The Divine Precept
The Divine Precept is the faith that binds together The Empire of Sonstreich, the worship of a set pantheon of deities that exist throughout the the empire, and which has temples and influences throughout much of the world.
Mythology & Lore
When the people of the Dominion finally turned their backs completely against the gods by embracing the worship of Orcus, the gods were at an impasse as to wherever they should intervene in the affairs of the world.
Some argued that humanity deserved to perish for their transgressions, and others chose to leave them to their own devices.
But other gods saw that there were still good hearts and souls on the material plane, and they knew that they could not remain passive.
So these gods directed their celestial hosts into the mortal world, leading what would become known as the gods-war, tearing down the Dominion, and forcing Orcus back into the Abyss.
It was these gods that directed the new civilisation that rose from the ashes of the war to safeguard the world in their name, and thus the Precept was formed.
Divine Origins
When the Empire sprung from the ashes of the gods-war, it did so on the backbone of divine right. As the greatest general among mankind, Augustin Sonstra, was chosen to lead mankind as the first Imperator of Sonstreich, the Precept swiftly sprung up as an advisory board, and important bureaucratic agency in maintaining the scriptures of each faith.
Initially, there was great disagreement on what practices and dogma should be canonized, leading to the great Thousand prayers schism that plagued the empire from 7 A.S. to 260 A.S, resolving with the establishment of current religious dogma, and the establishment of the Order of imperial inqusitors.
With the faiths formally coexisting in the form of the Precept, this swiftly became the state-religion of the empire, with the Imperator himself serving as the (mainly symbolic) head of the religion, as well as the state.
Tenets of Faith
Due to the multitude of faiths contained within the precept, there are few truly universal tenants that are backed by the gods directly, though all faiths tied to the precept are known to preach the following general tenets:
- Strive for order in all things; only through law, duty and loyalty can we truly thrive.
- The faiths of the precepts are all part of life, accept the place of each and every faith that stands united under the precept.
- Be weary of those that worship the dark gods, they are naught but traitors and tyrants, and does not care for the good of others.
Priesthood
While there is no devoted clergy of the Precept in general, its not uncommon for priests of the Precept living outside of major cities to be versed in a variety of services and prayers to various faiths within the Precept, so that they may be able to serve in numerous ceremonial functions, though a priestess is always sworn to one faith in particular.
In addition, within the Imperial seat of Althelm exists a great bureaucracy maintaining the general diplomacy and logistics of keeping the temples unified within the Precept. This is also through this organisation that the Precept's high priests meet to deliberate on portents and practices. This is also where the Order of imperial inqusitors hold court, excising heretical practices and cults to the darker gods wherever they may appear within the empires jurisdiction.
Sects
While the Divine Precept maintains that its intertwined completely with the empire, its still fairly common to find that the idea of an "All-Gods" faith exists outside the empire itself. Across the world, many clerics of the Precept's gods study within the empire, bringing on the traditions of solidarity and cooperation between the gods of the Precept with them.
Even if temples outside the empire does not operate as a part of the Precept, its influence can clearly be felt in the evolution of religious dogma.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
All-Gods Church, Imperial Faith
Leader
Deities
Divines
Location
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments