Mark of Apostasy

The church of Resounding Truth is, for the most part, an institution tolerant to agnostic viewpoints and individuals who do not subscribe to the tenets upheld by the church are not held in contempt.

However, should one intentionally and with malice in one's heart break against those very same tenets, with the aim to undermine the church and its divinely ordained mission, one is deemed an apostate. Should such an individual then be apprehended, they will be branded with the Mark of Apostasy, a punitive brand meant to communicate to the world the wickedness that festers within that individual.

Method

The Mark of Apostasy is, essentially, a brand. But unlike most brands that are inflicted with a branding iron with a flat surface and some design on it, the mark is inflicted with a heated mass of barbed wire that is drawn taut against the face of the apostate and wrapped around the whole head. The resulting "mask" is then pressed into the flesh with a vise. The wire burns into the skin, fusing into the face of the apostate as a permanent reminder that the individuals soul is similarly disfigured as their visage.

It is not uncommon for the marking to occur at the end of a series of other agonizing punitive measures, scalding via boiling water being one of the most usual methods. Apostates are often heavily disfigured and injured at the end of their penitence.

Criticism and Support

There are those among the populations of the more progressive city-states, mainly Glarithia and Onset-1 who view the marking as a barbaric and unnecessarily cruel form of punishment. The most bold critics go so far as to claim the church is exercising tyranny in an effort to maintain their grasp on power through methods meant to inspire fear.

On the other hand, those in support of the practice argue that the crime one needs to commit to be sentenced to marking is severe enough to carry with it such a severe punishment. Anything less for disrupting the sacred mission that has been bestowed upon man would be letting the perpetrator off easy. They are also quick to point out that it is important for the common man to be able to identify and steer clear of such tainted souls.

This argument is lent credence by the fact that the mark has been useful for identifying and ostracizing captured members of the Congregation of Witnesses who have resisted the purification provided by the Eternal Hymn.

Wrongful Condemnation

Unfortunately, man is fallible and due to this there have been several cases of individuals having been marked with very little supporting evidence of their guilt. When such mistakes happen, the church usually holds a service in the Everlasting Edifice, during which the Hierarch delivers a public apology to the affected party and offers to cover the costs of any required medical procedures to remove the mark.

This is, of course, of little consolation to the wrongfully marked who often suffer life-threatening infections as a result of the marking.

Content Warning: Description of bodily harm

The smell of burnt flesh you get used to.

The screaming... not so much.

–A Druvenian interrogator and executor

by Midjourney

_{An apostate who has been marked. Note the extent of his physical injuries, indicating that the marking has not been his only punishment.}