Great Spherical Church

## (K0) The Largest Religion

The Spherical Church is the direct rival faith system to the Church of the Glowing Bastion. It was founded shortly after Operation New Dawn as a response to the discovery of The Great Martyrs. The Church is the largest in human history, and has a current membership ranging into the 10 billions. The Church practices a polytheistic faith system, focused on The Martyrs and nature. The faith has no set creation story, since the Earth‘s creation is explained through science. The Church enjoys a fair amount of independence and irregulation by the Kodian Empire’s government, due to the nation’s disinterest in religious matters. The government is known to get involved, however, when The Church takes things too far or takes over an area of the world.

## Property:

1. Salt Lake City: The Spherical Church owns Salt Lake City and the surrounding countryside; other corporations are heavily restricted, and law and order are enforced with great prejudice and xenophobia, especially for those outside of the Church.

## Brief:

The Great Spherical Church, often referred to as simply "The Church," is a globe-spanning religious organization originating in Hollywood, California that deifies a number of alien races believed to exist somewhere out in the wider Universe; the Spherical Church purports that life on Earth was seeded by this divine alien species, and that they remained near Earth for many years to nudge humanity's development. Official Church doctrine also decrees that, at some point in the future, this alien race will return to Earth to claim those who are loyal to their cause. The Great Spherical Church is considered a Villainous Organization by Kodian Enterprises for numerous crimes, including the use of Magic and Gifted Individuals illegally, terrorism, espionage, war crimes and crimes against humanity, human experimentation, tax evasion, drug smuggling, human trafficking, etc. The Spherical Church continues to exist, however, due to deals with world governments and embedded agents in politics.

### Organization:

##### HQ: [REDACTED]

The Great Spherical Church is led by 2 Great Priests, who oversee all operations at the highest level and manage conversion efforts; each Great Priest remains in their position for life or until they are declared infirm or incapable of ruling. Great Priests are always voted in as a duo; if even 1 Great Priest dies or abdicates their position, the other one is obligated to also give up their rank. Great Priests can be anyone of Justicar rank or higher. Great Priests are chosen by the Royal Templars, who occupy the rank below the Great Priests; the Royal Templars advise the Great Priests and oversee global operations, often responsible for managing the organization's personnel and resource allocation, as well as determining budgets for specific regions or high-profile operations. Royal Templars do not directly manage any Parishes, and remain in the Church's headquarters. Templars are next lowest in the hierarchy, and are responsible for managing multiple Parishes; the exact number of Parishes overseen by a single Templar is determined by the size of each Parish under a Templar's purview. Historically, Templars were responsible for the Church's safety measures and defenses, also placing them as the heads of security for modern Church properties and personnel. Below the Templars sit the High Justicars, who oversee a single Parish, town, or property personally; below them sit the Justicars, the average priesthood who offer religious services, guidance, advice, etc. to laypeople and lead religious services. The Raised can exist at any point in the hierarchy, depending on their determined Worth within the organization; The Raised refer to prophets who have heard the gods or the Martyrs' voices and who have special abilities not found among other ranks, often making them Gifted Individuals. The 'Clergy' refers to the remainder of the non-ordained members of the Church; the Clergy are those who adhere to the Church's rules, attend religious services at least once a week, who may attend religious retreats, etc. They make up the large majority of the Church's membership, and most dedicate large portions of their lives or savings to improving their standing within the Church. "Lamb" refers to any non-believing person who has yet to convert or be properly exposed to the Church's teachings; everyone in the Church, including normal 'Clergy,' are expected to be involved in spreading the Church's message to those who do not believe, and have a mission of educating their inexperienced friends and family in the Church's beliefs. True Sinners are those deemed an active and permanent threat to the Church; worse than excommunication, a True Sinner is someone that the Church has declared an enemy. Church members are obligated to attack, neglect, abuse, discriminate against, or outright harm True Sinners on sight, as True Sinners are believed to be agents of foreign forces and heathens attempting to corrupt, infiltrate, dismantle, divide, or obliterate the Church.

#### Hierarchy:

1. Great Martyrs: The ultimate alien gods that exist outside the Multiverse, working to drive all sentient life towards perfection and similar ascension.
2. [LESSER MARTYR]
3. Great Priest: Highest rank a person can hold. There are only ever 2 at a time.
4. Royal Templar: 2nd highest rank that can be held; advisors to the Great Priests responsible for voting in new Great Priests; equivalent to a Cardinal.
5. Templar: High-ranking administrative role within the Church responsible for overseeing regional operations, either over a country or a continent/subcontinent; equivalent to an Archbishop.
6. High Justicar: The advanced officials who run Parishes and sections of The Church; equivalent to a Bishop.
7. Justicar: Priests who operate under High Justicars; tasked with carrying out most of the less important rituals of a Parish or section of The Church.
8. The Raised: People The Great Martyrs have ”spoken” to in some way; are always Gifted Individuals.
9. Martyrs: People whose Worth has been used up in pursuit of the Church's goals; can range from giving one's life in defense of the Church to handing over all of one's worldly possessions in "donations" to the Church.
10. Clergy: People that have joined The Church, and as such has proven to have “Worth.”
11. Lamb: The title given to nonbelievers.
12. [APOSTATE]
13. True Sinner: Anyone else that has ever (past, present, or future) actively fought against or attempted to hinder the progress of The Great Spherical Church; the Church encourages and condones the murder, torture, assassination, and kidnapping of anyone titled True Sinner.

### Equipment:

#### Military:

1. High Executor: Leading Inquisitors who investigate sins and corruption on a large scale and oversee cases of orthodoxy to determine the rules of The Church; act as generals or commanders, leading The Church’s military.
2. Executor: Inquisitors tasked with hunting and killing True Sinners or other enemies of The Church. Executioners, torturers, and expert soldiers charged with protecting the elite members of The Church.
3. Praetorians: Elite heavy infantry of The Church; must be totally devout.

### Major Deities (Great Martyrs):

1. Father Time/Fate
2. Mother Nature
3. Death
4. Life
5. Vengeance
6. Wisdom
7. Kreo
8. [REDACTED]
9. [REDACTED]

#### Minor Deities (Champions):

1. Deities of Tailoring
2. Deities of Valor
3. Deities of Knowledge
4. Deities of Arrogance
5. God of Madness
6. God of Luck
7. God of Darkness
8. God of Bronze
9. Goddess of Astronomy
10. Deities of Shame

### Culture:

The culture of The Great Spherical Church changes depending on the rank or title of the person in question, but there are a few overarching and general key elements that remain unanimously similar.

#### Principles:

Generally speaking, The Great Spherical Church focuses on avoiding and cleansing sin, avoiding the wrath of The Great Martyrs, and to a lesser degree world domination. Individually, people focus on converting outsiders, finding harmony with nature, praising The Great Martyrs (in one or more ways), and avoiding sin.

#### Ethics:

The Great Spherical Church defines a good person as a tolerant, sinless, respectful, and obedient one. Evil is defined as recklessness, disrespect, and sin. The Church has deemed a number of things taboo:

1. Eye Contact: Not to be made with anyone of higher rank or age. Doing so results in disciplinary action by the person eye contact was established with.
2. Mental Illness: Seen as a punishment by The Great Martyrs for past sins. Results in euthanasia or abortion.
3. Eating ”Unclean” Animals: Animals not grown on Church property are considered “Unclean,” or tainted and are not to be eaten. Higher ranks of Church officials can supposedly “sense” when a person has consumed such foods, but no studies have been done by Kodian Empire officials. Punishment is usually force-feeding and Confession.

#### Attitudes:

The Great Spherical Church holds several attitudes regarding The Great Martyrs and the “world” The Church believes they inhabit:

1. The Spirit World is full of tricksters and malevolent spirits.
2. The highest form of art is sculpture, chanting, and sometimes metalworking.
3. Outsiders are usually mistrusted until their Worth has been proven.

### Rituals:

The Great Spherical Church has a number of varying ways a person can praise, venerate, or honor The Great Martyrs. This includes, prayer, ritual, pilgrimages, and symbols.

#### Prayer:

The Great Spherical Church sees prayer in a light unlike most other faiths, mainly in the sense that there are a number of specific conditions that must be met for The Great Martyrs to respond to prayers.

1. The Great Martyrs are less likely to respond or hear prayers if the person is trained in the military or not higher ranking than a soldier.
2. The Great Martyrs are less likely to speak or be active in, on, or around holy locations.
3. The Great Martyrs will usually speak to teachers and The Raised.

#### The Rituals:

The Great Spherical Church has a number of rituals they perfom to please and worship The Great Martyrs. They are often secretive, out in the open, and last from midday to the next sunset. Preparation includes self-denial, reciting certain words, and dietary restrictions. Rituals themselves are usually chanting, making certain hand gestures, and sometimes tatooing. The following is a list of known rituals practiced by The Great Spherical Church:

1. The Beckoning of the Revealed Void: The ritual performed on possible new members, meant to draw forth their Worth through the intervention of The Great Martyrs. Requires the recruits fast beforehand and consume large amounts of Bronze.
2. The Rite of the Horrific Noise: A ritual of punishment conducted publicly as both humiliation and an example to the rest of the Clergy present. Involves an Executor slicing the victim in all the most painful areas, as well as torture related to things similar. Victims are subjected to large amounts of Baine before the ritual, which keeps them conscious throughout and able to feel the pain. It also opens them up to suggestion, allowing the Executor leading it to replace The Church’s grip on the mind.
3. Confession: A drawn-out systematic torture of established Clergy where they confess there sins before an Executor and are then punished accordingly. Appliance of the narcotic Bronze as well as Baine are necessary to maintain consciousness, feeling, and honesty throughout the ritual.

#### Symbols

The Great Spherical Church‘s symbols include the images depicted on their holy tomes, their main symbol (2 spheres surrounded by an hourglass on a field of purple), and The Great Martyrs themselves.