Church of Demmazon - Under the Bus Era

The Church of Demmazon is the dominant religious and political organization in the human lands following the Fall of the Age of Wonders. It claims to preserve the worship of Demmazon as the One True God, and teaches that Demmazon remains a benevolent protector of the world. In practice, however, the Church has developed into a powerful and authoritarian institution whose methods include religious persecution, political manipulation, imprisonment, slavery, espionage, and execution.

The Church is headquartered in Toreon, which became the center of the surviving human empire after the destruction of the other major kingdoms. The city and the surrounding territory are ruled by the Church under the authority of the High Priest-King Samos.

The Unification of the People Under One God

Following the Fall, the Church faced the emergence of the six new gods and the return of older, pre-Demmazon religious traditions. In response, it issued an edict known as "The Unification of the People Under One God."

Initially, the edict was presented as an effort to bring people back to the worship of Demmazon. As the Church's influence increased, however, the policy became increasingly oppressive. Any belief or activity considered contrary to the Church's objectives could be declared blasphemous.

Open worship of any god other than Demmazon was forbidden in Church-controlled lands. Those who refused to convert could be imprisoned, sold into slavery, or killed, depending upon the severity of the offense as determined by the Church.

The Church also maintains agents throughout its territory who seek out heretics and people considered to be encouraging dissent against either the Church or the government. Ordinary citizens are encouraged to report suspected heretical activity, with informing on others presented as a means of improving one's chances for salvation.

Doctrine and Practice

The Church officially maintains that Demmazon is the One True God and that he is benevolent.

The conduct of the Church's more devoted followers has increasingly diverged from that ideal. Fear is deliberately used as a tool of religious instruction, with Church leaders regarding fear of divine and institutional punishment as an incentive for people to repent.

This contradiction has produced a quiet theological debate among some religious scholars. Some have concluded that Demmazon may actually be Neutral, rather than Good, reasoning that his neutrality would better explain the existence of suffering and evil in a world created and governed by him.

Such speculation is dangerous when expressed openly and is generally kept away from the Church's most devoted followers.

Political Power

The Church is the single most powerful organization in the surviving human lands. It is wealthy, influential, and deeply embedded in the government of Toreon.

Its authority is not limited to religious matters. The Church effectively controls the government of Toreon and uses its religious authority to justify political actions. Opposition to the Church can therefore be treated simultaneously as religious heresy and political dissent.

Although many smaller communities retain some practical independence, Church influence extends far beyond the capital. Its agents operate throughout the territories under its control, enforcing religious conformity and identifying potential threats.

Relationship with Other Faiths

The Church recognizes no legitimate rival to Demmazon.

Worshippers of the newly risen gods are therefore treated as heretics within Church-controlled territory. Clerics and paladins devoted to the new gods generally operate outside the Church's effective control, where they attempt to establish communities and aid people persecuted by the Church.

Followers of the evil gods are forced into even greater secrecy, as they are opposed both by the Church and by followers of the newly risen good gods.

The Knights of Demmazon

The relationship between the Church and the Knights of Demmazon is particularly hostile.

The Knights were the traditional order of paladins devoted to Demmazon before the Fall. Although they continue to regard themselves as servants of Demmazon, the order has become divided and disorganized since the Fall.

The Church considers the Knights unreliable because many of them continue to uphold the older understanding of Demmazon as a benevolent god. The Knights, in turn, oppose several practices sanctioned by the Church, particularly slavery and espionage.

As a result, the Knights have become isolated and are sometimes persecuted by the very Church whose god they continue to serve.

Relationship with the Chosen

The Church's relationship with The Chosen is complicated by the history of Samos.

Samos was one of the original Founders of the Chosen before eventually becoming the High Priest-King of Kratheos. The Chosen tell their members that Samos was expelled because he had different ideas from the rest of the organization. Samos later gave a different account, claiming that he left voluntarily because he believed the Chosen were manipulating people without their knowledge and concealing too much about their activities.

Regardless of the conflicting accounts, Samos retained knowledge of the Chosen and its members after leaving the organization.

The Church ultimately became an opponent of the Chosen during the events surrounding the plague, The Aegisstaff, and the final search for the Gift.

The Church and the Final Gift

The Church eventually became involved in the struggle over the final surviving Gift.

At the climax of the campaign, the Church's leadership attempted to seize control of the recovered Gift and betrayed the other factions involved in the confrontation. The Church ultimately became one of the forces defeated by Thorn Runehammer through the power of the recovered Gift.

The Church's defeat marked the collapse of its immediate threat to the Chosen and their allies, although the broader consequences for the institution and its surviving followers are not fully documented here.

Known Figures

Samos — High Priest-King of Kratheos and head of the Church; former Founder of the Chosen.
Bishop Ward — Church official encountered by the Chosen during their investigation in Kratheos.
Knights of Demmazon — Formerly the Church's paladin order; increasingly estranged from the Church after the Fall.