The Great Schism

The Great Schism was a period of religious overturn that occurred between 375 and 377AC, following the appointment of a High Septon referred to as the Crimson One and the appearance of a man claiming to be an Avatar of the Smith. Following the creation of an organisation called The Smiths, the schism resulted in the death of Lord Franklyn Tully, Lord Loras Tyrell, Loreon and Lyman Lannister, and countless smallfolk across the Reach, Westerlands and Riverlands. It was ended by the swift intervention of King Alaric I Baratheon himself, although some resemblance of The Smiths still lingers within the realm.

## Timeline of Events

The Crimson One is elected as the High Septon. Allegations of corruption are thrown around, but never proven.

### The Avatar of the Smith

In the Reach, a septon appears out of the wilderness saying that after the events of the Crimson One’s election, he exiled himself to the hills. He found tools of exceptional quality buried out there and they have helped him survive for several months. He takes it as a sign that the Smith is with him and believes himself to be the Avatar of the Smith.

People in the village that finds him celebrate and the Smith travels to Oldtown to share the good news. On the fifth day of the third moon into his return, the Smith takes out a scroll of his Seven Commandments and nails them to the doors of the Starry Sept:

* All men are created. The creator god is the Smith. Therefore we should praise him and extoll his virtues above all others.

* The Pact of the Conciliator has irredeemably corrupted the institution of the Faith. From this day hence, the pact is considered null and void.

* Men are sinful, so they cannot know the will of the gods. Only the Seven themselves can choose who their voices are.

The people of Oldtown are wildly in favour of the reforms as they have suffered under the yolk of a corrupt septon for quite some time. The septon is tarred and feathered by villagers fed up with corruption.

### The Descent into Division

All across the Reach, septons and ordinary folks alike threw down the trappings of their previous lives and joined the Church of the Smith. Riots break out all over the Reach and many turn bloody as the Faithful clash with each other.

The Westerlands has the opposite reaction. The High Septon was visiting the Sept of Lannisport when the news reached him. He immediately called for his own Faith Militant. Lord Lannister sees this as an opportunity to invade Crane and Oakheart lands, and empties his dungeons of criminals, telling them that if they joined the Faith Militant for the Crimson One, he would set them free.

Conflicts erupt across the border between the Westerlands and the Reach. Although only minor violence, there were a few deaths and plenty of destroyed septs. Gangs of roving Smiths or Septons often marched into town and demanded that minor lords denounce the opposing ideal and show their loyalty by having seven-pointed stars or hammers carved onto their bodies. These ‘hordes’ of fanatics grew larger and larger. It was clear that it was only a matter of time before a spark ignites the powderkeg.

That spark comes in form of the Showdown at Stoney Sept.

### Showdown at Stoney Sept

Lord Franklyn Tully was a pious, generous man and the reports of bloodshed broke his heart. After seven days of prayers in his sept, he called together both sides of the conflict to a meeting at Stoney Sept to see if there could be a peaceful resolution to this schism. Many peasants breathed a sigh of relief, as both mobs became more and more violent. At the end of the year 376 AC, the combined mobs of both the Crimsons and the Smiths descended down upon the Stoney Sept, where Lord Tully waited to negotiate.

The only people who were not pleased however, were the die-hard fanatics of the Smith’s side. It was well known how zealous Lord Tully was in his faith, and rumor soon spread that he was simply going to concede to every Crimson term they demanded, leaving the Smiths with nothing to salvage from their schism.

The night before talks were set to begin, the Smith fanatics snuck into the inn where Lord Tully slept and set the whole place ablaze. Accusations between both camps ran hot, each blaming the other for the dastardly deed, and soon the conflict erupted into bloodshed. None of the leaders on either side had an ounce of military training, so the ‘battle’ devolved into an extremely bloody melee that saw both sides taking heavy casualties, and the villagers of the poor Riverlander town saw many of its people massacred.

### Battle of Red Lake

Meanwhile, the skirmishes on the border between the Reach and the Westerlands culminated into an attempted siege on Red Lake. Lord Lannister launched an offensive on Red Lake, but is spotted by Tyrell scouts while en route. When the Lannister force arrives, they are met not just by House Crane's banners, but those of the new Lord Loras Tyrell and his most loyal bannermen. In this one battle, nephews of Lord Lannister, Loreon and Lyman, are killed. In a fit of fury, Lyonel Lannister avenges his cousins by taking Lord Loras Tyrell's life on the battlefield in a duel that lasted mere seconds.

The battle is the first and only battle between the Reach and the Westerlands, and results in significant reparations to be paid by House Lannister to House Tyrell.

### Intervention of the Stag

Upon hearing of the death of Lord Tully, Lord Tyrell, prominent members of House Lannister, and the massacre of the Stony Sept villagers, King Alaric has decided that enough is enough. In a furious rage, he summons the entire Iron Order and rides furiously for Casterly Rock, where he has demanded both Lords Lannister and Tyrell have been ordered to appear before him.

Once Alaric arrives, he sits both lords down and proceeds to scold them like children for egging the zealots. He demands the immediate standing down of all forces. Lannister and Tyrell are not about to defy an incredibly angry king, and the Great Schism comes to an abrupt end, although Alaric allows Lorent and Lyonel to handle the peace negotiations directly concerning their houses.

Alaric makes harsh demands on both sides of the Faith. Any further formations of the Faith Militant would result in the immediate death of all involved. The Smiths were allowed to practice their beliefs, but they were also not allowed to pick up any arms. The major difference was that the Crown was under no obligation to protect them. This practically meant that roving bands of zealots to the Faith that they were free to massacre any bands of Smiths they could find.  Without any recourse to defend themselves and no lord willing to defy the Faith or get on Alaric’s bad side, the Smiths soon faded and grew into a secret cult. Despite the popularity of the Smiths waning, gangs of denounced zealots can still be found roaming the countryside to this day, eager to slit the throat of anyone bearing a hammer necklace on their neck.