User:Tek0516/Stuff

Afkon Report
Afkon Report

I am Afkon Xaplon, and Xenologist of the Farengeto Republic. This report details my study of the Aeoneonatrix culture, particularly of its religion.

Day One
On my first day I met with the head of faith, Frozic Mightywind. Upon landing I was greeted by him, interview attached below.

Afkon - Greetings Mightywind. Frozic - Frozic. Call me Frozic. Afkon - My apologies. the social custom in the republic is to use one's surname during formal conversation. The pair move into a more suitable location for discussion. Afkon - Your religion is well-known to play a major role in your society. Would you care to explain it to me. Frozic - We worship our master, the Cleanser, the rightful owner of out essences. He ascended 100,000 years ago, from what species we know not, and soon, he found it fitting to create a race to act as his agents. We have all dedicated our souls to him, and he is, as consequence, our rightful owner. During his life, he visits aliens and the undedicated, barters for their souls, and torments them to help correct their moral errors. He does the same to us if we step too far out of line. In all of these cases, he has the right to do this, because he owns us and may do as he wishes with us. Afkon - So your god 'cleanses' those who he perceives as evil. Do you have any records of these, preferably of non-Aeon situations? Forzic - Yes, we do. Are you aware of the empire known as the "protectors?" Afkon - I have seen mentions them, both from your history and few in ours, but I do not know much of them. Frozic - We have many of their records. This is the account of. The Protects became the hyper-altruistic force they were because this person was visited by the Cleanser, a name he came up with independently, who did to him what we were elsewhere saying he does to people. Afkon quickly scans through the tale, keeping a neutral face Afkon - But in the end they fell to the Mardor. Tell me more of them. Frozic - Them? Well, I only know of the religious connections, you'll want to talk to a historian otherwise. What has been revealed is that we were intended to be nurtured under the protectors until we were strong enough to be a powerful force for good, events simply transpired differently. Afkon - You mentioned a dedication process earlier. Would you care to elaborate? Frozic - When we are young children, as soon as we can comprehend both a gift and a soul, we give our souls as gifts to the Cleanser, and thus make him the rightful owner of our essences. Afkon - Could you explain how this is done, and why? Frozic - Simple, we say something like "I surrender the ownership of my soul to the Cleanser." As to why, because it allows him to use us more effectively. Afkon - What about general worship? How is this done? Frozic - We just speak words or think thoughts with worshipful intent, often kneeling or bowing as we do so. Afkon - And what happens then? Frozic - Often, we hear a reply, and take up conversation. Afkon - You receive replies? Frozic - Yes. Afkon - Interesting... that is not something you hear of often... Frozic - Indeed, this is because most gods are fictional. Afkon - Indeed. Most are. His tone sounded with disagreement. Afkon - I have often heard discussions on your views of morality. Care to elaborate? Frozic - Well, we are almost all moral realists, that is to say, we affirm that moral statements make propositions and that some of these are true. Afkon - Interesting. Now, what about those who choose not to become 'dedicated'? Frozic - What about them? Afkon - What happens to them? Religiously, politically, socially... Frozic - Oh, well religiously, they have chosen to reject our god, or at least withhold full acceptance. This has negative consequences on their relationship with the church. Politically, they tend to be marginalized and spoken of with disdain, and socially, they are outcasts. Currently, there is no legal requirement to be dedicated, though that is liable to change soon, but one must ask why anyone would ever not want to be dedicated. Afkon - I suppose so. That would appear to be all the questions I have. Thank you for your time, Frozic. Frozic - You are welcome. Would you like to stay on-planet for lunch? Afkon - I have more interviews to perform, so I can join you. Frozic - Alright, are you fine with eating vegetarian at a restaurant or should we have an animal slaughtered for you? Afkon - My species is omnivorous. There is no need for that. Forzic - Alright then, shall I drive us then? Afkon - Alright. Frozic leads Afkon to his car, starts it, and begins driving to the restraint where he had planned to eat that day, as Afkon ends the recording. ''[Log Notes] From what I have seen today the extent of religion in the empire is extreme, at levels concerning for any rational society. The influence in politics is obvious, though further research will need to be conducted on the topic. Fortunately, unlike many religious species we have encountered, they do not appear to be very zealotic. Their history appears to be full of religious influence, leading to difficulties in determining their validity. "The Cleansing of Tuzark", a tale supposedly on the origin of their famous protectorate system, seems more like a religious origin story than anything. I remain quite skeptical of their religion, though there is some curious about this "Cleanser". Additional research required.''