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[Ghazkull]

The Port is still filled with the pitiful remnants of your people, awaiting distribution to the towns and cities of the Kingdom of Karth. Your homeland destroyed by Natural Disasters, flooded, burned and finally ravaged by the survivors in a bid to conquer the few spots who were still arable.

As the remaining Highest Officials of your Creed you organized the evacuation. Now months later, half starved, tired and miserable you have come upon this new land. The King of Karth is a kind man and has offered refugee for the thousands of your people that made it out of the Apocalypse of your Homeland.

A new Beginning. Most of you weren't particularly high in the official hierarchy of the Creed but now as the most important remaining members it is upon you to rekindle the Faith in your people, or more importantly spread it in this new lands and so far King Harmund has granted you the right to openly practice your religion as you see fit. What is more important with many of the old writings and artifacts gone, your Faith has become quite moldable and what you say will be new religious law mostly because nobody can contradict you with the writings of old...it is time to become the Voice of the Gods.


Well then you all will play members of the same Faith. a Faith which you should first describe in its basics.

Name of the Faith:
Deity/Deities/Other: (are you a monotheistic religion, a polytheistic religion or does your faith work completely different?)
Describe your Faith more specifically, what are its basic tenets, its gods and large figures.(Remember you can keep some things vague for now and add them alter as you widen your control):

Now that we have a Faith lets talk about Organization, there are 4 Major Roles occupied by players:

The Pope/High Priest/ The Voice of the God/s
The Highest Member of the Faith is elected for live from the four Minor Players by the Synode. Being the Center of the Faith the Vox Dei(lets call him that until we have a different title from you guys) decides General Policy of the Faith, Decides which Arm of the Faith gets which funding. And while you can call Crusades/Holy Wars and generally decide things, everything you do comes before the Synode to which you are in the end, subordinate. Your Main Goal is to amass power. First for your Faith by becoming the Major Religion in the World. Secondly for your Church by amassing land,wealth and ascending in Influence so far that Emperors fall to their knees at your behest. Finally within the Faith. Like the other Major players you want to shape policy and as such you need as many seats as possible. However your lifespan is limited and once you die the Synode convenes and votes for a new Vox Dei from the minor Players. What you could set aside for yourself however stays with your Group of Interest and can be used for your schemes

The Synode
The Synode consists of 13 Seats. 1 currently occupied by the Vox Dei and 4 occupied by the 3 Arms of the Faith. Every change in policy that doesn't fall directly under an arms area of expertise or every directive initiated by the Vox Dei is voted upon here. Logically the More influence one has, the more seats one possesses.

The First Arm: The Eccelsiarch
The First of the other 3 Major players is the Eccelsiarch. While the Minor players represent Groups of Interest within the Faith and the Vox Dei is a being with a limited lifespan, the Three Arms are timeless. As a Player of the Eccelsiarchy you deal with the spread of the Faith, the management of temples and the management of Church Lands and money. You are the pillar that upholds the rest of the Faith. You train Monks and Priests and convert the masses. While usually you do not possess military might (that doesnt stop you though from assembling military power anyway) you have economic clout and the masses behind you. Basically you lie down the "Party-Line", but you do not have any say in Inquisitorial or Military Matters.

The Second Arm: The Militant
The Second of the Three Major Players. Fighting the enemy from outside, you deal with the heathen,the beast and generally protect the Church from all outside enemies. Which can sometimes lead to clashes with the Inquisition as to what falls under their and what falls under your jurisdiction. Your Organize the Temple Guards, the Knight Orders and ensure the security of the Faithful. You are the one who goes on Crusades and Holy Wars and leads the Fanatic Masses with Righteous Zeal. However your influence especially at the beginning is negligible and depends largerly on the will of the Vox Dei to get military involved in matters. Especially without funding you will sink into insignificance, however an Order of Knights might bring in some money just for yourself...that is if you are not ordered to share...

The Third Arm: The Grand Inquisitor
The Third and final of the Three Major Players. The Grand Inquisitor protects the Faith from the Heretic and the Enemy within. Your job is to make sure the "Party-Line" set up by the Vox Dei and the Eccelsiarchy are held up and that deviations of that are either integrated into the Faith or eradicated. You also work together with the Militant (or against each other) to take care of the Dark Things that go bump at night. You are not just the Inquisition though. You also clear up Conflicts of Faith and are a Judge when Members of the Faith commit worldly crimes. Where the Militant is the Soldier and the Night Watch, you are the Policeman, the Judge and the Secret Police. Just like the Militant you are largely reliant on the Eccelsiarchy's Funds, doesn't mean though that you can't find alternative means of aquiring funding...

The Minor Players: Groups of Interest
The Four Minor Players all represent Interest Groups within the Faith, Directions, Movements and Currents which are within (or even not within!) the accepted boundaries of the Creed. These Interest Groups Transcend the system of the Religious arms and have their own Agendas. Each of these IGs has a Figurehead, somebody who can be nominated to be the Vox Dei. Obviously once in such a position he wants to amass more power for his Group. Once the Vox Dei dies a new one is elected but whatever money, lands and similiar things he put aside for himself are given to the Interest Group. Now the Player can create a new Character for his interest group if he wants, or another player may instead be put in the position to lead that interest group. So yes there may very well be the possibility that your hardwon gold and lands are under control of another for a good while...

Once a common faith has been decided upon you guys can start to apply:

Major Player App:
Desired Arm: (Inquisition, Militant, Eccelsiarchy)
Description of Organization: (History of that arm of the Religion, note it should be in concurrence with the Chosen Religion, also note that not much will remain of the original structure although you get some remnants of it)

Minor Player App:
Name of the Interest Group:
Goals and General Direction of the Interest Group: ( could the IG be more interested in going with the Fire and Sword way than the peaceful conversion? Are they more interested in recovering the old artifacts of faith than forming the Faith anew? Are they more in line of merging with Heresies or rahter eradicated them? etc.)
History within the Original Faith:

[Khaiel]

Name of the Faith: The Holy Order of the Alpha and Omega
Deity/Deities/Other: The Holy Order believes that both the mundane world and the spiritual world are part of a big system and that everything comes from the Nexus, the energy of origin of that system. People, planets, the gods of other religions... Everything is part of the system and comes from the Nexus.
Describe your Faith more specifically, what are its basic tenets, its gods and large figures.(Remember you can keep some things vague for now and add them alter as you widen your control): The basic Faith of the Holy Order is the faith in regeneration. In order to keep the universe stable, everything must come back to the Nexus every once in a while to be purified and reborn later, and with its experiences, enrich the Nexus: humans are born and die, gods appear to the world and are later forgotten, civilizations rise and crumble. Everything begins and ends, and at some point it begins again. As such the Holy Order considers that anything that tries to pervert this cycle is the spawn of hell, and sees immortal beings as "outside of the cycle of the Nexus", and as such, unholy.

My App:
Desired Arm: Inquisition
Description: The Inquisition recruits young orphans and the children of Inquisitors and trains them to fight heresy. In this training they learn the doctrines of the Holy Order and learn how to fight and command. The training is harsh and only 10% of the trainees ever become Inquisitors. The others either failed their tests and were deemed unfit, and become the Inquisitiorial Guard, soldiers that follow the orders of an Inquisitor, or died during their training. The Supreme Inquisitor is the title that the lord of the Inquisition receives, and all other Inquisitors are of the same rank, with the exception of the High Inquisitors, 13 senior Inquisitors that have surpassed their peers (and it is from this group that the Supreme Inquisitor is chosen), and the Inquisitorial Executioners, Inquisitors trained in the arts of assassination and that only answer to the Supreme Inquisitor.

[Squeegy]

There sure are a lot of god games going around lately. Are we going to discuss/vote on the faith or is it first-come first-serve?

[micelus]

Name of the Faith: Asirism/Followers of the Blue
Deity/Deities/Other: The deity is named Sherothel although it is discouraged to say His name when He is not currently present; instead he is referred to as several epitaphs, foremost amongst them being 'The Benefactor' or 'The Watcher'. Only when he is present is his name freely used.
Describe your Faith more specifically, what are its basic tenets, its gods and large figures.(Remember you can keep some things vague for now and add them alter as you widen your control):

The Asirist faith have a single phrase that sums their belief: 'God has come: may all know his Gift.' Unlike some deities, Sherothel routinely manifests in the world. Every 50 years (starting 594 years ago), a crystalline blue moon passes by the planet; this is commonly taken to be their God. As the moon passes, magic (is there magic?) becomes nearly non-existent for several days. It is this event that saw the founding of the religion as the faith's founder, the Prophet Asir, was leading a slave revolt against their overbearing magi masters when the moon first passed. Its coming all those years ago allowed Asir to take victory and establish his faith.

 In the present day, Asirism encourages the following values: industry, art, equality, law, ingenuity and a healthy hate for those inclined to magic or even worse, tyranny. These all serve to exemplify what Asirists believe most important: the beauty and abilities of the natural form. They believe that modifying or amplifying the capabilities of the body to be sin for if they were not granted them in the first place, why bother? The only exception is made to the Priesthood who are allowed to wield magic or produce technological advancements after first debating if the natural body cannot already do what the tool/spell allows. Even then, such things are used sparingly. The faith commonly makes use of sapphires which they believe are pieces of the god Sherothel and routinely infuse them into their rituals and belongings. Asirists believe that the souls of the faithful are interred in the nearest temple until the next appearance of Sherothel. The priests will then commend their souls to the God's paradise through ritual; the method of ensuring that this actually occurred was a hotly debated topic for much of the faith's history. Some even carry a sapphire at all times, believing that this instantly brings their soul to their God when they die.

In the early years of the faith, Asirists sought to make the whole world follow their ways. With the fall of the 'House of the Wise', (which lead Asirists in their crusades) due to infighting and corruption 200 years ago, the faith has been fractured into several squabbling sects, such as our own. Most are content to argue with pagans either until they repent or are martyred for their trouble.

(Note that every belief written above may or may not be factually correct)

Spoiler: App (click to show/hide)

Desired Arm: Eccelsiarchy
Description of Organization: Though all are equal, not all were made to lead. While the House of the Wise has fallen, the system of parishes, domains and satrapies have remained largely intact, guiding the faithful in the hardships of life be it through edict, prayer or 'moral reinforcement'. Regardless of what the people need the priesthood, called the Abeya ('Blue Priests'), are ever ready to serve either to further the Faith's reach or ensure that none seek to disrupt its teachings. While most priests busy themselves with rituals, administration, preaching or charity, a few are entrusted with furthering human understanding. Called the Tirrum ('Arrow-Catchers'), they are the few Asirists allowed to wield spells or approve of new technologies. Such priests are called Magi behind their back, although those foolish enough to call them by that name in public are soon whisked away to serve under the watchful eye of those they insulted...few are ever seen again.

The Abeya are lead by the House of Thought, a splinter of the mighty tree that the House of the Wise was. Here, the highest-ranking clergymen decide on the faith's decrees, opinions and administration. The leader of the House is called the Sigil as he/she is the only one able to sign off the House's edicts.

[GiglameshDespair]

Name of the Faith: Asirism/Followers of the Blue
Deity/Deities/Other: The deity is named Sherothel although it is discouraged to say His name when He is not currently present; instead he is simply called as several epitaphs, foremost amongst them being 'The Benefactor' or 'The Watcher'. Only when he is present is his name freely used.
Describe your Faith more specifically, what are its basic tenets, its gods and large figures.(Remember you can keep some things vague for now and add them alter as you widen your control):

The Asirist faith have a single phrase that sums their belief: 'God has come: may all know his Gift.' Unlike some deities, Sherothel routinely manifests in the world. Every 50 years (starting 594 years ago), a crystalline blue moon passes by the planet; this is commonly taken to be their God. As the moon passes, magic (is there magic?) becomes nearly non-existent for several days. It is this event that saw the founding of the religion as the faith's founder, the Propher Asir, was leading a slave revolt against their overbearing magi masters when the moon first passed. Its coming all those years ago allowed Asir to take victory and establish his faith.

 In the present day, Asirism encourages industry, art, equality, law, ingenuity and a healthy hate for those inclined to magic or even worse, tyranny. These all serve to exemplify what Asirists believe most important: the beauty and abilities of the natural form; they believe that modifying or amplifying the capabilities of the body to be sin for if they were not granted them in the first place, why bother? The only exception is made to the Priesthood who are allowed to wield magic or produce technological advancements after first debating if the natural body cannot already do what the tool/spell allows. Even then, such things are used sparingly. The faith commonly makes use of sapphires which they believe are pieces of the god Sherothel and routinely infuse them into their rituals and belongings.

In the early years of the faith, Asirists sought to make the whole world follow their ways; with the fall of the 'House of the Wise', which lead Asirists in their crusades, due to infighting and corruption 200 years ago, the faith has been fractured into several squabbling sects, such as our own. Most are content to argue with pagans either until they repent or are martyred for their trouble.

+1

My App:

Arm: Militant

To protect the weak, you must be strong. The militant arm of the Asirim are a disorganised mess of dozens of knightly orders, ranging in membership from tens to thousands, and the 'official' Azure Guard, but all are sworn to follow the banner of the Sapphire Knights, the small, elite cadre that leads the various militant groups in war. The various orders police their own, with most final decisions made by arbiters of the Sapphire Knights, and the intrusion of the Inquisition is often poorly welcomed.

While the knights often have different focuses, the overly focus for knights is heavy cavalry, supported by the pike, bow, and matchlock infantry of the Azure Guard

Recent attempts have been made to organise the knightly orders into one unified force, and organise a single, central fund, rather than the system of expenses and distribution that currently exists. The leader of the Sapphire Knights is a determined man, set on bringing the light of illumination to the outsiders - with force if necessary. The House of the Wise had the right idea.

It's for the heathen's own good, after all.

[Ghazkull]

wow didnt think there would be interest enough. Well whatever you make up goes. So if you have a faith witih magic i will include magic into the game.

@ Squeegy its basically those who make the most apps for the faith get voted in. So currently that would be Asirism.

[Khaiel]

I'm going to change a bit my app to Grand Inquisitor because it seems that Asirism is what we are getting:

Desired Arm: Inquisition
Description: To destroy the unholy and the heretic, one must know them. That's why the Inquisition is sometimes called The Damned Arm of the Church. The Inquisition uses magic and supernatural artifacts in order to fight the unholy. Because of the corrupting potential of magic, Inquisitors are trained since they are children, and indoctrinated into the beliefs of the Church so that they don't succumb to temptation.

Inquisitors are trained in the arts of battle, magic and knowledge. It is inevitable that some Inquisitors end up becoming specialist in one of these fields, but most of them end up becoming well rounded fighters with a lot of knowledge about their enemies.

A handful of recruits are trained to be the Brothers of Silence, an Order within the Inquisition whose members don't use magic, and who must watch over their fellow Inquisitors and eliminate any Inquisitor that turns out to have been corrupted by magic. This Inquisitors are trained to be able to kill merciless and fast, and also serve as the spies of the Inquisition.

Only a small percentage of the recruits of the Inqusition survive, many less actually become Inquisitors. Those deemed unfit become the Inquisitorial Guard, elite soldiers who help the Inquisitors in their duties.

The Inquisition is full of secrets, one of which is Le Grimuah, an ancient book of magic that grants incredible powers to its bearer. Once each generation the best recruit of the Inquisition is trained to become the new Bearer of Le Grimuah, or as they are usually called, The Bearer of Disasters. Because of the strain of the power of Le Grimuah, Bearers tend to live no longer than 30 years, as their bodies end up not being able to contain an energy of such magnitude. The Bearer rarely has to use his powers, and its mostly used to consult the knowledge within the book. No one knows how this book ended up in the Inquisition's vaults long time ago, but it is said that if was destroyed, the power within it would be able to eventualy destroy the world.

The Council of the Inquisition is formed by the 12 most senior Inquisitors and the Bearer, and when the Supreme Inquisitor dies, they choose his successor.

[JackoftheBox]

+1 for Asirism! I hope that I somewhat understood what the Interest Groups are supposed to be, if not I'll do something different.
 
So here is the App:

Name of the Interest Group: The Ascetics
Goals and General Direction of the Interest Group: Peaceful conversion and reformation. Promotion of equality and importance of family. The Ascetics believe that every member of the Faith should marry(be it a commoner or a high priest) and produce offspring, so that the children could be raised from birth to become members of the clergy, thus strengthening the roots of this new organization.
History within the Original Faith: The Ascetics was a secret experimental group formed by the House of the Wise in order to learn more about the limits and potential of their natural body. It started as an experiment performed on heretics and prisoners to see how long an average person could go on without food or water. From there it quickly expanded to include torture and crippling. The results were disappointing and the House of the Wise decided that something had to be done, so they chose ten healthy males and females to perform new kinds of experiments.

And so the group was changed into a training and breeding program. Each member would train their bodies and minds to the extreme and then they would be ranked and paired for breeding. Logically the next generation would be trained while always trying to surpass the limits of the previous generation. This went on for generations and much was learned, until the Faith slowly began to corrupt. Some thought that the Ascetics experiment was a waste of precious resources and it would either have to be shut down or drastically changed.

The House of the Wise then decided to split the people of the Ascetics experiment into smaller groups for different purposes. Some became warrior monks, highly effective killing machines feared for their ability to kill barehanded. Others became assassins, capable of athletic and acrobatic feats many thought impossible. And the rest, became experiments for permanent magical enhancement, a dangerous and heretical practice hidden from the eyes of all but the selected few.

Years went by, the House of the Wise fell apart, and the Ascetics experiment was forgotten, widely considered to be just a myth. Until a handful of people, who claimed to be descendants of this mythical experimental group, came and initialized the modern Ascetic. This time, the Ascetics intend to become more than just another experiment.

[Ghazkull]

Interest Groups are more or less schools of thoughts within the faith, which can possibly divert and become heresies. Example Early Christian Faith was a peaceful movement, however in the dark ages and beyond christianity became a highly militaristic faith (Crusades, Knightly Orders, Inquisitions) so how came that to be? Basically School of Thoughts, the People who supported peaceful conversion were vastly outnumbered by the far more influential and numerous group who would like to use the faith as a Casus Belli to plunder and pillage.
Another example would be the Factions inside the Inquisition in Warhammer 40k: Inquisition Factions