The Church of the Holy Truth

The Church of the Holy Truth is the cornerstone of society in the Vereint Empire. Each imperial state is afforded a great degree of freedom, but all must swear fealty to the church and the Holy Emperor. The Holy Truth is both the state religion of the Vereint Empire, and the imperial state itself.

The Holy Truth was uncovered by Lanzarius in his life. The kingdom he was to inherit was falling apart, and so he set forth on a journey to uncover the truths of the world, believing he would find something that could bring his people together. During his travels he discovered the Holy Truth - that all the disparate gods people worshipped were different reflections of the same gods. He found their names and identities and how they had sundered the old Chaos to create the world.

Upon his return to his home kingdom in what is now the Imperial Heartland, he took the throne and reunited his kingdom under the banner of the Holy Truth. Upon his death bed, he ascended to take the throne of the gods at the centre of the world. He named his closest companion Avaline as his successor, and she went forth to conquer many of the lands that became the United Empire of the Holy truth.

Faith

The Church of the Holy Truth recognises six gods, and believes all other gods to be mere reflections of them. These beings killed Chaos, and created the world as it is known from the primordials. When they departed to reside in the centre of the world, mortalkind was left as the inheritors of their work. They still influence the world through their faithful, with the saints serving as their intermediaries.

Gods

Lanzarius: The god of royalty and order, and ascended king of the gods. He gives his people strength to carry out their duties to one another, and asks of his followers that they maintain the safety and unity of their nations. It is by his authority that the monarchs and nobility of the empire rule, and he is prayed to by those seeking justice and protection. Lanzarius is commonly associated with the spheres of Empowerment and Ocean, as in life he was an inspiring leader and a great wayfarer.

Parenfalx: The deity of knowledge and law, the arbiter. Where Lanzarius demands justice, Parenflax write and enacts laws to see it through. They are the patron of libraries, universities, courthouses and bureaucrats. Occultists and other magicians are among the favoured of Parenfalx, as magic is an exercise of the mind asserting itself over the world. Parenfalx is commonly associated with the spheres of Mind and Warding, as a deity who exalts the virtue of the mind, and of all things being in their correct place.

Fulgos: The god of heroism, the stormtamer. Fulgos is the mightiest of the gods, and demands his followers be strong and decisive, to better themselves through conflict. His gifts to mortalkind were courage and honour in the face of adversity. Fulgos is commonly associated with the spheres of Storm and Warding, as the god who tamed the unruly primordial Storm, and whose heroism drives out the forces of evil.

Eshrevetla: The goddess of the underworld, the ashen lady. The underworld lies close to the centre of Talamh where Chaos' heart once lied. Eshrevetla claims this quiet domain of the dead as her own, along with its endless riches in iron and jewels. Her priests predominantly tend to the dead and ensure the safe passage of the dying to their eternal rest, but she is also the patron of the forge. Eshrevetla is commonly associated with the spheres of Earth and Soul, as tender to the fires of the forge and fires of the soul both.

Ceressus: The god of civilisation, the lord of the harvest. When the gods created life, Ceressus gave them the gift of thought and cooperation that they might build socieities in which to live side by side. Though he governs all facets of civilised life, he is most commonly prayed to to ensure a bountiful harvest, that even the lowliest folk might eat and live another year. Ceressus is commonly associated with the spheres of Sun and Mind, as the sun gives life to the world, and the powerful minds of mortals being his gift to them.

Sylvigan: The goddess of the wilds, the lady of the forest. When the gods created life, Sylvigan gave them vigour and cunning that they might survive and create new life on until the end of the world. Her presence is felt in the wild places across Talamh. She is prayed to by travellers and explorers, and all who fear what might come from the woods. She is commonly associated with the spheres of Life and Night, as patron of not just life itself, but the mysteries hidden in the dark places hidden from mortal view.

Saints

Particularly pious individuals who have worked wonders are elevated to sainthood to stand beside the gods. Some saints are old deities of imperial lands who were not identified as aspects of the Gods, given sanction to remain objects of minor worship. Saints all fall under the service of one of the six gods and act as intermediaries for prayer and interceding on their behalf.

Saint Avaline: Lanzarius' closest companion and advisor, Aveline was a knight from Hochlant who travelled with the him before his ascension to uncover the Holy Truth. Upon his death, she was named the first emperor and set forth to unite the known world as his emissary on Talamh. She was given the title of Paladin for her loyalty to the king, a loyalty so deep she was the first to manifest miracles in his name. She was named a saint upon her death, and is the patron of Hochlant, advisors, and the crossbow.

Faith magic

Faithful who adhere to the Holy Truth often follow in the footsteps of one of the saints who act as intermediaries for the gods. Priests are required to be able to manifest faith magic in order to perform the rituals required of their services, though these talents are often used sparingly. Monks too are sometimes encouraged to open themselves to magic that they might better serve the people of the empire. How they use their magic, however, varies wildly from order to order.

Some knightly orders will only knight those who can perform magic. There are the Paladin orders, a title given to knights who follow in the footsteps of Saint Avaline and combine combat prowess with magic of the Faith source. Some newer orders, meanwhile, put a faithful spin on Martial magic, using devotion to spur on the discipline required of this magic.

Beliefs

Creation

According to the teachings of the Church of the Holy Truth in Hochlant, before Talamh came Chaos. The Chaos was a nexus of power, destroying even as it created, and without direction or purpose. What it created it destroyed, and what it destroyed became more power, and with power it created, only to destroy again. It was without order or instruction only, as its name does say, chaos.

In the cycle of creation and destruction, the Primordials began to form. They were Réaltaí, Talamh, Solas, Tonnan, and Taranin, and born of the Chaos. Even before they were fully formed did they begin to be destroyed; in pain Réaltaí called out. The call attracted the attention of the distant Gods, who reached down and broke Chaos apart. From its body the five Primordials took on form, now independently existent. The Primordials in turn formed the known world.

Réaltaí became the night sky, with every star an eye to watch over the earth. Talamh became the earth, boiling with hatred for Chaos at her core, yet cool enough for man to walk upon. Tonnan became the ocean, not yet upon the earth but wrapped around it instead, while Taranin became the storm, raging with flux but forming the protective skies. Solas became the sun, close and distant both, power radiating upon the earth and bringing life to it. The Gods, seeking to prevent the misuse of the power left behind, took up residence within the earth, guarding the well of power left by Chaos’ heart from any that would misuse it.

However, though the Primordials formed the body, not all of him was accounted for; from his spilt blood sprung demons, the inheritors of Chaos’ spirit who seek to return the world to what it once was. They attacked the world endlessly, preventing any plans that the Gods might have had from coming to fruition. Réaltaí provided a solution; extending existence until it was so vast that the demons could no longer reach Talamh. Doing so would force her far from the world, pushing the demons away but no longer able to watch the world. While happy to do so, she did not wish to go without leaving anything behind to watch over the new world.

As such, Talamh offered part of her body to form a watcher. Réaltaí took silver, a part of Talamh she had long admired, and from it created a great disk - Lunan, the Moon. Satisfied with her creation, and that Lunan would be able to deliver messages both to her and on her behalf, Réaltaí reached out and pushed back the borders of Creation, and the Demons further from the power they sought. A new equilibrium among the Primordials had to form; Tonnan, seeing a way closer to the core of the world in the scars left on Talamh’s body, pressed closer to form oceans and lakes and seas. Solas, meanwhile, was furious; he took the creation of Lunan as a sign that Réaltaí did not trust him, and so sought to melt and destroy the silver disk. As such the sun ever chases the moon as it waxes and wanes in the sky. Still, a new stability formed. With the demons pressed back, the Gods could turn their attention to their initial intent; creating life which could, someday, inherit the world.

First they created Feykind, and once again Talamh’s body was used as the source. However, they were only formed of the outermost and coolest layers, making them in turn cruel and irreverent. Talamh resented these children of hers, cursing their souls, a curse reflected in their bodies, and refusing them the boon of the forge. The Gods, too, found them unfit for their purposes, and cast them aside.

For their next attempt, the Gods sought the assistance of all of the Primordials. All kinds of life were then made, and their favourite of all - the ones fit to inherit - were the mortal races. While created by all of the Primordials, their influence over each of the mortal races varies; the Humans share most with Tonnan, making them ambitious but able to traverse the oceans and build empires; the Jovatesz were the first to be granted the boon of Talamh’s forge, and share in her steadfastness; Taranin’s heaviest influence was upon the Elves, who gained his wrath but also his resilience, capable of adapting to near any conditions or circumstance; and the Iligen are the favoured of Solas, full of power and the energy of life. Finally satisfied with the life they had created, the Gods declared that, one day, a great ruler would be chosen from the mortal races to join them, and returned to their place at the centre of the world.

This condition was eventually met by Lanzarius, who upon his death was ascended to join the gods in overseeing creation, and protecting the power at the core of the world from all who would misuse it.

Cosmology

It is understood that the world is the centre of Creation, built around the place where Chaos’ heart once rested. Because of this, a nexus of power is found at the centre of the world. This power is the remaining power of Chaos; all was born of the Chaos, and so all seeks to return to the Chaos, dragged closer and closer to the centre of the world, except for where a barrier is in its way. The gods are believed to reside in the centre of the world, protecting the power at its core and ensuring that nothing comes to misuse the power. They remain between the core and the surface of the earth, forming a last line of defence. Earth herself is a physical barrier, preventing even Storm and Ocean from reaching closer to the core.

Beyond Storm, one finds Sun and Moon, each in the sky. Sun remains here, for he is powerful and prideful, rejecting the call of that which resides in the world’s core, and instead existing by his own power. Moon, meanwhile, was placed in the sky by Night when she retreated further out. Further out still one finds Night, too far away for her power to be felt. Every star is one of her myriad of eyes. As the eldest daughter of the Chaos she both records and knows the fate of all things, and thus the future can be read by studying the heavens. And then, at the furthest reaches and beyond the bounds of Creation, is where demons reside, ever seeking to break back into reality, return to chaos, and destroy the world.

Death and the Afterlife

The Church of the Holy Truth teaches that, upon death, souls will sink into the ground. These are true of the souls of any being but the Fey, cursed as they are by Talamh. Mortals, however, are specifically chosen by the gods as the inheritors of the world. As such they are taken to reside in the underworld, a realm built around the centre of the world and the domain of Eshrevetla. All are granted peace in her gentle realm, but only the virtuous find rest; there is no punishment for the evil but bearing the weight of their sins for eternity, but that weight is heavy and keeps the soul from ever resting as its brethren do. Saints, meanwhile, are the most virtuous of souls; rather than just sleep they sit beside the gods, serving as intermediaries between the gods and morals.

While this is the official teaching in the Imperial Church, in some regions of the Empire an alternate interpretation is gaining popularity; specifically this is the concept of ‘Hell’, as found within The Iligen Orthodox Church.

In Hochlant, burial is the most common rite given to the dead. The teachings of the Imperial Church, however, do not prohibit cremation, a practice more commonly found in the northern reaches of the Empire. The important part is not how the body is disposed of, but that the burial is on consecrated ground, and that a priest performs the correct rites to both prevent the rising of undead and to ensure that the soul’s journey to the underworld remains uncompromised. Ideally this is performed by a priest of Eshrevetla, though it is believed that any priest is capable of doing so so long as the grounds on which it is performed are consecrated.

Structure

The Imperial Clergy

The Church of the Holy Truth is split into six branches, each with similar structure, one for each god. All ordained members of the clergy are faith casters, though this is not true of monks or nuns.

The lowest rank of the clergy are deacons. Deacons are usually tied to a Church, and often trainee priests. While their duties mostly are concerned with assisting the priest and seeing to the upkeep of the Church, they are able to perform marriages and funerals should the need arise. This is especially common where a single priest is responsible for multiple Churches, necessitating the delegation of more responsibilities.

The next rank are priests. There are two main types of priest, those attached to a specific location and those who are not. Both have the same powers and responsibilities, though their focuses are different. Those with a parish are based in a Church, occasionally having others they travel between in areas of particularly sparse population, from which they conduct the rituals of every day religion - confessions, weddings, and funerals. They also perform mass and its associated ceremonies for those within their parish. When called upon they might also handle other matters related to their god or profession, and assist with the general spiritual health of their communities.

Priests without a parish are capable of performing the same ceremonies, though their focuses lie elsewhere. The specifics vary depending on both the branch of the Church the priest belongs and the priest’s personal callings. They range from demon hunters to healers to researchers, and everything in between. All priests are expected to make solemn vows upon their ordination. The exact nature of the vow varies from person to person and god to god, and depends on the priest’s personal relationship with their faith. These will be agreed upon before the ceremony during discussing between the priest and the bishop anointing them. Some of the common oaths are chastity, poverty, or obedience, though others have been known.

Above the priests are the bishops. Each bishop will oversee a diocese - a collection of parishes. They are responsible for the training and oversight of their priests, and have more administrative duties. Having been priests they are capable of performing any ritual or ceremony a priest of their branch is, though tend only to conduct mass and confession regularly. Other ceremonies are usually only performed by bishops for the nobility. Furthermore, a bishop is capable of both anointing a priest, and - should the archbishop be indisposed - their own successors. They are also able to consecrate land for use as a Church or burial ground, or in any other way the Church sees fit to use it.

The most senior bishop of each branch in each country is the archbishop. With the exception of Baimarch, each country within the Empire has one archbishop per god, who together oversee all religious matters in the country. Baimarch’s population is insufficient to justify six archbishops, and so they only have two archbishops - those of Lanzarious and of Fulgos. The bishops of the other branches share the duties between themselves, and call upon the assistance of the archbishops in the Heartland should they require them.

The difference between an archbishop and bishop is largely administrative and hierarchical, rather than bestowing any further public-facing duties, and in that they will often perform certain ceremonies on behalf of the royal families of their nation. The next most senior members of the clergy are the cardinals. These are former bishops selected by the pontifex of each branch to assist them. The exact roles fulfilled and the number of cardinals is decided by each pontifex themself, with no strict guidance. They oversee various matters both religious and logistical on behalf of their pontifex, though their most important duty is this - upon the death or resignation of a pontifex, it is the cardinals who meet and select their successor. Cardinals rarely continue to perform ceremonies in public, having turned their attention inwards and to within the Church.

At the head of each branch sits a pontifex, a bishop selected by their branch’s council of cardinals to inherit the position. As the most senior of their god’s representatives they have many duties, though that they are most known for is sitting upon the ruling council of the Church. Headed by the Lanzarian pontifex - or, the Emperor as he is better known - this council oversees most decisions both religious and political. At this level of seniority there is little difference between Church and State.

The Emperor is selected like any other pontifex, but as Lanzarius’ representative also rules the Empire. His cardinals serve as an equivalent to his privy council in this, though each individual country has its own ruler, traditions, and laws.

Religious Orders

There are a great many religious orders within the Church of the Holy Truth. Fully sworn members of a religious order are referred to as monks or nuns, and addressed as by ‘brother’ or ‘sister’, while there are also lay brothers and lay sisters who have not taken oaths.

Monastics

Many of these built monasteries where their people can serve their god together. Unlike the clergy, monks and nuns are not required to be faith casters; occultists and mundanes are both common among the monastic orders. Only those among their order perform mass or other rituals must be able to use faith magic.

Most monasteries are mixed sex, with separate dormitories for men and women, though a few single sex monasteries do exist. They are lead by an Abbot or Abbess, and upon their own territory they outrank everyone but their pontifex, and whomever is superior within their own order. In practice this power is rarely used, and bishops in contention with an abbey will deal with them via other means. This is because each religious order is founded with the permission of the relevant pontifex, making them a separate branch to the clergy.

The daily life and duties of monks and nuns varies wildly from order to order, ranging from some which run hospitals offering free medical treatment and places to rest for travellers, to those entirely committed to complete isolation. Some monasteries also send some of the brothers and sisters into the wider world, continuing their god’s work among the people, whatever that work might be.

Notable/Known Monastic Orders:

• The Order of Saint Adelaide - an order of monks predominantly in the service of Fulgos. They are known to send some of their members out beyond the walls of their abbeys to teach the honourable words of Fulgos and pursuing heroic deeds in his name.
• The Order of the Righteous Mind - a small order dedicated to Parenfalx and based in eastern Hochlant.
• The Order of Saint Lennart - One of the largest orders of the Ceressian branch of the church, their monasteries can be found in many major cities. Foremost of their duties is maintaining sickhouses, where even the poor might receive medical treatment, though some of their number are sent beyond the walls of the order to assist those in other cities, raise funds, or various other duties necessary for the maintenance of such a large institution.
• The Order of Our Lady of the Wilds - one of only a handful of religious orders dedicated to Sylvigan. They keep monasteries around the edges of the most dangerous of the wilds, a warning to any traveller who might stray too close. While they keep the buildings occupied, there are rarely more than a few monks present at any given time, their calling being to the wilds first and their community second.

Knightly Orders

Traditionally knightly orders only existed within the Lanzarian Branch of the Church of the Holy Truth, though in the last century or so other branches have begun to found their own as a result of the many religiously motivated wars. Similar to the monastic orders, the knightly orders swear oaths to their god. They tend to live together when not on campaign, training their skills and spending time in worship.

However, members of the knightly orders are combatants. Their primary duties are to, when called upon, fight and strike down the enemies of the Church, in whatever form they should appear.

While many knights of the Church are mundane, there are also ones trained in all types of magic. Paladins are members of a few specific knightly orders specialising in the faith magic. Similar orders exist for martial casters, however as a recent development on the scale of religion they have no specific terminology commonly associated with them. There are no specifically occult knightly orders, though many of the mundane orders welcome occultists and have specific roles for them.

Knights and paladins of any gender are addressed as either “Ser” or “Sir”. Sir has been traditionally used in Hochlant, whilst Ser is more common on the continent. However, both are known in all regions of the Empire.

Notable/Known Knightly Orders:

• The Templar of the Order of the Broken Sword - one of the four oldest knightly orders, they were originally founded to carry out the Church’s will in Ashamsi. In recent years their power has waned significantly.
• The Knights Paladin of Avaline - one of the four oldest knightly orders, claiming descent from Saint Avaline herself. They combine faith magic with martial prowess in the name of service to the Church and Empire.
• The Knights of the Tempered Blade. A young order under the Eshrevetlan branch of the Church. They practice both blacksmithing and martial magic, and are known to travel, even in peacetime, to both protect the people from threats monstrous and human alike.