Gnosis
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Gnosis is simply the domain power of The Gods and Goddesses channeled to their mortal faithful (or enemies) through the use of Gnosis Marks. While Gnosis is a great deal like magic, it differs in a significant way. Gnosis isn't a learned ability that someone has to work with repeatedly to use. Instead, Gnosis is a power that is granted (or forced upon) - along with the knowledge of how to use it - from a deity to mortal person.
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Introduction
The world of Mizahar has a vast pantheon of personalities and temperaments. The established deities throughout the known lands act as harbingers of change which greatly influences the people, places and even Mizaharian society itself. The Gods and Goddesses of Mizahar are comprised of complex individuals with a wide range of skills, beliefs and histories. These divine beings are often seen as human-like in their personality traits but with enormously powerful additional abilities, knowledge and perceptions. This range of extraordinary abilities are called Domains which constitute each deities sphere of influence. The Gods and Goddesses are thus super-beings that are often driven by their passions and needs much like normal people - controlling their spheres of influence completely. These deities have well established churches, cults, and tenants which bridge the gap between normal and supernatural making the fantastic often commonplace.
While Godly influence might be considered rare or superficial elsewhere, on Mizahar it is commonplace. The Gods and Goddesses gain a certain amount of their power through the faith of those who worship them. The more followers a deity has, the stronger they are or can potentially become. It is a well known fact that many rank four demi-gods and demi-goddesses have ascended to Godhood through sheer recruitment of followers, treachery carried out via their followers, and the fine art of divine politics. Rank three deities have moved up to rank two as well. Frankly, faith matters - and the collective support of a well rounded group of followers can mean the difference between life and death for a deity. Relationships between deities are also incredibly important. Often together they can achieve what one alone cannot.
Why Faith Matters
If Morwen and Izurdin (and their followers) hadn't teamed up to imprison Ivak and stop his blind rage from destroying the world during the Valterrian, then there might have been nothing left of the World to rebuild afterwards. If Rhysol hadn't planted the seeds of hatred and betrayal in the Suvan Emperor's ear through the use of his Black Sun followers, Galifer Odalah wouldn't have had Kova, Ivak's lover, executed and thus set of Ivak's rage which caused the Valterrian to begin with. All things are intertwined. There would be no healing in the world if Rak'keli didn't grant gnosis marks to her followers. Without the great wounded Aquiras there would be no Watchtowers. Nysel's work introduced Dreamwalkers to the world of sleep. Because of Uldr, the dead live again. And through Morwen, Tivaku, Bala, and Sivah, the seasons change and all the gifts that come with such things are loose upon the world. The Gods and Goddesses of Mizahar have a hand in a great many of the doings of the world. And often, rather directly interfering (which can be dangerous in that it exposes them to attack or critique by other deities) they use faith and their followers, and thus Gnosis, to carry their meddling out.
Gnosis Marks - The Rewards of Faith
But Gnosis just isn't about what the Gods and Goddesses do. It is what their followers do as well - for the most part in the name of faith and loyalty and devotion. Faith can be rewarded, and generally is. Followers receive Gnosis Marks placed divinely upon their bodies which grant them power. Most Gnosis Marks are deep etchings (that resemble elaborate tattoo or brand-like designs) into the skin of their followers that channel a portion of that Gods divinity directly into the bearer of the mark. Thus that marked individual has access to a select portion of power belonging to the God or Goddess who marked them. This thread of attachment ties the person to that deity for good or ill. Gnosis Marks can be given as rewards or punishments. Through a Gnosis Mark, a deity can always track the individual bearing that gods symbol. A God or Goddess can grant up to four Gnosis Marks per person, both good and bad, and that individual will wear that mark (or marks) for life.
For example, the Goddess of healing, Rak'keli can mark a young healer with a Gnosis Mark for devoting her life to healing and swearing an oath of service to the Goddess. If that devoted young healer then uses her powers granted by Rak'keli to cure the poison in someone's body and save their life - she in turn might earn the ire of Vayt, God of Poisons. This is especially true of the person poisoned was somehow carefully marked for death by Vayt. Her mark or marks by Rak'keli grants her the ability to heal, though Vayt's vengeful mark might in fact grant her the ability to poison what she touches - involuntarily. In this case her mark by Vayt is a curse, a punishment, for directly interfering. Such circumstances are rare, and must have some direct interference in order for a God or Goddess to set their negative marks. Vayt cannot, for example, take a dislike (from a distance) to one of Rak'keli's young healers and arbitrarily infect them with plague which they spread as they travel around healing. Instead, by the divine rules of the Gods, that young healer has to directly impact negatively Vayt (even unknowingly) to earn a negative mark. Gods and Goddesses have been known to bend rules, which is why set-ups are common. Mortals often play the part of pawns in their chess games, unknowingly acting or reacting to artificial circumstances set up to guide them into certain actions. This is one of the reasons that gnosis marks from Avalis are coveted (or at least the company of Konti Seers) since those particular gnosis marks tend to grant foresight and divination, allowing people an inkling that they are perhaps being artfully guided into traps.
Facts about Gnosis Marks
- Gnosis Marks are permanent. Only the deity that grants them (or curses with them) can remove them.
- If a Deity dies or is otherwise slain, those wearing Gnosis Marks from that deity will have their marks fade.
- There is a difference between rewarded/gifted marks and cursed/punishment marks. It's noticeable even to those without gnosis marks. Reward/Gift marks have a beautiful elegant appearance (even those granted by evil Gods or Goddesses to their faithful), while Curse/Punishment Gnosis Marks always appear sickly, ugly, or angry (as in a fresh burn - not one well healed). Some even smell bad, foul, and can have the effect of making someone viewing one shudder.
- If someone is marked with a gnosis mark, they are also infused with a bond to that God or Goddess. They have a sense of where that god or goddess is, or at least understand when they are near. A person will feel, through the bond, what that gnosis mark grants them.
- The higher ranking the God, the stronger or more varied the gnosis marks can gift folks. Specialized rank three Gods can only grant abilities that are within their domain or sphere of influence. Gnosis marks are listed clearly with each deity writeup.
- If a person bears a Gnosis Mark from a specific deity, they can instantly tell if someone else bears a mark (and how many) of that same deity, even if the mark is hidden by clothing or otherwise obscured.
Restrictions on Gnosis Marks
A single individual can have unlimited single Gnosis marks from individual Gods and Goddesses. An individual can also have unlimited second marks as well, though multiple second markings are uncommon. However, when an individual earns a third Gnosis Mark from a God or Goddess, they are effectively 'owned' from there on out and can receive no more Gnosis Marks from anyone else except the person who gifted or cursed them with their third. It is not uncommon for a person to have one or two marks from various deities they worship. In fact, some races have patron Gods and Goddesses that tend to watch over them. Myri's warriors, for example, almost all have at least one of the Warrior Goddess' Gnosis Marks upon them, giving them a slight edge in battle. Most Konti, likewise, are marked from birth on by their Goddess Avalis which gives them the gift of sight in all its various forms. Individuals marked with four marks from a single God or Goddess are considered champions - the highest honored (or cursed) of the followers (or enemies) of the Deity in Question.
Numbers Of Gnosis Marks - What They Represent
The Following is a general idea of what having a Gnosis Mark means. For specific examples of Gnosis Marks, see the individual writeups on each and every deity.
Positive or Reward Marks
- One Mark -
- Two Marks -
- Three Marks -
- Four Marks -
Negative or Curse Marks
- One Mark -
- Two Marks -
- Three Marks -
- Four Marks -
Summary
Gnosis Marks are as powerful as Djed. They can be as powerful as skills as well. Some skills mimic gnosis marks, but can't ever truly replace them. A great example is Healing. To use true divine healing, a person must bear the Gnosis Mark of Rak'keli. One mark equals a decent healer, four marks equals a healer well able to snatch a person from death and champion Rak'keli. A non-religious person can learn the skill of Medicine and Herbalism, which are ways to cure sickness and treat wounds as well. But if a person earns the ability to Heal through faith in Rak'keli, and also learns Medicine and Herbalism, they suddenly become a formidable healer, a single person with a rare ability to heal with faith, herbs, and conventional medicine. There are countless examples of overlap and cross-interest that can easly overlap and compliment each other using skills, Djed, and plain old fashioned know-how.