VIROS

“I knew he was a learned scholar and skilled administrator, but now I find he is a man of true devotion too... Mr. Melphestaus continues to impress,” Josephine Augusta remarks to an aide.

Josephine Augusta rubs her temples, beginning to feel that the Empire’s recent policy of minding its own business was a mistake. “If the entire bloody world is going to denounce us for defending ourselves,” she muses “Perhaps old John I was right about the way to conduct foreign policy. They hated him too, but at least he got to rule half the world for his efforts.” The duchess spends the rest of the day torn between her different ancestors’ ideologies: Josephite liberalism or Horen imperialism? She finally settles on the former, but only narrowly.

Welcome back! It has been a long long time since the True Faith had a high priest instead of a high pontiff...

[!] A missive is issued to Fr. Basil in response to his (presumably public) letter to Olivier de Savoie. "Father Basil Moroul, I am Josephine Augusta, Director of Civil Affairs for the Holy Orenian Empire. I am writing to you concerning your recent public letter to Olivier de Savoie. First, I offer my thanks for your continuing service to the Canonist people in taking the priesthood, and in attempting to hold Canonist leaders accountable for their sins. I too was concerned by de Savoie's recent publication. Allow me to reassure you that it has been a matter of discussion in the Cabinet, and we have addressed the matter with the forces of the City-State of Luciensburg. I offer you my reassurance that the Imperial State Army makes all efforts to prevent the death of innocents. Particularly in Elysium, we have received credible reports that some individuals between the ages of fifteen and eighteen did perish in the battle (all reports of younger ages are, very clearly, nothing more than pagan propaganda). It is unfortunate that these young lives should be cut short, but it was also unavoidable. Chief Sven, lacking our Canonist morality, has pressed swords into the hands of children and indoctrinated them such that they will attack even veteran soldiers. Although such 'warriors' present no real threat on their own, in the chaos of battle it is not possible to skillfully disarm them while simultaneously avoiding death from other assailants. The Holy Orenian Empire has fought similar wars before, in the time of the prophets. As you well know, both Ex. Godfrey and Ex. Sigismund waged wars of reconquest against wicked rulers. Unfortunately, when fighting against such individuals, there is no low to which they will not stoop. I am no theologian and cannot be the judge of sin. I must only hope that GOD will judge favorably those soldiers who acted in self-defense. We appreciate your investigation of the matter, which is within the Church's remit and of great humanitarian importance. I do beg of you to take the reports of our enemies with a grain of salt. Not only are they apostates, but they have a vested interest in undermining the moral authority of Canonist states. They would benefit greatly from misleading the Church. Please be assured that the Imperial State Army will ensure that, at least in our presence, no participant in this battle brings children to harm. Cordially, Josephine Augusta, Duchess of Sunholdt"

[!] A letter is issued to Gallo, hopefully finding his permanent residence. “Mr. Gallo, I pray this missive reaches you well. I am Josephine Augusta, Director of Civil Affairs for the Holy Orenian Empire. I encountered your recent paper while reading certain cultural and scientific papers as part of a larger review of potentially significant works. I compliment you on your interest in philosophical inquiry, but offer some critiques as to your conclusions. Principally, I do not consider the motion of the world to be any more unlikely than the motion of the heavens. Indeed, it seems more likely that the heavens move, for if the earth beneath us moved, would we not feel it? Regardless, the movement of the world does not seem to be, of itself, any more or less believable than the movement of the Skies. Lacking the ability to observe the motion of the earth while we are standing on it, it seems simplest to assume the heavens move instead. Additionally, I feel some religious obligation to disagree that God setting the heavens to motion is outlandish. I judge it no more outlandish that a deity should accomplish this than if it were to happen automatically; all things must have a cause. Further, it is well-known that the Aengudaemons often quarrel and work towards different agendas, yet the world obeys a single set of physical laws. Thus the simplest explanation is that there was a single, first cause—a prime mover who established a universal order, creating both the heavens and the earth. Though I am a Canonist, I make this argument on a purely philosophical basis, with no respect to whatever moral laws such a God might set forth. In summary, and despite my objections to your conclusion, I find Gallo’s Razor to be a useful rule in analyzing the viability of scientific claims. I look forward to your future works. Cordially, Josephine Augusta, Duchess of Sunholdt”

@Cracker and @Urahra are Lord and Lady of the Craft

The Director of Civil Affairs reads the response, addressing her husband “My uncle is right. It’s just typical of Nordlings to pick a fight they can’t win and then cry ‘massacre!’ when they lose one battle. But of course, but it must always be Oren's fault. . . It is our fault that these foreigners declared war on us, then it is our fault when their soldiers perish in battle. What a backwards worldview."

Josephine Augusta reads the missive favorably, presenting it to an aide “Ah? You see, he is the best hire I ever made. You should all be a little more like Mr. Melphestaus!”

Josephine Augusta looks on the news fondly. She knew little of her uncle, but she always suspected she had at least one trait in common with him. It was a shame that his marriage had not worked out as well as her own—but not all could be as loving and open-minded as the new Duke of Sunholdt.

I'm sorry the situation was difficult for you--I think it was difficult for everyone. It is also not the direction I had planned to take Josephine, but I think rolling with the punches is the best way to enjoy roleplay. I hope there are no hard feelings out of character. Sorry to hear about your mother as well. Hope the break serves you well.

Josephine Augusta receives news that more of her private life has been made public business, this time in a national newspaper. She begins to develop an abiding hatred for gossips. She laments to her lady-in-waiting "How many times must I be shamed, to sate their appetites?"

Okay, let's forget that I brought up the map art. When you were vaguely alluding to something by saying "it is easy to see no issue when you are the one benefitting from inequality", to what were you referring? What was the inequality, and is it still ongoing?

Haelun'or is literally an island that is inaccessible except by swimming or boat travel, which are inaccessible to new players. If Norland was an island, no one would have an issue with this--Oren doesn't exactly adore Haelun'or and want them to have every one of their hearts' desires. I really think it's hypocritical to criticize Oren for getting cosmetic items like map art (which I agree, was unfair for them to receive, and I emphasize, was taken away), while simultaneously making special exceptions for Norland to receive real, mechanical benefits that they do not actually need to function, like a vassal warp.

So if Oren had received free, grandfathered fast travel points to account for their own distant vassals, you would see no problem with that? And if you didn't like it, I could just say "well clearly you're upsetti spaghetti, so you're wrong."

If you don't see a difference between purely cosmetic items like map art (which were, rightfully, taken away) and things with real mechanical benefits (like free vassal fast travel points, which aren't even available to anyone else yet), that's your problem.

((I've never written a character bio before, so please enjoy! Credit to @Urara for the format.)) IMPERIAL PRINCESS JOSEPHINE AUGUSTA p. 1807, at the age of 22 Real name: Josephine Augusta Gender: Female Birthday: 7th of Horen’s Calling, 1787 Race: Human Nationality: Orenian Profession: Imperial Princess and Author Height: 5’8’ Weight: 115 Build: Slight Hair: Auburn Hairstyle: Long and curly, the top pinned into a bun, with the rest framing her head Eyes: Gray Skintone: Pale Clothing Josephine usually wears a gown of red velvet with the slender, shapeless style that is popular among the court. It is hemmed with cloth-of-silver filigree and ribbons. She also bedecks herself in jewelry, mainly red semiprecious stones like jasper. There are two exceptions to the princess’ preference for red clothing: a golden ring with an emerald stone worn upon her left hand, and a curious coin that she keeps in a pendant at her breast. The coin’s face is a double-headed axe and its obverse a roaring flame. Josephine claims to have found it on a walk in the Augustine gardens. Identifying Features Josephine’s features are pleasant but not beautiful--perhaps if she had been poorer, and did not have the fine lifestyle of an imperial princess, she would have been plain. She bears the late Empress Anne’s gray eyes and crooked nose, the latter of which she touches unconsciously when their resemblance is noted. The princess also carries a smart little cigarette case of gold and ivory, and smokes incessantly--often, the cigarette case takes the place of a more proper lady’s clutch. Overall Demeanor Josephine is flippant, breezy, and irreverent. Her gray eyes stray around the room, evaluating random individuals and items according to whatever obscure criteria she sees fit; often, this habit causes her to ignore her speaking partner. She observes court protocol where it suits her--mostly to assert social control--but does not feel herself bound by it. Josephine is essentially good-natured, but her sharp tongue and irreverent manner work to her detriment. Despite this, she dotes on her sisters and her grandfather, taking greater offense when they are besmirched than herself. She enjoys wordplay and off-color humor, and fancies herself a bit of a scholar. Strengths Erudite Josephine was sent away to boarding school and then finishing school early on in her life. Unlike many of her fellow ladies, she enjoyed her academic studies, particularly history; she excels in historical writing and poetry. The princess does not consider herself different from other women in any meaningful way, but wishes that more would see the liberating power of education. Independent Her long schooling away from home gave Josephine an independent streak, and so the princess is capable of taking care of herself in most matters. She rarely needs emotional comfort, and when she does she does not seek it in others, having deliberately pried out the vulnerable parts of her personality early in life. Though she has never expressed it, her large jewelry collection has a purpose beyond the cosmetic: if she ever needs to leave the palace in a hurry, she’ll have something to sell. Progressive Josephine may be flippant, but she is no cynic--she genuinely believes the world can be a better place if she does her part. She is inclined towards the reformist, Josephite bent of her ancestors, and believes that most people are essentially good, in spite of their circumstances. She asserts that men and women ought to inherit equally, a High Pontiffess is long overdue, and one’s ancestry has little impact on their value as a person. Weaknesses Distant Josephine is often lost in her thoughts, and is a poor conversational partner unless she perceives the subject to be of immediate interest to her. She forgets names, faces, birthdays, and preferences easily. This makes her a fine acquaintance, but a difficult friend. Irreverent Josephine does not hold religion, or any great institution aside from her own family’s, in very high esteem. Her father went away on a long pilgrimage when she was young, and often preoccupied himself with Church matters. This did not please her. She thinks most priests are well-intentioned, but that their tendency towards slavish obedience makes them too easily corrupted. While Josephine does believe in God, she never prays to Him. She understands omniscience abstractly, but still thinks of prayer in anything but dire circumstances as “bothering” Him. Superior Like many youths, Josephine really does not believe there is anyone better qualified for any task than herself. If she could, the Duke of Crestfall’s daughter would happily take the reins of the Empire, and she often laments that she can never rule as Anne I did. She loves her father and grandfather, but treats them more like dotards than rulers. Hypocritical Josephine is the eldest of the imperial princess who are in the immediate succession, and so has always been insulated from the world by her privilege. She agrees with social strictures where they benefit her (monarchy is important because it grants stability!) but not when they make her life difficult (why should I have to marry if I don’t care to?). Though she has a sympathetic ear for commoners, she secretly fears that hordes of them will one day storm the palace to steal her jewelry. Further, though she considers the imperial family of paramount social importance, she really does not take seriously any of the lesser nobility--even dukes. Likes ✦ History ✦ Jewelry ✦ Flower-pressing ✦ Cigarettes ✦ Talented artists ✦ Acknowledgements of her status ✦ Small, intimate parties ✦ Independent women ✦ The Holy Orenian Empire (though, is the Holy really necessary?) ✦ Tall towers ✦ Lemon confectionaries ✦ The ocean in a storm ✦ Poetry Dislikes Tall tales ✦ Self-absorbed men ✦ Pork ✦ Reactionaries ✦ Galas, debutantes, and other pointless large gatherings ✦ Surprises ✦ War ✦ Empty-headed twittering ✦ Crowds and loud talkers ✦ Speeches ✦ Short Bio Josephine Augusta was born to Philip Augustus, Duke of Crestfall and Judith Alice Rochefort on the 7th of Horen’s Calling, 1787. Her birth was a celebrated affair in Helena’s Novellen Palace, as it marked the Duke’s first daughter. Philip spent most of Josephine’s childhood away, either in the ISA or on pilgrimage. She looked on him with fondness, because his return always meant gifts, fatherly love, and the temporary relaxation of her otherwise rigorous schooling. She barely remembers the demonic assault on Helena and subsequent flight to Almaris, both because she was young and because of the trauma it inflicted. Josephine came to idolize Anne I, who was the empire’s first empress regnant, as a model of independent womanhood. She modeled her sharp tongue on her imperial grandmother’s, but this often fell flat in her youth--in particular, her cousin Jasper Clement was often the target of cruel japing. As the princess explored her Empire’s history in school, she was surprised to learn that it was not as cut and dry as her family often implied. The princess was shocked to see that she was not only descended from triumphant heroes, but also rebels and assassins. Further, it often seemed like the Church made political decisions, rather than spiritual ones. When she brought these concerns to the school’s chaplain, she was told to put her faith in God and tradition. Naturally, she did neither. After returning to court, Josephine caught the eye of Simon Basrid, who seemed perhaps the only wise, openinded man she’d ever met. Over the years, he introduced her to his work-in-progress, the Epochs of the Empire. Today, she labors daily to write the next edition, both for its importance and for the promise of admiration. After her first and only suitor rejected her, Josephine has silently sworn off marriage for the time being, and has ample time to dedicate to authorship.

James II welcomes Ademar Castelo, once his faithful Grandmaster, at the gates to the Seven Skies.

James II and Harald Vuiller while away an eternity in the Seven Skies, reminiscing on the good old days.

I agree with the proposition to guide new players to whatever settlement is active at the moment they join. Maybe, provided there are a couple active options, they might be guided to a settlement of their choice. Player retention is really what's most important here. Once they have a better feel for LotC, they will naturally move to wherever suits them best. To get ahead of the objections, I don't consider this unfair. The options are: the player visits an active settlement, the player visits an inactive settlement, or the player just logs off. The latter two options drastically drive up the chance of that new player never returning. I'd prefer the most active settlements get a temporary boost from new players, rather than the whole server miss out on them permanently. Edit: Thank you to Treshure and the rest of the team for compiling this report.

Josephine Augusta makes a mental note to avoid bringing gentleman callers near the side of the Augustine gardens that abut the Basilica. She then remarks to her chambermaid “Some gall that priest has, humiliating Henrietta like this. Wasn’t grandfather the one who gave them a home by our garden in the first place? Perhaps he should take it away.”

Had some great RP with you, Dargrind. Have a good break and hopefully see you soon.

James II frowns.

James II awaits Fr. Pius at the gates to the Seven Skies. He lingers for a moment, enjoying reunion with his friend; perhaps, in that timeless eternity, he would watch the venerable priest ascend to higher beatitudes, beyond his sight.

Obituary of James II by Caspian of Rhen James II, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, passed away peacefully the morning of the 7th of Horen’s Calling 1802, at the age of 90. It was the anniversary of his enthronement forty-nine years prior. The late Pontiff was born as Godric Virosi in 1712. Though his parents were mere glaziers, he was a distant relative of Cecil Virosi (privy councilor to Ex. Godfrey) and Bl. Fabian the Lesser (spiritual brother of St. High Pontiff Daniel the Great). He was sponsored for seminary after refitting the stained glass of the Basilica of the Fifty Virgins, in the wake of the War of Two Emperors. James II will be remembered as the longest-reigning High Pontiff in the Church’s history, responsible for the publication of the Holy Scrolls in the common tongue, eleven canonizations (the most of any High Pontiff), and an update to the Canon Law heretofore incomparable in scope. This Pontiff restored the institution of the Holy Palatinate, reasserted the moral authority of the Church, and personally invoked an apparition of Archangel Michael at the last battle of the Inferi War. He likewise celebrated the coronation of four human monarchs: Peter III as King of Kaedrin, Anne I and Joseph II as co-Empress and Emperor, and Josef I as King of Haense. In his later years, he struggled against a palsy which disabled the left half of his body, and eventually paralyzed him. Yet this did not deter him, for by the time of his passing, no other king or cardinal from the year of his election still lived. Quite literally, none remember a time before the reign of James II. In his personal life, he made the acquaintance of many--his last testament, below, includes a list of these--and his friends described him as conciliatory, affable, and sentimental, but given to wry humor. He frequently commented on God’s apparent desire to call him home early, so often was the Pontiff imperiled: on a pilgrimage to Anthos, his boat foundered and he was afflicted with pneumonia after almost drowning; on a hunting expedition, his party was beset by a pack of wolves, and he resorted to clubbing one over the head with his crozier; and in the invasion of Korvassa, he was nearly dissolved by an acid bomb, if not for the timely intervention of his Knight-Regent. He was given to self-imposed solitude as his friends began to pass away, but the Pontiff nevertheless maintained a cheery public demeanor. He retained his work ethic into old age, co-authoring the first volume of Epochs of the Empire, and maintaining daily correspondence with the great leaders of humanity. After forty-nine years of laborious service to the Church, James II has found rest in the bosom of God, reunited with lost friends and family. He is survived by his nephew and niece, Theon and Beatrice Virosi. Testament of James II Exhortation: Sola Gratia “By Grace Alone” It is by grace alone I have served as your High Pontiff these long years. Because this is so, I give thanks to God and the faithful; to the priests and the laymen; to the Empire and the Dual Crown. With His Grace and also yours, our Church has persisted in loving majesty. Together we dispensed righteousness unto the nations. My reign has lasted one year short of half a century. In that time, I have loved God in the faithful, and they have loved Him in me. Since my enthronement, I have treated with emperors and kings, and been confronted by visions of saints and angels--but nothing has reaffirmed my faith so strongly as the piety of the least of us: an adoring mother of adopted children, an imperiled soldier defending his homeland, and an elvish priest who abandoned his name and patrimony to serve God. Though I have ruled them, I am small in faith compared to those who have so little to spare, and yet they still offered what remained: they gave their love to God and their obedience to His Church. Thus, though my tenure has been long by the standards of the Sons of Horen, its true brevity is revealed in the history of our faith: four centuries ago, Exalted Godfrey established the High Pontificate, and a millennia before, Exalted Owyn created the priesthood. Canonism has endured all these ages because it is guarded by grace of God, and our mission shall continue into the last days. I pray that, if He is willing, we shall each of us meet again in the Seven Skies. DEO GRATIAS ET GRATIAS VOBIS, High Pontiff James II Last Wishes To Theon: I have loved you as my own son, and so you have given a gift I thought forever lost to me. Though it is not mine to give, I petition my successor that he allow you to remain in the pontifical apartments as a guest, until such a time you leave this earth. To Beatrice: All my life I have been visited by saints and angels, yet of His varied miracles, you were his greatest to me. I give you all my worldly possessions, though they are few, and sole care over my body and funeral arrangements. To Philip: You still look upon me with the admiring and reverent eyes of that young prince I met in Helena, and I have always strived to meet your expectations. I will never leave your side. To Johan: I pray I may see your father again, and hope to tell him of the fine servant of God his son has become. To Pius: Nothing I can say will compare to a word you have written. Your diligent work and your beatific manner give proof that with God, we may all achieve the promise of the Virtue. I am blessed that now that I have departed, I may finally pay you a compliment you cannot humbly wave away. To Simon: Though you always kissed my ring at our parting, I should have been kissing yours. In times of chaos, you forged peace. To Manfried: You are the model of the priesthood. To Josef I & Joseph II: Wear carefully those crowns I set upon your heads, and love each other as brothers. To Griffith: I pray that, in Gwynon, you have finally found the rest you seek. To Goren: All is forgiven. To Alfred: I can think of none better to defend my old See, beloved Jorenus. To Viktor Lorenz: When some tried to make me a stranger in the land of my own birth, it was your family who welcomed me home. To Anabel: I have been assured of your quality each day since we met, when Bl. Harald appeared to us. To Laurence: Though often I sent you away, you have always returned. God willing, I will set aside a bottle of champagne for our next meeting. To Sergei: Despite the many perils I have faced with you by my side, I never feared you would falter. To Tirilan: The Palatine Guard is made nobler by your efforts. To Viktoriya: We have met but few times, and yet your strength is so remarkable that I could not pass without paying you a final compliment. To Amadeus: You have served faithfully, opening doors I could not on my own. To Corwin: My greatest failure is that, when given the opportunity, I did not place the crown of Sutica upon your kingly head. To Bram: None can match the fervor with which you defend the tenets of our faith. To Ailred: Reinmar shall always remain the second home of my heart. To Cyril: You are enduring proof that those who are truly called to the priesthood, no matter their circumstance, will always flourish. To Luisa: Your gift to me has been of great comfort, and you are a testament to the worth of the virtuous mage. To all my friends and family, I say only that I love you, and in each of you resides a ray of God’s light. I have no other last words except “The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, his heart is ready to hope in the Lord.” (Proverbs 3:12)

CODEX IURIUS CANONICI DANIELUS PONTIFEX CODEX OF ECCLESIASTICAL LAWS OF THE CHURCH OF THE CANON AS FIRST PENNED AND COMPILED BY THE RIGHT REV., MSGR. IDE HARRACUS, AUDITOR OF THE TRIBUNAL AS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AND PROMULGATED WITH THE IMPRIMATUR OF HIS HOLINESS THE HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL VI WITH REVISIONS BY HIS HOLINESS THE HIGH PONTIFF JAMES II EXORDIUM BOOK I. APPLICATION OF LAWS TITLE I. FOUNDATION OF LAW CHAPTER I. THE HOLY SCROLLS CHAPTER 2. THE CHURCH OF THE CANON CHAPTER 4. THE DEUTEROCANONICAL TEXTS CHAPTER 5. THE RECEIVED TRADITION TITLE 2. ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICES CHAPTER 1. PROVISION OF ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICE CHAPTER 2. LOSS OF ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICE BOOK II. PEOPLE OF GOD TITLE I. THE CANONIST FAITHFUL CHAPTER 1. OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF ALL CANONISTS CHAPTER 2. OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF THE LAITY CHAPTER 3. OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF MONASTICS CHAPTER 4. OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF THE CLERGY TITLE II. HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH CHAPTER 1. THE HIGH PONTIFF CHAPTER 2. THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS CHAPTER 3. THE CURIA CHAPTER 4. ECCLESIASTICAL SUPERIORS CHAPTER 5. ECUMENICAL COUNCILS, OR DIETS TITLE III. THE ORDERING OF PASTORAL AUTHORITY CHAPTER 1. PASTORS AND ECCLESASTICAL REGIONS IN GENERAL CHAPTER 2. THE HOLY SEE CHAPTER 3. PATRIARCHATES CHAPTER 4. ARCHDIOCESES AND METROPOLITANATE CHAPTER 5. DIOCESES CHAPTER 6. TERRITORIAL ABBACIES CHAPTER 7. TERRITORIAL PRELATURES CHAPTER 8. PERSONAL PRELATURES OR CHAPLAINCIES CHAPTER 9. VICARIATES CHAPTER 10. DIACONATES TITLE IV. ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CANONIST FAITHFUL CHAPTER 1. ORDERS OF HOLY KNIGHTHOOD CHAPTER 2. MONASTIC ORDERS CHAPTER 3. LAITY ASSOCIATIONS CHAPTER 4. THE ORDER OF THE BLACK SEPULCHRE BOOK IV. THE SANCTIFYING FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH TITLE I. THE SACRAMENTS CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR ALL SACRAMENTS CHAPTER 2. MATRIMONY CHAPTER 3. ORDINATION CHAPTER 4. CONSECRATION CHAPTER 5. ABLUTION TITLE II. THE SACRED CEREMONIES CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR SACRED CEREMONIES CHAPTER 2. MASS CHAPTER 3. EXORCISM CHAPTER 4. FUNERARY RITE CHAPTER 5. ABLUTION IN EXTREMIS CHAPTER 6. CONFESSION TITLE III. ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY OVER SACRED BONDS CHAPTER 1. ANNULMENT CHAPTER 2. DISSOLUTION TITLE IV. VENERATION OF RELICS AND THE DEAD CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR VENERATION CHAPTER 2. EXALTED CHAPTER 3. SAINTS CHAPTER 4. BLESSED CHAPTER 5. VENERABLE TITLE V. SACRED PLACES AND OBJECTS CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR SACRED PLACES AND OBJECTS CHAPTER 2. CHURCHES CHAPTER 3. CATHEDRALS AND BASILICAS CHAPTER 4. ORATORIES CHAPTER 5. SHRINES CHAPTER 6. ALTARS CHAPTER 7. CEMETERIES AND CRYPTS CHAPTER 8. HOLY LANDS CHAPTER 9. THE CROSS CHAPTER 10. THE STAR OF ARCHANGEL MICHAEL CHAPTER 11. RELICS AND ICONS CHAPTER 12. THE RIGHT OF SANCTUARY TITLE VI. SACRED TIMES BOOK V. THE PURIFYING FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH TITLE I. THE JURISDICTION OF CANON LAW CHAPTER 1. COMPETENCY TITLE II. THE TOPICS OF CANON LAW CHAPTER 1. CRIMES AGAINST VIRTUE CHAPTER 2. CRIMES AGAINST THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH CHAPTER 3. CRIMES AGAINST ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY CHAPTER 4. CRIMES AGAINST TRUTH CHAPTER 5. CRIMES AGAINST THE COVENANTS TITLE III. PENANCE CHAPTER 1. PRAYER AND STUDY CHAPTER 2. PUBLIC PIETY CHAPTER 3. CHARITABLE ACTS TITLE IV. ECCLESIASTICAL PENALTIES CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR ECCLESIASTICAL PENALTIES CHAPTER 2. PENANCE CHAPTER 3. PERSONAL INTERDICTION CHAPTER 4. PROVINCIAL INTERDICTION CHAPTER 5. EXCOMMUNICATION CHAPTER 6. ANATHEMATIZATION TITLE V. FAMILY AND RACE CHAPTER 1. MATRIMONY AND INHERITANCE CHAPTER 2. GUARDIANSHIP CHAPTER 3. DESCENDANT RACES CHAPTER 4. NON-DESCENDANTS CHAPTER 4. DETERMINING RACIAL STATUS CHAPTER 5. NATURAL MARRIAGE TITLE VI. MAGIC CHAPTER 1. ANGELIC VENERATION AND INTERCESSION CHAPTER 2. MORTALITY AND JUDGEMENT CHAPTER 3. SPIRITUAL APPARITIONS CHAPTER 4. FORBIDDEN MAGICKS CHAPTER 5. ALCHEMY AND NATURAL PHILOSOPHY BOOK VI. THE PRESERVING FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH TITLE I. PROMULGATION OF CANON LAW TITLE II. ECCLESIASTICAL DECREES CHAPTER 1. GOLDEN BULLS CHAPTER 2. PONTIFICAL LETTERS CHAPTER 3. MINOR BULLS CHAPTER 4. RULINGS OF ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS TITLE III. TEMPORAL AUTHORITIES CHAPTER 1. RECOGNITION OF TEMPORAL OF AUTHORITIES CHAPTER 2. INTERACTION WITH TEMPORAL AUTHORITIES CHAPTER 3. CANONIST PRINCES CHAPTER 4. THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE CHAPTER 5. JUST WAR CHAPTER 6. TITHES CHAPTER 7. ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICIALS WITH TEMPORAL AUTHORITY BOOK VII. PROCESSES FOR TRIAL TITLE I. THE JUDGE TITLE II. PARTIES CHAPTER 1. PETITIONER CHAPTER 2. RESPONDENT CHAPTER 3. ADVOCATES CHAPTER 4. WITNESSES CHAPTER 5. EXPERTS TITLE III. THE PENAL PROCESS CHAPTER 1. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS CHAPTER 2. DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 3. TRIAL CHAPTER 4. RULING AND SENTENCING CHAPTER 5. APPEAL CHAPTER 6. REDRESS BOOK VIII. LEXICON EXORDIUM From the very beginning of the World, when God did blow His breath into the Aenguls and the Daemons (Gospel 1:6), he created Law. He bestowed upon his creation rules to obey, objectives to seek, and bound them to obedience. The Law given to the Aenguls and the Daemons, which is unknown to us, was the first institution of Divine Law. In his transgression of this law, Iblees committed sin and made God exceeding wroth, for God rebuked the Daemon: “Why have you done that which I have forbidden?” (Gospel 1:21-22). God demanded Iblees’ repentance, which the Daemon refused. Thus law was broken, and punishment delivered to the transgressor. It is by Divine Institute, granted by the Exalted who are our prophets, that the Mother Church is structured. By the will of God, a single High Pontiff is chosen as His shepherd, and provided with instruction to guide His flock. Canon law derives from these Divine Institutes, which teach the ecclesia how to govern the Church to which they give their lives. The sun has risen at the zenith of empires and set at their bloody destruction; tyrants have abused and persecuted their people; and schismatics and heathens have clamored for the destruction of the faithful. Yet, governed by her laws, the Mother Church has stood indivisible. DEO GRATIAS. High Pontiff Daniel VI Helena, 1735 With the blessing of venerable centuries, the Mother Church receives a reliquary of wisdom and doctrine written in holy obedience to God’s law. Through the devoted efforts of the High Priests and High Pontiffs, the priesthood, and the laymen, this reliquary has grown, documenting our triumphs and our defeats, and providing the wisdom of ages to its inheritors. God tells us there is no innovation in faith (Spirit 2:17). Thus, for the better instruction of virtue, we are called to catalog and harmonize these treasures, ensuring our interpretations are guided by the Received Tradition and never stray from the Holy Scrolls. Herein, through the execution of our office and with the approval of the priesthood, we may seek to definitively settle all extant matters of law and governance in the Church, in accordance with God’s will. In time we pray that our successors shall do the same, elaborating upon our work as necessary, and providing the virtue and justice of God to all. DEO GRATIAS. High Pontiff James II Providence, 1799 BOOK I. APPLICATION OF LAWS TITLE I. FOUNDATION OF LAW §1. A law is established when it is promulgated by the High Pontiff. §2. Laws provide for the future only, unless expressly provided. §3. The canon law binds those that have been baptised into the Church of the Canon, unless expressly provided. §4. The laws of the Canon are universal, and bind all men for whom they were issued. §5. Ignorance of the law of the Canon by a subject of those laws is never assumed. §6. Canon laws must be understood in accord with their proper meaning; any doubt or obscurity must find recourse through parallel places in canon law. §7. Later laws harmonise with earlier. The revocation of a previous law is not assumed unless expressly provided. §8. All books, titles, and chapters within this codex are canon law. §9. This codex is definitive and binding. No power shall contravene or alter it, unless it be instituted in ecumenical council. §10. The Church shall endeavor to preserve a single codex of canon law, amending it as necessary. CHAPTER I. THE HOLY SCROLLS §1. The Holy Scrolls, comprising the Virtue of Horen; the Spirit of Owyn; the Gospel of Godfrey; and the Auspice of Sigismund are the foundation of all law and morality. §2. It is the right of the Church through the High Pontiff to interpret and apply the commandments of the Holy Scrolls. §3. Nothing is assuredly the command of the Exalted unless it be written in the Holy Scrolls, they being divinely inspired. CHAPTER 2. THE CHURCH OF THE CANON §1. The Church is the body of the entire faithful, led by the High Pontiff. §2. The purpose of the Church is the instruction of virtue and guardianship of the Holy Scrolls. §3. The spiritual authority of the Church is derived first from the conferral of the High Priesthood by Ex. Owyn upon St. Evaristus and St. Clement and second from the conferral of the laurel of Horen by Ex. Godfrey upon the pontifex. Thus all authority in the Church is conferred and justified by the High Pontiff. §4. All laws issued by the Church of the Canon are considered to be valid and harmonious with the Holy Scrolls unless there is later found to be flagrant and generally indisputable conflict between them. §5. Interpretations of the law by higher spiritual authorities supersede those by lower authorities. CHAPTER 4. THE DEUTEROCANONICAL TEXTS §1. The deuterocanon comprises those texts which, though not divinely inspired as the scripture, are found by the High Pontiff to have a trustworthy connection to the words of the Exalted in their lifetimes, and which lack any contradiction with the teachings of the Church and the Holy Scrolls. §2. The Church shall preserve the distinction between the Holy Scrolls and the deuterocanonical texts, always giving greater credence to the Holy Scrolls, and interpreting the former in context of the latter. §3. The Church shall preserve a codex of the deuterocanonical texts, setting them apart from the Holy Scrolls and from other documents of the Church. CHAPTER 5. THE RECEIVED TRADITION §1. The Received Tradition is the body of writings, beliefs, and practices concerning Canonism which are inherited through the years. §2. The Church shall endeavor to preserve the Received Tradition, favoring traditional interpretations of the law above novel ones, unless there be flagrant conflict between the Tradition and the Scrolls. §3. Nevertheless, it is the right of the Church to validate or invalidate a traditional practice if this is judged expedient for the promotion of virtue. §4. More popularly held traditions shall take precedence over obscure traditions, regardless of age. §5. As the Exalted were several yet co-equal, rites and practices may be mutually exclusive so long as they do not bring disharmony or harm the virtue of their practitioners. §6. No legal or moral penalty shall be levied for disharmony with a mere tradition, unless expressly provided for in law. TITLE 2. ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICES CHAPTER 1. PROVISION OF ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICE §1. An ecclesiastical office within the Church of the Canon cannot be acquired without provision of the Church. §2. The provision of the office is also the provision of the competency that it holds. §3. To hold an office within the Church of the Canon, one must be in full communion with the Church as well as be deemed suitable spiritually and intellectually. §4. The promise of an office has no legal effect. §5. It is for superior authorities to provide for offices within their jurisdiction. §6. It is for the High Pontiff to provide offices within the Church entire. CHAPTER 2. LOSS OF ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICE §1. Anyone responsible for himself and of sound mind may resign from office. §2. A resignation made under duress is not valid. §3. A resignation must be made to a superior authority in order to be valid. §4. A resignation may be revoked by the resigning party if it has not yet taken effect. §5. A person may be removed from office by decree of a superior authority. §6. A person is automatically removed from ecclesiastical office if they have: Lost the clerical, monastic, lay, or celibate state required for the office. Publicly defected from the Church. Accepted another office expressly stated as incompatible with the ecclesiastical office. Evaded ecclesiastical authority BOOK II. PEOPLE OF GOD TITLE I. THE CANONIST FAITHFUL §1. Communion with the Church is obedience to its spiritual authorities and acceptance of its laws. §2. When there is personal disagreement with a particular ruling of the Church, it is not commanded that one deceive others concerning one’s opinion. It is nevertheless required that one accept the effect and authority of the ruling. §3. Personal disagreements with particular rulings of the Church may still, depending upon the subject, indicate a lack of communion with the Church prima facie. CHAPTER 1. OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF ALL CANONISTS §1. The faithful, through every manner of acting, must retain communion with the Church. §2. The faithful must direct all efforts to leading a holy life and instructing others in virtue, in every age and land. §3. The faithful are free to make known their spiritual needs and failings to their pastor. §4. Those in the parental role must build up their family in the teachings of the Canon and the worship of GOD. §5. All Sons of Horen, called humans, are obliged by the Covenant of Purity to maintain the Canonist faith. §6. The faithful are obliged to make all efforts to regularly attend Canonist service and to obtain penance, and likewise the Church is obliged to make all efforts to provide these to them. All faithful are obliged to obtain penance at least once in each year, where it is in any manner possible. CHAPTER 2. OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF THE LAITY §1. Laymen who are deemed capable and qualified are permitted to assist with ecclesiastical offices. §2. Men who have attained the age of reason and are of sound mind may be admitted as an acolyte of the Church. §3. Men who have attained the age of majority, are of sound mind, and who have met all requirements for the clerical state, may be ordained as a priest of the Church. CHAPTER 3. OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF MONASTICS §1. Monastics are bound by a vow of chastity, prohibiting them from the marital state and all carnal knowledge. §2. Monastics are bound by a vow of poverty, prohibiting them from the ownership of personal property, and all they own upon acceptance of this vow shall be used for the common good. §3. Monastics are bound by a vow of obedience, prohibiting them from public or notorious conflict with superior authorities or ecclesiastical officials. §4. The material needs of monastics are provided for by the Church where at all possible. §5. Monastics who have not attained the clerical state remain laymen as well as monastics. §6. Monastic vows are sworn in the form of a consecration celebrated by a cleric. CHAPTER 4. OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF THE CLERGY §1. Clerics are those who have received a valid sacrament of ordination, and are also called priests. §2. Clerics are bound to show reverence and obedience to the High Pontiff and their ordinary. §3. Clerics are united through the brotherhood of working for the divine purpose of the instruction of virtue and guardianship of the Holy Scrolls, and so must strive for harmony among the faithful. §4. Where the practice of common life exists for clerics, it is to be practiced and preserved as far as possible. §5. Clerics are to foster simplicity of life and not to exhibit vanity. §6. Clerics may not spill the blood of another Canonist except in self-defense. In these cases, violent force is permitted only insofar as necessary to preserve the life of the cleric, and they are further prohibited from intentionally entering circumstances where it is likely this shall be necessary. §7. It is the duty of a cleric to foster peace and justice in accordance with the laws of the Church. TITLE II. HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH CHAPTER 1. THE HIGH PONTIFF §1. By virtue of his office, the High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon possesses full, supreme, and immediate power in the Church entire, and it is his divine right to exercise this according to his conscience. §2. A person elected to the office of High Pontiff assumes this power at the moment of election. §3. The High Pontiff is ex officio the Archbishop of Visigia. §4. No appeal is allowed against a legitimate decree or judgement by the High Pontiff; it is the word of GOD. §5. Nothing is to be altered in the church should the office of the High Pontiff be vacant. §6. No authority of the High Pontiff may be exercised without his consent. §7. Only the power of rebuke exercised licitly and validly by the College of Cardinals shall remove a High Pontiff from office. §8. The High Pontiff is elected to his office by the majority of the College of Cardinals and no other. CHAPTER 2. THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS §1. The cardinals constitute a college which provides for the election of the High Pontiff, variously called the College of the Cardinals, the Holy Synod, or the Septarchy. §2. The cardinals further assist the High Pontiff in matters of importance or through their other offices within the Church. §3. The High Pontiff freely selects celibate individuals as cardinals, these being pious Canonists of outstanding prudence, character, and morals. §4. The High Pontiff assigns each cardinal his own title within the Church. §5. From the moment of appointment the cardinal is bound by the duties of office. §6. The College of Cardinals shall not exceed seven members. §7. The High Pontiff shall not remove from that office more than one cardinal in each year. §8. By unanimous agreement, the College of Cardinals may rebuke a High Pontiff, stripping him of that office. In this case, his clerical state remains. §9. The College of Cardinals is charged to use the power of rebuke prudently, but there shall be no appeal. §10. A rebuke issued under duress is not valid. §11. No layman shall be appointed as cardinal if another already serves as one. §12. The College of Cardinals shall only consider unmarried male clerics in communion with the Church as candidates for election to the office of High Pontiff. §13. The High Pontiff is not eligible to serve as a cardinal. §14. If a cardinal should not cast his vote for High Pontiff within one year of the election being called, he shall be considered to have abstained. CHAPTER 3. THE CURIA §1. The High Pontiff executes his office through the Curia, which shall comprise pious individuals of prudence, character, and morals. Officials of the Curia are curates. In order of precedence, the curates are: The Vice-Chancellor The Auditor of the Tribunal The Secretariat to His Holiness The Prelate of the Priesthood The Pontifical Chamberlain The Commandant of the Pontifical Guard, or the Regent of the Holy Palatinate The Monsignors, in order of their appointment §2. The Vice-Chancellor, who must be a cleric, executes the following functions of the Church: Leading the Curia in its day-to-day functions Delegating responsibilities to subordinates and reporting their progress Entreaty and reception of foreign dignitaries, and establishment of concordats with secular governments Establishment and management of nunciatures to Canonist princes Providing for the welfare of Canonist faithful who should travel abroad Leading the Church as regent if the High Pontificate should be vacant or incapable Organizing the College of Cardinals in the election of the High Pontiff when that office is vacant §3. The Auditor of the Tribunal executes the following functions of the High Pontiff: Establishing and presiding over ecclesiastical courts Appointing subsidiary officers of ecclesiastical courts and delegating such powers as necessary Judging, applying, and enforcing ecclesiastical penalties Investigating and uprooting heresy and apostasy in the ecclesiastical provinces of the Church Studying, governing, and adjudicating matters of magic used by or upon Canonists §4. The Prelate of the Priesthood executes the following functions of the High Pontiff: The oversight of the priesthood Ensuring the proper education of acolytes and clerics The assignment of clerics to ecclesiastical provinces Encouraging the recruitment of candidates to the priesthood Adjudicating, establishing stands for, and issuing academic degrees in divinity and canon law §5. The Secretariat to His Holiness executes the following functions of the High Pontiff: Providing theological advice and scribery to the Curia Drafting and reviewing ecclesiastical decrees Assembling and maintaining chronicles pertinent to the Church’s history and interest Preparing causes for canonization, beatification, and veneration for the approval of the College of Cardinals §6. The Pontifical Chamberlain executes the following functions of the High Pontiff: Managing the affairs and finances of the Pontifical Household and the Church The construction and maintenance of holy sites The organization of pilgrimages and celebrations within the Church §7. The Commandant of the Pontifical Guard, or the Regent of the Holy Palatinate, executes the following functions of the High Pontiff: The organization and management of the Pontifical Guard and the Orders of Holy Knighthood Providing for the defense of the High Pontiff and the Canonist faithful The leadership of the Holy Palatinate, if necessary §8. The Monsignors execute no functions of the High Pontiff of their own, but are permitted to participate in meetings of the Curia and offer their counsel where it is relevant. §9. Each curate, excepting the monsignors, is permitted to form an office, called a dicastery, which assists in the execution of his authorities and duties relating to the Curia. The curate may delegate assigned powers to officials of his dicastery, and they may act on his behalf where these powers do not require a clerical or monastic status they lack. CHAPTER 4. ECCLESIASTICAL SUPERIORS §1. All clerics and ecclesiastical officials shall have a superior. §2. The superior of the High Pontiff is God. §3. A subordinate owes obedience to their superior. §4. If there is a question of a superior’s suitability for office by their subordinate, their superior’s superior should be consulted. §5. Unless expressly provided, a cleric or ecclesiastical official’s superior is the pastor of the ecclesiastical province they inhabit. §6. Unless expressly provided, a pastor’s superior is the pastor of the ecclesiastical province most immediately encompassing their own province. §7. The superior of a cleric must be a cleric. CHAPTER 5. ECUMENICAL COUNCILS, OR DIETS §1. The form of an ecumenical council is a diet called by the High Pontiff. §2. The purpose of an ecumenical council is to issue laws and judgements which are binding for all authorities, including the present High Pontiff and his successors. §3. No act of an ecumenical council shall proceed into law without the assent of the reigning High Pontiff as well as a three quarters majority of the other clerics participating. §4. No ecumenical council shall be called or adjourned except by the High Pontiff himself. §5. No ecumenical council shall be valid, that is quorate, unless its participants constitute at least three quarters of the priesthood. §6. The High Pontiff may restrict participation in an ecumenical council, provided it still meets the required quorum of three quarters of the priesthood. §7. The High Pontiff shall decide the topics and proceedings of an ecumenical council. §8. The High Pontiff may permit laymen to participate in debate in an ecumenical council, but they are not permitted to vote on its acts. §9. Ecumenical councils are called only intermittently and on an ad hoc basis. They are not scheduled regularly. §10. The resolutions of ecumenical councils shall only be binding on future High Pontiffs from the date of the promulgation of this codex. §11. Clerics voting in ecumenical council are bound only by their conscience, all other authorities and judgements notwithstanding. §12. An ecumenical council is adjourned immediately if the High Pontiff should leave office during its tenure. TITLE III. THE ORDERING OF PASTORAL AUTHORITY CHAPTER 1. PASTORS AND ECCLESASTICAL PROVINCES IN GENERAL §1. Neighboring churches are to be brought into ecclesiastical provinces encompassing a certain territory. §2. Pastors of the church are clerics assigned to spiritual care and authority over an ecclesiastical province. §3. In the function of pastor, a cleric must show himself to be concerned for all the faithful within his care, no matter their circumstance. §4. It is only the authority of the Church to establish or alter ecclesiastical provinces. §5. Each cleric shall have a pastor as their superior, except the High Pontiff, who shall have God as his superior. §6. Pastors receive the functions of governing, sanctifying, purifying, and teaching the faithful within their ecclesiastical provinces. CHAPTER 2. THE HOLY SEE §1. The Holy See is the ecclesiastical province which is the seat of the Church’s governance. §2. The High Pontiff is the pastor of the Holy See, unless expressly provided. §3. If an archdiocese should include the Holy See, the pastor of the Holy See shall be that archdiocese’s pastor. CHAPTER 3. PATRIARCHATES §1. A patriarchate is an ecclesiastical province encompassing an area principally inhabited by nonhumans. §2. The pastor of a patriarchate is a patriarch. §3. A patriarch’s superior is always the High Pontiff. CHAPTER 4. ARCHDIOCESES AND METROPOLITANATE §1. An archdiocese is an ecclesiastical province encompassing multiple dioceses. §2. The pastor of an archdiocese is an archbishop. §3. An archbishop’s superior is always the High Pontiff. §4. All territory within an archdiocese shall be part of a diocese within it. §5. A metropolitan is an archbishop over the ecclesiastical province of a major city. In the case of a metropolitanate, the pastor is titled as an archbishop metropolitan without need for subsidiary dioceses. CHAPTER 5. DIOCESES §1. A diocese is the primary and preferred ecclesiastical province. §2. The pastor of a diocese is a bishop. CHAPTER 6. TERRITORIAL ABBACIES §1. A territorial abbacy is an ecclesiastical province governed by an abbey. §2. The pastor of a territorial abbacy is a territorial abbot. §3. If an abbot is unable to assume the clerical state, particularly due to gender, they shall keep a cleric as a vicar, who shall execute their sacramental and pastoral duties. In this case, the vicar shall serve as pastor, with all obedience to their territorial abbot. §4. Where there is conflict of a conscience between a layman territorial abbot and his clerical vicar, the vicar shall continue to reserve the right to administer sacraments according to his own conscience. CHAPTER 7. TERRITORIAL PRELATURES §1. A territorial prelature is an ecclesiastical province covering a small area, or one with a small Canonist population. §2. The pastor of a territorial prelature is a territorial prelate. CHAPTER 8. PERSONAL PRELATURES OR CHAPLAINCIES §1. A personal prelature is an ecclesiastical province governing a group of individuals who share common bonds aside from locale, particularly familiar bonds, membership in an organization, or previous membership of a particular faith. §2. The pastor of a personal prelature is a personal prelate or a chaplain. §3. The superior of a personal prelate shall be provided for by the High Pontiff. §4. Personal prelates owe obedience to the pastor of whatever ecclesiastical province they inhabit, unless his superior is the High Pontiff himself. CHAPTER 9. VICARIATES §1. A pastor may appoint a vicar to assist him in the governance of an ecclesiastical province. §2. Only one vicar may be appointed unless express permission is granted from the High Pontiff. §3. The office of vicar cannot be entrusted to a blood relative of the pastor to the third degree. §4. A vicar is never to act contrary to the mind or intention of their pastor. §5. A vicar is permitted to act on their pastor’s behalf. §6. The High Pontiff is the Vicar of God. CHAPTER 10. DIACONATES §1. A deacon is a layman who has been conferred that office after training for the priesthood without receiving ordination. §2. A deacon is suitable to serve as concelebrant to a cleric celebrating a sacrament. §3. It is preferred that, when no cleric is available to do so, a deacon should perform sacred ceremonies. §4. A deacon should maintain a virtuous life with no public notoriety. TITLE IV. ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CANONIST FAITHFUL §1. The purpose of an association of the Canonist faithful is pious fraternity. §2. The form of an association of Canonist faithful is an association constituted by the High Pontiff. §3. Each association of the Canonist faithful shall be assigned a chaplain or personal prelate for its instruction in virtue. CHAPTER 1. ORDERS OF HOLY KNIGHTHOOD §1. The purpose of an Order of Holy Knighthood is the defense of the faithful and the Church through Holy Knights. §2. The form of an Order of Holy Knighthood is a militant order constituted by the High Pontiff. §3. Association within an Order of Holy Knighthood shall not constitute knighthood of itself. Only the High Pontiff may confer the rank of Holy Knight, or offices of leadership within such orders. §4. Holy Knights swear vows of obedience to the High Pontiff and owe their allegiance first to his office. §5. Holy Knights have no authority to enforce or interpret canon law beyond that which is expressly ordered to them by the High Pontiff. §6. A person is automatically stripped of Holy Knighthood if he has: Publicly defected from the Church. Accepted another office expressly stated as incompatible with Holy Knighthood. Evaded ecclesiastical authority. Claimed authorities not expressly and licitly assigned to him, and does not recant these when admonished. §7. An Order of Holy Knighthood is automatically disestablished if: It retains, for two consecutive years, no members who have made their status known to the High Pontiff, unless expressly provided for. Its leader is stripped of Holy Knighthood yet continues to exercise leadership functions. §8. Holy Knights of an order which is disestablished are also stripped of their knightly status, unless expressly provided for. CHAPTER 2. MONASTIC ORDERS §1. The purpose of a monastic order is the association of monastic brothers and sisters for the promotion of virtuous living. §2. A monastic order shall be led by a cleric. §3. Laymen may associate with and participate in monastic orders, but they shall not be granted any office within them, nor shall they be referred to as brothers or sisters of that order. §4. A monastic order is automatically disestablished if: It retains, for two consecutive years, no members who have made their status known to the High Pontiff, unless expressly provided for. Its leader is stripped of the monastic state yet continues to exercise leadership functions. §5. Monastic brothers and sisters of an order which is disestablished retain their monastic status, unless expressly provided for. CHAPTER 3. LAITY ASSOCIATIONS §1. The purpose of a laity association is the fraternity of laymen for the promotion of virtuous living. CHAPTER 4. THE ORDER OF THE BLACK SEPULCHRE §1. The purpose of the Order of the Black Sepulchre is the acknowledgement of exceptional service by laymen to the Church. Its name derives from the ashen urns, or black sepulchres, carried by wandering templars of yore. §2. The form of the Order of the Black Sepulchre is an association of Holy Knights. §3. The leader and chaplain of the Order of the Black Sepulchre is the High Pontiff, who alone confers or revokes membership in it. §4. Each Holy Knight of the Order of the Black Sepulchre shall be entrusted an urn containing the ashes of a saint or blessed, which is returned to the Church upon his death or other departure from the order. BOOK IV. THE SANCTIFYING FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH TITLE I. THE SACRAMENTS §1. A sacrament is an expression of the spiritual authority of the Exalted that is conferred upon the priesthood, enacted through a ceremony. CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR ALL SACRAMENTS §1. A sacrament is considered valid if all requirements for its celebration are met. §2. An invalid sacrament has no spiritual or legal effect. §3. A valid sacrament is binding and permanent, unless it is dissolved. §4. A sacrament celebrated by a cleric is presumed to be valid unless there is flagrant and public knowledge which contravenes its validity. §5. All sacraments must be celebrated by an ordained cleric acting consistently with the canon law and their superior. §6. All parties to a sacrament must participate voluntarily. §7. All parties to a sacrament must, to the best of their knowledge, believe all requirements for validity are met at the time the sacrament is celebrated. The celebrant shall provide that other parties to the sacrament are aware of these requirements. §8. All parties to the sacrament must be baptized Canonists, except where the purpose of the sacrament is their baptism into the faith. §9. If there is perilous need, ablution for the purposes of baptism or anointing of the sick may be performed by any baptized faithful, as an ablution in extremis. §10. The cleric celebrating the sacrament is the celebrant. §11. A cleric acting in a supplementary fashion to a sacrament is a concelebrant, and shall only be necessary for its validity as is provided for by the canon law. §12. No cleric shall be obliged to celebrate a sacrament which violates his conscience. §13. When possible, a sacrament should be accompanied by a mass. §14. The celebrant must make all efforts to ensure the validity of a sacrament before it is to be celebrated. §15. The violation of holy vows does not annul or dissolve their associated sacrament per se, although such a violation may be provided as evidence in the course of such a declaration. §16. None should be party to a sacrament if his participation is prohibited by ecclesiastical penalties such as interdiction or excommunication. §17. A sacrament shall not be celebrated by a cleric upon himself; in these cases, it shall be required that a sacrament is celebrated by one cleric upon the other. §18. It is desirable that all Canonists should devote their lives to God through the reception of sacraments. CHAPTER 2. MATRIMONY §1. The purpose of matrimony is the holy union of a man and a woman, modeling Ex. Horen and St. Julia. §2. The form of matrimony is a ceremony with the mutual sharing of vows between the prospective spouses, and at least one competent witness aside from the celebrant. §3. Each prospective spouse must be unmarried. Where a prospective spouse has previously attempted to contract an invalid or unconsummated marriage, an annulment must have been issued. Where a prospective spouse has previously contracted a marriage which was dissolved, express permission must be granted from the High Pontiff to wed again. §4. Each prospective spouse must not be bound by holy vows which would prohibit consummation. §5. Each prospective spouse must intend that the union should bear children and that the children should be raised in the Canonist faith. §6. Each prospective spouse must not be the parent, child, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, brother, or sister of the other, either by marriage or by blood. §7. Neither prospective spouse shall have, in the course of either’s life, assumed a familial role to the other for reasons of guardianship, adoption, or the marriage of a parent or sibling. Where such a relationship did exist but for such a duration or distance as to not have impacted the mental or spiritual maturation of either spouse, express permission must be granted from the High Pontiff. §8. Each prospective spouse must be of the same race, and of a race delineated along the lines of the Four Brothers. §9. A marriage including at least one spouse of mixed descent is not valid unless it should bear children of at least three quarters descent of one descendant race. §9. If a prospective spouse is of mixed descent including human blood to the fourth degree, it shall not be valid unless it should bear children of at least three quarters human blood. §10. The marriage must be consummated in order for the sacrament to be completed and validated. §11. If the prospective husband is an acolyte or cleric, the matrimony must be celebrated by his superior or one acting on his behalf. §12. Cardinals and the High Pontiff shall not marry, nor is a married individual eligible for these offices. §13. If it is desired by both spouses, they may make a nonbinding promise to remain celibate within the union, as St. Catherine did. In this case, the sacrament will not be invalidated for reasons of non-consummation unless, being denied consummation upon requests, one party later petitions for annulment. §14. The prospective spouses must have obtained the permissions required by civil law, if such permission is legally necessary, and the Church judges the purpose of the law to be licit and within the sacramental purposes of matrimony. CHAPTER 3. ORDINATION §1. The purpose of ordination is the induction of men into the priesthood. §2. The form of ordination is a public ceremony involving the swearing of vows to God, whereby the acolyte pledges to instruct others in virtue and to act as a guardian of the Holy Scrolls §3. The recipient of the ordination must be an acolyte of the Church. §4. The acolyte must be a male descendant who is competent and has attained the age of reason. §5. The acolyte must be of good character, having no notoriety and publicly living a virtuous life. §6. The acolyte must not be bound by oaths of service which would impact their duties as a cleric. §7. The acolyte must be educated in the Holy Scrolls. §8. An ordination must be approved by the pastor of the ecclesiastical province in which it occurs. §9. An ordination must be approved by the High Pontiff or one acting on his behalf, generally the Prelate of the Priesthood. §10. One who has received a valid ordination is a cleric. CHAPTER 4. CONSECRATION §1. The purpose of consecration is the sanctification of individuals, offices, objects, or places, by the swearing of holy vows. §2. The form of consecration is a ceremony involving the swearing of vows, the affirmation of faith, or sanctifying prayers. §3. The subject of the consecration must be suitable for a holy purpose, having no notoriety or unholy nature. §4. A person being consecrated must live a publicly virtuous life and profess Canonism. §5. A place, object, or office being consecrated must have a purpose for advancing virtuous living. §6. A person being consecrated must speak, to the best of their knowledge, the truth in the course of the consecration. They must intend to carry out their vows to the best of their ability. §7. Consecration celebrated for the purposes of coronation or investiture must be expressly permitted by the High Pontiff. Any cleric acting on his behalf may perform the coronation. §8. The coronation or investiture of a Canonist prince shall not be valid, and shall have no legal or spiritual effect, unless it is celebrated as a valid consecration. §9. Holy vows sworn as part of consecration may include terms under which they may be discharged, such as by the superior of a consecrated monastic. CHAPTER 5. ABLUTION §1. The purpose of ablution is the cleansing of the stain of sin from the penitent, thereby bringing spiritual nearness to God. §2. The form of ablution is sprinkling of, or immersion in, holy water. §3. The recipient of the ablution must be a sincere and penitent seeker of God. §4. The celebrant of the ablution celebrates it according to his own conscience, delivering the sacrament to those who have completed terms of penance for their sins assigned by a confessor acting licitly. §5. If the recipient of the ablution is not Canonist, he must understand that ablution inducts him into the faith permanently. In this case, the ablution is a baptism. §6. If the recipient is nearing death, ablution may be delivered as an anointing of the sick with holy oil rather than holy water. In this case, confession of specific sins or the completion of terms of penance is not necessary, but desirable. §7. Once baptized, a person remains subject to canon law eternally. §8. It is desirable that, before he participates in a sacrament, one should be cleansed of sin through ablution. TITLE II. THE SACRED CEREMONIES §1. A sacred ceremony is an invocation of God for the purposes of the instruction of virtue. §2. An excommunicant shall not participate in or receive sacred ceremonies, except confession, where this is concordant with the terms of their excommunication. CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR SACRED CEREMONIES §1. A sacred ceremony should be performed by a priest or monastic, unless there is need. §2. If it is necessary that a layman perform a sacred ceremony, it is preferred that he be a deacon; regardless he should make clear that he lacks the clerical state. §3. A sacred ceremony has no sacramental effect of its own, except ablution in extremis. CHAPTER 2. MASS §1. The purpose of mass is the spiritual fraternity and public piety of the faithful. §2. The form of mass is the performance of liturgies, prayers, and devotions to God in a holy site. CHAPTER 3. EXORCISM §1. The purpose of exorcism is the casting out of wicked forces which have possessed an individual. §2. The form of exorcism is the invocation of God’s authority in casting out the possessor. §3. An exorcism may be conducted by the wife of a married cleric on behalf of her husband, in the same manner as St. Julia acted on Ex. Horen’s behalf in the exorcism of Iblees. CHAPTER 4. FUNERARY RITE §1. The purpose of the funerary rite is the soothing of the bereaved, and the solemn recognition of the decedent’s passing. §2. The form of the funerary rite is a public ceremony in a holy site. §3. The funeral is to take place in a holy site chosen by the decedent, or failing that the bereaved, or failing that the celebrant. §4. The funeral of a cleric is to be celebrated by their superior or one acting on their behalf. §5. After a funeral, the decedent is to be interred in a cemetery or crypt of the Church if possible, unless another tradition, such as cremation, is preferred. §6. In any case, the decedent’s body is to be treated with reverence and solemnity. CHAPTER 5. ABLUTION IN EXTREMIS §1. The purpose of ablution in extremis is the celebration of ablution when there is extreme need and no cleric is available. §2. The form of ablution in extremis is the sprinkling of clean water on a willing penitent by a baptized Canonist, followed by a profession of faith on the penitent’s part. §3. Ablution in extremis is only conducted when a person urgently requires ablution, but captivity, distance, or mortal peril prevents them from reaching a willing cleric. §4. The validity of an ablution in extremis is never assumed, though it is desired. If a penitent has received ablution in extremis, they are obliged to seek out a cleric and receive a sacramentally valid baptism as soon as possible. §5. According to the extremity of the circumstances, all requirements for ablution in extremis should be met as far as possible in order to ensure validity. If some requirements cannot be met, the only essential requirement is that the penitent professes their faith to GOD and acknowledges the authority of the Church, even only mentally. §6. An ablution in extremis has sacramental effect only if the recipient believes there is no other recourse to obtain an ordinary baptism. CHAPTER 6. CONFESSION §1. The purpose of expression is the modeling of humility and the acceptance of guilt for one’s sins, thereby seeking God’s forgiveness. §2. The form of confession is the private confession of sins to a confessor, who delivers such spiritual guidance and assigns such terms of penance as are licit. §3. One who receives confession is the confessor; one who confesses is the penient. §4. The confessor is obliged, upon the completion of the confession, to offer such prayers as are appropriate for the soul of the penitent. §5. Unless there is grave need, confession should always be taken by a cleric who then celebrates a sacrament of ablution over the penitent. TITLE III. ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY OVER SACRED BONDS §1. A sacrament creates a sacred bond which is normally indelible and permanent. §2. In his role as inheritor of the High Priesthood and the Laurel of the Exalted, the High Pontiff may annul or dissolve sacraments. CHAPTER 1. ANNULMENT §1. If a sacrament is determined after the fact to have been invalid, the High Pontiff or one acting on his behalf may declare it to be so post facto. This declaration is an annulment. §2. An annulled sacrament is considered to have never taken place. §3. An annulment must be issued with a justification of the sacrament’s invalidity. §4. If it is necessary for the preservation of virtue, sacraments celebrated by a presumed cleric whose ordination was later annulled may be considered to have been celebrated by the High Pontiff, through his authority as High Priest. If this is determined, it must be expressly provided for in the declaration. CHAPTER 2. DISSOLUTION §1. If the permanence of a sacrament poses mortal peril to one of its subjects’ soul or body, the High Pontiff may declare it to have ended. This declaration is a dissolution. §2. A dissolved sacrament took place, but has no further spiritual or legal effect after it is dissolved. §3. Dissolution of a sacrament is an invocation of the authority of the Laurel of the Exalted. It is to be entered into very prudently, and only declared there is no other recourse for the preservation of an individual’s virtue. §4. A dissolution must be issued with a justification of its cause. §5. Because it can never inhibit virtuous behavior, a baptism is never dissolved. TITLE IV. VENERATION OF RELICS AND THE DEAD §1. The purpose of veneration is the acknowledgement of the virtue of a deceased individual, for the further instruction of virtue among the faithful. §2. The form of veneration is reverence of a deceased individual’s virtues or the petitioning of their intercession through prayer. §3. Veneration is only suitable for the Exalted, or those who have been proclaimed a saint, blessed, or venerable by the appropriate processes. §4. Once an individual is found to be suitable for veneration, this status may not be revoked, unless a procedural or factual error occurred which prevented them from being considered appropriately. CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR VENERATION §1. For the better instruction of the faithful, subjects of veneration are represented through icons of themselves, icons of their relics, or their relics directly. §2. Icons and relics are to be displayed in an appropriate manner so as not to promote idolatry nor confuse the worshippers as to the only subject of worship, God. CHAPTER 2. EXALTED §1. The Exalted are the four prophets of God who reside in the Sixth Sky, accompanied by their wives and the first man and woman. §2. The Exalted are Horen, Owyn, Godfrey, and Sigismund. §3. The wives of Exalted, despite residing in the Sixth Sky, still require the normal processes to be found suitable for veneration, and shall still be considered saints, blessed, or venerable according to the process. CHAPTER 3. SAINTS §1. Saints are those Canonists who have died and attained a place in the Fifth Sky, having performed miracles and lived virtuously. §2. Canonization is the process by which a saint’s place in the Fifth Sky is recognized and promulgated. §3. In order to be considered for canonization, the prospective saint must: Have been deceased for more than twenty years Be a Canonist, or proven to be so after death, Have lived a holy life, Have previously been beatified, Have two verified miracles attributed to their intercession after death §4. An individual who meets the requirements may be proposed by the High Pontiff or a cardinal to the College of Cardinals for consideration, who shall vote upon their acceptance of the proposal. If there is no greater than one vote dissenting in the College, and the High Pontiff confirms this, the individual is a saint. CHAPTER 4. BLESSED §1. Blessed are those Canonists who have died and attained a place in at least the Fourth Sky, having lived especially virtuously. §2. Beatification is the process by which a blessed’s place in the Fourth Sky is recognized and promulgated. §3. In order to be considered for beatification must: Have been deceased for more than five years, Be a Canonist, or proven to be so after death, Have lived a holy life, Have one verified miracle attributed to their intercession after death §4. An individual who meets the requirements may be proposed by the High Pontiff or a cardinal to the College of Cardinals for consideration, who shall vote upon their acceptance of the proposal. If one half of the College agrees, and the High Pontiff confirms this, the individual is blessed. CHAPTER 5. VENERABLE §1. Venerable are those Canonists who have died and assuredly attained a place somewhere in the Seven Skies. §2. The status of venerable is conferred by the High Pontiff. TITLE V. SACRED PLACES AND OBJECTS CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR SACRED PLACES AND OBJECTS §1. Sacred places and objects are those which model the holiness of Ex. Horen’s tabernacle, requiring special behaviors on the part of believers. §2. No iniquity should be perpetrated in sacred places or involving sacred objects. CHAPTER 2. CHURCHES §1. A church is a sacred place defined as a house of worship for the faithful. §2. No prospective church is to be built without the written consent of the pastor of its ecclesiastical province. §3. A newly constructed church is to be consecrated as soon as possible. §4. Entry to a church is free and unlimited to the faithful. §5. All acts of worship may occur in a church that has been consecrated. §6. If a church later proves to be incapable of acting as a place of worship, its pastor may dissolve the consecration upon it without consulting the High Pontiff. It may be relegated to profane use. §7. No violence is to occur in a church. CHAPTER 3. CATHEDRALS AND BASILICAS §1. A cathedral is a church which is the seat of the High Pontiff, a patriarch, an archbishop, or a bishop. §2. A basilica is a cathedral which has been granted the special honor of this name by the High Pontiff. CHAPTER 4. ORATORIES §1. An oratory is a place of worship restricted to use by a specific community. §2. An oratory may not be established by a pastor without visiting the site of the oratory physically. §3. No oratory is to be constructed without the written consent of the pastor of its ecclesiastical province. CHAPTER 5. SHRINES §1. A shrine is a place of pilgrimage for the faithful. §2. Offerings at a shrine are to be guarded securely. CHAPTER 6. ALTARS §1. All churches shall have a fixed altar of stone when possible. §2. An altar is to be blessed on the consecration of a church. §3. A body is not to be buried under an altar. CHAPTER 7. CEMETERIES AND CRYPTS §1. A church is to have its own cemetery or crypt when possible. §2. If it is impossible for a church to have a cemetery or crypt, it is the duty of the pastor to bless individual graves. CHAPTER 8. HOLY LANDS §1. A holy land is a region over which the High Pontiff possesses temporal authority, which is consecrated for a holy purpose. §2. Holy lands, once consecrated as such, become the property of the office of High Pontiff. §3. Holy lands are to be used for the good of the faithful. §4. Holy lands are to remain comparatively small in area to those lands possessed by secular princes, to preserve the harmony between crown and laurel. §5. The laws and authorities of holy lands are to be subject to and in harmony with the rulings of the Church. §6. Day-to-day leadership of the holy lands shall be assigned to an appropriate individual by the High Pontiff, generally the Regent of the Holy Palatinate. §7. Holy lands shall always owe their first fealty and obedience to the High Pontiff. §8. Holy lands may fall under the protection of a temporal authority, with the terms of this protection determined in a concordat. §9. A High Pontiff may deconsecrate holy lands in order to cede them or relegate them to profane use. CHAPTER 9. THE CROSS §1. The purpose of the Holy Cross is to symbolize the faith through correspondence to the cosmology of the Seven Skies, the World, and the Void. §2. The form of the Holy Cross is a one-barred, two-barred, three-barred, or four-barred cross. CHAPTER 10. THE STAR OF ARCHANGEL MICHAEL §1. The purpose of the Star of Archangel Michael is to symbolize the intervention of God in the world through His angels. §2. The form of the Star of Archangel Michael is a white star of four, seven, or ten points on a red field. CHAPTER 11. RELICS AND ICONS §1. Relics are items having a holy association with an Exalted, saint, or blessed. §2. Icons are depictions of individuals suitable for veneration or of their relics. §3. It is forbidden to sell relics. §4. He is to have the permission of the High Pontiff to repair any relic or holy image. CHAPTER 12. THE RIGHT OF SANCTUARY §1. The right of sanctuary occurs if an accused criminal enters a church before they are arrested. The accused is given sanctuary for up to three days to confess his sins and obtain terms of penance. §2. Those pursuing the accused must remain outside the church and guard it to ensure the accused does not escape. §3. A legal coroner must come to confiscate the criminal’s goods. He may assign the accused a port of exile where they may take exile for their crimes. TITLE VI. SACRED TIMES §1. Sacred times are periods set aside for specific holy practices and behaviors, namely the veneration of particular individuals or the celebration of certain events. §2. Sacred times are established by the High Pontiff. §3. The Church may provide a liturgical calendar with prescribed periodic celebrations. §4. Other sacred times may be established ad hoc by the High Pontiff for the Church and pastors for their ecclesiastical provinces. §5. A Year of Jubilee is a sacred time proclaimed by the High Pontiff or set forth in the liturgical calendar, during which certain behaviors may be commanded or proscribed. §6. War between Canonist states is always prohibited during a Year of Jubilee. §7. Waging war during a Year of Jubilee, unless it be in self-defense, incurs automatic provincial interdiction upon the belligerent ecclesiastical province. BOOK V. THE PURIFYING FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH TITLE I. THE JURISDICTION OF CANON LAW §1. No one is punished by ecclesiastical penalty unless they commit a breach of canon law. §2. No one has committed a breach of canon law if they lacked competency at the time of the act. §3. No one has committed a breach of canon law if they did not voluntarily commit the criminal act, or by negligence allow it to occur. §4. Those who breach the canon law shall be held liable. §5. A sin is not always a breach of canon law, unless it also be flagrant and unrepentant. §6. A person who commits a sin which does not receive ecclesiastical penalty is still accountable for judgement before God. §7. A person who commits an act which appears to breach the canon law, but is in fact performing the regular, legitimate, and virtuous duties of his ecclesiastical office, is not liable. §8. No person is without sin. CHAPTER 1. COMPETENCY §1. Competency is the quality of possessing mental and spiritual capacity to be held accountable for one’s actions. §2. The age of reason, defined as twelve years old, is the age at which a child attains limited competency and some level of moral culpability for his actions. §3. The age of majority, defined as sixteen years old, is the age at which adulthood and full competency over one's actions are attained. §4. No one is considered competent if they have not attained the age of reason. §5. If a person is incompetent or of limited competency, they shall be entrusted to a guardian who will represent their interests, governing them and acting in their stead. §6. A person who is incompetent may not always remain so; nevertheless, an person who is habitually incompetent shall always be presumed to be incompetent, unless it can be assured otherwise. §7. The judge shall determine a party to a trial’s competency. TITLE II. THE TOPICS OF CANON LAW CHAPTER 1. CRIMES AGAINST VIRTUE §1. A person who utters or publishes blasphemy, or incites contempt of or sedition against the Church, has committed a crime. §2. A person who engages in concubinage, adultery, or fornication has committed a crime. §3. A person who practices dark magics or devilry has committed a crime. §4. A person who is gravely irreverent of a corpse, sacred place, sacred object, an individual suitable for veneration, or a relic, has committed the crime of sacrilege. §5. A person who violates holy vows has committed a crime. §6. A person who murders another has committed a crime. §7. A person who murders one has not obtained the age of majority, including by procuring an abortion, incurs excommunication automatically. §8. A person who has carnal relations with another outside of their race has committed a crime. §9. A person who steals from the Church has committed a crime. §10. A person who denies the existence of God has committed the crime of atheism. §11. A person who lies in the course of a sacrament has committed a crime. §12. A person who conspires or attempts to commit a breach of canon law has committed a crime. §13. A person who encourages or commands the breach of canon law has committed a crime. CHAPTER 2. CRIMES AGAINST THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH §1. An unrepentant apostate, schismatic, or heretic incurs excommunication automatically. §2. A person participating in prohibited sacraments or ceremonies has committed a crime. §3. A guardian who permits their ward to enter a heretic or pagan religion has committed a crime. §4. A person who professes or teaches a doctrine explicitly forbidden by the High Pontiff has committed a crime. §5. A person who joins a group which plots against the Church incurs excommunication automatically. §6. A person who aids or gives shelter to an excommunicant has committed the crime of harboring. §7. A cleric who incites contempt for the Church among the faithful has committed a crime. §8. A human who professes a pagan faith despite knowledge of the Covenant of Purity has committed the crime of apostasy. §9. A person who violates a proclamation of anathematization has committed a crime. CHAPTER 3. CRIMES AGAINST ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY §1. A person who uses physical force against the High Pontiff incurs excommunication automatically. §2. A person who uses excessive physical force against a pastor has committed a crime. §3. A person who initiates violence on holy grounds has committed a crime. §4. A person who unjustly prevents a pastor from exercising their authorities or celebrating sacraments has committed a crime. §5. A person who insults or threatens a cleric has committed a crime. §6. A person who sells a sacred place, sacred object, ecclesiastical office, or the use thereof, has committed a crime. §7. A person who disobeys the legitimate order of a superior has committed a crime. §8. A confessor who assigns forbidden terms of penance has committed a crime. §9. A person who lies in the course of an ecclesiastical trial has committed a crime. §10. A person who obstructs the justice of the Church has committed a crime. §11. A person who illegitimately attempts to enforce canon law has committed a crime. §12. A person who misuses ecclesiastical authority for the furtherance of personal interests has committed a crime. CHAPTER 4. CRIMES AGAINST TRUTH §1. A person who falsifies miracles or sacraments incurs excommunication automatically. §2. A person who celebrates a forbidden sacrament or sacred ceremony has committed a crime. §3. A person who claims ecclesiastical authorities or offices not due to them has committed a crime. §4. A Canonist who worships anyone but God, the Creator, has committed a crime. §5. A Canonist who posits an equal to or separate person within God has committed a crime. CHAPTER 5. CRIMES AGAINST THE COVENANTS §1. A person who breaches or attempts to bring about a breach of the Covenants of the Exalted has committed a crime. §2. The Covenant of Instruction was sworn by Ex. Horen, swearing all humanity to instruct others in virtue. It shall be a breach of this covenant if the person intends to inhibit the instruction of virtue in itself. §3. The Covenant of Purity was sworn by Ex. Owyn, swearing all humanity to purity in faith and blood. It shall be a breach of this covenant if a person intends to promote impurity of faith or blood among the Sons of Horen. §4. The Covenant of Sovereignty was sworn by Ex. Godfrey, swearing that the Throne of Man shall never be held by an elf, dwarf, orc, or mage. It shall be a breach of this covenant if such an individual takes the Throne of Man, or if one considers him to have done so legitimately. TITLE III. PENANCE §1. The purpose of penance is the demonstration of sincere regret for one’s sins and the acceptance of holy authority on the part of the penitent. §2. The form of penance is the completion by the penitent of terms established by a confessor. §3. Terms of penance shall not stray beyond those listed in the canon law, unless expressly provided for by the High Pontiff. §4. If there is a question of the justness of terms of penance, the confessor’s superior should be consulted. The superior may approve the given penance, or assign new ones. §5. No penance shall ever involve unholy or forbidden acts. §6. Penance should be proportional and salient to the nature of the penitent’s sins. §7. Terms of penance should be issued with the belief on the confessor’s part that they are realistically achievable. §8. Terms of penance are issued as a means of purification and the rectification of the spirit, not as a form of vengeance. §9. If it is necessary for the function of an ecclesiastical court, terms of penance may be established prior to the celebration of an ablution. CHAPTER 1. PRAYER AND STUDY §1. Prayer may be prescribed, in general, with any amount of specificity as to the nature, amount, or period of the prayer. §2. No confessor shall require prayer on behalf of himself. §3. Study may be prescribed, in general, or of specific subjects. CHAPTER 2. PUBLIC PIETY §1. Public piety may be prescribed, in general, or of a specific kind. §2. Public piety is not to be imposed for any transgression which is not already known to the public. CHAPTER 3. CHARITABLE ACTS §1. Charitable acts may be prescribed, in general, or of a specific kind or amount. §2. Charitable acts may consist of alms, labor, or any service to others. §3. Prescribed charitable acts should first benefit the least fortunate members of society. §4. Prescribed charitable acts should benefit Canonists before members of other faiths, unless it is salient to the penitent’s sins that the charity be to the benefit of non-Canonists. §5. Prescribed charitable acts should not in any way financially benefit the confessor, nor their office, friends, family, or colleagues. §6. Prescribed charitable acts should reflect the ability of the penitent to actually carry out the acts; that is, they should not be in amounts or acts they are not capable of realistically achieving. §7. In general, prayer and public piety should be preferred above charitable acts in the assignment of penance, unless particularly salient to the penitent’s sins. §8. Where a confessor intends to assign charitable acts, they should first inquire of the penitent what acts they would consider appropriate. The penitent is obliged to respond honestly. The confessor is obliged to take this information into account, but is not bound by it. TITLE IV. ECCLESIASTICAL PENALTIES §1.The purpose ecclesiastical penalty is the admonition of the subject and the provision of opportunity for their redemption. §2. Ecclesiastical penalties are issued only for violations of canon law. §3. Ecclesiastical penalties are issued only by the Church. CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR ECCLESIASTICAL PENALTIES §1. Ecclesiastical penalties do not require the consent of the subject. §2. Ecclesiastical penalties are only issued for breaches of canon law. §3. Terms of penance are established when an ecclesiastical penalty is issued. §4. Once terms of penance are completed to the satisfaction of the appropriate authority, the accompanying ecclesastical penalty should be lifted. §5. Interdiction and excommunication are issued and lifted only with the approval of the High Pontiff. §6. If an ecclesiastical penalty is issued automatically by force of law, terms of penance should be issued by the appropriate authority when it becomes known. §7. Terms of penance may be withheld until the subject undergoes trial in an ecclesiastical court. §8. Annulment or dissolution of a sacrament is never issued as an ecclesiastical penalty. CHAPTER 2. PENANCE §1. Mandatory penance may be imposed as an ecclesiastical penalty, with terms decided by the appropriate authority. §2. Mandatory penance is the preferred ecclesiastical penalty. CHAPTER 3. PERSONAL INTERDICTION §1. The purpose of personal interdiction is to chasten the penitent into penance. §2. The form of personal interdiction is the temporary limitation of the penitent’s interaction with the Church. §3. An interdicted person shall not receive or participate in any sacrament except ablution. §4. An interdicted cleric is prohibited from celebrating sacraments except ablution. §5. An interdicted person shall not enter sacred places unless it is necessary for their penance or the fulfillment of their ecclesiastical duties. §6. An interdicted person is bound to complete the terms of their penance with all speed. §7. A person who knowingly remains under personal interdiction for more than four years automatically incurs excommunication, unless expressly provided for by the appropriate authority. CHAPTER 4. PROVINCIAL INTERDICTION §1. The purpose of provincial interdiction is to chasten the parishioners of an ecclesiastical province, and to spur them to action. §2. The form of provincial interdiction is the temporary prohibition of certain sacraments and practices within an ecclesiastical province. §3. Consecrations and ordinations are not celebrated in an interdicted province. §4. Ablutions are celebrated only for the purposes of baptism and anointing of the sick, with exceptions for yearly penance made during the month of Sun’s Smile §5. Matrimonies and all sacred ceremonies are always permitted in an interdicted province. §6. In all cases, the Church will not conduct events of celebration or merriment in the interdicted provinces. Sacraments and ceremonies should be austere, with no decoration or feasting. §7. Pastors providing spiritual care in an interdicted province should remind their parishioners of the causes of the interdiction and how it may be lifted. §8. A sacrament celebrated by a cleric which is forbidden for reasons of interdiction is valid only insofar as the celebrant was not aware of the interdiction at the time of celebration. §9. Interdiction is issued when the ruler or populace of an ecclesiastical province flagrantly and unrepentantly disregards virtue or ecclesiastical authority. CHAPTER 5. EXCOMMUNICATION §1. The purpose of excommunication is the recognition that one has rejected the truth of the Church. An excommunicated person is an excommunicant. §2. The form of excommunication is the severe restriction of the excommunicant’s interaction with the Church. §2. An excommunicant is forbidden from participation in any sacraments, sacred ceremonies, or celebrations within the church. §3. Any sacraments celebrated on an excommunicant are invalid ab initio, although sacraments already celebrated before the excommunication remain in place. §4. An excommunicant is forbidden from entering a church or holy site. §5. An excommunicant is not suitable for association or fraternity with the faithful, and they are engendered to shun and reject them except where there is extreme need. §6. An excommunicant remains subject to the canon law, though bound by all provisions according to their status. Provision of excommunication supersede all rights of the faithful. §7. Excommunication is not issued for mere presence in an ecclesiastical province. §8. According to those terms set forth in his excommunication, an excommunicant may be entitled to the service of a specific confessor, for the purposes of his reconciliation into the Church. CHAPTER 6. ANATHEMATIZATION §1. The purpose of anathematization is the protection of Canonists from sinful organizations, individuals, or doctrines. §2. The form of anathematization is a prohibition on Canonists from associating with, professing, or supporting the subject of anathema. §3. That which is anathema is judged to be contrary to the promotion of virtue. §4. Canonists residing in lands under the rule of one who has been pronounced anathema should make all efforts to overthrow them, or failing that, to flee their rule. TITLE V. FAMILY AND RACE §1. Determining the racial and familial descent of individuals is of paramount importance for the proper application of canon law. §2. A person is the race of their parents, if both are of the same race. §3. If a person is of mixed descent, they are the race comprising their primary descent, that which comprises the largest portion of their blood. §4. If a person is of equal parts descended from multiple races, and these races comprise the largest portion of their blood, the Church shall determine their race. §5. If a person’s parentage is unclear, the Church shall determine their descent according to the appropriate processes. §6. The Church shall endeavor, through the sacrament of marriage, to preserve racial purity and discourage admixture as much as possible. CHAPTER 1. MATRIMONY AND INHERITANCE §1. It is the prerogative of licit temporal authorities to determine matters of succession and inheritance, including even legitimate issue’s suitability to receive such inheritance. CHAPTER 2. GUARDIANSHIP §1. Guardianship is the responsibility to care for the interests and personal property of another. §2. Adults are considered their own guardian unless judged incompetent. §3. The guardian of a child or an incompetent is its parents, with priority given to the father. §4. An ecclesiastical court may assign a person another guardian if necessary for the promotion of virtue. §5. An ecclesiastical court may, if desired, defer to the rulings of a temporal authority in determining guardianship. CHAPTER 3. DESCENDANT RACES §1. Descendants are those descending from human, elvish, dwarvish, or orcish blood, or any admixture thereof. §2. Only descendants shall be suitable for matrimony. CHAPTER 4. NON-DESCENDANTS §1. Non-descendants are those persons possessing a demonstrable light of wisdom, which is sapience, but who by reason of magical or diabolical interference have obtained abnormal traits which set them apart from descendant races. §2. Non-descendant sapients, by virtue of possessing a light of wisdom, continue to receive the protection of the Church. §3. Non-descendant sapients are not suitable to receive or administer sacraments except ablution. §4. Reproduction by a Canonist non-descendant is forbidden. §5. Reproduction by a pagan non-descendant is discouraged by not punishable by ecclesiastical penalty. §6. Where an individual lived some of their life as a descendant, but was later affected by magicks so as to cause a question of race, their race shall be determined by the Church. CHAPTER 4. DETERMINING RACIAL STATUS §1. Where there is a question of a person’s race, it should be determined by an ecclesiastical court. §2. The factors taken into account shall be the person’s lineage, appearance, cultural practices, residence, and the testimony of experts. §3. An ecclesiastical court may, if desired, defer to the rulings of a temporal authority in determining racial status. CHAPTER 5. NATURAL MARRIAGE §1. A natural marriage is one contracted between pagans who, having no sacramental access through the priesthood, make their own provisions according to the natural law that pre-existed the revelation of the Virtue. §2. A natural marriage is contracted when two unmarried pagans, meeting the requirements for racial purity and monogamy, profess that they are married by whatever ceremonies or prescriptions are familiar to them. §3. If one spouse in a natural marriage should be baptized, it is permitted that the couple remain married; however it is desirable that the Canonist spouse should seek his partner’s conversion. §4. If persons in a natural marriage should both convert to Canonism, their union should be sanctified in a sacramental marriage as soon as possible. §5. Children of a natural marriage in which one spouse converts to Canonism should be raised as Canonists. TITLE VI. MAGIC §1. Magic is the supernatural manipulation of the world, or the use of voidal properties, including the use of aengulic or druidic powers. §2. Miracles, being God’s intervention in the world either directly or through intercessors, are not magic. §3. Magic is tolerated where it does not inhibit virtue nor promote sin. §4. Magic is forbidden to Canonists where it involves worship of any being, or obedience to a creed that has a cause contrary to virtue. §5. Practitioners of magic are to be particularly careful in their observance of Canonism, referring frequently to a confessor for examination of sin. CHAPTER 1. ANGELIC VENERATION AND INTERCESSION §1. The veneration of angels is permissible for the sake of spiritual edification. §2. Veneration that creates a magical tether between the venerator and the venerated is always forbidden. CHAPTER 2. MORTALITY AND JUDGEMENT §1. Those who die are typically judged immediately, and enter either the Seven Skies or the Void, as appropriate. §2. It is possible but not desirable that one should die, but his spirit yet lingers in the world of the living. §3. It is possible but not desirable that one whose spirit lingers a short time after his death may yet be returned to life. §4. It is forbidden that one who has obtained the clerical state should be returned to life by magic. §5. It is forbidden that one who has been coronated as a Canonist prince should be returned to life by magic. CHAPTER 3. SPIRITUAL APPARITIONS §1. Spiritual apparitions are appearances of the dead in the land of the living, particularly as ghosts or visions. §2. Because they may be either an intercessory apparition by one who has entered the Seven Skies, or a infernal haunting by the iniquitous dead, it is necessary that spiritual apparitions be judged for righteousness. §3. An intercessory apparition will not give general revelation, this being reserved to the prophets, but he may give particular revelations, concerning the lives, immediate circumstances, or Virtue of those he addresses. §4. An intercessory apparition will not linger in the land of the living beyond the time necessary to achieve his virtuous goal, as he will be innately eager to return to his home in the Seven Skies. §5. An infernal haunting will seek to imitate the living, residing amongst them and controlling them. CHAPTER 4. FORBIDDEN MAGICKS §1. All magicks deriving from a sinful source, and those requiring or promoting sin by their nature, are forbidden. §2. Magic used in the reanimation of the dead, the binding of spirits, or other interference with the natural barrier between life and death is always forbidden. §3. Magic having the effect of impeding the free will, corrupting the mind, or directly influencing the soul of sapients is always forbidden. §4. Magic involving corrupt practices such as blasphemy, occultism, necromancy, devilry, or idolatry is always forbidden. §5. Magic which achieves enduring and unnatural physical transformation in sapients is always forbidden. CHAPTER 5. ALCHEMY AND NATURAL PHILOSOPHY §1. The manipulation of natural or preternatural properties by certain processes, called alchemy or natural philosophy, is permissible. §2. All canon law that applies to the practice of magic applies similarly to the practice of alchemy. BOOK VI. THE PRESERVING FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH TITLE I. PROMULGATION OF CANON LAW §1. A canon law is promulgated when it is approved by the appropriate authority and made available to its subjects. TITLE II. ECCLESIASTICAL DECREES §1. Ecclesiastical decrees are promulgations of rulings and canon laws by pastors. §2. Ecclesiastical decrees are binding for all whom they are issued. §3. An ecclesiastical decree is not required for the conferral or revocation of an ecclesiastical office to take effect. Such actions take effect as soon as they are made clear to concerned parties. §4. An ecclesiastical decree in which its issuer defects from the church is invalid in its entirety. §5. Sections of an ecclesiastical decree which include some defect of truth or authority are automatically invalidated without affecting other sections. CHAPTER 1. GOLDEN BULLS §1. Golden bulls are issued periodically by the High Pontiff, documenting and promulgating changes within the Church. §2. Golden bulls are named and numbered after the city whence they were issued. §3. Changes in canon law, if at all possible, should be included in a Golden Bull. §4. Golden bulls should, if possible, be presented to the Curia for consideration before they are promulgated. §5. Each Golden Bull should contain a roster of every cardinal, curate, nuncio, and pastor within the Church at the time it is issued. CHAPTER 2. PONTIFICAL LETTERS §1. Pontifical letters are issued as necessary by the High Pontiff, documenting and promulgating the occurrence, annulment, or dissolution of sacraments; the conferral or revocation of offices and dignities; the levying of ecclesiastical penalties; the announcement of sacred times or places; the rulings of ecclesiastical courts; or any other execution of the High Pontiff’s authorities, where it is not expedient that they be included in a Golden Bull. CHAPTER 3. MINOR BULLS §1. Minor bulls are issued by pastors of ecclesiastical provinces for documentation and promulgation of the following: Establishment of subsidiary organizations of the Church in the province Changes to ecclesiastical offices within the province Establishing a diocesan college for the nomination of the province’s pastor Updating residents of the province on the faith’s progress or status Announce significant events or occasions within the province §2. Minor bulls may not contravene or usurp the authority of superiors or the Church. CHAPTER 4. RULINGS OF ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS §1. A ruling of an ecclesiastical court is issued by the judge of the trial. §2. Rulings of ecclesiastical courts should be made available to all parties to the trial and to the judge’s superior. TITLE III. TEMPORAL AUTHORITIES §1. Temporal authorities are those having worldly authority, in contrast to the sole spiritual authority of the Church. §2. There is no spiritual authority outside the Church, as appointed by God. CHAPTER 1. RECOGNITION OF TEMPORAL OF AUTHORITIES §1. Temporal authorities may have the quality of licity, which spiritually obliges Canonists to obey their orders. §2. Temporal authorities lacking licity are illicit, that is, having no just or virtuous claim to the exercise of their power. §3. The faithful are not spiritually obliged to obey illicit temporal authorities. §4. Temporal authorities are assumed to be licit unless expressly provided. §5. Only the High Pontiff shall rule on the licity of temporal authorities. §6. Generally, licit temporal authorities are in keeping with the Church’s understanding of the proper order of the world, serving no purpose to hinder its work. §7. Lack of virtue on the part of a temporal authority does not automatically rule them illicit. Ex. Owyn served faithfully in the court of King Harren, despite the latter’s wickedness. §8. Accreditation of an ambassador of the Church to a temporal authority shall not necessarily imply licity on that temporal authority’s part. §9. Particular acts, offices, laws, or individuals may be declared illicit without affecting the licity of those others which produce or support them. §10. It is desirable for the promotion of harmony between the crown and the laurel that the High Pontiff is tolerant in his judgements of temporal authorities. CHAPTER 2. INTERACTION WITH TEMPORAL AUTHORITIES §1. The Church shall strive to maintain harmony between the crown and the laurel, which are the temporal and the spiritual, this being the command of Ex. Sigismund. §2. No temporal authority shall govern or punish the proper application of canon law. §3. No spiritual authority shall govern or punish the licit application of temporal authority. CHAPTER 3. CANONIST PRINCES §1. The purpose of a Canonist prince is to rule virtuously in keeping with the Canonist faith, for the good of his subjects. §2. The form of a Canonist prince is the Canonist ruler of a realm possessing sovereignty, or a Canonist ruler owing fealty directly to such a prince. §3. A Canonist prince is never obliged to accept the rule of a pagan. §4. A Canonist prince must acknowledge the spiritual authority of the Church in its entirety. §5. A Canonist prince must, upon assuming his office, receive coronation or investiture into it through a valid sacrament of consecration authorized by the High Pontiff. If this is not possible, he assumes office normally, but is obliged to speedily obtain an appropriate coronation or investiture. §6. A Canonist prince is entitled and obliged to receive pastors into their lands for the spiritual care of the faithful. §7. A Canonist prince is obliged to make all efforts to provide for the authorities of the Church and the application of canon law in their realm. It is desirable that temporal authorities should provide appropriate justice such that ecclesiastical courts are infrequently required. §8. A Canonist prince has no authority to prohibit a lawfully appointed pastor from the appropriate exercise of his office. Nevertheless, it is desirable that the pastor of a realm be kept in harmony with its prince, for the better care of the faithful. §9. A Canonist prince has no power to assign ecclesiastical offices by virtue of his temporal authority. §10. An excommunicant prince incurs provincial interdiction upon his realm automatically. This interdiction is lifted automatically should he leave office or if his excommunication is lifted. §11. An excommunicant prince who remains in this status for four consecutive years automatically becomes illicit, unless expressly provided for by the High Pontiff. Additionally, Canonists are obliged to make all virtuous efforts to reconvert him, or failing that, to overthrow him. CHAPTER 4. THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE §1. The purpose of the Holy Orenian Empire is the continuation of the aforementioned realm first established by Ex. Godfrey. §2. The form of the Holy Orenian Empire is a single state recognized as such by the High Pontiff, meeting all necessary requirements. §3. The Holy Orenian Emperor shall be ruled by a Canonist prince who is the Holy Orenian Emperor. This prince shall be human, and not a mage. §4. The Holy Orenian Emperor is the temporal complement of the High Pontiff’s spiritual authority, and they shall endeavor to maintain harmony between their authorities as such. §5. The High Pontiff will endeavor to seek political unity among humanity for the promotion of virtue, using all diplomatic means. It is not so desirable that the Holy Orenian Empire be established that war should be waged for this sole purpose. §6. No authority shall ever bind or govern the Holy Orenian Emperor, except the High Pontiff who binds and governs all men. §7. The Church shall endeavor to remain in harmony with the Holy Orenian Empire, accepting and promoting the scope of its temporal authority, without harming the promotion of virtue. §8. Generally, the High Pontiff should assume that the extant Holy Orenian Empire is licit, unless there be grave and flagrant evidence to the contrary. §9. Canonist princes are not necessarily obliged by their faith to owe fealty to the Holy Orenian Emperor, though it is desirable that they do so. §10. A person who claims the office of Holy Orenian Emperor without the approval of the High Pontiff incurs excommunication automatically, as do all who assist him. §11. The Holy Orenian Emperor must be crowned by the High Pontiff himself if possible. Otherwise, only one acting on the High Pontiff’s express, written, and public permission may do so. §12. None shall claim the title of Emperor except the Holy Orenian Emperor, nor shall any state claim the title of Empire unless he be its ruler. §13. It is the spiritual obligation of all Canonists to hinder and overthrow an illicit claimant to the office of Holy Orenian Emperor, this being an office consecrated to special purpose by Ex. Godfrey. §14. Only the High Pontiff may rule on the licity of the Holy Orenian Empire or its Emperor. CHAPTER 5. JUST WAR §1. The purpose of war is the promotion of virtuous living through the exercise of just and necessary violence by one state against another. §2. The form of war is a declared conflict between states, with causes and goals stated by at least one party. §3. Canonist princes are obliged to wage war only for the purposes of self-defense or the promotion of virtue. §4. War is a function of temporal authority and is to be conducted as such. §5. It is for the High Pontiff to declare a temporal authority’s causes and goals of a war to be just or unjust. §6. The faithful are not obliged to participate in an unjust war. §7. It is forbidden for a Canonist prince to seek the aid of apostates, heretics, or schismatics in war. §8. It is forbidden for a Canonist prince to be the first to seek the aid of pagan allies in a war against another Canonist prince. §9. It is permitted for pagan subjects of a Canonist prince to participate in their ruler’s war, provided they owe full fealty to the prince. §10. War is to be waged as a last resort, when there is no peaceable option for the promotion of virtue. §11. Canonist princes are always required to wage war against an excommunicant prince if he remains in that status for four years, unless expressly provided for by the High Pontiff. They are required to continue until his excommunication is lifted or he is removed from office. §12. It is desirable that Canonist princes should resolve violent conflicts with as few casualties as possible, assaulting such targets as are absolutely necessary for a speedy and virtuous peace. Thus it is desirable that war be prevented through the use of personal combat, or small, limited combats among appointed representatives. §13. The High Pontiff will endeavor to mediate diplomatic proceedings and personal combats between Canonist princes at war, seeking neutrality and fairness in his judgements. §14. If mediation is impossible or inexpedient, and no party to the war is significantly more righteous in their conduct, the war should be allowed to reach its natural outcome. It is not desirable that the High Pontiff should unnaturally prolong a conflict by favoring a certain side. §15. Prisoners of war are to be treated humanely, preserving appropriate dignity and care for them if at all possible. §16. Prisoners of war are entitled to receive spiritual care from a cleric. CHAPTER 6. TITHES §1. The Church may request tithes, in general, or of specific kinds at specific periods, from the temporal authorities of realms coterminous with ecclesiastical provinces. §2. It is desirable, but never mandatory, that a temporal authority should pay tithes. §3. Ecclesiastical penalty shall never be issued for failure to pay tithes. §4. A Canonist prince’s counsel in the nomination of a pastor may be denied for failure to pay tithes. §5. The Church shall endeavor to levy only those tithes which are financially appropriate to a realm. §5. Tithes are to be used only for the legitimate purposes of the Church, favoring activity in the ecclesiastical province in which they were collected. §6. The receipt and expenditure of tithes should be recorded diligently and reported to the collecting pastor’s superior. The Church shall endeavor to make these available to the appropriate temporal authorities. CHAPTER 7. ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICIALS WITH TEMPORAL AUTHORITY §1. The purpose of an ecclesiastical official with temporal authority is the licit application of such authority to promote virtuous living, and to advance the Church’s interests in temporal matters. §2. The form of an ecclesiastical official with temporal authority is a cleric, monastic, or official of the church who also possesses licit temporal authority. §3. An ecclesiastical official may derive temporal authority from the worldly holdings of the Church, or from concurrent office within a separate temporal authority. §4. An ecclesiastical official shall not hold temporal authority which inhibits the exercise of his duties within the Church. §5. An ecclesiastical official shall not swear oaths of service which would prevent him from obeying his ecclesiastical superiors or the Church. §6. An ecclesiastical official shall not use his authorities within the Church to further the temporal or personal interests of himself or his friends, family, or allies. §7. An ecclesiastical official shall not use his temporal authorities to influence or inhibit the proper execution of processes within the Church. §8. An ecclesiastical official shall not serve as the ruler of a state, unless such a state is a holy land under the control of the Church. §9. An ecclesiastical official engaging in politics in a temporal role may not state or imply, by his words or actions, that disagreement with him in those matters in itself constitutes laxity in faith or opposition to the Church. §10. An eccleisastical official with temporal authority shall take a confessor who does not fall under the jurisdiction of his temporal authority. §11. Ecclesiastical officials shall always make clear to all the distinction between his temporal and spiritual authorities. §12. An ecclesiastical official’s superior may require his resignation from certain temporal positions if it is necessary for the promotion of virtuous living. §13. An ecclesiastical official will obtain the approval of his superior before accepting any position of temporal authority. BOOK VII. PROCESSES FOR TRIAL §1. The object of the trial is for the declaration of juridic facts and the imposition of penalties for transgressions of the faith. §2. The Church is to adjudicate all matters spiritual, breaches of canon law, and matters in which there is question of sin or the imposition of ecclesiastical penalties. §3. All proceedings of a trial must be recorded and made available to the judge’s superior. §4. The High Pontiff is judged by no one but God. §5. If a temporal authority is already in the process of prosecuting, or has prosecuted, an individual for the same act of which they are accused in ecclesiastical court, the judge may determine this sufficient for the execution of the Church’s justice and forego ecclesiastical trial. §6. A judge is never obliged to forego an ecclesiastical trial because of the workings of a temporal authority, unless expressly provided for by the High Pontiff. TITLE I. THE JUDGE §1. The judge of the first instance, unless the respondent is a cleric, is the pastor of the ecclesastical province in which the alleged breach of canon law occured. §2. If the respondent is a cleric, the judge should be his superior. §3. In any trial, the judge may appoint accessors, including laymen, to consult him on legal and procedural matters. §4. If necessary, a judge may delegate a case to a committee of other pastors. §5. The judge of the second instance, unless the respondent is a cleric, should be a cardinal who has obtained the clerical state. §6. If the respondent is a cleric, the judge of the second instance should be the High Pontiff. §7. If a Canonist prince is the petitioner or respondent in a trial, the judge should be the High Pontiff. §8. If necessary, the High Pontiff may assign another judge to a trial, generally the Auditor of the Tribunal. TITLE II. PARTIES §1. Anyone, baptized or not, may bring a case to trial. §2. The parties to a trial are the petitioner, respondent, advocates, witnesses, and experts. CHAPTER 1. PETITIONER §1. The petitioner is the individual who accuses the respondent of a breach of canon law, also called the plaintiff. CHAPTER 2. RESPONDENT §1. The respondent is the individual accused of a breach of canon law, also called the defendant. CHAPTER 3. ADVOCATES §1. It shall be the choice of the petitioner and the respondent to appoint an advocate to represent them in the trial. §2. An advocate must be appointed for penal trials. §3. It is possible for the judge to suspend an advocate, or remove them from their office entirely. §4. If a party is unwilling or unable to appoint an advocate when one is required, the judge shall appoint an appropriate advocate for them. §5. An incompetent must always have an advocate. CHAPTER 4. WITNESSES §1. A witness is one who presents testimony to the ecclesiastical court regarding the facts of the matter at hand, or the character of other parties. CHAPTER 5. EXPERTS §1. An expert is one who presents testimony to the ecclesiastical court regarding the subject of the trial. TITLE III. THE PENAL PROCESS CHAPTER 1. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS §1. It is the duty of a cleric to inquire personally should he believe a breach of canon law has occurred. §2. Those investigating must be careful as to not taint the reputation of the 1faithful. §3. The cleric must consult with two judges as to whether the matter requires the attention of an ecclesiastical court. §4. It is the duty of the cleric to inform a judge if he fears that a sin or breach of canon law will occur. CHAPTER 2. DEVELOPMENT §1. If a matter is to be brought to ecclesiastical court, the investigating cleric is to inform the accused, as to give them opportunity to prepare for their defense. §2. The judge is to issue a decree calling the person to trial, setting forth the reasons of law in explicit and simple terms that do not presume the accused’s innocence or guilt. §3. The accused may be prevented from attending sacraments or sacred ceremonies for the duration of the process if it is necessary for the preservation of virtue. §4. The accused is never bound to confess guilt. CHAPTER 3. TRIAL §1. The judge of the trial shall determine its place and time, making all effort to ensure it is suitable to the petitioner and the respondent first, then the advocates, and then the experts. §2. The trial should continue for such a time as is appropriate that all relevant testimony be delivered in a timely manner, and that deliberations should occur speedily. CHAPTER 4. RULING AND SENTENCING §1. The judge, after due consideration, shall rule on the respondent’s innocence or guilt for each accused breach of canon law. §2. The judge shall sentence the accused only to ecclesiastical penalties as are just and appropriate for each crime. §3. The judge shall consider, but not be bound by, precedent established in similar cases. CHAPTER 5. APPEAL §1. If there is a question of the justness of a trial or an appeal, appeal should be made to the judge’s superior. CHAPTER 6. REDRESS §1. Aggrieved parties, if extent, may receive remedy as part of the sentencing, in order to repair damages caused. §2. The judge further adjudicates any redress and resolution to the case, including punishment. BOOK VIII. LEXICON ATHEIST - One who denies the existence of God. APOSTATE - A Canonist who has renounced his faith, or a human who rejects Canonism. CANONIST - One who has received the sacrament of ablution as a baptism. HERETIC - One who worships the God of the Holy Scrolls but accepts false doctrines regarding Him or His faith. All who worship the Creator exclusively but do not adhere to the dogma of the Church are heretics. PAGAN - One who does not follow the Canonist faith, claiming to practice another. Also called a heathen. It is forbidden for a human to be a pagan, but other races are permitted to practice their faith provided they do not proselytise humans. SCHISMATIC - One who worships God and recognizes the Holy Scrolls, but does not submit to the authority of the Church.