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Church of the New Faiths

Posted
Updated
BySuraia Silverbell

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, Ghor, or other outlawed cults are considered heretics, and paladins of the Church still hunt them to this day.

Unlike the rivalries between the old cults of Light and Night, 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 relative peace to “build a better world” and hold back the lingering corruption of Ghor.

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 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.

Origins and Purpose

The Church formed in the late Age of Darkness, when Thoron, Myalanna, Envylon, and Ysandra appeared amid war, plague, and 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.

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.

The Priesthood

The priesthood is responsible for maintaining temples, spreading the faith, and working most directly with divine magic.

Ranks of the Priesthood

Acolyte
An acolyte is a priest in training. After initiation into the service of a specific god, their formal training begins: doctrine, rituals, and the first lessons in divine magic.

Priest / Priestess
When an acolyte’s training is judged complete by the High Priest they serve under, they undergo a new ceremony and become a full priest. Priests:

  • Serve in the temples of the New Faiths

  • May remain at their home temple or request transfer elsewhere

  • Sometimes wander as travelling priests, sent on missions or choosing to carry the faith into more remote lands

High Priest
Every temple has a High Priest:

  • In a small shared temple (all four gods under one roof), there is one High Priest over the whole house.

  • In a large multi-temple city, each major temple may have its own High Priest for that specific god.

They oversee the rituals, administration, and discipline of the local priesthood.

Grand Priest
There are four Grand Priests in total, one for each of the New Faiths. They are the highest mortal authorities for their god’s cult and form the leading circle of the priesthood.

The Grand Priests are said to:

  • Interpret the will of their god

  • Pass that will down to the High Priests

  • Who in turn instruct priests and acolytes

  • Who then teach and guide the common faithful

In this way, divine commands are supposed to flow from god to Grand Priest, from Grand Priest to temple, and from temple to the streets and homes of the islands.

The Paladin Orders

Where priests focus on magic and teaching, paladins are the fighters of the New Faiths—the mailed fist of the Church.

They defend temples and communities, escort important clergy, and take the field against Ghor’s creatures, undead plagues, and those branded heretics or dangerous cultists. The most famous among them are the Templar Paladins, first trained at the Proofing Grounds on the Landing of the Gods to face horrors like the monster of Qinthar’s Keep.

Training: Paladin in Training

Any full paladin can take on an apprentice and personally train them. Once the mentor judges the apprentice ready, they are sent to undergo the Trials at the Proofing Grounds. Those who pass become full paladins and may then choose (or be assigned) a specialisation.

Known Ranks and Paths

(All specialisations exist under each of the four gods, though their colours and customs differ.)

  • Paladin – A full knight of the faith. They serve as holy warriors, temple guards, escorts, and front-line fighters wherever the Church sends them.

  • Defender – Paladins assigned primarily to protection: keeping towns safe, guarding temples, watch duties on walls and roads, and holding the line when danger comes.

  • Templar – The elite spearhead of the Church. First formed during the crisis of Qinthar’s Keep, Templar Paladins are trained at the Proofing Grounds for the worst battles against Ghor’s abominations and other great threats.

  • Inquisitor – Paladins specialising in rooting out heresy and corruption. They investigate outlawed cults, old-god worship, and suspected dealings with Ghor. Their presence is feared even in supposedly peaceful times, as they have authority to question, judge, and—if need be—execute.

  • High Inquisitor – The highest rank of the inquisitorial path. The High Inquisitor coordinates inquisitors across the islands and stands as one of the most dreaded figures within the Church’s martial hierarchy.

(The document does not list formal titles above High Inquisitor on the paladin side; politically, they often act as equals or foils to the Grand Priests.)

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.

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

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.

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