Apostasy Charter

The Apostasy Charter was an edict of the Divine Church that banned the practice of magic outside of Divine Church control, under the strictest of regulations and punishments. Following the succesful Arcane Revolution, the Charter was amended and revised to lessen the limitations and remove the imprisonment clauses, destroying the Asylum Arcanis.

The revised charter is memorized by all students of the Guild of Mages and Enchanters upon admittance to the Guild and prefaces every exam.

Those who break the rules of the Charter are considered Apostates or Witches, and are hunted down by the Venators.

## History of the Charter

The charter was conceived in a time of great hatred towards mages and other magic users. It passed into law many restrictions on what a mage can or cannot research, practice, or think.

During The Second Crusade, magical users were among the many persecuted by the Divine Church's Inquisition, and those born with magical potential outside of the Guild's protection were brutally murdered- often by their own fearful parents.

Fearing it would be unable to hold out against a war in all places outside the Elven Domains, the archmagisters of the guild agreed to a set of rules and regulations, to be placed upon all mages and magic users in the lands that follow the Divine Church.

The charter led to the creation of sanctified Order of Venator, a group of mages and paladins under the Inquisition that are permitted any action needed to hunt down and bring to justice an Apostate, and the establishment of the Asylum Arcanis to imprison and train mages under the watchful eyes of the church.

### Revised Edition

Following the Arcane Revolution, the Charter was revised to be more lenient. Formal education was not required at a particular location, and mages were allowed to live in their own homes. To accomadate these changes, the Guild of Mages and Enchanters was established to take the place of the forever closed Asylum Arcanis.

## Key Tenets of the Charter

The Key Tenets of the Charter are the central rules that all people in a Divine country must live by, although most of them are aimed specifically at mages.

* It is an act of Apostasy to create an object of Magitek.
* It is an act of Apostasy to cast a spell upon a non-magical when not fearing for one's own life\*
* It is an act of Apostasy to consort with Old Ones, Demon, or Devliric forces.
* It is an act of Apostasy for a mage to be without a Mark of Penance.
* It is an act of Apostasy to practice the art of Necromancy.

*\*The line "When not fearing for one's life" was changed following the Arcane Revolution, from "Apart from under orders of the Divine". This led to a lot of uproar at the time, as people now began to fear for their safety should they attack one of the newly freed mages.*

After the Arcane Revolution, the following tenets were removed from the Charter:

* It is an act of Apostasy to study magic outside the confines of the Asylum Arcanis.
* It is an act of Apostasy for a mage to live outside the auspices of the Asylum Arcanis that is their home.
* It is an act of Apostasy for a meeting of more than two mages to occur without being presided over by a representative of the Divine Church.
* It is an act of Apostasy to refuse orders of the Divine Church and it's representatives.
* It is an act of Apostasy for a mage to communicate with outsiders without Divine Consent.
* It is an act of Apostasy to cast magic, except under the watchful eyes of the Divine Church.
* It is an act of Apostasy to harbor an Apostate, or through silence allow an Apostate to escape the eyes of the Divine.\*
* It is an act of Apostasy to knowingly or unknowingly aid and abet an Apostate.\*

*\*This tenet is aimed primarily at non-magical people.*

## Apostasy

Apostasy is the act of defying the Church's orders and violating the Charter. While the Charter is primarily aimed to contorl mages, certain Tenets also apply to non-mages, such as those about aiding, abetting, hiding, or harboring apostates.

Apostates who perform magic are commonly referred to as Witches.

## Criticism of the Charter

The Apostasy Charter has faced much criticism, especially in recent years, among many mages and scholars. Among other things, the banning of Necromancy among mages is seen as an attempt by the Divine Church to grant themselves a monopoly on resurrection abilities, as Clerics are exempt from this particular agreement.

The exact lines drawn with "fearing for one's own life" are also vague, with some arguing that it means only to use magic in situations where you are under physical attack, while others believe that it covers pre-emptive strikes.

## Sanctioned Punishments

Those who defy the charter are punished in a variety of ways, depending on order from the current leader of the Inquisition (or, should they be unavailable, the head of the Venators)

### Imprisonment

Being sentenced to imprisonment in the Holy Prison of Aegisage, where only the worst of heretics are locked up. This is considered by many to be a fate worse than death, as those brought to the prison and considered too dangerous will frequently have their tongues removed and the tendons in their wrists and ankles cut to stop them from moving or attempting to escape.

This is less likely to happen to those who are given a "Rehabilitation Sentences", who will typically be released after a century or so and returned to the custody of the guild much more docile.

### Execution

The lucky are executed on the spot by the Venators who find them.

### Hearing

A hearing is allowed, in rare cases, should the Apostate surrender themselves. They can plea their case, or have one plea it for them, in the hopes of getting a more lenient sentence. However, the Venators will ultimately decide a punishment, and like all of the Inquisition will take the most decisive and simple course of action.

### Conscription

Less dangerous apostates who hand themselves in may be given the option of serving as part of the Argue Obsecra, the convict army that serves as the brutal force of the Inquisition. This is the most common punishment for non-magical Apostates (those accused of harboring an Apostate)