Post by Spartan 970 Field Marshal 'Mil on Aug 8, 2016 16:02:46 GMT
Asceticism
Ascetics in the Covenant
Worship of the Forerunners in the Swords of Sanghelios is highly individualized. Every Sangheili has a different way of dealing with Forerunner constructs, artifacts, and memoirs. Asceticism is a large sect in the Forerunner religion that revolves around humbling ones self in the eyes of the Forerunners and in the presence of their constructs. San'Shyuum formed a large fraction of these Ascetics, serving as philologists and archaeologists, their foremost project being the Forerunner dreadnought, which they investigated with the assistance of Lekgolo worms. The leader of these priests, Hod Rumnt, later known as the High Prophet of Mercy, headed the faction of Ascetics that tended to the Oracle and sought its blessings. These Ascetics are assumed to have formed the basis for the Ministry of Abnegation, which micromanaged the actions of the Sangheili Ascetics. These Ascetics, however, existed in Sangheili culture far before the Writ of Union.
Ascetics in Sangheili Society
Ascetics are unarguably the most devout Sangheili among their people, dedicating their lives to the study, interpretation, and application of Forerunner scriptures and religious practices. Not only that, but Ascetics represented the culture and practices of the Sangheili people as paragons of their Keeps. These ancient Ascetics formed the Ascetic Guard, an organization dedicated to the protection of Forerunner artifacts, as well as service to their individual Kaidons. Many Ascetics acted as personal bodyguards to authorities within Sangheili society, though that role was effectively eliminated with the Writ of Union, wherein the Ascetic Guard was dissolved and Ascetics were dissolved into the Ministry of Abnegation (an action that they felt slighted for).
After the foundation of the Separatist factions and the abolition of the Covenant, the Ascetic Guard was reformed within the Swords of Sanghelios. These Ascetics came to serve many different lieges, though it's inevitably that most would follow their representative, Usze ‘Taham, and join the Swords of Sanghelios. The Swords of Sanghelios has no codified religious authorities and the Ascetics serve as a mere cultural formality. This doesn't stop them from taking up the roles of philologists and practicing exegetics, however, as their main purpose is religious counseling, ideological enforcement, and protection of Sangheili culture.
The Purpose of an Ascetic:
- To safe-guard Forerunner artifacts
- To ensure that the Forerunners are revered above all other idols
- To weed out false idolatry and ensure religious purity
To study the religious texts of the Forerunners- To interpret the religious texts of the Forerunners
- To maintain the ideology of the Swords
- To ensure the conformity of the Sangheili in the Swords
- To protect artifacts of Sangheili culture
- To represent the Sangheili people as paragons of their values
- To guard authorities of Sangheili culture, e.g. Kaidons and Councilors
Who does an Ascetic have authority over?
On the field, Ascetics have no traditional command. Sangheili may defer to ranking Ascetics in order to ensure that their actions are not tantamount to apostasy or lead to the formation of a heresy. Furthermore, Ascetics may take charge passively if the situation involves the handling or reading of a Forerunner artifact. For this purpose, Ascetics hold no conventional command, but rather, take authority upon very certain conditions. Ascetics have reached the rank of Major for their actions on the field before they've sought their career paths, and as such, hold equivalency to such rank, though they may defer to other Majors if deployed due to the latter's rank.