01-18-2024, 10:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-22-2024, 04:02 PM by Coroneljones.
Edit Reason: Doctrine time
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"In His light we basked, to spread His mercy and protection,
As the radiant sun that He is remains ever watching, from heights ever so high,
That blazing beacon of Hope, our radiant Lord of Light.
Pylae himself, exemplar and paragon.
Hope itself, ever within us, to fuel the indomitable spirit of man.
In Her radiance we stand, to spread Her compassion and guidance.
As the guiding star that She is remains ever watching, from the realms of Man.
That soothing light of comfort, our Lady of Dreams and Aspiration.
Our Benevolent Lady herself, protector and caretaker.
Motivation itself, all around us, to fuel the indomitable spirit of man.
One the same, ever constant, ever true."
The Tribunal of the Everyman
[2101AC]
Patron: Hope ["Our Most Benevolent Lady of Aspiration"]
Religious head: The Hand (of Hope) [Rank]
An alternative sect, derived from the beliefs of the Aenish Sainted Church and with some minor influence from the Pantheon of Meranthe, where Hope itself is the core of belief, with a focus upon its ability to exalt the spirit of Man into an indomitable force of nature, in its many forms, for in the end, faith and belief are just two of the many forms Hope can take for an individual.
Its first foothold begins in the Castle-City of Martyrs' Vigil, not solely as a faith of Hope, judgement, protection and self-belief, but one of redemption, salvation, honor, benevolence and the many other morals one can acquire from the myriad of tales of the Saints.
While Pylae is still acknowledged, and respected, as the Constant of Hope and its universal manifestation, the Tribunal doctrine seeks diversity its preaching onto the concept of Hope itself, and the tales of great figures of the past that were able to achieve great deeds through their own hands fueled by it, although that does not stop nor prohibit more classical prayers and sermons involving the Constant from becoming the norm, for He and the concept he represents are ever intertwined, often treated as one the same, and the influence of the Church of the Twelve is always there at the roots of the sect.
Yet in that one distinction, it opens up the potential for the sect to welcome even those not of the Sainted Church itself as potential inductees or examples, to bring forth the tales of others of the Pantheon, their champions, and other faiths attuned to the lifestream, as long as they adhere to this concept of Hope and do not stray into the works of the dread Arch-Enemy: Hel, His Marquis or The Void.
Over the years, the Tribunal has had several patrons entering relevancy through the service of their clergy, and just as often diminishing, such as Chireus and Caius, yet with the introduction of the Reformist Doctrine, even Pylae is steadily dethroned as the patron of choice for the Tribunal´s Hope for All, with the slow yet steady flocking of many of the clergy - old and new alike - towards a newly introduced figure known only through monikers and allegories, such as "The Guiding Star" and "Our Lady of Dreams".
Mortal Primacy is a core of the Tribunal, for the prayers uttered and motivation recited are not for the sake of the Gods, but their followers who need that spark of hope, and while the Gods may watch and judge, and even sometimes provide some boon of aid, it is up to Man to act and fight for what is right, with or without divine influence, for prayer alone shall not solve all issues.
Yet it shall fuel the motivation and will of the hand that acts, the indomitable spirit of man awakened, and only those that strive to achieve good shall be granted boons for this task.
The Body of the Tribunal
Just as The Order needs its Wings, so too does The Tribunal need limbs to function, akin to a body.
And in those that fall under it, both the proselytes and the clergy ranks - Militant or not - those vital limbs are found, each with a purpose in a grand machine of civilization.
The Hand
The Hand of Hope.
The Hand that Judges.
The Hand that Directs and Guides.
The Keepers [The Voice]
Keepers of The Oldest House of Hope, and thus keepers of the churches.
The Voice of Hope, inspiration and guidance to the Everyman and those of the Tribunal, trusted not only to maintain and upkeep a church, but to lead those under them.
The Inquisitors [The Eyes]
The Inquisitive and ever-watching eyes of the tribunal, Veteran Overseers that now watch over those beneath them, and put their learned skills to use in directing their juniors, and in judging the sins and true want for salvation, of those to be redeemed through penance
The Overseers [The Fingers]
The entry step into becoming an instrument of the Tribunal, in service to Hope itself.
Volunteers chosen to oversee, guide and protect the Everyman, and thus their flock, you become the fingers that act in service to The Hand, to direct and serve The Body of the Hopeful, where an Overseer must not only guide them, but also protect them from the deception of the Arch-Enemy, to ever be sought out and identified, through counsel or action.
Every Overseer has the capability of focusing their services towards militant use, to protect their charges, or to focus entirely on counsel, healing or invention.
What separates a militant/battle overseer from a non-militant one is not title, but personal choice and practice.
The Everyman/Tribunalist [The Body]
The listening masses.
The Body in which every instrument of the Tribunal acts to protect, guide and counsel, for the Hopeful Everyman is why they act.
Sect followers and practitioners of the Tribunal´s philosophy can also be called Tribunalists as opposed to solely an Everyman.
Recorded rituals:
- Baptism by Submersion: A popular method of induction into the faith in the Church of the Twelve Saints, and now carried over for The Tribunal, but treated primarily as a theatrical formality. Commonly performed in the morning, wherein the priest and inductee go through this process. All windows are to be blackened out or otherwise covered, save for one, preferably a stained-glass ceiling window. As the sun rises and casts its rays through the window, the person steps and submerges themselves into the sunlight, being born again as an Everyman of the Tribunal.
Pylae is treated akin to the Sun itself, and Hope as his own rays of sunlight, shining down upon the world.
- The Investiture: A formal rite, to ascend an Everyman beyond their simple life, to be reborn through duty and service as an Overseer of the Tribunal. The Investiture itself is vague in proper structure, and instead should be as grand or basic as required, with the most basic of methods being an oath-taking.
- Funerals: And just as Man is exalted and praised in life, in death all are forever remembered. There is an ideal in entombing the dead as a reminder of their existence, but just as popular, and sadly more required of a method is cremation to ward off necromancy, to ensure the final rest of the dead is not interrupted.
With or without the body, there is usually some care taken to immortalize the deceased´s deeds, be it through a dedication plaque, or even grander things such as weaponry and arms immortalizing their deeds, or statues.
To always remember, that they lived.
The Binding Oaths of the Tribunal:
- To surrender to endless despair, is to surrender to the Arch-Enemy. Always keep Hope, always keep fighting. Your back may hit the ground, and it may take time to rise again, but it shall not remain there forever.
- Suffer not the dark works of the unrepentant, for Black Magic is the heretical influence of the Arch-Enemy.
- Learn from the examples of the Saints, for each of their tales is a lesson, and a part of what True Hope may manifest as.
- Safeguard the realms of Man from the work of the Arch-Enemy and Beyond, for existence is unknowably vast and swarming with all manner of dangers. Yet, know your limits.
The Tribunal falls under The Goldlight Order as an official wing, yet acknowledged as a religious philosophy of its own under the current purview of The Knight-Commander himelf.
Any and all actions undertaken by the inducted clergy are beholden to standard Goldlight regulation within reason.
For more information on standard Goldlight activity seek out Knight-Commander Garret Richter, or any other Captain of The Order.
For information regarding The Tribunal itself or Induction, seek out the Knight-Commander himself, in person or via letter.