The Way of the Nine
By: Asara Posted on: April 22, 2007
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INTRODUCTION
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My time as a clerywoman for the Neraeian Order has led me to pen several encyclicals. This one was my first, yet it considers the most important concept central to the Neraeian religion: the Path of Equilibrium. This Path is taught, spoken of, and practiced every day by members of the Order of the Sea. These teachings of Lord Neraeos have never been written, and I realize I am taking a risk by disclosing some here for the public. However, serious theological consideration of Achaea's Gods and their fascinating ideologies have never been as fully appreciated as I believe they should be, so I have decided that since many of the Pantheon's eloquent philosophies are as soul-reaching and meaningful as any bardic oration (and similarly have been the source for many creative inspirations,) this discussion has been submitted for the artist as well as the scholar. That being said, it is my hopes that this scholastic work is as well appreciated as any theatrical or alehouse story.
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THE WAY OF THE NINE
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And so does a cleric lay quill to parchment that the teachings of the Great Sea
God may be preserved in written text. Never have the Mysteries been scribed that
the words of the pen-wielder be confused with doctrine, but I say to you,
blessed Neraeian or landwalker friend, it is through the guidance of Virtas
alone that I present the only written word of a thus-far primarily oral
tradition. My time as Prophet is not eternal, so I have recorded the teachings
of this faith as I know them, that I may leave the Order with what should not
be forgotten in the times to come.
The Way of the Nine or the Path of Equilibrium. These are synonymous names for
the life the Nerai have chosen to live. The essence of the Neraeian philosophy
lies in the Nine Neraeian Virtues: Duty, Passion, Reason, Vigilance, Pride,
Humility, Respect, Strength, and Excellence. These Virtues are efficacious and
sacred qualities esteemed by Lord Neraeos. Each one of them plays a part in how
we approach the world, not separately, but together in the beautiful
relationship we call Equilibrium. The defining principle of the Order of
Neraeos, equilibrium is the synthesis of all the Virtues. It is achieved at
last through the noble Virtue of Excellence, and is a concept that must be
understood as ever-shifting and ever-flowing, never stagnant. This is also how
we must view ourselves: dynamic individuals who, with the way of the Nine, are
always changing in flux with the world that we may surge through life's
difficulties and bring glory to Him of the wine-dark Sea.
The Neraeian strives to master the use of these Virtues, and ultimately
equilibrium, by choosing their application wisely. You see, ultimate Excellence
is achieved through many, many mixtures of the Virtues, depending on the
circumstance. The path is flexible: some Virtues may be utilized where others
are not. For example, the warrior may more likely implement strength and
vigilance while the scholar may apply reason and respect. However, this is also
not to say that the Virtues are exclusive. ALL individuals utilize ALL the
Virtues - the key is in their varying degrees of usage. This is also not to say
that this sort of flexibility assumes inconsistency, because constant excellence
is recognizable in many different forms. When the combination of Virtues (and
their varying degrees of use has been selected and applied, and the preferred
outcome therefore reached, one has then achieved equilibrium for that
particular quandary. The world is a myriad of quandaries that require our
vigilant application of the Nine. With constant evaluation and continuing
practice, the Neraeian will know themselves and their limits, and will be able
to master the shifting of Virtues that occur within. With this ideology and
this path, the Nerai better themselves so that, in turn, they may better serve
the Lord.
But, some of the Virtues look to be contradictory. Some of them are, in fact,
opposites. Pride and Humility? How can they both be Virtues Ah, but the reality
that there are "opposites" does not imply one requires a present fifty-fifty
balance of each. Balance is an idea loyal to the God of Balance, Lord Daedalus.
Remember that equilibrium is different than balance because balance is stagnant
while equilibrium shifts. Like the sea, we ebb and flow like the Tides, and we
adapt to situations and overcome obstacles to achieve the overarching Virtue of
Excellence. In other words, in the words of our Lord, to be at Equilibrium, that
state which so few have attained, is not to say that you have an equal balance
of all the Virtues. It is to say that you have complete and utter mastery over
their shifting. The opposites compliment one another and also keep each other
in check. To ignore the principle of equilibrium is folly, for to fall to the
extremes of many of these Virtues alone is disastrous. Too much passion lends
to needless destruction. Too much humility leads to insecurity. We are always
shifting, for this realm presents many new and different experiences where old
and stagnant Virtuous arrangements may not succeed. Such is also the way of the
Sea: always flowing, always uninterrupted, yet always searching for that
equilibrium which allows it to exist as the coherent whole that it does.
How else, then, does the Path relate to the Ocean? The Lord is wise and
almighty, and of His realm the Sea and the God, thus the Ocean and the Path,
are one. We learn from the sea by its archetype representation of the
dichotomies of life. As such, we learn from it how to harness both sides of the
proverbial coin and how to use extremes in conjunction with each other. As I
have learned from a wise man: excellence comes as a result of living by a set
of personal standards and virtues so that you are living correctly in relation
to that which surrounds you. The Sea is the birth and death of life, is angry
and calm, swirling chaos and orderly, methodical tides, and can be both
breathtakingly beautiful but monotonous and ugly as well. Seeing that none of
these alone is a perfect method of being, we seek those Virtues, encompassed by
Excellence, to live as well as possible, with Lord Neraeos' guidance. The
relationship between those dichotomies, therefore, is a parallel for us with
our Virtues, that relationship being, of course, equilibrium.
The beauty of the Neraeian theology of Virtues is also that we can stress
-personal- equilibrium. Uniquely, Virtues are adaptable in their shifting so
that the philosophy is applicable to all sorts of Achaeans. Unlike some other
faiths whose principles may be too rigid, the versatility of the Virtues, while
not entirely subjective in regards to definitions, allows for universal
applicability that achieves results for -everyone-. Thus, it transcends beyond
the definitions of Good and Evil and is flexible while still retaining its core
ideals. This, then, is our ideal Path. Its practical application, its
encompassing relevance, and its effective results show that, indeed, those who
choose to follow the Lord have chosen a most worthy servitude: that which
protects the Sea and, in reciprocal, we are able to enrich ourselves from it.
It is a Path that has been proven again and again in the many members of the
holy Order of the Sea - a proud fellowship of over thirty city leaders,
ministers, guild and House founders and masters, and even several more who have
joined the immortal ranks of the Garden.
The depth of this philosophy (no pun intended) far surpasses the mortal mind.
Each Virtue lends itself to its own discussion as well, but as a follower of
Lord Neraeos, it is up to you to establish the inner-workings of these merits
in specific application to our own shifting. To be worthy enough to embrace the
Path is one thing, but to be able to successfully harness its potential is quite
another. Only Virtas Himself can claim to have ultimately mastered the
Mysteries, and it is only through Him that I have been able to scribe what is
merely the surface of the ocean of enlightenment the Path has to offer. I leave
to my future Prophets and Pontiffs, clergymen and clergywomen, the task to
discover the vastness of His teachings and to continue to be the Excellent
Achaeans this Order has been known to patron. Blessed be the Sea, whose wisdom
and devastating authority have remained majestically unpredictable to
mortal-kind since the dawn of time. Glorious is the expanse of both its
intrigue and comfort, thrilling to the unexplainable soul-felt familiarity that
is inherent within all who revere the watery realm. Only those who can truly
appreciate it will see it other than just an endless void of deepest blue. And
for that, friends, you must seek the Way.