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"May the Threefold Method be with you, son" said the monk, giving his blessing to the traveller, holding three fingers up of his left hand, while with the other he kept the sacred symbol of his order -a symbol of old, of the Threefold Method. A symbol of power, from the past and distant Sky Age.

While he tried to appear calm and reserved, keeping his dignity, the monk was rather annoyed. He had a busy day ahead of him, having to go to the oasis for further supplies, and he was so delayed he would have to now sleep on the village in the oasis -something rather unseeing for a monk like himself-, rather than being able to return in time to the monastery.

All because of this pilgrim.

While many made the pilgrimage to the ruins of Eden, the First City of Humanity, most travellers took another routes, sleeping in mosques, churches or synagogues -each according to their faith. Their monastery, deeper in the desert and away from the beaten path wasn't a secret, but was a detour few where willing to do. Specially since centuries ago, their highest and most sacred relic -the Three Divinities Imprinter- made no more miracles:

the day the Three Divinities Imprinter stopped working, it was other last remain of the powerful human magic of old -the Tekkno-Loki- to die and disappear. The monk knew from the stories of his order how in the past -thousands of years ago-, when there still was to be found much Tekkno-Loki of the Sky Age of old, how was much easier for the believers to believe. But as the Tekkno-Loki died and only their husks remained, making no further miracles, fewer and fewer people believed in the true word of the times of the Sky Age and the Cult of Zsience.

So when this pilgrim arrived at the monastery, the monks at first had been exultant. The monastery, once designed to have over two hundred monks now barely held twenty. So they where eager to treat well this pilgrim, for him to spread the word -the true word-, and of their monastery.

That was the difficult part of their cult, thought the priest. To bring new adepts. While other religions -be the new ones or the old ones from the Sky Age- preached their truth to gain converts, their cult instead was based on mysteries, and only those worthy could be brought to learn them. Step by step, and with the proper precautions, for it was known the terrible power that could hold Zsience and the human magic of the Sky Age, the Tekkno-Loki.

But the mysteries and secrets made difficult to keep monasteries and -most importantly- the sacred sites, ruins and relics they have kept safe since the Sky Age.

So when first the pilgrim asked him with interest to see the monastery and the temple, he was happy to oblige.

But the pilgrim wasn't there to be awed by the great work of wise men of old, to the piece of art and mystical symbols. By his questions, he decided this wasn't a man of faith -or not, of true faith-. He was more interested in taking notes and making questions that no man of Zsience should ever ask.

Who would even dare to ask for the meanings of the powerful and magical symbols of old? They where to be revered, not to be understood -at least, not to be understood by a layman, when even the monks weren't granted such understanding. One must be spiritually prepared before exposure to the sacred mysteries, lest knowledge of tekkno-loki imperil their very soul!-

He had been specially annoying, when much to the horror of the priest, the pilgrim tried to translate some of the sacred texts they where copying in the scriptorium. The monks had copied for generations the runes of the Sky Age with their incantations and secret divinity, keeping them in the unknown languages of the Sky Age. And this fool tried to do the sacrilegious task of translating -translating!- the mystical runes. At least, he saw the scandalised look of the monks he refrained to continue his blasphemy.

But the questions of this layman and his ability to read some of the mysteries troubled the monk, as he walked away, to the courtyard, to take the donkeys and supply carts to the town. He didn't liked this pilgrim anymore, and less his... blasphemous interests. And he felt like he couldn't leave him alone with their sacred artefacts.

"Brother Helpes" he called to one of the younger monks. The man -once known as David:like many of the monks had taken a name from the prestigious times of the Sky Age, which in older times was pronounced Helpdesk- came closer to him.

The man -already in his thirties, it wasn't short the time as a novice in their order- came closer.

He was wearing the white robes distinctive of the men of Zsience: the clothes that once wore the men of Zsience of the Sky age, and that after the Fall of Eden would be worn by the Cults of the Tekkno-Loki that served the Immortal Kings of Aegyus, granting them their power: precisely their order claimed to have originated in ancient Aegyus, having survived the fall of the Immortal Kings. Their order survived as well the Empire of the Librarians of Dume, who wanted to hoard all of the Tekkno-Loki for themselves.

A thousand years their order had survived the Librarians of old. And he wanted to keep that, for it was their secrets that kept them save.

"Brother Webdev?" asked the younger man to the old Priest of the Threefold Method.

"Watch over the pilgrim while I'm gone. I don't trust him. And don't lend him close to the inner sanctum and the relics".

A Monk from one of the various Cults of Zsience in Aegyus by the time of the Holy Wars of Eden.

There wouldn't be one single Cult of Zsience, but several. Claiming their origin in the mythical Sky Age, when humans first appeared in the World of Aiers, they first appeared in the lands of Aegyus of the Immortal Kings, but survived them. From Aegyus, the cults of Zsience will as well gain an important following in the Empire of the Librarians of Dume, as the Librarians even promoted the Cult of Zsience to an official status on their empire.

But after the fall of Dume, the Cults of Zscience went into a quick decline, and often prosecution by the new and old religions, often surviving as secret societies, mysteries and in some few places -such as their native Aegyus-, openly -but barely tolerated.

In the illustration, you can see some of the imagery from the Sky Age adopted as symbols by the Cults of Zsience:

One heraldic symbol linked to the oldest noble houses of the librarians was the Inverted Torch, that was said to be worn by the peoples of the Sky Age themselves as a seal.
Meanwhile, one of the prevalent symbols that would become the recognised symbol of the Cult of Zsience was the Threefold Method Symbol. Found in many of the Tekkno-Loki artifacts of the Sky Age, it was interpreted to be the revealed symbol by the Prophet Zsience, showing his Zsientific Method.
Finally, the third symbol is the Stairway to Heaven, a spiral staircase that was interpreted to be the way to self-discovery of one self in the Cults of Zsience.

The Cult of Zsience: aiers.fandom.com/wiki/Cult_of_…
Aegyus of the Immortal Kings: aiers.fandom.com/wiki/Aegyus
Empire of the Librarians of Dume: aiers.fandom.com/wiki/Dume

This was done inspired by re-reading some of the awesome stories set in the world of Aiers by -along with some of the old comments of in them.

I truly recommend the Crypt of Dume:

~ CRYPT OF DUME ~
Part 1: Don Jaime and the Quest
Part 2: The Blood of Old
Part 3: Tomb of the First Librarian
Part 4: What Lies Beneath
Part 5: Curse of the Sky Age
Part 6: This Small Atonement
Part 7: Acknowledge Thy Master

I have a twitter!
twitter.com/shabazik

I have a patreon!
www.patreon.com/shabazik

Description

"May the Threefold Method be with you, son" said the monk, giving his blessing to the traveller, holding three fingers up of his left hand, while with the other he kept the sacred symbol of his order -a symbol of old, of the Threefold Method. A symbol of power, from the past and distant Sky Age.

While he tried to appear calm and reserved, keeping his dignity, the monk was rather annoyed. He had a busy day ahead of him, having to go to the oasis for further supplies, and he was so delayed he would have to now sleep on the village in the oasis -something rather unseeing for a monk like himself-, rather than being able to return in time to the monastery.

All because of this pilgrim.

While many made the pilgrimage to the ruins of Eden, the First City of Humanity, most travellers took another routes, sleeping in mosques, churches or synagogues -each according to their faith. Their monastery, deeper in the desert and away from the beaten path wasn't a secret, but was a detour few where willing to do. Specially since centuries ago, their highest and most sacred relic -the Three Divinities Imprinter- made no more miracles:

the day the Three Divinities Imprinter stopped working, it was other last remain of the powerful human magic of old -the Tekkno-Loki- to die and disappear. The monk knew from the stories of his order how in the past -thousands of years ago-, when there still was to be found much Tekkno-Loki of the Sky Age of old, how was much easier for the believers to believe. But as the Tekkno-Loki died and only their husks remained, making no further miracles, fewer and fewer people believed in the true word of the times of the Sky Age and the Cult of Zsience.

So when this pilgrim arrived at the monastery, the monks at first had been exultant. The monastery, once designed to have over two hundred monks now barely held twenty. So they where eager to treat well this pilgrim, for him to spread the word -the true word-, and of their monastery.

That was the difficult part of their cult, thought the priest. To bring new adepts. While other religions -be the new ones or the old ones from the Sky Age- preached their truth to gain converts, their cult instead was based on mysteries, and only those worthy could be brought to learn them. Step by step, and with the proper precautions, for it was known the terrible power that could hold Zsience and the human magic of the Sky Age, the Tekkno-Loki.

But the mysteries and secrets made difficult to keep monasteries and -most importantly- the sacred sites, ruins and relics they have kept safe since the Sky Age.

So when first the pilgrim asked him with interest to see the monastery and the temple, he was happy to oblige.

But the pilgrim wasn't there to be awed by the great work of wise men of old, to the piece of art and mystical symbols. By his questions, he decided this wasn't a man of faith -or not, of true faith-. He was more interested in taking notes and making questions that no man of Zsience should ever ask.

Who would even dare to ask for the meanings of the powerful and magical symbols of old? They where to be revered, not to be understood -at least, not to be understood by a layman, when even the monks weren't granted such understanding. One must be spiritually prepared before exposure to the sacred mysteries, lest knowledge of tekkno-loki imperil their very soul!-

He had been specially annoying, when much to the horror of the priest, the pilgrim tried to translate some of the sacred texts they where copying in the scriptorium. The monks had copied for generations the runes of the Sky Age with their incantations and secret divinity, keeping them in the unknown languages of the Sky Age. And this fool tried to do the sacrilegious task of translating -translating!- the mystical runes. At least, he saw the scandalised look of the monks he refrained to continue his blasphemy.

But the questions of this layman and his ability to read some of the mysteries troubled the monk, as he walked away, to the courtyard, to take the donkeys and supply carts to the town. He didn't liked this pilgrim anymore, and less his... blasphemous interests. And he felt like he couldn't leave him alone with their sacred artefacts.

"Brother Helpes" he called to one of the younger monks. The man -once known as David:like many of the monks had taken a name from the prestigious times of the Sky Age, which in older times was pronounced Helpdesk- came closer to him.

The man -already in his thirties, it wasn't short the time as a novice in their order- came closer.

He was wearing the white robes distinctive of the men of Zsience: the clothes that once wore the men of Zsience of the Sky age, and that after the Fall of Eden would be worn by the Cults of the Tekkno-Loki that served the Immortal Kings of Aegyus, granting them their power: precisely their order claimed to have originated in ancient Aegyus, having survived the fall of the Immortal Kings. Their order survived as well the Empire of the Librarians of Dume, who wanted to hoard all of the Tekkno-Loki for themselves.

A thousand years their order had survived the Librarians of old. And he wanted to keep that, for it was their secrets that kept them save.

"Brother Webdev?" asked the younger man to the old Priest of the Threefold Method.

"Watch over the pilgrim while I'm gone. I don't trust him. And don't lend him close to the inner sanctum and the relics".

A Monk from one of the various Cults of Zsience in Aegyus by the time of the Holy Wars of Eden.

There wouldn't be one single Cult of Zsience, but several. Claiming their origin in the mythical Sky Age, when humans first appeared in the World of Aiers, they first appeared in the lands of Aegyus of the Immortal Kings, but survived them. From Aegyus, the cults of Zsience will as well gain an important following in the Empire of the Librarians of Dume, as the Librarians even promoted the Cult of Zsience to an official status on their empire.

But after the fall of Dume, the Cults of Zscience went into a quick decline, and often prosecution by the new and old religions, often surviving as secret societies, mysteries and in some few places -such as their native Aegyus-, openly -but barely tolerated.

In the illustration, you can see some of the imagery from the Sky Age adopted as symbols by the Cults of Zsience:

One heraldic symbol linked to the oldest noble houses of the librarians was the Inverted Torch, that was said to be worn by the peoples of the Sky Age themselves as a seal.
Meanwhile, one of the prevalent symbols that would become the recognised symbol of the Cult of Zsience was the Threefold Method Symbol. Found in many of the Tekkno-Loki artifacts of the Sky Age, it was interpreted to be the revealed symbol by the Prophet Zsience, showing his Zsientific Method.
Finally, the third symbol is the Stairway to Heaven, a spiral staircase that was interpreted to be the way to self-discovery of one self in the Cults of Zsience.

The Cult of Zsience: aiers.fandom.com/wiki/Cult_of_…
Aegyus of the Immortal Kings: aiers.fandom.com/wiki/Aegyus
Empire of the Librarians of Dume: aiers.fandom.com/wiki/Dume

This was done inspired by re-reading some of the awesome stories set in the world of Aiers by -along with some of the old comments of in them.

I truly recommend the Crypt of Dume:

~ CRYPT OF DUME ~
Part 1: Don Jaime and the Quest
Part 2: The Blood of Old
Part 3: Tomb of the First Librarian
Part 4: What Lies Beneath
Part 5: Curse of the Sky Age
Part 6: This Small Atonement
Part 7: Acknowledge Thy Master

I have a twitter!
twitter.com/shabazik

I have a patreon!
www.patreon.com/shabazik