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The Libris Mechanica Sanctus

Posted by Mad Brew On April - 1 - 2009

Church of the Radiant Polyhedron

Below is an excerpt from the Libris Mechanica Sanctus, the holy scripture of the Church of the Radiant Polyhedron. The excerpt concerns the Church’s creation myth and how the divine connection to humanity. There of course may be errors in the translation, so the excerpt is open to interpretation and revision. Look for more excerpts as the revelation is revealed to me!

Universal Origins

In the beginning, there was the bleak, dark void amidst an infinite sea of churning Chaos. From the ocean of primordial Chaos, there emerged a radiant entity wrought of perfect geometric form. This entity baptised the void with its shining radiance and resolved to create life and willed two polyhedral servants into existence. The Universe was then conceived in an explosion of matter as the radiant entity’s servants, the celestial trapezohedra, collided within the void.

The radiant entity, an omnipotent being of infinite faces, watched as the seed of life took root within the void, ever expanding like a glorious contagion throughout the void. The celestial trapezohedra siphoned the stuff that is Chaos and transmuted it into matter to build the Universe. Order from Chaos. Random yet Deliberate. Thus the radiant entity, who is the Supreme Arbitrator, Apeirogon, fashioned the Universe from the Sea of Chaos. Apeirogon then hibernated for countless millennia afterward, listening for the time when his creation called upon him and left the cosmos under the charge of his celestial trapezohedra.

The Universe, its fabric having been sewn with threads of Chaos, was subject to Entropy. This is truth that Apeirogon had designed for the Universe, for it provides balance to creation. Order creates the Universe from the matter of Chaos and Entropy obliterates the Universe returning matter to Chaos. Therefore the Universe is self-sustaining. Consequently, life evolves via the destruction if Entropy. From evolution came the species of man and it was man’s destiny to awaken Apeirogon.

The Awakening

The Apeirogon, Supreme Arbitrator, listened to the cosmos while he slumbered until he heard the voice of man. Humanity was hungry for knowledge and had evolved into self-aware beings, much like Apeirogon. Though limited in power, Apeirogon gifted men with the fires imagination, so they may analyze, wonder, and create. Thus humanity conquered its world through the industrious cycle of curiosity, experimentation, and fabrication.

Unfortunately, humanity has unraveled much of the mysteries of the universe, leaving us with a starving imagination that still craves the wonder and mystery of days yore. But Apeirogon left us with one more creative outlet, storytelling. The craft of story is the final and most crucial skill that humanity has learned. Those individuals whose flame of creativity has been extinguished are merely empty shells. The soul thrives on the vibrant fires of creativity and the more intense these fires burn, the more likely the soul is to flourish. A mortal whose fire of imagination is currently are called the Awakened.

The Church of the Radiant Polyhedron has a duty to stoke the fire of imagination and promote creativity in its congregation. In order to fulfil this commitment, several rituals have been ordained to practice the skill of craft to awaken those whose imaginations slumber and to keep the Awakened’s imaginations well fueled.. The ceremonial tool of choice is the roleplaying game, as the tenets and philosophies governing the design and play of these games are inspired by the Supreme Arbitrator itself, Apeirogon.

Listening to: Skinlab - Disembody the New Flesh - Scapegoat

gaming church D&D d20 rpg roleplaying dungeons and dragons world of darkness religion

Culture

The Church of the Radiant Polyhedron

Posted by Mad Brew On March - 31 - 2009

Church of the Radiant Polyhedron

I currently subscribe to the doctrine of Agnostic Theism :

Agnostic Theism is the view of those who do not claim to know of the existence of any deity, but still believe in such an existence. Søren Kierkegaard believed that knowledge of any deity is impossible, and because of that people who want to be theists must believe.

I suppose I could stop there, but I want a religion that provides a sense of community, understanding, and support. I want my religion to be tied to something I hold dear. I want cool rituals that range from the simple to the complex. And I want all the benefits of running a religion: tax exempt property, non-taxable income, and followers of course! I can see how these organizations are doomed to corruption (but let’s ignore that facet for now).

RPGs & Religion

So anyone who has read this far must be thinking, “What the hell does this have to do with roleplaying games? This is an RPG blog, right?“ Well, of course I am going to tie this baby into roleplaying games! What better ritual to extrapolate my religion from than that of playing an RPG? Well, I have some other ideas about cars, music, and steampunk zombies, but that is a discussion for another blog (except maybe the idea surrounding zombies).

Religion and roleplaying can be at odds with each other, particularly when approached from a fundamentalist perspective. I was an avid player of Dungeon & Dragons since late grade school (app. 4^th grade) and most of the hostility or intolerance I have experienced started there. Then early in high school, when I became involved with the World of Darkness lines, there was a revival anti-roleplayer sentiment. Eventually, I could back up my wit with force, so the hazing diminished and finally disappeared.

Of course, most gamers are aware of the stigma and social taboo that Dungeons & Dragons garnered in the early 80s through the early 90s. If you are not privy to the unfair treatment given the game, I suggest you grab a copy of Mazes & Monsters (featuring Tom Hanks) or do some research on Patricia Pulling or any of the other controversies surrounding D&D.

Well, it is time roleplaying games were embraced by religion. The best way to bring this about is to found a new religion that is fully integrated with the concept of roleplaying. Thus I officially lay the groundwork for the Church of the Radiant Polyhedron.

Libris Mechanica Sanctus

Every major religion has a holy script; a tome that records the origin of the religion, a creation myth, laws to abide, and parables that teach the faithful moral lessons. Christianity has the Bible (though there are many supplements), Islam has the Qur’an, Hinduism has several (Vedas, Upanishads, etc.), and Judaism has the Torah…

The Church of the Radiant Polyhedron shall have the Libris Mechanica Sanctus, or the Sacred Tome of Mechanics. This holy writ shall record the doctrines and covenants of the faith including, but not limited to behavior (both at and away from the table), rituals (for atonement, blessings, etc.), and a creation myth.

Pantheon

The Church of the Radiant Polyhedron will need one or more deities of course. The Supreme Arbitrator, the force that determines the possibility of all encounters is the creator and judge of the universe. The Supreme Arbitrator is known to us as Apeirohedron, an entity of infinite faces. Since the concept of an infinitely faced polyhedron cannot be easily depicted, the Supreme Arbitrator is instead depicted as a golden icosahedron.

Also sharing the universe with Apeirohedron are countless lesser deities that personify one or more facets of Apeirohedron. These lesser deities are avatars of their facets and constantly work to further the influence of their facet. Many other religions of the past and present have sprung up though the endeavors of one of these avatars.

All these avatars are a microcosm of the Supreme Arbitrator, and the Supreme Arbitrator is the avatars. However, these avatars are not bound by the moral and ethical requirements of mortals, and may further the influence of a facet that the Libris Mechanica Sanctus considers wrong.

The Church of the Radiant Polyhedron also recognizes various mortals (living and deceased) as saints. Once sainthood is declared, a person joins the ranks of the Legion of Saints. The criterion for sainthood is detailed in the Libris Mechanica Sanctus, but generally requires strong adherence to the mechanics of acceptable behavior and a history of creation (writing, design, or art). E. Gary Gygax is an often invoked saint of the church.

Initiation

A person may merely accept the Libris Mechanica Sanctus as their guide to become a member of the Church of the Radiant Polyhedron. While gathering with fellow members and participating in the Sacrament of Story and other rites and rituals are encouraged, there are no required duties or pilgrimages (other than not breaking Holy Mechanics).

While a ritual exists to baptize a polyhedrite, the term for a member of the congregation of the Church of the Radiant Polyhedron, the Church does not recognize any form of original sin. Therefore, one need not be baptized in order to be inducted. Nobody is born stained with sin, but people may acquire sin during their lives. Baptism and geas of atonement can help a polyhedrite overcome their sin, but only Apeirohedron can truly judge whether a soul’s earthly deeds merit ascension.