Conviction
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"We must make the Empire ready for HER! This is why SHE has not returned to us - because we are not worthy! Traitors and silver-tongued schemers have taken HER dream and twisted it into something SHE never intended. We must set it back on the right path, must have the Courage to return to HER way - and then SHE will return to lead us!" | "We must make the Empire ready for HER! This is why SHE has not returned to us - because we are not worthy! Traitors and silver-tongued schemers have taken HER dream and twisted it into something SHE never intended. We must set it back on the right path, must have the Courage to return to HER way - and then SHE will return to lead us!" | ||
"Our Empire must be reborn! The Way must be healed! Not seven virtues equal and the same. How can that be? A feeble lie we tell our children - a lie that suits the flatterers of every virtue in the Synod well. But if SHE was an | "Our Empire must be reborn! The Way must be healed! Not seven virtues equal and the same. How can that be? A feeble lie we tell our children - a lie that suits the flatterers of every virtue in the Synod well. But if SHE was an exemplar of Courage as they finally admit - then the truth is revealed. Courage - beyond any other virtue - is what we need to follow HER through the Labyrinth. Courage above all other virtues to defeat our enemies. Only Courage will remove the fear from our hearts - only Courage can save us." | ||
"Courage was HER virtue. This is the truth the Synod has kept from you for centuries. That is why we have fallen. That is why you laboured under the whips of the Druj." | "Courage was HER virtue. This is the truth the Synod has kept from you for centuries. That is why we have fallen. That is why you laboured under the whips of the Druj." | ||
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The devastation wrought by the Druj in Reikos has scared the Highborn inhabitants both physically and spiritually. The people of Highguard pride themselves on their indomitable spirits, but even they are not immune to the bone-cutting terror they have suffered. Now that the people have been freed and the invaders have been driven from the land, some of them are beginning to raise up their heads once more and look for answers. | The devastation wrought by the Druj in Reikos has scared the Highborn inhabitants both physically and spiritually. The people of Highguard pride themselves on their indomitable spirits, but even they are not immune to the bone-cutting terror they have suffered. Now that the people have been freed and the invaders have been driven from the land, some of them are beginning to raise up their heads once more and look for answers. | ||
Into this febrile environment has come an enigmatic Highborn preacher, Golan the Wanderer. Unkempt and | Into this febrile environment has come an enigmatic Highborn preacher, Golan the Wanderer. Unkempt and dishevelled, he appears to be the very antithesis of the Highborn sensibilities - and yet his words have had a powerful effect on those who have heard them. | ||
What Golan is preaching appears to be a simple case of heresy - he claims that only Courage can save the Empire, he does not actively deny the other | What Golan is preaching appears to be a simple case of heresy - he claims that only Courage can save the Empire, he does not actively deny the other Virtues - but he very clearly claims that it is profoundly more important. Of course scholars have argued for centuries about the relative merits of each of the virtues, but Golan's claims are more down-to-earth - more fundamental. He claims that the First Empress was a follower of Courage. | ||
Every | Every Virtue has made claim to the First Empress at some point, but Golan goes much further. The First Empress founded the Empire - in effect the Empire is her legacy - and she is its paragon. She embodies it - and it embodies her. By Golan's logic this simply removes Courage from any comparison with the other virtues. The question he asks over and over is "''if the greatest woman who ever lived followed Courage - why would we follow a lesser Virtue? Are you wiser than the First Empress?''". | ||
Normally this would seem to be a cut and dried case of blasphemy - yet another variant of a [[Schisms_and_Heresies#The_Purification_Heresy|purification heresy]]. Golan's other claims may be simply more fantastic than blasphemous - that the Empire stands on the brink of destruction - only the rebirth of the First Empress can save it - and that that can only happen when the Empire pursues Courage above all other | Normally this would seem to be a cut and dried case of blasphemy - yet another variant of a [[Schisms_and_Heresies#The_Purification_Heresy|purification heresy]]. Golan's other claims may be simply more fantastic than blasphemous - that the Empire stands on the brink of destruction - only the rebirth of the First Empress can save it - and that that can only happen when the Empire pursues Courage above all other Virtues. | ||
However the legal situation is somewhat confused by a recent [[379YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgments#Synod_Judgments|Judgement by the Synod]], in which the Assembly of Courage unanimously declared the First Empress to be an exemplar of their faith. This is a point repeatedly referenced by Golan in his speeches - and he is clearly using it to build his audience - even as he claims that the proof will be when the Synod acts to suppress this essential truth. | However the legal situation is somewhat confused by a recent [[379YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgments#Synod_Judgments|Judgement by the Synod]], in which the Assembly of Courage unanimously declared the First Empress to be an exemplar of their faith. This is a point repeatedly referenced by Golan in his speeches - and he is clearly using it to build his audience - even as he claims that the proof will be when the Synod acts to suppress this essential truth. | ||
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==Significance== | ==Significance== | ||
Golan's preaching is taking root, but has not yet had a significant effect. However, if Golan's following continues to grow then the effects will be very noticeable by the time of the Spring Equinox. [[Congregation|Congregations]] lead by priests [[Religious skills#Dedication|dedicated]] to Courage are already seeing numbers swell in response to Golan's teachings - while other | Golan's preaching is taking root, but has not yet had a significant effect. However, if Golan's following continues to grow then the effects will be very noticeable by the time of the Spring Equinox. [[Congregation|Congregations]] lead by priests [[Religious skills#Dedication|dedicated]] to Courage are already seeing numbers swell in response to Golan's teachings - while other Virtues are beginning to suffer by comparison. | ||
If nothing happens - then every congregation in Reikos operated by a priest dedicated to | If nothing happens - then every congregation in Reikos operated by a priest dedicated to Courage will see a significant gain in the amount of [[liao]] and the number of votes they receive. Conversely all other congregations will see a loss of liao and votes. | ||
Worse, if Golan continues his campaign unchecked, then he may be able to spread his message to other territories. | Worse, if Golan continues his campaign unchecked, then he may be able to spread his message to other territories. | ||
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If the Courage Assembly or the [[The_Assemblies_of_the_Synod#The_National_Assemblies|Highborn Assembly]] passes a judgement supporting Golan's claims then the backing of the Synod will provide a massive boost to his efforts. If the Synod names a priest to travel to Highguard with 25 liao, then they can spread the effects of Golan's teaching to every [[territory]] in Highguard. | If the Courage Assembly or the [[The_Assemblies_of_the_Synod#The_National_Assemblies|Highborn Assembly]] passes a judgement supporting Golan's claims then the backing of the Synod will provide a massive boost to his efforts. If the Synod names a priest to travel to Highguard with 25 liao, then they can spread the effects of Golan's teaching to every [[territory]] in Highguard. | ||
Ultimately Golan is claiming that the First Empress is a paragon of Courage - that in effect the entire Empire is an edifice built on Courage and that it can only triumph when it is dedicated entirely to that | Ultimately Golan is claiming that the First Empress is a paragon of Courage - that in effect the entire Empire is an edifice built on Courage and that it can only triumph when it is dedicated entirely to that Virtue. If the General Assembly passes a judgement in support of this claim - or raises the First Empress to the status of Paragon of Courage, then a named priest chosen by either the General Assembly or the Assembly of Courage could spread this word across the Empire. It would take 100 liao - but every congregation in the Empire would then experience the same effects as will soon be felt in Reikos. | ||
In the event that multiple incompatible judgements are passed, the judgement that has had the largest amount of liao spent on it takes precedence. | In the event that multiple incompatible judgements are passed, the judgement that has had the largest amount of liao spent on it takes precedence. | ||
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