Difference between revisions of "Imperial Church of the Light"

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The Divine Imperial Church of the Light is an ancient religious organisation, growing from cults that evolved during the conflict of the War of Shadows. Shortly after the final victory of the forces of light, it ascended to become the sole spiritual authority of the Roanian species. It has been an influence for stability since the Imperium was founded.

History

Shortly after the fall of the Empire of Shadow, the various nations united to form the Divine Imperium under the leadership of the Commander of the Forces of Light, Lord-Emperor Joseph Nicholas Black. Secular organisation was thus quickly secured; however spiritual organisation was nonexistent. Over the course of the long war, numerous organisations had stepped forward to try to fill the void. The empire, so recently created, looked likely to collapse owing to a lack of spirituality.

Then one of Joseph's generals, Louis DeRechelieu, stepped forward and claimed that he had had a vision. A vision of a universe freed from magic, freed from the shadow that such powers created. A vision of a new 'god', the Light. "In the beginning was the Light, and in the end all shall be Light once more." Drawing as it did from many of the more dedicated cults that had appeared, many of the surviving priests and their proteges quickly subscribed, bringing an eclectic mix of rituals into its initial form. Still, popularity amongst the people was lacking, many Roanians having an inherent distrust of all spirituality after it had been so corrupted.

Then Joseph and the newly ennobled Duke Leopold d'Arquis both converted after hearing Louis preach at the city of Valens, in the land now known as Adytum. With the two heroes of the war as members, first Roan and Derricks subscribed, and then the beliefs spread throughout all of Rudan Prime.

Louis became the first Patriarch, and was later declared a Servant of the Light. By the end of his long (some spoke of him as 'blessed by the light') reign of nearly 350 years, the Church was firmly established, to the point where he could be acclaimed a Prophet of the True Faith, an intercessor with the harsh Light to make itself known to humanity.

The First Imperial Civil War and the years preceeding it

The Church continued to grow in power for another 500 years. Then a terrible schism occured, with a section of the Church being corrupted by power and withdrawing to form the Temple of the Eternal Darkness. Merrech's spirit had reached out from beyond the Veil of Shadows to take possession of King Ricardo II of Agua, inspiring him and many of his soldiers to abandon their self-control and embrace the darkness within. A broad section of the Aguan Church turned with the ruler, and Lorodecrast was scoured of life. The armies of the darkness marched almost up to the walls of Valens itself. The city would have fallen right then had it not been for the courage of a member of the garrison, Sir Lucius Reginald, who stitched a sunburst to his sleeve and led an assault in the name of 'Prophet Louis, And the Lord-Emperor!'

This surprise attack drove the invading armies back for long enough that the Imperial Legions, which had been struggling with mass revolt elsewhere, could come to the city's aid. Though not soon enough to save Sir Lucius, who was eventually slain by an ambush in the cavern now named in his memory. The King of Agua and all his family were eventually captured by loyalist Aguans, who brought him before Lord-Emperor Alexander I. In a 24 hour period, the entire De Silva family was eliminated.

The Council of Blackport

After the Civil War, the weakened Church called a council in the town of Blackport, while reconstruction of the newly renamed Adytum commenced. Also attending the council in the name of His Divine Imperial Majesty was the newly ennobeled Duke Cassius Drakharn, who had served with distinction in the fields of Roan and recaptured for the Imperium New Bristol.

The key question was the future defence of the Church, and the Imperium as a whole, from other such dangerous heresies. While the Imperium had always had its own intelligence service, the Shadow Angels, granting religious authority to them would seem far too much like the Imperium was interfering in religious affairs. Therefore, Duke Cassius, in the name of the Imperium, granted the church permission to form its own private army, provided it was made up of no more than 10000 members. It is believed that Emperor Alexander was infuriated at this, however his advisors quickly convinced him that it was the best option for the safety of both the nation and the safety of his throne.

Thereafter, the Church became recognised almost as a national body in itself, placing its military on a seperate but equal ranking to the Altaran Riders, the Derricks Guard, and the Alaitoc Rangers. The Aguan Marines had been absorbed into the Roanian Legions, thus officially creating the Imperial Holy Legions. The remaining national defence forces were also absorbed into the Imperial Military within the next thousand years, leaving the Order of the ArchAngel's sword the only non-Imperial military force in the Divine Imperium's borders.

That was far in the future for the council, which had the immediate problem of training and arming such a body. Luckily, many of the former Aguan Marines had left the military rather than serve with Roanians, and using Sir Lucius's name as a call-to-repentance they were able to gather a large enough force to reach their quota within 10 years, though in future the newly named Order of the Archangel's Sword would become far more selective.

Almost unnoticed during the formation of the 'Inquisition', so called because of the titles its membership recieves, was the standardization of the Imperial Belief System and the creation of the Book of the Light and 'The Names of the Stars'.

The Second Imperial Civil War

The Second Imperial Civil War was primarily a secular conflict, with Warlord Despan using his twisted beliefs to justify the utter obliteration of Roania's elven community, and then launch a 'crusade' against the government and church for daring to oppose him. It ended with the interference (for the second time; the first was shortly after the foundation of the Divine Imperium when Imperial Forces acted without orders to launch a crusade against all elves) of Menelmacar, whose military aided the governmental forces and then declared the Divine Imperium to be a protectorate for 500 years, assisting the nation in its slow adaption to the outside galaxy.

During that time, the religious works were codified further, and the Church began to become more of a force for

The Church Today

Today the Church is everywhere. And while on the outside many Roanians might appear less fervent in their belief than perhaps citizens of Iesus Christi, this is a product purely of ubiquitousness. The Church and Roania are one. The average Roanian might visit a religious center once or twice a year, or every week. They might never. But they remain followers of the Church, as to be a Roanian is to be a member. It is a defining trait, and everything every Roanian does is coloured by this fact. The church provided comfort and solace during the long years of tyranny under Alexander II, when people began to speak of a second Age of Shadow. When one of the Imperial Colonial Worlds was hit by a severe solar-storm, it was the Church which donated the most and provided the most material support. When a problem occurs in a Roanian's life that family, friends or the government cannot help, it is normally the Church that they turn to, and they will always find a listening ear.

Because of this strict indentification with the Roanian people, the Church is generally considered unwilling to accept outsiders. While this has a grain of truth, the message of the Church as such can be accepted by anyone, even if they still worship their own faith. As Patriarch Louis said, "True belief is a choice. No one can tell you how to worship the Light. All we can tell you is what the Light wants. Trust in yourself and your own strength, and the strength of your friends, and in the strength of your people. It is only in this strength that redemption can be found."

Doctrine of the Church

The Church's doctrine is quite simple. At its core is a simple premise. All magic is evil, and must be destroyed. The Church defines magic as 'The art that purports to control or forecast natural events, effects, or forces by invoking the supernatural', though its definition of supernatural is both narrow and at the same time general, embracing:

• Psionics and related 'sciences'
• Elemental magic
• Conjuration (Summoning of creatures and weapons)
• Non-elemental magic (teleportation, etc.)
• Healing magic (more of a gray area, not considered a top priority)
• Necromancy in all forms.

Etc.

The methods of 'purification' vary. Ideally, the Church would convert everyone to its way of life, and force them to abandon magic. This is the preferred way of dealing with people such as Elentari Sirithril and other elves. Conversion can be done both by showing people the benefits of science, and by replacing magic with scientific tools that perform the same function. The only exception is Conjuration and Necromancy, the practitioners of with are considered abominations and are not to be negotiated with.

Apart from its stance on magic, the Church stands for a very ordered form of morality. Homosexual unions are religiously approved of, however polygamy is considered a sign of Darkness and Chaos. The Church will only sanctify a second marriage if it occurs at least three years after the break-up of the first marriage.

Similarly, there is no straight-out 'Thou Shalt Not Kill'. The Roanian Church has rulings against the senseless murder of innocents. However, there is also a very long list of circumstances where murder is not just permissible, but also commendable. Thus, there is no moral conflict for a Roanian over killing an enemy soldier, or a witch. Indeed, there would be little moral outrage over the destruction an entire civilisation, provided it was deemed 'worthy' of such a fate by being completely devoted to the darkness, as per the definition in the Book of the Light.

Good and Evil?

The Roanians don't truly believe in Good and Evil, though their prayers might make reference to the terms occasionally. More frequently, the reference is to Order and Chaos; where Order is, essentially, scientific thought and progress and Chaos is the Arcane and Paganism, which are considered 'evil' and an opponent to the advancement of the human species.

Paganism, to the Church, is the application of 'human' characteristics to the Light. While not approved of, the Roanians are simply warned not to fall into that trap themselves. The Roanians consider the Light to be beyond human concepts and understanding, and believe that any attempt to understand the light is fundamentally flawed and foolish.

However, the Church has in the past taken many stances which could be considered 'good', as when church pressure forced the Divine Imperium to interfere in New Sparta and Phalanix under Lord-Emperor Edward.

Segments of the Church

The Priesthood

The Priests and Priestesses are the base of the church, with at least one in most communities. They lead prayer-services, officiate at feasts and funerals, and hear confessions. Both male and female priests can marry, however the further up you travel in the church hierarchy, the less likely you are to find a married priest. At the top of the priesthood, and the church itself, is the Lord Patriarch. While in the past there have been Matriarchs of the Light, generally the post is held by a male. The most recent Patriarchs are mentioned below.

• Patriarch DeRichelieu IV (IR 1200-1450)
• Patriarch Dmitri II (IR 1450-Present)

Beneath the Patriarch is the Council of Ecclesiarchs, which consists of the major 'Bishops' from across the Imperium. Then there are the bishops themselves, their own councils, and beneath them the countless priests and officers of the Church.

The Clerisy

All Clerics are Priests. Not all Priests are Clerics. A Cleric is what might be termed a wandering priest, a member of the orders that travel between communities that aren't large enough to have their own church. Clerics also are stationed in military bases to assist in the spiritual needs of the soldiery.

A few of the older clerics have studied alternative religions out of curiousity, and owing to what might be called their 'non-partisan' worship of 'God', they can provide limited spiritual support to foreigners. Most commonly the faith is Christianity or Islam, though many in Altara are known to have wandered amongst the Buddhist and Hindu nations such as Celeborne.

Clerical Orders include:

• Order of the White Rose
• The Traveller's Light

The Travellers in particular are well known for wandering, and are most sympathetic to foreigners. Many of their Order halls are opened to outsiders who require assistance or support.