Worldbuilding: Pantheon of Draconiquity, Part IV - The Hanged Man

 

Ghotomo, The Ascended

The Pantheon of Draconiquity, Part IV

Motif: A Lotus Flower

Spiritual Weapon: A giant, open palm

Domains: Mind, Peace, Self

Core Beliefs: 

• Study The Virtuous Truths and you will find The True Path
• Follow the The True Path, and you shall reach enlightenment

Ghotomo is most often depicted as a mortal that managed to ascend to divinity. His teachings are based on clarity and self-enlightenment. He is often depicted as a monkey, or a slim, robed man with the face of a monkey, that either hangs upside down, or stands on his hands; in both of these depictions, one of his legs is straight, while the other bends to make the shape of the number four. 

Followers

Those who worship Ghotomo are known as Selfless. Their spellcasters are experts in abjuration and transmutation, and every member is expected to learn proper meditation practices. Those who practice the psionic arts often find themselves seeking Ghotomo's teachings.

The Selfless believe that they will reach enlightenment through the worship of Ghotomo; in prayer, they solicit him for clarity in the True Path, and Ghotomo in return guides them to the way of enlightenment. 

Rites

The Selfless do not exchange goods or services in exchange for prayer, for Ghotomo does not care for blind worship. Their practices often involve various forms of community service, and those that become genuinely interested in the lifestyle of the Selfless are then welcome as one of their own.

The Virtuous Truths are a number of statements that are the core of Ghotomo's beliefs. The True Path is a series of behaviors, or lifestyles, that followers practice in a given order, as part of their journey to enlightenment. 

Temples

Because Ghotomo's teachings focus more on the self than on Ghotomo himself, those that follow The True Path don't usually require a place to gather. However, many of the bigger cities will often have a small temple dedicated to Ghotomo. These temples coordinate with local authorities and offer their assistance in the city's maintenance as a form of community service; In these cases, it's not uncommon to see Selfless monks rescue citizens from a burning building, or deliver food to the elderly in the middle of a snowstorm. 

Outside of the cities, a handful of greater temples to Ghotomo exist. All of these temples are located in remote locations of the world (and not all of them reside in the Material Plane). Selfless that truly devote themselves to Ghotomo's teachings will seek these temples to find like-minded individuals and unlock the secrets of The True Path.

Organizations

Ghotomists

There are those who believe that "Ghotomo" is not a mortal that ascended to godhood, but is instead a title, which was given to the first individual that broke the shackles of mortality through self-enlightenment, becoming an entity that transcends mortal limits. Though his name has been long forgotten, many have followed in his footsteps to become Ghotomo themselves. 

Known as Ghotomists, these unorthodox followers of the True Path believe that Ghotomo's intention was to help others follow after his steps, and he never meant be worshipped. They believe in The Truths and The True Paths, but disagree that the First Ghotomo will guide anyone in prayer.

This, of course, puts them at odds with the Selfless. Though this ends up in healthy disagreements for most of the time, extremist Selfless have been known to attack Ghotomists on sight.

Ember Lotus

Founded by a handful of fully achieved Selfless who aimed to apply Ghotomo's normally self-intended teachings to guide the world itself to enlightenment. The Ember Lotus is a secret, anarchist organization with an agenda that is often at odds with some of the other, more prominent organizations of the world. Rumours say that they currently plot to demolish the Draconiquity.