Solomonari:Articles/A Brief History of the Proto-Sarkic Cults of Montana
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//: A Brief History of the Proto-Sarkic Cults of Montana
musicalSilence | 21-6-2025
As a matter of record, I have here set forth the history and lineage of Sarkicism in Montana, USA as it is known to the Solomonari today. Praise be to Ion and his Klavigar for the recovery of these resources and the expansion of our Nälkä.
All available sources concur that the various cults of Montana originated from an ancient, degraded offshoot of the Proto-Sarkic cults of what is today central Russia. Known throughout the 19th century as ‘The Brotherhood of Saint Ion’, the cult survived the Tsarist inquisitions by disguising itself as a brotherhood of orthodox monks, and repelled infrequent Mekhane persecution with the protection of a powerful but reclusive Karcist.
Shortly after the dawn of the 20th century, it is recorded that the brotherhood failed to remain vigilant, with Mekhane influence dwindling over the decades. It is hypothesized that this may have been one of the factors contributing to the later diaspora. The decade following the October Revolution is undocumented, allowing us only to speculate on the struggles that led to the destruction of the brotherhood.
The record resumes in 1934, with a single source written by a surviving scribe as the only indicator of the catastrophe. Provided here is an excerpt of the text’s conclusion, translated, annotated, and abridged for convenience:
“-- The venerable Karcist [illegible] is dead. Most of the archive was lost in fire and [illegible], only one of our esteemed [priests], Dmitri, survived to flee the carnage. We number only a quarter hundred. Dmitri has found us safe passage to [the USA]. He plans to lead us west in the spring to a great and terrible city of steel and Mekhane blasphemy. The others are beginning to question his guidance, but I will stay the course. Praise be [to] the Sorcerer-King of Adytum.”
Several sources suggest that from this initial party, three distinct groups splintered off shortly after passing through Chicago, with some sources explicitly citing the 1934 World Fair as a key motivator in the split. Of these three, only two are mentioned in further sources, suggesting a possible further lineage of undiscovered offshoots elsewhere in the United States.
The dearth of records come from a thriving community in northern Garfield county, disconnected from any major roadways and, from our surveying, uncounted by the US Census. The community seems to have spawned from the party that followed the priest Dmitri, and has remained intact in the following decades. Though unpracticed in our ways, and without the leadership of a Karcist for more than half a century, the “New Church of Saint Ion” as they call themselves, still practice some few traditional blood rites, and have an extensive archival tradition most likely inherited from the medieval Solomonari. Since making contact, a Karcist has taken up residence in the community and is slowly bringing them back into the Nälkä, teaching them what they had forgotten of our ways.
Their history is uneventful, remaining successfully hidden from the outside world and remaining faithful to what they remembered of Ion’s teachings despite abandoning our flesh-shaping ways, but their earliest accounts of the split in Dmitri’s party unexpectedly led us to a small commune in rural Yellowstone county.
The commune itself was unimpressive, but upon making contact, the leadership welcomed us into their hidden spaces. Below ground was discovered the germ of a Kiraak being tended to by untrained flesh shapers, guided by devotion rather than skill. The germ was swiftly transported back to Garfield county where the resident Karcist has assumed responsibility for it and has, as of writing, called for an Apoteoosin Kutoja to nurture it for the benefit of these new additions to our Nälkä. The commune residents have been shepherded to the more secluded location in Garfield county and integration efforts between the two communities are ongoing.
The commune had very little in the way of historical record, but from the small collection we can draw some few conclusions. The commune itself was founded by a group of only 5 of the survivors who, through some means, broke off from Dmitri’s group carrying with them all of the surviving ritual texts taken from the old country, allowing them to teach themselves some of our ways from the ancient scripture. They know little of Ion, and it seems most of their love for Adytum has been forgotten in their short time here.
The complete history of our wayward siblings is still cloudy as of the time of writing, but work is being done to uncover the past. There have been several leads indicating a possible third lineage (as mentioned earlier) further south, but our surveys have yet to turn up any real evidence. By the grace of Ion, Light of Lights, may we find our lost Nälkä so that we might all bask in the glory of Adytum Reborn together when the day comes.