals at last found a point they could both agree on: Kalen needed to go.

Although either empire would have been very glad to put Kalen to death, as it happened the Irzali were the ones to lay hands on him first, shortly before the start of their great Fire Festival in Darshali. Kalen was burnt to death on a pyre as part of the festival, an event that was equal parts punishment and purification ritual, and that was the end of the prophet.

The Legend of Kalen

Except, according to Kalentic tradition, it wasn't. In the days after Kalen's immolation, the darkest time of the year in between the winter solstice and the end of Darshali, word of his death quickly spread through all the peoples whose lives had been touched by him. Scores and hundreds and thousands of people lit candles for him, until all the places he had visited were lit by brilliant pinpoints of light -- and at the last, Kalen's own pyre miraculously reignited, and he stepped forth reborn from the flame and ash. He stayed long enough to reassure those who had been faithful to him and his message that the whole world and all its peoples would one day, like him, burn and be resurrected, and then exist in peace and knowledge of the divine harmony forevermore. Then he vanished in a burst of light and sweet music, merging back into that divine harmony of which he had always been a strain.

Kalentian Belief

Kalentians believe that Kalen was a manifestation of the Song, appearing as a mortal but actually divine. He was sent into the world to bring harmony back into it and to reawaken people to God's Song, which due to long years of sin and confusion they had ceased to hear clearly. While divine, Kalen is not God himself, but he is more than a mere prophet -- he not only brought the New Song, he *is* the New Song. Those who choose to hear him and accept him for what he is receive peace and salvation and the prospect of rebirth.

Kalen is known to his followers as Kalen Phoinikos, Kalen the Phoenix, for his death in flames and his rebirth from ashes. He is conceived of as being Song itself, and often both he and the things he preached are known as the New Song. Elen is known as Elen Aedonika, Elen the Nightingale, for her beautiful voice which she used to help spread the New Song across the world.

There has been a lot of dogmatic dispute over the exact nature of Kalen, and the relationship between Kalen and Elen. Kalentic orthodoxy holds that Kalen was fully divine and Elen fully human, and that this duality was necessary in order to bridge the gap between divinity and mortality and bring salvation to humankind. The schismatic Nebhetic church believes that both Kalen and Elen shared in the divine, but that divinity and mortality were commingled in the soul and substance of both of them.

The chief Kalentic holy period occurs in late Darshali (Ilvius in the Kalentic calendar) and early Alkhila (Hostas). The Day of Ashes on Darshali 21st commemorates Kalen's death and sacrifice, followed by the somber period of Vigils which lasts through the end of the month. Alkhila 1st is the Day of the Phoenix, celebrating Kalen's resurrection, and then comes Kindlemass, whose happy days of celebration last until Alkhila 15th.

Kalentians have a number of prayersongs throughout the day, but unlike in Azadi there is no expectation that ordinary individuals will stop what they are doing and pray at those hours. Any Kalentic hour whose name ends in "-song" (e.g., birdsong, evensong) has a formal service at that hour, though not all of these services are regularly conducted in all churches. Monks do observe these hours and offer prayersong at these times. A good practicing Kalentian is one who does pray at least once a day, besides attending services weekly on Allday and burning incense for the God, Kalen, and the saints. The most common time for prayer among Kalentians is first thing in the morning, during the Hour of the Phoenix.

What do Azadi make of all this??

Azadi regard Kalen as one of the great prophets of the Song of God and honor him as such, but think the last part of this story is utter nonsense -- people don't get burned to death and then re-emerge as beings of harmony and flame several days later! What superstitious nonsense! Most dismiss the tale outright, but some others believe that if such a thing truly did occur, this supposed resurrected "Kalen" was really the manifestation of an evil jinni attempting to trick the followers of Kalen and turn them aside from the path of truth. Alas, that it succeeded so well! Azadi who believe this tend to feel more suspicious of Kalentians in general, but luckily for the Kalentic community within the caliphate they are in the minority.

While honoring Kalen as they do other earlier prophets, Azadi view the revelations of al-Azad as having perfected or, in some places, superseded earlier interpretations of the Song. Besides the patent silliness of the Rebirth, Azadi are aware that Kalentians view Kalen not just as the God's final prophet, but also as partaking in the God's own divinity as the Song manifested in mortal flesh -- which is obviously also ridiculous. For this reason many Azadi feel that Kalentians are wrongly worshiping a simple mortal as God.

Unlike orthodox Kalentians, Azadi consider Elen to have been also a prophet and -- since her brother was likewise an ordinary human and not the Song stuffed into mortal clothes -- the equal of Kalen.

What pretty much anyone from the Sirdabi Caliphate would know about Kalentism:

Since they do know Kalen as a prophet, most Azadi are familiar with the broad outlines of Kalen's life. They are also vaguely familiar with Kalentic beliefs and practices, though subject to misconceptions and misinterpretations.

Generally they would know that Kalentians worship the One True God and follow their own version of the Song, but obviously Kalentians do this badly and incorrectly and are willfully wrongheaded in refusing to accept the Perfected Song of God and in sticking to their own (Highly Imperfect) "New" Song of God instead. Azadi have some modicum of respect for Kalentians and also Yehani for being fellow People of the Song and the One God, but find their misconceptions and superstitions a combination of laughable, irritating, and degenerate.

People of other faiths living in the caliphate are supposed to conduct themselves very discreetly in their religious affairs, so as not to be obnoxious and disrespectful to the Azadi among whom they live. So this means that despite the fact that Kalentians live among them in fair numbers, most Azadi don't trouble themselves with deep thoughts about them, and if a PC doesn't really know a whole lot about Kalentians and what exactly they do or believe that's legit.

Thank you, that is all fantastic! A couple of follow-up questions:

What does the average Kalentian think about al-Azad and his Perfected Song? Is the average Azadi aware of this (and does it affect their potential feelings about the Kalentoi in general)? There must be some respect in which they have opted to reject al-Azad's claims to have received divine inspiration, right? I would imagine that faithful Azadis could find this rather offensive, but don't want to run with it if there are nuances that I am not grasping here, since obviously Kalentians do manage to live in (relative?) harmony with their Azadi neighbors within the Caliphate.

Apart from the schismatic Nebhetic church, is the practice of Kalentism in Idiri and Ruleska more or less the same as the practice in Ruvera? How much syncretism goes on in various specific locales (apart from the obvious example of the Nebhetic tradition)?

Given the emphasis of Kalentism on the rebirth from flame and the lighting of candles, what is the cultural relationship between Kalentism and Elestaarianism?

Thanks!

What does the average Kalentian think about al-Azad and his Perfected Song?

The average Kalentian thinks this whole al-Azad-as-Prophet thing is trash, and either horrifically heretical or just sadly misguided depending on the individual person making the judgment. The more generous Kalentians think that al-Azad had some good things to say which re-emphasize or elaborate upon the good teachings of Kalen, and therefore consider the Azadi to be at least somewhat virtuous even if they are technically heretical. Other Kalentians virulently despise the Azadi for following a false prophet and then having the gall to claim that it is Kalentism that is wrong or incomplete. The fact that both live according to the Song and that some teachings overlap sometimes helps Azadi and Kalentians live together within the caliphate, but there is still significant friction between the two groups. Tensions are kept relatively low mostly by the fact that other faiths are given significant leeway to continue to practice their own religions (discreetly), and because most people regardless of faith feel their interests are relatively well-served by living in the prosperous and more or less peaceful lands of the caliphate.

For their part, Azadi find it rather contemptible that Kalentians refuse to acknowledge the One God's perfected message and the Prophet who revealed it, but as long as the Kalentians don't make a big fuss about this they are generally just ignored. Many Azadi within the caliphate have acquaintances or business associates who are Kalentians, so this close if not intimate contact helps them to appreciate Kalentians as fellow human beings even if they are stubbornly misguided in matters of faith.

Azadi do have deeply ambivalent feelings towards Calentium in particular and towards the Holy Kalentoi Empire as an entity, which dates back to the very earliest days of the Azadi faith. The Sirdabi have long looked up to Calentium for its rich and ancient culture, its beauty, its material wealth, and even for its ancient role in cementing the worship of the One God, and Calentium has always served as a model for Sirdabi aspirations. But this has also been a source of envy, and Azadi have always liked to claim that the Kalentoi are a morally decadent people who have squandered the purity of their spiritual heritage. Worse, though, is the history of the Prophet in Calentium -- early on al-Azad led a delegation to that city to meet with the Kalentic Patriarch and bring the message of the Perfected Song to the Kalentoi, but this ended in horrible horrible disaster which has left a great deal of bad feeling down to the present day.

Apart from the schismatic Nebhetic church, is the practice of Kalentism in Idiri and Ruleska more or less the same as the practice in Ruvera? How much syncretism goes on in various specific locales?

People who are practicing according to the orthodoxy of the Holy Kalentoi Church do follow pretty much the same practices regardless of whether they're living in the Empire or the Caliphate. Orthodox Kalentians are most prevalent in places where the Kalentoi Empire formerly ruled, such as Omrazir, but members of other schismatic churches outnumber them elsewhere in the caliphate. Syncretism among the various major faiths is not uncommon, and has led to the formation of numerous sects that hybridize beliefs and practices among Azadi, Kalentism, Elestaarianism, and Nirzalism in particular. Some syncretic practices have probably even entered mainstream worship, such as the observation of Azadi Solitary during the time of year that has long been associated with Nirzalite observances, which in turn have changed their flavor somewhat on account of Azadi practices. Hopefully I'll get more of this written up, eventuallyyyyy.

Given the emphasis of Kalentism on the rebirth from flame and the lighting of candles, what is the cultural relationship between Kalentism and Elestaarianism?

It's said that one of the learned people whom Kalen studied under was an Elestaarian magus, and there were many Elestaarians who were drawn to Kalen's teachings and who subsequently left their own mark on the practice of Kalentism. There are other links too, but I will hopefully get more into this soon when I finally give Firo a lore dump on Elestaarianism!