Il'Bleu

il'Bleu is a religion based on the worship of Bleu, Goddess of Wisdom and Justice, that was practiced in the defunct Scandish Empire and elsewhere in the Dragon Dimension. Its followers in the Web today are few; the religion is officially persecuted by the Scandian League.

Background and History

The exact date of il’Bleu’s origin is unknown, but it only became prominent after the close of the Time of Titans. The followers of il’Bleu helped aid Vashilov the Terrible in founding the first Human Empire (called the Scandish Empire). The millennium afterwards saw il’Bleu in competition with Draggoneth for the primary religion in the dimension, with occasional flare-ups of Tyreis and demon-worship. They also jockeyed for power with the secular authorities in the area, and there were points in history were the Matriarch of the il’Bleu was the de facto leader in the Scandish Empire. The infighting between the two was the source of several of the Scandish Civil Wars, and a few of the Tsars turned to demonic magics and become warlocks to attempt to asset control. il’Bleu was never able to achieve the same level of fusion of church and state as the Draggonethi of Arad. Nevertheless, they built the first system of schools that was open to all people in Dragon, and also a fairly complicated legal system of ecclesiastical courts. Il’Bleu priestesses (sa’Bleu) also performed scientific investigations, as in il’Bleu’s worldview the world is something to explore and figure out. As such, they were responsible for much of what scientific progress was made before Dragon was discovered by the Web, surpassed perhaps only by the technologically-inclined Gants. Although they struggled with Draggoneth and fought several wars with that religion, the two were able to set aside their differences for a war against Tyr, known as the War of the Holy Coalition. The War of the Holy Coalition and the Long Peace (eleven years) were a relative high point for il’Bleu’s influence. Although il’Bleu, like much of the dimension, suffered greatly during the Great War, there was some hope for a resurgence afterward. Some il’Bleu even initially embraced communism as a superior alternative to the previous corrupt government, and some moderate communist leaders might have preserved il’Bleu to some extent. However, Rumanski triumphed and launched a program to brutally suppress all religions. il’Bleu has weathered the communist period somewhat less successfully than Draggoneth. il’Bleu is tupical of religions in the Dragon Dimension for its belief in reincarnation, its concern for law, and its relative acceptance of violence. It many ways it ignores the non-legalistic aspects of religion, however, such as spirituality. It is also notable for an activist strain; the followrs of Bleu are exhorted to pursue justice by righting wrongs.

Main Figures

Bleu is the Goddess of Wisdom and Justice. She is part of the Web Pantheon, the same pantheon that includes Rainere, Tahran, and Chrystalis. She is portrayed with blue hair, and her lower half is often serpentine. Small wooden figurines of Bleu are often carried by il’Bleu as a sort of holy symbol. She supposedly gave the central text of her religion, The Law of Bleu , to mortalkind on her own. Bleu is associated with the bright red star in the Dragon sky. Her eternal nemesis is Tyr, Goddess of Destruction and Desire. Bleu, according to her disciples, was responsible for sealing Tyr at the close of the Time of Titans, sealing her power into six keys.

Beliefs and Tenets

The Forty-Two Principles enumerated in the heart of the Law of Bleu form the core of il’Bleu beliefs, and were the foundation for ecclesiastical law. For the most part, the Principles are concerned with criminal justice, and tend to ignore not only civil justice but notion of spirituality or man’s relationship to the gods. The most famous Principle is the First, which exhorts il’Bleu to right the wrongs of the world. This lead to a large degree of vigilantism, which met its ultimate expression in the Red Stars (see Clergy, below.) The last Principle is also famous, with its summation of the il’Bleu conception of justice: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Il’Bleu believes in a cycle of reincarnation, like Draggoneth. However, unlike Draggoneth, il’bleu believes people pass between several different worlds depending on how good or bad they were. It is telling that they viewed this world as one rung about Hell. Hell is an exception to the cycle; if you end up in Hell, you’re stuck in Hell. The worlds progressively increased in the attributes given to Bleu, Justice and Wisdom. Some theologicians have argued that the world one step above this plane actually resembles modern Guardia rather closely. The top world is a world of Perfect Justice and Perfect Wisdom, and il’Bleu descriptions of that world are actually very similar to communism’s description of the perfect communist society. This is why il’Bleu initially embraced communism. It should be noted that il’Bleu law allows for a man to have up to five wives. If one considers the life expectancy of a man in ancient Dragon, it is easy to see why such an arrangement would be adopted and legitimized to maintain some level of population. Secular authorities often allowed the practice so they would have a steady stream of soldiers.

Clergy and Places of Worship

Most places of worship are small shrines maintained in the households of followers. In its day, il’Bleu controlled substantial tracts of land and could fund the construction of schools, courts, and libraries. Every day before going to bed an il’Bleu is supposed to recite the Forty-Two Principles. The sa’Bleu were a female-dominated priesthood. (In ancient Dragon, men were almost exclusively devoted to fighting war, so women came to perform many societal functions). They were scholars, teachers, jurists, and even police. One of the most unique aspects of the sa’Bleu was that anyone who killed a sa’Bleu would immediately be struck down by the wrath of Bleu herself. This has been verified several times, and the il’Bleu would claim that it is universally true. (The Draggoneth dispute this, having claimed to have killed sa’Bleu on many occasions. They assert that the Dragon protects them.) The sa’Bleu has a hierarchy divided into several orders devoted to the different functions of the Priestesshood. At the top of all the orders sit the il’Bleu Matriarch. Some sa’Bleu claimed to be able to see the future. Many put great stock in their vague, fortune-cookie utterances.

Red Stars

In the Red Stars il’Bleu’s vigilantism reached its pinnacle. They developed a martial art for the religion. This martial art closely tied the workings of magic and the physical body together, and so the Red Stars could achieve incredible strength and speed. This form of magic earned them the official title, the Order of Physical Adepts. Physical Adepts (or Physads) are highly adept pracitcioners of psychosomatic abilities, a branch of psionics. It was believed to be less susceptible to demonic influences than other magic, and combating warlocks was a major concern of the Red Stars. The highest teaching of the Red Stars was the so-called Dragon Dance, a state of trance where the Physical Adept achieved such a level of skill and reflex as to become impervious to attack. They were skilled with many weapons, but they were most famous for a pair of weighted fighting chains. A Red Star could wield the chain with such force that it could slice bodies and split rocks. Red Stars were also noted for strange superhuman feats; they could twist their joints in virtually any direction, had a level of body control that made them immune to poison, and could supposedly hold their breath for enormous lengths of time. The Draggoneth demonized the Red Stars. Since the Physical Adepts in the early phases of their training used drugs to unlock their powers, the Draggoneth called them hashashin (eaters of hashish); this eventually gave rise to the word assassins .

Days of Worship

There are three main days of worship. One day is for the day Gryphonsfell, the day the Gryphon that ruled Scande was killed. (il’Bleu claims a significant role, but Scandiash Tsars historically claim Vashilov the Terrible and his army managed the feat without them.) The major holiday celeberates Bleu’s gift of law to mortals. Finally, there is a holiday to celebrate victory over Tyr and the Warlocks in the War of the Holy Coalition.