People And Their Opiates (World Building)
#4 of Convergence
Ever since Convergence, the world has changed beyond what we could ever have fathomed. The honest truth is that Convergence changed the world in a way that could never have foreseen, and once it happened we barely remember what we once were. During this book I have discussed the different political nations that formed, as well as the obvious changes we saw in the appearance of new sentient races.
What I have not discussed is the other aspects of social changes. These changes are most prevalent in several ways, the obvious being the changes in religion, social norms of entertainment and new sorts of crime. Perhaps it is not a pleasant conversation, but when viewed objectively, such subjects can inform us not only of the way a nation has been born, but if extrapolated, we can see the way a nation will continue to grow.
Religion is the first thing we should discuss. Before Convergence there were a multitude of religions, cults and faiths around the world, most of which have been forgotten by time. The two that remain from then are Yahwenism and the Children. The most dominant religions today besides those are Elerianism, Nekronism, Illuminism and shamanism.
Yahwenism extends back millenia, and is the oldest known organised religion on Earth. It has been known by different names, of course. Once known as three different religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, Yahwenism formed shortly after Convergence as the three religions unified their beliefs into several core tenets. The first was that there was one god watching over all creation. The second was that he judges the living and sends them either to a heaven or a hell in the afterlife depending on their moral choices in life. Socially, they are a rich church based in the north of Federation, and have an intense hatred for magic and non-humans.
The Children, followers of their prophet, David Wagnes, still exist, but no longer have the political clout they once did. No longer having the land and wealth they attained pre-Convergence, the Children have decreased in population. Now little more than travelling bands of mystics and gypsies, the Children welcome all races, and are strong magic users. Their exact beliefs vary from member to member, but they seem to promote the belief that the Convergence was simply the first of several world changing events, and that David Wagnes may one day return. Many people dismiss this, but many political groups do take the warnings of the Children seriously, for David Wagnes did indeed predict the first Convergence.
Elerianism is perhaps the most popular of the new faiths in our world. Elerianism is, in essence, a pleasure cult. Believing that life should be worth living, it promotes well-being and free love, which while ideal socially, have proven to be problematic for companies seeking to make money off the disenfranchised. Elerianism has a strong presence in places like the Republic and Juroch, where the idea of equality and freedom of speech tend to run strong.
Elerianism does have a dark twin though. Nekronism was a divergent strain of the free-loving faith that came into existence some three hundred years ago. Founded by the dragons of Flemria, it occurred when the priests and priestesses came across a dragon who was a true tyrant. While it is known that the dragons do control their kingdom with an iron rule, they are not known to be sadistic tyrants, and the Elerian cult stood up against the dragon, and killed it. The dragons swiftly intervened. They completely outlawed all foreign religions in Flemria, barring the Children, whom they truly respected. Seeing as Elerianism was the biggest religion there, they took over the church, renaming it Nekronism, and over the centuries perverted it, allowing magic to be used in rituals that aimed at one thing: numbing the masses to the rule of the dragons. It was a resounding success.
The final organised religion is Illuminism. Practiced primarily within the Etherkin Alliance, Illuminism is the worship of magic in all its forms. Known to be worshipped by most the of the magical creatures of the Alliance, it is also practiced by many magi throughout the world. Illuminism holds the belief that magic is a sentient energy and simply wishes to be used, and unite all people within it. Outside of the practitioners of magic, Illuminism does not have much sway, but it is said the most secret of their rituals are spectacles to behold.
The final religion, if it can be called that, is shamanism. Shamanism is not an organised religion, but due to the amount of practitioners of the faith, located primarily in the African Wildlands, one must consider it. Shamanism has been practiced for millenia, and in its purest form it could be considered the oldest faith on Earth. However, ever since Convergence, the shamans, once little more than charlatans, can wield real magic to commune with the natural world and their ancestors. The latter often is criticised as necromancy, one of the few forms of magical banned by international treaties, but the spirits they conjure seem only interested in passing on stories, so most let it pass. The shamans of the Wildlands do have one thing in common though, in that any shaman is considered holy and sacred by the tribes of the African continent.
These major faiths of the modern world are prevalent, as before Convergence all faith was considered by most to be nothing but superstition, but now, with the advent of magic and the spiritkin, few doubt that perhaps these new faiths could truly be tapping into something greater.
Religion is not the only major social change on Earth though. Convergence brought about it both the spiritkin and magic, which means a lot of social norms in regards to entertainment and mass media have also changed. Of note in the forms of entertainment has been the massive growth of the sex trade, the drug trade and the Unity Games.
The sex trade, once considered entirely taboo, has been normalised throughout most of the known world, with the Federation being the only place that still considers fornication a non-commerical property without special licence, despite the prestigious amount of pornography that flows from and to the Americas. Pornography is now one of the biggest industries in the world, with much of the world no longer considering it taboo. True, there are fetishists in every culture. One of my colleagues did a study in this once, and the most interesting thing was that the post popular pornography was not human and human, or even spiritkin and spiritkin, but turned out to be human and spiritkin. I suspect one could say both cultures are eager to learn from the other. But it goes further than this. Brothels are now common place, and in the Republic and Flemria it is not uncommon to see nightclubs that are truly are sex clubs and nothing but. I believe the most contributing factor to this has been the near eradication of deadly sexually transmittable infections, thanks in part to the research done by technomancers. Without the risk of disease, the major concern is pregnancy, but that is an issue for each individual.
Some forms of entertainment still remain taboo however. I speak of course of the drug trade. Before Convergence there was in many cultures a war on drugs and judging by how prevalent they remain, the war failed. Some drugs, like marijuana, are now legal in every nation, thanks in part to the new strains grown in the Wildlands, which are far more potent but have less toxins. Studies have proven the strain is a magical alteration. Other drugs, like the terrifying Rainbow Dust and Brimstone Weed, are still the subjects of major debates. These magically enhanced drugs have incredible effects, but their side effects are too dangerous. Unfortunately, the worst one, Brimstone Weed, is a naturally growing plant that is not native to Earth, but emerged after Convergence. Due to it enhancing the magical talent of any who ingest it, many magi have gone insane. Luckily, thanks to the efforts of groups like the Children and even the Yahwenists, political treaties have ensured that such drugs are eradicated when found.
Fortunately, the most common form of entertainment is a healthy one. The Unity Games. Modified from the ancient Olympic sporting events, the Unity Games is a year long festival held every four years. During this time we see the physical prowess of every nation tested in events that are determined by strength, speed, stamina and even race, as there are events for humans, spiritkin and even mixed events where anyone can enter. But the Unity Games encompass even more than that. There are feats of magic, cultural events like poetry and music, scientific events where new inventions can become tomorrow's bestseller and even sexual games where things like form, flexibility, stamina and yes, even acting are tested. The Unity Games have remained one of the best ideas to ever come out of Juroch, who ensure the nations take turns hosting.
But, like as history has proven, as we found new ways to entertain ourselves, we encountered new forms of people willing to take advantage of that to abuse others. Crime is a fact of life throughout Earth still to this day. Old crimes, such as theft, murder, rape, assault and the like of course exist, and as always, are committed by many people for many reasons. Such is life. However, what should be noted is that thanks to Convergence, Earth saw a new range of crimes committed.
As previously mentioned, the drug trade has changed. Yes, many recreational drugs are now completely legal, and fun to use for many. But some drugs, like the hallucinogenic Rainbow Dust and the corrupting Brimstone Weed are incredibly valuable to some, and both are extremely addictive. Rainbow Dust is the lesser of the two evils, as it is a magically enhanced hallucinogen. What makes it dangerous is the fact that besides being addictive it allows people to see visions that have in the past come true. Unfortunately, most who have those visions go utterly insane. Brimstone Weed is the worst one though. A non-terrestrial plant, it grows in areas of cultural sadness and deep magic. Forgotten battlefields and the like. Able to increase the magical power of any who use it, it slowly drives them mad, often until they are driven to kill, or worse yet, necromancy.
This of course brings us to necromancy itself. Magic is in its own right completely amoral. But the practice of necromancy is considered punishable by death by burning at the stake in every nation. This was due to a small group of magi who before the formation of the nations used necromancy to bring about an army. It was only by humans and spiritkin uniting that Japan did not fall to the undead. Some necromancy, considered white necromancy, is allowed, such as healing spells. Black necromancy, which is the revival of the dead, is forbidden. And rightfully so.
Similar to necromancy is the act of magical experimentation on sentient beings. Brought about by the Republic and the Federation, the nations agreed that using magic or science on sentient beings for the purpose of experimentation into genetic mutation, or to enhance an already living being, had to be strictly controlled. Flemria were against the change until one of their own creations, a three headed dragon, got loose. The creature was slain, but all agreed, mutation had to be controlled. Sadly, this is one of the laws that is not overseen by Juroch, and thus there have been cases where companies and governments have performed research in secret. Sometimes this works out for the best, as humans now live easily to the age of a century, but other times, such as when the tribes of the Wildlands created a sentient chimera out of legend that went berserk and killed over three hundred souls, have proven that further oversight is needed.
The final thing that needs to be brought to attention is the criminal and terrorist organisation known as the Black Star. The Black Star have been operating for millenia, and records indicate they were responsible for the downfall of the original United Nations and the undead crisis in Japan. Police and governments have given a standing order to shoot on sight this criminal group, which trades in Brimstone Weed, organised crime and is known to have attempted to blow up Juroch several times. Their exact motives remain unclear to this day, though many surmise that they are anarchists in the purist sense, as every action they do does nothing but cause chaos.
~ Taken from Dr Eric Odgen's A New World Order (1AU)