Spirits of the Earth

An order nearly as old as the Church of Ansgar itself, the Order of St. Agratha has been the home of Confessors since its beginning.  Confessors devote their lives to the Church and its cleansing light, rooting out rogue magic users that found a way to slip from beneath the good graces of the Church, particularly those that target the Church and their humble followers.  They must help the mage see the light, the error of their ways on pain of death.  They believe magic in general is a type of evil invasion of the soul, one they were created by God to cleanse and destroy.

Confessors are the secret everyone knows, but no one speaks of; the hidden eyes, ears, and hands of the Church.  Confessors find dissent and doubt among the very ranks of the Church Heirarchy and root it out, testing loyalties and faiths, and eliminate those that have no place among them.  The Order is both a separate entity from the Church as well as its arm of might; as it must be so to act on its own accord and within its own judgment.



Confessors are sworn in their duty to save the souls of the wretched and wicked, to remove the taint of magic by any means necessary.  They believe it is their purpose, given by Ansgar himself to carry this out, proven from the very blessings their cause has given them. 

Blessings
Divine Retribution

While Mordecai possess the ability to nullify magic within their sphere of influence, Confessors possess the gift to absorb the magical ability right out of a mage or magic user, a gift which they call Divine Retribution.

Wrath of God

Though they believe Ansgar, by his very nature, is merciful and forgiving to those that surrender themselves from sin, they are purposed with carrying out his judgment and deliver his wrath to the corrupt and irrevocable.  In the heat of battle, Confessors may summon the Wrath of God, a literal rain of fire bolting down from the sky, obliterating all it comes into contact with, scorching the earth and turning its victims to ash.

Sanctus

A passive blessing that protects its user and heightens their senses, to focus in on more minute details, or, if honed correctly, to see the unseen.  Sanctus may also grants a person a higher magical resistance, and increased physical endurance.  This gift may be shared between companions if the will accepts it.

*Note: While all confessor's may receive these blessings, their degree/strength come from one's rank and practice, often granted by one's mentor/their direct superior during Exaltation.  Higher strength blessings may not be granted to those of lesser rank if deemed unfit by their mentor.


Confessors are more than selective in their recruiting, and may approach only those that exhibit certainly qualities they feel reflect their views.  Few actively go out of their way to join, and those that do are kept at arm's length before they are given any consideration.  That being said, not all members of the Order of St. Agratha are Confessors and may join as monks and priests within the traditional rankings of the Church, but within the rankings of the Confessors, the levels are as follows, from least to greatest:

1. Brothers / Sisters* 2. Patrons 3. Deans 4. Templars 5. Saints 6. Archangels

*Note: Because one's status within the Church doesn't reflect one's rank within the Order, women may rise higher in the ranks than they can in the Church itself.

Brothers – Woolen Brown

The first initiated rank, Brothers are given the most menial tasks to complete, often serving as messengers, couriers, or assisting their superiors in certain tasks.

Patrons – Light Orange

The second rank, Patrons often serve as the starting mentors for young Brothers and Sisters.  It is a thankless position for many, as they are the ones in charge of making recommendations for their underlings.  They are also the ones most likely to become Rectors of Sanctums, and must maintain order within their respective sanctuaries.  Rectors find it nearly impossible to rise above their positions.

Deans – Deep Purple

Deans are above Patrons in rank and authority.  Deans are most likely to pick a specialization such as blacksmith, chronicler, librarian, trainers, and many others for their respective sanctums.

Templars – Royal Blue

While all Confessors are the eyes and ears of the Church, Templars take their feet to most of the field work.  Templars are usually the ones that set out to capture rogue mages.  They may also carry out reconnaissance.

Saints – Crimson Red

To be sainted within the Order is to be considered the holiest of all warriors.  It is from amongst these ranks that future Archangels are chosen, should one of them die.  Saints are the most revered of Confessors, and the strongest only after Archangels.

Archangels – Gold and Silver

The most powerful of Confessors, and most exalted of their kind.  To be ordained an Archangel is to be guaranteed a place at Ansgar's side in the afterlife.  There may only be 10 Archangels at any given time, and together they form the ruling circle known as the God Hand.  Archangels are responsible for the Order as a whole, deciding upon those recommended for Exaltation, as a tribunal to judge their own, and to convene on matters that require the attention of the Church but may be beyond its scope.

**While there are only 10 Archangels, there may be as many in number of the other ranks as have earned their position.

Exaltation

The ritual performed by a Confessor's superior that advances them to the next rank.  While all Confessors receive blessings from their initial induction - with certain exception to specific powers within those blessings – their strength increases with each time the ritual is performed.  The ritual differs between ranks, becoming more complex as one advances, and it's secrets are only known to certain Confessors known as the Meteorem, and are not shared with anyone else except their chosen successor.

This is put in place so as to prevent those seeking to advance too much too quickly.  Sharing the secrets of the Exaltation ritual or attempting to perform it on oneself, unsanctioned or otherwise, are crimes punishable by death.

Uniform

All Confessors are issued three sets of robes, each with the color representative of their rank.  They are each given simple meditation robes as the first set, the second and third sets are pairs of the same design, though one is made for outdoor use and the other for more formal occasions.  Expert care is expected of any Confessor and it's not uncommon to find minute repairs in robes.  The traditional set of robes consists of an under-robe and outer-robe.  They are thin enough to provide greater range of movement, but strong enough to withstand extended use or travel.

The under-robe is mid-length, dropping as low as the thighs, just above the knees and cut from the hip down along the thigh and draping between the legs and backside, with a downward triangular cut.  The base is white with a decorated trim; trousers are worn underneath, of earthen tones.  The upper section of the robe has buttons running down the left side, with extended pieces of cloth sewn into the opposite side, these straps have small cuts in their centers and serve as the loops that slip over the button and hold it together.  The collar is approximately 1 and a half inches I height, and starched to stand around the neck, and rounded at the corners.  Beneath the collar is an embroidered trim that rings around the base of the neck and trails down parallel along the buttons in a symmetrical fashion.  The trails goes all the way down to the waist.  Halfway between, there is a pause in the path, as part of the trim turns on a ridge like design, and loops around to the back of the robe, meeting at the spine and connecting up to the trim along the neck.

   -Additional symmetrical embroidering on each shoulder of the Spear of Ansgar, facing outward with the middle most spear directly on the shoulder, and the halo encircling around it.  The sleeves extend as far as the forearms and can folded and tapered to a button on the shoulder.  A belt is worn around the waist of the under-robe.  Most robes have a white base with all embroidering the color of the Confessor's rank.

The outer-robe is a longer coat with larger lapels and a double-breasted front.  Ansgar's emblem is sewn into the shoulders much like the under-robe with the torch-emblem of St. Agratha sewn into the breast underneath each lapel.  The coat trim matches the under-robe, a thin embroidering with a white base.  St Agratha's pendant, a torch with a crystal inside, is worn around the neck.  The robes also come with a detachable hood that may go over the under-robe and worn under the collar of the outer-robe.

   -All Confessor's are given the equipment necessary for their position and rank, including heavy armor issued by their respective Sanctum's blacksmith and blessed by the Church.  It is not uncommon for Confessor's to personalize their weapons and armor.  Heavy style armor, much like a knight's, is the most common armor given, but exceptions may be given if there is a specific preference.[/list]

Transgression & Consequence

There are many rules and regulations throughout the Order, many unwritten and unspoken, to keep each other in check.  The most basic of regulations are as follows:

- It is forbidden to consort with a fellow Confessor, in an intimate manner, and to partake in vice.
- It is forbidden to reveal your status as a Confessor unless absolutely necessary.
- It is forbidden to steal from or assault a fellow Confessor.
- It is forbidden reveal secrets to non-Confessors / or reveal forbidden secrets.
- It is forbidden to exalt yourself, or attempt to exalt yourself, or to learn the secret of Exaltation.

These are but few of the many rules that serve to guide and protect.  But when rules are broken, punishments may range from lashings administered by another, mortification of the flesh, banishment, and execution.  The punishment is determined depending on the severity of the crime and what their superior deems fit for penance. Some crimes, such as divulging certain secrets, or self-exaltation, however, are unforgivable and punishable only by death.  Treason of any kind is intolerable and met with extreme severity.

There are other methods, when a Confessor admits wrongdoings, and are given a chance of atonement by taking their own lives, in the hopes of regaining some honor.  Those that kill themselves out of guilt or attempting to escape judgment or repenting in desperation without sincerity are looked down upon and condemned.  Those that give their lives for their cause are revered and martyred.

The rarest form of punishment is reserved for the most heinous of crimes, and can only be administered by those high enough to wield this gift, makes it possible to completely wrench the blessings from a fellow Confessor, and completely sever them from the grace of God.  This ability renders the subject to immense pain, not just physically, but so much so that it seeps into the soul.  Subjects find their consciousness slipping in and out of a dream-like state, their mind trapped in a hell of their own making.  They cannot make any distinction between reality and the dream.  This ability is similar to Divine Retribution – and some believe it to be a possible extension of that blessing.  However, it is reserved only for those undeserving of Confessor status.  It is believed that only the Archangels possess this gift and for good reason.

The God Hand

The ruling council that runs and guides the Confessor and the actual Order itself.  The God hand is headed by the Seraph, surrounded by his Archangels, 9 in total.  The God Hand oversee and pay most of their attention to what events go on in the world without, and anything that may potentially have the Order's interests at stake.  Within the Hand, all ranking Archangels are equal amongst each other, with the exception of the Seraph, a title given to the strongest and wisest of them all.

**They are the strongest of all Confessors and for the sake of continuity, narrative, and general plot-potential, all current Archangels are NPCs and should not be killed.  The current list of all Archangels is as follows:

Seraph – Archangel Aeron Hannibal – Age: 64
Archangel Jyrik Marris – Age: 57
Archangel Sabine Indarin – Age: 58
Archangel Kyr Beles – Age: 68
Archangel Samuel King – Age: 55
Archangel Luca-Ilona Justinius – Age: 48
Archangel Rheiner Heinrich – Age: 70
Archangel Florian Barros – Age: 72
Archangel Baldasar Ramsey – Age: 67
Archangel Malverius Attavano – Age: 65
**An overview; more detail will be added later.

There are many smaller chapels, churches, and abbeys that are devoted to St. Agratha scattered across Connlaoth.  Their main hall is the Hall of Saints.  Though not all Confessors linger there, they frequent the location at some point or another.  It is here that the God Hand resides, in the province of Falkenrath, near the city of Lluin in the southern section of the province.  It is considered consecrated ground and where St. Agratha is interred in the chapel above, her bones beneath the stone panels.

The Hall of Saints itself is located underneath the main chapel, with five major sections sprawling underground.  First is the Antechamber, where small shrines on pedestals surrounding a circular room of all the saints of Ansgar, followed by this emblem carved into the ground.  The Antechamber leads like a rotunda out to the Chamber of Exaltation where the ritual is performed.  Next is the Rejuvenation Chamber where Confessors may take time to rest, reflect, and to train amongst each other.  The fourth is the Hall of Wisdom,  an archival of sorts where Confessors may study texts collected from all parts of Connlaoth, and even the world.  The last main section is the Chamber of Mediation.  This portion is separated into two rooms, a large conference room where all high ranking Confessors – from Templar to Saints – are summoned to converse in important matters and discuss a course of action.  The second room is a well-guarded chamber where the God Hand meets on their own council.  Only the most worthy are ever invited within.

The smaller sanctuaries reside underneath the other chapels devoted to St. Agratha.  These are known as Sanctums, each run by a Rector  – usually the ranking Patron or Dean within – and may serve as smaller checkpoints and places of respite for travelling Confessors.  Because not all members of the Order of St. Agratha are in fact Confessors, it is usually these members of the Church that run these churches and chapels.  Confessors staying within Sanctums is not staying for free however, and are expected to contribute to the Church through labor or service.


The Order of St. Agratha takes its namesake from the patron saint of Merciful Forbearance, Judgment, and Vigilance.  Her legend stems from the time Connlaoth was rife with dark magics, in the age after the days of Fell.  A powerful demon burned and ravaged the land, and enslaving men and women alike.  The lord that owned it sought appeasement with the demon, and offered tributes to be given every spring in exchange for the beast's lenience.  The demon, Vhathros, accepted the offering, and constructed a stronghold.

When the offering fell upon her family, Agratha offered herself in their stead.  She was taken then as a willing slave to the stronghold.  And there she labored with the others, set to work building the fortress on land that had been sundered, desolate.  Some slaves were plucked off in groups, some taken for pleasure, others taken for sport.

Agratha grew close to those in captivity around her and soon she sought to end their suffering.  Knowing the slaves would be killed in any full assault, she decided to go alone and demanded an audience with the demon lord.  Curious and humored, Vhathros granted it and asked what pressed her so. 

She demanded the release of her people, as the slaves had become, and to surrender the land he had savaged, and return to the depths from which he came, lest he be vanquished from the world forever.  He laughed in reply, wondering at the mortal that dared challenge him.  Agratha was unwavering in her determination that she had Ansgar's favor.

Vhathros laughed again and welcomed her challenge so that he could crush her, and flay her flesh as a lesson to others to fall in line.  He set before her 3 tests to overtime: of Will, of Wisdom, and of Strength.  Agratha faced the first test – to cross a great chasm between unfinished sections of the fortress.  There was no bridge in sight and all that awaited below was certain death.  She trusted in her faith and prayed to Ansgar.  The earth quaked and the skies brewed above.  Lightning struck the ground and rubble erupted upward.  As the rubble crested near her, she walked forth and stepped where the rubble rose under her feet until she reached the other side.

In the second Test, Agratha faced Vhathros' wisest lieutenant and set to the task of guessing his name.  Before her were three goblets to be consumed, one for each failed attempt; within each goblet was a diluted amount of poison, which would compound with each goblet she drank.   She spoke at length with the lieutenant, dancing in their game of riddles and words.  She could feel the poison coursing through her after two unsuccessful guesses and all but the third goblet remained.  She prayed for Ansgar's grace and she gazed upon the pride evident in the lieutenant's eyes, and parlayed a final riddle with him.  In their exchange of words, Agratha's tongue was swift and her mind sharp, and the demon lieutenant faltered, tricked into revealing his name.  He relinquished the antidote before letting her pass.

In the third test, she faced her final opponent in one-on-one combat.  She was set against Vhathros' champion, armed with nothing more than a spear.  Agratha's courage never wavered despite the odds that mounted against her.  She prayed for strength, and when Vhathros' champion moved in to land the killing blow, she feinted and struck the demon in the heart. 

Vhathros boiled with rage at the mortal that dared defeat his champion, and somehow managed to pass through every test practically unscathed.  Finally, he faced her himself in one last confrontation, against him.

He used his powerful magics to subdue Agratha and rendered her helpless.  He commanded her to swear allegiance to him and forfeit her faith.  She refused and remained adamant however much her torture worsened.  Despite her agony, Agratha reached forth and with a single touch purged the magic from his form, severing the anchor that linked him to this world and cast him out, back into darkness.

In the aftermath, the fortress was leveled, destroyed and the slaves were freed.  But even with their newfound emancipation, all was not well.  People lost loved ones, their homes were gone, and many looked to find one to carry the blame.  Many sought revenge against the baron that had offered appeasement and when they came for his head, Agratha stood on his behalf.  The people were stunned, angry even, but she showed the baron mercy and bade he make penance to ansgar for his actions and earn their forgiveness.  The baron gave his lands and wealth to rebuilding all that had been lost, even working with his own bare hands.

In her passing, Agratha's bones were interred beneath Anstone Chapel near Lluin.  The Hall of Saints was built beneath the Church inside the city proper from those that took lesson from her Trials, creating the Confessors.

Followers of St. Agratha celebrate a week long holiday during the first week of autumn when it is considered the time Agratha faced her trials with the Demon Lord.  During this time, people are encouraged to let go of the past, forgive those that wronged you, and look to a better future, and to hold close to you those that you love.  The week long celebrations host games, and the trial reenactments, competitions and encourage generosity between communities, to share food and drink with the poor and destitute.  The last day is a day of rest, reflection, and prayer.

Egression

Even devout Confessors can collapse under the strain of their work.  Every so often, with the permission of their superior, they may take a spiritual respite, to recuperate from mental, physical and emotional stress.  One is allotted one, at most, every 6 months and one is required every 2-3 years.

**It is not uncommon for members of both the Church and even any order, for that matter, to abuse their downtime in secrecy – some are better at hiding it than others.  The sense of entitlement that comes with power and privilege can make one desire more than they gain, and feel as if they are above everyone else.[/list]

Women

Women may join the Order of St. Agratha, and if they are chosen and accept to become Confessors, they may rise higher through the ranks the same as men.  However, women should not expect to be treated as equals by certain individuals within, and if they are willing to work hard, they may earn that respect and status.

Sex

Confessors are forbidden to partake in relations with one another, or choosing emotion over professionalism and the rule applies to all without regard to an individual's sexual orientation.  Sex is regarded as a vice solely to cloud the mind and blind the soul from conscious, capable decision-making.  Of course, this hasn't stopped those who are discreet enough keep their activity a secret.

Politics

While Confessors never take an active role in the political field of Connlaoth, they do make sure to pay attention to the goings on the current events that may potentially have their interests at stake.  They are proponents of the separation of the Church and State, that each should individually be able to take care of its own.  But with the recent war brewing, they are alert now more than ever.

Other Faiths

Much like the Church, Confessors acknowledge the existence of other gods and faiths, and an individual's right to believe as they choose.  Their place is not to convert those who do not believe in Ansgar, and rarely ever refer to others who believe differently than they do as heathens.  They consider true heretics as those who have betrayed or wronged the Church in some way, and with it carry malicious intent.  Heretics are dealt with harshly, particularly those that make it their mission to go out of their way to bring harm to anyone that may serve or follow the Church.

***This is still a work in progess and may be added to and amended as necessary.  Also if you wish to join, please add your character's Name, Rank and Age.  A brief history of how they came into contact, and joined the Order is optional, but recommended.  If you have any ideas you'd like to do/share, feel free to PM or post here!

Bump.  Just for kicks.