The Hole Under the Sun

The church of The Hole Under the Sun (THUtS) is an emergent religion originating from Gaushan. THUtS was formed from the merging of two religions, The church of The Hole and The church of Aik. THUtS has followers throughout Alathra with the majority of followers concentrated in Gaushan. THUtS is the official religion of Stahlfaust.

Excavation
Followers of THUtS primarily worship by excavating holes that reach bedrock. This form of worship stems from the belief that life on Alathra was created for the purpose of freeing the bedrock from the stone it is imprisoned under.

Prayer
Prayer is the secondary form of worship practiced by followers of THUtS. Prayer is conducted by touching bare skin to bedrock and willing thoughts to pass into the bedrock through the worshiper's point of contact. For most followers of THUtS, prayer only allows for one way communication with the bedrock. Only a select few, most notably Saint Bean, are believed to able to receive thoughts from the bedrock.

Sacrifice
The tertiary form of worship practiced by followers of THUtS is live sacrifices. Typically, living non-sentient creatures are sacrificed by being pushed into holes excavated by THUtS followers. By dying while in contact with the bedrock, the soul of the creature is believed to be imparted into the bedrock, granting the bedrock increased power.

The sacrifice of sentient creatures is also practiced, though only rarely. Typically sentient creatures better serve THUtS by participating in excavation, but if one must be killed, they are sacrificed to the bedrock in the same way non-sentient creatures are.

Inauguration
To join the church of THUtS a person must only express a desire to join the church and work to free the bedrock through excavation. However, in order to be eligible for positions within the church, a follower must make a pilgrimage to The Hole and leap from the top of the spire and fall uninterrupted down to the bedrock.

Repentance
According to THUtS belief, should a follower take actions which oppose THUtS tenants, the follower must repent. Repentance is performed by making a pilgrimage to The Hole, where the guilty follower is made to travel from the bottom of the spire to the top while being struck, both physically and with magic. Upon reaching the top of the spire, the follower must leap from the top of the spire and fall uninterrupted down to the bedrock, much like how inauguration is performed.

Sites
Locations where followers of THUtS have excavated a hole that reaches bedrock are known as sites of The Hole. These sites are synonymous with temples or churches in other religions.

The Hole
The Hole is the most prominent and original site, located in Stahlfaust, which all subsequent sites are named after. Followers of THUtS are known to make a pilgrimage to The Hole at least once in their lifetime, though many make the pilgrimage more than once. It is believed that the bedrock's power is strongest at The Hole.

Other Sites
Other than The Hole, there are two official sites of The Hole. One is located in Viridian Market, Stahlfaust, and the other is located in Kais Jerriko, Arcadian Altanate.

Other unofficial sites exist in Alathra. All that is required to make a site of The Hole is to excavate a hole to bedrock.

The Bedrock
The collection of all bedrock in Alathra is a major deity in THUtS belief. Followers of THUtS believe that as the bedrock is freed from its prison of stone, prayed to, and given sacrifices, its capabilities will grow. Followers of THUtS are uncertain of how powerful the bedrock is capable of becoming.

The Sun
The sun is a major deity in THUtS belief. The sun is attributed to the creation of life on Alathra. The extent of the sun's believed powers is unknown, but the sun is considered to be the most powerful of the major deities.

The Moon
The moon is a major deity in THUtS belief. The moon is attributed to imprisoning the bedrock under the stone. The extent of the moon's believed powers is unknown, but the moon is considered to be the least powerful of the major deities.

The Obsidian
The collection of all obsidian in Alathra is a minor deity in THUtS belief. It is believed that the obsidian was created by the bedrock using lava taken from the sun and water taken from the moon. In THUtS belief, the obsidian is the bedrock's spouse.

The Stone
The collection of all stone and its derivatives in Alathra is a minor deity in THUtS belief. It is believed that the stone was created by the bedrock and the obsidian together using lava taken from the sun and cursed water taken from the moon. Due to the cursed water, the stone turned on its parents, imprisoning and separating the bedrock and the obsidian. In THUtS belief, the stone is the offspring of the bedrock and the obsidian.

Aikbntrnaupbreormr
Aikbntrnaupbreormr (abbreviated Aik) is a minor deity in THUtS belief. It is believed that Aik was once a human named Roberto who was uplifted to godhood by stealing the power of Roburt Brian Krampen via touching the idol of the sun. Aik acts as a more reserved and forgiving version of the sun's will.

Creation of Alathra
In THUtS belief, Alathra started out as just the bedrock. The bedrock then created obsidian by combining lava from the sun and water from the moon. Sometime later, the bedrock and the obsidian then created stone by again taking lava from the sun and water from the moon. However, the stone turned on the bedrock and the obsidian and imprisoned them. The stone then created all of its derivatives before being put into a coma by the sun. The sun then created life on Alathra in the form of plants and bacteria which eventually evolved into life as it is today.

Founding of The Hole
Originally, THUtS was founded as The Hole (at The Hole) and the religion did not include the deities Roburt Brian Krampen or Aik. The Hole was founded by Saint Bean in the desert region of Gaushan in February 2022 when he reportedly received communication from the bedrock. It is believed that the bedrock asked Saint Bean to free it from the stone imprisoning it. In response to this request, Saint Bean started excavating The Hole which would soon become the basis of the religion, The Hole.

Integration with Stahlfaust
Hours after The Hole was founded, Arctan1 discovered The Hole in its fetal state and named The Hole an official religious site of Stahlfaust, simultaneously giving Saint Bean the title of saint.

Founding of the Church of Roburt Brian Krampen
The church of Roburt Brian Krampen was founded in Arctanis, Stahlfaust when Chapadoss began worshiping Roburt Brian Krampen in April 2022. The date when Roburt Brian Krampen originally ascended to godhood in relation to the founding of his church is unknown.

Founding of the Church of Aik
The church of Aik was founded in Arctanis, Stahlfaust when Chapadoss began worshiping Aik instead of Roburt Brian Krampen in April 2022, a week after the founding of the church of Roburt Brian Krampen. Aik stole the powers of Roburt Brian Krampen only a day before his church was founded in place of the church of Roburt Brian Krampen.

Construction of the Spire
Once The Hole grew large enough, a spire was constructed in The Hole. This spire serves as a central place of worship for THUtS followers within The Hole. The spire is symbolic of the THUtS belief in the bedrock's desire to be freed from the stone. The top of the spire features a statue of a hand reaching upwards, emphasizing the spire's symbolism.

The Stone's Retaliation
According to THUtS belief, the bedrock layer being pushed further down on February 27, 2022 was due to the stone awakening from its coma. The stone was woken by the rapid expansion of The Hole and the construction of the spire. In retaliation to the forces that woke the stone, it pushed the bedrock deeper within itself and created deepslate, a tougher derivative of stone. In response to this retaliation, the bedrock's followers excavated The Hole further into the deepslate and the spire was doubled in height.

Merge
In July 2022, the church of The Hole and the church of Aik merged to become the church of THUtS. All deities and compatible beliefs from both religions were included in the merge.

Literature
THUtS recognizes four texts as official sacred literature.

RBK Bible V.1
This text details the creation, exploits, and teachings of Roburt Brian Krampen. The RBK Bible V.1 is outdated and its teachings are no longer followed by the church of THUtS. It is recognized as official sacred literature only to keep us from making the same mistakes made in the past.

The Aik Bible
This text details the creation, exploits, and teachings of Aik. Some of the tenants in this text are outdated and no longer followed by the church of THUtS.

Book of Hole
This text details the creation of Alathra, the founding of The Hole, the construction of the spire, and the stone's deepslate retaliation. This text also details the mission of the church of THUtS.

Aik's Blessing
This text details the merge of the church of The Hole and the church of Aik into the church of THUtS.