The Church of the New God
The Church of the New God has become the most powerful religion in the Empire. The church began with one person, Astrid, who was born in the late second century. A philosopher and theologian, she proposed the Four Truths that have become the central tenets of the faith.
• The mortal soul is eternal. Death is a door to the next life.
• Cruelty, selfishness, and greed stain the soul, dooming it to the torments of Hell. To avoid the horrors of the afterlife, mortals should lead good lives, and be kind and virtuous in all things.
• The divine depends on mortals, not the other way around.
• Anything circumventing the migration of the soul is an abomination. Undead, spirits loosed from the Underworld, efforts to extend mortal life through magic, and the like draw the hateful eye of the Demon Lord.
Astrid disappeared in the third century after many years of persecution. Legend holds she ascended to Paradise. Some believe this ascension transformed her into a god, but many believe she was always a god in mortal form. Critics of the church, however, claim she never ascended and was in fact stabbed to death, her corpse torn apart by wild dogs. All across the Empire, one can find the bones of wild dogs for sale in response; the faithful wear them as signs of their devotion and to gain the blessing of the New God. Astrid is separate from the New God, but the common folk have elevated the prophet to divine status. The church leaders reconcile the heresy by claiming Astrid is yet another aspect of the greater deity. The symbol of the New God is a circle, usually depicting a snake or dragon eating its own tail. The prophet, Astrid, is shown as a robed woman with knives thrust into her body.
The Church of the New God is almost ubiquitous in the Ilisuaqian Empire, aided by The Inquisition. It is found also found in countries near Ilisuaqia- Koppelia, Gedia, and North-Western Territories of Covioria.
• The mortal soul is eternal. Death is a door to the next life.
• Cruelty, selfishness, and greed stain the soul, dooming it to the torments of Hell. To avoid the horrors of the afterlife, mortals should lead good lives, and be kind and virtuous in all things.
• The divine depends on mortals, not the other way around.
• Anything circumventing the migration of the soul is an abomination. Undead, spirits loosed from the Underworld, efforts to extend mortal life through magic, and the like draw the hateful eye of the Demon Lord.
Astrid disappeared in the third century after many years of persecution. Legend holds she ascended to Paradise. Some believe this ascension transformed her into a god, but many believe she was always a god in mortal form. Critics of the church, however, claim she never ascended and was in fact stabbed to death, her corpse torn apart by wild dogs. All across the Empire, one can find the bones of wild dogs for sale in response; the faithful wear them as signs of their devotion and to gain the blessing of the New God. Astrid is separate from the New God, but the common folk have elevated the prophet to divine status. The church leaders reconcile the heresy by claiming Astrid is yet another aspect of the greater deity. The symbol of the New God is a circle, usually depicting a snake or dragon eating its own tail. The prophet, Astrid, is shown as a robed woman with knives thrust into her body.
The Church of the New God is almost ubiquitous in the Ilisuaqian Empire, aided by The Inquisition. It is found also found in countries near Ilisuaqia- Koppelia, Gedia, and North-Western Territories of Covioria.
