Editing EternalEmpire:Theology (section)

=== Overview === 

	Within the broad religious category of Chingolun, there are numerous denominations that express distinct views on some theological points, both major and minor. Although their positions can be controversial, these are not the heterodox ascetic communities on the fringes of civilization, nor the secretive mystery cults, but more-or-less mainstream sects with beliefs and traditions that deviate slightly, yet significantly, from the Olimacan creed. In the Eternal Empire, the largest and most powerful of these sects is Tylofostonism.   

	Jento Tylofost was a Chingolun priest, born ca. 57 AGA in Anota on the shores of the Sea of Holinos. His mother was a Dandrit native and his father an Arqi military officer of some station in the local garrison. Little is known of his youth, but probably sometime before his 16th year, he was initiated into the Cult of Arcanudo, a Chingolic sect his father belonged to, popular amongst soldiers and aristocracy of Arqualan. From here, he plunged deeply into the Chingolun, zealously searching for answers to mysteries and resolutions of apparent contradictions. A contemporary described him as “profoundly inquisitive… he sought to subject even the Gods to the scrutiny of analysis.” He zealously searched for whatever scraps of ancient records and texts he could find, traveled to the jungles of Renoga to inspect abandoned early Chingol Cult temples, and learned Ganno so that he could make superior translations of the original scriptures in Arqi. Tylofost’s contributions went far beyond a rediscovery of the faith’s origins, however; his reinterpretation of the scripture and his critical, Arqi-centered approach to theology signaled an important shift in the beliefs and practice of the Chingolun.

	At 23, he was selected to be a priest at the Temple of Arqiva Undaunted in nearby Noa Bycula. This was a civic shrine dedicated to the personification of the Arqi civilization as well as a school for surgeons and physicians. Consequently, it was a position of significant stature, and his ten years of distinguished service caught the eyes of several Monitari and other religious figures. He already had a large following among the rank and file, who affectionately named him Dodex, or instructor, a sign that his activities went far beyond simply organizing ritual celebrations. At the age of 30, Massalino unabashedly declared him “the most learned and holy cleric in the Empire”. By this time, he had been presenting his unusual interpretation of the religious mysteries to anyone who would listen. While this was not as invidious as one might imagine considering the inherent diversity of religious thought within the Chingolun, his more radical claims and activities began to draw fire from priests both within and without of the Eternal Empire. Regardless, Tylofost’s erudite and sophisticated conception of the universe, his undeniable piety towards the Gods, and his skilled oratory combined with the sensibilities of his distinctly Arqi worldview gained him the support of some very powerful partisans within Arqualan. By his death in 146 AGA, the “Tylofoston School” was the most dynamic and influential sect in the empire.

	Tylofostonism became not only the de facto Arqi belief, but by the middle of the 4th century AGA, it was the de jure state religion. Its political influence grew so that by the 600s, other religious practices were restricted, marginalized, and ultimately suppressed, and the Tylofoston church became a virtual organ of the state. In fact, in 829, Emperor Vanlin VI made himself the Vicar of Tylofost, the high cleric of the Tylofoston community, and the title resided with the emperors until Ionomîs returned the office to the priesthood in 1159. It remains the dominant Chingolun sect in the empire and, despite its universal message, maintains a strong historical and spiritual connection to Arqualan and its empire. In fact, the appearance and reign of the Illuminarch Ionomîs is considered to be the confirmation of the sect’s truth and the first realization of its promise.