Iudaes

AN EPISTLE
On the Non-Human Ascension to the Seven Skies

-AUTHORED BY-

Prelate for the Priesthood
Cardinal St. Julia

In Nomine Patris!

I

From the publication of my office’s dicastery, the place of the descendant races in the clergy has become a debated topic and a heated one at that. Too, however, has the place of the descendant races in the Seven Skies of our God, the Lord Almighty, been questioned. It is therefore in this epistle that I argue against the preposterous notion of which has been proposed, a notion that is contrary to Scripture, to which the opposing side disagrees with. With that said, I begin with the very first paragraph of my venerable brother’s epistle, QUI ABSCONDITUS EST VERITAS. While it is mainly an introduction, the Friar quickly delves into inaccuracies of which I wish to correct. He begins by saying how I did indeed confirm that non-humans such as orcs and dwarves can be a part of the Priesthood and that they can ascend to the Seven Skies. They can certainly join the Priesthood, however I wish to focus in this epistle on the latter half, an inaccuracy much more troubling then the first. 

“I find this most troubling as orcs were cursed with bloodlust by The Denier and are prone to kill and to violence - dwarves were cursed with greed so are prone to steal and hoard wealth, this is not a generalisation; it is fact.” He then delves into the quote I just presented before you, to which proves factual. “The Denier was enraged, and by his wicked power the brothers and their tribes were altered.” (Gospel 2:62) In this, Friar Boniface is correct. The Denier, Iblees, cursed Horen with mortality, Malin with impotence, Krug with wrath, and Urguan with greed. However, while all four brothers were cursed by Iblees, the three brothers not human, being Malin, Krug, and Urguan were relieved of their pains by the Aengul Aeriel, “Aeriel came among them, and by GOD’s will the brothers were alleviated of the pains of their imperfections. Thus Krug’s wrath was tempered with honor, Malin’s impotency with sanctuary, and Urguan’s greed with strength of will.” (Gospel 2:67-68) This must indeed be recognized for God, in His eternal mercy, commanded the Aengul Aeriel to alleviate the pains of the brothers not Human. He therefore balanced their curses with His virtue and did not leave them to rot in sin.

The Lord Almighty showing the first woman the
imperfections of her sons.

II

Friar Boniface proceeds to contest my “absurd claim” that Exalted Horen and Saint Julia were not the first man and woman and instead there were two before them. Too, my claim that Exalted Horen, Descendant Malin, Descendant Krug, and Descendant Urguan were born of the first man and woman, brothers. This is in fact not an absurd claim as the Friar puts it, instead being supported by the Holy Scrolls, “So the Lord made two bodies of earth, and gave them blood and breath, and the light of wisdom. And they were virtuous, and GOD called them the first man and woman, who spoke no language and took no name. And these were GOD’s favored creations, for they did satisfy His plan.” (Gospel 1:28-30) and too, these lines, “And they knew each other, bearing four sons. The eldest was Malin, who rose tall and fair-haired from the rich loam of the forest. And he took a liking to the beasts of the earth and the fruit-bearing trees, and resolved that his home should be a sanctuary for lesser beings. The second was Urguan, dense and rough-skinned like the walls of his deep mountain home. About him were gold and onyx and alabaster stones, and he took fascination with them, and resolved that he should concern himself with the affairs of the deep earths. The third was Krug strong and fierce, brought forth in the scorching desert dust. He was the strongest of his kindred and took fondness for hunt and battle, and soon resolved that he should hone his strength and surpass all living things. The youngest was Horen, who was neither tall nor short, not frail nor fierce, and he acted with wisdom and restraint. Thus he did not share his brother’s ambitions, except to praise GOD.” (Gospel 1:33-41)

While it is a rather long excerpt from the Blessed Scripture, it clearly states that; firstly, there was a first man and woman before Exalted Horen, created by God after the Immortals had not fulfilled His plans and; secondly, that this first man and woman bore the four descendants who were Malin, Urguan, Krug, and Exalted Horen. He also states this, “It has long been an established truth that Horen and Julia were the first man and woman, the first coupling.” to which is true. Exalted Horen and Saint Julia were indeed the first married couple, however they were not the first man and woman. 

Cardinal Fabian the Lesser finishing
The Catechism of Our Blessed Church.

III

After this, he states that my quoting of the Catechism is of no importance, “Quoting the catechism for justification is of no importance as the catechism is merely a collection of opinions of which, like the Pontiff, is fallible and has been edited and changed continuously since the days of Sixtus IV.” and then proceeds to speak on how it is wrong to place our anchor on the Catechism. It becomes clear that, for many centuries, we have certainly relied on the Catechisms of our times and used them as an anchor for our beliefs. One such important example is that our Acolytes, the next generation of Priests are instructed through the Catechism. The Catechisms are a representation of our times, the “opinions” of which make them up being founded in careful theological thought which then mold our Priesthood. While it certainly is wrongful to choose the citation of the Catechism over the Scrolls, the Catechism still serves as a useful tool in any Thesis or document and remains a relevant written work which guides our budding Priests into theological understanding. To state that the Catechism is of no importance is to state that the Church’s beliefs are of no importance for the Catechism is a document which outlines the teachings currently accepted by our Church. 

The blessed guidance
of the Priesthood.

IV

“It is humanity who will walk the seven skies, GOD has favoured humanity, else why is there no orcish emperors of Oren or orcish Pontiffs?” In the second paragraph, he too states this to which I say, God certainly has favored humanity and anyone who says otherwise is clearly ignoring the Holy Scrolls as well as our Catechism. It was Exalted Horen who was lifted up to Seventh Sky to receive the word of God and it was through this that the next three Exalted, the sons of spirit, would receive and then pass on the teachings of God through the remaining Holy Scrolls. It is through this evidence in Scripture that it is clearly shown, God has indeed favored the Humans, however not in the way to which is suggested. God spoke unto Horen and the other Exalted the Scripture and so did they speak it unto their kin in this terra and enlighten the world of God’s blessed teachings. God did not give us the right to use the elves, dwarves, and orcs as footstools. To think the gentile races lesser than us. No, He bestowed the Scripture to us so that we could serve as the guiders of this world. We are His chosen race, just like Canonists are His beloved children. However, through His mercy, He does not cast away the virtuous pagans. He does not abandon them to rot in the Void. He has bestowed the Virtue through His prophets unto all of His Creation and so if the Human pagans are virtuous, they are welcomed into the First Sky. And so, too, the gentile races are welcomed into the Skies for they have been guided by us, God’s chosen race.

This is why there are no orcish emperors or Pontiffs. We are the guiders and in their duties, those are positions of guidance. The emperors rule through the Crown and the Pontiffs enlighten and guide through the Laurel. It is quite fitting that Humans alone (besides one) have held the positions of emperors and Pontiffs, for the Crown and Laurel are of the Exalted and they are Human. The Humans are guiders and so too are the emperors and Pontiffs. However, the gentile races’s absence in these positions does not make them absent in the Seven Skies.

“And Godfrey set aside the Throne of Man for a holy purpose, consecrating it to GOD. Thus it was sworn that no Son of Malin, of Urguan, of Krug, or any magi shall hold it.” (Gospel 6:36-37)

Saint Julia
As pictured in the
LEGENDA SANCTORUM.

V

For the next paragraph, the venerable Father speaks to my mentions of the two Blessed non-humans. To this, I defer much to the standpoint of my brother in cloth, Father Pius, who explains it beautifully in his own response to QUI ABSCONDITUS EST VERITAS, “If canonisations and beatifications are not infallible, is not the whole thing a farce? Is not the veneration of Saints and Blessed a complete farce and idolatry? Not so.” Indeed, not so. If the canonisations and beautifications are not infallible and prone to error by the hands of Man, then no Saint can be looked to for guidance and intercession. Then the miracles of the Saints of which are outlined in the LEGENDA SANCTORUM are but lies or coincidences. Not to be trusted and therefore not to be accepted by the Church. 

The Aengul Aeriel descending from the Skies
to save the faithful from The Denier.

VI

Proceeding forward, the Friar cites many excerpts from Scripture. The first one I shall address is this, “So Aeriel came among them, and by GOD’s will the brothers were alleviated of the pains of their imperfections. And thus Krug’s wrath was tempered with honor, Malin’s impotency with sanctuary, and Urguan’s greed with strength of will. But at the command of GOD, Aeriel did not alleviate Horen’s pain. For to Horen, the Lord promised the Skies. And Horen was assumed into them…” (Gospel, 2:17) And Boniface then states that this excerpt proves that only mankind alone can enter the Seven Skies for the Seven Skies are promised by the Lord to Horen, not Malin, Urguan, or Krug. This line from Scripture alone becomes a very promising point and one that could indeed settle the argument on the side of Friar Boniface. However, if one simply looks at this line alone, they forget the Scroll of Auspice. 

I bring forth these verses from the Scroll of Auspice, “Thus the virtuous of other tribes are marching down from heaven, and the Skies are given over to the sons of Horen. Thus the good sons of Krug are given the Void, and it is made to serve them, and they hone their strength eternally. Thus the good sons of Urguan are given the deep places of the earth, and they hold the treasures of the world. And last the good sons of Malin are given the world, and it is a sanctuary forever.” (Auspice 3:12-15) After the defeat of The Denier by the hands of the virtuous armies of God, the planes are divided between the descendants. So, while the orcs are given the Void. While the elves are given the world and while the dwarves are given the caves and depths of the earth, Horen and mankind are given what they were promised by God, the Seven Skies. Therefore, it is in this interpretation that it is not the Seven Skies after death that was promised to mankind and mankind alone but the Seven Skies after the death of Iblees, not as an afterlife but a home for the rest of eternity. And so, the notion that this verse from Scripture proves the place of Humans alone in the Seven Skies is done away with.

The next verse from the Scroll of Virtue receives much the same explanation as the previous. It is cited as follows, “And as I made for you the worldly pleasures, so too have I made the pleasures of the spirit, and the love of the husband and wife. And I have given unto you the wine of sacrament, and the wine of merriment, and I have promised you the world and the Skies.” (Virtue, 3:5-6) With this, I must say that the Scroll of Virtue is addressed to all of the faithful, even the gentile races of which are held to this Scroll alone. The Scroll of Virtue, while given to Horen alone, is then spread by the first Exalted to all of this world and all of His Creation. If the gentile races are held to the commands set out by God in this Scroll, so too are they subject to the gifts explained within.

Moving forward, the next line of the Holy Scrolls of which Friar Boniface cites is this, “So the Lord was pleased to lay His favor upon the sons of His first man and woman, and he called the pair forth to reside in the Sixth Sky and give the World over to the dominion of the Sons. The first man held GOD with great fear and marvel, and did as he was bid, and rose to the Sixth Sky beneath the throne of the Lord. But the first woman loved her children even greater than GOD, and would not leave. So the Lord was wroth, and uncovered the imperfections of the Sons, so that she would know her folly. And the first woman wept, and was humbled, for all things are imperfect before GOD. And she did as she was bidden, and rose to the Sixth Sky. Thus the Sons were orphaned, but even in their imperfection did keep faith in the Lord. So GOD was pleased, and he gave them language and greater knowledge, and created for each Son a tribe of seven thousand alike to them. And he placed the Sons above their people as kings, and they testified to His glory.” (Gospel 1:42-50) and the Friar Boniface explains once more that the first man and woman were Horen and Julia and that it is impossible for the sons to be Malin, Urguan, and Krug. However, it is not impossible at all for Horen and Julia were not the first man and woman. I present this citation from the Scroll of Gospel once again, “So the Lord made two bodies of earth, and gave them blood and breath, and the light of wisdom. And they were virtuous, and GOD called them the first man and woman, who spoke no language and took no name. And these were GOD’s favored creations, for they did satisfy His plan.” (Gospel 1:28-30) 

It is strange that Horen and Julia are believed to have taken no name and spoken no language for how Horen could communicate the Scroll of Virtue to His Creation without a method in which to do so is unbeknownst to me. And too, how they could have taken no name and yet be known as Horen and Julia in subsequent times is too not of my knowledge. I stress once again, the first man and woman were not Horen and Julia and instead two people of their own who bore the four descendants (Horen, Malin, Urguan, and Krug), and so did they ascend to the Sixth Sky first, then to later be joined by the Exalted and their wives.

It too must be pointed out that the Tribe of Humans, in the beginning of times, was led by Horen. And yet, if Horen and Julia were indeed the first man and woman, the Tribe of Humans would have been created after the Prophet’s ascension to the Sixth Sky. It becomes clear once again that instead of narrowing our vision or tip-toeing around other verses which may disprove our points, we must instead look to the entirety of the Scrolls and see the truth, lest we be lost to an age of disinformation and error.

VII

With that last point made, I conclude with this. In this battle of words, I do not wish to scorn or fight with my brother in faith and so do I hope that the good and venerable Friar thinks the same. However, while I do not write this Epistle in conflict, I write it in contest to an interpretation which I believe to be wholly false. It is through the will of God that we of the Priesthood are meant to teach, enlighten, and correct the lay faithful. And so do I believe that it is our duty as Priests to correct those of our own cloth who find themselves falling to error. Such being said, I hope my Epistle is justified in it’s aim, and too pray that the clergy shall accept it as the truth of which is founded in both the Holy Scrolls and the dogma of our blessed Church.

Signed with the love of a Father,
Manfried,
Cardinal St. Julia,
Prelate for the Canonist Priesthood,
Cardinal Judge of Helena,
Vicar of Helena,

Propalatam Deus, da nobis multa sunt beneficia ut non palpet proximorum expendas.
Quia tu id etiam a misericordissimo et maxima benevolentia atque amantissima.
In nomine Patris, amen.

The Prelate gives word that a reply to the venerable Friar Boniface’s QUI ABSCONDITUS EST VERITAS will be delivered soon to the clergy and others.

“To my brothers of cloth,

It has become of concern to His Holiness, High Pontiff James that the idea of which non-humans cannot enter the Seven Skies returns once more. And so it is in this short letter that I address this issue with simple theological fact of which can be identified in two texts of the Church. Firstly, I bring forth evidence from the Scroll of Auspice, “Lo! The virtuous dead are descending, and at their fore are the sons of spirit, and the sons of the first man and woman.”  (Auspice 2:5). It is in this line of the Scroll of Auspice that the armies of God descend from the Seven Skies, arriving to our terra in order to face the wretched forces of Iblees. Among these forces are the sons of spirit, Exalted Owyn, Exalted Godfrey, and Exalted Sigismund and too the sons of the first man and woman who are Ex. Horen but too Malin, Krug, and Urguan. And so, with their mention, it is too Malin, Krug, and Urguan who descend from God’s plane, or the Seven Skies, to battle against the Lord’s foes.

I then move onto the Catechism of our Church, written by Cardinal Fabian with the imprimatur of High Pontiff St. Sixtus IV, a Pontiff so recognized for his mastery of his craft that he was named Patron Saint of Theologians. Two quotes from the Catechism, “It is unknown whether non-descendants may enter the Skies, although God is merciful; it is likely that an abomination who forsakes sin and worships the Creator will have its soul purified upon death.” and ”The First Sky is the abode of virtuous pagans; humans who never received the chance to convert to Canonism but still acted morally, and any non-humans who obeyed the Virtue.” The first quote states a question whether non-descendants enter the Seven Skies, indicating that while it is unknown if the abominations are permitted in the afterlife, descendants (those of Horen, Malin, Krug, and Urguan) certainly are. And the second quote outright states that along with virtuous Human pagans, non-humans who obeyed the Scroll of Virtue are too welcomed in the First Sky. After that, it mentions nothing of race and therefore indicates that the descendants are allowed in the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sky to which I shall expand on next.

Now, from quotes, I move on to people. Firstly, I mention Blessed Enoch and Blessed Mauricio of Azog. Blessed Enoch, an elf, is mentioned among the many names within the LEGENDA SANCTORUM while Mauricio of Azog was made Blessed quite recently by His Holiness, High Pontiff Pontian III in the Bull QUINTUS AUREA BULLA HELENAM. These two therefore reside in the Fourth Sky, proving that the descendants can indeed find themselves in the spiritual plane of God, even among the most pious in the Third and Fourth Skies. 

And in conclusion, I lastly mention a venerable brother of the cloth who lives now among us in the Mother Church. Father Pius of Sutica, an elf, is of our ranks as a most faithful Priest of the Church. He has contributed to our vast libraries on many occasions and still honors us with his wisdom as he continues to spread the teachings of scripture through pen and paper. It is therefore through this evidence that I hope the notion that the gentile races of our world cannot find reward in the Seven Skies for their virtues is done away with and the accepted interpretation of our Church and His Holiness James II is accepted too by the clergy.

May God’s blessings find you eternally,

Your Prelate,

Manfried”

☨

High Priest Evaristus I and High Priest Clement I, first of the Priesthood.

Appointed by His Holiness
☨ High Pontiff James II ☨
The Dicastery for the Priesthood

Prelate for the Priesthood, Manfried
☨ Cardinal St. Julia ☨

TABLE OF CONTENTS

┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓
Sɛction I - Greetings And Benediction
Sɛction II - Introduction
Sɛction III - Duties
Sɛction IV - Appointments
Sɛction V - Accepted Instruction
Sɛction VI - Expectations of the Priesthood
Sɛction VII - Documents Related to the Prelacy
Sɛction VIII - Prelates of the Church
┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛

An elderly monastic of the Church

Sɛction I

Oh Lord, God on high. We, Your humble servants vow to remain eternally loyal to You, eternally devout in our worship and eternally steadfast in our service. We, Your faithful, accepted into the loving bosom of Your light through Your mercy, shall be molded by Your scripture, the Holy Scrolls, forever to hear it as the one truth, the only truth, the eternal truth. We shall serve as the pillars of this great path we tread, readied by the wombs of our mothers, carried into this terra by the blessings You have imparted upon those who follow in the footsteps of Saint Julia, Lord Godani. We, the pious, the devout, the faithful shall mold this world in the image of virtue, just as we are molded by the Scrolls You had imparted upon the Exalted, ever to be cherished and adhered to as the servants of You, Our Lord. We make this solemn vow in communion with the blessed Church of Canon. May we be made worthy of the Seven Skies through the scripture and holy teachings gifted to us by You, God. In Nomine Patris, Amen!
 
Greetings and Benediction, brothers and sisters. May the utmost of God’s blessings eternally reach you and may the Saints intercede on the behalf of you and your’s as we walk the path of virtue and righteousness in the name of our Lord, the Almighty and Eternal, Godani.

Signed with the Love of a Father,
Manfried,
Cardinal St. Julia,
Prelate of the Canonist Priesthood,
Cardinal Judge of Helena,
Vicar in the Metropolitanate of Helena,

Sɛction II

“Owyn obeyed the command of GOD and anointed the brothers Evaristus and Clement, who jostled in the same womb, as joint bearers of the laurel of Horen.  He entrusted to them the Word of GOD, which were the Virtue and the Spirit, and charged them to instruct their brethren in the path of holiness. At Owyn’s command, the brothers set shepherds over the flock of men, and so created a priesthood for their instruction, in anticipation of the second son of spirit.” (Gospel 5:3-5)

It was the High Priests Evaristus and Clement who were the beginning of the Canonist Priesthood, bestowed their awesome power of the ordained to spread the word of the Lord and teach man of their sins, proceeding to raise them in virtue. It was too Evaristus and Clement who not only instructed the lay faithful but a new Priesthood of which was of their own creation and so, while they solely held the laurel, the power of the ordained was spread wide to a handful of brothers to better proselytize the one true faith. And so, it is this same Priesthood, Owyn’s Priesthood, born of Evaristus and Clement which still to this day serves as a well spring of light, bathing all of Creation in enlightenment and virtue. With this, it is in the great cycle, sparked by the High Priests Evaristus and Clement that we of the Canonist Church pass down our knowledge and teachings to a new generation of Acolytes, doing as the High Priests did so as to better spread the word of God. For it is not through the hands of one but many that the Lord’s teachings are bestowed unto the laity of our blessed Church.

With that said, this is the ever-driving purpose of the Prelacy. To ensure the capabilities of the ordained men and that the wisdom of one generation is passed on to the next of budding Priests with a passion to preach His word. To defend the eternal mission of the Church, born of Exalted Owyn’s passing of the laurel to the first High Priests. The mission to forever safeguard the truth of the Canon through the blessed Priesthood and to ensure the instruction of the Acolytes is of high standard as to protect this truth which we hold so dear. Blessed be God and blessed be the Church. May She forever reign, a shepherd of this world, forever living through the cycle of Evaristus and Clement.

Sɛction III

It is through the renewed life of the Prelacy that the duties of which this office is entrusted to do must too be renewed and restated and so therefore they are listed and explained here as to better educate the clergy and laity of our duties as the Prelate and Dicastery for the Priesthood of Exalted Owyn.

1| We, the Prelacy and Dicastery serve as the overseers of the Priesthood, forever ensuring the intended structure and instruction as well as the upkeep of the standard in which we the Priests carry ourselves as shepherds of our flock, God’s children.

2| We, the Prelacy and Dicastery ensure standard and proper education given to the Acolytes of our blessed Church, dutifully watching over their progress as to make sure they are taught well in the ways of the clergy and prepared to bear the cloth of the Church.

3| We, the Prelacy and Dicastery serve to assign clerics to the ecclesiastical provinces or Dioceses from whence they shall serve as Priests of the Canon.

4| We, the Prelacy and Dicastery shall encourage the Dioceses of the Church to further the recruitment efforts of their ecclesiastical purview, as to continue the cycle of Evaristus and Clement and expand the ranks of the Priesthood of which we strive to preserve.

5| We, the Prelacy and Dicastery shall bestow academic degrees in divinity and Canon Law and too define the requirements to receive such a degree.

A copy from the Canonical Law of the Church, authored by the Right Rev. MSGR. Ide Harracus, Auditor of the Tribunal and later His Holiness, High Pontiff Pontian III. Promulgated by His Holiness, High Pontiff Daniel VI. Revised by His Holiness, High Pontiff James II.

Ҥ4. 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”

Sɛction IV

It is in this section that the ranks of the Dicastery, the approved individuals for academic degrees in divinity and Canon Law, as well as such other relevant appointments will be presented to the public.
____________________________________________________
RANKS OF THE DICASTERY

Prelate of the Priesthood - His Eminence, Manfried Cardinal St. Julia
Diocean Prelates -
To be decided.
Professors and Instructors -
Bishop Emeritus, Abbot Bram Calistovich, Professor in Theology
[Note: Degrees are to be given out in cooperation with the University of St. Sixtus]
____________________________________________________
APPROVED DEGREES OF DIVINITY AND CANON LAW

Bishop Emeritus, Abbot Bram Calistovich, Divinity

Sɛction V

To ensure that a budding-Priest’s education is of a sufficient standard to ready the Acolytes to bear the cloth, I hereby outline the requirements of an Acolyte before ascending to Priesthood of our most holy institution, the Mother Church.

• Prior to any form of training, it must be affirmed that the budding Priest is male, one of the descendant races (the Humans of Exalted Horen, elves of Malin, orcs of Krug, dwarves of Urguan) and that they have been baptized through the Church, cleansing them of past vice and making them a Canonist.
• Must have read and possesses full understanding of the Church’s Catechism, the one currently promulgated by the Church being authored by His Eminence, Cardinal Fabian the Lesser.
• Has a good understanding of the Scripture, the Holy Scrolls.
• Participated in lessons within their diocese, held by the Diocean Prelate or superior within the ecclesiastical province of which they serve. This is in order to promote a better understanding of the teachings of the Church and to answer any questions and misunderstandings the Acolyte may have on the faith.
• It is encouraged that an Acolyte participate in at least one mass before they ascend to the blessed Priesthood.
• Written a Thesis showing a sufficient comprehension of Scripture and a theological mind fitting of a budding Priest. This Thesis must be reviewed by the Bishop or higher within their diocese, those who can ordain Priests.

It should be understood by the instructors of these Acolytes that this is a rather short list and a bare one at that. While these rules may be in place, it is the responsibility of the superior to suit the needs of the Acolyte, time, and place. Therefore, it is not only permitted but encouraged for the superior who shall instruct these Acolytes to expand on these rules as to provide a rich education to produce an even richer understanding. These rules too may be expanded upon by the Dicastery where seen fit.

Sɛction VI

While this section shall be short for it is the diverse Priesthood which allows for the better guiding of a diverse, worldwide flock, these things must be said as to place forth an expectation of which should be followed. 

It is the Priesthood of Evaristus and Clement which has cared for the Canonist lay faithful from age to age, land to land, Kingdom to Kingdom. While States may come and go, it is the Church and it’s Priesthood which, while waning and waxing at times throughout history, never falls. Just as the fruit of virtue, the Church does not rot. The Church is perpetual, ever-lasting, eternal. It is through the Priests that the Church survives and so, it is through the Priests that the world itself survives, forever guided on this path instated by the Lord.

Of course, it is not the Priests who give this world life however it is the Priests which tend to the vineyards of virtue, forever keeping the candle of faith lit and burning so that it may illuminate our souls in the darkness of sin. This is the burden of the Priesthood and a heavy one to bear at that and so, it is ordainment that shall not be taken lightly. The Priesthood should be filled with merciful and dedicated men, shepherds who truly care for their flock as a father would for their children. They should say mass frequently and instruct the lay faithful of their diocese in the ways of God. However, more importantly, they should be readily available for their flock as to provide guidance and the Sacraments.

It is this burden which all Priests bear and it should be their honor to carry it out. The service one does for the laymen should not be out of self-service but selfless action in the name of the Lord. The Priesthood is not for selfish men but for those who wish to guide and defend their flock. In the matter of self-service I too do not speak of vanity. I do not refer to beautiful estates, fine clothes, wealth. I refer to the care one provides for the lay faithful. A good shepherd both guides the sheep and defends them from the wolves which seek to cause harm. Therefore, a good Priest should both guide his flock and too defend them from sin or the wolves in this scenario. A self-serving cleric would run at the first sight of wolves but a cleric who truly cares for not himself but for his flock will place himself in harm’s way to defend them from Iblees’s servants and his iniquity. 

It is the burden of the Priesthood which weighs heavy on our shoulders and that weight should not be endured to culminate power and influence. One should bear it for they truly care. For they wish to defend and guide. To enlighten. That is the mission and expectations of the Priesthood. Carry out your duty in selfless action as Exalted Owyn and Evaristus and Clement intended or fail and run away a coward, leaving your flock in harm’s way at the first sight of wolves.

Sɛction VII

 -Documents of the Prelacy-

An Epistle – On the Non-Human Ascension to the Seven Skies

Cardinal Manfried

The Ascension to the Cloth – Recruitment Page
Cardinal Manfried

Sɛction VIII

-Prelates of the Church-

Daniel VI - James II

His Grace, Abbot Odis de Jedih
Under Daniel VI

His Eminence, Philip Cardinal Pruvia
Under Daniel VI

His Eminence, Godwin Cardinal Kaedrin
Under John I

His Eminence, Jasper Cardinal Renzfeld
Under John I

His Eminence, Rodrigo Cardinal Curonia
Under Pontian III

His Excellency, Arthur Cardinal Helena
Under James II

His Eminence, Manfried Cardinal St. Julia
Under James II

Propalatam Deus, da nobis multa sunt beneficia ut non palpet proximorum expendas.
Quia tu id etiam a misericordissimo et maxima benevolentia atque amantissima.
In nomine Patris, amen.

St. Julia defending the Tribe of Horen from Iblees’s iniquity. (Gospel 2:22-23)

In Nomine Patris!

A Short Thesis
On the Void and What Lies There

Scribed by
 Manfried Cardinal St. Julia

Sigismund’s End, 1786

I

It is with God that all things lie, graced by the ever-eternal presence of His, bestowed unto His Creation through His light. It is with God that we, the humans and elves, orcs and dwarves, lie in His divine presence, defended by His light and warmed by it, the constant stream of it washing down unto us from the Seventh Sky and blessing us with His Love and Goodness. It is God who warms us. It is God who enlightens us. It is God who makes us feel protected and good. And while His blessed light shines most notably in the Seven Skies and brightens the path of virtue on this terra of which grounds we tread, the Void is something different. Like our world, the Void is of His Creation, born with all other planes as He willed them into existence. Of His Creation and forever to be of His Creation and while stolen from Him by the Lord of Darkness, Iblees, to be retaken as foretold in the Scroll of Auspice, “Thus the good sons of Krug are given the Void, and it is made to serve them, and they hone their strength eternally.“ (Auspice 3:13)

It is through the actions of Iblees that the Void now serves as the home of the damned, opposite to the Seven Skies, the home of the virtuous. It is intrinsic in the cycle of life, just as the Seven Skies are, however it is where the sinners lie, the servants of Iblees wait and where the corruption of Iblees seen in the Scroll of Gospel festers like an infected wound upon all of Creation, awaiting to snap back once more at the world as it did with Saul, “Thus Saul worked Iblees’ iniquity in Horen’s camp, and it came that a great many there were corrupted.” (Gospel 2:33) It is the Void which exists as punishment for a life of sin, not necessarily out of the will of God but of His abandonment of sinners for they are too far from His grace, unable to be saved from the wretched hands of the Lord of Darkness. And so, the Void is where they live out eternal damnation in pain and suffering, however not of which the usual human mind imagines.

II

It was mere days ago that the Void was imagined by a layman in a manner of which is unlike mine. A place of human suffering. Of torture, fire and such. It was imagined in the lens of a mortal, a plane of physical suffering. Of physical pain and torture of which is seen in this world of our’s. Of the whip, of the blade, and of the tools of man of which have been built to cause suffering and punishment among us. This is something of a common perception of the Void, as when we of flesh and blood hear pain and suffering, we are quick to imagine the spilling of our blood and the burning of our flesh. We are swift to imagine what we fear in pain. Tools as elaborate as the spiked coffin or as simple as the blade. However, it is the Church’s idea of the Void that differs from what is a common idea of what the Void is. What lies in the Void. What we shall meet if we are to become corrupted by Iblees’s iniquity and become deserving of damnation in the realm of the Lord of Darkness. What awaits us is not punishment of physical pain but of spiritual pain.

A quote from the Catechism of our Blessed Church, “The Void is a place of emptiness and despair. Whoever has entered the Void has unequivocally forsaken God, and has therefore forsaken all good things. Although it is often depicted as full of fire and brimstone, the only substance in the Void is that of other beings existing in torturous separation from the Creator.”

III

It is clear that while we live in the physical world now, we shall ascend (or descend) into the spiritual world or the afterlife, these two being the Seven Skies, the realm of God and the virtuous, and the Void, the realm of Iblees and the damned. With the distinction between our world and the afterlife being made, the physical and the spiritual respectively, my point becomes clear. I said previously that it is through the human lens in which we view the Void and as we are born in the physical world, it is through a physical lens that we view the spiritual. To comprehend the pain in which the damned suffer in the Void, we put it into our physical perspective and therefore attribute physical pain to a spiritual plane. However this in my view, while extremely useful, is incorrect. 

It is through the lens of which I use to look at the Void that I see a plane not of the spilling of blood and the burning of flesh but a plane devoid of Him. It is said perfectly in these two excerpts from Scripture, “Now Iblees had suffered in the Void for an age, avoiding the grace of GOD, for he doubted the Lord even as he fled Him.” (Gospel 2:5) and “So Iblees saw that the brothers were weak, and he ascended the emanations of glory, though he was loathe to feel the grace of GOD.” (Gospel 2:8) Iblees had been suffering in the Void for an age, not once touched by the grace and light of God in his seclusion. He had not felt God’s presence for the era of which he had spent in the dark, black Void for it is devoid of Him. So far separated from the Lord’s throne in the Seventh Sky that the light of God stops short of the Void and never touches the plane’s contents, leaving it a barren wasteland of despair and tenebrosity. 

It is this what caused Iblees to suffer and it is this which causes the damned who dwell with him in the Void to suffer. Not physical pain but spiritual pain. Abandoned by the Lord Almighty, separated from Him by a great chasm. And so, the soul of the damned becomes a wellspring of anguish. Void of His Love, of His Goodness, of His Grace, and Void of any hope. The final understanding that one shall live out the rest of eternity without God. 

This is true pain and something that one in the physical world cannot comprehend. You may ask, “How can we then comprehend physical pain if we may not have been burned or cut and then not comprehend spiritual pain?” It is a good question and the answer is very simple. There are men and women who walk this world today who have experienced torture and suffered at the hands of great physical pain. However, no one walking on this terra today has ever experienced spiritual pain to such a magnitude as felt in the Void. Spiritual pain in this world certainly does exist, however this world sits in the bosom of the Lord and His light. It is not devoid of Him and His glory. Nay, His light graces our world like the waves upon a beach and so our spiritual thirst is fulfilled and we are cleansed, bathed in His luminosity. 

IV

“So he descended the emanations of glory, and drew farther from GOD, until he reached the Void.”
(Gospel 1:17)

And so, we come to our conclusion. Here, I wish to clarify one point. It is not my goal to shun the imagination of others in their attempt to comprehend the everlasting suffering one may find in damnation but to present the Church’s and my own as to provide for the better education of the lay faithful. It becomes clear that none know what awaits us in the Seven Skies and too in the Void. However, with evidence I have come to the Church’s conclusion and while I do not find in my own thoughts the perception of the Void to be one of fire and physical pain, I believe it serves as a useful tool to allow the faithful to fully comprehend what damnation means. Even though God granted us many gifts, it is in our limitations as mortals, unlike Him, that we find ourselves unable to grasp the idea of certain things such as the Seven Skies, the Void or the Lord Almighty Himself. We reside in the physical and therefore it is helpful for us too to pass on our mortal experiences into the spiritual planes to understand what lies beyond.

“Torturous separation from the Creator” as I have said previously is the worst pain imaginable. Without the Creator, we the Creation are nothing. We have no purpose nor do we have any love and care provided. Instead, the damned are left to rot in the Void, souls who have slipped out of God’s fingers by a choice of their own. This is not how Creation is meant to live. It is not natural for us to be so far separated from the Lord Almighty. 

Once one reaches the Void, the lantern which you have been using to illuminate your path through sinful darkness has dimmed and eventually gone out. The damned look with panic around them and soon find themselves lost in that murky darkness which in life they have found to be filled with pleasure, now only the creator of their torturous existence for an eternity. I call to the sinners in this conclusion of mine. Turn back while you still have light in that lantern of your’s. Accept God’s word and envelop oneself in His blessed light. Otherwise, you shall be a lost soul, experiencing pain unlike the physical pain you imagined. Pain so deep, one simply cannot comprehend it until it is too late.

Signed with the love of a Father,
Manfried,
Cardinal St. Julia,
Prelate for the Canonist Priesthood,
Cardinal Judge of Helena,
Vicar of Helena,

Propalatam Deus, da nobis multa sunt beneficia ut non palpet proximorum expendas.
Quia tu id etiam a misericordissimo et maxima benevolentia atque amantissima.
In nomine Patris, amen.

Full Name of Man -  Sergei Othaman

Date of Birth of Man - 1766

Name of Woman - Elizabeth Winter

Date of Birth of Woman – 1765

Location of Ceremony - Basilica of the Final Revelation, Helena

Date of Ceremony (Year) – 1786

Name of Clergyman who performed ceremony - Manfried

Name of Man: Peter Novellan

Date of Birth of Man: 1762

Name of Woman: Safiye Basrid

Date of Birth of Woman: 1759

Location of Ceremony: Cathedral of the Final Revelation

Date of Ceremony (Year): 1786

Name of Clergyman who performed ceremony: Manfried

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Manfried sat within his office, a pen cradled within his lone hand, held before the page in contemplation of what to write. His gaze was soon drawn from the parchment however as a knock was heard at his door, “It is unlocked!”  the Cardinal called, “Do enter!” At that, a young Acolyte entered with no letters or pages of which caused a brow to rise upon Manfried’s visage. Instead, the Acolyte came in with news of which he was soon to tell, “His Excellency, the Coadjutor Bishop of Helena, has departed permanently from the clergy and traveled somewhere afar of which I have not heard the location as of yet.” Cardinal Saint Julia’s left brow soon furrowed, accompanied by his right as he looked to the Acolyte with confusion of which was met with the same from the Acolyte as Manfried sat in silence. Just as Manfried had contemplated what to write on the page, he was now met with even further contemplation. However, soon his face softened and the silence was broke with a, “Thank you, brother. Is that all?” to which the Acolyte nodded and was dismissed by the Cardinal with a, “God bless you.” 

***

Later that night, after Manfried had made decent progress on the sermon he was writing, the pen slipped from his hand and he leaned back into the chair of his. The office of his had once again succumbed to silence and yet he was surrounded by noisy thoughts. He had received no letter and the only news he was told had been from the young Acolyte who had informed him of Griffith’s absence earlier that evening. And so, Manfried was left with questions alone, of which would perhaps later be answered. With that, he was left to ponder.

***

An hour or so later, Manfried had decided he had pondered enough. While he certainly was left with no answers, merely guesses, his mind followed the same line of thought that Pius’s did. He knew that God watched over Griffith in his endeavor and that an action such as this meant something for the future of the Bishop. Of his friend. With that, he wrote no letter, he signed no name, he traveled nowhere (not yet at least). The Cardinal simply slipped his hand down into the bowels of his desk and pulled out a carefully procured bottle of wine. Expensive and tasteful, it had come straight from the vineyards of Ves, aged six years and saved by Cardinal Manfried for company. With that bottle of wine, he pulled out a simple glass. With the cork on the table and the bottle in hand he poured himself some and as he was not one to indulge, it would be the only glass for that night. 

Wine in hand, he stepped out into the gardens behind the reliquary and stared up at the night sky. He knew the Lord was up there and so too did he know that the Lord watched over Griffith. Manfried took comfort in that small connection they now shared. And so, his lone hand rose and with it the glass. A toast to his friend of who he had shared moments like their many years as friends before the Priesthood, their first journey to the Basilica where they would be inducted as Acolytes, their ordainments, their years as Priests, and their years as Bishop and Cardinal.

“May you forever be under God’s light, warmed by it, graced by it, blessed by it. Stay safe, friend.. and God bless you.” he said with a warm smile. And so he took a drink and finished the rest of the glass in the garden as if Griffith was with him, two friends forever connected by God in the Seven Skies.

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“Dear Mister Barclay,

When going through records, it is clear that Saint Theodosius did write these Scrolls, however not originally. You are correct in some ways and for that I acknowledge how I was unaware of the origin of this translation, however it is just that, a translation. It was not Saint Theodosius who directly wrote these Scrolls but who translated them after being found along his journeys. With such however, the age of this Scroll is still apparent, and while it was pertinent then, it is clear that now all it serves to be is a confusion for the laymen of our terra here on God’s creation. Therefore, my verdict is maintained with the goal to safeguard the faith from texts which serve to distract from the profound truths of the Canon, the Holy Scrolls. As said, the original copy and other copies of this Scroll shall remain in records and libraries of the Church, as it is not my objective to completely eradicate this Scroll for it stills serves as an important written work historically. Simply to transfer it from the hands of the laity into the hands of the Church, those who know best in these matters. In regards to your last question, I am unaware however if I am able, I shall answer at a later time. Thank you for your concerns.

Signed with the love of a Father,

Cardinal Manfried”

Sorry for the wait on this reply @argonian however here it is.

“To my friend Cardinal Kovacs,

While my jurisdiction in this matter, as Cardinal Judge of Helena, remains in Helena itself, I shall offer my opinion on it’s place in the Ponitifical Library of the Palatinate. It is in my belief that it may remain in this library, under the careful hands of clergy who may be present to answer questions of any lay faithful who may find it in their hands within the Palatinate’s grounds. The main point of this Verdict is to remove it from the hands of the laymen and bring it to the hands of the Church as to prevent any confusion of which may persist in the minds of the faithful who may not know better in regards to this text. As stated in this address, I encourage the lay faithful to hand in their copies or burn them, yes, however too encourage the preservation of a few copies of this false Scroll as to allow for further study of it among the clergy. 

May God bless you always,

Manfried”

Address from the Basilica of the Final Revelation
A Verdict On the Scroll of Creation
 
Scribed by
Cardinal St. Julia
 
Tobias’s Bounty, 1785
 

It was many moons ago that this Scroll of Creation came to my attention, a worrying sight for a young Priest. With such, I purchased the book to read it over and later report it to higher authorities. A reading from this Scroll showed that it held considerable error and differed from the true history of Canon written in the Scrolls which are used as a tool of worship and enlightenment by the Church, bestowed unto us by the Exalted for this very purpose. It was this that worried me. Not simply for its nature of general error but for the fact that if left unimpeded or unattended, it could in its nature of gross inaccuracy confuse the lay faithful of whom we men who don the cloth work hard to teach.

However, it was through the nature of life that I was impeded in my duty of reporting this. With the work of a Priest taking up my day to day runnings and later injuries, it grew dusty on my shelf. Though soon enough, in my ascension to the rank of Cardinal, I found myself one of the Canonical Courts and too found this the opportune time to take care of this Scroll in circulation among the faithful. With this newfound authority, I launched a short investigation, of which little time was needed. In this time, I found that this Scroll is considerably old and found in bookstores and personal libraries alike. That being said, the likeliness of finding the author of this Scroll has become minimal and therefore, with that information, I have come to the conclusion that no punishment or anything of the sort can be dealt, unlike this Scroll of Saul which finds itself newly stocked in a container right outside the Basilica of which I work. A container which I am quick to clear of its contents as to impede its spread into the hands of laymen.

It is through this clear inability to find the author that I must make due with what I am able and therefore have come to this verdict seen below.

• With a meeting already completed with the bookstore owner in Helena, I have been promised that this Scroll of Creation shall be removed from the shelves of the bookstore soon enough. Until such a time, I have purchased the remainder of the copies available to the public, therefore disallowing any further faithful from purchasing the Scroll.
• I hereby encourage the laymen of Helena to either burn any copies of the Scroll they may have in their possession or turn them in to I or any other member of the clergy at the Basilica.
• With the opinions of other members of the cloth expressed to me, it is in my belief that few copies should remain for use purely of the ranks of the clergy or lay faithful if permitted by the Church for further study when needed. It is in my belief that such a Scroll can be taken as truth by Canonists relatively uneducated in such matters and therefore viewing of the Scroll should be permitted only to those who understand that this is filled with error in comparison to the Scrolls of the Exalted, of God.

With this, I come to my conclusion. It is by the grace of God and the Exalted that we were enlightened of His word through the Holy Scrolls. It is the objective of the faithful that we control what is permitted to be seen by our eyes and heard by our ears for those two things are pathways to the heart and soul. We must therefore be told when such things as the Scroll of Creation are of a nature differing from the Scrolls of Canonism, lest we find ourselves accepting untruths and disregarding the teachings of God which have been accepted and spread to the laymen for centuries.

I beseech the faithful to not permit this Scroll of Creation to persist in the hearts and souls of any faithful who may find it in their possession. No longer should this Scroll find itself in circulation throughout this good terra, God’s creation. It is with such in mind that, as said prior, I welcome any faithful to approach me with a copy of the Scroll they may have for proper handling. I too welcome any to proceed to the barrel before the Basilica in my absence to hand in this Scroll, a barrel which is annoyingly used by these newfound Saulites to spread their Scroll of Saul. I shall then remove them from this barrel and handle them as the Diocese of Helena and the wider Church see fit. That being said, I shall now soon move to deal with the Scroll of Saul which serves as a newer threat to our eyes and ears.

May God bless you all and may the Saints intercede on your behalves. May the truths of Canon forever persist in memory within your souls, guiding you in this age and in the next as to God’s word of which was spread by the Exalted. Bless you all.

Signed with the love of a Father,
Manfried,
Cardinal St. Julia,
Cardinal Judge of the Church of Canon,
Vicar of the Metropolitanate of Helena

Cardinal Manfried sat within his office in silence, his one hand scribbling down a homily upon the piece of parchment before him. Soon enough, a dutiful Acolyte would approach him, paper in hand to deliver the announcement of His Eminence’s tour. Manfried moved to take the paper with his left hand, however with an exasperated laugh, he remembered it’s absence and took it in hand with his right. The Cardinal’s eyes would scan the document, a warm smile soon befalling his visage. He uttered quietly to the Acolyte, “And so His Eminence Alfred takes my advice. May he enjoy it with all his heart and soul and may God protect and bless him and all others on his journey.” Dipped his head at that to the Acolyte who would depart from Manfried’s office, leaving the Cardinal St. Julia alone. Manfried placed it aside before taking up quill and ink to begin writing again, the same smile remaining ever constant on his visage. His Eminence Alfred, His Eminence Goren, and His Excellency Jakob would be in the lone Cardinal’s prayers that night, “May God’s light shine upon them and lead them along the path they so faithfully tread.”

“And so Father Pius teaches what he preaches.” Cardinal Manfried uttered in the seclusion of his office, allowing the parchment to slip out of his fingers and gently lay on the desk before him, “He not only calls for us to love one another as brothers and sisters. He too spreads his own love in the image of Saint Jude by supporting and looking out for the poor worker, ensuring he is defended from harm and allowed the protections which he deserves.” Manfried nodded,  a warm smile marking his visage. He would soon retreat to his bedroom in the dark of night and as he was seated on the side of his bed, Pius would be in his prayers.

In Nomine Patris

A Priest’s Address
On the Fruits of Creation

Scribed by
 Manfried Cardinal St. Julia

Godfrey’s Triumph, 1783

┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓
Sɛction I - Greetings And Benediction
Sɛction II - Introduction
Sɛction III - The Fruit of Sin
Sɛction IV - The Fruit of Virtue
Sɛction V - The Solution
Sɛction VI - In Conclusion
┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛

“Though the spring flower withers and the fruit of the tree falls to the ground, My Word lasts into the eve of the world, and the fruit of virtue cannot rot.” (Virtue 1:2)

|Sɛction I|

Oh Lord, God on high. We, Your humble servants vow to remain eternally loyal to You, eternally devout in our worship and eternally steadfast in our service. We, Your faithful, accepted into the loving bosom of Your light through Your mercy, shall be molded by Your scripture, the Holy Scrolls, forever to hear it as the one truth, the only truth, the eternal truth. We shall serve as the pillars of this great path we tread, readied by the wombs of our mothers, carried into this terra by the blessings You have imparted upon those who follow in the footsteps of Saint Julia, Lord Godani. We, the pious, the devout, the faithful shall mold this world in the image of virtue, just as we are molded by the Scrolls You had imparted upon the Exalted, ever to be cherished and adhered to as the servants of You, Our Lord. We make this solemn vow in communion with the blessed Church of Canon. May we be made worthy of the Seven Skies through the scripture and holy teachings gifted to us by You, God. In Nomine Patris, Amen!

Greetings and Benediction, brothers and sisters. May the words scribed by my hand be offered to you, faithful servants of the Lord, to offer you the wisdom of a Father to his flock. May you, brothers and sisters, forever remain devout and may the divine light of Him shine upon you all, sanctifying your souls and offering you peace and a clear mind in the face of the wretched plague, sin and darkness. The utmost of blessings upon you, faithful flock. You shall forever be in my prayers.

Signed with the Love of a Father,

Manfried,
Cardinal St. Julia,
Vicar in Helena,

|Sɛction II|

In the beginning, before the first man and woman toiled upon God’s creation and birthed the four descendants. Before the Empires of the descendants grew. Before our terra was populated with the mortals which tread it’s grounds today, God’s creation was one of pure virtue, the darkness and sin from the depths of the Void not yet passing the emanations of God’s glory and wrapping it’s tendrils around the throats of man, woman and child. Nay, instead the Immortals served God upon this terra and inhabited it as we do today, “So they resided in the planes below GOD, and no place was forbidden to them but the Void.” (Gospel 1:8) And no place was forbidden to them but the Void. So it was, by the word of God. Yet, one of God’s Immortals was filled with envy, looking upon the Lord and His power with detest. This Daemon, Iblees, believed that the way of things, of which God instated, was not to his liking and so in Iblees’s jealousy, he sought to make God his equal and to rule without the Lord. 

In Iblees’s search for power, he did what God had forbidden and descended below this terra and seeped into the murky darkness of the Void. And so as Iblees had done what God had disallowed the Aenguls and Daemons of His creation to do, Iblees had drawn the Lord’s ire. “So he descended the emanations of glory, and drew farther from GOD, until he reached the Void. And lo, he was cursed by its touch. And GOD was wroth.” (Gospel 1:17-18-19) So God asked Iblees in His anger why Iblees had done which God had interdicted so clearly in His commands to His Immortals. “And Iblees replied “For you name us as servants, and I shall devise of no virtue until I am your equal.” (Gospel 1:23) And so, as the form of Iblees was corrupted with sin, so too did he curse all of God’s creations to be plagued by the sickness of which he wrought in his search for power. “And now my touch is the touch of the Void, and it is with all things in your creation.” (Gospel 1:24)

And so it is that the fruit of virtue of which is spoken of firstly in (Virtue 1:2) is too accompanied by the fruit of sin and it is in this Thesis that the differences between the fruit of virtue and the fruit of sin shall be uncovered and made clear to all, the disadvantageous aspects of sin written of in order to ensure that the correct path is tread. For while our souls are embroiled in conflict between virtue and sin and the pull of sin is inescapable, it is our duty as the faithful of God to ensure that the conflict within us is in the favor of virtue lest we succumb to the touch of Iblees and we are taken into the Void in which he resides.

|Sɛction III|

It is the fruit of sin that is the product of Iblees’s envy, the illness of which plagues all our souls due to the power of which he sought in order to protest against our Lord. The sins of which combat the virtue in our souls exist as the worldly temptations, the acts of which offend God’s purity and dirty our souls which await to be cleansed by the Sacrament of Penance, born of the Lord’s mercy. It is these sins which are the imperfections of this world and so exist, in their enticing ways as the imperfections of ourselves. However, while they may be enticing, the sins of this terra which remain ever present as a scar upon our world are here merely to lure you away from God’s light, just as Saul wrapped the tendrils of Iblees around the encampment of Man, the seat of Exalted Horen. “ Thus Saul worked Iblees’ iniquity in Horen’s camp, and it came that a great many there were corrupted.” (Gospel 2:33)  It is those such as Saul, weak in their faith and damned to the Void who breed sin and allow their souls to be reigned over by the darkness of Iblees. Who are not cunning or intelligent in any way, even if they may think otherwise. Nay, sin is trickery. It deceives them. It deceives you and I shall tell you why.

Just as is prophesied in the Scroll of Auspice, the destruction of Iblees and the servants of his iniquity in life and death. “Iblees and his servants are destroyed forever.” (Auspice 2:48) Iblees and his servants are destroyed forever. In other words, the death of the Lord of Darkness and the damned. Death, the exact opposite to eternity. Essentially, Iblees expires, one who lives now however shall in the foretold future exist no longer when Paradise in all planes is to come as prophesied in the Scroll of Auspice, Vision of Paradise. And so it is that sin is the product of Iblees as it was what he wrought after he had betrayed the Lord, corrupting our souls for the ages to come until the forces of God win against those of the Void and evil in all planes, even the Void, is stamped out like a burning fire being smothered to ash. Iblees is not eternal, such has been made clear, and so as his product, sin is too not eternal. The acts of fornication, drinking until one is heavily impaired, gambling until the fortunes one once had in one’s pockets are gone. They all bring pleasure, yes. A high of sorts in the moment these temptations are being succumbed to. However, I stress to you the words, “in the moment”. This pleasure, of which may feel good, is momentary. It is a fleeting glimpse at fulfillment and with its lack of perpetuity, it is our drive to want more. And when that wisp of pleasure blows away? More, and more and more, and so the process of sin goes on in seemingly never-ending repetition. 

This is why sin deceives you. It is trickery, brothers and sisters! It does not bring true fulfillment for fulfillment is in its definition a lasting thing. No, it brings pleasure and then it leaves you with shame and doubly, an addiction. A deep desire for more and more, and brothers and sisters, each step in this repeating process is one of the steps of Iblees. And where did Iblees’s journey lead? The Void itself. Each step in this process brings you further and further from God’s light and soon when you finally look back, the air is too dark, too murky and you find that just as Iblees strayed too far from God’s chosen path, you are too, damned.

Now, I wish not to fill you with fear. I wish not to make you think that one mistake, one sin is going to deliver you to the Void and cast you away from God. No, brothers and sisters, if you think such, you are entirely mistaken. We all sin, regularly. Various venial sins of which we commit on a daily basis, however the faithful too outweigh these sins with virtue. They are charitable. They attend mass. They pray. They wash away the dirt which plagues their souls in confession. I merely state this tale as a cautionary one. The worst case and yet it is seemingly so easy to fall down. Be cautious, faithful flock. Ensure that in your soul, virtue wins out.

|Sɛction IV|

“This is the promise of GOD to the World, that it shall belong to the virtuous, who love Him.” (Auspice 3:17) As I have stated prior, in the foretold future, spoken of in the Scroll of Auspice, it is not Iblees and the damned who reign victorious but God and the virtuous and so as the victors, we live out eternity with God. Just as I stressed “in the moment” or the lacking of perpetuity in the previous section, I stress the words, perpetual, eternal, eternity, and such, to you now. God is eternal and therefore, just as the product of Iblees shared his curse of death, destruction, or expiration, virtue as the product of God is forever. With such, it is the complete opposite of sin in many ways and in fact serves as the cure for sin. For instance, God’s mercy, a virtue, is imparted unto us from the Seven Skies through the Sacrament of Penance. It is certainly the cure for sin, washing the soul of the sinner and allowing them a chance to start anew and serve in adherence to the Scroll of Virtue and the lessons taught within the subsequent Scrolls.

It is too the complete opposite of sin in that it brings true fulfillment. Sin, as stated before, is a fleeting glimpse of fulfillment. It comes and goes like the breeze and so it has all those weak in faith chasing after it, searching for that rapture far from the light of God. The utter definition of false hope. Virtue, whether it be through prayer, attending mass, confession, charity, kindness, love, and such, is the only method to garner true contentment. A lasting, fulfilling feeling. Lastly, unlike sin and unlike Iblees, virtue and God do not deceive you. Virtue is not a method of trickery, for God is not one who lies. God is not one who seeks to harm you in any way. In fact, the complete opposite is found in the quote from Auspice of which was written at the beginning of this section. “This is the promise of GOD to the World, that it shall belong to the virtuous, who love Him.” (Auspice 3:17) The planes were promised to the virtuous by God and so it shall be. For God does not seek to trick you as Iblees does for something as immoral and evil as Iblees can only gain the favor of others through false promises. Yet, God is eternal. God is loving. God is perfect in every way. And it is so that He has no purpose in lying, for with His virtue, He deserves all the loyalty and worship we the faithful can muster.

It is He and His virtue alone who can truly make you content. It is His light which can wash away the imperfections and lift a weight off your soul. It is He who loves you and it is the fruit of virtue which is a gift for all of creation. It is merely the duty of us to choose it.

|Sɛction V|

With such said, we now come to the solution. Throughout this Thesis, I have spoken heavily about how we all sin and yet it is our duty to ensure that within our souls, virtue wins out in the conflict against iniquity. However, the question must be asked, “How shall I ensure that virtue is victorious?” The answer is, you must bolster your faith with God’s light and love. When you feel tempted by the sin which breeds on this terra of ours, which exists all around us, pray to God. When you feel weighed down by the iniquity which plagues your soul, seek out a Priest of Canon and cleanse your soul in the Sacrament of Penance. And when you find yourself basking in God’s light, rejoice and attend mass. Listen to the wisdom of the cloth and their homilies. Sing with the choirs and praise God.

God and His virtue are always the answer and as it is the opposite of sin, as I said prior, it is too, the cure. It is in the Scroll of Auspice that the virtuous are the victors in the battle against Iblees and the damned. They took their virtue and sharpened it into a weapon of which to destroy Iblees once and for all. They basked in the light of God and were strengthened by its purity. While the foretold battle of the end of times is certainly much larger than the day to day conflict in which we find ourselves in, it becomes clear that while our daily battle against sin is much smaller in size, it is just as important. Perhaps it is not important to others, however it should be most consequential to you for it is important to the Lord.

God cares about this conflict in which your soul finds itself embroiled in. He bestows you the gifts of virtue. Ensure that your soul is not lost to the Void. Bask in His light, His love, His goodness. Use virtue as a tool to strike down the sin in your soul so you are capable of striking down Iblees and those who serve him in the battle at the end of time.

|Sɛction VI|

“Though the spring flower withers and the fruit of the tree falls to the ground, My Word lasts into the eve of the world, and the fruit of virtue cannot rot.” (Virtue 1:2) God is eternal and the fruit of virtue cannot rot. However, Iblees dies at the end of times and therefore the fruit of sin does rot. As I stated in a homily I recently gave, “The fruit of virtue cannot rot. It shall never rot for it is the direct product of God and God is eternal. However, the fruit of sin, while it may taste sweet in the moment and bring a moment of fulfillment, brings simply a fleeting glimpse of pleasure and brothers and sisters, it does rot. Just as the world is impermanent, so are the worldly temptations. They do not last. Only virtue brings true fulfillment and it is by the grace of God that we are offered virtue.” If you are to take a bite of the fruit of sin, it is to grow rancid in your very mouth, filling you with shame and desire. A desire to taste that same sweet flavor again. Yet, the fruit of virtue’s flavor lasts to the ends of the ages. It fills you with warmth, goodness, and God’s love. There is nothing more invaluable than the fruit of virtue. 

So I beseech you, brothers and sisters. Bolster your soul with faith and cast out the darkness. Reject the fruit of sin for it deceives you and instead embrace someone and something you can trust. Offer your loyalty, your worship, and your love to God and take up the fruit of virtue. Be the extension of His touch and grace this terra with His light through His fruit.

Propalatam Deus, da nobis multa sunt beneficia ut non palpet proximorum expendas.
Quia tu id etiam a misericordissimo et maxima benevolentia atque amantissima.
In nomine Patris, amen.

Father Manfried’s visage held a smile of sympathy and understanding as his eyes scanned the document. He would, after he finished reading, seek out his spiritual brother.

Father Manfried would sign the Lorraine, his prayers to God that night bolstered with hope for victory against the wretched army of demons on Arcas’s doorstep.

Father Manfried finds himself walking through the same gardens of the basilica which were spoken of in the Archbishop’s Address to the faithful, admiring the vines and bushes which were dotted about the marble chamber. The tapping of footsteps against ornate floors sounded behind him, the Vicar twisting his head and body to look towards the approaching man. The Acolyte was met with a warm smile from the Vicar as he greeted him, “Good evening, brother.” The Acolyte dipped his head to Manfried, responding with the same, “Good evening.” before offering the Vicar a piece of parchment, “An address from His Excellency Bram.” Manfried brushed down his red vestments before his eyes shot up to the Acolyte, “Bishop... heh. Hahaha. What a humble man he is.” The Acolyte arched a brow at Manfried’s words however Manfried gestured towards the brother to forget it. The Acolyte nodded before handing the Priest the parchment he so tightly held, Father Manfried receiving it with a warm smile. His gaze fell upon the words, beginning to trail over ‘ALIQUIS CANENTE CIRCA DEUS AUT LAUDATE DEUM IN DIEBUS EUIS VITAE’ before the Acolyte spoke, “God bless, Vicar.” Manfried’s eyes rose at the Acolyte’s departure, patting him on the shoulder and saying, “Ut Exaltatus custodiet te.”

Father Manfried would soon finish reading, a wide smile befalling his features as he looked over the man’s title, “Truly a man of humility, indeed. Deus autem omnipotens benedicat tibi, frater.” he said, signing the Lorraine before kneeling in the gardens to pray, setting the paper aside.

“Oh Lord God.” he called to the Lord in the Seventh Sky, “I call to Thee. May Thy creation here be blessed with eternal life. To never wear and grow old without wither. May future generations of the faithful look here to this garden, hearing my prayers to Thee which shall be held within these walls long after I have passed and ascended to the Seven Skies. May my ears also be opened to the prayers of the past and the wisdom held within these gardens, once a shack, now an ornate chamber. May Thee, Godani on high, offer these same blessings to His Excellency, Brother Bram, and all who set foot in this chamber for it is truly a place of Thee, Lord Eternal.” he said, soon concluding the prayer in Flexio, “Ut Collectivum Sanctitatem Sancti intercedant pro nobis, ut nos dicimus, ut Vos Dominus Deus. Amen.” 

“Bless you, Bram, fellow eternal learner.” he chuckled to himself with a smile before rising and descending the steps down to the main hall of the basilica.

Father Manfried nods in approval as he looks upon the document. A warm smile befalls his features as his eyes travel over the words before placing it aside near his bed in the basilica, completing his prayers before slumber with a particular end, “And may our Lord Godani on high bless His High Holiness James II as he continues his work as Vicar of God Himself. May the Supreme Pontiff be bestowed a long and healthful life as he continues to serve Thee in the Seventh Sky, imparting Thy wisdom unto Thy faithful in this mortal plane. May Thy light shine through the High Pontiff and therefore shine upon us as we all serve under His Holiness’s guidance and may Sapphira Dunham be offered Thy scorn but soon guided on the path of redemption by Thy light, to repent before Thee for her grevious sins.” Soon reciting his usual conclusion before God Almighty in the dark of night, “Lastly, I make my solemn vows to Thee, Lord God. To serve Thee as a presbyter of Thy word and defend Thy Holy Scripture ‘till my dying breath. May my vows to Thee remain ever eternal, present, future, in the Seven Skies, and at the end of times. Amen.” The young man of the cloth, donning his bed wear, would soon ease into the comfortable yet simplistic bed within the shared chamber of brothers. He pulled the covers over him and fell asleep, happy that the faith remained ever strong in the hands of the united Church, Manfried warmed by His light.

A Priest’s Address

On Prayer

Scribed by

Father Manfried

Helena Diocese

Owyn’s Light

1773

Section I - Introduction

Section II - Advantages of Prayer

Section III - Disadvantages of Prayer

Section IV - Conclusion

|Section I|

It is by the blessing of our Lord on high that we His devoted flock are given a line of communication with God. As if a dove delivers our prayers to the Seventh Sky, they ascend up to the heavens, reaching God’s ear. As He hears our words, our pleas to Him, the Almighty Lord is bestowed our prayers and in return we hear not His words but feel His blessings. He on high does not whisper in our ears. Nay, in the place of words, we feel His light. The warmth of His love and so are we wrapped in a blanket of His blessings, comforted by the knowledge that He hears our inquiries, our confessions. Our pleas and our thanks. Prayer is a blessing imparted to us upon our entry into the brotherhood of the Church, a right gifted to the faithful upon the first Sacrament. Rightfully so is this right imparted upon the faithful as how can one truly connect with God when his voice cannot ascend to Godani himself. 

It is imperative to one’s mission under God to pray, lest one neglect the fulfillment of their duties. A man or woman of faith must offer their  time to God and while one must do this through hearing the words of the Church, confessing their sins, abiding by the teachings of God, among other things, it is also important to pray to God. To create a connection with thy Lord. Within this Address, I shall outline both the advantages and disadvantages of prayer. While I vehemently denounce any statements that prayer is inherently negative, it is by the nature of the mortal soul that prayer can be corrupted and this is something of which those devout in God’s word must avoid.

|Section II|

Prayer is a fruitful process. Like a tree that bears many fruits, so too does prayer bear many advantages and ones that should be made of use by the faithful. The most common motive for prayer is crisis. When one is experiencing a personal crisis or a widespread issue, it is common for the devoted servants of God to cry out to Him for help and beseech Him with inquiries on problems around oneself or pleas for protection, wisdom, strength, and other such blessings. I have found myself as others in dark times throughout my life. Through hardship, one can find great solace in prayer and comfort in the fact that you are loved by God and your questions and requests are heard. 

One of the most important and useful advantages to prayer I find is not blessings that God offers you or not in a traditional sense at the very least. While through prayer, Our Lord can certainly bestow unto you blessings, He can also shine His light on the blessings you already possess. When in a dark state of mind, it is common for our vision to be clouded. I do not speak about our actual vision of course but our spiritual vision. Our eyes used to see such things as blessings and love which at times are both not tangible things but concepts. 

With His light, so too does His hand swat away at the smog which blocks your vision and enlightens you in this manner on what you do have. For instance, when one feels disadvantaged and beseeches Godani for more, He on high may instead turn your head to what you do have and ensure that you appreciate these blessings. Another example is perhaps you feel unloved by your kin. Perhaps this is untrue and then God will enlighten you on what you have been blind to all along. The love that your family holds for you and the fact that you should become closer to them and turn away from the falsehoods that blinded you from the truth.

His blessings come in many ways and many of His blessings are bestowed unto you through prayer. Therefore, I implore all of you to pray to God. Pray for guidance, for blessings, or merely pray to be enlightened and for your vision to be cleared. 

|Section III|

God is a perfect Being, a constant in our world. He is an eternal One, the embodiment of virtue Who sits in the lofty Seventh Sky above all. We mortals are not perfect and we continuously change and adapt, soon to wither and ascend to the Seven Skies. We are not eternal and certainly not an embodiment of virtue. Instead, we are born pure and innocent yet soon to be corrupted by the worldly essences and the sinful forces of Iblees who infiltrate this world of God in the form of vice. Prayer is like us. Born pure and innocent yet corrupted by other forces. These forces are ourselves.

With our souls comes the pulls of vice and sin and with such immoral wishes and acts comes an eventual corruption of one’s prayer. One’s prayer is your’s. An embodiment of you. Of your thoughts and wishes. Your emotions and questions. Prayer is an expression of one’s self to God and with your prayer being your own, there comes a time when the worldly influences that corrupt you seep into your prayer. To be precise, I speak of selfishness in prayer. Prayer to the Lord should not be a process of ask, ask, ask. Instead, it is of great import for the faithful to use prayer for other means. A reminder that prayer was offered to all of us from God as a direct line of communication with He on high. I stress this to you. A direct line of communication with God. You are able to speak to God and what not better to speak to Him about but of our gratitude. 

You have the chance to speak to our Lord and thank him for the world, your family, friends, all the blessings you have and hold. It is He that gave you life. It is He that blesses you with enlightenment. It is He that continues to bless you each and every day. Therefore, it is you that must reciprocate and thank He in the Seventh Sky. I implore you to pray, yes. I implore you to beseech God for blessings. However, I also implore you to express your gratitude to Him for if not, your prayers would be hollow and with this you would be taking one of God’s greatest blessings for granted. Prayer.

|Section IV|

In this Address, I wrote on both the advantages and disadvantages of prayer. The blessings of prayer are many however prayer is what you make it. As stated, prayer is your’s and if you wish to allow vice into your prayer, that is your doing. I beseech the reader to not always ask of God. To plead with God for blessings is a gift from God and one must not take this gift for granted. One must always express their gratitude to God as to not take the gift of prayer and spit it back to God in a crude manner. You have the ability to send your words to God and while to ask for blessings is encouraged, so too is expressing your thanks encouraged. He on high has done so much for you and you have the opportunity to thank our Lord. Take it. I leave you, brothers and sisters, with a prayer.

O’ Lord God, I beseech Thee on this Saint’s Day. I ask of Thee for blessings of protection against Thy foes. Blessings of wisdom to truly embrace Thy teachings and take them to heart. Blessings of strength so that I may endure the evil forces that attempt to corrupt my heart and soul and to combat them at every corner as to remain faithful to Thee and Thy word. I finally ask of Thee to enlighten me on the blessings already bestowed unto me so that I may appreciate the things I possess in life. With this, I invoke Thee to offer my utmost gratitude and wish to express my appreciation for all Thee has done. I vow now and forever to serve and worship Thee ‘till the end of times when we shall face the evil forces of the Dark Lord Iblees. May my words of gratitude reach Thee in the Seventh Sky and may my promise to Thee hold ever true, eternal and enduring before the challenges we face as the united faithful. 

Amen.

It should also be noted that the Diocese of Helena is in search of worthy architects to begin on a project to expand the basilica. Please make yourself known to His Eminence Arthur of the Church of Canon if you are readily available to start such a project.

ACOLYTE'S THESIS

The Holy Mission of Humanity

Scribed by

Acolyte Manfried Tobar

The Grand Harvest

1769

Section I - Introduction

Section II - Purity in Faith

Section III - To Spread GOD’s Word

Section IV - Guiding Those Non-Human

Section V - Conclusion

| Section I |

It is by the glory of GOD that Exalted Horen was permitted to ascend to the Seventh Sky in order to receive the Scroll of Virtue. By the glory of GOD that Exalted Horen was chosen to receive the divine knowledge of He on high, past the gate between the Sixth and Seventh Skies and to be in the presence of GOD himself. It is by the glory of GOD that the Exalted Horen of humanity was the first to witness GOD and receive the blessing of his eternal wisdom through the first of the Holy Scrolls.

It is by the divine word of the Lord that the three sons of spirit, Exalted Owyn, Exalted Godfrey and Exalted Siegmund, would be gifted by GOD the last of the Holy Scrolls to complete the teachings of He on high and bestow upon the mortals of this world His wisdom.

By the glory of GOD, we of the Human race were bestowed a duty of great import. A task granted to us upon the spark of our soul as we enter this world of mortals. As we are gifted this flesh of humanum, so are we tasked with learning the teachings of GOD on high and spreading it to the non believers and remaining strong in faith, devoted to GOD, pure and abiding by the teachings of His Holy Scrolls with every passing breath.

We as humans are bestowed a righteous mission. To guide those non-human. To remain pure in faith. To spread the one true faith throughout our world.

Our quest in servitude to Him began with Exalted Horen and the three sons of spirit and shall end in the final battle against the treacherous foes who have turned away from GOD’s divine light and wisdom. The servants of Iblees himself, lord of the dark, murky, painful Void. It is for the end of times, predicted in the last of the Holy Scrolls that we prepare for. To prepare for the fight between the righteous or us, GOD’s humble servants, against the sinful servants of Iblees.

It is our duty as the faithful of humanity to spread the faith world wide. To consolidate the power of Godani on this plane. To spread His holy word to all non-believers and to strengthen the faith of our brothers and sisters. It is we who are bestowed with the mission, made mandatory by GOD, so that when we face his foes, we will have numbers of immense fortitude, strengthened by the will of GOD. His teachings and his blessed light. 

It is in this Thesis that I will outline the check list of sorts that those pious in faith should complete before ascending to the Seven Skies above. Purity in faith as outlined in the covenant with GOD, our mission to spread His word to all, and our duty as the first race to receive the word of GOD to guide the other races under He in the Seventh Sky.

| Section II |

Outlined in the covenant between GOD and Exalted Horen was that the four prophets would be of human flesh and blood, however also that humanity remained pure in faith. You may ask, what does it truly mean to remain pure in faith? Simply put, it is to avoid sin and abide by the Holy Scrolls bestowed upon the Exalted four. To remain pure in faith however, one should first look to the Scroll of Virtue. As outlined by GOD to the faithful, the moral code of Canon prohibits the following:

“Murder, thievery, sexual immorality, miscegenation, judging one’s own virtue, lying, disloyalty, apostasy, blasphemy, covetousness, sloth, wrath, ambition, pride, and indulgence.”

- Excerpt from the Catechism of the Church of Canon, Written by Cardinal Fabian the Lesser -

The moral code of Canon dictates what a follower of GOD’s word must do in life to remain pure in faith and the Scroll of Virtue remains to be the only Scroll of four which is universally enforced by GOD upon all beings in the mortal plane. 

For one of the human race to remain pure in faith is of great import to the success of their mission under GOD for the second component of their mission is to spread and proselytize the faith to others. How can one do so when not pure of faith? Such is a preposterous construct as how can a man of faith offer the true word of GOD to another when their own faith is not sound. This is how two components of the Holy Mission of Humanity connect, as one feeds off the other to survive and come to completion under the divine light of the Lord on high.

| Section III |

To spread GOD’s word, no matter how one should do so, is a great undertaking by the faithful. While this goal of the faithful is not an exclusive mission dictated to the human faithful, I shall include it within this Thesis as I believe it connects with purity in faith as to spread his word is to serve GOD in a great manner, proven by the Third Sky. The Third Sky is a level of the Seven Skies reserved for those who in their lifetime had spread Godani’s word and abided by the Holy Scrolls and while primarily reserved for those who don the vestments of the clergy, other pious believers who did not share the esteemed rank of the preachers of GOD’s word may also ascend to the Third Sky if they had spread GOD’s teachings.

There are many ways to spread the word of GOD from charitable acts to your fellow brothers and sisters, to branding oneself as crusader, to proselytizing, or taking upon oneself the commitment of ecclesiastical duty. All of these methods to expand GOD’s reach to all mortals are righteous ways to serve He on high. To bestow His word to others as His word was bestowed unto us by Exalted Horen is a way for us to set upon a holy path throughout our lifetime until we upon death move away from the mortal world and ascend to the glorious Seven Skies. To serve the Lord and enlighten others to the one true faith should be a man of virtue’s objective in life and in death.

| Section IV |

The races non-human received gifts from the Aengul Ariel and so were we bestowed with a gift however not from an Aengul. Instead, Exalted Horen received the Scroll of Virtue from the Lord Himself and therefore the human race was bestowed the first teachings of GOD on high. With such, as stated by Cardinal Fabian the Lesser in the Catechism of the Church of Canon, while an individual human is not superior to a non-human, those of the human race are charged by GOD to guide and enlighten those non-human as the first to receive His eternal wisdom.

To guide the other races is to accept our place as the first enlightened by GOD’s wisdom and to use this great blessing to assist our fellow brothers and sisters in faith. It is a great honor to have received this gift through Exalted Horen from GOD and we must use it to strengthen the faith by supporting our brothers and sisters under GOD’s divine light, human or non-human.

| Section V |

With these three pieces of the “check list” of pure faith outlined within this Thesis, I hope to help my fellow brothers and sisters in humanity to accept their place as outlined in the covenant with GOD. We are those gifted with the Holy Scrolls of GOD, revealed to us by the prophets, born humans upon this mortal plane. We are those who have and shall enlighten future generations along with the enlightened of the non-human faithful. We were granted a great gift. An immense blessing was bestowed upon us human faithful. However, to take upon this great undertaking with nothing but humility is also our duty. We individual humans are not superior to the other races. 

We are merely the first enlightened, charged to guide those non-human in the word of GOD. We are but mortals and with such comes the temptations of ambition and the scourge of arrogance. I call unto you, brothers and sisters! Wash away the human traits that plague you! Rise above them and take your mantle as those to guide our fellow brethren. To not do such would be to dirty your purity in faith and to dirty your purity in faith would be to jeopardize your mission before GOD which is to spread his wisdom throughout the world. 

It is now that you truly see all of which connects and all of which must connect in order complete your holy mission. With this conclusion to my Thesis, I leave all who read this document with a prayer.

May you our Lord GOD cleanse our minds of impurity and allow us to humble ourselves unto thee that may honor your holy covenant Exalted Prophet Owyn I established between you and humans, preaching your life-giving Scrolls unto all corners of this world unto the ages of ages. Through the intercessions of the holy righteous Exalted prophets, The Mother of Mankind and the Queen of Virgins and of Peace Saint Julia, Saint Daniel I the Patron Saint of Scholarship and Literature and Illuminator of Darkness of whom this thesis is dedicated to, and all the saints. 

Amen.

                    Out-Of-Character Information

Please do your best to correct spelling and grammatical errors, this is an RP server and writing is the main form of communication!

What’s your Minecraft account name?: GoldWolfGaming

What timezone are you in?: EST

How old are you?: 11

Are you aware the content and interactions on this server may not be appropriate for children under the age of 13? (You won’t be denied for being under 13): Yes

Have you read and agreed to the rules?: Yes

What’s the rule you agree with the most?: I agree most with the rule of "To maintain respect while interacting with other players."

Are there any rule(s) that confuse you or don’t make sense? (if so we can help clear it up!): No

How did you find out about Lord of the Craft?: One day I was looking through the Medieval Server List and I found Lord Of The Craft. I looked into it further and liked the sound of the community.

Link(s) to past Whitelist Applications (If applicable): This is my first whitelist application.

Have you logged into the server yet? (You cannot be whitelisted without logging in at least once): Multiple times.

Definitions

Feel free to Google the answers or browse our forums, but make sure that you write the reply in your own words, not those of another website or person! Plagiarizing will result in the automatic denial  of your application!

What is roleplaying?: Roleplaying is portraying a character unlike yourself.

What is metagaming?: Metagaming is to know something OOCly and then have you character have knowledge of it ICly.

What is power-emoting (powergaming)?: To do anything without failing in your pursuits.

In-Character Information
Now you actually make your character - be creative but stay reasonable! Make sure they make sense and that they follow lore. Try to come up with a character that you actually want to play.

Character’s name: (what do you want your character to be called?) Markus Dumont

Character’s sex: (male or female?) Male

Character’s race: (you can find all the playable races here.) Heartlander Human

Character’s age: (upon application, your character must be 18 or older, and depending on the race, they can be over five hundred years old!) 39

Biography  (Please make it a decent two paragraphs long. Remember to add three references to the server lore): (where does your character come from?; where have they traveled to?; what year were they born in? et cetera.) Markus was born in the year of 1569 in Vailor. One year later Markus only a infant was brought to the world of  Axios. His family officially moved into the city of Metz Markus living much of his early life there. He learned many things such as writing, reading, mathematics, and swordsmanship. Then at the age of 25 he set out for the world to become a merchant. He spent these years  making his way from city to city trading. In current time Markus trades and explores, traveling to many cities. Markus also finally made a home in Aleksandria, the capital of the Kingdom of Courland.

Personality Traits: (what are your character's quirks?; habits?; likes and dislikes?) Habits: Markus usually will scratch his beard when he is nervous, show a smile on his face when joyful, and furrow his brows when angry./Likes: /Tea/ Markus enjoys the warm liquid. He will often have this beverage on rainy days or just in the morning to get him ready for the day ahead./Knowledge/ Markus always enjoys learning about new topics whether it be reading it in a book or hearing it from someone else./Traveling/ Markus enjoys the excitement of travel. He has learned to not mind the endless hiking or prolonged walking due to his many years of going back and forth./Sparring/ Markus will never pass up a good friendly spar./Dislikes: /Heat/ Markus is not one to lounge around on a sunny day. He will enjoy warm weather with a breeze though cannot take scorching heat./Brutes/ Markus despises brutish tactics. He is more the sword to sword man. Not the savage bloody fighter that some are./Quiet/ Even though Markus will enjoy the quiet while reading a good book or while hiking, awkward pauses in a conversation or an extremely quiet town make him feel anxious./Criminals/ Markus hates criminals. He believes they are lazy individuals who make themselves proud by taking from others.

Ambitions: (what does your character aspire to be?) Markus is currently a merchant that focuses on many types of silks and cloth though wishes to spread his influence and open up many shops in a large number of cities.

Strengths/Talents: (what is your character really, really good at?) Sparring: Markus has been practicing the art of swordsmanship from the age of 15 and now can defend himself well against many attackers who would like to test his strength./Piano: Markus has been practicing piano from an early age and can play many diverse songs. This is something he loves to do and will often use this to get away from the stresses of life.

Weaknesses/Inabilities: (what is a skill that your character needs to work on?) Horse Riding: Markus only knows the basics of controlling a horse which is quite hard for him as he needs to travel constantly. That is why he will usually make his way on foot or use any carriages that he sees passing by./Vengeful/ Usually a kind man can turn into an angered flame if you cross him. Markus will attempt to find the person who crossed him until they are in a cell locked up. Though usually not the one to kill he will defeat them if needed.

Appearance: (what does your character look like?; how tall are they?; hair color?; scars?) At first sight Markus looks like a wealthy black haired man with a cutlass sheathed on his right side. Further looking in depth he is a 5'9 male with a small scar on his right arm that he got from a slash of a dagger from a thief. Markus's clothing varies. He will usually wear formal attire but sometimes will dress himself in leather armor. He has a beard in reasonable length not going past his chin. He has ocean blue eyes with thick eyebrows hanging close to his eyes. Markus is always seen with a good posture that will only change if he has endured pain or prolonged periods of time with no sleep.

Skin: (please provide us a screenshot of your character’s skin; if you need help, see our screenshot guide here.) I apologize but I couldn't figure out how to place the screenshot here. For reference the screenshot is at the top of the Application. Again sorry.