The Book of Truth (Fantasy World Background)

[kent_allard_jr]

The petty states of Lyonia were nestled between the Southern Monteris and Aqradolon mountain chains. For a thousand years their region was a backwater, perpetually overshadowed by the great civilizations to the north. It was only in the Darkness and its aftermath that the region was united into a mighty empire, one that quickly overran its once-glorious neighbors, to become the greatest earthly power in the history of the world. The astonishing rise of Lyonia and its empire started, oddly enough, with a book, known as the Sanar, "the Book of Truth."

According to legend the King of Heaven, Anteron ("The Shining One"), delivered the Sanar to the deathbed of the fisherman Hyrun. Hyrun's sons refused to hand the book over to the local potentate, and were chased into the mountains. The power of the Sanar destroyed the legions that were sent to seize it, and when the children of Hyrun emerged from their caves they easily deposed the Prince and began their conquest of the neighboring states. While Hyrun's family no longer rules the Empire -- it only has two members in the Mirdili, the governing council -- it keeps tight control over the original Sanar and oversees the scribes who copy the book and disseminate the faith.

The first thing one learns, when one is instructed in the faith, is a list of the "books," or chapters, in the Sanar. Here are the eleven "books" with a brief description of each:

1. Invocation. A brief chapter that praises the Saldari (the gods) and the Sanar, and threatens dire curses against those who "desecrate" the book (which includes quoting its contents to discredit its teachings).
   
2. The Prophet. This chapter describes the Prophet's meeting with Anteron, and explains why he was worthy of the Sanar and is worthy of emulation.
   
3. The Ancients. A historical account of the nations of the world, their covenants with the Saldari, and the fates that befell them.
   
4. The Covenant. This critically important section describes a Covenant between the Saldari and people of the faith, and details the oaths one must declare to join it.
   
5. The Righteous. Specifies how the Righteous People are to be ruled, and the responsibilities of defenders of the faith. Includes guidelines for criminal punishments.
   
6. The Birds. Explains which animals are "unclean," and cannot be eaten; which are "clean" and can be eaten; and which are "sacred" and can neither be killed nor eaten.
   
7. The Eye. These are rules of modesty and dress, how one should appear before "the eye" of the gods (i.e., under the sun) and in private.
   
8. The Fire. Instructs the faithful how to make offerings to the Saldari, how to address them together and individually.
   
9. The Dead. Care of the sick, how to prepare corpses for the afterlife, and the fate of the faithful and unbelievers in the afterlife.
   
10. The Lie. Denounces false beliefs about the Saldari, especially in other proselytizing faiths, and warns the faith about the most dangerous demons.
    
11. The Nations. Lays out how the Righteous People are to interact with infidels, for trade, proselytization, or warfare. Urges to the faithful to spread the teachings of the Sanar across the world.

Schools devoted to the study of the Sanar have been established throughout the Empire, and debates have already arisen over a few ambiguities in the text, but for the most part the doctrines are remarkably uniform throughout the vast Empire of the Sun. The Book of Truth is the glue that keeps the faith, and the Empire, together.