The Path of Tulak

The Path of Tulak is the faith that binds the Dominion together. Its core tenets are as follows;

• Divinity is empowered by the memory of others.
• Through outstanding excellence it is possible to become an immortal spirit.
• One can excel at any field of endeavour, from heroic combat to scientific research or the creation of beautiful things.
• Excellence can only be truly measured when it is challenged by fate or competitors.
• The immortal spirits rely on mortals to remember them, and in return they guide mortals to great successes. Worthy mortals are given the chance to join their ranks. If an immortal spirit is forgotten, they must re-join the cycle of mortality to try again.
• Only the lowest do not deserve the chance to ascend over time. Death and rebirth gives mortals another opportunity to succeed.

These tenets are rounded out with numerous rites and ceremonies that give structure to Tulaki life. Adherents believe that the universe is filled with immortal spirits, who were once mortals that excelled in a particular field of endeavour, and upon their death became a disembodied spirit responsible for overseeing that field and helping others to achieve greatness.

Scientists and philosophers are just as likely to become Heroes as warriors and politicians

It is possible for many immortal spirits to represent a single field – as long as they are remembered by mortals, their divinity remains intact. In this way, memory is the competition of the spirits – a spirit that is superseded by another and forgotten must return to the cycle of rebirth and endeavour to become a well-remembered immortal once more. This ever-striving nature of the faith is what propelled the relatively stagnant Tulaki society to the great height it occupies today. When laying down the tenets, Tulak clearly left room for all the subspecies of her homeworld to prosper – instead of the purely martial path to success (in which the more physically powerful subspecies had a distinct advantage), the Path gives a route for all to attain immortality in whichever fields they are best suited. You can find information on the most prominent Immortal Spirits here.

While the tenets of the Path have been of great overall benefit to the society, they leave space for a dark undercurrent in the faith. Some Tulaki believe in obtaining excellence by superlative achievement in areas that most would consider unacceptable or monstrous – theft, torture, treason or other criminal activities. The priesthood and government of the Dominion roundly reject those who would work to obtain immortality by these means, and consider immortal spirits of such acts to be monsters and demons. However, there have never been any cohesive theological arguments that have managed to hold together for the total rejection of ascension through these methods. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Tulaki society does reject ascension by these criminal routes.