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.

Gods

Lanzarius: The god of royalty and order, and ascended king of the gods. He gives his people strength to carry out their duties and 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. Lanarius 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 devoation to spur on the disicpline required of this magic.