The Holy Aetrucian Church of the One

Structure

1. Archdeacon: The highest position of the Iustic Order, the Archdeacon resides within the Citadel of Truth and has direct control over the armies, laws, actions, and treasuries of all Iustic strongholds. While he is a religious figurehead, the alleged example of a perfect man of the faith, the Archdeacon is one of the two major political figures in Aetrucia. He is sovereign from the Emperor and is essentially the second king of Aetrucia.
2. Honor Guard: The Iustic Honor guard is a contingent of trusted Iusti, hand-picked and lead by the Archdeacon himself to guard him and execute his will in the field.
3. Deacon: Each Aetrucian city contains a Deacon, who has complete reign over the city and surrounding province in religious matters, and answers only to the Archdeacon. They organize missionary and troop movement throughout their area of influence and control religious etiquette and tax collection.
4. Lord Commander: A lord commander is assigned to every individual platoon of IustiiI. Typically, they are older, trusted members of the Church, assigned by Deacons. Their sole duty is to enforce the will of the Deacons.
5. Iustic Enforcer: The majority of the Iustic Order consists of enforcers, footmen under the employ of the Deacons and lead by a Lord Commander. They exist solely to enforce the laws and taxes of the Aetrucian Church and to execute the will of the Iustic Order.
6. Aspirant: Iustic recruits are kept in barracks near Churches, and often undergo religious and military training on the Church grounds. They have no duty other than to follow orders.
7. Pastor: The pastor is a religious leader that leads service and collects religious taxes for the Deacon. Each chapel is led by a pastor, and under the employ of the Deacon, they are allowed to keep a percentage of collected taxes.
8. Acolyte: Acolytes are simple assistants or aspiring pastors under the employ of the pastor of a Church. Typically, they fulfill most of the work required during service, lighting candles, collecting the taxes, and maintaining the chapel.

Public Agenda

The Iustic Order maintains religious order and peace in Aetrucia. The Church serves as the left hand of the Emperor, enforcing the Faith of the One across his Holy Empire, and instructing the people within to serve faithfully in God.

Assets

The Iustic Order has a stronghold in every major Aetrucian city and a chapel in every Aetrucian settlement. The wealth of the Iustic Order is rivaled only by the Imperial Treasury. The Citadel of Truth in Guernica contains the second largest treasury in the world, and each stronghold contains its own treasury. It is estimated that a quarter of Aetrucia's gold and silver is in Iustic hands. The armories of the Iustii are fairly small, in contrast, as the uniform armament consists of only broadswords or rapiers in varying amounts of gilt. The total number of members ranges in the hundreds of thousands and a large portion of Aetrucian horses are under Iustic stables.

History

The Iustic Order began under the Divine Scourge of Saemil the Zealot. Saemil was given the Emperor's authority to establish organized religion in Aetrucia in any way he saw fit. In several hundred resulting acts of violence, Saemil established a firm religious grasp of the Aetrucian populace and created a powerful organization, which he named the Iustic Order at his coronation as Archdeacon in the year 51 3C. The organization's power only grew in the following years, even after Saenil's death. By the year 200 3C, the Iustic Order had amassed power to rival the Emperor. In fact, between 200-300 3C, the Iustic Order had full control over politics of the Empire, and all reigning emperors during this century were effectively puppets of the Church. This arrangement was only broken with the outbreak of Narsnian War in the year 336 3C, which saw the Emperor's power restored. Thereafter, the Emperor and the Archdeacon have remained conflicting powers in Aetrucia, constantly warring over control of the Empire.

Mythology & Lore

In Oldirsi scripture, there are constant mentions of a certain power that reigned above all Oldirsi. It is said that this being is omniscient and omnipotent, and existed to preserve order and harmony in Albastia. Written into Tirzhaelsi Aelisiklivin, the One allegedly is responsible for the turning of the hourglass, and whose divine will is the fate of all mortalkind.

Divine Origins

The religion of the One is derived from ancient Oldirsi scripture, which describes the order of their society under the rule of the One, and the laws and customs they followed in their service to the One.

Cosmological Views

The world of Albastia is the manifestation of the Divine will of the One, and all who walk its face are a piece of Him. Albastia always was, and always will be for as long as it is the One's will. Worldly magic consists of remnants of the One's power, marred with mortalkind's presence.

Tenets of Faith

• There is one true God: the One and no other.
• The will of the One is never to be questioned.
• The will of the Emperor, ruler of men under the One is never to be questioned.
• The devout servants of the One, who exist to teach the faithless are never to be questioned.
• An individual shall never fail to miss daily service.
• An individual shall never fail to pay his daily tithe.

Ethics

Anyone who is of the Iustic Order is free of all sin-- they cannot do a wrong act. Whatever they do is considered the will of the One. Allegiance to the Emperor is a sacred tenant, and to rebel against him is to defy the Will of the One. To turn over a member of the faith who has broken one of the tenents or sinned in secret to the Iustii is considered an act of piety, and is smiled upon by the Church. The sins that are most deeply despised are to refuse to pay the tithe, skip the daily Church service, worship idols of other religions, or speak openly against the Iustii or Emperor. To pay more than the required tithe is also considered an act of great piety.

Worship

One must attend Church service every morning, and pay the tithe of one silver a day. One must worship the One and no other gods. One must never question the will of the Church or the Emperor. Typically, regular Church service includes a sermon from the Pastor, the payment of the tithe, recitation of religious hymns, and the lighting of the Candle of the Soul, where each member lights a candle and places it upon a shelf, creating a ring of candles around the chapel.

Priesthood

Service is led by Pastors and Acolytes. Acolytes are faithful individuals who swear fealty to a designated Deacon and work under a Pastor until assigned their own chapel to teach. A Pastor is a former Acolyte who has proven his loyalty to a Deacon and has been assigned his own flock to instruct. Pastors are decorated in long black robes, often embellished with golden thread, and an amulet of the Aetrucian Crown of Enlightenment. Acolytes wear only the Iustic black robes.

Granted Divine Powers

The ability to forgive sin and prevent divine retribution, prevent an individual's death in a sikli, and heal physical or mental ailments through faith.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The Church of the One is a major political power in the Holy Aetrucian Empire, and has the power to sway the Emperor's decisions, declare religious wars, and override certain matters with those of religious importance.

Deus Semper Videt

Founding Date

90 Aelbor, 51 3C

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

The Iustic Order

Training Level

Professional

Veterancy Level

Trained

Demonym

Iustic

Parent Organization

Holy Aetrucian Empire