Spectrum 4


 * Spectrum 4: Brothers Get Along and Final Break
 * by Stephen Lazer
 * 14 December 2001


 * Are we no longer Submissives
 * Now that we follow your words, my angel?
 * Is Ragnar no longer to be followed
 * Now that we have answers straight from you?


 * Ragnar was the first prophet
 * He had the truth, and he gave it to you
 * Your answers now are because
 * You did not follow his words correctly before


 * Questions

Kievan Rus, history of

From the passing of Mstislav in SE 266 [1038 CE] to Jaroslav's own passing in 282 [1054 CE], Jaroslav was the unquestioned ruler of Kiev and Novgorod and, indeed, all of the Rus. He expanded the territories of the Rus against the surrounding tribes. He also expanded Kiev and Novgorod themselves.

In Kiev, Jaroslav devoted much time, money and effort to building a monument to Spectrum Submission. He brought in many craftsmen and architects from the Empire and they set hard to work building the Questioning. The extravagant and huge (for the Rus) work borrowed heavily from Constantinople's Hagia Sophia; in many ways Jaroslav cared as much for mimicking his southern neighbors to prove his importance as he cared for the religion.

According to legend, Jaroslav instilled his sons a deep respect for the teachings of the Next Prophet in memory of his brother Mtislav. Most scholars believe that he did this more to prevent the fratricidal wars that had plagued the land after the death of his own father. Most of his actions after Mtislav's death point to his affirming the unity and importance of the Rus; if every time a prince died, his brothers fought over the spoils, it was all for naught. So Jaroslav built a great temple to the Next Prophet and the Holy Angel in Kiev and a lesser one in Novgorod. He expanded the size of Kiev, his capital, so that the far outposts of his father were only inner gates at his death. He continually borrowed money from the Empire, in return for allowing Orthodox Christian missionaries to proselytize in Kiev.

The efforts by Jaroslav and the priests of Spectrum Submission to win over his sons to the ethics of Spectrum Submission apparently paid off, for they did not repeat the plotting done by Jaroslav himself and his own brothers. Each one took a city under his wing, while the eldest son, Vladimir II, was acknowledged as Jaroslav’s successor as Great Prince of Kiev. Jaroslav’s second son Izjaslav of Torov rose in rebellion after Jaroslav’s death, but the other brothers formed a coalition -– reputedly, so as to lessen the punishment each would receive for killing a brother by spreading it among themselves -- and defeated him.

Over time, and with the help of priests using Ragnar’s Epistle to the Swedes to prove their point, the princes of the Rus would consolidate rule under the eldest alone. After Vladimir died in SE 303 [1075 CE], he was succeeded by his grandson Volodar who would reign until SE 344 [1116 CE].

Spectrum Submission, history of

...reign of Volodar. Until the final break, while Spectrum Submission was anathema and totally alien to the Submission of Western and Northern Europe (especially the Literalists), Spectrals themselves considered themselves just another sect of Submission. Some notable priests not only considered themselves the true sect of Submission, but just another branch of Submission to help explain the teachings of Ragnar. There was always resentment for the rejection of the Next Prophet by the orthodox, but they had never totally lost the feelings of brotherhood with Submissives that were not returned.

Until Volodar, that is. As ruler of the Rus, he was also a devout Spectral. His chief advisor and chancellor was the Answerer Vjacheslav, who sought to bring about a reconciliation with orthodox Submission, probably from a desire to reduce the influence of the Orthodox Christians, the largest religious minority in Kievan Rus. Acting on Vjacheslav’s advice, Volodar decided to prove the power of the Rus and their truth in their religion by invading the Scandinavian heartland of Submission. His army did not just include Spectrals, of course, but that didn't matter to him. His army, along with some Imperial allies, set out by sea from Novgorod in the sping of 323 [1105 CE]. After a pitched battle outside the Swedish capital of Ragnarsgarth, Volodar’s army retreated to its ships and returned to Novgorod to recover from its losses.

Ironically, given Vjacheslav’s motives, the Battle of Ragnarok FN1 marked the decisive split between Spectrum and Submission. Spectrum would, because of this singular loss, become a religion mostly for the Rus and the peoples under their yolk, though they would still constitute a minority religion in neighboring nations FN2. After the death of Vjacheslav in SE 331 [1113 CE], the other Spectral priests debated who was the most pure of heart and the most clear in his beliefs, and realized it was Volodar. So Volodar became the High Priest as well as Grand Prince of Kiev, giving him decisive influence over the Spectral faith as well as Kievan Rus....

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