The Church of Progress

The Church of Progress has a long and strenuous history in Gentrov. Almost two-hundred years ago it was known as a band of shadowy cult-like mage-killers that assassinated any magic-user with a price on their head. Today, it has completely transformed into something different. They are a religious order with strong beliefs and tenets that have rallied with and for the Crown and their people's supposed 'best interest'. Below are some suggestions for creating a character that works with or inside of the Church.

You have spent your life in the service to the ideals and philosophy of the Church of Progress or perhaps you are merely a practitioner of medicine or science. Regardless, you are to act as an agent of your learned ideals, spreading truths that will inevitably lead to the salvation of this world. You do not worship a God or Deity. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Church actively seeks out followers of the old and damned religions and destroys them, for falling back upon the old ways is a surefire way to watch Gentrov fall. Since the Arcane Genocide, you and your people actively oppose magic and the use of it. Science and medicine are the way of the future, and you are merely the harbingers as such.
The Church of Progress is made up of three hands. Choose one that your character has worked under. The Apothecaries are those of intellectual pursuit. They often are known for being chemists, scientists, and doctors of their time. If you are attending an institution that will eventually lead to you becoming a doctor, you must swear and oath to protect the tenets and values of the Church. The Templar is the might of the 3 hands. They carry out orders sent by higher-ups to snuff out heretical practices of magic and worship alike. The majority of the Church tend to be Templar, as it is a decently paying job and some would even admit that they enjoy being celebrated or feared. Lastly is the darkest of the three, the Inquisition. The Inquisition has been in question by the Crown for decades of strange reports of their men becoming monster-like in appearance when dealing with heretics or criminals. Whilst the Templar is out on the streets spreading the word of the greatness of the Church, the Inquisition looks to further improve humanity through forced evolution with the help of the Apothecaries.

Structure

The Church of Progress is made up of three branches known as hands.
The Apothecary Hand is those of intellectual pursuit. They often are known for being chemists, scientists, and doctors of their time. If you are attending an institution that will eventually lead to you becoming a doctor, you must swear an oath to protect the tenets and values of the Church. From highest rank to lowest, there is the Chief-Apothecary (currently Daela Heinor), the three Bishops of Science that oversee and assure that orders and direction from the Chief-Apothecary are carried out, the Priests of Progress that oversee operations in medical institutions and laboratories, and finally doctors and practitioners who make up the majority of the hand by default.

The Templar Hand is the might of the Church. They carry out orders sent by higher-ups to snuff out heretical practices of magic and worship alike. The majority of the Church tend to be Templar, as it is a decent paying job and some would even admit that they enjoy being celebrated or feared. The organization of this hand is similar to Bulwark Organization: The Grand Crusader (currently Riktov Fesgouh) is the ruler of all of the Templar's forces, the Crusader Lieutenants (five in number) control the five of the battalions that make up the army, the Crusader Captains oversee squadrons of ten Crusader Knights. Beyond the Crusaders lay the followers of the Church: common people that believe in the ways and words of the Church of Progress. The people serve as a pseudo-militia in the stead of the Crusaders.

Finally, the Inquisition. This hand is the most mysterious and by far the most notorious. Differing from the other two hands, the Inquisition is a position you must be personally placed into by the Archbishop himself. The two ranks are Grand-Inquisitor (currently Octavia Ulmarc), and Inquisitor. They are fairly small in number but are known for making huge impacts. It is said that the Inquisition located the elusive Dread-Pirate Odrim in the first place.

Culture

Due to the Storm and several magical calamities throughout Gentrov, the Church of Progress formed under the unification of one Octavia Schugraf. Schugraf was once part of a now obsolete mercenary company known for its specialization in mage-killing. Many believe that the Church of Progress is a renamed mercenary company with tenets and a system of beliefs to disguise the fact they are simply killers. Otherwise, the Church itself comes from the belief that magic and the worshiping of deities should die out to make room for the new "era of Progress" as they call it. Their tenets are derivative of these beliefs.

Public Agenda

Bring the populous forth into the future with the rites of progress. Give unto the people the ease of access to our alchemical creations. Allow them to repent for the keeping of dead-God texts. Eliminate any form of worship of the Old Gods and magic.

Assets

The Church of Progress, by legality, owns any laboratories and medical institutions in Gentrov. East of the southernmost Sword of Torukain lay a small island dedicated to the work of the Church. It offers respite to anyone who is apart of the following. No Churchgoer is allowed to speak on what happens on the Island of Reason, and overwhelmingly, nobody in Gentrov knows of what occurs there lest they be a Churchgoer.

History

368 - Founding by former mage-hunter Octavia Schugraff under the name of Zaubtat.
371 - The organization, mysterious as it was, developed a strong following of those who believed that magic almost destroyed Vhosparus once, so they wished to destroy magic in its entirety.
373 - The following amassed so quickly and on such a massive scale, they created two branches known as hands to separate the common folk, the Templar, and the elite mage-hunters, the Inquisition. This is when they first adopted the ironic names that adhered to religions of old. This was Schugraff's ploy to make the Zaubtat itself more easily accessable and understandable to commoners, to establish order and reward loyalty to the cause, and to show the people of Ordia what a religious organization looks like when it is met with the power of trailblazing.
375 - By now, Schugraff was referred to as Archbishop. The organization became far more organized as it had finally adopted its new name: the ironic 'Church of Progress'. Again, the Archbishop explained to her following that they are the future, for someday all churches and religions would look and function like her's.
378-388 - For the past decade, the people of Gentrov feared the mysterious Church of Progress. Especially magi, clerics, and people of faith. They had garnered a reputation as being as ruthless as they were professional. At last, an opportunity presented itself to convince the Crown itself that they were worthy of being the hand that shaped Gentrov. When the Sorcerer Dread-Pirate attacked, it left the navy of Taelor's Bulwark in ruin. Gentrovich IX called for the head of this captain on the same day he learned of this event. His Bulwark, however, was unable to deliver. Within the year, the Church of Progress sailed and took Odrim's head in a great bloody skirmish upon the Silverime. The King declared them heroes of Gentrov and welcomed the organization with open arms to the doubt-filled king. Taelor's Bulwark was ordered to work alongside the Church in what is widely known as the Arcane Genocide. By order of Church and Crown, mages, clerics, and any of those who worshiped anything other than the God-King himself were to be purged from Gentrov by death. Not by surprise, the Bulwark assisted in escorting mages and magic-users to safety. Those found doing as such were charged with treason and were put to death.
390 - Backed by Gentrovich the IX, the Church quelled the civil war brought on by the Bulwark that cost many lives on both Church and Bulwark fronts.
394-498 - The Church became less and less zealous and began to cleverly capitalize on anything medical and scientific by trade under the rule of the current Archbishops Hael, Artol, and the current Archbishop Lundervoch.
500-529 - The Church of Progress gifted resources and new weaponry to the Queen's newly established Crownsmen, arming them with the latest feats in combat technology. They alongside the Crownsmen helped to cut down the then disestablished Bulwark that was leading bloody revolutions throughout the country.
531 - Upon Taelor Berengar Gentrovich XII taking the throne, Archbishop Lundervoch made a strange ploy. He gave up any of his people that vied for the Queen, having them prosecuted and executed for their crimes against Gentrov and her people. This action prevented the Church from being entirely annihilated by the King's new Bulwark.
532 - Present Time - Currently owning all scientific and medical organizations and institutions, the Church assist in the Son's War by providing the Bulwark with drugs and medicine. As shadowy as the organization is, no one can prove that they've committed any sort of crime.

Burn away the evils of the bygone era, and let the fire's light illuminate our future.

Founding Date

368 PGS

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

The Church

Leader

The Archbishop of The Church of Progress

Controlled Territories

• Ogschuun: The Island of Progress