☀️ Arselia and Akonia

Philosophical minds are submitting their essays.

Beata's Essay

5. The Church of Anuzish/Arselea, New Tradition, Lugranism, Liberation, Luensian Ethics, Atheism, worship of celestial and otherworldly deities: which of these movements are viable and which are not?
Bonus: +10 to intelligence, +3 to luck, +3 to perception.

Here, each movement should be considered separately!
I believe that the Church of Anuzish is the most viable faith because Anuzish created our world and all of us; it is perfectly obvious that all honors should be paid to the supreme goddess and her children, the gods of the elements! The Church's influence throughout the world is very great, which is a source of joy. But I think that the worship of Arselea may soon fade away; our Arselean branch has already lost its popularity. This may be facilitated by Her Majesty's connection with Aconia; many disputes may certainly arise, and in this regard, the worship of Anuzish-Mother herself seems to be the most promising and neutral option!
All three major sects of the New Tradition are quite promising, but I think this is temporary! After all, they arose as a response to specific events and phenomena, or, in the case of the Harmony sect, based on previous movements. Since they are still based on the worship of Anuzish, I think they will eventually merge back into the main branch! But attempts to create branches of the New-New Tradition, the Very New Tradition, and the Absolutely Newest Tradition will certainly be made! After all, people are prone to change, and this applies to civilizations as a whole!
The popularity of Lugranism strongly depends on the success of the rebellion in Zimia! It's a pity that I don't follow the news and don't know what's happening there. If the rebellion is successful, then this movement will become the main doctrine of at least one state; if it is suppressed, Lugranism will eventually be forgotten, and even if it survives, it will not become popular!
I believe that Liberation can stand alongside the sects of the New Tradition. It does not deny the gods; it simply places the human personality above them, which is a very strange view, of course. And I think that its fate is the same as that of the aforementioned sects: popularity, oblivion, merging with the main church, and possible reinterpretations.
Luensian ethics is more of a system of moral values than a full-fledged religious movement! I think that one does not interfere with the other, and this movement is quite viable, but it is somewhat in the background compared to the main religions.
There is nothing about the cult of Mao in the question, but I will say a few words! This is a local topic; I think that as long as Mitsurugi retains its identity, the cult of Mao will exist!
Atheism is also a local topic, and I hope that it will soon disappear because it is a completely stupid and dangerous belief that does not correspond to either imperial laws or general morality! One person (a Lunarian, etc.) cannot be above another; before the face of the gods, everyone is equal – except for saints like Arselea and similar beings, of course.
Celestial and otherworldly entities, I hope, have already had their day after the Mandate of Sincerity! Of course, some small cults remained and will remain, but they are unlikely to become something global, and that is for the better! I think that the most enduring will be Risha, since she has already significantly influenced our world, but even her popularity will eventually fade away. We don't need such happiness; we have enough of our own problems. Well, Miss Cosmos does not seem to me to be an absolute evil, but still, it is very complex and very specific, so it is unlikely that she will ever become super-popular.
In conclusion, the official church has the greatest viability, and everything else depends very much on the situation and moods in society, but most of the movements can exist as unpopular minor cults.

Giyon's Essay

3. Do the regions of the empire receive more from it than they give, or vice versa?
Bonus: +1000 experience points.

I believe that this is a question that cannot be answered unequivocally. Over its rich, centuries-long history, Welfern has grown to include many different regions, each with its own way of life, customs, and culture. And at different times, different regions joined in different ways. For example, in some Rennes or Mindzin, all dissenters were drowned in blood, but other regions, such as both Lunarias or Lauria, joined the empire peacefully. And it is obvious that the parts that were annexed as a result of wars lost quite a lot – like the four regions captured by Flanaravi, where the ruling dynasties were completely destroyed, or like Buruaka, which lost a significant part of its indigenous population and instead became one large colony. Was the price they paid worth all the benefits brought by the conquest? And Crideaar, destroyed in an instant by an enemy of the empire? If it had been independent, this crazy dragon would have simply flown past. Although the case with Crideaar is more of an exception than the norm. Undoubtedly, Welfern is a rich, strong, and prosperous empire, and it is obvious that it gives a lot to its regions. Developed industry and infrastructure, protection from external aggression, jobs, and rare goods. Strength lies in unity, and individually, none of the parts of the empire would become as powerful as it is in its composition. But I have the impression that the greatest benefit from this union comes to Margel himself, or, for example, those parts that joined voluntarily and/or somehow retained most of their cultural identity. For example, Lower Lunaria has preserved its "wonderful" traditions and receives all the benefits of being part of a great power, but slavery, by the way, is officially prohibited, and it is thriving there. They are doing well! And, on the contrary, Buruaka has almost nothing to gain, but has lost almost everything. The Elysian dragons, which are in a special position, also do not have much benefit from joining the empire, but Welfern has gained a powerful deterrent in them, forcing the enemies of our country to think twice before declaring war.
Thus, I believe that as part of a whole, the regions of Welfern have much more weight and opportunities than they would separately, but for some parts of the empire, the price for such privileges turned out to be too high, and some received them almost for free. In total, Welfern has gained more than it has lost; if we consider each of the regions separately, the situation there may vary. Therefore, the answer to the question in the title is: "On average, things have improved, but the situation is individual for each region."

- Whew, good questions! You made us think!
- Yes, although I'm afraid I came across a bit rambling 😅
- Giyon, did I bite you that hard? I should be worried about the quality of my text!
- Well... 😅
- Anyway, that's how it turned out; we were glad to express our opinion!