Church of the Vigil

The **Church of the Vigil** is a widespread religion that originated from the Vigil Protectorate, and remains one of the more widely practised faith in the region. In Edraxis especially, the Church has great power in its zone of influence, being both a religious and a political faction.

The goal of the Church is to spread their teachings to all four corners of the world and to all races. The view of the Church on non-humans is that they are inferior and need saving (or cleansing if they will not conform). As per the teachings of the Church, worship of other lesser deities has turned non-believers of the true faith even further from the gods' grace than before. Once all peoples have accepted the Church and practice its teachings, there would be balance, and the gods would return to transform the world into a land of eternal life.

## Beliefs & Practices

The Church takes the majority of its core beliefs from the scripture left behind by the prophet who began it. These teachings, inscribed in the form of a song on four circular pieces of marble, are known as The Four Circles and are locked away in the vaults of the Valiant Cathedral, in the city of Invinze.

The core of the faith is centred around a pantheon of four gods. Each god is believed to be its own separate entity, but together they form the four facets that fuel life. The four gods are in fact each linked to natural phenomena (the two suns, the moon, and the dark), which similarly are all separate but integral parts of nature.

* **The Guardian:** Represented by the larger sun and the light it casts. God of strength and courage. He is often depicted as a large, well-armoured man with a drawn sword. He is said to protect the living from evil, and inspire them to greatness.
* **The Prophet:** Represented by the smaller sun and the light it casts. God of intellect and wisdom. He is often depicted as a studious man, with an open tome and a builder's tools strapped to his belt. He is said to provide knowledge and guidance to his
* **The Mother:** Represented by the moon and its nightly glow. Goddess of devotion, love, and life. She is often depicted as a motherly figure, holding out a helping hand. She is said to lead her followers away from temptation and sin.
* **The Shade:** Represented by the absence of any light from the other gods. God of justice and death. He is often depicted as tall, hooded figure, with a face hidden by his cowl. Unlike the other gods, all of which deal with an aspect of life, his domain is the realm of the dead, The Dreamlands, where he passes sentence on the dead and decides if they are worthy to pass their vigil and thus rest in peace. In some stories, he is said to have filed teeth which he uses to draw the souls from the dying so they may pass into the next life.

Some schools of thought within the church suggest that these four gods may in fact all be part of the same entity, taking multiple forms. This is a hotly disputed matter, that has thus far been dismissed as heresy.

The central belief system of the faith focuses on the immediately afterlife following death. It is believed by followers of the Church that after death, the dead travel to an alternate reality which exists parallel to our own, known as the Dreamlands. They exist as shadows living in the same world as us, but unable to interact with us directly. They can see us and hear us, but we can't see or hear them. They are shapeless but retain their conscience and memories. They spend an amount of time in this reality based on the sins they carried out when living. The Shade, the erstwhile god of death, judges when you are worthy to finally go to rest. Before that, you must live in the Dreamlands, watching over the living and protecting them from evil. This period of time is known as The Vigil of the Dead, which gives the religion its name.

### Places of Worship

Followers of the Church pray in buildings known as sanctums. These are typically circular in shape and generally have four skylights, one at each direction of the compass rose, such that they cast light meeting at the centre of the sanctum, where the altar is placed. In some cases, particularly in regions where the faith is newly adopted, sanctums are simply re-purposed old buildings and will as such not be constructed accordingly. Larger sanctums are known as cathedrals, but are far more rare, due to the associated expense.

## Organisation

### Ranks

In ascending order:

1. Aspirant
2. Vigilant (Priest)
3. Curate (Bishop)
4. Quadrate (Archbishop)
5. Justicar (Cardinal)
6. High Vigilant