Editing EternalEmpire:Theology (section)

== Thuderites ==

=== Overview ===

The Thuderites are a Chingolun sect dedicated to the worship and study of Thuder the Deviser, God of Invention and the Practical Application of Knowledge. While Thuder is celerbrated and praised by many throughout Arqualan, owing to his status as a powerful ally of Ionomîs, Thuderite devotion goes far beyond this. Thuderism is essentially a mystery cult; while maintaining a visible and open outer layer, to enter the inner circle entails deep immersion into the Technical Mysteries and indeed the very secrets of creation. 

Devotees of the cult must of necessity possess profoundly analytical minds, curiosity, and well-grounded rationality as they study the all-encompassing knowledge of the ancients and the development of wondrous devices. Yet even more important than this formulation of the novel is their role as stewards of the caches of relic technology and the databanks of knowledge that survived Great Ruin. Thuderite monasteries and temples are often founded nearby such storehouses of antiquity and more closely resemble fabulous fortresses and factories than holy buildings. Unlike the more mundane industrial buildings in the empire, however, Thuderite installations are astonishingly vast and clean, with soaring towers and gleaming white facades, reminiscent of the sublime glory of the ancients’ palaces.

Alongside the quest to reclaim and transcend the glory of the ancients exists a serious ethical aspect. Thuderites hold that the source of evil is acting on inaccurate or incomplete knowledge, leading a person to act without consideration of the consequences, or developing a flawed morality. They devote much of their time to studying and debating the merits and dangers of a new discovery, attempting to sort out the moral ramifications of introducing it into the world at large and recommending caution and introspection in the adoption of certain technologies. Rarely, a discovery will be deemed too dangerous or of no redeeming moral value, and further development will be forbidden. These circumstances aside, the free proliferation of information is regarded as important as its initial discovery by most mainstream Thuderites. 

From the standpoint of many outsiders, the secrecy of the Thuderite rites and the impenetrability of its organization breed suspicion. Initiation to the inner structure of the Cult require bonds of loyalty that eclipse even family ties and connections to society at large, contributing to all manner of accusations. Some believe their secrecy hides sinister perversions and debasement of true religious thought, descending into superstition, sacrilege, and even witchcraft. Others charge them with disloyalty to Arqualan, or paint them as haters of the human race. Unfortunately, these misunderstandings are compounded by devotees found hoarding esoteric technologies and hiding their findings; whether this is done out of jealousy and greed or legitimate concern for their impact is immaterial to most individuals.


=== Scripture ===

·	'''Zelsenwrac''' is the name of a text that no one has ever seen in its complete form, and indeed, may never be completed. Less holy scripture than the ultimate goal of Thuderism, it comprises all the knowledge of the physical universe as well as architectural and engineering principles and designs. Although it is not strictly correct to refer to anything other than the complete work as Zelsenwrac, many novices and outsiders use the term to signify the enormous libraries and data cores of the Cult. There are those Thuderites who believe that Thuder himself is the manifestation of Zelsenwrac, simultaneously the finished product and the evolving knowledge, but this is a topic too esoteric for most.