Introduction
The Church of Order is a continent-wide religious organization.They revere order and natural laws above all else, often viewing magic as heretical. This isn't universal however, as many of their priests actually practice magic.
Its foundation marks the beginning of the calendar. Many of its tenets are made law by the governments that accept the church as "state religion".
Structure
It is fairly decentralized, but there is a 'spiritual leader', who is called Probare by tradition. They have authority in every church, but are technically at the same level as other Archpriests. Every king and emperor has authority over the Order in their respective realms. The temples and priests under the rule of a particular ruler are collectively called a Primary or Prime Church and each ruler appoints a Primas to handle them. A Primas technically has authority over the Probare within their realm, but they rarely go against the Probare's decisions, as it would be quite bad for their image.Architecture
Their temples and churches are all built similarly. All of them have a 2 by 5 base as well as a mysterious machinery sound within them. Besides those that build and maintain these buildings, no one knows what produces these sounds. A small tower extending from the rear-end of the building contains a single bell, which is rung at exactly 10:55, 11:00 and 00:00. These exact times were determined by the prophet, Probare.Equipment
The Order doesn't have a specific type of clothing for its priests, but many choose to wear simple robes to express their humility. The Order accepts any race into their service except for orcs and goblins, who are considered beyond redemption (Half-orcs are rarely accepted). The majority of their priests are humans, however certain races are more common than others. For example, it is not uncommon to see Kenku travelling priests giving sermons, usually after meeting with the Probare as they can perfectly recite their words.Behavior
The Order isn't entirely peaceful, as warrior priests and monks regularly venture out into the wilderness to find and defeat chaotic cults and entities. However, the religion is mostly about keeping and maintaining order and peaceful coexistence, so the majority of their priests are often reserved, wise and supportive of their local settlement and its inhabitants.Rituals and Ceremonies
There are very few rituals and ceremonies that are strictly organized by the Order, as most people practice little rituals in their private lives. The most common ritual performed by the Order is The Sermon, which is a religious gathering from 11:00 to 12:00 where a priest reads and explains segments of their holy text, 'The Tenets'.Rules and Laws
Dictated by The Tenets, there are various rules and laws that a faithful follower of the Order must follow. Based on the realm they live in, these could be enforced by the king or even emperor, but most of these rules are only kept out of fear of divine repercussions. The most commonly enforced laws are:- Returning one's soul to their body after their death is strictly forbidden as death cleanses an individual of the taint of Kaos , which is their soul. (Resurrection is illegal).
- Worshipping Kaos or Sinistos is punishable by death as it is the only way to severe their connection to Chaos.
- Worshipping other, pagan gods, such as the elven goddesses is shunned and might be punishable by death. Based on the region, such practices can be viewed as heretical or just misguided and punished accordingly.
Faith
The Order's faith is centered around the praising of the Great Mechanism and the shunning of disorder. Their beliefs are all related to the beneficial properties of organization and aim to better society as a whole instead of the individual.Stories of the Gods
The Tenets
The Great Mechanism
While The Order acknowledges many gods, their main "god" is the Great Mechanism . This is the name given to The Plane of Order by their church and is believed to control life, death and every other aspect of the Material Plane . It is thought to be in the middle of a vast calculation that is incomprehensible to mortals and everything that happens is a part of that calculation. The Tenets state that the purpose of this calculation is to achieve a perfect world where everyone is content and happy. Chaos can disrupt these calculations and ruin or at least delay this utopia.Afterlife
While one's life is spent on the Material Plane, they are susceptible to the influence of Chaos through their souls, which comes from The Plane of Chaos . Once a mortal dies, their Soul returns to Chaos and if they were good agents of the Order, their Essence join the Great Mechanism as a new piece of its unfathomable calculation. Here, they take an active role in achieving the utopia, where they can rejoin their loved ones in paradise. Those that fail to meet the criteria are lost in the void of non-existence forever.
Primary Tenets in The Tenets
Secondary Tenets in The Tenets
Tertiary Tenets in The Tenets
Natural Tenets in The Tenets
Founding Date
0
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Leader Title
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Notable Members
Related Species
Little rituals many people perform
- Waking up at exactly the same time every day.
- Sorting their money every morning into distinct piles.
- Keeping and praying to a mechanical device
- Making a clay sphere when a child is born
- Making a clay cube when a family member dies
- Cutting up and combining the clay spheres of newly wed people
Common phrases used by believers
- May Perviga watch over you / your steps (greeting/Good luck!/Safe travels!)
- May the Mechanism work in your favour. (greeting/Good luck!)
- Elevalos willing ... (Hopefully.../I hope...)
- You'll see Enequila yet! (You will regret this! You'll get punished for this!)
- Enequila left <the area>. (There is a lot of unfairness/crime in <the area>)
- Semernos will take care of it! (It will happen! It will have consequences!)
- You are a spawn of Kaos/Sinistos! (You are evil/a criminal!)
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