GURPS: Church and State History
Metagame note- Much of the info here is only known to PCs/NPCs with appropriate skills, and even then, the historians of Argoth may be no more accurate than our Medieval historians, and some is openly disputed among scholars.
Holy Church of the Quadrant's creation mythology
The creation mythology is long, complicated, and contradictory in many aspects. All of this, in the eyes of the Church, takes place before the formation of cities in Suri. Basically, the All-father formed the universe from chaos and while begetting many children (the gods), crafted worlds for his children to live on and rule. The All-father cares not for earth, for he has the universe to defend against chaos, but left it to four of his progeny. To those four, he divided everything into four houses that they each would hold sway over. Ampul created the sun, and fire, while Enus beget the many children that would become life on earth. Her union with Ampul created man and the noble creatures such as horses, dogs, bears and such. Draef tricked Enus into thinking she was a man, and Enus lay with her and Enus beget the creatures of the night, from cats and bats, to worms, owls, lycanthropes and others; most notably the twins of fate Ina (the pull, or good luck) and Ono (the push, or bad luck), from which the two moons take their name. Enus, who could never turn down an offer, lay with Houdish and beget insects, flys, viruses, plagues, rot and the scavengers.
When the Four recognized that man held the inspiration of light inside his head, they lay down laws for man, and explained how the Houses of the Gods worked. Ampul held sway over light, truth, inspiration, invention, organization, hierarchy, law. Enus held dominion over fertility, birth, crops, babies, mothers, and the forests. Draef held sway over politics, deception and secrets, the markets, thievery, lovers (especially the unwed, or adulterers). Houdish had the areas of judgment, justice, death, warfare, and the souls of the dead. The other three cared not for this at the time, and Houdish has laughed since then at his usurpation of such an important aspect. From man, the gods would elevate those worthy to occupy positions within the houses, these were called the Ascendants, all others would go to Houdish and pass his gates of eternal judgment.
Houdish (often call Hood for the cowl he wears), holds final judgment over all men's souls. Hood is the final arbiter, and through his gates all must eventually pass, even the Ascendants. Hood's reckoning is feared by all, for those unworthy will live in eternal damnation making up for their wicked ways and being tormented beyond imagination. He regards the gift of light from Ampul to Enus' children a mistake, but now the children must bear the responsibility for the powers of mind. Hood's reckoning is in the balance of a man's life, whether in the final summation, he led a good life, or a poor one. Repentance and genuine contrition can hold some sway with him, but a truer measure of a man's fate in afterlife is the balance of his good deeds vs his vile ones.
Seeing Hood's power, the other three swayed Hood to accept some of their laws to be used for judgment, which they used Ina and Ono to communicate to man, as the twins had become frequent messengers for the gods.
Ampul, being by far the most ascetic of the gods, decreed that man shall control himself, and not steal, covet other women, fornicate outside of a marriage sanctioned by one of the four, break an oath, or give false testimony and should always seek to know the truth deliver the truth to others.
Enus commanded man to be plentiful, but also to husband their resources and use them wisely. Bringing new life to the world is her most favored act of devotion. She further commanded man to protect the weak, provide charity to those in need so that life will not suffer needlessly, and to have mercy.
Hood commanded that only just killings be pursued, and that man's pride should not make him think to take Hood's judgment as his own, nor to think they are somehow exempt from him. Hood further banned man from practicing necromancy, declaring the art his sole providence, and it's use by anyone an affront to him. Undead were to be killed on sight, and ghosts and spirits directed to Hood's door.
Draef merely whispered in Hood's ear the rules she wanted to judge man by, and honoring her request, Hood has never told anyone what they are, making Draef's Secret the most coveted knowledge. Ampul was of course furious, as his pride demanded he know everything, but his will has ever been thwarted to this day.
Ina and Ono, knowing the strict discipline they were held under, felt sorry of man, wanted to help man take more control of his own destiny. To this end, they stole the spark of magic, and gave it to the most favored among man, meaning to provide it to all. Ampul caught them before they could complete their action and banished them to the heavens. Since the twins started with the most favored, man now knew who the gods favored, and Ampul decreed that they should be held in higher respect than others, and Houdish countered that they will than be judged harsher than others, and Enus relayed that they will then have dominion over other life in their area, and Draef said nothing, knowing that mages would hold secrets, and Draef was pleased.
Ina and Ono still attempt to interfere, but they must hide from Ampul lasting fury, and they only shine at night as they know Draef cares not what Ina and Ono do with man.
First Cities and Foundation of the Church of the Quadrant (c. -500 to c. 250 HCQ)
The Suri people founded the first known cities south of Boden Sea, a land locked see in the middle of the continent of Argoth. The Suri cities were fiercly independent and each held their own patron god. Suriana's patron god was Ampul, who is regarded as the Lord of Light, which in part explains his dominance of the Church of Four today. Enus was the the patron goddess of Enui, and is the Lady of Light. Drafus looked to the Lady of Dark for protection, Draef, and the Lord of Death, Houdish patronized the city of Houda. The child gods, Ina and Ono shared their patronage over the city of Jeshera. These cities were city states, often ruled by a semi-literate priest class. Those with magical talent were seen to be touched by the gods, and often rose higher in the ranks than those without talent. This tradition continues still today. It is from these early dark times that the stories of the first heroes come from; brutal, dark, vengeful heroes whose rapine ways bathed the Suri lands in blood. Suriana was the First City in foundation as well as prestige and power. Suriana rose to preeminence and began to conquer her sister cities, forming the First Empire. Suriana's control was not outright, and she had to make some compromises, one of which was recognizing the rights of the clergy of the patron gods of some of the more powerful cities, from here the Quadrant was born and the foundation of the Church of Four laid (from which the present year of 3217th year of the Holy Church of the Quadrant (or 3217 HCQ) is calculated, but even that is disputed). The Suri were early to mid TL 2 (think late Mesopotamian, or Egyptian). From this period, many of the traditions, myths, and religious principals of today can still be seen.
The Suri were never able to enact a ecclesiastical body like the ecumenical councils of the early catholic church [1], so the Holy Church of the Quadrant retains much more internal inconsistencies, doctrinal disputes, and various teachings than Catholicism. This lack of central authority hurt the Suri when the Quani came. Jeshera never truly adopted the Church of Four, and her people continued to see themselves as the favored of the Twins, which could be seen in that magic seemed to favor the Jesh more than the others, but Jeshera never paid attention to the material ways, and never formed an army like Suriana did. It helped matters not, that the Twins seemed to take a far more proactive stance with Jeshera than the Four did with any other people. The Jeshera were soon seen as apart, and persecuted, but their beliefs did not falter, and in part they were saved by the Quani. The Suri recognized the heads of the various clergy in given cities as sitting together and forming the Curia. They then elected an Arch Prior to oversee the Church.
Quani invasion (c. 250 to c. 1500 HCQ)
The Quani came from the south, crossing the Sea of Waves on massive ships beyond the ken of the Suri. There were not many of them, but their mastery of magic far surpassed the Suri. The Suri's cities' independence from central authority worked against them, and the first to fall was Jeshera, which saved the Jesh from persecution. The Quani themselves numbered only in the hundreds to few thousands, but they brought with them their lizardmen warriors and servants who laid waste to Suri lands and quickly conquered every known land south of the Boden Sea between Boden and the Sea of Waves. The Quani came in several clans, and there were rivalries between them, and they soon subjected their slave populations to warring against each other. At first, the Suri and others knew little, and were thrown into a dark period where their leaders and priests were sacrificed on Quani alters, as the Quani worshipped only Hood and Draef, and they did so in such ways that were unrecognizable to the Suri. By about 500 HQC the initial anarchy and conquest was over, and the Suri, Hanti, Kavi, Saomsite, Lewvan, Astan and other peoples began to learn the true malevolence of the Quani.
The Quani came from a dark continent to the south, hot and humid. Their dark ways had turned their skin black, and they practiced foul arts of necromancy and magics of bloodletting. The Church claims they had some special dispensation from Hood to practice arts, and they were a power grab by Hood and Draef to take the Suri lands from control of Ampul, who was still the leader of the four. What is known is the Quani had sacrificed everyone in their own country who did not have any magic, as a human sacrifice releases more magic than any other kind. The Quani had also mastered breeding, and had created strange hybrids between reptiles and men who were their warriors.
When the Quani overtook the lands south of the Boden, they gradually took the peoples lives away, and took them into their palaces. To the brightest, prettiest, and those with magic, they took into their homes, as concubines, students, and stewards. From the craftsmen, they made laborers, and from the bloodthirsty, vicious and mean, they made warriors to augment their lizard men. With their foul magics, and enforced breeding programs, the demi-humans were formed. The Gani were the favored pretty ones, who worked in the houses of the Quani, at first as sexual slaves, then later as stewards and first henchmen as the Quani numbers declined. The craftsman became the Scali, skilled in shaping wood, stone, metal, and long hours of work. The differing Quani never shared their ideas for the warrior casts, so a bewildering array of different types of man came into being from the different clans, with traits and genes sometimes from animals. The Trevan and Merghast were the most civilized and successful. The Merghast are disciplined, mean-spirited, hearty and breed quick, while the Trevan are dull-witted, often placid, but once angered their strength and size is a terror on the field of battle. The others never amounted to anything after the Quani left, but to return to savagery and banditry. In more civilized lands, they are almost non-existent, but in marginal lands, the dogmen, the balfries and others are treated as little more than rabid dogs, and the Church has not yet recognized their souls. Individuals have come forward and taken the baptism and let into the church, but that is the individual, not the race.
Fall of Quani c. 1300 HCQ to 1527 HCQ
A foul plaque struck the Quani's main fighting force, the lizardmen, and the Quani's slow birthrate enforced a greater drop in power. The underground Holy Church of the Quadrant had filled it's halls with martyrs over the past thousand years, and now a new prophet came forth and led an uprising. Martel is marked as one of the most venerated saints in the Church, and has since the fall of the Quani, become an Ascendant and occupied the seat in the House of Light of the Knight, second only to the Queen Consort. Martel led a great army, freeing much of the occupied lands, except for a small holdout to the southeast of the Boden sea where a Quani clan lives to this day. Martel fell in the battle of Kanzi, on the northern shore (in the present day Holy Quadrangle Empire of Man) of the Boden Sea, making Kanzi one of the holy cities of the Church of the Holy Quadrant.
One of the impacts of the fall, was the rape of the Gani. The Gani's complicity with the Quani could not be overlooked, and they were persecuted in the thousands, in the most barbaric of manners. The surviving Gani often fled unconquered cities ahead of Martel's armies and moved north, out of reach of the revenge and bloodlust. The initial hatred for the Gani was worse than that of the Quani, and the Gani took to the woods and mountains to survive. One group, from Draefus, followed a prophecy and headed all the way north, past Valderland to the northern seas, and are now called the Nor'gani. They settled there with humans who knew nothing of the Quani and enjoy freedoms and respect there no where else found in the Central Kingdoms.
The second impact, was the persecution of the Jesh came again. The Church marked the Jesh as heretics, and said their worship of Ina and Ono was against the teachings of the four. The Jesh still clung to beliefs and practices and predated the formation of the Suri empire, before Jeshera was subjugated to Suriana. The Jesh scattered themselves, and often found others who were more or less lenient, but often lived in ghettos within larger cities. Many lands held laws that outlawed Jesh from owning land, or taking Quadrangle servants, leaving Jesh with little choice but to become merchants and craftsmen. At this they usually excell, and their shared heritage allows a Jesh merchant in Kazni to trade directly with one in Chalouth or Valder, bypassing most Quadrangle merchants. Jeshera itself was burned to the ground (lamented by many scholars as the single greatest loss of knowledge before Burn's Crossing) by one of the armies following Martel, but many Jesh fled with old relics and books from Jeshera. There is a thriving underground Jeshera market for old Jesh items from Jeshera itself.
Empire of Man 1527 HCQ to 2369 HCQ
The army Martel put together collapsed fairly quickly, and the old holdings of the Quani clans split. The old nations, tribes and people had been so muddled from the Quani occupation, that old racial ties and languages meant little. Most knew Quani (of which imperial is a modern day derivative). The Empire of Man is not named for an empire, but for a period, sometimes prosperous, sometimes not, in which civilization spread around the Boden Sea, trade grew (if not thrived during some periods), kingdoms, alliances, pocket-empires and cities grew and fell. Tech-level and magic understanding increased. This is considered the classical period in Church and State.
Burn's Crossing (2369-2373 HCQ) and The Dark (2373 - 3105 HCQ)
Burn's first burning was the Abby of St. Augus in Laurelfeld in southern Gethan. Gethan lies to the west of Valderland, and ethnically considered Valderic, with their language Gethoi, a Valderic language with strong Imperial influences. Burn's origins remain unknown. Burn was one of the most gifted and powerful Talents to ever walk Argoth, and he was a walking natural disaster. Descriptions of him vary greatly, and much debate is still held about what he sought, or what happened to him. What is known is that Burn started at the Abby of St. Augus. Survivors talked of a man who searched through the library, and found not what he sought, and in his frustration, lost control of his power over fire. Simply studying the aftermath of what Burn was capable of doing furthered magic faster than many previously thought possible. Burn ended up destroying St Augus in a grand conflagration that destroyed St. Augus' repository of knowledge. St. Augus was far from the last. Burn's crossing started there, veered west through the Uterean Mtns and the Liscos peninsula, south around the Boden Sea, through the Central Kingdoms again, then in a zig zag path to the east, beyond the Faruen plains. Everywhere he went, he destroyed libraries, at Abbies, Cathedrals, lords' manors, and universities. Over the four years of his crossing, Burn is known to have slain over 100 Talents that stood in his path in vain attempts to stop him. He crushed armies, slew kings, and generally left a swath of destruction that was previously unheard of. Society fell into a dark age with the drastic loss of life, knowledge, and the small cooling period that resulted from the sheer amount of ash in the sky.
Many returned to more conservative and religious views. Considered the worst by many, was the founding of the Children of Light, a holy order founded in Ansbach, on the northwest coast of the Boden Sea. The order flourished in these troubled times, and provided one of the few havens of security to be found. All people had to do was live by the incredibly strict rules of asceticism espoused by the Children of Light, and never question the Childrens' view of anything. Their order formed the central military core of the rising Holy Quadrangle Empire of Man.
The Brief Light (2602 - 2715 HCQ)
In the Rutzen river valley, north of the Boden Sea, a flourishing occurred for a few generations when scholars unearthed a hidden cache of books and knowledge untouched by Burn's crossing. Kurnach flourished as a small kingdom until the rising tide of the Holy Quadrangle Empire of Man invaded to capture Kurnach's wealth, and the scholars fled as the Children of Light found heresies throughout their teachings. Although the Children claim otherwise, rumors abound that the Scholars of the Math of St Joam, escaped with most of the works they recovered. Rumors of their whereabouts spur many a young Knight-errant tale.
The Revival ( 3105 HCQ to present)
The Holy Quadrangle Empire of Man's spread fell apart after their defeat by a Trevan and Merghast army in the Hills of Bloudin in 2837. Since then, the Empire has slowly waned, becoming more complacent, decadent, corrupt, and isolationist as time passes. The only major forays in living memory are one each into Valderland and Gethan. Both of which were defeated, but only after years of fighting. Trade routes reach farther than they have any time since Burn's Crossing, and the fundamentalist revival is weakening in places. The more ascetic faction of the House of Light still holds much sway in the church hierarchy, but during the dark, many of the parish priests were aligned with Life for her gifts to fertility and Crops. The two have ideologically clashed over the past couple of generations as the House of Life and House of Light vie for ascendancy within the Church. If not for the division within the House of Light itself, they would surely crush the House of Life.
Foundation of Valderland and Rotbrueck 2692 HCQ to present
North of the Braunstein Mountains, the expanding Holy Quadrangle Empire of Man encountered a scattering of small principalities, duchies and strongmen who were doing their best to hold their own during the dark. Their invasion was the best thing for Valderland, as the only thing the principals could agree on was crushing the invasion. The 40 years of warfare finally saw the formation of Valderland under the leadership of Trious I. The peoples were all Valderic, except for a contingent of Maguirian (or Maguirites) who had been falling back from the Empire for generations from the ancestral homelands. Trious offered the Maquirians land and sanctuary if they would side with him, and the Maguirians have been very loyal to the Valder King ever since. Rotbrueck started from the Maguirian settlement of the Greywater and Snow river valleys when King Trious I gifted the land to the Maguirian Chieftain. The first Maguirian, Colburg, received the title of Baron as did all of Trious' original supporters, with only one lord being granted title of Earl. Colburg, and all further Rotbruecks are considered Uradel, or original nobility that cannot be sundered by the king [2]. Since then, many of the titles have inflated, resulting in anything over their original title being considered Breifadel [3], as well as any new titles which have been created to honor service to the crown. Breifadel titles are granted by the sovereign and can be taken away, they are 'patents of nobility'.
Trious and his progeny faced many threats to his power, most notably from the only Earl he enfeoffed, Earl of Mar. Mar got a greater title as he faced the brunt of the Empire's will, as his lands lie along the natural invasion route through the Ren Mar valley and since then, his title has inflated to Duke. In the 500 years of Valderland history, there have been 4 major civil wars, and many minor rebellions, only slightly more than normal for the Central Kingdoms. In every case, the various Barons of Rotbrueck followed the most strict interpretation of hereditary law. This has earned them a strong reputation for loyalty, and the King often leaves Rotbrueck more autonomy than other lords. The only time this rule didn't hold true, was the most recent civil war (discussed below).
Expansion into Whiterock- In 2987, the Baron of Whiterock invaded Rotbrueck, with secret backing from the Duke of Mar. Whiterock was an Uradel, but for all practical purposes was a vassal of Mar. The King (Henrick II) had little power to step in between apparent rivals, unless the bloodshed spread across their borders, or one asked for help, but the appealing party would lose face. To everyone's surprise, Rotbrueck soundly defeated Whiterock in two seasons. Some of Whiterock's children escaped, and appealed to Henrick II. Henrick II, in a pique of strength and harshness, told them and Mar that if they wanted to pick a fight, they had to live with the consequences, and provided letters of Patent giving Whiterock to Rotbrueck. Mar and the surviving Whiterock had lost so much power with the loss of their position that they couldn't test the King's proclamation for years. Mar and the surviving Whiterock family claims to this day that this violates their claim to Uradel on Whiterock lands. The descendants of Whiterock are now vassals to Mar. They are enfeoffed as Barons to Mar, but their Patents of Nobility come from a Duke, not the King. Part of the reason for the Rotbrueck victory came from the recent treaty between the Fox tribe and Rotbrueck, as Rotbrueck used Fox archers, skirmishers and scouts to great effect. It's not known what the Fox Gani got out of it, but they've lived peaceably in Rotbrueck since then.
Valderland Civil War- or Stephon's War. King Stephon died at age 32 in 3192 HCQ with no male children, and daughters yet too young to have children of their own (but a surprising number of bastards claimed his parentage...many too old to be believed) and this precipitated a 12 year civil war in Valder. Stephon had no surviving brothers, and both his sisters (twins) (or their husbands) laid claim to the throne. Stephon's grandfather had three children, and Stephon's cousins from them laid claim as well. Valder heritage laws are almost solely male primogenitor, unless otherwise laid out differently by the lord, so Stephon's sisters' claims were both weak, as neither yet had a son. Stephon's grandfather's children were two girls, and Stephon's father (who was already dead). The oldest daughter, Stephon's Aunt Louisa, had joined a monastery (nunnery technically), and disappeared after hearing about Stephon's death...rumors have surfaced that she left the nunnery to marry a lowborn monk she had fallen in love with. Stephon's other aunt, Ursula, married the younger son of the Duke of Mar, and had two boys. Her oldest son, Mathew, was by rights of heritability, the heir presumptive...but the Duke of Mar was a vicious infighter who had made many enemies.
Now Rotbrueck, by tradition, would have followed the most clear line of succession, but Paul's father wanted to stay out of it as he couldn't bring himself to back the Duke of Mar. Paul's father, Calvin, died in 3194 and Paul's older brother, Phillip, takes over the Barony, but because of the Civil War, there is no coronation, nor confirmation by the King of Phillip's Baronial rights. Phillip is having problems in Whiterock keeping knights in line, as he's quite young and many have family ties across the border in the Duchy of Mar. Finally, Phillip consents to joining Mar in recognition of all of Whiterock as part of Rotbrueck. Phillip dies that winter in a hunting accident. Paul does not honor Phillip's bargain with Mar, and when Mar invades Whiterock to retaliate, Paul throws in with Duke Pembrook, who had married one of Stephon's twin daughters. The Duke was like Paul, quite young, and they had squired together under King Stephon (where Pembrook met Isla). Pembrook gains the throne in 3204. Isla dies in 3205 giving birth to Pembrook's 2d child, another girl. Pembrook's progeny have a loose claim, and will likely face trouble ascending to the throne. Ursala's now four sons are in their late 20s and early 30s. Stephon's other daughter, and Isla's sister, Othelia likewise had sons, the oldest of which is now in his early 20s. All have a claim to the throne. Pembrook's claim came through the sons of his wife, so now he sits impatiently waiting for his daughters to come of age and bear sons who can claim the throne. Rumors also pop up every now and then of Louisa living in Gethan, or the Canton, with sons of her own...eying the unstable throne in Valder.
