Ma'areket Elahut: The Empyrean Church
The Empyrean Church had one single point of devotion, which was to the [Ma’areket Elahut], or “The Order of God” and took up that moniker to give credence to their cause and intentions. As one of the oldest orders of religion in Agrovia, and perhaps all of Illayh – The Order was widely known and highly regarded as a powerful and influential entity within the diaspora of multiple continents it reached all over the world. Since its inception around the same times the [Saints] themselves were formed, the church has had much sway over the nation it was founded within and had charge over not only the various political movements but also the entire military.
Much of the Church’s works were onset by its upper echelon, who only used the name of the [Archibald]'s and Aperion to further their agenda. In fact, the church even pulled the strings of the Noble Houses for many centuries - Having infiltrated their ranks along with just about every other organization on the continent. This, above all else, caused the image of the Nobles were gods among men, which no more than a ruse given their true intentions. Another notable thing was the long lineage of racism and disdain for any non-humans, seeing them as "unclean" - Even the elves, to which the Agrovian’s were born of.
It was well known for its strict ethos and had rooted itself as the sole power that governed Agrovia since its inception, pulling the strings from the shadows. It also did not view death as sacred, which was a major point of contention in the country. Due to this, the influence they had guided Agrovia into many wars and a long campaign to exert their control as far as they could reach, giving the nation the title of empire with dozens of nations under its banner for several hundred years.
The church itself was devoted to [Aperion], the entity which resided over the [Saints] and all within the nation, and possibly the world itself. It is said that they have existed longer than the world, perhaps giving credence to them being among one of the races who existed before the worlds collapsed. Most, if not all had been wiped out during the cataclysm, save for a few who would be considered the last of their “kind”. It has been theorized that [Aperion] is part of the race known as [Reshimu] who were blessed with “The Light of Ain Soph”. Beings of which existed alongside Shidare’s kind, the Saplings, or [Tzachtzachot]
[Aperion] was seen as the one true all-power, and the sacrality of its commune was to the Royal Family - The [Archibald]'s, a name that was created as a mask to conceal the true nature of their lineage which was said to be direct descendants of the “Ones Above”. Their true name is unknown, but they were often called [Bənē hāʾĔlōhīm], “The Sons of God”.
They believed [Aperion] was divided into three “Palaces” of which three of their angels reside, the lowest of which is the [Hekhalot Zutartey] or "Lesser Palaces", the [Hekhalot Rabbati] or "Greater Palaces", and finally, the [Shi'ur Qomah] or "Divine Dimensions" which they believed the “One True God” resides as well as the three highest ranks of [Aperion].
[Aperion] itself revolves around the concept of the three threes resembling the [Nine Spheres of Heaven] in Dantes Paradiso, however does not follow the same taxonomy and refers to the Reshit Chochmah’s levels of angels within Luria’s Cosmogony. The [Nine Spheres] are also divided into the [Ninety Houses] of the [Sandalphon]. They are usually referred to in the [Nine Choirs], as the tenth is considered to be “The Source of All” and resides in [Pleroma]. This is not to be mixed up with the [Shem HaMephorash], the taxonomy of 72 Angelic Names and corresponding Magicks.
Not much else is known other than they reside within the kingdom of [Shenkina]. They are known to have a power known as [Elyon Berachot] “The Blessing of God”, which takes the form of the [Nine Choirs]. The only current known one is [Hear no Evil]. Another notable power of theirs is the [Ohrot Kelium] “Light Vessels” - the entities which they use to commune with the lower worlds.
The [Archibald Familia] was often coined as [Prophets] or as [Shaliyakh], The Messengers. Among the familia, there was only the one who possessed the [Re'uyyot Yehezqel], "The Visions of Ezekiel", which was the chosen [Prophet] and was often the head of the familia. Moreover, there were also the [Ăsereṯ hāRūgē Malḵūṯ], "The Ten Royal Martyrs" who acted as council to the church. The familia was said to have the [Massekhet Hekhalot] "The Tractate of the Palaces" which allowed them to commune with the higher planes and thus [Aperion] itself. This was often done in complete secrecy and only by the [Prophet] and their [Ten Martyrs].
For a time, these roles were given to the [Saints] as a duty to their faith, however at some point it was revoked and given to members of the household. The titles were once more granted upon the [Saints] after the insurrection and civil war that ensued when the church had been ousted as one of the central Cults of [GOETIA], named [VINE] among the 72 Chapters. With the standing head of the church revealed to be nonother than “Grand Priest Babel” one of the [Three Greater Evils] of [GOETIA], who stood above both Lesser and [Greater Demons], and possibly the Archdemon himself.
The attempted insurrection began shortly after the Archdemon Iwan had killed the then “Lynchpin” of the [Saints], Elaine, [Third Saint, Fourth Generation]. She had acted as not only the [Captain Commander] of the entire empire, but also the vessel for Shidare until she managed to fully manifest. Elaine was also called the “Goddess of Cycles” and was one of the only true immortals. Shortly after she was defeated, the great tree begun to fall apart and left the entire continent in chaos, and the [Saints] at a severe disadvantage. The protective shield around the continent was unable to withhold the strain on itself and collapsed.
At this point, multiple Chapters of [GOETIA] had begun their invasion, one of which was the cult of [ELIGOS] who managed to reach Baria all the way from Piore. The church had acted swiftly, and gathered every high-ranking aristocrat and noble in the entire nation of Candria. Outside of the Great Cathedral, the publicly executed every single one of them. By the time they managed to capture Alina, she had watched every member of her family die before her eyes, and she knew she was next in line. However, it was revealed that she was the “Chosen” and was thusly protected by Aperion when she awoken her latent powers.
Since then, Alina has taken up the mantle of [Queen of Candria], as well as being the sole survivor of her bloodline and the last person to have the ability to convene with [Aperion]. Though the church itself has technically disbanded, Alina is currently the head of the church. Alina had become isolated and was locked away by the remaining members of the church who did not rebel. It is believed that she had grown a deep terror for other people, and after awakening her powers she is no longer able to step foot outside of the “Light”. Nobody as seen her since.
It is unclear on how the church had fallen under the influence of the cults or whether it had always had such nefarious intentions. It should also be noted that its original founder, Amberline - Did not know of its ties to the dark cults, as that most likely occurred a few generations after her death. The rival and successor to EON, [DAWN] – does not follow the same mythos and instead has reverence for the “Great Tree” much like the many druidic nomads throughout the land.
The Hierarchy of Angels are as follows:
Pleroma:
“Chayot Ha Kodesh.”“Shi'ur Qomah” Divine Dimensions:
“Opahinum.” “Seraphim.” “Cherubim.”“Hekhalot Rabbati” Greater Palaces:
“Opahinum” “Erelim” “Tarshishim”“Hekhalot Zutartey” Lesser Palaces:
“Hashmallim” “Elim” “Ishim”
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