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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=== | ||