In Imago Dei: The Church and Other Mortal Kin

      This a bit of lore which was left out of the first post on the theology of Terrenor. I'm re-publishing it at this time as part of my consolidation and cleaning up of the lore on the Church of the Seven Saints.

 

Non-Human Kin

     The Church is at a crossroads with regard to non-human kin. Demihumans - halflings, dwarves, and half-elves, specifically - are accepted for the most part into the ranks of the clergy because of their physical similarity. Half-elves raised by humans will occasionally enter the clergy or join a holy order. Halflings, depending on their home community or family's interactions with humans, may join as well.

 

     Dwarves and elves, because of their societal insularity, rarely join the clergy, with elves being the rarer of the two kin. This doesn't necessarily mean they don't believe in the Resplendent Emperor or openly reject the Church, simply that they do not readily join the clergy. More often than not, dwarves and elves will make alliances with the Church's militant arms to fight the forces of evil and protect their communities from plague and pestilence.

 

     It is rare to find a half-orc in the clergy and almost impossible to find Nightkin openly serving in the Church at all. This is because of what is known as the "Mark of Desadro" - the stigma of being Nightkin and Desadro's betrayal of Solanthius. More often than not, half-orcs might find their way into the militant arms as fighters on the line rather than knights sworn under the oath of either the Templars or Hospitalers (more info on those and the other holy orders to come). Goblins, hobgoblins, ogres and other Nightkin may be believers, but they aren't accepted into the clergy or Church Militant because of this prejudice. Catfolk, mallards, and wolfkin are equally rare in the clergy, but more for their dissimilarity in appearance. A member of these kinfolk must show exceptional valor and honor to be able to take the oaths of the Church Militant as a knight rather than a scout or warrior on the line.

 

     Within the Church, debate rages in some quarters over the nature of the demihumans as well as other non-human kin. Some clergy are vociferously opposed to them, seeing non-human kin as anathema, while others are selective in their prejudices. On the opposite end of the spectrum, those who are truly wise and learned know that all mortal kin are children of the Resplendent Emperor and that clergy - like all children of the Resplendent Emperor - are fallible. 

 

The Fate of the Fae - and More

     The fae are a special tragedy all their own when it comes to Terrenor's theology. Fae - such as hulder and vættir and other kin (satyrs, centaurs, etc.) - are not allowed to become clergy and none have ever served within the Church Militant as anything more than temporary allies. When Asmodeus ignited the flames of rebellion, the fae were called upon to join with the Sabaoth in fighting the mutineers. Instead, Auberon, Titania, and Mab held back, citing that the fae would remain neutral. As such, the fae were cast down and cut off from the Resplendent Emperor's power, along with Asmodeus and the Fallen.

 

     When the fae found themselves exiled to the mortal world, they set about creating their own hidden kingdom where time and space do not follow the same flow as the reality of Terrenor. Mab, chafing at the rule of Auberon and Titania, and nursing a smoldering emnity toward Titania and Auberon for her own failed romance with Auberon, took half of the fae into her own dark exile, creating the Unseelie Court. So it was that the Seelie and Unseelie courts began their own meddlesome exile in the world of mortalkind.

 

     But, there is more - much more. The fae were not the only beings created by the Resplendent Emperor to reject His call to arms against the Fallen. Many unknowable and inscrutable beings also declared their neutrality and were sent into exile elsewhere in the cosmos. These creatures - known as the "elder" or "outer" gods - live outside the bounds of Terrenor. Some seek to corrupt creation and mortalkind, other simply wish to be left alone. These children of the void openly deny the power of the Resplendent Emperor despite being created (and exiled) by Him.

 

     Void magi, a secretive and forbidden sect of mages, believe in the existence and power of these creatures. Some delude themselves into thinking they can overcome such darkness by using its power against it. Others hunger for and revel in the power these beings grant - regardless of the price they pay for it.