The Cult of Terminus

The worship of Terminus can be traced back to the Cargan empire, but has fallen into disrespect there. This religion came to the Frankish lands with the Cargan conquerors, but declined here as it did in the central Cargan areas. Lately it has begun to grow once more, with a new centrepoint in Western Logesia of the Confederation of Sorcerors.

Myth of Terminus

Terminus (Marduk) was born of the titans Oceanus (Enki) and Tethys (Dumkina). When Uranus (Apsu) attempted to devour all his descendants, Oceanus put Uranus (his father) to sleep with a spell, and crafted the Cosmos from his dreams, a cage to hold Uranus, a home to shelter the titans and gods.

Gods-ages later, Quingu - the great horned monster, son of Tiamat, came forth from Chaos to avenge the defeat of Uranus. All the gods were fearful, and they assembled at the Mount Olympus to hold council. None among them had the power and courage to face the horde of Chaos. Oceanus was old, and wisely chose Terminus to set the borders of Cosmos against Chaos. All other gods shrank back at this task. Terminus demanded that all the assembled gods recognize him as their leader, that he should be given the Tablets of Destiny and thereby supreme authority. Quivering with fear of the ravening gigants, the gods agreed, with little bickering, though Jupiter sulked.

Before going into battle, Terminus filled his body with heavenly fire. He put on a marvellous cloak given to him by the other gods, which gave him the power to destroy anything he points at (this cloak is always present when Terminus is depicted), and took up a number of armaments. He carried lightning bolts, a mace, bow and arrows, and a net held taunt by the four winds. He also brought with him an antidote against even the most horrible of poisons, and He travelled forth in a chariot drawn by four horrible, poison-toothed beasts, who are named Slaughterer, Merciless, Charger and Flier. Seven tornadoes followed Him, and Oceanus gave him the unstoppable flood-weapon. Thus prepared, he led the gods into battle against Quingu and the Gigants.

The horde of Chaos was unnumbered, and held many monstrosities, including the first dragons and lindwyrms. The greatest terror, however, was Quingu, a vast giant whose entire body was covered in horns and barbs. Qingu's strategy did at first confuse Terminus, and defeat was nigh. Yet with his supreme authority, he was able to rally the gods, and pressing forth in a tide of blood, he slew Quingu with lightning. Yet Quingu, a creature of unparalelled vitality, arose and the army of Chaos advanced once more. Again, Terminus slew him, crushing Quingu's skull with his mace. Yet Quingu, a beast of greatest vigour, arose and the army of Chaos advanced once more. Terminus attacked again, with tripled intensity; As Quingu opened his maw to swallow Terminus, he sent the four winds into it, distendeding Quingu's body. Then Terminus shot the horned beast in the belly with an arrow, and wrapped his net around it while breathing fire unto it. With Quingu disabled, the horde of Chaos was soon routed. However, as the gods returned, Quingu was straining at his bonds, and they were yielding. Realizing that Quingu could never die, Terminus at last defeated it by transforming it.

Taking several other gods, including Oceanus, as his assistants, Terminus begant to transform Quingu. Flaying it, he inflated its hide into the firmament, and braced it with Quingu's ribs. From its flesh, he made the earth, from its fumes the air, its fluids became water, and its spirit fire. Terminus measured and laid out the world, yet Hades succeeded in planting certain corruptions within it. Still, most of the world was purged of its chaotic origin and was made orderly.

In celebration of the victory, the gates of Kur were filled with images of the vanquished army.

Sadly, some of the gods fail to honour their pledge of eternal subservience to Terminus.

Powers

Terminus is the guardian the entire Cosmos, defending it against Chaos without (represented by Gaea) and Evil within (represented by Hades). In a reflection of this, he is a patron of cultivation and irrigation, and of the towns, cities and cives (city dwellers). Having overseen the creation of the world and the celestial bodies, he is the Great Architect, and he is the patron god of architects, masons, carpenters, and all who build. He is the protector of city walls, and is for this reason sometimes referred to as Pater Turritus.

Symbolism

Terminus’s foremost symbol is a configuration of four squares with four circular eyes in the inmost square, often flanked by horns. His holy number is 40.

Conduct

Terminus’s priests and laymen are expected to abide with the code of honour which is known as the Kargan:

Gravitas: Dignified and noble conduct of actions, governed by prudence, discipline, strictness and rigid self-control.
Dignitas: Holding worthwhile public position deserving respect, willingness to defend that position against anyone who would diminish its worth.
Auctoritus: The ability to maintain authority and discipline in others through one’s personal reputation and public position
Pietas: Unflinching determination to perform one’s duty, whether to family, friends, state or Marduk.

Central concepts are discipline, commitment and honesty. Mercy is seen as a source of confusion. The faithful are expected to give tithe to the temple, other sacrifice is given by contributing further to the manefacture of idols, the copying of scriptures and the building of shrines. Burnt sacrifice is seen as wasteful, little time is spent in prayer.

To a follower of Marduk, any utilization of chaos magic is one of the gravest offenses possible. This has led to a highly sceptical attitude towards mages in general.

The canon of the cult is called the Tablets of Destiny, a gathering of stories, parables, commandments and advice. The canon is usually written on clay tablets, as clay is sacred to Marduk. The most frequently quoted is the Book of Creation, The Wisdom of St. Marcus, The Acts of St. Urban, the Dialoges of St. Urban and the Revelations of St. Sophus.

Terminus's Temples

The places of worship dedicated to the worship of Terminus are all surrounded by some kind of wall, or at worst a fence. This is symbolic of the borders set by Oceanus and upheld by Terminus, guarding Cosmos from Chaos, of the the borders set by Terminus to protect mortals from utukki, and of the borders set by men to protect culture from nature. This outer bulwark has also proven useful when the temples are set upon by angry followers of Jupiter. Within the enclosure one finds the main temple building, which may be rectangular, square or round. Whatever the shape, it is built in the middle of the temple grounds, and one finds the idol of Terminus at the centre of the building. The building may be roofed over with a pyramidal roof , a low peaked roof, or a dome.

Terminus is depicted as a colossal human male . He has a great, square-cut beard, and his face has four eyes and four ears. His head is hollow, and a holy fire is continually kept burning within it, visible through eyegaps and mouth. This symbolises the heavenly fire filling the true body of the deity. The statue wears a horned crown, and has a cloak. These regalia are sometimes part of the statue, and sometimes separate parts. In temples where the cloak is a true cloak, giving the go a new one is a popular sacrifice among the rich of the congregation. The images of Terminus may depict him as sitting in judgement or ready for battle. Often he carries some or all of his armaments (see myth). The greatest idols of Terminus depict him mounted in his chariot, but most temples have idols depicting Terminus standing on a pedestal or seated on a throne. As the statue is always placed at the exact centre of the house of worship, some worshippers see only the back of their god during ceremonies. The scriptures offers up that "some behold the visage of the Lord, while others rally behind him", and either position is equally honoured..

The inside of the house of worship tends to be quite bare apart from the central statue, but the walls are covered by friezes, mosaics, paintings or tapestries depicting scenes from the holy scriptures.

In ancient times, all of Marduk’s temples were ziggurats with four or seven steps. While this design has been abandoned, it is to some extent integrated into modern temples.

Ceremonies

Drums play a central role in all ceremonies. In regions where the worship of Terminus is dominant or at least widely accepted, kettledrums are used to call th faithful to worship. Ceremonies are accompanied by the steady beat of muffled drums. At the start and end of a ceremony, the entire congregation clap their hands sixteen times, four times for each of the Worldmaker’s ears. The main component is a sermon, in which virtue and morality are commented on, with examples drawn from daily life and the scriptures.

The Ring-Giving: At the day of maturity, a worshipper of Terminus is formally recognized as an adult and formally obliges himself or herself to abide by the four commandments of gravitas, dignitas, auctoritas and pietas. At this occation, he or she is given a ring with Marduk’s symbol by the presiding priest. The metal and workmanship of the ring usually depends on the wealth of the recipient’s parents, as they are required to pay for it.

Priesthood

Duties: Priests of Terminus must always strive to uphold the four virtues in themselves and others. They must fight lawlessness, injustice, Chaos and Evil as well as they are able, though the actual fighting is mostly left to the Pyrophlatics (see below). They are expected to be industrious and studious, and they alternate between common labour in their temple (cooking, cleaning, chopping firewood), artisanship (sculpting, smithing, copying scripture -each is skilled in at least one craft) and studying/meditating. They must also make themselves available for laymen seeking instruction.

Competencies: All priests of Marduk must know (skill level) Theology (specialization: Marduk) (14), Musical Instrument (Drum) (10), Law (11) and Mathematics (10). All have learned at least one craft reasonably well, and many also have knowledge of Physics, Alchemy and Astrology. They must also be Literate. While there is no formal prohibition against priestesses, such few as exist rarely advance beyond Protector rank.

The Pyrophlatics: The militant branch of Marduk’s clergy, the pyrophlatics not only prosetylize against Chaos and Evil, but actively fight the representatives of these forces, as they see them. The symbol of their order is four white flames, each within a square which are united in a greater square.

Hierarchy

Of old, the cult of Terminus was ruled by the Primarch, but after his apostacy, it has recognized no greater authority than that of Lord-Protectors (Clerical Rank 5), whom each oversee areas aproxima+tely the size of a country/province. Below these are the Lord-Wardens (Rank 4), each of which is the supreme authority of an area the size of a county or greater. Head Wardens (Rank 3) are responsible for areas such as single cities or baronies. Below these come the Protectors (Rank 2) who may lead the congregation of a single parish, or assist Head Wardens at greater temples, and finally Guardians (Rank 1) who do most of the basic work,..