The Church of Chachism[]
This is a church which leads one of the major religions of Carthago, Chachism. They possess an independent discord community. Their followers are called "Believers" and the superior members of the church are called "The Enlightened", and they control the official actions, doctrines and organization of this religion.
Beliefs[]
Their set of beliefs is unorthodox, as they seem to believe in everything and nothing at the same time.
They state that if a divinity or a higher power/civilization that rules or influences their lives truly exists, then it is not found in the known concepts that humanity has discovered, but in the Unknown, therefore, they worship the things they can't see or understand. They believe that worship is only useful when facing the madness, the undiscovered or unexplained mysteries of our universe. Because they truly don't know, they can't confirm nor deny the existence of one specific deity.
This means that they take a scientific approach when searching for knowledge, but they also pray and put their faith in the Unknown in hopes that they receive gifts and not punishments from whatever is lurking in those unexplained places or things.
There are two main places where the essence of The Unknown is found according to Chachist. The first is the ocean, due to its unexplored depths, and the second is the universe, or as they call it, the Void, due to the vast amount of secrets possibly hidden in the undiscovered parts of space.
Their spiritual leader apart from the Enlightened ones is Chach, also called "The Almighty Dolphin". Chachist are convinced that he disappeared by walking into the ocean, therefore, showing them how to embrace the Unknown and revealing the true faith to them.
History[]
The origin of this religion dates back to when Chach, the alliance’s leader, went inactive for an indefinite amount of time.
The members of Carthago were confused at first, but then some government members started to think of the underlying meaning of this disappearance and soon enough, they announced that they had found the reason behind his absence.
Velium and many others assured that their missing leader was secretly a Messiah that was telling them a message that shows the truth about faith as well as the world around them.
The eventual return of their spiritual leader confirmed those beliefs, and it gave the church more credibility amongst its followers.
A more detailed and romanticized version of these events can be found in the different volumes of "The Book of Chach", which is written by the church and only accessible to its members.
The Ten Commandments[]
Chachists hold to a high authority a set of ten commandments, that are laws given to them directly by the Almighty Dolphin and written by The Enlightened ones.
The Ten Commandments are as follows:
- The concepts we are unaware of and/or don’t understand are considered a part of the Greater Unknown, and so, we must worship them.
- Life is to be understood to its fullest extent, but if you can’t currently do so, meditate on it.
- The unknown gives both gifts and horrors to our world.
- Worship must be done to make sure there is good providence given instead of madness and death.
- The unknown is eternally mysterious. There is no knowing what lies inside this void, but when science can’t solve it, faith will take its place.
- Every Chachist must look into the vast ocean or void every day for 2 hours straight in order to properly acknowledge their insignificance in comparison.
- Every member of the church shall work towards furthering their knowledge of the universe, protecting the faith and bettering the lives of others.
- Every follower must be active in their Chachist community, following the activities mandated by the Enlightened individuals.
- All prayers must be changed by the community, the Enlightened ones will decide what new phrases and actions of worship must be done each week.
- You must not fear the unknown, but embrace it.
Holy Wars[]
Although the church is partially independent from conflicts and political responsibility, its members can still decide to engage in holy wars if they see that their values, freedom or influence is under severe harm.
These wars can be coordinated with alliances or they can be carried out by independent followers in forms of raids and/or bounties.
In these scenarios, the Enlightened officials will take responsibility for the declarations and attacks.
Holy Sites[]
Chachist can go on a pilgrimage to two main locations related to their Messiah.
The first one is the beach where Chach disappeared into the ocean. The second one is the desert where Chach disappeared a second time, into the void.
In both places, they can look into the ocean and the void respectively for hours, acknowledging their minuscule existence compared to the vast Unknown as well as remembering the events that led to the journeys of "The Almighty Dolphin".
Holy Days[]
At the start of a new year, the collective membership of the church will decide on new dates for their 3 holy days. Each of them will correspond to the Void, the ocean and Chach respectively. The activities done during these dates may vary, but they are meant to be moments of peak activity, influence and celebration.
This type of everchanging worship based on the decisions of the community mimics the way prayers are done by the said church. As said in the ninth commandment, different phrases and actions will be chosen to serve as worship each week. However, in this case, only the Enlightened can participate in the decision.