Nothing is here 9

The Eirenian Civil Sphere

As a diverse city, the cultural landscape of Eiren Bay is wide.

Religion in Eiren Bay

There are a number of religious movements present in Eiren Bay. Sometimes they blend in syncretic ways, and other times there are sharp divisions that lead to tension if not direct conflict.

• Nammanism is a religion that believes that Tehom, in addition to being a planet, has a consciousness of its own, and it is actively guiding humanity toward some end. Nammanists are sometimes called Tidlings, though many view that as a derogatory name. While the Nammanists Nammanists have successfully promoted the cultic veneration of famous Archons, both past and present, within much of Tehomin society. As the practice seems to have a small but measurable positive effect, the Archons encourage the practice. However, cultic worship of Archons has, as a practice, become disconnected from Nammanism, and is much more popular than the philosophy that spawned it.

• Marducists is another philosophy that is older than Nammanism. Like Nammanism, it believes that The Tide's Eye is a god-like consciousness controlling events on Tehom. Unlike the other world-mind religion, however, the Marducism has a maltheistic view of the Tide's Eye, viewing it as manipulating humanity for ends that are not beneficial for humanity. A common fear is that the Tide's Eye orchestrates devastation for its own entertainment. Marducism has always been controversial, as the Few cannot help but in some ways be representatives of the Tide's power. Nevertheless, there have been the occasional mystic who has argued humanity must turn the tools of the Tide against it to achieve freedom. Marducist rituals involve attempts to satiate or “blind” the Tide’s Eye in various ways. An austere variant of Marducism, the Wind of Hills, has become popular within the Dundainian Anarchy. Marducists can be found among disaffected Many throughout the Set, though one can find factions of the Few in both Thaimbase and Novum Volsci who are practicing Marducists.

• Iterationists reject that the Tide's Eye is in any way conscious. Rather, they argue the planet somehow serves as a psychic feedback loop, responding to the collective dreams and fears of humanity. As humanity's desire for survival became increasingly its sole concern, Heroes emerged, and as humanity began to understand what Heroes were supposed to be, the nature of the Few stabilized. With varying degrees of cynicism, Iterationists often try to experiment to see if they can manipulate the Tide's Eye to maximize desirable effects. There have been some successes, but many more failures. Pinnacle promotes a “soft” form of iterationism, that downplays the idea of manipulating the Tide’s Eye, while the version promoted by Srimec City is deeply invested studying the Tide’s Eye in an attempt to control it.

• ’’’The Remnant Church’’’ claims to be the religion of the Garden. More accurately, it is a synthetic faith that combines the beliefs and practices known to be within the Garden when Tehom was colonized and terraformed. The result is a religion that appears to either be polytheistic or transtheistic in its character, often talking in terms of myths that they view as important metaphors rather than literally true. In its most elite forms, it is a religion of scholars and mystics. Paradoxically, its common forms are incredibly diverse, as local variation is actually encouraged as long as it fits certain parameters. Because of this, the Remainers discuss the Tide’s Eye in a way that sounds both like the Iterationists and the Marducists: the Tide’s eye can be thought of either as a force or as a being, just as all things in this world can be. Beacon is a center of Remnant thought.

Education in Eiren Bay

Thanks to the types of industry in Eiren, the Kairos Covenant, and the increased voice given to the many, the population of Eiren Bay enjoys a relatively high degree of formal education. Schools generally begin at age six and continue in various forms until age twenty, though the later years become increasingly vocational in focus. Additional education may take the form of apprenticeship programs for skilled trades, or the University of Eiren for academic and professional pursuits.

The Arts in Eiren Bay

The Central Museum is a new facility that attempts to have a wide variety of topics for public display. It also coordinates activities with various departments at the University of Eiren. Additionally, there is an opera arena, as well as several galleries. If Eiren Bay's star continues on it current path, it will have a very strong cultural community within half a generation.