Meant for rote and recitation by those of the Mammonite religion to hone their understanding and strengthen their conviction.
Who is the Actuary?
The Actuary is the balancer of the world. He does not share this responsibility, for He is the sole arbitrator.
The Actuary is the allocator of resources both mundane and holy. He is the author of the Account of Totality, the book that describes actualities and prescribes perfection. His infinite hands fill infinite pages with never-ending lines, that contain everything that ever was, is and will be.
Who was Mammon?
Mammon was the prophet of the Actuary. He was an enemy of tyrants, a trader of virtue and a teacher of wisdom.
In a waking dream, he glimpsed a single page of the Account of Totality. He was blinded for 88 days during which he dictated his vision to an apprentice resulting in our sacred text, the Sliver of Totality. After this, he committed three deeds to earn the Actuary’s favor. He chased king and lord out of Mendara, for no man should be higher than his peers. He forbade trading in gold and gave them new currency that bore the blessing of the Actuary. He founded the Church and appointed priests to conduct the holy rites.
What is the Church and who are its priests?
The Church is the body of Mammon, and the priests are his voice. They are the messengers between the religious and the Actuary.
Priests are outwardly distinguished by their feathered cloaks. They may not have children nor own property but are repaid with the wealth of the Church and the wisdom of Mammon. They offer spiritual and financial advice. In the early Church, there was no distinction between priests, but today there are several orders such as petitioners, inquisitors or vagrants. There are also laymen with religious duties like deacons, monks and martyrs.
What is a chapel?
A chapel is a house of the Actuary, a space sacred for him. It is a sanctuary for man’s soul and his earthly possessions.
The first chapels were simple mudbrick houses, and in more remote locations this is still the case. The most impressive ones, however, are ornate fortresses receiving throngs of trader-pilgrims daily. Chapels serve as storehouses, they house priests and care for the poor. The Order of Martyrs defends chapels against the ravaging of irreligious hordes.
What is the Light of the Actuary?
The Light is the holy essence of the Actuary that fills those that understand His wisdom and live accordingly.
The Church takes great pains to educate the religious in the arts of counting, reading and law. No person, regardless of gender, ancestry or faith, is unworthy of His Light; not even those of noble blood if they renounce their titles and privileges. If you wish to convert to the Mammonite religion, seek out a chapel. The priest there will cast a pair of dice to determine the price of your past debts. After you or a benefactor pays this price, the priest records you in the tallybook of the chapel and offers a rite to the Actuary.
What is the Cycle of Misery?
The Cycle of Misery is life, death and rebirth without end. My wish is to break this cycle by heeding the Actuary’s laws.
It is sometimes called the Cycle of Waters, referring to the sweat of life, the tears of death and the water of the womb.
What is debt?
When we disobey the laws of the Actuary, we become indebted to him. The severity of the transgression decides the magnitude of the debt.
Although the price of forgiveness is set by the local chapel, the laws were decreed by the Actuary. These laws guide us to shape the world in His image as He shapes us in His. Hard work ennobles the soul and nourishes the appetites. Common crimes like gluttony or murder have their prices posted in chapels, but unique cases require individual judgment by Church officials.
Why should you not steal and kill?
The Actuary assigns each his share. To take another’s possession is to mistrust His wisdom, and the greatest theft is to take another’s life.
Squandering your wealth and discarding your own life is likewise against the intentions of the Actuary.
Why should you not deal in gold?
In my foolish eyes, gold may shine brighter than the Actuary’s Light, and steer me from the right path.
Gold mining and currency exchange are handled by the irreligious, and heavily taxed by the Church. Any gold in your possession can be turned in at a nearby chapel for a reward.
Why should you not praise kings and lords?
My purpose is to live according to the Actuary’s Light, not the word of another man.
Why should you not practice usury?
To spread the Actuary’s wisdom, I should not take from the unfortunate but give to them instead.
Any loan should be repaid in full, not less, nor more. Some chapels mediate and record loan giving, others provide loans themselves. The inheritability of loans also varies between denominations.
Can mortal man live without collecting debt?
No. Since we are imperfect, every day we break the perfect laws of the Actuary, but every day we get the chance to earn His forgiveness.
How is debt repaid?
Debt is repaid with repentance, earned with honest work and petitioned by priests.
Only priests of the Church are trained and ordained to petition the Actuary in your name. A flawed execution of these rites would earn His disapproval, and lead to further debt acquisition. The price of these services funds the mission of the Church. It discourages the poor from disobeying the laws of the Actuary and encourages the rich to share their wealth. Rural chapels often accept produce or work as compensation. When a chapel has a surplus of pending rites, it transfers these duties and their costs to other chapels.
What are the currencies of repentance?
The currencies are the measure of my devotion. Namely, the plea and the petition. Eighty-eight pleas make a petition.
In practice, pleas and petitions take the form of metal coins and paper slips stamped with the seal of the issuing chapel. They often feature holy verses and saintly images. Donate the currencies to the poor and the ignorant to introduce them into the blessed circulation. Where there are pleas and petitions, His Light shines. Watch out for forgeries, as the Church cannot accept them. Take any suspicious money to inquisitors.
What awaits you when you die?
When I die, I am judged by the Actuary. If my debts are paid, I am spared from the next life. If they are unpaid, I must continue the Cycle of Misery.
The Church melts pleas and burns petitions, offered by friends and family, to settle the debt of the deceased. Once all debts are settled, the Actuary can complete the last page of the Account of Totality, and the world can finally end.