The Holy Church

From BBReloaded
Revision as of 22:53, 1 March 2016 by Bad Wolf (Talk | contribs) (The demon plague)

Jump to: navigation, search
The Holy Church
holy
Deus Omnit, etc
Prayers for the Wicked
Agenda Serve God's will
Government Theocracy
Techlevel Neoindustrial
Trade Food, faith and games
Out of Game
IRL Counterpart Linköping
Contact arke_100@hotmail.se
""Put your life in the hands of God and trust in chance. Bet your caps, risk it all and find your fate.'"
- The last testament

The Holy Church saw its foundation laid during the events leading up to the great apocalypse, where thousands flocked to the cross. Today the Church is a network of religious settlements with its shining centre in Linköping. The faith is heavily centred around chance and thus gambling is wildly spread within its territories. High stake decisions is made based of the throw of a die or the flip of a card in every level of the society.

History

Muffeld Elvis Presley plays in the background
When the comet appeared and the world started to crumble, more and more people found comfort in God (and the bunkers under church ground). When the world started to recuperate there were Christians spread across the world with a high concentration in Linköping. Different factions of the old belief emerged and in-fighting was a fact. A few splinter groups surfaced but eventually the civil war was ended, the first trial in this new world was conquered. Despite their differences, a multitude of different Christian faiths united and laid the foundations of the Holy Church. It was decided that a new testament was to be added to their scriptures, a testament that told of the apocalypse, the war and anything of significance in this new world, in this post apocalypse.


Today

The holy church is a society, a kingdom in its own right. With Linköping as their capital and a multitude of outposts spread across the former Scandinavia, the church has a wide spread and is one of the few organizations left who can truly call themselves a nation.

Before the almost cataclysmic event know as "The demon plague", Linköping was a thriving city with hospitals, a university, extensive farmlands and low crime rates. The city is still recuperating from the sickness but a glimmer of its former glory can today be found once again.

Decisions and chance - throw a dice

It is believed that God controls everything that happens, without exception. Every hardship is a trial, every success a reward, everything is a message sent by the divine. Due to this, chance is seen as the ultimate communications from god, the only truly pure source of knowledge, an event untouched by humans. Nearly everyone who has the faith or frequent places that is devoted to the Holy Church carries around dices, magic eight balls, playing cards, coins to flip or something similar. These items are used to communicate with the divine. Are you standing in a crossroad with no idea which path to follow? Flip a coin. Are you in an argument that can't be settled? Throw a die. Is there a decision to be made that is to big for you to make alone? Pick a card.


Gambling - the center of faith

In the book of revelations it is described that when judgment day has come, heaven shall descend unto the earth. After numerous failed attempts to locate heaven, one expedition finally returned triumphant. They had travelled all across the globe, over the pacific ocean and across the former united states and into the harsh Nevada desert. After nearly dying of dehydration they saw a light in the distance. After consulting the dice for their next move they stumbled towards the illumination until they reached a city, a glowing beacon in the dead land, and they read the first sign they came across; Welcome to Las Vegas.

The expedition brought their stories back, stories of a glowing city filled to the brim with games of chance and it was soon declared that Las Vegas was heaven descended. Since then gambling has become an even more prominent part of the faith and casinos are now sprouting like mushroom clouds in a nuclear war all across the churches territories.

Export and trade

The churches main export has always been food, something that is never short in demand from all corners of the wasteland. Thanks to great seed and farming reserves kept by different churches before the apocalypse, farming could be established early and is today widely spread thought the nations territories. In exchange for food the church has traded technology, water purifiers, work force and other things they needed to grow and expand.

The demon plague - summary

After the events of the celestial vengeance (BBR2) the Chaosists used their freed entity to send a demonic disease which nearly wiped out everyone who was in Linköping at the time of the attack. The city was put under quarantine while a cure was being developed. At the same time the sickness slowly killed nearly all the inhabitants, leaving the survivors in a city filled with death. The dead did not remain still though and soon the living were in a losing battle against the demons who were now using the reanimated corpses to kill off the survivors. The city was eventually reclaimed but much of what once was is for now lost. Libraries echo empty, the streets are in parts of town still eerie and many fields that were used to grow food are now barren.

Pockets of the plague can be found throughout the land due to a few caravans and traders who left before the quarantine was in place.

The Demon Plague - full article

After Chaos won freedom for its AI entity and directed a biological weapon of mass destruction against Linköping, the city was put under complete quarantine, but several convoys containing food and people went out before the infection was detected. Convoys whose final destinations was far away. How many that left, where most of them were going and where they actually ended up is still unclear. The archbishop and the bishop-council had been evacuated long before the plague started, out of fear that something similar that happened in St. Petersburg would occur in Linköping after The Caosists victory in the module hunt.

In the beginning there were individual cases of infection and the church believed that the plague was under control. But more and more fell ill. The first sign of infection was a stubborn cough that then developed into boils all over the body, blood that flowed from the eyes and black rotting fingers. Two weeks after the first reported case Linköpings residents started dying and with them died the crops, trees and animals. A few individuals proved resistant or even completely immune to the disease. Since most of these belonged to one of the upper classes in the church, priests, templars and the bishops, it was considered God's Protection, a sign that they were not abandoned and that their pain was not in vain. These immune individuals helped the sick, made sure they got of the food that was left and in the end they dug their graves. But the death rates rose and rose, soon the cemeteries in the city were full and even if they hadn't been the survivors had no time to dig the graves in pace with the deaths. A group of priests, responsible for research with access to high tech equipment and a laboratory inside the Linköping Castle, collected samples and continued to try and find a cure and kept in contact with the Holy Church camp outside the walls. They discovered that the infection spread throughout the victim's body, it was in the hair, saliva, blood, skin and nails. The cough made it airborne but simply touching someone with the disease could spread the infection. Within a few days, the last of the infected drew his last breath and died. It was then, when all the sick in the city had fallen to the infection, that the dead began to stir.

First the templar who bumped into them thought it was a miracle, God had sent them back from the afterlife in Las Vegas. But when she saw their empty eyes, sometimes completely covered with coagulated blood, she realized that they had not come back at all. These were soulless meat suits, possessed by demons the Caosists had unleashed. And they were many.

Many of those who had survived the plague were killed before they realized what was happening. The rest fled to the castle and barricaded themselves, but the barricades would not last forever. SOS messages went out and updated the church outside of their situation. Every day and all day now were devoted to the defence. All that could carry weapons did, the castle was equipped for sieges, but few among the living were soldiers. Templars, the army and the war-trained priests did what they could to teach the art of war to people who might never even have left the city. But that was not enough, for each day that passed they lost ground and the dead were pushing them relentlessly, day and night, step by step. They could not win.

It started as a low rumble, but increased in volume and strength. Gunfire, screams and the sounds of battle slowly approached the survivors inside the castle. The Holy Church had found a cure for the disease and with it they dared open the gates to clear out Linköping and reclaim their capital. Templars and soldiers were mixed with mercenaries and raiders, all equipped with gas masks and all armed. Block by block, street by street, meter by bloody meter they fought their way through and pushed the dead back. Well-equipped and rested knights slashed their way through the enemy ranks, into the castle, through its corridors until they reached the worn survivors.

The fighting went on for several weeks before what would be known as "The purge of Linköping" was over. A few survivors were found hidden away within the city, but an overwhelming majority had fallen. The purge was prolonged due to the fact the Church was forced to spare troops to guard churches and other holy sites from looting by the more greedy mercenaries.

Several areas were hit hard by the plague, which spread across the Nordic region. How many people, cities and areas that have been affected is unclear. It was not just the disease that caused havoc. Since the plague also killed plants, famine spread to many areas, including outside those who got their food from the Holy Church's plantations.

Linköping, the Holy Churches capital had been reclaimed, but it would be a long time before the unholy sickness would be completely eradicated and for life to once again bloom on the plains of Östergötland.

The Church and its Inhabitants

There is a strong hierarchy in the Church where your rank reflects on how close to God you are. The Archbishop is the spiritual and political leader and at her disposal she also has a council of bishops to advice her. She is also the one who is believed to be closest to God, so close in fact that rumours say that when she prays she truly has a two-way communication with God, as if the Lord was just across the table. Her word is law and to go against her is to go against God and the Church.

To live and work within the Church is hard but fair. Everyone is expected to contribute to the best of their abilities. In exchange for your work you receive ample amounts of food, shelter, communication capabilities (both radio and mail), caps and protection.

The Church maintains many trade routes, keeps them safe and invites anyone with friendly intentions to use them. Anyone with a justifiable purpose is allowed within Christian territories and has access to its markets.

Believe and let Believe

"Believe and let believe" is a policy adopted early by the founders of the Holy Church. It states that there will be no harassment or discrimination of others based on their believes. Everyone gets to find their own way in life, there will be no forced baptizing and no forced conversion. To teach the religion is of course encouraged but the rest is up to the individual.

This also means that contracts and deals may be made with anyone, not just other believers.

Beliefs

The famed Portable Altar at rest (with friend)
God is in everything, anything that happens, good or bad, is the will of God, sent as a message to teach us something. If the crops die, if you stumble upon a treasure, if you get shot, if you find your true love etc is all the way God intended it, either to test you, to teach you to reward you or to punish you.

If a child is born within the church it is not uncommon for the parents to choose a biblical name for their daughter or son. Others change their name when they join, they leave behind the old name and person to find a new life within the Church.

Common employments within the Church

In addition to farmers there are a few professions that are more common than others.

The Priests are numerous and fill a large variety of roles. They can serve as diplomats, administrators, librarians, project managers, commanders, secretaries, teachers and so on. They are sometimes followed by an Adept, a person training to one day become a priest. When you are baptised as a priest you receive a biblical nickname based on your abilities and personality. The newly baptised priest decided for her- or himself if this is to be the name by which they are know. The new names are always positively meant and there is no weight being placed regarding if the name is male or female, a man may for example be named Maria and a female Johannes.The Priests cloak themselves in robes of black that reach almost to the ground and adore themselves with crosses and holy scriptures (a practice utilized by most who serve the Church). The Adepts wear similar robes as the priests but they are brown instead of black. Other than that their gear is the same as the priests.

Bishop. Another word for the bishops is governing leaders. Every bishop is in charge of something, a village, a major factory, a group of priest (who in turn can be in charge of something), a library and so on. There is also a council of bishops who serve in conjunction with the Archbishop. A bishop is always a priest who has been promoted. The Bishops are dressed in white and gold as a signature of their status. Their clothes are kept relatively clean and whole, some are even dressed in completely newly produced cloth.

The Army is the police, security and soldiers of the Church. They are ordinary women and men who carry arms in the name of God and risk their lives for the protection of the Church. The Army doesn't have a uniform in the same fashion as the others instances but all wear grey on their torso and adore themselves with details of red; a scarf, a hat, socks or similar. They are armed and clad with anything between heaven and hell that can be used in combat.

The Templar Knights is an elite order of well trained and expertly equipped soldiers. They are few in numbers but even a single one can turn the tide of battle, which they have proven many times over. They are clad in armor and often carry a sword at their side.

International Relations

The Holy Church is conducting trade and has standing contracts with a number of nations and organizations, but are also hostile to some.

The Water Federation

Open trade has now been in effect with the federation for some time with mutual benefits. The church are however currently hard pressed to meet the agreed upon amounts of food for trade due to the recent demon plague.

Former citizens of Russia

After of S:t Petersburg was destroyed by a giant pillar of light from the heaves (BBR1) a large number of Russians has sought out the Church and joined its ranks. I large parts of the north tales are told of how God finally decided to end the mockery of having atheist controlling a city named after a Saint. This was the Lords way of sending a message, find the true faith.

Disclaimer

The Church as a Off-group is against sexism, discrimination and racism. There is no intention of glorifying or to condemn any religion, faith, church or belief. There is no other motive behind this group than to create and enact a cool religious group during the larp. The group consists of people from different backgrounds with different nationalities and there is no organisation behind us, religious or otherwise.