The One
Origins
The religion of the One, or Single God, was created during the Crowns Age by Tensho Soroyoto, a member of the Soroyoto dynasty of the Sorestian Empire. He proclaimed a single god rejecting the Heptad, but in truth his purpose was domination and the consolidation of power.
The attempt failed within the Empire. The prince who conceived it was denounced, exiled with his followers and removed from the reach of his own family. From this exile emerged a separate force that over generations became the Order of the One.
Overview
The One is a monotheistic religion centered on a single transcendent deity. It emphasizes unity, divine order and the primacy of revealed truth often presenting itself as a correction to divided councils and disputed myths.
Theology
God is one, indivisible and sovereign over creation. Revelation is considered complete and final, reason serves faith and virtue is obedience aligned with justice and mercy.
Death is not the end. The virtuous faithful are rewarded with eternal life, spiritual peace and happiness, freed at last from material reality and its tyranny. Sinners are punished with eternal darkness in an incorporeal realm filled with nightmarish visions and relentless spiritual unrest.
Symbols
- Two frozen waves within a hexagon.
- A single flame, ray or circle of light.
- A monolith or pillar signifying unshakable unity.
Clergy and Structure
A hierarchical clergy oversees doctrine and rites. Local communities are guided by ordained priests, regional oversight belongs to higher priests and the supreme authority resides in Sanct temples where matters of doctrine and discipline are judged.
Hierarchy
High One, the supreme clerical office, the priest ruler of the Order of the One. There is always only one. Presides over the Council of Veil, the nine member high council that governs the OTO realm.
Primar, title held by the high priests of each city, Ninefold, Eightfold or Sevenfold, of the Order of the One. The Council of Veil is composed of Primars. One Primar officiates at the central Sanct of each city.
Votar, title of the common priest. They serve as assistants to the Primars or as priests in regional Sanct temples.
Singlo, lay brotherhoods devoted to study, charity and discipline functioning as community structures of the OTO in cities and settlements. They are not priests but communities of faith supporting the work of the Votar.
Enist or Solist, the ordinary believer.
Temples and Rituals
Every city has a central temple, the great Sanct at its center. Smaller Sanct temples exist in Ninefold and Eightfold cities and sometimes in Sevenfold.
Sanct temples prefer austere architecture and clear sightlines toward a single altar light. Daily prayers at dawn and dusk, weekly gatherings on Light Day, initiation oaths for adults and rites of reconciliation are common practices.
Sacred Writings
The Singular Canon gathers the fundamental revelation and approved commentary. Copies of the Canon are meticulously standardized and public readings are the anchor of weekly teaching.
The Book of the One, also known as the Scrolls of the One, is a core sacred text containing teachings and sayings attributed to Tensho Soroyoto. It describes the Plan of God and the duties of the faithful.
Principles
Core principles include devotion to the Single God, truth, impartial justice, care for the poor, restraint, fidelity to oaths, sanctity of labor, limitation of violence, stewardship of creation and humility before law and light.
Festivals and Time
Major festivals align with the Universal Calendar with Light Day as the principal weekly gathering. The Equinox Days include pilgrimages and large blessings for homes and guilds.
Relations and Opposition
The One teaches unity while the Heptad teaches concord, its ideal is a single law rather than balance through deliberation. Political expressions range from tolerant coexistence to claims of divine mandate depending on region and era.
The One Sees
A phrase often repeated by followers of the Single God is the One sees, expressing that their god is ever present and witnesses both virtues and sins.