seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Maldives
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from Canada
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Jordan
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Belarus
seen from Sweden
seen from Japan
seen from Japan
seen from Germany
Concept art for Isaac's parents, Karenza and Darshaan. I imagine this is how they looked shortly after they married. Karenza was a craftswoman and Darshaan was a mercenary. They lived in northern Serkel during the early 2nd Age.
*
Questions/Comments?
Lore Masterpost
Read the Series
ORDER OF LOVE AND LIGHT, FAITH IN LOVE
OVERVIEW
The Order of Love and Light is a religion that was formed around Karenza, the Divine of Love, and her ideology. Its tenets are recorded in a holy book called “Scriptures of Love and Light”, which followers are expected adhere to.
Followers of this religion are called “Karenzans”. The adjective form is “Karenzan”. Karenzans congregate at places of worship called “temples of love and light” or “houses of Karenza”.
The Karenzan symbol represents two hearts joined together. The Order's official colors are green, pink, and white. They claim that green symbolizes growth, pink symbolizes love, and white symbolizes righteousness.
KARENZAN SYSTEM
The Order is an insular religion that does not accept just anyone into the fold. Followers must prove their dedication to the faith’s ideology with years of servitude to a Karenzan temple. Once they’ve proven themselves, a High Priestess officially grants them followership and all the benefits that come with it, including the Order’s support and protection. However, these benefits can be revoked if the follower commits too many infractions.
Many people may call themselves “Karenzans”, but few have actually been officiated by a High Priestess. Those actively trying to get officiated are called “students of love and light”.
Karenzans encourage everyone on Gaia to practice Karenza’s ideology, no matter their faith.
KARENZAN TENETS
No living creature is inherently greater than any other. All life is equal in the eyes of Karenza.
Honesty, kindness, and charity are essential virtues for all people. They should be practiced in acts of goodwill daily.
Dishonesty, cruelty, and greed are sins, and have no place in society.
Love should be embraced and hate should be rejected.
Wickedness should be reformed wherever possible, and wickedness which cannot be reformed should be destroyed.
Violence should be exercised only in necessity.
Those who are able should always help those who are in need.
Remain tender, but never collapse.
KARENZAN LIFESTYLE AND TRADITIONS
There are no particular holidays associated with the Order of Love and Light. Karenzans are expected to practice their virtues on a daily basis by performing “Acts of Love”. These are acts of charity and goodwill intended to improve the lives of Allkind. They may take many forms both major and minor, such as…
Volunteering at hospitals, schools, nursing homes, disaster zones, etc.
Defending innocent civilians from hostile forces (such as militaries and terrorists).
Providing food and goods for those in need.
Beautifying decrepit areas to boost morale.
Rescuing victims of slavery and trafficking.
Karenzans engage in small daily rituals as well:
They always wake at sunrise and recite prayers before breakfast to remind them of their cause.
They greet others by saying “peace to you”. A fellow Karenzan replies with, “peace to all”.
All officiated Karenzans must complete medical training or learn healing spells.
All officiated Karenzans must take a vow of poverty, meaning they only keep enough money to survive and give the rest away to those in greater need. They embrace simplicity by rejecting material luxuries. Many temples of love and light are self-sufficient and don’t require gold to function at all. When temples do raise money, they use it for Acts of Love.
ETHEREAL CITY
Also known as “Alqamah”, “Sanctuary Island”, or “Maenad’s Refuge”, the Ethereal City is a large chunk of land that was ripped from Gaia’s surface and suspended in the sky by magic. It is always on the move and surrounded by clouds, making it difficult to locate. Some people spend their whole lives looking for it, never to catch a glimpse.
Karenza herself is believed to live on this island, and it is the place maenads must go if they want to be transformed into minervae. This pilgrimage is notoriously difficult, and few actually succeed. Karenza resides here to hide from the Divine of Hate, who relentlessly pursues her.
It is held aloft by three minervae, who have sacrificed their mobility to keep the island afloat. They appear as statues standing at opposing corners of the island, locked in a meditative stasis. They can teleport the island in dire situations, but this drains their energy quickly. Attendants must transfer magical energy to them regularly to keep them alive.
In the center of the island is a pearlescent temple where Karenza and her closest circle reside. Surrounding the temple are houses, workshops, and community spaces where the islanders (called “Ethereans”) live. The island’s outer edges hold farms and natural areas. The city is incredibly compact and efficient, and life here is only made possible by strict management policies and liberal use of magic.
Residents of the Ethereal City are either Karenzan pilgrims who have earned their place there, or their children who were born there. Either way, everyone who resides on the island must strictly obey the Tenets of Love and Light, or else they will be exiled. People of all species dwell here, though there is an abnormally high concentration of maenads and nymphs in general. Historically, the population has skewed heavily female.
LIFE IN THE ETHEREAL CITY
Though this place may look peaceful and utopian, it is fiercely policed by Karenza’s soldiers. This female-dominant force patrols the skies on flying mounts. They not only protect the island from malicious outsiders, they police its inhabitants as well. The Ethereal City is a hard place to get into and easy to get banished from.
The culture of this island is highly community-oriented. The use of currency is forbidden, so there are no rich and no poor. Everyone produces resources and shares them with everyone else. The island is mostly self-sustaining, but foragers do bring a lot of goods in from Below (the world outside the island).
Because space is so limited, the population must be somewhat controlled. Though the whole community has a say, Karenza and her council ultimately decide who stays and who goes. In many cases people leave willingly, wanting to explore Below. It’s not a decision to be taken lightly though, because once they leave, there is no guarantee they’ll be able to return.
Those who leave tend to be secretive about the island, in fear of sharing too much intel with the wrong people (such as the wicked Cult of the Crescent). They usually lie about their heritage or refuse to talk about it at all.
Violence is strictly forbidden in the Ethereal City, except in cases of training and self-defense. Regular civilians of the island are free to spend their time as they wish, but Karenza’s students and council must dedicate their time to her cause: nourishing love and destroying hate. That means running all kinds of missions for Karenza, which may involve visiting Below.
If they tire of their service, they may leave any time without consequence. However, completing missions earns them great and unique rewards, such as magical blessings from Karenza herself. Her best students earn great powers before leaving her service, but before they leave, they must promise to only use their powers for good deeds. If Karenza’s agents (such as Justice) catch them committing acts of wickedness, they will be hunted down and mercilessly destroyed.
CULTURE AND CONTROVERSY
The Karenzan faith was once the most popular religion in Yerim-Mor Kingdom and surrounding areas. It fell sharply out of favor after the Gold River War, as the Cult of the Crescent gained power in the region and banned all discussion of Karenza and her scriptures. The cult punishes Karenza’s followers with torture and death.
Today, The Order of Love and Light has become controversial, as they are heavily targeted by the Cult of the Crescent’s terrorist attacks. Many people now reject the presence of Karenzans and their temples, believing they will attract cultists and strife to the area.
Karenza herself is a rather controversial figure due to her militant adherence to her own ideology. Despite being known as the “Divine of Love”, she and her forces have killed millions of people in the name of “destroying wickedness”. Some believe that wickedness is subjective, and that Karenza has no right to decide who should live or die.
In regions with less Crescent Cult presence, opinions on the Order of Love and Light are generally favorable. The Order’s Acts of Love are diverse and far-reaching. They are known to operate orphanages, hospitals, drug rehab centers, homeless shelters, schools for the poor, and other humanitarian services. They also clean up litter and assist with disaster relief, and they even intercept terrorist attacks.
Some municipalities have banned Karenzan temples in fear that they will attract Crescent Cultists. However, other municipalities welcome and even subsidize them, as the Order of Love and Light actively defends their territory from Crescent Cult attacks, as well as crime and general terrorist activity. Areas with Karenzan temples experience a boost to civilian welfare, at no cost to the local government.
Overall, views on this religion can be complex and differ greatly depending on the local history and culture.
SEE ALSO
Lost Scriptures of Love and Light (story)
Ask - Karenza
Isaac
*
Questions/Comments?
Lore Masterpost
Read the Series
Question: Is it possible for a genuinely good person to get into power in the Great Kingdoms or some other organization? Or would they just get assassinated or become corrupt and eat babies or something?
Much like in the real world, good-hearted people usually don't acquire much power. That's because in order to get power, you need to be willing to lie, cheat, and exploit others. You need to have a desire to be "above" others in the first place. And, once the power is obtained, it corrupts.
This is a big theme in the Looming Gaia series. Mr. Ocean talks about it pretty extensively. Here's a piece of dialogue from "Supply and Demand":
“We are all monsters in the making, my friend. It is power which corrupts, and I tell you from my own experience, it takes less than you think. It is an insidious thing, like a cancer that takes you from the inside. You cannot see it unless you are willing to tear yourself apart and exorcise it, or else it will quietly take your soul.” -Mr. Ocean
There is another element at play here too, and that's "perspective".
Mr. Ocean had good intentions when he formed the Oceanic Resistance. But as his power grew, the stakes and his foes grew too, and he had to pull increasingly desperate moves to keep that power. He poisoned his own soldiers with greenlite to keep them loyal to his cause, which was a terrible thing to do. But from his perspective, it was for the greater good.
He reasoned that it was acceptable to sacrifice these soldiers' free will if it meant saving all of Terria from Sovereign...until he realized that he was doing exactly what Sovereign was doing, and it was evil. The only way to cleanse himself of the evil was to let go of all his power, so he abandoned the Resistance and his cause altogether. He reasoned that there was no point in overthrowing Sovereign if he was just going to take his place as another evil dictator.
Mr. Roach took Mr. Ocean's place as leader of the Resistance. Roach is now forging monsters, exploiting mermaids and others, all in the name of destroying the Sovereign. Mr. Roach doesn't think of himself as evil, he thinks himself a hero for trying to stop Sovereign.
Most of the "evil" characters in the Looming Gaia series feel this way too. They don't see themselves as villains, but heroes. Sovereign thinks he's a hero for saving Aquaria from Terrian pollution. Indiga thinks she's a hero for protecting her people from magic. Moswen thought she was a great queen for holding her children to such a high standard. Even Dario thought of himself as a benevolent protector of his clan.
Karenza, the Divine of Love, also started her cause with good intentions: to cleanse the world of wickedness. But that's a hard thing to do when wickedness is subjective. Many people consider rulers like Sovereign and Indiga to be heroes and saints, so who is Karenza to decide they're wicked and destroy them? Many consider Karenza to be the wicked one.
I will also mention that even Karenza has done a lot of morally questionable things to acquire and keep her power. Ironically, the Divine of Love has one of the highest kill-counts of any other divine. Her Ethereal City is essentially a dictatorship. She makes mistakes. She takes actions she regrets. Her foes are so unrepentantly evil, so willing to do whatever it takes to overpower her, she feels she has no choice but to sink to their level to get the edge over them. All for the "greater good".
No one wants to take the Mr. Ocean route because...well, look at the guy. He went from a big player on the world stage to a penniless bum overnight. But sacrificing their power is truly the only way to cleanse their soul of the corruption.
Mr. Ocean is one of the very few examples of a powerful leader being truly "good". However, he had to sacrifice all his power to achieve that goodness.
Salina and Marina took the same route long before him (though for different reasons. They gave up their power not because they feared becoming evil, but because they got frustrated with allkind's stupidity and gave up on trying to help them.)
More power requires more corruption to maintain. The ultra-powerful rulers of Looming Gaia come in two flavors: evil, and slightly less evil. Some of their intentions may be good, and some of their actions may even be benevolent, but maintaining their high level of power will always require some degree of morally-questionable deeds.
There are truly good leaders as well, they just don't have nearly as much power as the big-timers. Evan is one example, as leader of the Freelance Good Guys. Jasenia is another, as princess of Barha, willing to sacrifice her relationship with the man she loved in order to save her people from war.
The greatest evil is found in the highest places.
*
Questions/Comments?
Lore Masterpost
Read the Series
What is Karenza’s flying city like? Which of Gaia’s peoples live there? What is the culture like? And does it have a surviving population of Gnolls due to the city having gone aloft in the 2nd Age, before the Canine Gaian’s extinction? The place sounds really interesting.
Those are all great questions!
What is Karenza’s flying city like?
The Ethereal City (sometimes known as "Alqamah", "Sanctuary Island", or "Maenad's Refuge", among many other names) is a large chunk of land that was ripped from Gaia's surface and suspended in the skies by magic. It's always on the move and shrouded by mist, so finding it isn't as easy as you'd think. Some people spend their whole lives searching for it and never even catch a glimpse.
It is held aloft by three minervae, who have sacrificed their mobility to keep the island afloat. These minervae appear as statues standing at opposing corners of the island, meditating in some kind of stasis. They can also teleport the island in dire situations, but this drains their energy quickly. They are tended to by servants, who must replenish the minervae's energy each day by transferring their own energy to them. If even one of these three minervae becomes injured or loses focus, the island will start to sink.
On the center of the island is a great pearlescent temple, where Karenza and her closest circle reside. Surrounding that are more pearlescent structures; houses, shops, and community spaces. On the island's outer ridges are more natural areas, including forests and farms. The island is incredibly compact and efficient, utilizing a lot of magic and clever engineering to make life here possible.
Which of Gaia’s peoples live there?
There are peoples of all kinds living in the Ethereal City. Many of them are the descendants of those who inhabited the island before it left the ground, but there are plenty of people who arrived much later too. People come and go over time. Some are born on the island and die there without ever seeing the world below.
The Ethereal City has an abnormally high population of maenads and minervae compared to the rest of Gaia, so you will find a lot of those (and a lot of nymphs in general). The whole population skews heavily female.
What is the culture like?
Though this place may look peaceful and utopian, it is fiercely policed by Karenza's soldiers. This female-only force wears majestic, colorful armor and patrols the skies on equally majestic dragons. They not only protect the island from malicious outsiders, they police its inhabitants as well.
Every inhabitant must abide by Karenza's holy scriptures. Karenza takes these rules very seriously, and those who break them may be given another chance, banished to the world below, or worst case scenario: flung off the island to their doom. These scriptures encourage virtues such as compassion, temperance, honesty, and courage. Cruel, dishonest, and greedy behaviors are not tolerated. Karenza holds every inhabitant of this island to a high moral standard, and most people simply don't make the cut. It's a place that's very hard to get into and very easy to get banished from.
The culture of this island is very community-oriented. The use of currency is forbidden, so there are no rich and no poor. Everyone produces resources and shares them with everyone else. The island is mostly self-sustaining, but dragon-mounted foragers do bring a lot of goods in from Below (the world outside the island).
Because space is so limited, the population must be somewhat controlled. Though the whole community has a say, Karenza and her council ultimately decide who stays and who goes. In many cases people leave willingly, wanting to explore Below. It's not a decision to be taken lightly though, because once they leave, there is no guarantee they'll be able to return. Those who leave tend to be secretive about the island, in fear of sharing too much intel with the wrong people (like the Cult of the Crescent). They usually lie about their heritage or refuse to talk about it at all.
Violence is strictly forbidden in the Ethereal City, except in cases of training and self-defense. Drawing someone's blood out of anger is a quick way to get yeeted off the edge...
Regular civilians of the island are free to spend their time as they wish, but Karenza's students and council must dedicate their time to her cause: nourishing love and destroying hate. That means running all kinds of missions for Karenza, which may involve visiting Below.
If they tire of their service, they may leave any time without consequence. However, completing missions earns them great and unique rewards, such as magical blessings from Karenza herself. Her best students rack up all kinds of crazy powers before leaving her service, but before they leave, they must promise to only use their powers for good deeds. If Karenza's agents (such as Justice) catch them doing evil, they will be hunted down and mercilessly destroyed.
Does it have a surviving population of Gnolls?
Actually yes! The Ethereal City has a small population of gnolls (mostly descendants of the scrubland gnolls) that have been there since the island ascended. Their numbers dwindle more and more with time, but this is still the highest living gnoll population on Looming Gaia. They are considered extinct in Below, but few people are aware of the gnolls in the Ethereal City.
The Ethereal gnolls don't leave the island because they have heard what happened to their kind Below, and they know there is no place for them there anymore. They tend to be extra mindful of their behavior, because getting banished is basically a death sentence for them.
However, I will say that accidents do happen...sometimes people accidentally fall off the island, get stranded during missions or foraging, get carried away by wild rocs or other predators, kidnapped by Disgrace's forces, or can find themselves in Below for many other reasons too. It wouldn't be too farfetched to say an Ethereal gnoll could still end up there somehow.
*
Questions/Comments?
Lore Masterpost
Read the Series
Kind of a terrible question, but if a divine had an organ removed and donated while they were alive and kept living for some time after that, like years, what happens to that organ when the divine dies? Is it now part of the recipient's body after that amount of time? Or is Billy Joe Mituzu about to collapse from sudden total loss of kidney?
That's actually a super interesting question! I think divine bodies have some quirks that prevent them from being exploited like endless organ factories. I feel like if the divine was killed, the donated kidney would probably disintegrate with the rest of their body. Anything that's part of the divine--or was once part of them--disintegrates and returns to the cosmos, where it gets reconstituted into a new resurrected form.
But I think most likely, being a divine screws up their blood type and it makes their organs unsuitable to be transplanted into mortals in the first place. Apparently there is something very "off" about Isaac's blood, because it killed a lich and poisoned a vampire. As we know, Isaac was forged using the blood of at least one divine (Karenza).
Magic in general has quirks like this. Whenever some sorcerer thinks they unlocked the secret to "infinite gold" or "everlasting food" or "free immortality", their spells start malfunctioning for no apparent reason. But the reason is that magic knows when someone is trying to use it to upset the balance of Gaia, and it will not allow this. It does not allow any one person or creature to become too powerful. That is why arcane colleges stress the importance of respecting magic and using it ethically. It can backfire in unpredictable ways.
Mr. Ocean alluded to this phenomenon in "Troubled Tides" when he said...
“Magic can do anything. The question is: does it respect me enough to obey my command?”
This is also demonstrated in "Knowledge and Power", when Destiny's magical Tome of Infinity refuses to tell Isaac everything he wants to know. It also does this to Evan in "Evangelites Skip, Matuzans Sway".
Now, back to Isaac for a moment, because he is the best (possibly only?) example of a person who had pieces of a divine transplanted into him.
We know he was literally made from the blood of Karenza and Darshaan. We don't know Darshaan's status currently, but we do know for sure that Karenza is a divine. She has not been killed since Isaac's creation, so we don't know what would happen if she was. If she died, would Isaac die too? Or because Isaac's body currently houses her soul, is he now considered "detached" from her?
Not even Karenza herself knows the answers to these questions. No one does, and unfortunately the only way to find out is to see it happen...
*
Questions/Comments?
Lore Masterpost
Read the Series
Pregunta: viendo cómo se vuelve una menade en una Minerva, ¿por qué karenza tiene esa habilidad?, ¿Hay otro divino con alguna habilidad así?
(Translated via Google Translate)
"Question: seeing how a maenad turns into a Minerva, why does Karenza have that ability? Is there another divine with an ability like that?"
Someone asked this question a while back, you can read the answer here! <---
This ability is not unique to Karenza, technically any mage can do it. But no one can do it exactly the way she does, she has her own "style" just like any artist. Another mage's minervae would turn out a little differently than hers.
*
Questions/Comments?
Lore Masterpost
So Karenza gave a one legged man a new leg and turned the nymph into a minervae but she wouldn't make the girl prettier. What are her priorities exactly for who gets her blessing?
Good question! I think Karenza decides who gets her blessing depending on the source of their misery.
In the amputee's case, his misery came from the fact that his body was missing a leg. It was preventing him from working and causing him physical pain. By granting him a new leg, she soothed his misery at its source.
In the maenad's case, she felt limited by her form. She wanted to be bigger, stronger, and have a larger brain so that she'd have a higher capacity to learn. Her intentions were to help people around her with her new powers. Karenza saw that as a valid enough reason and turned her into a minervae, knowing her heart was in the right place and she genuinely would use her new powers for good. The change would benefit both the maenad and humanity.
Now, in the case of the girl...there was nothing "wrong" with her physically. She just had extremely low self-esteem. Her intention was to become beautiful so that she wouldn't hate herself anymore, but Karenza could see that changing this girl's form wouldn't address her emotional issues. Because of these emotional issues, Karenza realized that if she granted this girl's wish, the girl would basically fall into the "Barbie-Doll Trap"--that is, the phenomenon where people get tons and tons of plastic surgery, but they're never satisfied because they haven't realized that the problem isn't their face/body at all, it's their negative perception of themselves.
There was literally nothing Karenza could do for this girl. That's why she sent her away. I mean, she probably could have used magic to hypnotize her into "loving" herself, but that wouldn't be a genuine love and it would also be a violation of the girl's free will. That's not really Karenza's style. She knew the only one with the power to help the girl was the girl herself.
I hope that makes sense! I'm hoping Karenza didn't just come off as a bitch for no reason, like "I'll help you and you and you...but fuck you in particular" lol
Where do minervae's Tomes of Infinity come from? Does Karenza just make them from clay and maenad stuff or what
This was just retconned recently: Karenza transforms a maenad's magical amphora into a Tome of Infinity. (More info in the maenad/minervae article)
I think the amphoras already have some natural property that the Tomes of Infinity require.
Karenza also gives her minervae a magical creative tool, which she makes at an enchanted forge. They are always made from silver.
*
Questions/Comments?
Lore Masterpost
Read the Series
