Denism

Denism is the worship of the god Domis Basool.

History
It is unknown when Denism was founded. It flourished after the Age of the Sauhpessee, becoming a monotheistic religion similar to that of certain Marlonist sects.

It should be noted that Daniss was originally a god from the Sauhpeesian Pantheon, and in some sects, is worshiped as a chief god by the polytheist faithful. Eventually his legend and the acts of his disciples evolved this faith into its current form today.

Practices
Denists follow a lifestyle guided by the many Emanations and Sacred Names of Daniss and Their Lessons. The Lessons may come from scripture, traditions and rituals. The many Emanations of Daniss, with their Sacred Names, are regularly invoked and bring to memory the deeds and Lessons taught by each one's existence.

The Lessons prepare the faithful for their ultimate goal of Elfing with their Lord in the promised land of Masalwawas. It is a paradise filled with Elves and Doconrov, where all suffering ceases and there is only joy. Until they become elves, they are Hanruv, the sinful non-elf who may not enter Masalwawas for fear of destruction.

Greetings
Basooleans greet each other by praising one of the many Sacred Names of Daniss. The Sacred Name used as a greeting may have secondary cultural meaning, hide a secret message, or indicate one's sect.

People who use this practice have to be careful about which Sacred Name they choose to use when greeting Denists of different sects, as some names may not be appropriate to the context of the situation. Some Sacred Names are also considered heretical by certain sects.

For Instance, Basooleans greet each other with the phrases "Basool be praised" and "Praise Basool" in day to day living, which is considered neutral and inoffensive to them. More devout Basooleans may use "Huic Basool" ('Praise to/for Basool' in Classic Masalwawan).

"Pvuigo Daniss" ('Glories for Daniss' in Classic Masalwawan) or in modern english, "Hail Daniss" is the common greeting among the other sects and also carries no negative stigma other than the high probability of not being in the Basoolean Sect.

On the other hand, "Thrice Great is the Gol'Derubamesh" is a phrase attributed the Derubamesh sect; the concept implied in the greeting is highly heretical according to Basoolean Buzentuvs Law.

Another example is "Praise be to the Dark Adeept", which indicates interest or news in matters of secrecy and occult, something not readily accepted by the average Denist. In such case where the recipient of such a greeting is welcome to such matters, they merely have to reply with the same greeting.

Farewells
Denists have a farewell in Classical Masalwawan : "Suocl buo", which roughly translates to "Blessed (shall be/will be) Your Way/s (through/in/at location)". This phrase is taken from Prophet 7:34 which in the original Masalwawan was "Suocl buo Moorwelk" ("Blessed shall be your ways in the Moorwelk" in the International Basoolean Edition).

Modern Denists may use the phrase "Blessed Ways" or "May your ways be blessed", which is a rough translation.

Prayers
Denists will tend to use passages and verses from the Uddex Cotartos Fragments for supplication or glorification. The typical practice is to exclaim or mutter specific short verses, such as the popular "Masalwawas overflows with Glory and Goodness" (Prophet 2)which sees general use in various contexts.

Particularly ascetic Denists are also known for their usage of Mantras, defined as formalized prayers that aren't taken from scripture, but encapsulate concepts from the various Uddex Cotartos Fragments and Denist traditions. These mantras are usually chanted and contemplated by ascetics as a sort of rote practice. One such popular mantra is the The Measured Emanations and another, though considered heretical by some sects, is The Spiral of the Adeept.

Passages from the Uddex Cotartos Fragments are also particularly important in daily ritual prayers known as the Glorifying of the Emanations.

Glorifying the Emanations
The most common ritual practice, particularly endorsed by the Basoolean Sect, involve dedicating time during specific hours of the day to glorify several Sacred Names and Emanations. These are examples drawn from their traditions :
 * glorify Derubamesh with the rising dawn


 * bow before Basool at the sun's zenith


 * offer supplications to the Dark Angel during sunset

The passages read and contemplated are linked to Emanations and their Sacred Names. The Basoolean Buzentuvs in particular has an official calendar with proscribed Sacred Names and passages to contemplate on each day.
 * contemplate the Uddex Cotartos Fragments before sleeping

Scripture
Denists generally follow the Uddex Cotartos Fragments. Although which fragments are considered 'True' differ among the sects and their believers.

Gulbarretor Denists also use the collected Oral Traditions of the Gulbarretor as scripture.

Other scripture may include the epic Coalescence of the Broken World that describes the tumultuous Age of Time Unbound from the perspective of the Sauhpeessian Pantheon. Gulbarretor Denists and Adeepts are known to utilize its prose in various rituals both religious and magical.

Extremely ancient proto-Sauhpeessian literature such as the Sauh Knight Prophecy and the Sauh Chronicles are sometimes used as scripture by mystery sects such as the Derubamesh who try to find the origin of the Gol'Derubamesh (High Masalwawan, lit. Great Emanator).

Sects
Denism has many sects, differing only in certain aspects and interpretations of their worship. They are unified by their worship of Daniss as their one god, either demonizing other gods or syncretizing them as prophets and disciples of the great Infinite Countenance.

This leads to religious tensions between them and the other Ayepeessean faiths such as the Marlonists, Jomarites, Jomarlonists and the Polytheist Sauhpeesians.

The exception to this rule are certain sects such as the Gulbarretor who worship the Triumvirate, with Daniss as the head.

Basoolean Denism
Basoolean Denism is the most popular sect of Denism in the world today, with a large global organization of clergy and priests centered around the massive Danessian capital of Basoolum. It's religious head is the Buzentuvs, who represents all of the faithful and receives the most direct emanations from Masalwawas. Their prayers consist of chanting the many names of Daniss to intercede in their lives. Each name represents a facet of worldly life and a supreme truth.

This sect believes that Daniss, with the sacred name of Basool, is the one true god, eternally emanating beyond time and space from the Gaiden Hizeren in the elfing paradise of Masalwawas as the once and forever Empevov. They are leery of those who call themselves Empevovs for this reason. All other gods and divine creatures are either demons or servants of Daniss.

Basoolean Denism regards the Uddex Cotartos Fragments as their primary Holy Scripture, but have marked certain fragments as apocryphal or false.

Basoolean Denists regard Derubameshes and Dark Adeepts as heretics who toy with forbidden lore. Emanating and the use of Marioc can only be done by the Infinite-Named One, others who use it are evil. To this end, they have hunted down witches and sorcerers to ensure that forbidden lore stays forbidden.

Ironically, many clergymen practice Marioc derived from the 'Canon' Uddex Cotartos fragments. If they aren't branded as Dark Adeepts, they are called Sanctioned Adeepts in official capacity.

Irdiso Denism
The second biggest sect in the modern age is the Irdiso sect, a radical subset of Basoolean Denism. Irdiso is the classical Masalwawan word for 'Intellect'.

Though they reject the authority of the Buzentuvs and the prophets known as the 'Emanators' which figure in other Denist sects, they believe that Daniss is the one true god by virtue of reason and their own judgment. They are known for their 'realist' interpretation of the scriptures and their adherence to Denist philosophies and culture.

Gulbarretor Denism
One of the earliest known forms of Denism, named after the Holy City of Gulbarretor from which it originates. Gulbarretor Denism differs from 'Mainstream Denism' in that they believe in the divinity of the Triumvirate of Petr, Josh Faust and Daniss. Though each of them is worshipped as gods themselves, Daniss is always at the head, with the other two gods also being his worshippers and disciples.

It is a mystery religion with castes based on the Triumvirate. A lot of its beliefs and practices almost parallel the Sauhpeessian Polytheistic Religion, except that they see Daniss as the ultimate god among gods. Gulbarretor Denists are also ruled by a council of prophets called 'Emanators', who claim to have direct communion with Daniss and His saints.

Though they have religious tensions with the Basoolean sect (They are essentially a Polytheistic version of Denism), they have maintained peace due to Gulbarretor being recognized as a Holy City by all Denists.

Chaos Denism
Chaos Denism is considered a heresy by the modern Basoolean Denist doctrine, which is ironic because it was the first form of Basoolean Denism. Chaos Denists believe that Masalwawas is a hell inhabited by the unfaithful. Elves are demons who plague mankind because of weakness and sin, tempting the faithful with false promises of eternal life and beauty.

Chaos Denism appeared during the tumultuous Age of Time Unbound alongside with the birth of the Danessian Empire. After the War of the Denists, the Basoolean Sect emerged to reconcile conflicting doctrine.

Derubamesh
Derubamesh is a reference to one of the many names of Domis, a High Masalwawan name that roughly translates to 'He-who-emanates'. It is an esoteric tradition, with an emphasis on physical training and meditation. Its practitioners are ascetic mystics who try to grasp the secrets of Emanation. Only those who have successfully 'emanated' themselves, like Daniss, gain the title of 'Derubamesh'. The Derubameshes are either hermits or wandering gurus who live simple lives.

Most have gone into hiding due to the anti-mystic sentiment of the Basoolean Denists.

Adeepts
Though not strictly a religious sect, (There are Adeepts who worship other gods, such as the followers of the Golden Prophet) those who practice Marioc regard Domis Basool as the ultimate divine figure from whom all magic is derived. Their spells utilize the magical language of Shadow Masalwawan and the Hundred Names of Daniss as their foundation. Adeepts believe that each name is a crystallized truth of the universe, and thus regards each one as Quintessential and Holy. A popular mantra among Denist Adeepts is The Spiral of the Adeept.