Thalyric

I like this rewrite. I personally don't like the idea of Ologs learning any sort of intelligence based feat or magic, though, but that's just personal preference I guess.

Don't play too many characters at one time. You'll stumble, find one you enjoy more than the others, and regret not being able to follow up on the storylines of others.

Voidal Scions can attack whilst charging, and you only need 3 slots of Voidal MAs to get that. Why would literal Dragonkin be unable to?

viru loses its strongest warrior

PEASANT RIGHTS

Father Lucien read the missive whilst his daughter slept in his arms. He seemed pleased at the Church's restoration.

I do not submit this thesis as one who denies the existence of evil, nor as one who seeks to invite injustice and disorder. Instead, I submit this thesis in consideration of the Lord GOD, whom we all love so dearly. For if we do not venture closer to GOD, we submit ourselves to stagnation and decay. In accordance with this principle of scholarly pursuit and theological consideration, I put to paper a topic which has weighed on my heart for some time. The matter on the table is that of the death sentence, of extinguishing a life through judicial means as a manner of vengeance. This thesis does not seek to question the divine right of Rulers over their land, nor does it deny that violence can be necessary in the pursuit of justice. Instead, I write this to observe scripture and what the Holy Scrolls say on the matter of judicial death. Equally, this is a petition to His Holiness Caius the Second to outlaw the death penalty as a means of judicial warrant to be given from the Holy Church. KEY: Sources are given in format of [X-X-X]. The first X refers to the Scroll. In order, one is the Scroll of Virtue, two is the Scroll of Spirit, and three is the Scroll of Gospel. The second X refers to the section of the scroll as they are listed in. For example, the Canticle of Temperance is third. The third X refers to the exact verse within the section. ON THE SANCTITY OF LIFE, THE INFINITE PATIENCE OF GOD, AND THE ABHORRENCE OF THE DEATH PENALTY; AND A PETITION FOR THE CHURCH TO HENCEFORTH ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY AS AN APPROPRIATE FACET OF JUSTICE TO BE GIVEN BY THE PRIESTHOOD AS PUNISHMENT FOR CRIMES BOTH MORTAL AND GODLY. OR; ON THE DEATH PENALTY; A PETITION FOR ABOLISHMENT I. ON THE ORIGIN AND OWNERSHIP OF LIFE “I breathed life into your heart, and the hearts of your children. And I have given you life: I am your father, and the father of all things.” and so it is written in the Canticle of Faith. But what do these words mean? Allow to take a moment to examine them. If GOD granted us life, then it means there is an innate divine contract wherein we belong to GOD as creations of GOD, and innately, if GOD is our heavenly Father then that bond is not merely one of creator and created, but rather of a close familial bond. This is because our GOD is loving and kind, and desires a relationship with His creations; therefore, it is the natural assumption that GOD loves His creatures and that his commandments come from a place of familial affection And so Descendent life is not self-originating, but rather the power to create life belongs solely to the Lord; even as the child jostles in the mother’s womb, it is only by the benevolence of GOD and by Him breathing life into the child that it shall be either conceived or born. Thusly, life is a gift from GOD; a gift is owned by no party, though in this context the recipient would act as the steward of GOD's gift. And if the power to create life belongs to GOD, ultimately, so too does the power to revoke the gift of life lie in His hands. In this manner, the child who is granted breath by Him is not the owner his breath but rather the steward of his breath, a gift which bears the mark of the divine may never truly lose such a mark. And if no man can make life, what warrant do they have to unmake life? II. ON THE NATURE OF GOD IN RELATION TO MERCY AND BENEVOLANCE In the Scroll of Spirit, it is declared: "Verily, brother, the Lord GOD is the Most Benevolent, and gives only mercy." This is not a unique declaration, but it is a telling one. The Lord gives ONLY mercy. It does not merely extol mercy as a virtue and an expectation of a good person, but rather as a nature of GOD. His sovereignty is merciful sovereignty, His judgement is merciful judgement. I submit to you now that GOD would seek always the least violent path to justice, if indeed He must serve in the role of judge. "Pain comes not from the wrath of the Lord, but as we reject Him." (2-6-16) "There is no Vengeance in God" (2-6-6) "GOD punishes not, but protects. And there is no pain with GOD, but without Him." (2-6-17/18) Thus the Holy Scrolls remove GOD from the act of vengeance; suffering comes not from GOD and His justice, but rather as we move further from Him. How can we claim that the death penalty is in the name of GOD, when all manners of pain come as a result of distance from Him? If He does not proscribe unto us the power of life and death, and we seize it, are we not usurpers of divine dominion? As the Lord refutes any claim of pain being His doing we must then look at what this means. It means that wrath as we know it is not a movement of GOD toward rage and anger. The Lord is unmoved by rage as we are moved, for He is the Eternal Steward. He judges not in wrath and vengeance, but as a father judging his children, as a shepherd who must herd his flock back towards the path they have strayed from. I put it to you that death is entirely removed from GOD's judgement; was not even Iblees cast into exile when he rebelled? As we look upon this topic, we cannot merely look at an ideal, but we must too look at the facts presented to us by the Holy Scrolls. If there is no pain with GOD, but without Him, then we must look at the truth which stares us in the face: he who causes pain is without GOD. Indeed, if pain is not born from Him, but with Him there is no pain, the Church must carefully consider whose spirit animates the will of death into men and ensure that it does not mistake distance from GOD for service to GOD. Execution is not a remedy, it is a finality. In death, there is no room for penance or in His mercy. Wielded by imperfect men, which all are including the Exalted themselves, for even the Exalted Owyn slew his own uncle in wrath, death begins to take the form of vengeance rather than justice. The Scrolls do not present a GOD who is merciful until provoked; nor who alternates between violence and mercy. GOD remains benevolent at all times, even when Harren denied the sacred vocation of prophecy, GOD waited and allowed him penance. Therefore we may conclude that it is GOD's nature to be merciful; and if the Church claims, rightfully, to be the successors of His word then we hold a sacred duty to act as He would act. If the stewards and representatives of GOD extinguish life, we present the picture of a GOD who's mercy has limits, and that is the greatest of blasphemies. III. ON THE PATIENCE OF GOD AND HIS DESIRE FOR PENANCE "The Lord is merciful, and waits for our penance." (3-6-45) This verse is more telling than most would realise; for the Lord does not only forgive, which would insinuate that He is limited by the transgressor's desire for forgiveness, but instead he waits for a sincere desire to repent. Waiting is definitionally an act of restraint, for why should you wait for your enemy to plead your forgiveness when you have the strength to slay him where he stands? Only relevant to those with strength, patience is therefore not weakness but dominion over your own strength and amongst the highest of virtues. If the Lord waits for our penance, then penance must be desired. And if penance is desired, then the life of the sinner still has value for as long as it takes for GOD to redeem his soul; the sinner is not cast beyond the reach of GOD and His mercy, for as long as he draws breath he may repent and redeem his place amongst GOD's flock. What is penance? I put it forth that penance is the result of the turning of the heart, and does that not require time? How can a man repent if, in wrath, he is cut down for his crimes? A dead man cannot confess or plead forgiveness. A dead man cannot repent and be restored. He cannot amend. Penance is for the living, and so if GOD wishes for the penance of all, and waits for it, then it MUST be that to strip somebody of their chance to truly repent before GOD is a sin beyond sin, to reject the Lord's mercy and His will to see His creations repent. The Lord, in waiting for penance, is the one who establishes space between the sinner and death. For mortal men to bridge that gap is to usurp GOD's authority; for it is by divine provenance which establishes that even the most wicked of life holds value and is sanctified before GOD, for He seeks all of His creatures to repent. Who are we to deny GOD His desires? In the canticles of the Scroll of Virtue, the world is defined by GOD as a Theatre of Virtue. That theatre is not a moment in time, but a span from the beginning of GOD's creation to the end. Throughout that span, all men will know trial; but they will know also strength, for when can remedy come but in the wake of affliction? If the Church sanctions execution, then she is cutting the thread of time and patience which GOD has proscribed, she cuts the possibility of penance and severs the thread of life in a manner which GOD cannot condone and indeed does speak against in the Holy Scrolls. There will be some who read this thesis and say "But are some crimes not deserving of death? So grievous that penance is unlikely, if not impossible?" Did not the Lord wait for the penance of Ex. Godfrey the Prideful? Of Harren the Faithless? Of Ex. Owyn the Kinslayer? GOD does not merely proscribe penance for the minor sinners, of the thieves and he who skips mass, but of all. Even Kinslaying, the worst of mortal sins, may you repent from. For the Lord's mercy is everlasting; his benevolence is infinite. The pattern we see from GOD in all cases of great sin is patience. GOD is not hasty to condemn or cast judgement; but rather he waits as long as it takes for the sinner to repent. The patience of GOD is not indifference to the crimes of man, but rather it is an invitation to come forth and repent of your wrongdoings before His eternal mercy. Therefore, the Church must align itself with the nature of GOD. If GOD opens the door of penance, then how can the Church justify shutting it? Extinguish not the breath which your GOD has created. IV. ON JUSTICE AND VENGEANCE The Lord is Most Benevolent, but whilst He waits for our penance there still must be justice done amongst mortal men, for the grieving of the widow is as real as the Mercy of GOD. It is true enough that some will say: "Woe to you, Priest, for what of justice? Why should the murderer live, whilst the innocent lay dead?" and to you I say: "You shall not judge your own Virtue, for all fall short of GOD." (1-7-8). But in truth, this objection must be rationally reviewed and understood if it is to be rebutted. Justice is not contrary to virtue, and the Lord is not indifferent to evil, and he is the judge of all. The question at hand is not whether or not justice ought to exist, but rather if death is the highest form of justice available to man. If vengeance does not belong to the Lord, then the Church cannot rightfully sanctify it as a manner of justice. For if all fall short of GOD, then all are imperfect, for GOD is perfection. If all mortal men are imperfect, then they lack proper moral clarity when they sit in judgement. Execution is the presumption that no alternative remedy is appropriate for the situation at hand; to grow drunk on authority and grow lax in mercy is to stray from His path and presume yourself to be mortally perfect. But GOD waits, and if GOD waits, then the right of finality belongs only to him; for He gives the gift of life. Whilst the grief of the widow is real, and the sobs of the injured are justified, and the anger of the burgled is understandable, grief does not grant divine authority; GOD does not condone the ending of a life. For if the murderer may be stopped through imprisonment then justice is preserved, and if the violent may pay recompense to the injured and repent for his actions then justice is preserved, and the thief may return the stolen goods then justice is preserved. Justice, when rightfully enacted, preserves both the good law of GOD and the order of man. However, to end a life through judicial punishment when there exist other, merciful options, is not justice but rather vengeance. The difference between justice and vengeance lay not in the act itself, for that way they may be conflated, but in the spirit behind it. Justice restores and prevents further transgression, whilst vengeance serves only to destroy and to bring an end to the Lord's offer of penance. Therefore I put it to you that the Church, as His representatives, must embody justice which has been utterly purified of vengeance. Whilst the wicked must be punished, divine judgement must not be interrupted. The innocent must have their justice, and yet the wicked must also have the chance to return to His light. For if the Church sanctifies death as justice, then she grossly misinterprets the will of GOD; for if GOD waits, then so too must His Church wait. V. ON THE TOPIC OF WAR AND BATTLE There will be some who take my criticism of execution and extend it to call me a pacifist, to ridicule my objection to the death penalty by saying this thesis refers to all forms of killing. I write this paragraph therefore in inevitable defence of he who would make these claims: Horen bore arms, the tribes contended with one another, and even as the Jorenites were rebuked for being lax in prayer yet strict in arms they were not condemned for being strict in arms. The scrolls do not necessitate surrender to genocide, nor an end to all war where there is a Holy cause presented. Yet the difference here is that war is not execution, it is mutual self defence by two armies fighting amongst one another. Indeed, I would rebuke any who slay a civilian in war, or who torch a village, or who execute a captive enemy. War is a mutual hazard. All those who participate know that each day may be his last, and he understands that his enemy is not evil for slaying him; for he would do the same thing were the chances of fate reversed. In war, two parties who bear arms against each other are combatants. Both parties retain the ability to yield or to flee. The soldier who advances on the field of battle does so knowing that he is defending his homeland, defending his innocent, and does so willing to die if he must. In contrast, execution is the killing of a bound prisoner, incapable of resistance. In war, force is used in self defence and to repel aggression. The aim is not annihilation or total destruction and death but rather it is to prevent further, greater violence. And yet, even as we discuss war, we too must be careful not to fall into the trap of unholy war. The Church must be wary of unholy war. The Canticle of Patience commands "You shall not raise a hand in wrath", therefore war should not be baptised by anger. The Scrolls condemn envy and demand humility, therefore any war conducted for greed or for pride and ambition is also an unholy war. Yet when violence threatens the innocent, so too must good men and true rise to defend them; when disorder threatens to destroy the realm, the loyal few must rise to defend it. In these cases, where death is not through purposeful malice but rather a natural albeit sad consequence of conflict it may be endured as a requirement for the defence of the innocent, though I would advise caution before labelling it as a holy killing; for how can death be holy? There is fundamental difference between war and execution. War prevents immediate violence, whilst execution serves as punishment only after violence has ceased. War is necessary, yet execution is vengeance. Whilst the Church may acknowledge the necessity of war, that does not mean she must sanctify execution. The Church may bless and sanctify those who defend the innocent and defend GOD, yet she must never bless and sanctify death as a means of punishment. Thus, the faithful should take up arms when they must defend the innocent and prevent greater violence, and yet they must also reject the death penalty as an abhorrent facet of vengeance and an innate contradiction to GOD's infinite patience and supreme mercy. VI. ON THE SPIRITUAL CORRUPTION OF THE CHURCH Whilst we talk of criminal and crime, of widow and widower, I have neglected to touch upon the matter of the Church herself. The death penalty spiritually corrupts and erodes the Church for what she permits she slowly becomes accustomed to, and what she becomes accustomed to she defends, and what she defends she normalises. If the Church is to normalise the death penalty, we will have lost our mandate from GOD Almighty to shepherd his flock; for the hands of the priest are meant to sanctify, to cleanse, to purify, it is not intended to tie the hangman's noose nor to let loose the executioner's axe. By the Church placing her seal upon the execution warrant, she binds the authority of herself and thus of GOD to the act of murder. Death which was once considered tragic will, eventually, become a routine no different than mass or confession. This is not a danger to be taken lightly. The Scrolls present the Church as the shepherd, as the teacher who corrects and guides and restrains. The shepherd does not slaughter his flock because the sheep wanders off the trail, he toils through day and night, through rain and storm, to find the lost sheep and return it to GOD's path. We were not ordained by GOD, by the Exalted Owyn, as executioners but rather as teachers and spiritual fathers. What Father would condemn his sons to death? What Father would savagely demand the hand of his son as penance? What Father would whip his son through the street? By allowing murder to be justified by the Church, she obscures the character of GOD. The faithful will wonder: if the Holy Father, bearer of the Laurel, the Vicar of GOD, condemns this man to die then GOD himself must be accepting of death, he must revel in it. GOD's mercy is infinite, and so too as we preach to the populace we must also be the guiding beacon which serves as example to all of His children. Further in opposition, I do raise that we will harden the hearts of men and normalise the act of violence if we do not preach against it. If the first execution causes outrage, and the second execution causes disgust, how many down the line will it be until execution is considered as normal as eating or drinking? This is a slope we cannot afford to descend. If we normalise death as a punishment from GOD, we will begin to trivialise mercy. Patience and mercy are virtues, and by definition it makes it difficult to follow as they are against our imperfect nature; and if the easier path is the one taken by the Church, why would anybody take the harder path? We are negligent in our duties if we allow mercy to become an impractical, lesser alternative to execution and vengeance. The Church must remain a rock. A steadfast institution where the sanctity of life is held beyond any doubt, where sinners are encouraged to repent rather than executed merely because it is the easier punishment. I would remind you that the Church does not hold sovereignty over life, for that belongs only to the Lord, GOD; the Church holds his stewards, who must preach his word and manage his flock, but they must never deign to approach his level. As we speak of a most benevolent GOD, must not we also be benevolent? How can we speak of mercy if we practice vengeance? How can we claim to be the representatives of an all merciful GOD to the nations of the world and to the faithful of the Church if we do not follow what we preach? IN CONCLUSION Therefore, in humility and obedience to the Bearer of the Laurel, I submit to His Holiness Caius the Second that the Church as a steward of virtue and the guardian of GOD's word must renounce the death penalty as a recompense within her jurisdiction, lest she claim the very same finality which belongs only to GOD Himself. Let the Church be known not for her swiftness to wrath and murder, but to be extolled in virtue as a Holy Institution of His shepherds. Signed, Yours in Faith and Service, Father Lucien.

My day is ruined

PREFACE I am Lucien, a humble Acolyte in service of the Church. By approval of the Priest I serve under, I have been deemed ready to write a thesis towards my ordination. The topic I have chosen to write about comes from a place of forgotten divine law, as the state grows ever stronger it seems as if the Church is left behind. I do not mean to critique any national governments with this thesis, and indeed my time within the Empire has shown me that the vast majority of people are holy men and women who would never dare to profane a Church of GOD. My motivation for this thesis comes from a standoff just a Saint's day ago, whereby a questioning order was to be enforced within a Church, but they stayed outside for they understood they had no right to enforce orders within holy ground. Thusly I submit this thesis as my decree of learning and education, that I may be granted ordination within the Church as a Priest of the True Faith. Further, I request special dispensation for ordination despite being wed. ON THE CONSECRATION OF HOLY GROUND AND THE RIGHT TO SANCTUARY ON THE BASIS OF HOLY GROUND Sources: Here, the Lord spoke “O Owyn, Son of Godwin, Son of Horen, you spill the blood of your uncle in the tabernacle of Horen. Even as My holiest city was sacred in spite of Harren’s rejection, it is spoiled by the blood of kin. Scroll of Gospel, Book of Owyn, 51-52 And so the Lord rebuked, and in doing so, He established the sacredness of land, the Divine Charge which may not be revoked by human deed or will. Consecration is not of human imagination, it is not of custom and tradition, but of a genuine real quality laid forth by GOD Himself. If the Holiest city remained sacred despite the scorning of the horn and laurel, and within the same breath that sacredness may be profaned, though not altered, by human sin, then precedent is set by GOD ALMIGHTY that ground which bears Holy value is held higher than common soil. Hence, to treat Holy ground as ordinary is a terrible sin and offence against GOD. And if Holy ground exists by GOD’s decree, then it follows in natural succession that His worship, His temple, His ground and His presence stands under a custodianship which may not be trifled by any worldly magistrate or ruler. The threshold for Holy ground is not timber and stone, it is not mortar and brick, but instead it is a boundary between the domain of man and the domain which we dedicate to GOD. Therefore the representative of the Almighty holds a charge entrusted unto them by the Heavens to safeguard the Holy places from profanation, and to save them from sin; for where GOD has consecrated, no earthly power holds dominion. ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HOLY GROUND Sources: Owyn obeyed the command of GOD and anointed the brothers Evaristus and Clement, who jostled in the same womb, as joint bearers of the laurel of Horen. He entrusted to them the Word of GOD, which were the Virtue and the Spirit, and charged them to instruct their brethren in the path of holiness. At Owyn’s command, the brothers set shepherds over the flock of men, and so created a priesthood for their instruction, in anticipation of the second son of spirit. Scroll of Gospel, Book of Silence, 3-5 And as consecration is not of human imagination but of GOD’s decree, so too is it left not to the bickering and uncertainty of men. In the Book of Silence it is written that Owyn, as commanded by GOD, anointed Evaristus and Clement as bearers of the laurel of Horen, and so too were shepherds set over the flock that the Word might endure through GOD’s Silence. And in the days of Godfrey, the Lord’s servant James was named pontifex and crowned beneath the laurel, that worship and unity might persevere among all manners of doubt before the Lord’s faithful. Therefore, the High Pontiff stands by revealed succession as the earthly steward of God, as heir to the charge entrusted first to Horen and continued through Owyn and Godfrey. And his church remains GOD’s Church, established by the anointed representative of GOD in all matters of theological instruction. Thus, it reasons that he declares what is consecrated and what remains common by the Virtue and the Spirit preserved in the priesthood. What he sets apart in accordance with the Word is set apart before GOD; and what he guards as holy is not subject to scrutiny from earthly powers. For where the laurel rests, there speaks the authority of Heaven, and where Heaven has marked its ground no earthly power holds dominion. ON THE VIOLATION OF HOLY GROUND BY SECULAR POWERS Sources: And Godfrey set aside the Throne of Man for a holy purpose, consecrating it to GOD. Thus it was sworn that no Son of Malin, of Urguan, of Krug, or any magi shall hold it. Scroll of Gospel, Book of Godfrey 36-37 And so it was so, by the will of GOD that the Throne of Man was consecrated to GOD. And in being consecrated it was bound to His law. And if even the seat of rule over all of mankind is bound to the law of GOD, then how much more sacred are the houses of His word, set apart for worship in His name? For whilst the throne is sacred in its holy governance of men and land, the temple is holy in its absolute charge over soul and eternity. For consecration innately alters jurisdiction, and what is set aside for GOD is removed from the authority of the earth and placed into His charge. The Scrolls bear witness that sacred places remain so even when profaned; therefore no secular authority may annul by decree or earthly authority what GOD has decreed in heaven and what His representative has decreed beneath the Laurel. For whilst the crown governs the affairs of man, it does not command what Heaven has claimed. ON THE INNATE CONSECRATION OF CHURCH AND THE HOLY VALUE OF PRAYER; AND ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD Sources: None but the Lord resides in the Seventh Sky, and it is His throne. Scroll of Spirit, Epistle to the Godwinites, 7 So I find that you are strict in your arms, but lax in your prayers. But to pray is to gird the spirit. The hand of GOD is the greatest weapon to bear, and His word is the paramount strategy. Scroll of Spirit, Epistle to the Jorenites, 11–12 But like Iblees, Horen also felt the separation of GOD from man. Horen feared to be without GOD, so he prayed, and received a message. Scroll of Gospel, Book of Horen, 14–15 Now he was overcome with faith and knelt in prayer, and wept for the fate of his kindred. At once the darkness was cast out by a sword ablaze, and there GOD spoke to Owyn. “You stand before me in the waters of Gamesh, Owyn, Son of Godwin, Son of Horen. Your people cry out for justice and purity.” Scroll of Gospel, Book of Owyn, 20-23 None but the Lord resides in the Seventh Sky, and it is His throne. Therefore the dwelling of GOD is not among men as a creature among creatures, instead He is eminent above all creation, and His throne is fixed in the highest of the Heavens. And he is unapproachable save by His infinite mercy. From this it is understood that the presence of GOD is not common to the earth in the manner of man or rock, but instead his presence descends purely by His own will and is invoked by His ordinance. Thus all sacred presence originates in Heaven and proceeds downward; and therefore it is not seized by man, but granted by the Lord who reigns above the planes. Hence, to be close to GOD is to call upon Him, and to beseech Him to reply. And as it is written that to pray is to gird the spirit, and that the hand of GOD is the greatest weapon to bear, it is therefore the conclusion natural to reach that prayer is no simple ornament of a faithful, but is instead discipline and armament of the soul. To neglect to pray is to stand unguarded in your soul. For prayer aligns the spirit with the Word, and the Word with the will of GOD. It is through prayer that men submit themselves beneath the throne of the Seventh Sky; humbling and prostrating themselves before the Lord who is without equal. And when Horen feared separation from his Creator, he sought no earthly reassurance nor did he commit grand works to His name, but instead he committed the most simple act known to man: he prayed. He presented himself as a humble servant before GOD, and by doing so he received a message. And as Horen received divine revelation through prayer, so too did the Prophet Owyn in a moment of weakness and desperation call out to the Lord, and the Lord did answer. And the Lord answered. And thus it is so that prayer is the bridge between the infinite cavern which separates the World and the Skies. And this bridge is formed not by man diminishing GOD’s height, but by God lifting man towards him. Through prayer is the distance innately wrought by sin lessened, and man stands symbolically before the throne which he can never reach. Therefore, the place appointed for prayer is no hall of stone and wood, but instead is a meeting ground between Heaven and Earth where men gather to invoke the name of the Lord and the Lord, content with His authority acknowledged and His presence sought, lifts he who seeks Him up, and listens to his prayer. In this manner, the temple of prayer becomes GOD’s earthly court to listen to the woes of his subjects whenever called. That is not to say that prayer outside of church goes unheard, but instead that the holiness of prayer cannot be understated, and therefore the hall dedicated to prayer is innately holy. ON THE INHERENT RIGHT OF SANCTUARY; A CONCLUSIONARY PARAGRAPH It is established within His holy scrolls that where the name of GOD is invoked and the laurel has been placed upon the ground there, that heaven has claimed dominion. Therefore the house of prayer is not merely consecrated for prayer, but instead comes with an additional appointment as refuge for those with a trembling heart, or those who flee hasty wrath. For it is written within the Scroll of Gospel that when corruption and sin surrounded the camp of Horen, the wicked attacked the tabernacle but could not enter it. Thus it is from the beginning of all things that the right of sacred enclosure stands, that the ground claimed by the Lord stands as sanctuary, as barrier from wrath and inequity. For if sin itself could not breach the walls of the ground which GOD had consecrated, then by what right do earthly princes claim to do so by mere earthly warrant? Therefore, sanctuary within the house of prayer comes not from Kings and Princes but by the infinite mercy of GOD. When a man flees into the arms of GOD, and lays himself before the laurel, and grips the altar of his steward, that man is rightly under the protection of the church. This is not to say that a man is abolished from the guilt of his crimes by requesting the Lord’s mercy; nor is it to say that the good order of law and secular power is to be revolted against. Instead, a man who is within a church is a man who is within the domain of the Lord. And whilst a man may be seized by authority as soon as he leaves the Lord’s domain, the necessity for this sanctuary can not be overstated. To suspend vengeance and to remove the sword from the wrathful guardsman, to allow time for emotions to settle and for good order to return, is to be further in the Lord’s grace; for whilst the Lord is merciful, he is also just, and all men who break the laws of GOD shall be punished in death and all men who break the laws of man shall be punished in life, but any man who stands within a church is under divine judgement. What world would it be to live in, where man thinks he may profane the house of his creator? So long as a man remains within the domain of the Lord he is not shielded from righteous sentence but instead shielded from unrighteous haste. And if a man requires an hour to come to his bearings, let him turn himself in to authority, but if a man seeks a week to starve himself within the bounds of GOD’s domain, then let him do so. For if a Priest cannot storm into a Court and take a man from the magistrate whilst under secular judgement, why should a magistrate storm into a Church and take a man whilst he is under divine judgement? And if any should think to themselves that the crime of the man is so severe that they might storm into GOD’s domain and grasp the man and drag him out, or they might storm into GOD’s domain and slay the man where he stands, then be reminded of the great blasphemy of blood spilled on holy ground with the slaying of Horen, as the earth itself shook with fear of GOD’s righteous wrath. Signed, Lucien, Acolyte of the True Faith

1) have you committed warcrimes? (irl or lotc) 2) who's your lotc husband/wife (like work best friend) 3) who would you permaban if you had the chance and why 4) if you die can i have your mc account 5) Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Son? Hi. I'm Thalyric with the Imperial Revenue Service. We've seen that you've been underpaying your War Tax. Do you have time to come in for a quick chat?

+1