The Meridian Church
T
he Meridian Church is the core belief system within the Imperium. Founded on the belief that Highborn are the Idale's chosen people, this religion has grown to encompass the entirety of how the Imperium's social hierarchy is run, from who gets to be in power to how the average citizen is viewed.
Origins
The origins of the Meridian Church are largely tied into the origins of the Imperium itself. Having believed that an Idalian hybrid was impossible, when Ailluin the First was born to his human mother, a woman by the name of Meridia, history was made, and the Imperium was forever changed. From then on, Meridia was revered as a goddess of sorts, and is now referred to as Mother Meridia. In her honor, the capitol city of the Imperium was named after her.Deities
To no surprise, Mother Meridia is the major deity of the Meridian Church. Once a mortal, her incredible feat of birthing an Idale hybrid, now dubbed as a Highborn, resulted in her ascendance as a goddess-like figure. Typically associated with creation, life, and fertility, Meridia is revered within the Imperium.Political Influence
The Meridian Church plays a core role in the politics of the Imperium, as it places Highborn into a favorable power structure over their Lowborn counterparts. As such, many Highborn Imperium leaders follow the Church's practices, as it opens doors that would have been otherwise closed to them.Major Holidays & Rituals
Feast of Spring Blossoms
The Feast of Spring Blossoms is an annual celebration held over the span of a week, beginning as the Queen's Blossom, a large, central tree in the Inner City of the city Meridia, flowers bloom. Used to mark the beginning of spring, the Feast is religiously significant, as it occurs around the time of the birth of Meridia's first Highborn child, Ailluin the First. This Feast is a representation of new life and fertility, as well as hope for the new year. Typically only celebrated in major cities, the event draws in thousands of tourists from across the continent. During this time, it isn't uncommon to see Lowborn take part in the festivities, as they are generally unavoidable.Vow of Maturation
The Vow of Maturation is a coming-of-age ritual, typically preformed when the individual hits maturity. Used to celebrate and educate the young adult, this ritual is a demonstration of the individuals commitment to the Church. Usually, this ritual occurs in the morning between the priestesses and the individual, where they are cleansed with holy water and are marked on their foreheads with symbolic paint. Once the process is complete and the individual has sworn themselves to the Church, the rest of the day is spent with friends and family in the form of a party.Oath of Purity
The Oath of Purity is a ritual that takes place on the eve of a couple's marriage. During this ritual, the priestesses cleanse the couple of their impurities using water from the holy pools. Sat across from each other with a small incense fire burning between them, the couple takes an oath to Meridia, promising that they will do everything in their power to bring a harmonious home to their soon-to-be Highborn children.Blessings of Meridia
Blessings of Meridia is a ritual preformed for women looking to conceive a child. Typically done within a pool of holy water, the Meridian priestesses invite the individual to the pool during a full moon, where they chant and pray to Meridia while the woman bathes.Religion Specifics
Clergy
The core clergy within the Meridian Church are chaste young women. Having sworn off all sexual and emotional relationships, these priestesses conduct all religious practices within the Church, which includes leading the various rituals as well as offering spiritual and moral guidance to members of the Church.Places of Worship and Holy Totems
Worship generally occurs in churches, which are typically easy to find within larger settlements, as they tend to have more than a few. These churches usually have pools of holy water, said to be blessed by the moon through sky lights directly overhead. Smaller settlements usually only have one central church, if any. In the event that none are present, followers of the Church typically pray to Meridia via home alters and totemic coins or figurines, whilst rituals are preformed with vials of blessed water. One might pray to Meridia for a variety of reasons, be it good luck, guidance, or aid in conceiving a child. Meridia, generally, is viewed as an all encompassing goddess, even if her primary association is with creation.Beliefs
Gender Roles
Generally speaking, women are viewed as close to godly, and must be protected at all costs, for they are the only ones who can bring new life. The implications of this in practice, however, don’t lead to women being in power. Instead, it means that they are viewed as fragile because of their importance, and any woman who willingly puts herself in danger is chastised and frowned upon.Family Dynamics
Due to the gender roles present within the church, males are expected to be the providers and protectors, while females are expected to run the home. As such, children are typically raised by their mothers while their fathers fight in the military, work in business, or run political campaigns.Love & Marriage
In most cases, the Church cares more about procreation than the format of the relationship. This results in polyamory being encouraged for males, and to some degree females, though less often. Due to the innate goals of the Church, however, most look upon homosexuality with distaste. Similarly, divorce is frowned upon, and is generally considered social suicide. It should be noted that divorced women are in general, less likely to remarry and be considered sexually viable to future partner because of this social outlook; as such, many divorced women end up working in brothels, since they're already ruined socially, making the monetary gains look rather attractive. Interfaith marriages are, for the most part, unheard of, considering that almost all Highborn are active in the Church to some degree or another.Sex & Chastity
Typically, if one is active in the religion, premarital or casual sex is frowned upon. However, once married, sex is encouraged for the sake of procreation - in the end, the more Highborn following the Church's doctrine, the better.Nudity
Bodies are celebrated as one’s vessel, and nudity is not frowned upon, unless socially prohibited. Nudity and sexual expression are encouraged. Nudity also has its place in select rituals, such as fertility rituals.Lowborn & Nonbelievers
In the eyes of the Church, Lowborn and many other nonbelievers are viewed as 'others.' This is due to the core belief that Highborn are destined to inherit Utera so that they might bring it to true greatness, as the Idale were attempting to do. To be against the Idalian heritage, in the Church's opinion, is to be against the ascendance of the planet into true glory.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
The Church
Demonym
Meridian(s)
Deities
Notable Members
Mother Meridia
by Amaati
Comments