Unity
Gameplay
Cleric and paladin classes of any gender are open to players how want to play as Children of the Father. These characters will have a dual religious and governmental role in their societies, being both clergy and government officials. Paladins will be soldier-priests, while clerics can combine their role as priest with other governmental functions (soldier, law-keeper, bureaucrat, noble, etc.) While cleric and paladin class characters serve both The Great Father and their Caliph. This can mean many different things depending on the nature of the Caliph and the character’s interpretation of The Holy Word of The Great Father. Work with your DM to determine the nature of your character’s views and duties. Is she dedicated to missionary work and spreading the faith? Has she sworn herself to defense of the faith from heretics? Is she dedicated to healing the sick and helping the poor? Such characters hold great respect and standing in the lands that their Caliph rules. However, they are expected to take orders from their superiors and may be reacted to negatively in the lands of rival Caliphs and in areas that have had conflict with Unity. In particular, due to the growing conflict with The Holy Universal Church of Chantrel, clerics and paladins may need to hide their identity to pass through lands north of The River Chondiar safely. Independent clerics and paladins that operate outside of any ruler’s direct or indirect control are rare. Most breakaway clergy are seen as a threat to the Caliph’s rule and are quickly dealt with, even in lands with the most open minded Caliphs. Druid class characters are open to characters who were raised as Children of The Great Father. But, they will have to have largely abandoned Unity as their guiding belief system.Followers
Known as: Children of The Great Father, His Children, Children, Unitatists Insulted as: Utes While The Teachings of Chantrel is the most followed religion on The Sword Coast, Unity is the youngest and fastest growing faith. It’s followers come from all The Races of the Sword Coast. Men and women of every race raise their children with the teachings of The Great Father and His Holy Word.Beliefs
Children of The Great Father
Unity is a monotheistic, radical reforming religion. The Holy Word of the Great Father commands that His Holy Word be spread to all the realms of the world, to all people of all the races, that The Great Father is the one true god. The Holy Word of the Great Father is regarded as the last and final teachings of The Great Father to all the world. His Holy Word has been spread both by devoted missionaries and by legions of fighting men in acts of conquest. As such Unity is seen as a growing threat by The Holy Universal Church of Chantrel. Many are attracted to Unity, because of its unifying message. Humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, all tribes, all nations, rich and poor... can all be united as Children of The Great Father. In Unitatist communities, one sees a remarkable mixing of humans, elves, dwarves, and halflings. Mixed families are common, and many half-elves walk the streets. All see themselves as one people. A notable exception are dragonborn. As one of the few races that The Holy Word of the Great Father does not mention, dragonborn are often not seen as being Children of The Great Father and are regarded with suspicion and fear.The Seven Points of Faith
Unitatists hold to The Seven Points of Faith, sacred duties laid down by The Great Father. These seven duties are represented by their holy symbol of a seven pointed star.- Charity: the duty to give to the poor. Most Unitatist realms require a tithe to local the House of the Father (Unitatist temple) to help the less fortunate.
- Struggle: the duty to struggle against evil. For some this is an internal spiritual struggle. For others, it is an armed struggle against the armies of the heretics.
- Prayer: the duty to pray to The Great Father. This prayer schedule is based on the phases of the moons.
- Mission: all Unitatists have a duty to do missionary work and spread the faith. Most choose to do this as young men and women before getting married.
- Feasting and Hospitality: the duty to welcome guests into one’s home and give them a feast.
- Education: Unitatists believe in the power of education and learning. As a result almost all Unitatists of all social classes are literate (quite an unusual situation when most realms reserve literacy for nobles and clergy). Also, Unitatist cities have become bastions of learning, places where scholars, sages, philosophers, and mages of all stripes have built great universities and libraries and ideas flow like water.
- Justice: all Unitatists have a duty to be just and fair with each other. As a result Unitatist realms have some of the best written legal codes in The Sword Coast, with courts of law that treat noble and pauper equally.
The Great Father
The Great Father is believed to be the unknownable power that rules all of existence. As such his ways are unfathomable to mortal creators, who must trust in him, as a young child trusts in her father. Also, Unitatists do not bother representing him with images or statues. Most Unitatists regard the use of religious images as idol worship, which is forbidden.Religion and Politics
Priest-Kings - Caliphs
Unity does not have a universal church, or hierarchy like The Holy Universal Church of Chantrel. But, it does not split power between kings and clergy. Instead, the realms of the Unitatist world are ruled by a collection of Caliphs or Priest-Kings who each claim to rule in the name of The Great Father using His Holy Word as the law of the land. In these theocracies, Caliphs are both the rulers of the land and the heads of the local Houses of the Father. The Caliphs have great control over who is allowed to wield divine magic in their lands. Some employ councils of high priests who act as counselors and generals. These high priests then ordain lower ranking priests as administrators and officers in the military. In these lands, divine magic done by magic users not ordained by the local Caliph is considered heretical and is forbidden. Other Caliphs have to deal with independent councils of clergy and wisemen of which they are considered as only one member. In such lands, the council has control over who can wield divine magic.Lands of Learning & Scholarship
The richest and most prosperous of the Unitatist lands are ruled by Caliph-Philosophers, rulers who take the divine duty to education very seriously. These rulers have turned their lands into bastions of learning, where educated people of all beliefs, races, and origins have come to share ideas. Philosophers, mathematicians, engineers, artists, healers, historians, geometers, mages, and scholars of all stripes are drawn to these lands. These Caliph-Philosophers compete with each other to build the grandest libraries and universities and to have the largest and wisest retinue of counselors. As a result, many of these Caliphs have amassed troves of powerful arcane magical knowledge and have become formidable arcane mage users themselves.Places of Worship
The Holy Word of the Great Father is preached in temples known as Houses of the Father. The size and grandeur of each House reflects the size and grandeur of the city or village that it is in. The smallest and most humble being little more than huts and the greatest being grand cathedrals, that tower above the faithful. Many are converted temples originally dedicated to Chantrel and other gods, but taken in acts of conquest.Manner of Worship
Houses of the Father hold mandatory ceremonies scheduled according to the lunar cycle. Whole villages and cities will gather during these ceremonies. The holy days of The Great Father are a series of religious observances throughout the year. These holy days are treated as festival days with feasts, entertainment, and games.Views on Other Religions
The Holy Word of The Great Father claims to be the final, perfect set of teachings from The Great Father to his children and that The Great Father is the one true god of all the world. The Holy Word claims that all other religions have resulted from corruptions or misinterpretations of The Great Father’s previous teachings. For example, Chantrel is revered as a Sacred Mother, a mortal woman, who brought the teachings of The Great Father to many people. And many of the dragon gods are named as powerful servants of The Great Father. What this all means in practice can vary widely. Some interpretations of The Holy Word say that The Great Father commands that all people be brought to his love, by any means necessary, and that heretics and apostates are to be shown no mercy. Other interpretations say that The Holy Word teaches that people of all faiths are to respected.There are no gods, but The Great Father. He is supreme.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild