Andophy

**Andophy** is a monotheistic religion revolving around the Lord and his prophets. The origins of Andophy are nebulous but is believed to have originated out of one of the polytheistic pantheons found in ancient Latora. The first prophet, Andoph, would bring to light the existence of the Lord and the established the basis of the religion, with further prophets prophesied to bring further enlightenment. The final prophet, Hélier, is reported to have shown up about one hundred years ago.

## Tenets

### The Holy Scriptures

Andoph would lay the basis of Andophy by establishing it's virtues and vices as it is said that the Lord spoke his laws through Andoph. He would record these by way of stone tablets which are kept in a vault near to the preferred place of the Latoran primarch, the originals having never left Latora by church law. Further stories would be collected and written down and of Andoph himself, later prophets, saints, and other notable individuals. All laws and stories are written in the same manner as Andoph, in ancient Latoran, considered as the language of the Lord. Usually only the clergy or those educated in Andophic theology and liturgy are capable of reading it. Despite some efforts to see the holy scriptures written in common tongue, it is generally considered as heretical by most.

The Lord's laws are as follows:

* **The Lord is the one true God among all of Man.**
* **Thou shall not needlessly or pointlessly kill thy fellow Man.**
* **Thou shall not taint thy own immortal soul.**

### Virtue

The Lord endorses good behavior that support his laws, those that embody these virtues earn his favor and please him.

* **Kindness**, as the Lord gives us his understanding so that we might embrace him, so shall his followers give their understanding to their fellow man, so that he too may embrace us and we, the Lord.
* **Charity**, as the Lord blesses us with life and gives himself to Man, so shall his followers give to his fellow Man. His gifts ought to be acts of kindness and that which draw away from his excesses.
* **Moderation**, for it is not the mere action nor substance that create sin but the excess that unbalances a soul. A man of a balanced mind, soul, and body are of the most pure.
* **Purity**, the soul is immortal, and all affect it accordingly, as such, the man of purest soul is considered the closest to the Lord.

### Sins

Many sins often fall under the inverse of their virtuous counter-parts, though additional sins come in the form of specific actions deemed inherently sinful by the Lord.

* **Wrath**, the anger that swells within a man leads to rash and unnecessary action that may lead to grievous sins.
* **Greed**, the coveting and hoarding of something is often a source of behavior that sinful in other ways and runs against the Lord's will for charity.
* **Excess**, an excess or a lack there of unbalance the body, mind, and soul, unraveling it from the mortal coil and most often lead to outcomes that run counter to the Lord's virtues.
* **Murder**, as the Lord blesses us with life, the taking of another's life is to not be taken lightly; those that are killed for sinful reasons are considered to be at their lowest, scarring themselves and stealing a life that the Lord had given.
* **Theft**, as Greed mounts, such is Man driven to take as much as he can from his fellow man, hindering both of them from following the Lord in their best way. Usury is considered a highly deceptive and particularly sinful manner of theft.
* **Ritual Sacrifice**, the Lord blesses us with life and so rejects the killing of another's life in his name for the covetous effort of obtaining his favor and blessing is of terrible sin. The worst form of this sin is considered to be human sacrifice, involving the killing of your fellow man.

Those who have committed to such sinful acts and behaviors may repent for their sins by way of penitence, confession, and indulgences, in the sincerest form of this manner or by otherwise truly virtuous acts, may they be forgiven for their sins by the Lord.

Indulgences are often more common in burghers, nobles, and in Latora particularly.

### The Afterlife

The Lord gives all of Man three places to go following the death of their mortal body as their immortal soul passes onto the afterlife.

Those that have embraced the Lord, becoming close their fellow Man and the Lord, are granted a place in **Elysium**, embodying the ideal existence of the Lord and a land without suffering.

Those that who do not understand the Lord or have not yet been forgiven for their sins are sent to a nameless, barren land to repent so that they may be forgiven or to contemplate on the Lord.

For the few that may be considered unforgivable by the Lord, those of the worst sin, are sent to the dark **Abyss** to suffer in a manner specifically befitting to their crimes.

### Spread

Disciples of Andophy are encouraged to spread the word of Andoph in any way possible. This usually takes the form of missionaries sent to places considered pagan, but has taken the form of crusades in isolated incidents.

Andophy is the primary religion in Lauchette and most of Aedwin.

While the pantheon of Latora has almost entirely, if not truly passed out, the same is not true as the Hedatists found in the Hales. It's rumored in a handful of tribes and clans that accept the Lord as part of their pantheon of gods. Latoran Andophists reject this idea in it's entirely usually, while Aedwinian Andophists are slightly more receptive to the notion on account of their Halish origins.

### Saints

In Andophy, it is possible for especially devout persons who have also done something worthy of acknowledgment to become sainted. In other words, saints are persons who have become embedded into the fabric of the Andophist faith. The influence of saints comes typically in the form of orders of monks or feast days (which entail festivals), as well as the recognition of various fields in which a saint is said to have influence in. Heretical instances of Andophy are known to have used saints for blasphemous purposes, often incorrectly worshipping them.

## Organization

Most Andophists organize themselves into **parishes** under the leadership of a priest who in turn congregate into larger groups known as **dioceses**, led by bishops. In Lauchette, an additional step is taken as bishops organize themselves beneath archdioceses led by archbishops, who in turn make up a body known as the **spiritual conclave**, generally referred to as the conclave. So far, the Aedwinian bishoprics have not advanced to the degree of creating archdioceses for themselves yet. During years of special need for the Church, it is not uncommon for the conclave to elect from its number a Seneschal, a supreme leader of sorts for the church. Especially ambitious and/or ruthless archbishops have maneuvered and boistered their way into the position.

The spiritual conclave is a universally recognized body of authority within Andophy. From Lauchette, its rulings have been final in many theological matters and have had real political consequences. To implement its will, the conclave or the Seneschal may dispatch special agents known as **lictors**, to fulfill missions and exert change needed.

Dioceses generally are capable of maintaining personnel in a manner that mirrors a royal court. The following chart is a suggestion and there exist possible offices not covered.

 Vicar
 Chancellor
 Sacristan
 Canon

Within a particular diocese/parish, not every member of the clergy need be a priest; there are deacons, subdeacons, and monks also possible. Generally speaking, a bishop/priest's staff is closed to the lay population due to the restriction of Old Latoran being taught only to the ordained clergy.

### Clothing

According to Andophist rubrics, all clergymen and clergywomen have a specified, standardized habit to be worn as symbols of the path of life they have chosen. For the male clergymen, this is a black robe with shoulder cape and splitbrim cap (the color of which varies on the office one is appointed to: bishops wear red and monks/priests wear black). For female clergymen, mantled dresses are often thought of as most appropriate, and accents along the hemline are considered acceptable decoration. Of particular note are that the materials of these garments is not specified, and therefore wealthier clergymen tend to use more exuberant and luxurious fabrics (silk and damask) for their garments whereas more impoverished clergymen stick to more durable but coarser textiles such as linen and cotton.

Jewelry is commonly worn and usually takes the form of necklaces. Other forms of embellishment are known, including brooches and supplemental cloaks and capes, as well as hoods.

## Communion and Sects

Given the widespread nature of Andophy it is only slightly more than uncommon that sects emerge with slight variations to the wider mainstay ideals of Andophy. Such is their nature that only the particularly theological men, such as fellow clergy, may take umbrage with their practices or ideals. Largely they'll usually fly under the notice of the wider organization of the clergy and may not necessarily be considered strictly heretical so long as they remain in Communion with the Church as a whole.

## Notable Andophists

Roland Sperhon

Adalbur

Òscar Minguell

Efa