The Covenant of Heaven and Clay
Sumartism is the faith of the Covenant — the belief that the world is ruled by a Divine Household and that humanity was shaped to uphold order in a wounded creation.
It teaches that Heaven is not distant, but structured; that kings rule by divine mandate; and that mankind stands between the clay of earth and the stars of heaven.
The Divine Household
At the head of all things stands Al-Sama, the Zenith King.
He is Lord of the Upper Sky, Guardian of Oaths, and Judge of Thrones. The stars are said to be the lamps of his court. Their ordered movements reflect his will — constant, measured, and enduring. He is not a god of wild emotion, but of sovereignty and rightful place.
Beside him stands Simrāh, Mother of Clay and Lady of the Deep Earth. She shapes, nurtures, and brings form to what Heaven decrees. From her hands came the bodies of humankind, formed from sacred river soil.
From their union came the Luminous Children, who govern the world:
Al-Katib, the Scribe, who records every oath and destiny.
At-Taqwim, the Measurer, who governs time, seasons, and the turning of the year.
Al-Shafiyā, the Healer, who restores what sickness and sorrow take.
From Al-Shafiyā’s line came:
Al-Qadir, Lord of Storm and Might.
Al-Zahra, Lady of Renewal and Joy.
Not all remained faithful. During the ancient Inhilal (Dissolution), some fell:
Malik-al-Maut, now Lord of Death.
Qattal-as-Saffah, inciter of bloodshed.
Thul-Qadr and Al-Hakim, powers of destructive pride and ruin.
These fallen are feared, not revered in orthodox lands.
The Creation of Humanity
Sumartism teaches that humanity was not born by accident.
When the Zhuyang dragons rose and scarred the land of Naplica with fire and obsidian peaks, the earth was thrown into chaos. The lesser spirits trembled, and many called for war.
But Al-Sama did not answer chaos with fury.
He looked to the stars.
For the stars move in appointed paths. They do not collide. They do not wander without purpose. In their courses is pattern; in their pattern, endurance.
Across the Midal Sea he beheld the people of Poseia — builders of cities, counters of seasons, raisers of walls against the wild. In them he saw a rare gift: the desire to order the world.
And so he spoke to Simrāh:
“Let there be such a people in this land.”
Simrāh shaped new humanity from river clay. From Heaven came breath. From Earth came will.
Al-Sama placed them beneath the open sky and commanded:
“As the stars keep their courses, so shall you keep covenant.
As they endure, so shall you endure.”
Thus mankind in Naplica was born — not merely to survive, but to restore. Where dragons twisted the land into jagged ruin, humanity would raise measured cities. Where fire shattered valleys, they would lay foundations aligned with the rising sun.
Humanity is the keeper of form in a fractured world.
Core Beliefs of Sumartism
1. Heaven Is Hierarchical
The cosmos is ordered. Al-Sama reigns above. Beneath him are the Divine Household. Beneath them are kings and nations. Beneath them, families and households.
Every level reflects the one above it.
2. Kings Rule by Mandate
No ruler governs by strength alone. Authority flows from Heaven. A king who breaks covenant loses divine favour.
3. Oath Is Sacred
To swear falsely is to rebel against Heaven itself. Al-Katib records every promise.
4. Order Is Holy
Order does not mean lifeless rigidity. It means rightful place — in family, in city, in nation. Chaos is not creativity; it is rebellion.
5. The Fallen Are Real
Death, plague, blood-feud, and tyranny are not illusions. They are wounds in creation caused by the Dissolution. The faithful resist them not only with sword, but with law, healing, and structure.
Worship and Practice
Sumartist worship varies by land, but certain practices are universal:
Temples face the rising sun.
Incense is burned at dawn and dusk.
Sacred law is publicly recited.
Kings are anointed beneath the open sky.
The stars are observed as signs of divine order.
Farmers honour Simrāh at planting and harvest.
Warriors invoke Al-Qadir before battle.
The sick pray to Al-Shafiyā.
Judges swear by Al-Sama.
Sumartism is not merely a temple faith — it is woven into governance, architecture, and law.
Variations Among the Nations
Though united in belief, the Covenant takes different emphasis across lands:
Irashan elevates Al-Sama as near-supreme, emphasising law, scholarship, and celestial interpretation.
Taziri-n-Aghat views hardship as divine testing and honours endurance beneath the desert sky.
Māt Ṣēri worship the stars of Al-Sama, given that they spend most of their lives beneath the open sky.
Bakēm upholds Simrāh above all other gods, due to her connection with rivers.
The Western Temple Cities maintain incense-rich ritual traditions centred upon Simrāh and Al-Shafiyā.
Lóngyuán, once devoted to Hēiyào, now proclaims loyalty to the Covenant after the dragon-god’s defeat. Conversion was widespread, though not always voluntary. In public, Al-Qadir is honoured as the storm that overcame the shadow. In private, some older traditions linger.
The Heart of the Faith
Sumartism teaches that humanity stands between clay and star.
We are shaped from earth.
We are watched by heaven.
We are judged by our keeping of covenant.
The world is not a machine. It is a kingdom wounded by rebellion.
And mankind was raised to help mend it.