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The cult of Arrhim is a philosophy which affirms that the natural state of any society, and the only cure against lawlessness and chaos is the absolute rule of the strong.
Arrhim himself is not a god, but the allegedly starter of the cult. He´s a mysterious, messianic leader that supposedly rules over a huge fortress located in a hidden valley among the mountains, in an unknow location. The wildest rumors run about him, some of them saying he´s actually a devil -perhaps even the unspeakable horror of a pit fiend- that found his way to the material plane. Many say that Arrhim is actively seeking godhood through the spreading of his cult.
Arrhim´s philosophy is contained in the Tractatus of Peace, a book of surprising logical and literary deepness that has seen much spreading in the recent times. Even through the argument contained in it is abhorrent to most, few deny the subtle work and twisted, yet paradoxically simple argument it contains. This magnificent work has lead many to the idea that the author is some sort of supernatural, lawful evil being; in any case, he´s a genius.
The tractatus affirms that it´s a cosmic truth that the strong must rule: anything other than that creates an imbalance, an unstability that will be filled or mended sooner or later, creating a period of turbulence and chaos. Translated to social terms, the rule of the weak is inherently unstable, since it creates greater opportunities for others to usurp power, and less opportunities to resist and keep the current order. Once the stronger is the one ruler, by definition there will be no more challenges for him: the events will have reached his most stable position, and further disorder will be impossible.
The stronger the dominion, the biggest the difference in power from the ruler to those under him, the stability reached will be greater. Therefore, a ruler that want to apply the universal, meta-divine principle of order to his dominion must aspire to nothing less than absolute and unquestioned obedience. Also, it´s a self evident truth that power over other sentient being is clearly demonstrated when he´s put to suffering; thus, one of the signs of successful rulership is the lack of humanity when dealing with those greatly inferior and weak; the Tractatus however states clarifies that this desirable state must be reached with time, because causing too much suffering to underlings when the difference in power isn´t great enough can lead to the ruler´s destruction and therefore chaos.
As a consequence of the universal right of the stronger to rule, it follows that nothing prevails over them; they are not, by definition, bound by further ethic or moral constrain, unless imposed by someone stronger, in which case the main, cosmic rule is not violated.
In the context of the Tractatus, “strength” is not necessarily only personal, physical or magical might. Organizational abilities, wealth, diplomatic skills, foresight, or the ability to appease the gods to avoid interference; all the skills that can be used to dominate others are seen as “strength”
The Tractatus has seen literally dozens of rebuttals from philosophers of all kinds, from mortalists to clerics of the most disparate religions. Yet, maybe, the controversy has made the book more popular. Slavers, cruel warlords and tyrants use it as a justification, and cite passages from it like others would cite from a holy book. More dangerous are those who have faith in the cult´s teaching and can draw divine strength from them: they can be terrible foes and patient and manipulating villains, always plotting to increase their power and never having the slightest scruple.
Clerics that follow the teachings of Arrhim commonly choose from the Law, Evil, Charm and Nobility domains, though they usually don´t refer to the last one by it´s name and instead call it Tyranny or Dominion.
Arrhim himself is not a god, but the allegedly starter of the cult. He´s a mysterious, messianic leader that supposedly rules over a huge fortress located in a hidden valley among the mountains, in an unknow location. The wildest rumors run about him, some of them saying he´s actually a devil -perhaps even the unspeakable horror of a pit fiend- that found his way to the material plane. Many say that Arrhim is actively seeking godhood through the spreading of his cult.
Arrhim´s philosophy is contained in the Tractatus of Peace, a book of surprising logical and literary deepness that has seen much spreading in the recent times. Even through the argument contained in it is abhorrent to most, few deny the subtle work and twisted, yet paradoxically simple argument it contains. This magnificent work has lead many to the idea that the author is some sort of supernatural, lawful evil being; in any case, he´s a genius.
The tractatus affirms that it´s a cosmic truth that the strong must rule: anything other than that creates an imbalance, an unstability that will be filled or mended sooner or later, creating a period of turbulence and chaos. Translated to social terms, the rule of the weak is inherently unstable, since it creates greater opportunities for others to usurp power, and less opportunities to resist and keep the current order. Once the stronger is the one ruler, by definition there will be no more challenges for him: the events will have reached his most stable position, and further disorder will be impossible.
The stronger the dominion, the biggest the difference in power from the ruler to those under him, the stability reached will be greater. Therefore, a ruler that want to apply the universal, meta-divine principle of order to his dominion must aspire to nothing less than absolute and unquestioned obedience. Also, it´s a self evident truth that power over other sentient being is clearly demonstrated when he´s put to suffering; thus, one of the signs of successful rulership is the lack of humanity when dealing with those greatly inferior and weak; the Tractatus however states clarifies that this desirable state must be reached with time, because causing too much suffering to underlings when the difference in power isn´t great enough can lead to the ruler´s destruction and therefore chaos.
As a consequence of the universal right of the stronger to rule, it follows that nothing prevails over them; they are not, by definition, bound by further ethic or moral constrain, unless imposed by someone stronger, in which case the main, cosmic rule is not violated.
In the context of the Tractatus, “strength” is not necessarily only personal, physical or magical might. Organizational abilities, wealth, diplomatic skills, foresight, or the ability to appease the gods to avoid interference; all the skills that can be used to dominate others are seen as “strength”
The Tractatus has seen literally dozens of rebuttals from philosophers of all kinds, from mortalists to clerics of the most disparate religions. Yet, maybe, the controversy has made the book more popular. Slavers, cruel warlords and tyrants use it as a justification, and cite passages from it like others would cite from a holy book. More dangerous are those who have faith in the cult´s teaching and can draw divine strength from them: they can be terrible foes and patient and manipulating villains, always plotting to increase their power and never having the slightest scruple.
Clerics that follow the teachings of Arrhim commonly choose from the Law, Evil, Charm and Nobility domains, though they usually don´t refer to the last one by it´s name and instead call it Tyranny or Dominion.
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I´m fixing it.
