Church of the New Faiths

Compiled from Xaverion Senate records and temple accounts.

Overview

The Church of the New Faiths is the organisation behind the four young gods of the Fifth Era: Thoron, Myalanna, Envylon, and Ysandra. It is the dominant religious power of the Xaverion Islands, and for most citizens, “religion” and “the Church” are effectively the same thing.

The vast majority of the population openly follows one of these four gods. They are the only recognised religions on the islands; all others are branded heresy. Those who cling to the worship of Quintra, Denday or Ghor are considered heretics and paladins of the Church still hunt them to this day.

Unlike the rivalries between the old gods, the New Faiths are officially united. Their gods swore a Pact of Unity during the late Age of Darkness, and their churches work together in peace to “build a better world” and hold back the lingering corruption of Ghor.

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Temples and Presence

The Church’s heart lies on the island known as the Landing of the Gods, where the four deities are said to have first appeared. Here stand the first great temples:

• Thoron’s temple in the north

• Myalanna’s in the east

• Envylon’s in the south

• Ysandra’s in the west

At the centre lies a neutral meeting ground, where the churches coordinate joint actions against Ghor’s corruption and heretics, and the Proofing Grounds, where paladin recruits are tested and trained.

Across the Xaverion Islands:

• Smaller towns and villages usually have a single shared temple where all four gods are represented.

• Larger cities often boast separate temples for each god, each with its own priesthood and paladin contingent.

In practice, the Church’s network of temples doubles as a web of influence, information, and—when needed—armed response.

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Origins and Purpose

The Church formed in the late Age of Darkness, when Thoron, Myalanna, Envylon, and Ysandra appeared amid Ghor’s roaming horrors. They proclaimed themselves the Gods of the New Faiths, declared Quintra, Denday, and Ghor “dead”, and branded all old religions heresy.

They demanded conversion under threat of death: one must choose one of the four or be cast aside. The creatures of Ghor were re-framed not as the works of a god, but as a disease, a lingering corruption to be purged.

From among their earliest followers, they raised the First Ghor Hunters—priests, paladins, warriors, and mages who became the spearhead of the new crusade against Darkness.

Over time, this loose alliance hardened into a single powerful institution: the Church of the New Faiths, keeper of temples, organisers of crusades, and arbiter of what is and is not acceptable belief.

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Structure of the Church

The Church is divided into two great branches:

1. Priesthood – teachers, spell-casters, keepers of doctrine.

2. Paladin Orders – warriors and holy knights of the New Faiths.

Although each god has their own flavour of worship, the hierarchy is shared across all four faiths, and the ranks function similarly regardless of which deity is served.

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Doctrine and Attitude to Other Faiths

Officially, the Church teaches:

• Quintra, Denday, and Ghor are dead gods, banished and unable to bless anyone.

• Worship of these Old Gods is heresy, punishable by death.

• The monstrosities still stalking Eonil are not divine creations but a plague of Ghor, a contamination to be burned away.

Only the four New Gods are recognised as rightful objects of worship. Other practices survive at the edges:

• Eonil-worship (reverence for the world, nature, and the spirit of the planet) is generally tolerated, as the Church does not officially classify Eonil as a “god” in the same way as the Old or New Faiths.

• Mythic-race shrines and old necropolises—such as the lost City of Silence—are usually regarded with suspicion or folded into the Church’s narrative as relics of a darker age best left undisturbed.

The Church presents itself as protector: of souls from heresy, of bodies from Ghor’s corruption, and of society from the chaos of competing cults.

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Political Power and Alliances

The Church of the New Faiths is more than a religious body; it is also a political power.

• Within the Xaverion Senate, specific seats are allocated to represent the New Faiths, giving the Church a formal voice in lawmaking.

• During crises—such as the Undead plague in Naquart or the fall of the Crimson Monastery—the Church’s paladins and priests have fought side by side with the Xaverion Order and other groups, shaping both military strategy and public opinion.

However, their insistence on doctrinal purity and branded heresy has also led to:

• Long-standing persecution of Old God worshippers

• Conflicts and uneasy alliances with independent orders such as Ahn’Ghor, who fight Ghor but do not serve the New Faiths directly

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In the Present Day

By the Fifth Era, the Church of the New Faiths is everywhere:

• Its temples mark every settlement of note.

• Its priests are the most visible spiritual authorities.

• Its paladins patrol roads, stand in city squares, and still ride out when rumours of heresy, undead, or Ghor-spawn surface.

For most ordinary folk, the Church is simply the way things are: the keeper of festivals, the voice of the gods, and the source of both comfort and fear.