Religion in the Empire

Shackled Gods and Human Virtue

The Empire has a complicated and paradoxical relationship with religion and the divine. While the worship of gods has not been entirely outlawed, it is tightly regulated, and those who choose to follow a god are considered third-rate citizens, closely monitored by the state. Those who use divine power or serve as clergy are even further discriminated against, and marked as slaves. The Empire instead promotes the Virtues as a way of life, emphasizing the importance of mortal existence, self-sufficiency, and humility.

Gods and the Empire

Gods are individuals who have gained the power to connect to the Outer Planes through worship, often leading their own nations or influencing the politics of others. The Imperial Court distrusts gods, and to maintain control, the gods are shackled within crystal magicite prisons. To kill a god is to give one of their followers the chance to try to claim their mantle, so by trapping them the ERmpire ensures that no other deity takes their place to rise against them. Each God is tended to by an order of slave clergy, preserving the god's life by offering the required worship.

Divine magic in the Empire

Divine magic, derived from the gods, is viewed with suspicion. Individuals who gain divine abilities are enslaved by the state, and those who enter a god's service are willingly accepting their status as slaves. The Empire has perfected a process to forcibly infuse divine power into individuals, infusing them with the power of a paladin or similar. Criminals may be given the option to accept this procedure, and the Empire maintains units of slave knights wielding divine power for the common cause. Private citizens may own slaves with divine classes, purchased from the state at a price.
From the moment an individual is infused with the power of a god, they are bound to them. They may hear their voice, feel the mandate that binds them, and be influenced by it in turn. Inebitably, the line between stolen power and willing service blurs. This above all is the reason the god-touched are viewed with distrust. Useful tools in the right hand they may be, but their minds are tainted by the divine they are connected to.
See also: Slavery in the Empire.

The Virtues

The Empire promotes the Virtues, a set of ideals that underscore the magnificence of mortal life and disparage the gods. The Emperor's existence contradicts the Virtues in several ways, but this is seen as a grand sacrifice made on behalf of the people, a suffering he endures for them. Several minor Virtues are observed in parts of the Empire, but the core three key Virtues that are universally observed are:

Transience: Mortal life is beautiful because it is fleeting, in contrast to the immortality of the gods. This virtue is expressed through the love of gardens and other impermanent displays of beauty.

Self-sufficiency: The Empire encourages citizens to help themselves rather than ask for assistance from a god. This belief is reflected in the Empire's commitment to providing basic education to all but the lowest citizens.

Humility: Asking for worship and praise is a trait of the gods. The Empire finds beauty in simple pleasures and a job well done.

"Shrines" and "Temples" to the Virtues are usually centers of learning, where the officials who tend them freely offer education and advice to the citizenry to help them reach their goals. So long as those goals humbly fit within their station, of course.