Church of the All-Divine

The Church of the All-Divine was a strict religious organization that held power over the Continent of Eiren and the Wallingwish Islands. Being the state religion of Eiren and New Wallingwish, they offer their services across the globe to bring guidance to the many citizens of Talamh. They are known for their suppression of cults and use of magic not sanctioned by their church, or the governments, themselves.

Public Agenda

The Church of the All-Divine simply wishes to dispel dangerous cults and keep a streamlined, organized religion in the world to reduce the amount of conflict.

Mythology & Lore

The Church of the All-Divine supports the 8 gods of creation, which are Amagus, Bolder, Brigid, Cardia, Maclir, Flibberoloo, Leginlog, and Bahamut. These are the canonical "Good Divines" as they call them.

• Before the First Age, the Good Divines formed everything upon the mortal realm of Talamh. Boldur laid the foundations of the universe and the earth itself, Brigid created life, Maclir created the seas, Amagus introduced thought and magic, Bahamut introduced religion, Flibberoloo introduced tools, Leginlog introduced pleasure and festivals, and Cardia emphasized love and mercy.

When the first age began, the mortals of the world got into many wars and conflicts, instilled by the worship of their own representing gods. Most of the creatures, made by one deity, were monotheistic. Humans, however, found themselves worshiping occult gods, such as Calypso, Brigh, Jak, and Morganine along with the All-Knowing Amagus.

• Amagus evidently cast away Morganine, replacing her with Cardia.

• The Holy Octumvirate established the Church of the All-Divine, as they say it was ordered by Cardia to bring unity back to the world with it's religions.

Now under one unified church, the Church of the All-Divine claims religious unity has strengthened the nations of Talamh for the better, and in the shape that the Good Divines wanted in the first place.

Divine Origins

The Church of the All-Divine began to be established around 1A 6689, though it was an idea thrown around by the other religions of the world. The dwarves, elves, and men realized all their creation myths were similar, and thought there could be correlation between them all. Humans of Gothai had noted how Brigid and Boldur were interestingly similar to nameless beings in their religion.
Yet it would take a few more decades before the church was actively formed. For reasons unknown, the group of adventurers that would become the Holy Octumvirate came under power of this developing religion around 1A 6705. It would take them until the end of the age, year 6715, to finally conquer all of Eiren. The Second Age began as they let the priests of the new Church of the All-Divine begin converting old temples and churches into the recognized, unified religion.
By 2A 10, the creation of the Empire of Lysandus, the Church of the All-Divine was the dominant religion in Talamh, suppressing any former cults or outright destroying them.

Cosmological Views

All material things were divinely created, and therefore should be seen as good and right. However, the bad divines have tried to influence the world negatively and anything influenced by them should be dismissed as vile and wicked.

Tenets of Faith

There are tenants to many of the gods, though the tenants of Amagus and Cardia seem to be the most influential for their spread.

Tenants of Amagus

• Do not deny a man the chance to learn.

• Be fruitful and explore the realm of Talamh, it is our gift to you.

• Magic is a precious thing; do not use it for defiling arts, but for the glory of the gods.

• Do not deface monuments and historical records, for this will bring my anger upon you.

• Do not censor the words of the Divines, for this will bring my anger upon you.

Tenants of Cardia

• Motherhood is to be respected. If a mother is a widow, give her a gift of coin. Respect mothers and fathers, for they are the ones who brought you into this world.

• A brother or sister is greater than a friend. If you harm a sibling, pay twice the retribution you would a friend.

• Display acts of mercy to those who hate you or have mistreated you.

• Do not harm the unborn, for they are innocent in the eyes of the gods.

• Children are precious, yet stubborn. Do not spare punishment or consequences, for it is the only way for them to learn love.

• If a neighbor's house has been robbed, give them 10% of your wealth out of mercy.

• Heal the sick, if it is in your power.

• Bury your dead, for the world needs to be clean. Leave the dead to rest, and do not disturb their bodies.

Priesthood

The All-Priests

Appointed for life, each god has one high priest, represented by their own creation (say, Brigid would have an elf as her priest). These all-priests are chosen by the lower Council of Elders, elected in good faith to enforce the gods and their tenants toward lower churches. They can also declare canon and have influence over the Holy Octumvirate.

Council of Elders

The Elders are more local priests, coming from different provinces in Eiren and Wallingwish. Each is appointed by their own churches in the regions. There are about 100 of them, and they all decide upon church doctrine, managing tithe and donation money, and advising local leaders.

Congregations of All-Divine

Local churches, essentially, with their own appointed priests and deacons. The heads of these congregations, called the Elder Priest (who comes from the Council of Elders) is the one who appoints Paladins and Clerics to work for the churches.

Paladins and Clerics

Clerics find themselves as holy workers, doing the process of healing or collecting tithes or spreading the words of their specific god for the church. Paladins, meanwhile, are warriors sworn under an oath to enforce the words of the Divines. Both of these groups find themselves often as adventurers in the dangerous world.

Granted Divine Powers

Often, swearing an oath or high amounts of devotion will bring notice from the All-Divines, leading them to bless the devout and give them magical powers. Clerics, for example, gain powers representing their gods domains and taking powers to either fight or support others for the service of their god. Paladins, meanwhile, gain powers from the type of oath they made and are given thus powers of divine retribution; they can smite their enemies and strengthen themselves.

Political Influence & Intrigue

A Ban on Magic

In 2A 25, when the Wallingwish Islands became official colonies of Lysandus, mercantile giants sprung up and gained naval and military control of the region. Since then, they have influenced the Church of the All-Divine in the Wallingwish Islands, forcing them to ban unauthorized use of magic from the church. The slave and mercantile giants regularly pay the church large sums. As such, growing corruption from priests in New Wallingwish and Carallinia has become an issue.

To All Divines, All Glory

Founding Date

1A 6715

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Permeated Organizations

• Bolderun
• Gothai
• Lysandus

Deities

• Amagus - The All-Knowing One
• Bahamut - The Good Dragon
• Bolder - The Dwarven All-Father
• Brigid - The Elven All-Mother
• Cardia - The All-Caring
• Flibberoloo - The Gnome All-Father
• Leginlog - The Halfling All-Father
• Maclir - The Triton All-Father

Divines

• Amagus - The All-Knowing One
• Bahamut - The Good Dragon
• Bolder - The Dwarven All-Father
• Brigid - The Elven All-Mother
• Cardia - The All-Caring
• Flibberoloo - The Gnome All-Father
• Leginlog - The Halfling All-Father
• Maclir - The Triton All-Father

Notable Members

• Bartalome el Piadoso