Arkivism

Arkivism was a scholastic religion which held the language, writings, and science of the Ancients to be Holy; and its adherents dedicated their lives to its preservation. Arkivists believed that the human mind was the most powerful entity in the perceivable world, and that learning and teaching were the two noblest of pursuits. Unlike other religions they did not have an concept of God, rather, they believed that men and women themselves were capable of divinity, through the obtainment of the sacred wisdom of the old world and the wonders which it held. They viewed themselves as the gatekeepers of knowledge, and therefore humanities only link to its mostly forgotten past.

The Arkivists believed it was their divine duty to preserve, and then reteach the wonders of the Ancients to the world. They dedicated their lives to the memorization of the old alphabet, using it to decode the lost knowledge of the Old World for themselves and others. To the Arkivist, nothing was more important than learning, as it was the only way to increase ones acumen and bring them closer to scholarly enlightenment. With the obtainment of acumen, one could develop a pristine moral code, and with the utilization of the powers of their ancient science and philosophy they believed they could better the world by healing the sick, looking after the poor, and feeding the hungry. Through rational and pragmatic thought, the Arkivists hoped to rebuild a civilization as advanced as the one of the ancients, while guiding the new worlds people away from the many mistakes their predecessors had made in the times before. The Arkivists ultimate goal was the Re-Enlightenment, which they believed would save the world from the darkness of ignorance, and lead it to a better tomorrow.

The faith originated before the summer, when their founders known as the Benefactors began to compile the wisdom of their time in a massive underground sanctuary of learning known as Ark Mount. The Ark was sealed before the summer with the Arkivists within it, and for 500 years they remained underground in darkness. Within the it’s confines they waited out the seemingly endless summer, slowly transforming from a secular archival society into a religion which revered the works and language of the ancients as Sacred. By the time of their emergence they had developed into a priesthood of men and women who were literate in the now long-dead English language. A language which had long since splintered into the various new regional languages spoken by the majority of Maar’Kan's.

Following their emergence at the eve of the summer, the Arkivists spread out across their new homeland of Kolratia, converting its few surviving peoples to their faith, and establishing a new nation centered on Ark Mount. They began to use the ancient English tongue as their liturgical language, spoken by their priests who translated and copied ancient books, relics of the prior age. But the Arkivists were met with suspicion from surrounding nations and faiths, who viewed their reverence of the ancient science and language as sorcery, as they believed it was the very thing that had led to the destruction of the Old World and suffering of the Summer. As a result, the Arkivists were many times subjected to persecution by the other nations of Maar'Ka, who attacked and subjugated their homeland. Ultimately leading to the Arkivist revolt against the Khagoans, which led to the destruction of Ark Mount and the scattering of the faiths survivors across the continent.

Yet Arkivism persisted and its followers continued to dedicate their lives to preserve the ancient wisdom which they had protected for centuries upon centuries.

Etymology
Arkivism derives from the ancient English word Archivist. The followers of the Benefactors became known as Archivists shortly before the summer, and over time; as with all words of ancient English, it mutated into the word Arkivist. The name may also derive from the Arkivists holy city and origin point of Ark Mount, but this is disputed by scholars.

Beliefs
The core of the Arkivism is the obtainment of "Acumen", or knowledge considered to be sacred and precious. In order to do this one must learn the sacred tongue of ancient Maar'Ka; English, although other ancient languages such as Spanish and French are also learned by some Arkivists for the understanding of pre-summer works written in those languages.

The Arkivists viewed themselves as a chosen people, selected by the ancients to save the knowledge of their time from the unavoidable age of ignorance brought on by the summer. They believed it was their lifelong duty to protect the words and works of the ancients with their lives, so that future generations would not forget their powerful potential. The preservation of this wisdom was their first directive, as without it their goal of initiating the re-enlightenment would become meaningless. Their second great mission was to teach the outsiders the wonders of ancient learning; by showing them the miracles which the ancient words could bring about, so that they themselves would adopt the Arkivist creed and dedicate themselves to the re-enlightenment of their own communities. Females were of the same standing as males in Arkivism, and women rose to very high ranks within the priesthood without discrimination. Arkivist priests were not permitted to formally marry, but they were allowed to have relationships and sexual partners so long as they did not interfere with their duties. Male and Female priests could even enter into public sexual relationships with one another, and priests and priestesses often had partners both within and outside the clergy. However, monks in training were required to remain abstinent until they were ordained as priests to teach them self-control. Additionally, Arkivists of all sexual orientations were permitted, and were viewed as equals. Despite their generally liberal views on the world the Arkivists did have a strict moral code. Arkivists were strictly non-violent, unless the violence was used solely for the purpose of self defense, thus the Arkivists only waged defensive wars against their enemies. Stealing was strictly banned and any members caught stealing would be immediately excommunicated from the faith. Lying or deception was also restricted in Arkivism, as it was considered to be the opposite to Arkivist beliefs. Personal possessions were allowed, but only in a modest sense. Arkivists believed materialism to be one of the great evils of the world, ultimately leading to greed and selfishness, things they believed led humanity down the path to destruction before the summer.

The Seven Principle of Arkivism
Arkivists were required to follow the Seven Principles, which are believed to have been laid down by the Benefactors shortly before the sealing of Ark Mount. The principles set a basic guideline to the following of the religion, but they were very flexible and could be interpreted in a wide variety of ways. Below is a list of the Seven Principles:

1. Learning is the Key to Salvation. 2. There is no deity more powerful than the human mind.

3. Knowledge is a force not be used for personal gain, but for the greater-good of Humankind.

4. Ignorance is the root of all evils.

5. Do not hate that which one cannot understand.

6. One must remember their past in order to better their future.

7. Question everything.