Difference between revisions of "Immaculate Mandate"

Latest revision as of 16:44, 11 March 2016

Authors: Mela, Hesiesh, Sextes Jylis, Danaa'd, Pasiap

The Immaculate Mandate is a short work, considered to have been composed by the five Immaculate Dragons before their departure from Creation. The text consists of five stanzas, and while tradition attributes each to a particular Dragon the text itself does not contain such details.

First Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate

The First Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate, attributed to Mela, calls on all peoples of Creation to heed the words and deeds of the Immaculate Dragons, for these are perfected lessons on the preservation of Creation and the advancement of all towards enlightenment. This is amongst the statements of the Dragons which are oft cited to support the importance and primacy of the Immaculate Texts, as well as the need to proselytize the Immaculate Faith across all Directions.

Second Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate

The Second Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate, attributed to Hesiesh, speaks that those who are most enlightened in the ways of the Dragons are Princes of the Earth, whose souls know best the righteous path and whose rule ought be embraced. This Stanza is amongst the sections of the Immaculate Texts which support the rule of the Dragonblooded over Creation, though its terms are far more general than those elsewhere in the Texts, particularly the Canon of the Exalted.

The Second Stanza has also been used to support hierarchies within the Dragonblooded Host, and is thus the most often cited part of the Immaculate Mandate as the Exalted play out their political maneuvers and rivalries. The specific meaning of the Stanza has long been a contentious subject given that ‘enlightened in the ways of the Dragons’ can be taken to mean many different things. The strongest arguments hold it refers to the blood of the Dragons (the strength of Exalted Breeding), the words of the Dragons (understanding and obedience to the Immaculate Texts), or the practices of the Dragons (mastery of the Immaculate Martial Arts), though the current orthodoxy from the Palace Sublime holds that each of these is a part of the ‘ways’, and that it is ‘enlightened’, not ‘ways’, which is the key part of the phrase, referencing the advancement of the Soul.

During the Shogunate Era, the Second Stanza saw use by regional warlords and Shogunal claimants seeking to establish theocratic states or gain religious legitimacy for their claims. In the present day, while the Gentle Rule is the prime authority on hierarchy within the Immaculate Order, the Second Stanza has seen significant use as theological justification for the rule of the Scarlet Empress over the Dragonblooded and all Creation.

Third Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate

The Third Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate, attributed to Sextes Jylis, speaks of the need for all to work together and care for Creation so that it might be preserved. While the structure of individual temples and the Immaculate community are spoken of in other Texts such as the Gentle Rule, the Third Stanza’s call for each of the faithful to communicate and agree through a ‘hands joined in harmony, mouth speaking peace and understanding’ has long been cited as part of the supporting theology for the role of the Mouth of Peace... and, because of this, in attacks on the heretical nature of entering schism with the Palace Sublime.

Fourth Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate

The Fourth Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate, attributed to Danaa’d, speaks of the need for the enlightened to work not only to advance their own souls but to defend Creation itself from those forces that would destroy it, both from within and from without. The commandment is given to hunt unceasingly for ane attempt by the Anathema to return, or any encroachment by the forces of Hell or of the Wyld. It is from the Fourth Stanza that the Wyld Hunt claims to draw its name.

Fifth Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate

The Fifth Stanza of the Immaculate Mandate, attributed to Pasiap, speaks that the Incarnae have personally embraced the Mandate of the Immaculate Dragons and the rule of the Princes of the Earth in Creation so the gods might not be distracted from their work in Heaven. It is the Stanza which the Immaculates hold gives the Perfected Hierarchy the authority not only of the Immaculate Dragons and the enlightened Exalted, but of the Most High who rules over all the gods as well, meaning its violation is a clear violation of the laws of Heaven as much as the laws of Earth.

This is the Stanza from which the Mandate draws its own name, being the only place the word appears in the text.