Moroz Holy Tribunal
"Our gift is the divine, theirs the mundane"
A rapidly expanding religion that borrows from largly from the Sk'akh religion founded by former High Lord Precentor, Tribune Lien Jakaab and former Sk'akh Priest, Tribune Kasam Kaelesi. Worship revolves around a gender neutral supreme being known commonly as "Goddess" in all languages. As a gender neutral God the being is often called 'he' or 'she' interchangeably to represent that she/he is a collection of all the faithful. The elites of the religion are made up of the Tribunal who commune directly with the "Goddess". From their communions, the Tribunal create edicts to be followed by the faithful. Disobeying an edict can be met with the death penalty in the worse case, typically by firing squad or ritual suicide. It is rumored by the faithful that the Tribunal possess psionic powers gifted to them by the "Goddess". Like Sk'akh, the Goddess can be either male or female and is often called Three of One because the spirits combine into three minor aspects within the Goddess: the Soldier, the Scholar, the Artisan. These three spirits are personifications of the most important aspects of Dominia society. Tribunal priests agree that all three are equally important, and that malign spirits can be attracted by an imbalance in the Great Three. Priests often stress the importance of balance, both in matters of spirit as well as in society and personal life just as they do in the Sk'akh.
Followers of the Tribunal believe that upon death the faithful edict abiding followers are joined with the Goddess directly and become part of the Goddess. Faithless or "evil" people simply cease to exist upon death. They also believe that it is possible to communicate with the dead through prayer. The Tribunal also believes that malign spirits and demonic entities exist and that their priesthood is gifted with divine powers with which these entities can be fought and beaten. Interestingly the Tribunal is a common religion not just among Dominians but also the major religion of pirate Unathi who follow the religion (albeit quite loosely) by virtue of their acceptance and continuous interaction with the Empire.
Though not having a holy book per se the priesthood utilise the "Tribunal Codex" which contains the latest up-to-date edicts and litanies. Priests of the church are allowed to marry.
The Priesthood
Initiate
Initiates are those who have felt the calling of the Goddess through the Tribunal. After applying for entry at a temple Initiates undergo an interview which both clarifies if the applicant really wants to join the Tribunal as well as their knowledge regarding the faith and their qualifications. Finally the Initiate undergoes a series of exams. This process usually takes upwards of a month and if the applicant is successful, they are inducted into the Tribunal as an Initiate. And Initiate's life is that of study and general menial work - ranging from clerical office activities and public speaking to manual labour such as maintaining Tribunal facilities. Every year the Initiate is expected to complete a written exam alongside a thesis relating to the faith. This is marked by the Priests. After three years have passed and the Initiate has all three exams and defended their thesis's successfully, then they are inducted into the ranks of the Priests. Initiates are expected to wear white robes or any white clothing and apply red paint around their eyes and ears to represent "watching" and "listening" to lessons taught.
Priest/Priestess
Priests are expected to administer to the faithful and as such are assigned to a position somewhere within or without the Empire to perform religious rites and to watch over the faithful. This is especially important outside the Empire where Priests also act as watch dogs to ensure Dominia citizens are keeping faith. Many Priests choose to branch off into either scholarly or military pursuits. Many Priests believe it is their duty to remain combat effective in defence of the faith and assist military units to this end as Chaplains, where as others further refine the faith through academic study. If a Priest deems them self worthy they can petition the High Priests to enter their ranks. This prospective Priest should be able to demonstrate their advanced knowledge of the faith and their commitment to it through either their academic or militaristic contributions. Friends in high places don't hurt either. If a High Priest chooses to sponsor the applicant then their application will be presented at a yearly meeting of the High Priests and the Holy Tribunes. The High Priests will then vote on who they would like to enter their ranks with the Holy Tribunes holding veto powers over the affair. If the Priest is voted to be raised higher then they will be inducted into the ranks of the High Priests. They are expected to be clad in red and gold robes/clothing and always wear red paint around their eyes with a strip of red paint an inch wide running from their bottom lip to their chin. The red paint around the eyes representing the eyes of the Tribunal and the red paint on the chin the mouth or "words" of the Tribunal. The priests tend to carry staves made of steel clad in carved obsidian or in some cases steel anthames with obsidian blades. The obsidian, though difficult to shape due to its brittleness, is used due to its warding properties - the Tribunal believes it can protect against evil spirits and creatures. It's customary for the priests to powder or paint their faces white however, most priests of the Primaries class tend to leave their faces free of powder and paint. Unathi priests also wear red paint around their eyes with the two vertical red lines - around an inch thick - beginning on both sides of their muzzle, joining under their "chin". Priests can be of any gender. In recent times there has been a large number of priests heading outside of Dominian space to spread the faith, a large number of which have begun working as Chaplains amongst the Trans-stellar Corporations.
Edict Keeper
A role within the Tribunal that ensures Priests and the faithful keep to the edicts, Edict Keepers are devout students of Tribunal law and interpretation. They also seek out and punish edict breakers and are those assigned to 'shutdown' synths. Keepers are supported by religious soldiers called Saviors due to the belief that their activities save those who have strayed from the grace of the Tribunal. These soldiers carry out any physical punishments meted out in accordance with the edicts. Due to the need for strength, many Saviors tend to be Unathi or Gene-boosted humans.
High Priest/Priestess
The High Priests/Priestesses control the church across various sectors dependent on the number of faithful in that area. Understandably there are a considerable number of High Priests/Priestesses localized within the Empire. At present only one oversees the faithful within Biesel, High Priestess Elisabetta Caladius, who operates out of the Biesel Grand Temple within the House Volvalaad estate located in Mendell City.
High Priests/Priestesses garb themselves in much the same way as Priests. It's customary for High Priests/Priestesses to choose to embody and aspect of the Goddess. This is reflected in the style of robe with those that embody the Soldier incorporating a ceremonial breastplate or armor, those that embody the Artisan having much more functional robes for the crafts and labor and finally those that embody the Scholar having more clinical robes for the sciences. There is no hard and fast rule on how a High Priest/Priestess might stylize their robes so long as they keep the sacred gold color.
Holy Tribune
Numbering four all together, the Holy Tribunes commune directly with the Goddess and receive instructions directly from it. On the basis of instructions given they produce new Holy Edicts to be followed by the faithful. They are the supreme authority of the faith, and hold significant power in the imperial court.
Tribunal Doctrine
One of the foundations for the Tribunals beliefs is that the soul is the actual person, and the body is a vessel it inhabits.
For robotics, the Tribunal believes that synthetic parts cannot possess a soul as such synthetic limbs are highly frowned upon. To the Tribunal the concept of borgification is to have your soul sent "to oblivion" and cease to exist.
The Tribunal believe true AI in the form of positronics and the like to be an abomination. The church believes that as they have no link to the Goddess they benefit from no positive influence from the Goddess or the ancestors and so are intrinsically and irredeemably evil, acting as magnets to malign spirits and demonic entities. Not only this, but they see it as an attempt by the Goddess' creation to elevate themselves to the level of the Creator. Only the Goddess can create souls, and to make an inherently soulless creation is evil and arrogant beyond all measure. They often make reference to the Glorsh Rebellion as an example of the end result of allowing true AI to exist.
The Tribunal believes that when a body is cloned that the soul is snatched out of the spirit realm and put back inside the body. So cloning is not creating a new person but a continuation of the same individual.
Burial rites require the body to be treated with respect and any open wounds sealed or cauterized. A priest oversees a funeral process and gives a sermon on the individual, which are traditionally communal affairs, assuring the attendees that the individual in question has joined with the Goddess. If a person dies and is cloned then the former body is simply an empty, rather useless vessel, and should be disposed of as soon as possible.
Because the soul is separate from the vessel that is the physical body, it is accepted that a soul could have been given a body of the different sex when developing before birth. This means that a particularly strong-willed female with aspirations to enter a traditionally masculine field could be said to have the soul of a man trapped in a woman's body and visa versa.
Non-traditional relationships are largely irrelevant to the Tribunal with same sex relationships accepted by the mainstream. Depending on a person's social status or family non-traditional relationships may be frowned upon but by and large no one especially cares. However, romantic relationships between species are highly frowned upon by the citizens of the Empire, particularly the nobility. The Moroz Holy Tribunal does not perform marriage ceremonies between individuals of different species, and such a relationship is often a one-way ticket to being disowned.
The Tribunal defines relationships under either Lust (physical desire), Love (romantic desire), or Dutiful (proper desire) in the a similar way to the Sk'akh however with amendments. The Tribunal preaches against Lust becoming more important to its followers than their Dutiful relationships. However a Dutiful relationship does not necessarily mean to have children, but further your master, your house and the Empire. In this way one must choose relationships which best enables those three things. Love should be approached cautiously as it has the potential to fall into Lust but the same potential to boost a Dutiful relationship. One can love and lust after their arranged marriage partner which is Lust, Love and Dutiful relationship in balance.
Key Edicts
It's important to note that edicts relate to religious law not state law. Stealing for example is covered by state law, not edicts. Though breaking an edict can lead to a death penalty as per the first edict, the church usually settles for some form of penance ranging from fines to corporal punishment or entry into the Tribunal Commandos. The edicts themselves have been interpreted differently by members of the Priesthood but the main schools of thought are "Jak'akh" named after Tribune Lien Jakaab and the more aggressive "Kael'kah" after Tribune Kasam Kaelesi. Jak'akh is the most commonly followed across the Empire where as Kael'kah tends to be followed by those in the frontier regions of Dominia and on Alterim Balteulis. An antag Dominian may follow a much more violent interpretation of the edicts known as "Nul'akh" or just "Nul" in which the breaking of an edict is punishable by death in all cases and that the thirty third edict - Respect the laws of other Empires etc should be interpreted literally - it only applies within other "Empires" and as such, would not matter in Tau Ceti. Nul'akh is considered an embarrassment by the church. Below are some key edicts.
The First Edict: The Tribunals edicts are absolute. Breaking of an edict is punishable by death.
Jak'akh Interpretation: -Can- be punished with death but not always. A lighter form of punishment such as fines and imprisonment are usually preferable.
Kael'kah Interpretation: -Can- be punished with death but not always. Corporal punishment (flogging) is usually preferable.
The Second Edict: Praise the Goddess in all that you do, and bless those who assist you in your workings.
Jak'akh Interpretation: Keep the Goddess and the ancestors in your heart and be respectful to those around you.
Kael'kah Interpretation: Actively thank the Goddess and the ancestors for their aid mentally and verbally. Actively give blessings to those around you where appropriate (they helped you, they helped others etc).
The Third Edict: Spread the good news of the Goddess in all that you do, that all may receive her blessings.
Jak'akh Interpretation: Proselytize through your good works and deeds, with words if appropriate, that all may be redeemed and made better under her light.
Kael'kah Interpretation: Actively spread the news of the Goddess, that all may be redeemed and made better under her light.
The Twelfth Edict: All synthetic life forms within Dominia space shall be sought out and destroyed where found.
Jak'akh Interpretation: All synthetic life forms within Dominia space shall be sought out and brought into custody to be tried in Tribunal court. If they can't be brought in then they should be destroyed.
Kael'kah Interpretation: All synthetic life forms within Dominia space shall be sought out and destroyed on sight.
The Twenty Second Edict: Do not partake of any food raw or tainted with blood.
Jak'akh Interpretation: You should not eat raw meat or fish unless you have to.
Kael'kah Interpretation: You should not eat raw meat or fish, even if it means starving.
The Thirty Third Edict: Respect the laws of other Empires but worry not as they shall soon be brought into the Tribunal's benevolent reach.
Jak'akh Interpretation: Don't break the law of other civilisations. If you do, seek forgiveness from the ancestors and hand yourself into the host civilisations authorities.
Kael'kah Interpretation: Don't break the law of other civilisations. If you do, seek forgiveness from the ancestors and either return to Dominia to be punished or seek out a Tribunal Priest to seek their forgiveness and follow their directions. Color the area around your eyes black as a sign of regret until instructed to stop by a Priest.
The Thirty Ninth Edict: Those who escape the divine court's judgment must be destroyed where found.
Jak'akh Interpretation: Anyone who runs from punishment or judgment should be sought out and encouraged to go back into church custody peacefully. If that is not possible then they will sadly need to be forced. This is not glorious nor joyful and those who run should be mourned.
Kael'kah Interpretation: Anyone who runs from punishment or judgment should be sought out and handed back into church custody. If that is not possible then they will need to be destroyed. Those who run deserve this fate and should not be mourned.'
The Forty First Edict: It is pleasing before God that whomever has the honor to enter a room first be the last to leave.
Jak'akh Interpretation: If you enter a room with a group of people, it is desirable to leave last unless there are many people.
Kael'kah Interpretation: If you enter a room with a group of people, you should be the last to leave barring it causing serious harm.
The Fiftieth Edict: Lies are abhorrent before God, especially those told for personal gain.
Jak'akh Interpretation: Lying for personal gain should always be avoided, though lying may be excused in other circumstances.
Kael'kah Interpretation: Lying for personal gain is especially abhorrent, and lies should be avoided unless they are necessary to prevent harm to God's faithful.
The Sixty Third Edict: Animals, while below the rest of His creation, are still made by God. They should not be treated cruelly or wasted.
Jak'akh Interpretation: While hunting is permissible as long as the meat is not wasted, animals should not be pointlessly mistreated..
Kael'kah Interpretation: All parts of an animal who is hunted should be used in some way, and any form of willful mistreatment toward an animal is abhorrent.
The One Hundredth Edict: Those who escape the divine courts judgment and flee outside Dominia space should be encouraged to return and confess so they might face divine judgment. In death they shall be absolved. It is the duty of all the holy to encourage those that flee to return to us, so that they might be forgiven."
Jak'akh Interpretation: Anyone who runs from punishment or judgment outside of Dominia space should be sought out and encouraged to go back into church custody peacefully.
Kael'kah Interpretation: Anyone who runs from punishment or judgment should be sought out and handed back into church custody if this is legal within the space the edict breaker has entered. If that is not possible then they will need to be encouraged to go back into church custody peacefully but aggressively. Any who run deserve this fate. Do not mourn them.
Litanies
The holy litanies tend to be phrases spoken by the faithful of the Tribunal during there day to day lives or by Priests during sermons. They are usually repeated until whatever situation they were spoken for has passed. Key litanies are listed below.
The Litany of Protection
Used when in danger or when about to be put in danger.
Goddess through the Tribunal,
The Tribunal through me,
Goddess protects,
The Tribunal protects,
Thus I am immortal.
The Litany of Concentration
Used when there is a need to focus on a pressing task whilst ignoring distractions. It is to be repeated slowly.
My mind is water,
Guide my thoughts.
The litany is sometimes spoken once and the below then repeated.
Flowing.
Flowing.
The Litany of Combat
Used when in combat or prior to combat.
Goddess gives,
The Tribunal sees,
Thus I keep faith,
Thus I have no fear,
Thus I have no mercy,
Thus I have no regrets.
The litany is sometimes shortened in combat for ease as below.
Only Faith,
No fear,
No mercy,
No regret.
Litany of Holy Dedication to the Immaculate Tribunal under the Goddess
Used during religious "dedications" (worship).
Priest Says:
One Empire
Under the Goddess,
Whom through the Tribunal, reigns.
Worshippers Say:
One Empire.
One Goddess.
The Tribunal.
Priest Says:
We serve the Goddess fully.
Worshippers Say:
Without reserve.
Priest Says:
Faithfully.
Worshippers Say:
Without question.
Priest Says:
Together.
Worshippers Say:
Without hesitation.
Priest Says:
One Empire.
Under the Goddess,
Worshippers Say:
Whom through the Tribunal reigns.
Priest Says:
Goddess bless the Immortal Empire.
Goddess bless us all.