Project - A Guide to Better Serfdom

[Chrono Veincrusher]

Too bad

[Firax]

OK. I finally got the first draft of the Religion is Wessex peice I was working on. I took most of this from the Darkfall lore, what I could find on the site, and my own assumptions based on how I think the 2 interconnect. I fully understand that some things written here may be outright false or presented in a way that's slanted improperly. Please point these out so I can rewrite it, if needed. I would especially like the higher ups to take a look, maybe even the Duke, since they a much clearer vision how the Duchy really acts than I.

Roleplaying Religion in the Duchy of Wessex

As a duchy in the kingdom of Mercia, we officially follow and respect the Morgaine faith. Morgaine is a goodly human goddess who is said to have tamed the primal chaos and darkness to create the world. As such, we fight the forces of chaos wherever they may be found, as long as doing so does not conflict with our allegiance to the Duke and his vassals. The Church defines all religions not Morgainite as being chaotic and thus its sworn enemy. This includes the religions of all other races and the old gods, in which the native humans, the Imric, worshiped. (Keep in mind that allied race’s religions are ignored as being evil) Member’s races not human should be careful to not insult the Church. As a state palatine the Duchy of Wessex may or may not protect members of other races, but the strain on the relationship between the Duchy and Church will not be looked upon favorablely. As members of the Duchy of Wessex, we must always remember that our first allegiance lies with the Duke, and his vassals, not our respective religions. Members should be courteous and respectful to officials of the Church but should also remember where your allegiance lies.

In addition to connections to the Morgainite faith, the Duchy of Wessex also has a holy organization known as the Ordo Solis et Lunae. The Ordo has both mystical and military uses. While the mystical aspect of the organization is largely mysterious to nonmembers, its military function is clear. The Ordo fields thaumaturgists which are essentially battle-mages for use in the army and navy.

~ Firax

[Surly von Fishbarrel]

The /pub/ folder got taken out. Glad to see something has been accomplished on the project! I'll be getting back to it soon.

[FrMerrin]

Not a bad start. Sorry I was not much help initially but there is too much from my end to condense into a simplified form. For your second draft I would look at making these changes:

1) Instead of "the Morgaine faith" use "the Morganite faith", as in Morganites and the Morganite Church.

2) Capitalize the personas of Chaos and Darkness wherever they appear, in the same manner we would capitalize "the Light". These are extremely powerful forces we refer to here, real and alive in Agon as much as the Demon Prince of Greed and Baron Sanglac.

(Keep in mind that allied race’s religions are ignored as being evil)

3) That's not exactly true. The elven gods are seen as Demon Princes by the Morganite Church. The dwarven god is a figment of myth and imagination so does not rank as a godly concern in my book.

4) Something should be said regarding the reality of Chaos in Mercia: the Below are real, and kidnap homeless people and children from villages when they infest the sewers of an area. These will be Mercia's primary NPC mobs around our cities and towns. Baron Sanglic and the Demon Prince of Greed are REAL, they are not myths taught by the Church to scare ignorant peasants into submission. When Mercian's worship the Demon Prince of Greed, they get real material possessions in return to make them greedier (in the lore that is). In return they may have to kiss a goat's ass to amuse the Demon and demean the ideals of the Morganite faith. The Church of Malaut is a real force to be reckoned with in Mercia's lore. What I'm trying to say is that the Demon Princes of the Morganite Church do not rank as devils do in the Catholic Church. In Mercia these are a reality, whereas in the real world the devil is easily discounted as being non-existant. You might find info on the Below and their kidnapping practices in my guild's library, under the Mercian towns article from IGN.

As members of the Duchy of Wessex, we must always remember that our first allegiance lies with the Duke, and his vassals, not our respective religions.

5) Any priest or paladin within the Duchy are sworn to the Church. Their first duty is to the Lightbringer, not your Duke. If Duke Wessex contests this point I will become...difficult, as Fishbarrel would say.

[Nira Nathair]

Excellent points and suggestions all, Father.

[Godric Whitetree]

I was wondering how things have progressed with this. It seems like it was on a roll for a while, but there hasn't been anything posted lately. Is it finished and I just don't know where to look for it?

[Surly von Fishbarrel]

I ran out of time to do any work on it.

[Surly von Fishbarrel]

serfdom.rar

Here, this is the .indd file for Adobe InDesign if anyone wishes to continue work on it.

[Chrono Veincrusher]

I'll take a look when i get InDesign up and running.