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gridloreSome more stream of thought about the religious aspects of my campaign world. This time focusing on the organization, symbols, and architecture.
The basic structure is the medieval Catholic Church. The main difference is in the titles. The church is headed by the Grand Patriarch (or Matriarch) of Rome. Immediately below him are three Lord Patriarchs, each dedicated to one of the three deities. Attending at the patriarchal court and running the church bureaucracy are the members of College of Episcopus, senior bishops drawn from across the civilized lands. The Church controls significant lands on the Italian peninsula, much of which is doled out as fiefs to the members of the Episcopus. When a Patriarch dies or leaves office, it is the College that elects a new Grand Patriarch.
Across Europe the Church is represented by appointed bishops who oversee important towns and their surrounding villages. In theory, the most influential bishop in a kingdom, usually the one controlling the church in the kingdom's capital, is styled as the Primate and has authority over all other bishops in the kingdom. In practice, this title is only bestowed to the largest and most powerful kingdoms. In smaller states the authorities allow the bishops to work out the power arraignments for themselves.
Cities and towns will have numerous churches, usually one parish for each 300 residents or so. Usually, there will be one large church built in a grander style for the upper classes, with numerous smaller churches for the lower classes. Outside the cities, larger villages, especially those closely associated with a local lord, will have a dedicated church with a priest on hand. Most smaller villages don't have the resources to support a permanent church building or pay for a priest, and are dependent on clerics who ride the circuit between several villages.
Churches tend to have a circular floor plan, with a high dome. The altar is in the center of the main temple and raised on a platform. The best designed churches allow the priests voice to carry to the farthest reaches of the room with ease. There are no pews with the exception of benches along the walls for those to old or ill to stand for the service. The dome is normally decorated with scenes from the holy texts while the floor is normally decorated with a triquetra pattern. Larger churches will incorporate side chapels dedicated to each of the three gods as well as chapels to the local patron saints. Smaller churches lack these niceties, and the priest normally lives nearby in a small cottage.
The main symbol of the church is the Triquetra. These can be very simple or ornate with scroll and knotwork designs. Normally, the symbol is engraved onto a circular disk and worn around the neck. This is not a rule, and many variations are seen. Each of the deities also has their own iconography, but these are fairly rate as the church emphasis is on equal worship of all three deities equally. The images used for the deities vary from place to place, but the ones seen most often are a stone tower for Codifex, a spiral circle or labyrinth for Fractasia, and sunburst for Lavator.
The church is divided up into numerous clerical orders. Some of these are dedicated to a particular cause, such as the Ordo Praedicatorum who exist to spread the faith, fight heresy, and defeat the machinations of the Ultimate Foe wherever his foul touch is found. The Black Friars are the "adventuring" order, most likely to be found exploring ancient ruins and engaging in intrigues. In game terms, the OP has access to the following Domains: Glory, Good, Nobility, Protection, and War. Others are local, and dedicated to a local saint. The largest orders are the twin orders of the Shepards (male) and the Gardeners (female), who make up the bulk of the parish priests. Rarely reaching high level, they have access to the Artifice, Community, Good, Healing, and Protection domains. These priests and priestesses tend to wear very simple robes, and take strict vows of poverty and chastity.
What do y'all think? Comments? Suggestions? How about this? Write up an order. Here's a huge list of clerical domains. Come up with a need for it to fill, assign 4-5 domains, and tell us a little about the order and its clerics. Get crazy. If you want to do the order that has 25 members and tends a single holy site, go for it.
The basic structure is the medieval Catholic Church. The main difference is in the titles. The church is headed by the Grand Patriarch (or Matriarch) of Rome. Immediately below him are three Lord Patriarchs, each dedicated to one of the three deities. Attending at the patriarchal court and running the church bureaucracy are the members of College of Episcopus, senior bishops drawn from across the civilized lands. The Church controls significant lands on the Italian peninsula, much of which is doled out as fiefs to the members of the Episcopus. When a Patriarch dies or leaves office, it is the College that elects a new Grand Patriarch.
Across Europe the Church is represented by appointed bishops who oversee important towns and their surrounding villages. In theory, the most influential bishop in a kingdom, usually the one controlling the church in the kingdom's capital, is styled as the Primate and has authority over all other bishops in the kingdom. In practice, this title is only bestowed to the largest and most powerful kingdoms. In smaller states the authorities allow the bishops to work out the power arraignments for themselves.
Cities and towns will have numerous churches, usually one parish for each 300 residents or so. Usually, there will be one large church built in a grander style for the upper classes, with numerous smaller churches for the lower classes. Outside the cities, larger villages, especially those closely associated with a local lord, will have a dedicated church with a priest on hand. Most smaller villages don't have the resources to support a permanent church building or pay for a priest, and are dependent on clerics who ride the circuit between several villages.
Churches tend to have a circular floor plan, with a high dome. The altar is in the center of the main temple and raised on a platform. The best designed churches allow the priests voice to carry to the farthest reaches of the room with ease. There are no pews with the exception of benches along the walls for those to old or ill to stand for the service. The dome is normally decorated with scenes from the holy texts while the floor is normally decorated with a triquetra pattern. Larger churches will incorporate side chapels dedicated to each of the three gods as well as chapels to the local patron saints. Smaller churches lack these niceties, and the priest normally lives nearby in a small cottage.
The main symbol of the church is the Triquetra. These can be very simple or ornate with scroll and knotwork designs. Normally, the symbol is engraved onto a circular disk and worn around the neck. This is not a rule, and many variations are seen. Each of the deities also has their own iconography, but these are fairly rate as the church emphasis is on equal worship of all three deities equally. The images used for the deities vary from place to place, but the ones seen most often are a stone tower for Codifex, a spiral circle or labyrinth for Fractasia, and sunburst for Lavator.
The church is divided up into numerous clerical orders. Some of these are dedicated to a particular cause, such as the Ordo Praedicatorum who exist to spread the faith, fight heresy, and defeat the machinations of the Ultimate Foe wherever his foul touch is found. The Black Friars are the "adventuring" order, most likely to be found exploring ancient ruins and engaging in intrigues. In game terms, the OP has access to the following Domains: Glory, Good, Nobility, Protection, and War. Others are local, and dedicated to a local saint. The largest orders are the twin orders of the Shepards (male) and the Gardeners (female), who make up the bulk of the parish priests. Rarely reaching high level, they have access to the Artifice, Community, Good, Healing, and Protection domains. These priests and priestesses tend to wear very simple robes, and take strict vows of poverty and chastity.
What do y'all think? Comments? Suggestions? How about this? Write up an order. Here's a huge list of clerical domains. Come up with a need for it to fill, assign 4-5 domains, and tell us a little about the order and its clerics. Get crazy. If you want to do the order that has 25 members and tends a single holy site, go for it.
no subject
Date: 1 Mar 2011 06:38 (UTC)