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* '''Alexander Koinonikos''' (Alexandros in Aetosian) is the Emperor Alexander I of the Regalian Empire. Alexander is held as an Evintarian Saint (on top of also being the Vessel of the Everwatcher), because outside of his divine status as the mouth of faith, he worked to re-unify the separate church bodies into one Unionist Divine. Before Alexander, the Evintarian, Guided, Supremoclast, Dogartan, Priscille and Diviner sects all kept seperate and had differing legal status. Through secular guidance and spiritual effort, Alexander convinced the colleges of each sect to sign the Divine Declaration which re-unified the church bodies, albeit allowing the sects to retain some individual autonomy, and not forcing the main dogmatic body to accept all schisms as true. The only church body that refused the Divine Declaration were the Diviners, who are declared heretics to this day. | * '''Alexander Koinonikos''' (Alexandros in Aetosian) is the Emperor Alexander I of the Regalian Empire. Alexander is held as an Evintarian Saint (on top of also being the Vessel of the Everwatcher), because outside of his divine status as the mouth of faith, he worked to re-unify the separate church bodies into one Unionist Divine. Before Alexander, the Evintarian, Guided, Supremoclast, Dogartan, Priscille and Diviner sects all kept seperate and had differing legal status. Through secular guidance and spiritual effort, Alexander convinced the colleges of each sect to sign the Divine Declaration which re-unified the church bodies, albeit allowing the sects to retain some individual autonomy, and not forcing the main dogmatic body to accept all schisms as true. The only church body that refused the Divine Declaration were the Diviners, who are declared heretics to this day. | ||
* '''Frederick Steiros''' (Frederikos in Aetosian) is the second born son of Emperor Alexander I of the Regalian Empire, Prince Frederick. Prince Frederick during a campaign to Jorrhildr and Ellador, accepted co-habitation with a several centuries old Demon Urlan elder, who became an Undead Spirit centuries ago and eventually turned into an Eternum Demon. With the unified power of the Prince and the Demon, Prince Frederick led the charge against the Death Isldar during the Isldar civil war, and showed super-human combat abilities to defend the faith, while also submitting his own body and mind to the unity with a Demon. The Saint Frederick is considered a saint of loyalty and sacrifice, a willingness to lose the self for purpose. | * '''Frederick Steiros''' (Frederikos in Aetosian) is the second born son of Emperor Alexander I of the Regalian Empire, Prince Frederick. Prince Frederick during a campaign to Jorrhildr and Ellador, accepted co-habitation with a several centuries old Demon Urlan elder, who became an Undead Spirit centuries ago and eventually turned into an Eternum Demon. With the unified power of the Prince and the Demon, Prince Frederick led the charge against the Death Isldar during the Isldar civil war, and showed super-human combat abilities to defend the faith, while also submitting his own body and mind to the unity with a Demon. The Saint Frederick is considered a saint of loyalty and sacrifice, a willingness to lose the self for purpose. | ||
* '''Gnosteon Phanoteros''' is a Dictat Demon who was swayed by | * '''Gnosteon Phanoteros''' is a Dictat Demon who was swayed by Belialus to join the Unionist fold and submit under the Everwatcher. Gnosteon leads the Oikos Mathēmatōn (House of teachings) in Aetosil, a massive library that contains the Evintarian priesthood's personal archive away from the Unionist church's main archives. The Oikos Mathēmatōn are considered an "occult version of the spiritual archives", which is why they have a somewhat controversial reputation among the other Unionist bodies. Gnosteon is considered a guide and divine inspiration, unlike other Dictat Demons it does not demand anything in return for its divine inspiration, but also does not grant it by giving simple answers. Gnosteon will beg questions, and teach rhetoric, so that the answer isn't apparant, but the person is always equipped with the steps for how to reach that end-goal. As a result. Gnosteon is held as the Saint of knowledge and teaching, and example of the need not to solve other people's problems, but teach them. | ||
* '''Kraton Chrysoforos''' is a Vortex Demon bound to a marble statue in Aetosil that comes to life in two conditions: if it is challenged into a duel by a mortal, or if the isle of Aetosil is under attack. Kraton was already present on Aetosil when the exiled Evintarians arrived there due to its Allorn history, and was so moved by the virtue and will of the people that it declared itself a protector, and then subjugated under the teachings of | * '''Kraton Chrysoforos''' is a Vortex Demon bound to a marble statue in Aetosil that comes to life in two conditions: if it is challenged into a duel by a mortal, or if the isle of Aetosil is under attack. Kraton was already present on Aetosil when the exiled Evintarians arrived there due to its Allorn history, and was so moved by the virtue and will of the people that it declared itself a protector, and then subjugated under the teachings of Belialus to the Everwatcher. Kraton embodies the will of the people to have the strength to resist adversity and opposition. Strong warriors measure their ability against the Demon, as it is considered unbeatable, but will always speak to those it defeats to explain why they lost, and how they can get better. To many Kraton is also an example of the beauty standard, but that is more often assigned to Yvasios instead. In short, Kraton is the Saint of martial ability, of bravery and of virtue in defense or others, one's self, and the ability to improve physically. | ||
* Dikaios Sofophron is the mortal body of one of the Dukes of the Evintarian lands in the Regalian Archipelago, that as punishment for his cruel and wroth rule of his domain, accepted the command of | * '''Dikaios Sofophron''' is the mortal body of one of the Dukes of the Evintarian lands in the Regalian Archipelago, that as punishment for his cruel and wroth rule of his domain, accepted the command of Belialus who joined his mortal body with an immortal Demon soul from the Eidolon. Dikaios then became an example in virtuous rule for all others with secular or spiritual leadership. They show the good graces of justice, mercy, compassion, kindness, and trusting of the good will of the people. Dikaios confronts other Nobles and those of blue blood with the fact that deeply despise the common folk, that they have such loathing hatred for the whining and complaining of the lower classes, and as a result become cruel and resentful of their divine duty to administer in the name of the Emperor. Dikaios as such is a Saint of just rule and good leadership. | ||
* '''Yvasios Genesiophoros''' is a Hollow Demon who already lived on Aetosil when the Evintarian exiles arrived, but took some time to warm up to their presence as she still inflicted death on the locals. Eventually, a chance encounter with Gnosteon brought Yvasios around to the teachings of | * '''Yvasios Genesiophoros''' is a Hollow Demon who already lived on Aetosil when the Evintarian exiles arrived, but took some time to warm up to their presence as she still inflicted death on the locals. Eventually, a chance encounter with Gnosteon brought Yvasios around to the teachings of Belialus and the Everwatcher, in the idea that the death she sought did not necessarily need to be inflicted on the concept of life, but could be re-directed onto the idea of have-beens, past-lives, and would-be-lives. The idea was that Yvasios would travel the land and discover those who had hidden selves and identities that needed a push to be brought to the fore. she found a man who felt inside to be a woman, she found an unmarried woman who inside felt destined for motherhood, and she found another Demon that wanted to be a person. By aiding all to see their true self, she could find her release in killing what could have been, and giving reason or existence to what should be, thus helping the people become their true self. To cap off her achievement, Yvasios killed her old self by doing away with her identity as a non-gendered Demon, and adopting fully the feminine qualities of the mortal world. She is the first officially recognized Demon who accepted a mortal gender distinction in the Unionist Faith. | ||
==Priestly Activities== | ==Priestly Activities== | ||
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===Writs of Sin=== | ===Writs of Sin=== | ||
Writs of Sin are declarations made by the Collegiate of Unionist priests, that declares an individual in contempt of the divine will of the Everwatcher, and the virtues of the Gods. While Unionism does not exactly have sins to violate and be deferred from the Afterlife, doing the exact opposite of the virtues that the Gods preach, is considered sinful. Common Writs of Sin are issued against deserters, traitors, blasphemers, and those who abandon their duties with pride and contempt. | Writs of Sin are declarations made by the Collegiate of Unionist priests, that declares an individual in contempt of the divine will of the Everwatcher, and the virtues of the Gods. While Unionism does not exactly have sins to violate and be deferred from the Afterlife, doing the exact opposite of the virtues that the Gods preach, is considered sinful. Common Writs of Sin are issued against deserters, traitors, blasphemers, and those who abandon their duties with pride and contempt. Note, Writs of Sin are not issued for individual sins or crimes, because Unionism has the core idea that every living person is born in sin, and that living a sin free life is both pretentious and impossible. Writs of Sin are specifically issued against those that sin against the better good of the state, or whose sins are prolific, systemic, or symptomatic of an underlying personality problem. | ||
====Declaration of a Writ of Sin==== | |||
It should be important to always consider Writs of Sin partisan statements made by priests, even if they assume the mantle of impartial theological judge. Writs of Sin are one of the few levers priests can use to apply social, political or spiritual pressure in Regalia, though many priests also just do it because they believe in the ideological intent of a Writ of Sin: to apply extreme pressure on a person to change their ways or acknowledge the error in their actions. Still, Writs of Sin can also be issued for political reasons, as it may cause a person to be caustic to ally towards, and isolate them from creating a wider political or social platform by making it far less appealing for Unionists to work with them. | |||
====Writs of Sin on non-believers==== | |||
Writs of Sin can be issued against non-Unionists, which at first glance may not have any immediate effects. After all, most faithful of different religions tend to interact with their own kind, and non-Unionists do not put much stock in the word of Unionist priests. That being said, Writs of Sin against non believers can still apply in context to the state of Regalia and its intents, and also in terms of soft-pressure consequences. Letters of Commendation from those with a Writ of Sin become worthless, and some Event DM's or NPC's may react hostile to a character that has a Writ of Sin issued, due to the fundamentals of their faith. A Character with a Writ of Sin issued is never denied access to activities like Assemblies, but may find that a lot of peripheral interactions with the wider political platform become more difficult, or just not as smooth as they used to. | |||
====Process of the Writs==== | |||
Writs of Sin can either be declared with no real process, or through a Holy Inquest. There is no standard protocol for Holy Inquest, essentially a priest can create a kangaroo court in whatever way they like, because ultimately their judgement is what issues the Writ of Sin, not an impartial third party. While priest Characters must always ask for validation from Lore Staff in a Ticket before a Writ can be issued (and then Staff also issue it for them), these Writs are always issued by the Priests who co-sign them, not an off-screen NPC College of Priests. As mentioned earlier, Writs of Sin are partisan clerical actions, and should remain within the realm of Player interactions. They can only be issued between player characters, and only be resolved between player characters, no NPC entity or College of Priests will ever intervene. | |||
====Removing a Writ of Sin==== | |||
Removing a Writ of Sin is not entirely straightforward, but it must always come from a priest, either the one(s) who issued the Writ, or an entirely unrelated. When Writs of Sin are issued, they have specific names attached, and Lore Staff will endeavor to also list Priests who did not co-sign the Writ, either because they were not made aware, or because they disagree with the conclusion. People who have Writs of Sin issued against them can either approach the ones who issued the writ, or the ones who did not, and try to blackmail, coerce, convince, repent, bargain, or bribe their way back into good graces. Lore Staff exist only to ensure the Writ is issued with legitimate theological arguments (and not "he spilled a drink on my dog" rhetoric), and equally will ensure proper rhetoric supports the removal of a Writ. Legally speaking, a Writ can only be removed if a theological argument can be cited to prove the subject has either repented or moved beyond their wicked ways, but the priest(s) who issued the Writ can also revoke it without citation. The only thing players should be aware of, is the idea that favoritism and bribery is generally considered Writ of Sin worthy in itself, and priests can also have Writs of Sin issued against them for doing exactly that. Corrupt priests do exist, however. | |||
====In-lore Writ effects==== | |||
A Writ of Sin has a lot of in-lore effects, that may not always express themselves in the roleplay experience. Due to the habit of players to play lip-service Unionists, not all characters may take a Writ of Sin (and the subsequent implication of a non-grata declaration) seriously, and treat such a person as the outcast they might have been declared. While it is technically "wrong" to do so, lay persons and secular individuals not related to the clergy may also object to a Writ of Sin out of personal conviction, but should be careful not to say this out loud, as this may result in the Writ of Sin extending onto them. Generally the purpose of a Writ of Sin is to socially isolate someone. If their allies or next of kin disregard the religious meaning of a Writ of Sin, they are generally held in contempt of the clergy, which in itself can have negative side effects for them unrelated to the Writ of Sin. In lore, a Writ of Sin might also result in denial of service in shops, refusal to attend worship at Temples, and denial of communication with certain government institutions, but experiences on this may vary due to afore mentioned lip-service Unionists. | |||
===Organizations=== | ===Organizations=== | ||