The Scarlet Belief
Synopsis
The crude and cruel religion of the Scarlet Belief is founded on principles of mortification and sacrificial suffering. The deity of the Scarlet Belief is the Wounded God, who is said to reside somewhere beneath the surface of the world. It is the official canon of the Theocratum; the official church of the Scarlet Belief, that the Wounded God was beaten into a semi-comatic state during a fight against the Originals and their offspring, who are viewed as nothing more than vulgar parasites by the faithful.
In order to revive their god to his full strength, practitioners sacrifice and suffer in his name, shedding blood in this life so that they may assist in his recovery. Those who do not adequately shed their blood find that their souls are taken upon death, and used as bandages by the damaged deity, their consciousness drowned in his divinity until they have lost any semblance of coherence, and become little more than a wrapping.
Jealous and vicious, the Theocratum operate on a basis on ignorance and terror. The official holy text of the Scarlet Belief, the Ecclesiast, for example is carefully guarded so that the laity may not find any contradictions within its texts, and those who obsess over, and ask too many questions about the belief quickly find themselves in a precarious situation. The situation is worse for the unfaithful and the godless, who are forced to repent for their actions under the guise that their souls are being rescued. Heretics in particular are a threat to the power of the Theocratum, and find themselves in the hands of the religious secret police, where they are subsequently flagellated, tortured, and ultimately given the punishment of Anathema.
Blood Prayer:
The simplest act of worship which can be found in the repertoire of the Scarlet Belief is the Blood Prayer. It involves a group gathering together within a holy structure, and being led in prayer by a Herald. These prayers typically ask for the wounds of He Who Bleeds to be healed, for their sacrifice not to be in vain, and for their offering to be accepted. At the pinnacle of these prayers, adherents of the faith ripple apart chosen areas of their flesh with bladed instruments, and allow their blood to seep into the ground where it is easier accessed by the Wounded God for use in bandaging his wounds.
Incidentally, the blood of these prayers is typically collected following services for use in the feeding of Bloodlights. This process is not considered to be at all counter to the beliefs of the religion, despite the evident logic that the blood is not immediately being used by the Wounded God despite its having been granted. Religious experts agree that this is because the blood which is offered is actually used, and that the substance which returns, while still blood, has been stripped of the vital components necessary to heal the Wounded God.
Ritual Carving:
Carving of the flesh is also a common practice, especially among members of the Theocratum’s forces, as it is believed that certain symbols and images when put to flesh will allow aspects of the Wounded God’s power to be made manifest. It is uncertain how much of this is simply a placebo effect, and how much is genuinely some measure of divine influence, though the fanatical strength of those affected by such rites is in itself a marvel to observe.
Common Carvings:
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Litanies and Prayers:
Words, whether spoken or sung also possess a place within the worship of the Wounded God. At times, these litanies and prayers may be used in the midst of battle for the invocation of strength, or they may be used in prayerful worship. There are a variety of sayings, each with their own uses.
The Crimson Hymnal
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Prayer of Scarlet
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Litany of Perseverance
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Ode to the Scarlet Beast
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