Preamble For many years, the Sancella was considered to be one of the most powerful institutions in the political landscape of the Regalian Archipelago, with vast armies and political sway in the form of being able to levy out punitive actions upon the aristocracy. However, in most recent years, this power has been dissolved entirely, to disastrous consequence, and while many claim that the system of individual class roles between the Clergy, the Nobility, and the Commoner is something to strive for, they often neglect to give any heed to the fact the Clergy must have some form of legislative power in order to complete this task when so many of the aristocracy have routinely shown flippant disregard. The Five Truths 16 to 9. These numbers reminded me just how little the Peerage are willing to cede in terms of power, even to the blessed and holy Clergy of the Unionist Divine. Many echoed concerns of what had transpired during the release of the 11th Creed and the ensuing bonfires of vanity which consumed the heretics which had sought to corrupt the Church for their own personal gain, and inevitably failed. A few spoke of the other faiths protected under the Kleine Reichung, concerned over whether this ceding of power would go to alternate faiths, as if they are equal to the Glory of The Spirit’s Cloth. Even fewer spoke of the tried three estates philosophy, in which the Clergy ensured the moral wellness of the other two classes, the Nobility ruled and protected, whilst the common folk provided and tended to the land, in oversimplified form. All three of these concerns will be addressed in time, fret not, dearest reader. But first, the following five truths must be established: The Spirit is to be recognized by all as not a divine authority, but a legal authority, regardless of faith, per the Kleine Reichung. Of course, this does not discredit the divinity of the Spirit, but gives it a place in the common law for those of Non-Unionist Faith. It is the duty of the Unionist clergy to maintain the spiritual wellbeing of the citizenry and rulers of the Regalian Empire, per the class division. The Unionist Clergy proselytize the faith, and spiritually reaffirm their flock. It is near blasphemous to hinder or infringe on the Clergy’s duties because of this, as a mortal man or ruler. The Unionist Clergy, as those who spread the faith of the legal authority under the Kleine Reichung, also exist in a privileged position in comparison to the other faiths permitted under the Kleine Reichung. All mortal men may be corrupted, and it is the duty of all members of the Regalian empire to hold each other accountable for such, regardless of class. Ultimately, greater responsibility befalls the Clergy because of their spiritual learning, but all should put in an effort. With these, one can address the aforementioned concerns with political powers being granted to the Clergy in forms beyond the ‘soft’ powers which are currently common in the Archipelago. The Brothers of Virtue: A Dark Chapter, Not to be Repeated A valid concern, which one should not dismiss after the unveiling of the Brothers of Virtue, for the self serving reactionary extremists they were. Fortunately, these devils were revealed, and burnt at the bonfires of vanity by the church which they had betrayed, yet the shadow of their smoke still haunts the minds of the Aristocracy and common folk because of this. However, fears of the past should be assuaged by the fact these evils were vanquished, and with the formation of the Conclave, these peoples should not be able to rise once again, because of the very people they tried to stamp out, have once more joined their Unionist Brethren (With the exception of the Diviners). The reader may gently put this concern to the side now. Trust in the Holy Cloth. The Kleine Reichung and The Superiority of Unionist Faith The Kleine Reichung and What It Means: To confess, I do believe the Unionist faith is superior to all others in this wide world, and that the Great Way should take precedence over the goals of Non-Believers. However, as an Empire, we have come to accept even the misguided, in a show of the Spirit’s Divine sense of mercy, empathy, and compassion for even the foolish of the world. However, this comes with the stipulation that all accept the Spirit’s Legal Superiority over all the world. Inherently, this places those which preach the Unionist cause over those who don’t, which means it is completely legal, and even just to give the Unionist Clergy legal privileges which the preachers of other faiths do not. To reject this notion is to ignore all common sensibilities and make bold display of one’s fear of an empowered Priesthood. The Three Estates The divide some speak about, but nobody acts upon. As unfortunate as it is, as time has gone on, the political teeth of the clergy have been slowly ripped out by reactionary forces in response to extremists who often veil themselves under one or the other branches of “conservative,” but don’t know what conservatism is, and then misconstrued and twisted every line in the creeds to meet their secular agenda. This has happened time, and time again, and it is so often that people cite these happenings as the corruption of the church, but fail to remember that the church is incapable of performing any of these duties in the archipelago, and the majority of horrors have been at the hands of secular rulers unhinged from the Creeds. To digress from the point of the unbased demonization of the pious, many of the principles of this division requires that the clergy holds the power to hold these lords and common folk accountable for transgressions, and without it, this model falls apart. The Solution With all points covered, we may finally speak on the topic of how to maintain the division of classes, whilst keeping the piety of all. For the sake of brevity, two options will be provided, the steps necessary to take, and the advantages and drawbacks of the options. Divided Powers This is the model which is most commonly interpreted by those reading Unionist scripture, in which the Nobility rule, the common folk provide, and the clergy act as shepherds of the flock. For this to occur, the Clergy must be granted the means to pull in the rogue and unfaithful for correction, and properly defend themselves from the aforementioned threats, such as during the House Slumberwood threats during the year 308 AC. This would require the Unionist clergy to be formally elevated above the other faiths in the legal system, and being granted the following capabilities: The ability to levy sin taxes upon morally caustic substances such as drugs, pornography, brothels, etcetera. The ability to create city ordinances to maintain the moral fibre of the citizens and prevent degeneracy, whilst not violating the Kleine Reichung. The ability to maintain a formal, standing army similar to the Helerian Armies of the Synod, rather than being forced to pull upon the commonfolk in the form of the faith militant to enforce said ordinances and protect themselves from those with malicious, blasphemic intent. This would create a situation not unsimilar to our own status quo, and would be minimally invasive, while keeping the majority of power grabs and political corruption present within the Archipelago outside of the Church. The only drawbacks of this option would be the non-absolute powers of the church, but this would be minimized, for the most part, as many in the archipelago are faithful and of good heart, despite a few of ill intent or self interest. This would require either the initiative of local rulers, as seen in the Latimer held lands, or an empire wide proposal passed by the Imperial Assembly, and would provide the most effective The Holy Ruler A far more extreme shift in ideology, and more in line with the Evintarin beliefs held by those in Etosil, this would be the replacement of the mortal ruler with the clergy, fulfilling their roles in the interest of spiritual absolution, rather than the creation of coin and political gain. While this is not realistically feasible in the archipelago given the current structure of the ruling classes, it should be mentioned nonetheless, given the purpose of the essay. This would be a gradual shift, and would require the approval of his Imperial Holiness, but would disrupt the status quo and would cause an unquantifiable number of problems in lands which are predominantly not Unionist. A Brief Conclusion To Summarize, we are on a dangerous path as an Archipelago, not only with problems sown abroad in our Suzerain states, but in our own moral fibre as an empire. To avoid further degradation of this mighty rope which has bound us together for so long, we must rearm the clergy, one way or another, to hold all in our empire accountable, from the common man, the aristocrat, to the duke or duchess. Oratario ode, good reader. Signed, Abelhard Latimer, Grand Duke of Athos and Thessalo, Division Admiral of The Imperial Armadas, Records Keeper of The Violet Order, Protector of the Monastaries of Athos and Hellatia, Horse lord of Atolia, Elector of Hellatia.
Lysimachus, a man claiming a spot as a philosopher, posts an addendum note as a commentary. Specifically, the note is labeled as follows with the text left below: Spoiler: Note Note A very well composed essay, I must begin by saying. I wished only to elaborate perhaps on a way of interpreting the relationship between the three estates, specifically two of them being the nobility and the common folk. See, without the clergy, the two classes are dialectically opposed, doomed to exist in contradiction of one another. Peace between the two is largely an illusion kept by a weakly kept secular social contract. Consent is the only bond between man, with force as its agent. Society requires the presence of the Clergy, as not just a guide for the spirit of the empire, but as a mitigation of the two estates in conflict. The clergy is present to forge bonds that make the individuals in either class seem familiar, and with common purpose. Those who would disagree with you would seek to liberate us from these bonds and progress toward ultimate secular authority, where tolerance prevails for the immoral, and the conflicts stated previous would run rampant throughout the empire. I share your fear, and as a member of the common folk, I wish to convey my deep concern and desire to support this wonderfully crafted work that you have presented. The note is signed with the name- Lysimachus.
