The Credo Imperatoria
The Credo Imperatoria, also known as the Imperial Faith, Code of the Emperor and The Decrees of Alexander I, is the Main Religious Creed of the Forzorian Empire. The Credo Imperatoria holds that, after his death in 21IE, Emperor Augustus I ascended to the Heavens and not content to be another resident in the afterlife, forged out his own Godly Empire and became a God himself. The Religion has over the centuries, become the single largest religion in the Empire and all the known world, being wielded by the state as a effective weapon of control.
The Tekederian Empire brought with them their ancient Pantheon, hundreds of God representing everything from the Sun and Moon to War and Peace, their Pantheon failed to take hold in Forzoria however, and with the defeat of Tekederia in the War of independence its priests were driven from the Empire and temples looted. Other small faiths would slowly be spread across its border regions during the 12 warring states period, mainly from foreign mercenary companies or refugees fleeing other regions where they were persecuted.
Religious violence was always very high, be that Forzor Crusaders, Stullmen Religious Warriors or the Tekederian Priest class, religious conflict was a constant across the old Heartland during this grand period of history.
This Belief would see dozens of secret societies and cults across the Empire, these cults did not worship Augustus as a god, they instead viewed him as either a prophesized savior, Divine sent savior or simply a man inspired by faith to save the innocent. These cults would mostly stay in the shadows, with very few exceptions. One Notable exception were the 1000 Blades, a small elite army of Valstov Gladiators who openly praised the Emperor with Divine Reverence, holding a grand festival every year to commemorate the day he set them free, along with attacking the former ruling class of the Republic and forcefully seizing what wealth they could from the old republic and dividing it among the now freed slaves.
However, the vast majority of these cults were small and localized to areas outside the Empire's heartland, having little actual effect on the Empire and being seen from the outside as a passing period, that would end shortly end after the death of Augustus, this could not be further from the truth.
Due to the varying degree of backgrounds for these cults, and the fundamental differences in their cultures, the many Cults bore striking differences from how to see and revere the Emperor to how the worship of him should be spread. A great many cults advocated the concept of Holy War, the most common view was war is only holy in defense of the Empire or when waged in liberation of enslaved or oppressed peoples, a far more radical view saw all war waged by the Empire as holy, as long as the war is called by the Emperor. Some cults denounced all forms of war, but these quickly collapsed when faced with the truth that their freedom is owed to war waged by Augustus.
However not everyone who spoke of his ascension did so with holy intentions, plenty of cults formed were lead by power hungry individuals who sought to use their new power to grow fat and rich, and would soon enter conflict with each other as desire for power and theological differences began to boil over into violence. It would take nearly 50 years, but soon these cults began to wage open war upon each other within the Empire, almost every class of society was picking sides for religious regions, power or simply a desire to survive.
Following the Bloodbath, cults would clash across the Empire, with it getting so bad that entire noble families would be up ended and destroyed when servants belonging to a different cult would kill them. Eventually the chaos would end after 3 years, when Emperor Alexander I would begin a march across the Empire, destroying the most violent and Destabilizing cults, forcing others to disarm or disband if deemed needed for stability. Alexander was so devoted in this mission, he even forced the 1000 blades, who ranks had swelled due to the children of the gladiators coming of age and having their own children who had come of age, to put down their weapons and return to Valstov.
Knowing the Empire could ill afford another period of Religious chaos, one that very well could spiral into open civil war, Alexander decided to use the weight he wielded as Being Emperor and a direct descendant of Augustus to call a Grand Religious Conclave in the capital. The Emperor promised that all who attended would be granted protection from each other, and have their chance to speak theology and debate what would become the foundation of a new Imperial Faith. The Conclave would end up becoming a great debate between several prominent cults, with smaller cults rallying around each and eventually merging with each other as theological unity was found.
The First was that of life after death, and how one would find themselves in the afterlife. While a great majority of theologists held the opinion that good men and women would be granted contention into what became known as the Golden Palace of the Emperor, what exactly defined good was up for debate. Two ideals of good came from the debate, the first came from the son of a freed slave from Valstov, who was named Augustus in honor of the late Emperor. What became known as the Augustian way of thought dictated that to find entrance one must serve the Empire and descendants of the emperor with complete loyalty, to fail for even a moment is the sign of disloyalty and prevents entrance into the Golden Halls. In opposition of this thought was the ideals of history simply knows as Conrad, Conradian thought dictated that good was following the emperors example: Be Faithful to ones spouse, protect the weak and innocent, oppose enslavement, seek out and expose evil, do not stand to the side. This first debate would, after 8 months of arguments, be ended by a decision from Alexander. Alexander said, the way to join his grandfather into the heaven was to follow his example, in protection of innocence, in opposition of slavery, and to hold faith and joy in his creations. While this was seen as a great victory for Conradian Ideals, a majority of Augustians agreed either out of satisfaction that they were not totally rejected or by following their own ideals and obeying the Emperor.
The Second major dispute at the Conclave as that concerning the very nature of Augustus and his Heirs, and their relation to the rest of mankind. While none denied the Emperor as a God, the exact connection his holiness was to the Man known as Augustus was far more debated. The first idea to be debated at the Conclave was that of the famous preacher and former slave known as Halcun, an elderly man who had long gone blind, he preached of Augustus having shed his mortal body when he passed, and by the sheer power of his will and soul formed his own godly kingdom in the Heavens, from which he rules. In direct opposition of this however, were the ideals spoken by a the Young Women named Angelia, who preached that the Emperor Augustus and the God Augustus were two different beings joined together as two souls sharing one mind. It was said when the emperor passed his Mortal soul did so with it, but the second soul was set free from its bonds and set forth as a God to lead the people in death as it's opposite did in life. This belief is attributed to the prophecies of the Falfen people, which speaks of their Great God known as Aatu-Aarni, who would in a time of great strife come down from it's seat in the Heavens and bind itself wholly to one of it's mortal descendants upon the world, before setting out to unite all its descendants under one great tribe. Augustus, due to his blood having that of the Stull people, is according to Falfen tradition one of these mortal descendants, and having freed the Falfen people and united them with the Stull descendants means he had fulfilled the prophecy. Augustus then, is not just a god, but 1/3 of a greater being, the God Augustus-Aatu-Aarni. The Debate itself was fierce, with supporters of Angelia being extremely vocal and speaking hours on end to simply prevent the opposition from speaking, causing the debate to the longest at nearly 3 years, until Alexander got sick of it and decided to side with Halcun to simply get it over with. This however has not prevented a significant minority to this day holding faith in the God Augustus-Aatu-Aarni.
The Final major dispute had to have been the most tame and civil debate, and the one lost to history. History books record of some third great dispute spoken of at the conclave, that while tame was extremely important and took around a year to finish, yet no books actually state it. This has lead to serious debate on what the topic could have done it, from the organization or existence of a central church, the role in government, the role of the reigning Emperor or even just the official name of the religion.
Soon these churches and chapels would, under the Imperial decree, begin to organize across the nation under a newly appointed High Priest, in the year 125IE the Credo Imperatoria Holy Book was released to the public and a church structure formulated. From that year, the Empire had official organized its own religion, but never named the official state religion, hoping to prevent further religious tensions and violence against those who did not follow the faith.
The First High Priest, the Preacher known as Conrad who had lead the largest cults during the Conclave, would be appointed in the Year 95 IE by Alexander I, Conrad's past is unknown, as he never spoke about it or had it written down, but he was known for his love of the poor, this is seen in no place more then his earliest policies and decrees. High Priest Conrad began the system of elected Speakers in all communities, and established hundreds of Monastic schools which taught the people to read and write, organized mass charities, and placed strict rules over the possessions of the church and members of the church.
The lowest church rank is disciple, though it is less of a rank and more of a general title on all who assist local religious institutions, from providing food and repairs, to assisting with burial ceremonies and medical assistance, it is considered an important point in one's life to at some point be declared a disciple by their local Speaker.
The first proper rank is Acolyte, an Acolyte is one who has entered the churches service as a student and servant, they often partake in cleaning, maintaining church property and assisting the Speaker and High Speaker, Acolytes are often part time positions, expected to maintain their own life and job outside the church
The first proper rank is Speaker, who runs small religious chapels and tend to the spirit of the faithful, directing local communities when needed and running Monastic Schools to train the next generation of speakers, Speakers are not appointed or chosen, instead elected by their local community, with a Speaker needing to be able to Read, Write, and having attended at least 2 years of religious education at a monastic school.
Above the Speakers are High Speakers, who operate as the head of a proper church and oversee their local religious division consisting of several different chapels, they are elected from the ranks of their religious divisions speakers, and oversee their entire regions religious devotion and report all signs of deviancy and heresy to their local Priest.
Rising higher then High Speaker is the Priest, directly appointed to oversee several High Speakers at a time, they are meant to maintain religious harmony and prevent the upending of the religious order, along with being some of the few religious authorities that has the right to enter the Senate without a invitation, though this exemption is for the Priest of the Capital.
The highest rank in the Religious hierarchy, the High Priest on paper holds absolute power over the church and defines it's doctrine, though this is often done with the approval of the Emperor and a majority of Speakers and High Speakers voicing support, due to the Emperors power in the church, many unofficially refer to him as the true head of the Faith.
"Praise be to the Emperor, he who breaks the Chains. Praise be to the Emperor, he who destroys the Tyrants. Praise be to the Emperor, he who defies all Others. Praise be to the Emperor, he who defends us" -The Prayer of Praise, Credo Imperatoria
Religion before Augustus
Religion in the Empire has endlessly evolved over the centuries, the ancient Stull tribes worshipped the god Aatu-Aarni, who himself was made of two separate entities: The Wolf God Aatu and the Eagle God Aarni. The Forzor people worshipped a god known as Melcer, who was seen as a great guardian for their people and way of life. When the Stull and Forzors joined together during the days of the Tekederian Empire.The Tekederian Empire brought with them their ancient Pantheon, hundreds of God representing everything from the Sun and Moon to War and Peace, their Pantheon failed to take hold in Forzoria however, and with the defeat of Tekederia in the War of independence its priests were driven from the Empire and temples looted. Other small faiths would slowly be spread across its border regions during the 12 warring states period, mainly from foreign mercenary companies or refugees fleeing other regions where they were persecuted.
Religious violence was always very high, be that Forzor Crusaders, Stullmen Religious Warriors or the Tekederian Priest class, religious conflict was a constant across the old Heartland during this grand period of history.
During the Reign of Augustus
When Augustus I began his conquests of the modern Provinces Liglen and Moldexia, he would face patchworks of Feudal Dominions, Tribal Confederations, Aristocratic Republics and other such societies. When the Empire conquered the Ancient Republic of Valstov, he found itself a aristocratic society ruled by a rich minority over a poor populace of slaves who were, after little debate or fanfare, freed from bondage by Augustus. A Large contingent of the Falfen People, ethnic cousins to the Stull, whos traditions and beliefs were being stamped out by Remnants of the Tekederian Empire in southern Moldexia, launched a revolt upon the arrival of the Imperial Army in the region and were rewarded with their freedom. Scenarios occurred again and again on the campaigns of Augustus, these groups awed by the power wielded by their savior, began to see him as nothing short but a holy savior to deliver them from chains.This Belief would see dozens of secret societies and cults across the Empire, these cults did not worship Augustus as a god, they instead viewed him as either a prophesized savior, Divine sent savior or simply a man inspired by faith to save the innocent. These cults would mostly stay in the shadows, with very few exceptions. One Notable exception were the 1000 Blades, a small elite army of Valstov Gladiators who openly praised the Emperor with Divine Reverence, holding a grand festival every year to commemorate the day he set them free, along with attacking the former ruling class of the Republic and forcefully seizing what wealth they could from the old republic and dividing it among the now freed slaves.
However, the vast majority of these cults were small and localized to areas outside the Empire's heartland, having little actual effect on the Empire and being seen from the outside as a passing period, that would end shortly end after the death of Augustus, this could not be further from the truth.
After Augustus
The Death of Augustus
When Augustus I died in the year 21IE, the entire Empire entered a widespread depression and a mourning period, but no more was this felt then those cults and groups who he had saved. These groups held mass ceremonies, began to pray for Augustus' son Flavius I, and hold mock funerals for their savior. Soon these groups began to gather around charismatic preachers, who spoke of visions granted unto them. Augustus had ascended to the heavens, but not content to be simply another member of the afterlife, had carved out his own Empire in the sky and has become a god. Soon these cults would begin to grow and organize, believing it their holy duty to spread the word of their new god and protect his Empire from the vultures.Due to the varying degree of backgrounds for these cults, and the fundamental differences in their cultures, the many Cults bore striking differences from how to see and revere the Emperor to how the worship of him should be spread. A great many cults advocated the concept of Holy War, the most common view was war is only holy in defense of the Empire or when waged in liberation of enslaved or oppressed peoples, a far more radical view saw all war waged by the Empire as holy, as long as the war is called by the Emperor. Some cults denounced all forms of war, but these quickly collapsed when faced with the truth that their freedom is owed to war waged by Augustus.
However not everyone who spoke of his ascension did so with holy intentions, plenty of cults formed were lead by power hungry individuals who sought to use their new power to grow fat and rich, and would soon enter conflict with each other as desire for power and theological differences began to boil over into violence. It would take nearly 50 years, but soon these cults began to wage open war upon each other within the Empire, almost every class of society was picking sides for religious regions, power or simply a desire to survive.
The Religious Wars
While the period often referred to as the Religious Wars saw no open battles between religious factions, riots and small scale clashes between minor noble families were common as Cults competed for influence across the Empire. These periods of violence began following the Death of Emperor Flavius I, whos funeral was attended by tens of thousands from across the Empire, and saw dozens of cults clashing in streets as they battled over what were seen as the best spots to observe the ceremonies. These clashes would culminate a mass slaughter outside the Imperial Palace, where dozens of cults clashed armed, with the most brutal killing undertaken by members of the 1000 blades.Following the Bloodbath, cults would clash across the Empire, with it getting so bad that entire noble families would be up ended and destroyed when servants belonging to a different cult would kill them. Eventually the chaos would end after 3 years, when Emperor Alexander I would begin a march across the Empire, destroying the most violent and Destabilizing cults, forcing others to disarm or disband if deemed needed for stability. Alexander was so devoted in this mission, he even forced the 1000 blades, who ranks had swelled due to the children of the gladiators coming of age and having their own children who had come of age, to put down their weapons and return to Valstov.
Knowing the Empire could ill afford another period of Religious chaos, one that very well could spiral into open civil war, Alexander decided to use the weight he wielded as Being Emperor and a direct descendant of Augustus to call a Grand Religious Conclave in the capital. The Emperor promised that all who attended would be granted protection from each other, and have their chance to speak theology and debate what would become the foundation of a new Imperial Faith. The Conclave would end up becoming a great debate between several prominent cults, with smaller cults rallying around each and eventually merging with each other as theological unity was found.
The Conclave
To Say the Conclave at the capital was tense would be an understatement, the only thing preventing a second bloodbath was the presence of the Imperial Guard and the Emperor commanding none draw a sword. The Main debate was centered around, among smaller issues, three main points of theological dispute.The First was that of life after death, and how one would find themselves in the afterlife. While a great majority of theologists held the opinion that good men and women would be granted contention into what became known as the Golden Palace of the Emperor, what exactly defined good was up for debate. Two ideals of good came from the debate, the first came from the son of a freed slave from Valstov, who was named Augustus in honor of the late Emperor. What became known as the Augustian way of thought dictated that to find entrance one must serve the Empire and descendants of the emperor with complete loyalty, to fail for even a moment is the sign of disloyalty and prevents entrance into the Golden Halls. In opposition of this thought was the ideals of history simply knows as Conrad, Conradian thought dictated that good was following the emperors example: Be Faithful to ones spouse, protect the weak and innocent, oppose enslavement, seek out and expose evil, do not stand to the side. This first debate would, after 8 months of arguments, be ended by a decision from Alexander. Alexander said, the way to join his grandfather into the heaven was to follow his example, in protection of innocence, in opposition of slavery, and to hold faith and joy in his creations. While this was seen as a great victory for Conradian Ideals, a majority of Augustians agreed either out of satisfaction that they were not totally rejected or by following their own ideals and obeying the Emperor.
The Second major dispute at the Conclave as that concerning the very nature of Augustus and his Heirs, and their relation to the rest of mankind. While none denied the Emperor as a God, the exact connection his holiness was to the Man known as Augustus was far more debated. The first idea to be debated at the Conclave was that of the famous preacher and former slave known as Halcun, an elderly man who had long gone blind, he preached of Augustus having shed his mortal body when he passed, and by the sheer power of his will and soul formed his own godly kingdom in the Heavens, from which he rules. In direct opposition of this however, were the ideals spoken by a the Young Women named Angelia, who preached that the Emperor Augustus and the God Augustus were two different beings joined together as two souls sharing one mind. It was said when the emperor passed his Mortal soul did so with it, but the second soul was set free from its bonds and set forth as a God to lead the people in death as it's opposite did in life. This belief is attributed to the prophecies of the Falfen people, which speaks of their Great God known as Aatu-Aarni, who would in a time of great strife come down from it's seat in the Heavens and bind itself wholly to one of it's mortal descendants upon the world, before setting out to unite all its descendants under one great tribe. Augustus, due to his blood having that of the Stull people, is according to Falfen tradition one of these mortal descendants, and having freed the Falfen people and united them with the Stull descendants means he had fulfilled the prophecy. Augustus then, is not just a god, but 1/3 of a greater being, the God Augustus-Aatu-Aarni. The Debate itself was fierce, with supporters of Angelia being extremely vocal and speaking hours on end to simply prevent the opposition from speaking, causing the debate to the longest at nearly 3 years, until Alexander got sick of it and decided to side with Halcun to simply get it over with. This however has not prevented a significant minority to this day holding faith in the God Augustus-Aatu-Aarni.
The Final major dispute had to have been the most tame and civil debate, and the one lost to history. History books record of some third great dispute spoken of at the conclave, that while tame was extremely important and took around a year to finish, yet no books actually state it. This has lead to serious debate on what the topic could have done it, from the organization or existence of a central church, the role in government, the role of the reigning Emperor or even just the official name of the religion.
The Church
The Imperial Church, centered at the Grand Cathedral of Alexander in the Capital, has functioned as the single largest religious institution in history. The Church itself is headed by a High Priest, who acts as one of two main religious figures meant to act as a guide for the faithful in the Empire, the second being the Emperor himself who appoints the High Priest.Origins
Following the Conclave of 74 IE, there was no immediate effort to organize a state religion or central faith structure by the Imperial government, the many Cults across the Empire began the work themselves. Taking direction from a small council forming in the capital around those Preachers whos belief would formulate the early Creed, small chapels and churches would be erected across the Empire, providing charity and direction for small communities across the land.Soon these churches and chapels would, under the Imperial decree, begin to organize across the nation under a newly appointed High Priest, in the year 125IE the Credo Imperatoria Holy Book was released to the public and a church structure formulated. From that year, the Empire had official organized its own religion, but never named the official state religion, hoping to prevent further religious tensions and violence against those who did not follow the faith.
The First High Priest, the Preacher known as Conrad who had lead the largest cults during the Conclave, would be appointed in the Year 95 IE by Alexander I, Conrad's past is unknown, as he never spoke about it or had it written down, but he was known for his love of the poor, this is seen in no place more then his earliest policies and decrees. High Priest Conrad began the system of elected Speakers in all communities, and established hundreds of Monastic schools which taught the people to read and write, organized mass charities, and placed strict rules over the possessions of the church and members of the church.
Organization
The exact powers of the central church has varied over the ages, sometimes the High Priest exercised political authority and influence over the government, and other times he was nothing but the figurehead for the faithful. But what has remained consistent is the internal structure of the church, and how one becomes a member of the clergy.The lowest church rank is disciple, though it is less of a rank and more of a general title on all who assist local religious institutions, from providing food and repairs, to assisting with burial ceremonies and medical assistance, it is considered an important point in one's life to at some point be declared a disciple by their local Speaker.
The first proper rank is Acolyte, an Acolyte is one who has entered the churches service as a student and servant, they often partake in cleaning, maintaining church property and assisting the Speaker and High Speaker, Acolytes are often part time positions, expected to maintain their own life and job outside the church
The first proper rank is Speaker, who runs small religious chapels and tend to the spirit of the faithful, directing local communities when needed and running Monastic Schools to train the next generation of speakers, Speakers are not appointed or chosen, instead elected by their local community, with a Speaker needing to be able to Read, Write, and having attended at least 2 years of religious education at a monastic school.
Above the Speakers are High Speakers, who operate as the head of a proper church and oversee their local religious division consisting of several different chapels, they are elected from the ranks of their religious divisions speakers, and oversee their entire regions religious devotion and report all signs of deviancy and heresy to their local Priest.
Rising higher then High Speaker is the Priest, directly appointed to oversee several High Speakers at a time, they are meant to maintain religious harmony and prevent the upending of the religious order, along with being some of the few religious authorities that has the right to enter the Senate without a invitation, though this exemption is for the Priest of the Capital.
The highest rank in the Religious hierarchy, the High Priest on paper holds absolute power over the church and defines it's doctrine, though this is often done with the approval of the Emperor and a majority of Speakers and High Speakers voicing support, due to the Emperors power in the church, many unofficially refer to him as the true head of the Faith.
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