Iusian Church

The Valokine religion can be characterized by 3 major tenets.

First, is devotion to Ius.

Second, is devotion to the church.

Third, is devotion to oneself.

These three major tenets are the guidelines for any followers of the Iusian religion. One must keep these at the forefront of their mind every day. The way they do this is by dedicating themselves to following certain practices and keeping certain traditions. The more dedicated someone is the more they will do, but you don’t necessarily have to do very much to still be considered a part of the religion. Ecclesiastical authority is seated in the Holy Manse, near the central plaza of Umbra. The Pontifex is considered the head of the Holy Bishopric, however he rarely holds mass for the followers and lets one of his Zealots perform for him. The Holy Bishopric controls all other Bishoprics and makes the decisions for the future of the Iusian religion. This means that the current Pontifex is the one who appoints bishops, creates bishoprics and starts Defaecos.

Each Bishopric is meant to represent and reach a different population, usually being placed in a single city. Bishoprics can collect holy levies, a portion of which must go back to the Holy Manse. In this way, the Iusian religion collects a large amount of money annually and uses it to expand its influence and power over Tandor. However, Bishoprics still retain a degree of autonomy from the Holy Manse, they are allowed to choose any day to hold mass and can hold their own local festivals and holidays if they so choose. However, there are two annual quotas that must be met to allow a Bishopric to be renewed, the Bishopric must retain a specific number of followers who attend mass regularly and they must contribute a certain amount to the Manse’s coffers. These quotas are set by the Pontifex and yearly inspections are made by the Zealots in order to ensure that each Bishopric is maintaining its quotas.

The Iusian Church holds a certain amount of power over the Valokine throne and has for a few centuries. Usually, the ruler consults with the Pontifex for advice on most decisions and is easily swayed by the Pontifex. The Valokine monarch must also be a devoted member of the Iusian Church in order to fulfill his royal duties, usually he attends personal mass led by the Pontifex where only his family and certain members of his court are allowed to attend. Many Pontifexes throughout history have used this relationship with the Valokine monarch in order to further the interest of the Church, like the foreign Defaeco of 363 AP when church Zealots hunted for unclipped Valokine in foreign countries without supervision. Another was the establishment of the Bishopric of Zertan in 874 AP. Although, the Zertan Republic officially banned religion from being practiced, after the Great Reawakening in 831 swept the Continent, many humans began to follow Ius. After many riots and uprisings, the government had no choice but to relent and allow a Bishopric to be established. This is still a very controversial event today (903) and the Zertan Republic is starting to fracture between the Traditionalists and the Iusians. It is very likely that a civil war will take place. To follow the tenets of Ius, one must complete certain prayers and rituals every day. To follow the first tenet, devotion to Ius, you have to make sure that you pray every morning towards the peak of Dolmaxus where Ius came to earth and bestowed his gift. You must also be sure to take care of Ius’s gift to you, whether you are human, valokine, gnome, dwarf or even ozendine. For the humans, this means that you have to study, spend each waking moment learning more and more. For gnomes, this means that you must work on your political skills and ability to deceive, manipulate or otherwise influence others. For the dwarves, this means that you must work on your craft or trade, spend every moment devoted to the perfection of your dextrous skills. For Ozendines, you must work on your strength and power, making sure that your body is always in peak physical condition. The special case is for Valokines, because Valokines squandered their gift they must lose their wings. This means every day you must flagellate yourself and spend time repenting for your ancestors' sins.

To follow the second tenet, devotion to church, you must attend mass on whichever day your local bishop has designated. You must also spend at least one day a month in service to the church, this could be anything from simple volunteer work where you clean the facilities or even assisting the Bishop’s staff with clerical tasks or organizational works. You must also be sure to pay the levy whether your Bishop requires it or not, it is heavily recommended to complete in order to show your devotion to the church and fulfill the second tenet. You must also be active in the community, attending festivals and helping your fellow followers of the Bishopric. You also need to adhere to any Holy Charters decreed by the pontifex, irregardless of the cost to yourself or others. These Charters are quite rare and have only been called upon 3 times in history. Once during the Red Plague in the mid 5th century (The Charter of The Holy Purge), again after the disastrous earthquake in 633 that nearly destroyed all of Umbra (The Charter of The Repair and Reclamation of The Manse) and finally in 830, The Charter of The Education and Benefaction of the Preachers, which started the Great Reawakening.

To follow the third tenet, devotion to self, you must maintain a certain level of health and prosperity. You must also make sure to groom and dress well. You must make sure that you never eat meat of the followers (this was a special clarification that was put in place after a large Ozendine population began to follow Ius). There are many other specific and minute details that only the most devoted follow, such as making sure to sleep facing towards Dolmaxus and always keeping a compass on your person, but these practices are not mandatory. Only the first few are considered to be very important.

The Order of the Zealous Guards of The Manse, or the Zealots are a group of Holy monk-scholars. They are hand chosen by the Pontifex and form a sort of entourage around him. They can be any race and are usually former Bishops, officials in the church or, in some lucky cases, especially devoted followers of Ius. They all stay in the Edifice of The Holy Saint Boniface, or simply the Edifice. The Edifice is a large fortress located near the Holy Manse, at the Plaza of Ius. The Edifice contains a large training yard, many classrooms and a large library containing the history of the Order. The Zealots are meant to be under the Pontifex, but are really led by the High Captain of the Zealots. The High Captain ensures that each Zealot is up to standard and maintains the Edifice grounds. They can also lead expeditions or missions when necessary.