Martyrdom

"Hasta Et Parma Christi"

**The Martyres Domini** (The Lord's Martyrs in English), more commonly known as the Martyrdom, is a secret religious order from the Roman Catholic Church and an organization of magi. However, the Martyrdom does not refer to its members as magi, instead they call themselves Martyrs, individuals who shoulder the burden and sin of using magic. Commonly viewed with contempt by most Mage Institutions and organizations, the Martyrdom declares itself as the enemy of demons, heathens, and heretics, especially magi who utilize the most vile heresy of all, "using magic to imitate God's power".

While no longer at the peak of their power since the end of the 19th century, the Martyrdom still holds great influence around the world, primarily in Europe and South America, and proudly declares itself as the hidden hand of the Christ that punishes the heretical, be it magi, magical beasts, or the byproduct of magic: undead and rogue familiars running amok.

## Origin and History

### Early History

The people who would eventually be called the Martyrdom originated as several groups of zealous Christians from different parts of the Roman Empire that utilized magic as a tool to help the faithful hide from persecution as well as combat what they'd call "heathen" magi. By the time Rome adopted Christianity as the state-religion, the Martyrdom only grew in numbers, as well as becoming more and more zealous and dogmatic in their beliefs. Slowly, they believed that the very concept of magic is a sin, a "blasphemous attempt of imitating the abilities of God", and it possess as a corrupting danger to Christianity. The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 heralded the official formation of the Martyrdom, as they flocked to Rome and established a hidden bases of operations. They pledged loyalty to the Papacy and declared themselves its protectors in the shadows. Declaring themselves as the Martyres Domini, or the Lord's Martyrs, the Martyrdom proudly carry the burdensome sin of using magic as a weapon against heathen magi. As the Roman Catholic Church grew more and more influential during the Dark Ages and Medieval Age, the Martyrdom also waxed in power. Countless "Heresies" within Christianity, such Gnostics and Marcionists were suppressed and hunted down with the hidden help of Martyrdom, especially if said heresies had magi in their ranks.

By the 6th Century, the now organized Martyrdom developed a fighting force capable of hunting down magi, magical beasts, undead, and other entities they consider as pagan and heretical. Their crusade against the magi of Europe would lay the foundation of the long-standing hostilities between the Martyrdom and the future Grand Order of Magi. By the 9th Century, the Martyrdom was officially organized into the **Tribunal**, three branches that perform different roles in the Martyrdom. The Tribunal consists of the **Inquisition**, the **Ordination**, and the **Chivalry**.

### The Collapse and Post-Collapse Era

By the year 1000, however, the Collapse occurred and heralded a new age for magic. Due to their shaping of magic as "miracles" in the eyes of the religious non-magi, the Martyrdom actually avoided invoking the Earth's Correction and rarely had Horrors appear whenever they performed feats of magic in front of people. With this distinct edge, hostilities between Martyrs and Magi continued throughout the Middle Ages. Surviving Christian Heresies also became a target for the Martyrdom.

The Dawn of the Age of Exploration saw conquistadors and explorers reaching the Americas, searching for God, Gold, and Glory, and it was only natural that the Martyrdom would accompany them, especially the Spanish expeditions. Spanish settlement of the Caribbean in 1493 resulted in the Martyrdom Inquisition clashing with the native magi and forcing them into uniting and forming a hidden base of operations against the European invasion in the Bermuda Triangle. The Conquest of Mexico in 1519 saw Martyrdom Inquisitors and Knights battling the natives of Central America, primarily Aztec magi. The rise of the Spanish Empire in the Americas were supported by the Martyrdom in the shadows, crushing any sort of resistance from the native magi, who they deemed heathens. However, the conquest of Peru in 1572 cemented the formation of the Guabancex Alliance, where magi from Central and South America fled to the hidden islands of the Bermuda Triangle.

Spanish Colonization of the Philippines also expanded the Martyrdom's frontiers. The divided nature of the islands' population and magi made them easy pickings, to the point where the Martyrdom wiped out a majority of native magi. Few who converted to Christianity and devoted their magic to the Martyrdom were spared. The Filipino magi that did survive either hid in remote areas, fled to the Sulu Sultanate where the the Arcane Order's Covenant of Suleiman had a presence, or were part of the Balete, highly isolationist magi who cut themselves off from the rest of the world by settling in the Border Realm even before the Collapse. The arrival of the Martyrdom was merely an excuse for them to start raiding Christian settlements for slaves and wealth. The extremely difficult to access settlements of the Balete led to the Martyrdom being unable to eliminate the source of the raids, and forcing them to adopt a defensive stance against the "heathen barbarians".

The 17th Century also saw Arcane Order expansion into the New World, extending the clashes between the Martyrdom and the Order outside of Europe. Centuries of constant hostilities with not only the Order but the magi of regions where Martyrdom influence was high strengthened the Martyrdom's members in terms of experience of fighting a variety of magi, but it also resulted in their forces being spread out thin. By the time of the 19th Century, Order Magi started an incursion in Rome with the goal of breaking into the heart of the Martyrdom, the Vatican, and liberating powerful magical artifacts kept by the Ordinators deep in the Pope's Apostolic Palace. Such an attack resulted in a majority of Martyrdom members in the Philippines being recalled to Europe, leaving their grasp in the Southeast Asian country vulnerable. The remaining Martyrs in the Philippines had to sign a non-aggression and cooperation pact with the rising Snake Tong in order to weaken the Order influence in the region.

### The Martyrdom in the Present

By the turn of the 20th century, the Church was able to force the Order magi in Europe into a standstill, but at the cost of their domination in Asia, such specifically Philippines. Diplomatically, the Martyrdom has shifted from its aggressive policies and signed official non-aggression pacts several organizations, including the Order of Magi by the 1950s, however there treaties are simply for show and the two historical rivals continue to view each other with hidden hostility, although they make sure that any instances of violence between the two's members are covered up as "isolated incidents."

The Martyrdom has since established permanent Defensive Stance in the Philippines, prioritizing protection of their holdings in the country, such as Churches and hidden Ordinator bases. They continue to dominate South America and Central America as the authority on magic, resulting in tensions with the Guabancex Alliance and the Arcane Order Covenants in the region. Isolated incidents there are common as a result. They continue to share dominance in Europe with the Order, and have been in this Cold War state with their historical rivals. They also have a prominent grasp in North America, causing more tensions with existing magi groups in the region.

In the present they take pride in the fact that they are the global guardian of humanity from the evils of magic, malevolent entities that spawn from magic, such as rogue familiars or magical beasts running amok, and the undead. The fear of undead by the superstitious non-magi bolsters the Martyrdom's modern crusade against the "evil spawn of magic", especially if Vampires or Necromancers are independent and do not have the protection of mage organizations.

## Organizational Structure

The Martyrdom hierarchy is divided into the Tribunal, with three **Triumviri** sharing equal power while overseeing their specific branch.

### The Inquisition

The is the most numerous of the Martyrdom, surpassing the Knightly Orders during the middle of the 20th century. The Inquisition specializes in the hunting down of heresy, be it magi, undead, magical anomalies and beasts, or members of Heretical orders like the Heavenly Host. The Inquisitors' line of work makes them the most commonly seen agents of the Martyrdom, reinforced by the fact that every Catholic Diocese has at least two Inquisitors assigned to them. Inquisitors typically blend in with the Catholic clergy, and many receive theological education as a result.

### The Ordination

The Ordinators of the Martyrdom oversee the acquisition, storage, research, and protection of magical artifacts, items considered holy relics, be it body parts or artifacts that belonged to Saints, to relics that are said to have existed during biblical times. The Ordinators' are primarily located in Europe, where the majority of its hidden research facilities and storage vaults are located, however the Ordinators are also present in parts of South America and Asia via the Philippines. Ordinators are deployed whenever rumors of religious or magical artifacts surface, usually accompanied by Inquisitors.

### The Chivalry

The Chivalry made up the Knights of the Martyrdom and were once the main militant branch, before the Inquisition replaced them as the organization's agents actively sent around the world. The Knightly Orders, known for their use of armor and weaponry, such as halberds and plate armor, act as the defensive force of the Martyrdom, with several branches assigned to different parts of the world. Their duties primarily involve defending holy ground, such as Churches and other important sites to the Martyrdom and also aid any Inquisitors or Ordinators that visit their areas of control for missions. The Knightly Orders are also the most hierarchical of the Tribunal, with several ranks akin to a military order. Similar to the Inquisition, Knights of the Martyrdom also blend in with Catholic clergy. Highly skilled members of the Chivalry are also occasionally sent out of their home territories to assist in high-level missions, which can involve fighting heretics, undead, demons, and others that are deemed threats by the Martyrdom.

Examples of Knight Branches include:

* Knights of the Holy See (The Vatican)
* Knights of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia (Philippines)
* Knights of La Espada Y la Cruz (South America)

## Views on Magic

The Martyrs of the Catholic Church vehemently refer to the Magic utilized by other groups as heresies or heathenry, and instead refer to the spells they use as **Imitations**, as in mere replications of God's powers, and they refers to Magical Energy as **Faith**. The majority of the Martyrdom' spells consist of recreations of Alteration and Restoration magic, the former primarily consisting of Body Reinforcing Spells for combat and the latter consisting of healing and purification spells. These two branches of magic are the most commonly used by the rank-and-file Martyrs, while the higher ranking members utilize more powerful and a more diverse selection of magic.

While other Mage Institutions seek to monopolize magic and carefully preserve it, the higher-ups of the Martyrdom specifically want to sculpt magic into something more "acceptable" within Christianity, and they would discard anything else that do not fit with the Christian doctrines. Magic that heals and purifies undead are categorized as "**Lesser Miracles**" that the faithful could perform, while other magics such as flight, binding and summoning familiars, or even simple pyromancy is deemed heretical, and anyone outside of the Martyrdom performing it is a heretic. Because of this goal, the high-ranking members of the Martyrdom do not necessarily desire total destruction of magic, unlike more extreme anti-mage groups.

The Ordinators of the Martyrdom have also carefully recreated the "Greater Miracles" or Phenomena found in "Christian Canon", and have utilized it into weapons, armor, and other artifacts known as "**Mantle Vessels**", which allows the chosen members of both the Inquisition and the Chivalry as superweapons used to deal with designated enemies. Due to the limited amount of Mantle Vessels and not to mention the tremendous powers these hold, fueled by the continued collective beliefs in the Catholic faith across the world, Mantle Vessels are given to only those who the Ordination deems worthy. They are called Mantle Vessels since they are vessels that let the "Greater Miracles" and Phenomena from Christian Canon be contained and therefor used by an Inquisitor or Knight. It is uncommon for chosen members of the Martyrdom to be given more than one Mantle Vessel, unless it is deemed necessary.

Some of the most well known vessels used by the chosen Inquisitors and Knights are rather straightforward, such as the Sling of David, a recreation of the sling used to defeat Goliath, and has embodied the Essence of "Giantslayer" and utilized against giant monstrous beasts. Others, however, are unconventional "recreations", such as the Samsonite Heart, a heart made entirely of mana imbued hair and the crushed bonemeal of a donkey's jawbone before being meticulously blessed in different rituals to provide the person the heart was transplanted to the superhuman capabilities of Samson.

## Known Members

* Celine Leclair - Former Member
* Elenore Fulo - Knight of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia