GURPS: Church and State Religion

See GURPS: Church and State History for the formation and history of the Quadrant.

Church organization

The Arch Prior resides in Kanzi, the site of the victory over Quani by Martel's army. Kanzi may nominally be claimed by the Imperials, but it has been over a generation since the Imperials exerted direct control over the city. The Arch Prior is himself a large landowner, with many secular lords around Kanzi owing him both their feudal obligations, and their souls. The majority of power within the Quadrant hierarchy resides in Abbeys, dioceses, cathedrals, cardinals, and archbishops within the Empire, but a growing number of powerful Quadrant holy men are increasingly found in other cities and kingdoms. Valderland's capitol, Kingsdale, now has an Arch-bishop, as does the Valder Free city of Chalouth. Gethan claims two arsh-bishops, and the Canton one. Rustav, the Central Kingdom to the east of Valderland claims it's own as well.

The Arch Prior is elected from the Curia. The Curia is composed of the cardinals, who are all great men of the church (usually former Archbishops) who now reside in Kanzi, or nearby. There are 16 Cardinals. The Curia also has 17 members who are the heads of the 17 Great orders of Quadrangle faith. Four each claim patronage from Enus and Ampul, five claim they are non-denominational. Draef is the patron of two, as is Houdish. The Cardinals and Grandmasters have different voting rights, depending on long tradition, and the issue at hand. Grand masters have a 1/2 vote each on issue of doctrine, dogma, or excommunication. But they have two votes each on the issuance of land grants within the Church.

Archbishops are the Churches princes within the field, and they are confirmed by the Curia. The Archbishops normally appoint the bishops for their area, often with guidance from Kanzi. Without fail, most of the Church leaders that attain these lofty circles are the children of important people.

The church provides coronations for all Quadrant rulers, affirming their rule in the eyes of the Gods. At the local level, parishes and abbeys provide most of the spiritual guidance to the laymen. Parishioners of villages are often come under Enus, as her interest lies in agriculture. Enus allows her priests in parishes to be married, seeing it as a sign of devotion. Ampul holds sway over many of the monasteries, their ascetic ways and search for enlightenment appealing to him. Monasteries are often built around the pursuit of a particular branch of thought, or craft, rather than a given deity, but many exceptions abound. Ampul's priests are almost never allowed to be married, as it takes away from their pursuit of the truth and muddles their minds with emotion.

The Church in Extremus

Many derivations of mainstream faith exist throughout Argoth. Under Enus, there have been found cults who worship her through sex and pagan-like fertility rights. Under Draef have been cabals of merchants and lords conducting grand conspiracies to wrest power away from others. Death cults have followed Hood, claiming their ritualistic slayings and mutilations are a veneration of their Lord. Ampul's children often take the acquisition of truth to the extreme, and make up the heart of the Church's Inquisition of Heresies.

Education

Abbeys and Churches are the mainstay for education in Argoth. Even lords who hire private tutors are normally hiring priests to be their clerks or scribes. Universities, including the university of Chalouth are managed at least in part by clergy. No lord's retinue is complete without his priest who is normally the only man who truly understands law, theology, math, and the other erudite disciplines required to run a state.

Jesh and Monodrant

Jesh have retained their separate worship of Ina and Ono outside of the Church hierarchy. In many ways, they are treated much like Jews in Europe. Many recognize the common cultural and religious heritage, but regard the Jesh as misguided and target of conversion at the best of times. When times are bad (warfare, famine, plagues), the Jesh are the first to be blamed, and the capricious gods the Jesh follow.

Monodrant is an entirely different sect. Following Burn's Crossing, a prophet arose in the deserts to the southwest of the Boden Sea, among the nomadic Balfries and humans there. The Prophet, Aziz Mustafa bin Amar al-Rafiq, foretold the Long Dark, and remarked that Burn's Crossing was punishment from the All-Father for not worshiping him. Aziz claimed that Ampul came to him, as the All-Father's herald and wrote the treatise of Hallah through Aziz' hand. In it Aziz claims that the Quadrants are wrong, and their gods are but humble servants of the All-Father, and they have been blinded by their own delusions and that man should worship the All-father directly, and only him. Aziz' prophecy caught like wildfire during the early dark, and spread upon the swords of the Marmalukes and bedouins of the Majid desert. The Monodrant's or Hallah's expansion has slowed, if not stopped, but not before they took Suriana, Enui, and much of the Holy Land. The Holy Quadrangle Empire of Man (along with the Holy Church of the Quadrant) have called for Crusades twice since the revival to quash the Hallahs. The Children of the Light have shifted much of the their martial forces and focus to reclaiming the Holy Lands from these heretics. The city of Houda has been retaken, and the Kingdom of Houda marks the Crusaders' extent of control in Hallah lands.

There are Jesh in Rotbrueck (with Social Stigma, Minority Group), but no Monodrant is ever known to have come to Rotbrueck.

Religious Rank in the Church of the Quadrant

• 6 Arch Prior
• 5 Archbishop, grand master of a great order, Cardinal
• 4 Bishop, grand master of a lesser order, arch deacon of a Cardinal or Archbishop
• 3 Head of a powerful abbey or minor order, head priest of an important church (cathedral), or deacon to a bishop
• 2 Head of a minor abbey, or Prior in a larger one, priests of larger churches
• 1 Parish Priest, officials in an abbey (Cellarer, Sacrist, Purser, Treasurer, or even a Prior in a minor abbey)
• 0 Novices, novitiates, monk

GURPS: Church and State