Rhosia Lore Supplement
The Rhosian Inquisition
The Inquisition is the Rhosia’s secret police, though its existence is an open secret. Most citizens hope to never catch its attention. The Rhosian Inquisition is divided into two broad functions: Judges and Executioners. They are the military’s elite and receive intensive training to achieve the regime’s goals.Judges
Judges are the legal arm of the Inquisition. Most Judges practice magic and all are experts in Rhosia’s laws. They may act within Rhosia’s courts as (literal) judges or as prosecutors. Less commonly, they act as lawyers or bring forth cases that couldn’t be dealt with internally.
While not acting within Rhosia’s judicial branch, each Judge is also their own jury. They have full discretion over any case assigned to them. Judges receive a unique magic permit that grants them the freedom to use restricted schools of magic.
Executioners
Executioners are the Inquisition’s sword arm. These versatile, martial adepts are housed in one of three branches. One branch concentrates on providing the highest level of martial power, free to be deployed whenever a show of force is required. The second branch’s objectives are espionage and covert actions, meant to track, identify, and strike against malicious objects, often in cooperation with the Judges. The last branch, magical subversion, bleeds together the most with the Inquisition’s other department, offering a wellspring of knowledge on not only suppressing but completely annulling magic users and their craft.
Role in Rhosia
The Inquisition was created to deal with internal issues only and is rarely deployed beyond its country’s borders. At most, one or two agents may be dispatched to a Rhosian embassy. Whether apprehending magic users, confiscating illegal contraband, destroying compromising knowledge, or simply executing, the Inquisition is at the beck and call of the God King and His inner circle, working hard to keep up the farce and lies spun by the regime.
Yet, many of the Inquisition’s members are unaware of Rhosia’s lies. This, too, is by design, to ensure that inquisitors are as little knowledgeable about the outside world as possible. Inquisitors are some of Rhosia’s most indoctrinated people and devout practitioners of Rexism. Inquisitors are blindly loyal, trusting that the regime knows what’s necessary to “keep the peace”.
Beyond its practical function, the Inquisition’s most crucial role is that of a boogeyman. The general population is more inclined to stay in line since they are unaware of what exactly is or isn’t considered its jurisdiction - but all know of the danger a visit will pose. Most who had the displeasure of dealing with the Inquisition never get the chance to share their experiences, and those few who do are either bribed for their silence or outright too scared to risk drawing their attention once more.
The Inquisition’s most powerful weapon is the influence Rhosia’s people give it through their fear.
The Tragedy of Singi
The Regime's Offical Story
Singi was blessed by the God-King as a center of culture and art. Naturally, this attracted a great number of magic users. This, however, would contribute its downfall when one day, an incursion from the Dark Dimension occurred at the city’s border with the Godswood. Creatures of alluvial magic and wild sorcery poured into the city. Singi’s magic users rallied to its defense, but the weak wills of sorcerers are naturally susceptible to the enchantment magic and psionics possessed by the foe. The mages fell under the influence of the invading creatures streaming into the city and turned their magic against their own people. The city’s defenses barely held back the preternatural tide. The combined power of the Dark Dimension and the Godswood reduced large parts of the city to rubble.
Only the God-King’s personal intervention turned the tide of battle unambiguously in Rhosia’s favor.
In a last-ditch effort to salvage the invasion and transform a loss into a tie, the invading forces ordered the city’s destruction. What followed was an explosion of alluvial magic that razed most of Singi and killed all of its people. When the God-King realized He was the only survivor, He collapsed and shed a hundred tears for every soul lost that day. He swore on the souls of the fallen that He would never allow such a tragedy to happen again.
From that day forward, the safety of Rhosia’s population would be secured by warding off the influence of the Dark Dimension, policing the Godswood’s borders, and controlling magic users. This tragedy was the spark upon which the Inquisition was founded.
In the months that followed, it became clear that some creatures from the Godswood and the Dark Dimension escaped the battle. They caused many deaths in the Singi area before they were finally all hunted down. Despite several centuries having passed, Singi is still seen as a magical fallout zone and marked as being gravely dangerous. As a result, access to the city is restricted to very few officially permitted expeditions, and common citizens are prohibited from entering its premises.
Every year, Rhosians gather to mourn the loss of life and celebrate how their God-King, though ultimately in vain, risked His life for His people. It is the only day of the year where, even when carrying a permit, casting magic is strictly forbidden.
What Really Happened at Singi?
Outside of Rhosia, a very different version of this event circulates. Idoltors tried tearing down the most prominent temple to The Adhara in the world, and Thara destroyed a city in retribution. Nothing remained except a few humanoid-shaped statues of salt. Maybe she was protecting the faithful, maybe she was sending a warning to the heretics. Very few witnesses survived the events and even fewer still had seen what really happened at Singi. Only two things were certain about the reality of Singi.
One: it was an act of god, in response to mortal actions.
Two: The truth would be devastating to the newly formed regime, and that was the spark upon which the Rhosian Inquisition was founded. The nascent Inquisition silenced anyone who came forward about Singi through bribery, threats of violence, or actual violence. The “roaming beasts from the Dark Dimension” provided a convenient scapegoat. The savvy few who realized what was happening in time fled the country and shared what they thought truly happened before the “roaming beasts” got them, too.
This marks one of the last instances of Rhosia’s history freely crossing its borders. Ever since information from within the country has been heavily monitored and, if necessary, censored. Rhosian ambassadors dispatched are responsible for sharing the information which is deemed crucial for outsiders to be aware of, which, with few exceptions, is restricted to the God King’s changing name, the God King’s ascension to godhood, and the doctrine of the God King.
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