The Yavennik Heresy
The so-called Yavennik Heresy is a variant Vaartan belief that has developed out of Markamism. It started in the remote small town of Molkograzny by a Yod of the church, a man named Yaven. (Yod is an official title in the Church heirarchy roughly equivalent to a parochial pastor, literally "Brother"). Yaven claimed to have had a vision sent by the Creator in which the true nature of Creation was revealed to him, and set about reforming the church. First to be changed was the blood sacrament - Yaven banned it on the grounds that the Creator had told him that it did not transfer divinity as believed in the orthodox Church.
Key to his new style of faith was the theory of Zinuk-Zatim and the Devorka. Zinuk-Zatim literally means "The Gap in God" and refers to the retraction of the Creator to make way for his creation. The Creator is outside His creation, but mortal man may still hope to contact him. Souls travel there upon death, but the truly devout may also send their minds there when alive and touch upon the Divine. To do this, Yavenniks (as Yaven's followers came to be known) perform the devorka, a ritual of self-denial, dancing to exhaustion or even using drugs to achieve a state of higher consciousness, to reach outside the zinuk-zatim.
The remote nature of Molkograzny meant that this practise went un-noticed by the State Church for some time but eventually the Church Fathers learned of it and proposed to put an end to it. The wild behaviour of the devorka reminded them of the tree-worshipping Borvoyans and so Yod Yaven was captured, tortured and killed by inquisitors.
This did not deter the Yavenniks and since even the local Boyar had converted to Yaven's way the Church found a fight on its hands. It brought in a couple of rival Boyars with designs in Molkograzny's lands and who were willing to pretend to be on a holy crusade, and laid seige to the city.
The town held out until winter came in. The women and children of managed to escape through the snow into the forests and the attackers assumed them dead. The men remained behind to defend the city, but they were seriously weakened. The attackers made a final push so as to be done before the worst of winter hit, and Molkograzny was razed to the ground.
Yavennism lives on, however. The women of Molkograzny carried with them Yaven's teachings, and formed a new Yavennik church in secret. Because of this, Yavennism breaks with another official tradition - women may join the church too. All religious leaders in Yavennism are titled "Yod", which in this religion has come closer in meaning to "teacher and guide". Modern Yavennism, despite variations in interpretation, is still alive and well although strictly an underground society. Members know secret signs and codes to recognise each other. The State Church knows of existence but as soon as they learn one code the Yavenniks change it, and Yavennism is too thinly dispersed for another concerted attack like Molkograzny. It may even have found its way into the Empire.
