The Church of Saint Tupaux
The Church of Saint Tupaux makes up the third great power in Bastique. Alongside the two city-states, no other entities control nearly as much land, troops or power as them. The Church stands apart from the city-states however in that they hold a great deal of influence over them. As the major religion that is followed by almost every citizen on the continent, including the nobles, the Church is able to issue edicts and orders to the rulers of the cities should they need to. They do this sparingly, however, so as to ensure that diplomatic relations remain stable.
Founded over a thousand years ago during a time when magic was dying and faith in the celestial deities was at an all-time low. It is said that Tupaux, for whom the religion would one day be named after, entered a cave a mortal scholar and left with the power of five Spirits a saint.
Today the church works to spread its faith beyond Bastique, to both the wartorn continent of Serpé and the mysterious land of Persifon, where magic is still alive and well. It has only achieved minor success amongst the Serpéans, however, as the only thing that they truly believe in is their war. Meanwhile, in Persifon, the Priests that the church has sent to convert the Nativeshave not been able to breach their isolationism and all attempts to do so have been met with hostility. As well as this, the Church fervently seeks the other eleven relics not currently in their grasp so that they might hold even greater power over the continent and the whole of Aland.
Structure
At the bottom of the Church's hierarchy is the initiate. The initiates are usually young children who have been inducted into the church and are being educated so that they can one day reach the rank of Priest. In exchange for this education, the initiates are expected to perform menial tasks such as lighting the candles in the Cathedralor scrubbing the carpets in the grand hall.
The next rank up from the initiate is the Priest. The Priests make up the majority of the church's followers, working in every church across the continent as well as the Cathedral. The Priests are the first to receive the blessings of the Spirits and with these blessings, they are expected to heal the sick. They do this through a combination of their limited magic and the knowledge taught to them through experience and the basics that they learned as an initiate. They are also taught basic defensive magic, however, this will do little more than provide a thin shield or knockback their attacker.
Above the Priests is the first leadership role in the Church, the Magister. There are far fewer Magisters than there are Priests, which is due to the fact that the trial to become a Magister is so arduous and a Priest may only be permitted to undertake the trials after twenty years of service. Magisters are responsible for organising the Priests and Initiates and are usually found in charge of smaller churches in the various villages across Bastique, or leading missions in other continents. If a noble wishes to meet with the church, it is a Magister that they are likely to be liaising with as all Magisters answer directly to the Archons.
There is an honourary role amongst the Magisters for those who take on the leadership of the Grand Churches built within the city-states of Duble and Sylvahn. The High Magisters are responsible for leading the Church of Saint Tupaux's interests within the lands controlled by their respective city-state as well as representing the Church when dealing with the ruling government. A High Magister is chosen by the Archons from amongst the Magisters, and are usually the Magisters with the greatest diplomatic influence of the city-state in which they are assigned.
The leaders of the Tupaulian Church are the five Archons, each representing one of the five Spirits. They are the most powerful figures within the Church, both politically and magically. Their increased magical power comes from their proximity to the Spirits and that they draw more power from them, allowing them to perform magic far greater than the average Priest. The Archons are chosen from the Magisters who display greater power and aptitude for their magic. The Archons are the most powerful figures in the Church and are the only ones permitted to directly commune with the Spirits. Archons are also the only ones who are aware of the Church's true origins and the fate of the Spirits.
Culture
The Church teaches that Saint Tupaux single-handedly revived magic in Bastique and that only by following his example and praying to him and the Spirits that he saved as fervently as one can will these blessings continue to be made available to them. They believe that only when magic has truly returned to the continent in full will they be able to attain immortality and never have to fear the coming of the Serpent King.
The Tupaulian Church practice their faith through prayer, offering them up to the Saint that they believe still watches over them. Sermons are read and ceremonies held as official occasions for worship every other week, with a grand ceremony held on the anniversaries of Tupaux's discovery of the Spirits, the Church's official founding and Tupaux's departure from this mortal coil.
Assets
The Tupaulian Church controls all of the assets at the command of their Knights of Tupaux, as well as many others. The Church is in possession of vast riches, much of which has been provided by nobles across the continent as donations. These riches, along with other relics and tomes that the Church keeps hidden away from the world, are kept within their vaults on Cathedral grounds. The vaults are well protected, more so than any other location in Aland.
Mythology & Lore
In the beginning, the Church teaches that the world of Aland was crafted by the Celestial Gods, each one sacrificing a piece of their divinity in order to do so. For a while, the world was as it was intended to be, perfect. However, the Gods grew arrogant, believing themselves to be infallible and were blind to the fact that the divinity that they had sacrificed was now proving to be toxic to their magnum opus.
The magic that once existed across the world in plentiful supply was being drained by the Gods, who grew fat on its offerings. This would continue until all but the faintest traces of magic were gone and the world as the Alandians knew it crumbled into ash. With the wellspring of magic that empowered them now gone, the Gods finally looked upon the devastation that had been wrought upon their world and realised their mistake. Instead of attempting to make amends, however, they opted to leave in shame and exile themselves amongst the stars.
The world would have stayed this way, struggling to survive without magic or deities to guide them if it wasn't for a young scholar who, following the last few threads of magic, located five Spirits. These Spirits were made out of pure magic and were capable of sharing it with others. So it was that Saint Tupaux descended the mountains with the Spirits and guided the people of Bastique to a bright new age.
Granted Divine Powers
The powers that the Tupaulians refer to as "Blessings" are the magic that is granted to them by the five Spirits. As one ascends the ranks of the Church more power is granted, enabling the follower to achieve greater feats. Only a small amount of magic is afforded to Priests. Even so, this is still enough to heal minor wounds and defend themselves from rudimentary attacks. Someone with more training than the average commoner will be able to get past these defences, however.
Once a Priest ascends to the rank of Magister, they are gifted even more power from the Spirits. With this power, they are able to heal more major injuries as well as becoming a much more threatening foe in battle. They are also capable of using their magic in less obvious ways, such as moving small objects without touching them, unlocking and locking doors or simply cleaning themselves and others.
Archons are capable of all of this and more, now able to help those suffering from the later stages of terminal diseases recover, and able to project a shield not just around themselves, but around an entire settlement. The Archons rarely get to demonstrate their blessings however as there is little cause for them to join the battlefield or heal the sick. Instead, they focus their attention on the relics and stay wary of any that might oppose their supremacy.
By the Light of the Spirits
Founding Date
1,000 years ago
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
The Tupaulian Church, Saint Tupaux's Chosen
Demonym
Tupaulian
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Comments