Cantraian Church
The Cantraian Church (Often referred to simply as The Church), founded in the Imperial Capital of Cantra , is the primary religion of the Barradin Empire, and its surrounding lands. The religion is based around the Six Gods, which symbolize the principles to which every great person should hold, for the betterment of themselves and their surroundings.
They believe that the Six Gods are the manifestations of certain ideals, and judge every man and woman on these ideals, if they are to be allowed into the afterlife.
The Religion originated in Cantra, which would later become the capital city of the Barradin Empire
The Six Gods
The six gods of the Cantraian Church are as follows: Calastor, The Knight, Jullias, The Mother, Perendal, The Laborer, Illiander, The Student, Caius, The Stranger and Aeglia, The Poet. Each of these Gods are attributed their own sphere of influence and are seen as equals among the pantheon. On paper, none of these deities are worshiped more than others as they are all needed for a full and rewarding life to be lived. As such, any church or temple dedicated to the Six will bear an altar and statues to all the gods in the pantheon. However, some people are more likely to worship one or the other, because of their personal interests. A blacksmith may utter a prayer to Perendal before starting a new project, to ask for his blessing, but may call upon Calastor less, as his sphere of influence is less relatable to his situation. Though these deities are seen as the only gods in the pantheon, they are, according to Cantraian Dogma, not the ones that created and shaped the world. That task was performed by the Elder Spirits of Creation, a collection of spirits that embody the elements that surround us. They are acknowledged by the Church as the true creators of the world, but not as Gods, because of their numerous nature and the fact that they are now simply objects and materials in the world.Worship of Saints
If a person is found as particularly virtuous or has served the faith to an extraordinary degree, they may be mantled as a Saint. This is the greatest honor which the Church can bestow, as it is believed that a Saint rise to their station as the Gods' angels, serving them personally. Naturally, this makes Saints the object of worship, as they are known to have performed miraculous feats in the past.Hatred and Prosecution of Magic
The fear and hatred for Magic officially stems from the idea that magic was originally the force used by the Gods to create and shape the world. As such, they believe that it is not for mortals to control or manipulate. Practically, however, it is not unlikely that it is caused by a fear of this strange and unknown force and the obvious dangers that it brings. For many people, a person being able to bend the forces of nature to their will can be seen as terrifying and a great danger. The fact that the Barradin Empire, the home of the Church, is also under siege because of the large amount of mages appearing all over the continent likely also has something to do with this ideology.Metaphysics
The Church believes that when enough people believe in a certain deity, this deity becomes reality. The amount of worshipers is thus equal to the amount of power that this deity would command. This drives many of the ideas behind the religion. Because all the deities in the pantheon are principles taken form, the Church believes that when these principles are lived up to to a great enough degree, it would give more power to the Gods, which in turn could help the people live out their lives in a better fashion. It is a closed cycle that can explain all the evil in the world as the act of mortals having forsaken the true gods, or them having turned to the Spirits. Which potentially endangers all of us. Because of this phenomenon, the Church does not have a set "antagonist", as the mere acknowledgement of such a being would but cause it to come into existence. The Churhc does however have stories of people or entities that were attempting to do wrong to others. In these stories, the people had to look to the Gods for guidance and a someone would come to a resolution or answer to the problem when looking to the Divine Principles. This gospel serves as a way to show people how to live their lives fully and properly in the eyes of the Gods, while also allowing others to live their lives in the same way. It also shows people what happens to those that abandon the Gods and their teachings, as most of the stories have especially bad endings for the antagonist of the story.Structure
The Church is led by a Grand Hierophant , who is the leader of the Church as a whole, and has a veto on any decisions made.
The current Grand Hierophant is Grand Hierophant Revand III.
Directly under the Grand Hierophant, are six High Bishops, which traditionally oversee a cathedral, which serves as the religious center of a large region.
Under that, there are a few layers of priests, which tend to their own parishes.
Other than the priesthood, the Church possesses a specialized military force, which is split in two orders:
The Inquisition is mostly concerned with combating witchcraft and other uses of magic, though will ride out to fight the threat of monsters as well, if it serves the Church.
The Templars are the shield which protects the Church. They serve the priesthood as its guardians and root out any dissent within the Church.
Worship
Worship usually takes place on the sixth day of the week, which is named Saint's Day. On this day, priests will gather their followers to educate them about the religion, read from the holy tomes and join in collective prayer. On other days, the priest may listen to the people's worries and provide counsel, on matters both spiritual and material.
Other, more devout followers, may perform prayer on other days as well, perhaps even multiple times each day.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Permeated Organizations
Divines
Related Ranks & Titles
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