Church of the Three Virtues

The primary religion of the civilized lands is that known as the Great Church of the Three Virtues. Although other minor, older and hidden faiths are found, the vast majority of peoples in the lands of the old Imperium follows the teachings of the Great Church to one extent or another.

The Great Church venerates three virtues and the gods associated with them;

• protection, just war and vengeance (Habuu)
• justice, law and duty (Velas)
• home, harvest and healing (Saule)

Individual sects, churches and temples may venerate one more than the other. For example, a militant order may worship Habuu more so than the other, whereas a temple in a farming district will likely venerate Saule.

The faith itself has been around in this form since the rise of the Second Imperium some 800 years ago; it was in fact a driving force behind the rebirth of the Imperium. However, the three gods had been worshiped for millennia before, in more primitive forms. Habuu had been a bloody god of war of the D’war people; Saule a fertility goddess of overt sexuality; and Velas a stern overgod who met out divine punishment to his followers. The organization of the church mellowed the image of the gods into the civilized forms known today. But in hidden places, the old sects may still thrive.

The church is a tightly controlled and bureaucratic organization, with a rigid hierarchy. The titles and roles are as follows:

Title                                                                     Role

Supreme Virtue (Virtuous Supremis)                        Head of all the Civilized Church

August Virtue (Virtuous Augustus)                           Head of the Church in a Country/Region

Most Virtuous                                                        Head of the Church in a Province/District

Highest Virtue                                                        Head of a Temple

Under Virtue                                                          Assistant / Head of Minor Temple

Sub Virtue                                                             Mid-level priest

Assistant Sub Virtue                                              Low-level priest

Many clerics of the faith practice outside the rigid hierarchy of the temples. These may serve the faith in one place, or travel from village to village serving those who do not have a temple of their own. Many also become landowners, lords, and even adventurers.