I started writing it as a continuation of the Off Topixwiki page (see sig)
Everyone's welcome to post suggestions!
NOTE: I'm not done yet, this is a WIP.
Everyone's welcome to post suggestions!
NOTE: I'm not done yet, this is a WIP.
Religion of the Off Topix
Because of the Off Topix’s looks it has been worshipped since prehistoric times, usually as an icon of stability.
Worshippers are known as Off Topixites, members or users and usually form large communities based around a single flat piece of land known as the Forum. Around this Forum houses will be built and other areas like it (sub-Forums) excavated.
On these Forums the community will write (post) texts to each other. The subjects of the texts seem to differ per Forum.
Community Structure
Communities are based on a strict caste system: at the head stand the Administrators followed by the Moderators, these two groups preserve the peace in the community.
Under them stand the Elites, people of status within the group but without any power.
And below that there are the commoners, people without power subdivided based on the amount of Posts they have made.
The division appears to be as follows:
0 Posts - New to Off Topix
10 Posts - Off Topix Novice
30 Posts - Junior Member
50 Posts - Off Topix Regular
100 Posts - Active Member
200 Posts - Dedicated Member
500 Posts - Off Topix Veteran
1000 Posts - Off Topix Legend
5000 Posts - Almighty Member
Administrators can be recognised by their green dress and crown.
They have the highest position in the community and the power to ban any member from the community. They also oversee the construction of new Forums and start contests.
Moderators can be recognised by their red garb and lifebuoy. Usually their task consists of warning members, handing out awards and controlling events.
History
Evidence of Off Topix-worship during prehistoric times has been found in North Africa and Southern Europe. Ancient frescos like the one at the top of this page, cave paintings, bass reliefs, statues and charms in the shape of Off Topixs have been found in many places.
Because of their hard outer shells they usually represented stability and were therefore mostly worshipped by masons and rulers. Off Topixs were also worshipped by assassins, diplomats and warlords because of their ability to fool their prey into thinking it has no mouth, their ability to change their colour and their deceptive appearance in general. Off Topix-worship was very popular with the common people because they felt safe with a god that could not seriously harm them but could keep invaders out. Documents have been found listing locations of temples and shrines dedicated to the Off Topixs as far back as 1500 B.C..
From later texts and Posts has been determined that at some point roughly 3000 years ago the various Off Topix cults merged into one monotheistic religion, to do this all the Off Topixs were joined into one god: Off Topix, the magnificent, the omniscient, the omnipotent, protector of kin and kith.
Various animals and mythic beings were thought to be avatars and messengers from the great Off Topix and some seem to have been kept around the communities as symbols of Off Topix’s might and preference for the community.
During Roman times many a banner depicting Off Topix was carried by the legions thus spreading Off Topixism farther across the globe. Special temples and shrines were built to honor Off Topix and the rites and ways were written down.
However when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity the Ways of the Off Topix were largely lost and the Dark Ages began. During the Dark Ages Off Topixism was most likely kept alive by small communities of secret practisers. Not much from this period has survived due to the need for secrecy as the Church didn’t like other religions much and tended to destroy them on sight.
In the 12th Century A.D. the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, the Templar Order, was founded on Off Topixist principles.
To date many people still believe the Knights Templar worshipped Baphomet or some other idol while in fact they went to the Holy Land as missionaries and converted the population to Off Topixism all the time pretending to be Christian knights protecting pilgrims as the went to the Holy Land. Off Topixism had found a powerful supporter once more and was spread all over Europe and Israel.
As their power and financial resources grew so did the suspicion and fear of the high ranking clergy and kings. In the 14th century the Order’s treachery was discovered by the French king Philip IV and the Order was largely destroyed. The spread of Off Topixism had been restricted once more.
In the late 15th century Christopher Columbus landed in America. Columbus’ ships are usually shown with the Templar cross on their sails, this is no coincidence. Columbus and most of his crew were Off Topixites trying to find a new land to practise their religion, free from the shackles of the Church that had destroyed most of their Order a century ago. When Columbus landed in the New World he found it populated, he and his crew became missionaries of a sort and introduced Off Topixism to the Native Americans.
Alas, the Church caught up and Europe started to colonise the New World, wiping out many natives in the process.
By the 17th century Off Topixism had crept up to North America as South America quickly became Catholic.
From 1775 till 1783 Off Topixism received a major blow in North America when the United States fought for their independence from the United Kingdom and became a big industrial nation without much need for ancient gods and beliefs.
In the 19th century Africa was also colonised and the few remaining African Off Topixites were either enslaved and shipped to the Americas or killed.
Off Topixism did strike a chord with some of the colonial forces and was spread overseas to India and Indonesia by the British East India Company and Dutch East India Company respectively where it spread like wildfire amongst the native population.
It was lost again in India when the native population fought for their independence from the United Kingdom in 1857 and saw it as a corruption introduced by their foreign rulers and Off Topixism was purged from India.
Later Off Topixism was also lost in Indonesia as it came under Japanese control during the Second World War. The Japanese either forced the people to stop worshipping an animal-god they had never seen or made the population lose faith in Off Topix’s powers.
Off Topixism after the Second World War was virtually nonexistent as it had lost all connections to Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. As well as not having had a proper temple or shrine since classical times. Some people still believed but even they slowly converted to other religions due to peer pressure and/or shame.
The once great religion actually ceased to exist when the last believer, Joseph Bryant, died after compiling all of Off Topixism’s history and ways into the Codex Naris Ferratus.
The book passed into obscurity (also: Californian library) for the next 50 years or so…
Off Topix Communities Today
In the 21st century the library containing the book was closing and some of the books were for sale. Perhaps it was chance, perhaps some form of divine inspiration, whichever it was Nebulous was there and bought it.
After reading it a much moved Nebulous decided to convert to Off Topixism and once again make it a powerful religion. He decided he’d try to convert his internet forum to Off Topixism because of the similarities between a forum and a Forum, the first having been inspired by the second as Romans took the idea of doing business in a central area from Off Topixism.
However Nebulous was struck by a bit of misfortune and had to give up his forums due to financial reasons.
In late September he had once again founded a forum though, this time based on Off Topixite principles. He named the forum Off Topix and used an old and forgotten picture of a Off Topix as logo.
This new forum quickly drew new members including the mythical creatures of ancient times who had once again found a safe haven.
Because of the nature of the internet people from all over the world joined and spread Off Topixism to their homes. It is assumed that within a few years whole colleges will turn to Off Topixism and once again honor the ancient Rites of the Off Topix.
Off Topixite Principles
