Purism

The concept of Purism is an ideology that exists across Cultures, Religions, Nations, and more, which establishes itself in opposition to Magic, the existence of Magic, or the use of Magic in the world of Aloria. Players who play Mage or Magic inclined Characters in Regalia inevitably have to deal with Purists like the Lothar Order Knights. While Purism is generally considered bigotry at its simplest interpretation or fear of the unknown, Purism itself is more nuanced and complicated than simple hatred or good intentions gone wrong, so this page will discuss the various aspects of it. Players are encouraged to further their own interpretation and use this page mostly as inspiration or foundation to understand the concept of Purism.

Variance of Purism

To start off, one must acknowledge the full breath of Purism. Purism is not always rabid foaming-at-the-mouth bigotry or hatred. Not every purist wants to stab a Mage in the throat, and some Purists aren't even universally in opposition of all things Magical. Some Purists are so-called Limited Purists, Purists who only apply Purist ideology against some things that are Magical as opposed to all. For example, a Purist might have hatred for Vampires and Arkenborn for being Demonchildren, but be completely fine around Mages. A Purist who applies Purity across all sectors, is called a Full Purist. Furthermore, Purism can also have different degrees of severity. The mildest form of Purism is just institutional obstructionism or smarmy diatribes. A Purist priest might for example take no extra effort to be bigoted towards Mages, often than to remind them they have obligations to the State and their eternal soul, and to remind them that Magic is unnatural each time they meet. However, there are also those Purists who are considered fanatics, who either actively wish death upon, or actively inflict lethal violence on those of Magical inclinations. At the bottom line, there is a great degree of variation between one Purist to the next, so when discussing Purism, one should always put it in the context of how strongly those feelings are expressed.

Purism in Religions

Unionism

Purism in Unionism is one of the most commonly encountered forms of Purism in Regalian Roleplay, because of the ubiquity of Unionism as a state Religion, and because it has also formed the foundation for many forms of institutional Purism. Unionist Purism, however, is not nearly as straightforward as Khama Purism because Unionist dogma has always sat on the fence between Magic acceptance and tacit Purism. It remains an indisputable fact, that the written scriptures of Unionism do not contain a single Purist mention or command. There are no clear rules or scripture distinctions that attribute any kind of moral to Magic. However, there are a lot of circumstantial statements that can reasonably be interpreted to have purist ideals by those who are seeking confirmation. One of the most obvious examples is the existence of Grace as the Goddess Custodian.

In Grace's dogma, Magic is defined as something that has inherent corrupting influences on anything it touches. While the God Caan is declared as a Magic God and under his dogma it is explicitly stated that Magic is a burdened blessing to Unionism, this ostensibly pro-Magic view is tempered by the reality that most Unionists consider Magic like playing with fire. Unionists are taught from an early age to fear Magic through Grace's guidance, and this kind of conditioning becomes difficult to unlearn when they become older, even when exposed to counter-narratives. Even if most Unionists would tolerate a Mage existing in their midst because of Caan's dogma, the basis of Grace's dogma encourages them to avoid it, and try to remove any kind of magical influence in their immediate surroundings for fear of the corruption of their body and immortal soul and be denied the afterlife. Unionist Purism is an appeal to fear, which in turn activates a sense of self-preservation and preservation of one's surroundings.

Draconism

Draconist Purism is based on a 130,000-year-old decree by the Dragons that all Magic which they call the Presence, is foreign to the world of Aloria and does not belong. For this entire year-span, Draconists have generally fought against Magical things, attempting to banish Demons, kill Mages, and restrain the expansion of Magic in the world. Only in recent times, have the Dragons changed their tune and accepted Magic fait-accompli in Aloria, and permitted it to continue existing. Much of Draconism's Purism has as such disappeared, though some Old Believers still remain who insist the old dogma of hating Magic and all things Magical should remain. As such, for them, purism is an appeal to essentialism, in the idea that Aloria is a world in natural design, and that Magic is unnatural and from another dimension and thus does not belong in it, though they are a minority.

Khama

Khama Purism is based on the Dewamenet-Allorn War that was waged thousands of years ago, and the subsequent historical trauma the Asha people faced in the following millennia. Khama Purism is often discussed in one breath alongside Asha Cultural trauma, so both will be tackled in this section together. Khama much like Draconism had an original anti-Magic dogma, with its Gods positing Magic as alien and unnatural, and a subversion of the natural order. Recent historical review has drawn into question whether this was for moralistic reasons, or just because Magic was more prominent in the Dewamenet Empire's oppressed social classes and subject peoples. Because Magic is inherently a great equalizer that helps the oppressed breakdown structures of repression, it is speculated that the Dewamenet Gods hated Magic because it contained in it deviancy and opposition to their rule as God-Kings.

The Dewamenet Empire was destroyed in a 3-century-lasting war that utterly destroyed the Asha ancestor states, and forced them into a diaspora that they still have not recovered from thousands of years later. Their historical heritage was erased with magic, and millions of their people were killed in brutal acts of Magical destruction. As such, Purism among Khama worshipers and Asha is one born out of Magical trauma, mass-death events, and cruel repression. This was immediately followed up by the Pearl Wars, a series of military conflicts where Khama worshiping Asha were reduced to magical energy through the great evil of Oblation Magic, further entrenching their hatred and fear. Khama in the modern day eventually accepted the reality that with so much time having passed, many of its own followers were born as Mages or wanted to learn Magic to turn the tides of their misfortune, ironically giving them the means to fight repression with the same equalizer once used on them. For Khama worshipers, the necessity of not engaging in infighting while they are still largely a displaced people remains more important than internal purism. Still, Old Believers who insist Magic is all-corrupting, and even if not outright violent against Magic, will take any opportunity to be as vitriolic towards it as possible.

Magic inclined Religions

At first glance, one would not think that there is any room for Purism among Magic inclined Religions like Fornoss, Evolism, and Estelley. Indeed, these Religions hold Magic up as some kind of great skill, something to be proud of, and even a virtue to chase higher forms of Religious piety. A form of Purism called Pure Chauvinism however is prevalent among these Religions that expresses itself in pro-militarism and anti-arcanism. This usually takes the form of for example warriors who train with weapons and armor, combat techniques, and bodily training. The idea of Pure Chauvinism is that refraining from Magic is more virtuous than actually engaging in it, because the effort required to become the greatest warrior who can defeat a hundred opponents on the battlefield, is considerably more difficult than the effort required to cast a single spell to kill a hundred enemies on the battlefield.

At face value, these Religions all praise Magic, but they also all contain an essence of Pure Chauvinism that allows Characters to exist within it who stick their nose up at the idea of taking shortcuts, cheating, or being weak-bodied by using Magic. The reality of Magic is that it is mostly a mental art, and while there certainly are physically fit and large-framed Mages (especially due to the existence of Magic used to pump up one's bodily capabilities), engaging in Magical studies generally causes atrophy in other departments of skill acquisition and learning. Some Mages for example become dependent on Magic to do very basic things like cooking, not knowing any recipes themselves, but having familiars do the cooking for them. The main idea behind Pure Chauvinism is that if Magic were to disappear one day, these people would become completely useless.

Purism in Culture

Provincial Cultures

For a lot of provincial cultures like Anglian, Wirtem, Breizh, etc, Purism is an extension of Unionist fear of corruption of the soul or body, but also just the concept of the unfamiliar and fear of the unknown. In the provinces, Mages either hide their Magic to allow them to fit in, or leave the countryside because it lacks the means to properly educate them in the usage of and dangers of Magic. The end result is that there is a stilted optic of Magic presence in the countryside, or more specifically the lack thereof. An Anglian peasant might go their entire life without seeing a single Mage, while a trader might never see Mages in their own hometown, but suddenly be saturated with them when they travel to Regalia for business.

In such a sense, Provincial Cultures develop a very "us versus them" mentality, extending from a countryside vs. urbanism conflict. They consider the culture of the cities to be hedonistic, ignorant of the good virtues and quietude of the rural and simple life, and devoid of common sense. People who live in the countryside are by nature of their existence and lack exposure to other cultures and views naturally conservative, while urbanites in the major cities are by nature of their multiculturalism more progressive. As such, to the provincials, Magic is a thing of those "crazy urbanites" or city dwellers, an extension or symptom of the thing they do not like about the people who live in the big city.

Martial Cultures

For Martial cultures like the Eronidas, Dwarves, and Sihndar, Magic is like a cheap shortcut. A warrior who spends most of their week training and honing their skill demands more respect for the effort they put in, than a Mage who casts a single spell tp appear like a strong warrior, and then uses another spell to wield a blade more quickly than a physical body could. As such, Martial Cultures express purism as an extension of Pure Chauvinism, the idea that Magic is a cheap shortcut and less worthy of respect than the physical toil, blood, sweat, and tears that go into the martial pursuits. Many of these cultures often treat Mages like weaklings or charlatans, and thus their purism is just pure rejection.

Institutional Purism

The Government

While the Regalian Government generally has progressive views of Magic and is seeking ways to constantly use Magic to the benefit of the Regalian Empire, the reality at the end of the day is that there are very few Mages in the government, and one has to wonder why that is. Mages are generally distrusted by the mundane clerks, bureaucrats, and politicians of the Empire, who use a similar form of Pure Chauvinism to the military to reject the idea of having to compete with Magic in the fields of politics. To scheme with one's mind, wit, and charisma alone, is considered a great art and skill, though a Mage could simply walk in and proverbially use Magic to mind control their opponents to do what they want with very little effort. To these political Pure Chauvinists, there is no expression of skill or quality of the individual in the usage of Magic to create shortcuts in politics. On top of that, there is the reality that Mages would likely be more efficient politicians than mundane politicians. While there certainly is more of a skill expression in playing the game of politics the mundane way due to the unpredictability of the opposition, Mages would inevitably just be better politicians due to their range of options. While a normal politician inevitably loses a scheme and creates an unfortunate outcome, a Mage has many more options of recourse to correct their failure. As such, for government forces, purism is an expression of fear for losing their jobs to someone who is more efficient than they are, so most politicians try to greenhouse Magical presence in politics with obstinacy and other forms of political subterfuge to keep them from the halls of power.

The Lothar Order

The Lothar Order is one of the most commonly encountered forms of Purism in Regalia, a Knight Order ostensibly approved to restrain the excesses of the Afflicted like Vampires but extending much further to be a more universal force of terrorism on anyone Magical. While Vampires have largely disappeared into the background, the Lothar Order mostly keeps itself occupied with random acts of terror or active political intrigue against the wellbeing of Mages and those with Magical inclinations. The Lothar Order's mission statement is one based on essentialism, believing that because all forms of Magic have some element of corruption in them, that thus all Magic is bad because corruption is bad, and that the degrees of mitigation are just a distraction from the immoral nature of Magic. The Lothar view of Purism is extremely controversial due to the amount of extrajudicial killing and targeting of ostensibly innocents they engage in, causing some Mages to consider them even worse than Vampires who at best might leave someone drained of Blood.

It is important to note, that not all Lothar Order members are Purists in the sense that they are explained on this Page. Because of the certain and uncertain legal liberties and freedoms Lothar have to be violent or even murder, it is only natural that straightforward sociopaths are also in the Lothar Order just for the sake of killing people, and not caring about the Purist cause whatsoever. Lothar Order members must constantly struggle with the reality that their (self-proclaimed) righteous cause is being hijacked by those who just want to murder and kill. This is inherently a problem more widely speaking of the Purist cause (like with any political or societal cause), even good intentions or at least righteous aims, are often hijacked by those who just want to apply their own selfish goals or intentions with only the slightest veneer of legitimacy, just because they can.

The Emperor

The Emperor has a complicated role in the review of purism in Regalia, and one that Mages have to constantly struggle with, especially those who are generally supportive of him. The Emperor is thought of as a progressive, under his rule, the many anti-Magic policies that were state-enforced in the past have progressively been broken down, and Mages enjoy more public freedoms under the rule of Emperor Alexander I than they have under any other predecessor. Even individual Mages have personal experiences of the Emperor or his direct supporters and allies working behind the scenes for Mage liberation and to extend his favor and love to the magically repressed. However, they are also always struggling with the unspoken reality that the Emperor allows the Lothar Order to exist and also allows them to engage in their torturous tyranny of the Mage population.

How the Emperor is viewed often depends very much on the perspective of the individual. There are those purists who believe the Emperor to be a filthy progressive that they would rather replace with one of his more purist-inclined relatives, believing that he only superficially supports Purism for the sake of creating chaos which he can then preside over as ruler. Then there are those Mages who believe the Emperor to be a purist in anything but name, playing a game of carrot-and-stick with his followers while offering them token legal concessions, while also beating them with the Purist forces in the Empire with his other hand. Then there are some who believe that the Emperor is constantly caught in the middle like an unfortunate mediator, a singular and physical representation of the divisions in the Empire itself and that he is always cursed to play the unhelpful centrist to see the forest from the trees: to hold the Empire itself together and prevent it from sliding into civil strife.

Personal Experiences

Personal Trauma

A common motivation for purism is personally traumatic experiences. To someone who is not magical Mages, Vampires, Mortisphages, and Godborn/Arkenbodn are all one and the same. All it takes is a single violent encounter with a Mage who rips off someone's arm or a Vampire who kills off half a family to cause someone to venture into Purism out of pure grief. These forms of Purism are very difficult to disentangle because Magic-liberation movements tend to argue from the perspective of where people should be going mentally, not where they are. To people who have personally wretched experiences with Magic ruining their lives, some holistic speech about the good-natured benefit of Magic falls on deaf ears. It is very difficult to dismiss the real suffering and trauma these people have experienced and dismiss their purist feelings are inauthentic or just based on simple bigotry when others who are forced into a similar situation might easily do the same. Many Lothar Order members are Knights from other Orders who have personal trauma, further complicating declaring that the whole Order as just an insane murder cult based on bigotry.

Labor Dangers

A very real and often discussed aspect of purism is the fear of job loss. Magic is so simple and elegant in its application that it can render whole villages out of a job and into destitution. For example, a Mage who trains in the School of Evergrowth might cause a whole field of wheat to grow magically quickly, and then be harvested with enchanted scythes, bound into bushels, dried rapidly, and shipped with magical familiars. Throughout every step of this process, the Mage puts people out of a job who generally already live on the edge of poverty. First, the farmers lose their job because they no longer need to tend the fields, which also causes them to go hungry because part of their payment is the produce they harvest. Then, the granaries and warehouse staff go out of work, because they no longer need to store products for fermentation or processing. Then, the traders go out of business because Magic takes care of the shipping. All of this job loss has knock-on effects of other businesses going bankrupt, or the market becoming over-saturated with magically produced goods, thus pushing down prices. The very real economic impacts of economies that accept Magic as a valid workforce are often discussed because it is such a complex issue that requires an understanding of supply chain sensitivity and fragility. Thus, for labor, purism takes the form of a very real fear of losing one's job and suffering, often even unintentionally while a Mage thinks they are genuinely doing a good thing by helping out.

Magical Reality

Outside of all the somewhat valid and invalid reasons to be a purist, beyond all the bigotry and hatred, there exists the ultimate reality of Magic. From a purely essentialist point of view, all forms of Magic are corrupting. While Mages can take actions to mitigate the damage of Magic, or even store it entirely safely with precautions, there will never be a point in time when Magic is not a dangerous art with many associated risks and possible collateral damage. Even if a pro-Magic rights speaker can completely verbally undress a purist for having bigoted and ignorant views, the risky reality of Magic can never be denied, meaning there is always a core of essentialist truth in purism. MassiveCraft encourages players to always be split between purist and magical forces because the themes of Magic vs. Tech and Magic vs. Mundane are just strong concepts that one can build endless roleplay stories out of. We encourage players to see neither side as truly morally superior and to acknowledge that both sides have valid points for their stances. The main point of contention should always be the application of these ideals, the arguing should be about how purists go about venting and griefing their concerns onto others, rather than discussing whether their personal experience is valid or not.