Apostolic Lunarchism

Apostolic Lunarchism is the majority religion in Ailera. It is a religion which historically comes out of the area now occupied by the Faithful.

Every Lunarchist if they know anything about their faith will know the Lords' Prayer as follows:

> Our lords, in the cosmos, may your light shine upon us. By word informed, your will performed, let us be your servants.
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> Give unto us your bounty, and absolve us of our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
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> And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us your blessings.
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> For yours is our praise, the Cosmos, and eternal glory, forever and ever.
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> Amen.
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## Timeline of Church Events

* **3178 TE:** Zafir Lunarch is born on the continent of Naderach under Antian control
* **3145 TE:** Zafir Lunarch is crucified
* **3143 TE:** Matthew and Melchai travel to Antia and are martyred by the Emperor ???
* **2902 TE:** The Hellenic faction of the Lunarchist church splits with the Savantine faction of the Lunarchist Church. The Savantine Lunarchist church renames itself the Canonical Lunarchist Church, and the Hellenic faction renames itself the Apostolic Lunarchist Church. The Canonical Church believed the Age of Revelation had not yet ended.

## The Church Hierarchy

The Church is divided into two primary orders, although others have existed to a far lesser degree throughout history, including the order of crusaders, and others.

### The Regular Clergy

This group of clergy is tasked with study and codifying theology, copying books, praying for sinners, and conducting church business. After 14 years old they are castrated either chemically or surgically depending on assigned gender at birth. The Regular Clergy consists of the Vicars and the Eremites.

Vicars are the head theologians of the Church, and the leaders of monasteries.

Eremites are devoted worshipers and monks who study gods' creation, and do bureaucratic tasks for the church.

### The Lay or Secular Clergy

This group of clergy is tasked with preaching and conducting business relating to the masses. These tasks include baptisms, funerals, Sabbath Mass, and holiday services. The Lay Clergy consist of the High Exarch and the Exarchic Council, the Elect, the Presbyteriat.

The High Exarch (colloquially the Paré) and Exarchic council is an office which believed to be descended from the original seven apostles. The High Exarch represents the Church in matters of secular politics, and is chosen by the Electors.

The Elect is an office believed to be descended from those who witnessed the resurrection of Zafir, and were presonally instructed in their role of the office. They are the foremost authority of the church available to the masses on a regular basis. They are assigned to Cathedrals.

The Presbyteriat is an office believed to be descended from the first preachers of the church as instructed by the First Elect. They are assigned to preach to Churches.

## Unifying Beliefs

### The Creation

The World was created by Soliel, the angel which resides inside the sun. They created the cosmos, the rest of the Angels and the planets they inhabit, and the Earth, with no angel. Soliel then created Earthkind.

### The Heptumvirate and Cospiritship

Each angel is cospirited within each other angel. This can be roughly understood as each being an essential foundation of both each other and the world, being equal in importance, but different in substance. Each angel represents an element in which they can be most easily found, a virtue they reward, and a sin they punish.

1. Soleil: Life, Courage/Cowardice
2. Venus: Sea, Generosity/Meanness
3. Saturn: Earth, Modesty/Impropriety
4. Jupiter: Sky, Strength/Weakness
5. Mercury: Mind, Temperance/Indulgence
6. Mars: Fire, Wisdom/Foolishness
7. Lune: Soul, Truthfulness/Deceitfulness

### The Fall from Grace

Paul and Ella specifically disobeyed God by lusting after the devils of the earth, cursing them and their descendants with mortality and gender. God then locked them out of the first city. These Earthkind became the first humans.

### The Chosen People of God

While God had severely punished Paul and Ella, God did not abandon all of their descendants. God made a new covenant with Neil and Nomura, granting their children a special place with Them. They were the first Vizborkans.

### The Incarnation

The Antian Empire had conquered the homeland of the Vizborkans for centuries before a genderless baby was born to the virgins named Savane and her wife Helena in the year 3178 BL. According to God's instructions their parents named them Zafir. They grew up to be an itinerant preacher and wise-person, who told the Vizborkans to put their faith in God and the Angels, to give up their possessions to the poor, and to be peaceful above all else. They did this with the partnership of their closest followers, the Seven Apostles.

### The Destruction and Resurrection

Running afoul of either the Vizborkan authorities for heresy or the Antian Imperial officials depending on whether or not you want to justify anti-Vizbork prejudice or defame the origins of the Church. In some level of partnership, and with the help of the great betrayal with one of the Apostles (there were originally 8 but now there are 7), they sentenced Zafir to be Broken on the Wheel, the harshest punishment of the empire. After being buried in a tomb, a week later the tomb was empty, and the circle of 7 followers with around 300 others saw Zafir preach for 40 more days before ascending into heaven.

### The Foundation of the Apostolic Lunarchist Church

The Apostles and the others who saw them believed they saw the resurrected Lunarch preach to them and instruct them on the basic foundation of what would become the Apostolic Church. They all became saints, the most important is Saint Shamai the primary among the Church Progenitors, and the first High Exarch.

## The Universal Creed

During the Early Church, there were several crises where it appeared the faith would split. In order to heal these divisions, a council of representatives from the Electorate wrote the Universal Creed, which would summarize the beliefs of a Lunarchist.

> I believe in God almighty, the creator of Angels and the Earth.
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> I believe in Zafir Lunarch, Their only child, our Lord, Who was born of the virgin Eliza, Who was broken on the wheel, died, and was buried.
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> On the seventh day they rose from the dead. They ascended into the cosmos and are cospirited with Lune, from whence They will come to judge our souls.
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> I believe in one holy Apostolic church, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
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> Amen
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## The First Book of Provenance

> 1 In the beginning there was God. God in Their infinite mercy saw it fit to bless creation with the seven planets. God in Their wisdom blessed then creation with the formless Earth.
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> 2 Each planet was with an angel cospirited and then with God cospirited again. Each praised God and with a blessing upon the Earth came forth.
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> 3 Venus, God’s first angel said, “Let us bring forth the sea,” and God judged it good. Thus, the water was upon the Earth blessed, giving it shape.
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> 4 Saturn, God’s second angel said, “Let us bring forth the land,” and God judged it good. Thus, the land was upon the Earth blessed in between the waves.
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> 5 Jupiter, God’s third angel said, “Let us bring forth the sky,” and God judged it good. Thus, the sky was upon the Earth blessed over it’s land and sea.
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> 6 Soleil, in Their wisdom said, “Let us populate the land, the sea, and the sky with beasts and plants of all kinds,” and God judged it good. Thus, the beasts and plants of the Earth from the land walked, from the sea swam, and from the sky flew.
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> 7 Mercury, God’s fourth angel said, “Let us choose one beast to be blessed minds,” and God judged it good. Thus began the Earthkind to think and to speak amongst each other.”
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> 8 Lune God’s fifth angel said, “Let us choose one beast with souls to be blessed,” and God judged it good. Thus began the Earthkind to praise God and Their Angels for Their blessings.
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> 9 Mars, God’s sixth angel said, “Let us with the gift of fire bless Earthkind,” and God judged it good. Thus, began the Earthkind to build their first city and temples to warm themselves and dedicate themselves to God’s worship.
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## Saint List - In Progress

* Saint Savane -  Mother of Zafir, supposedly a virgin, husband not named
* Saint Krall: Author of several books, towards the end of his life, broke himself on the wheel and narrated his fever dreams which became some of his most well known and controversial texts
* Saint Mitchild - A saint born in the Thaud, famous for having prophetic dreams. Prayers to Saint Mitchild are said to grant insight into the future, or to bolster artistic or musical talent.
* Saint Shamai - The Church Progenitor, and an Apostle of Zafir, famous for being an incredible leader and organizer. Prayers to Saint Shamai are said to grant courage in the face of unspeakable odds or (???).
* Saint Guibert - A Saint from the old Thaudish Kingdom born around ???, famous for having incredible religious insight and piety. Prayers to Saint Guibert are said to cure illness or to make one’s enemies feel the guiding hand of God towards pious reflection.
* Saint Celesti - A martyred Saint born in Antia, who tried to convert the area that now makes up the Bellatoan Empire in ???. Prayers to Saint Celesti are said to grant one a greater ability to convert others or to resist pain.
* Saint Bertrada - A Saint from the Old Thaudish Kingdom born around ???. Famous for fully converting the Gaulish warlord who would go on to found the Old Thaudish Empire. Prayers to Saint are said to grant good weather, or to grant favor in battle.
* Saint Samue - An Apostle of Zafir, known for having been martyred by the Antian Empire while trying to preach the Gospel to the early, (definitely written in the like they were a communist utopia) Lunarchists. Part of the bread and fish bible story. Prayers to Saint Samue are said to help bring one’s daily bread.
* Saint Caribert - A Saint from the Old Thaudish Kingdom born around ???, who was famous for defending La Ville against an invasion. They prayed for 14 days in the town square until a great monsoon wind swept the invading force away into the sea. Prayers to Saint Caribert are said to help bring prosperity to the citizens of La Ville. Patron Saint of La Ville, and questionably related to the de la Venteblanche family.
* Saint Irene - A martyred Saint who was a pious and chivalrous knight. They were killed in the 8th crusade in 1213 which was fought against the Rhystics. Her prayers are said to help win god to your favor in battle.

## Famous Heresies

**The Rhystics**: Known for their denial of the concept of cospiritship, claiming that all angels are instead below Soleil and Lune, who they consider to be creator gods (of body and spirit respectively). They were also famous for whipping the peasants in the area they controlled into a frenzy for believing that the second coming was very close. Considered polytheistic and thus heretical by the Church. The heresy was ended by the 8th crusade.

**The Singulari**: Known for their embrace of only Soliel as cospirited with Lune and Zafir, denying the co-divinity of the Angels.They were a mostly “intellectual” movement, their heresy ended with several bishops being excommunicated.

**Vestanism**: Known as "The Heresy of Mars" by its detractors, Vestanism is a minor and relatively new heresy (or heterodoxy, depending on who you ask) originated by Rufus Ignatius Vestanus in 1122, via a book called *In Libris Mars*. Vestanus, who allegedly had flame-red hair and an ashen complexion, and was always hot to the touch as if febrile, claimed to be cospirited with the Angel of Mars, just as Zafir Lunarch was cospirited with the Angel of Lune--though unlike Zafir, Vestanus denied that Mars had any messianic duty other than to burn. Throughout time, others with the same red hair, gray complexion, and inner heat have claimed this same cospiritship--Vestanism is exceedingly uncommon outside of those who manifest the so-called "Mark of Mars."

This alleged cospiritship is decidedly heterodox, but not deemed significant enough to be an issue, especially because Vestanists generally keep to themselves (rather than seeking religious authority). The more externally important--and derided--core tenet of Vestanism is that the Angel of Mars is male. Suggesting cospiritship with an angel is a relatively minor heterodoxy; suggesting that an angel could be gendered is much more significant. If there were more than a few dozen Vestanists, the Church would likely persecute them; however, a few dozen redhead madmen have yet to be deemed a serious issue worthy of inquisition or trial.

"Rufus Ignatius Vestanus" is commonly understood to be a pseudonym. The reasons for this are debated, but the consensus is either that the author published *In Libris Mars* pseudonymously out of fear of reprisals for heresy, or that he was given a feminine name and gender at birth and later adopted a different name and gender to fully serve as a Cospirit of Mars.