Cove is not forgotten!

[Siegfried]

DISCLAIMER: All individuals are encouraged to read the Out-Of-Character notes attached to the foot of this post; leniency will not be taken to those who choose to disregard it.

Children,

This eve' I return to thee from Britain with two further servants of Avatar; Father Sallust and Sister Edith. With orders from Templar Preceptor Sir Hugo we hath returned to douse the recent spurs of heresy and wytchcraft that stalk thy land; a start was made 'pon arrival with a cleansing of Honesty this eve', as the Church and Army joint as one force under the banner of Avatar crusaded through Deceit, mercilessly slaying all manner of monsters from the Abyss, as they hath slain many innocent warriors within.

However, my attention was gripped by a certain band of thy own Guardsmen who would seek to challenge the Clergy's authority, and question Avatar's will.

A few things I might remind thee of:

• Heretics, Wytches and unrepented Drow are outlawed from the lands of Cove, and art to be actively rounded up and arrested upon sight to await summary judgement. Arcanists of the Covian Army, and allies of Cove art to report to the Church as soon as they art able to be branded and recorded as legitimate arcanists; protestors shalt face the same end as Heretics and Wytches; to be restrained atop a pyre and burnt until death.

• Arcanists shouldst refrain from casting their arts upon the Clergy; for they are men and women of Avatar, and shouldst not be touched by ordinary men by any means.

• Females, Elves, and Dwarves art reminded of their place as second class citizens, and they shouldst act accordingly. Avatar hath set each individual's path in stone, and attempts to escape from Avatar's great plan shalt be seen as an act of heresy.

• Headgear must be removed within Church (Clergy excepted), and the sign of the Ankh must be made upon entering and leaving.

• Guardian spawn must be killed on sight. Anyone known to consort with Orcs, Trolls, Ettins, Baphomets, Gargoyles, or anything of such nature shalt be deemed a heretic.

• To assault a member of the Clergy or challenge their authority shalt be deemed as an act of severe blasphemy, and said individual shalt be exorcised to remove the Guardian thoughts that plague their minds. In the instance whereby an arrest warrant is put out for an individual, all Avatarians are required to assist. Aiding and abetting heretics shalt be seen as an act of heresy and treason.

• Regardless of what thou might believe, there is only one Avatar and Higher Being. The Church is the authority in matters of religion. Those who would act against the Church act against Avatar. Such actions shalt not be tolerated, and those revealed to be familiarising themselves with the practice of conspiracy shalt be arrested and await summary judgement.

• Clergy shalt be addressed accordingly. Disrespect shalt not be tolerated. If thou art unsure how to address a member of the Clergy, ask.

In the coming days, all Arcanists shalt be rounded up and branded as stated above. Resistance shalt be met with force, for if thou hath nothing to hide, thou hath nothing to fear.

† Signed †

Father Siegfried,
Templar Seneschal

[OOC:  In terms of Ultima lore and the history of role-play on the shard of Europa, the Avatari faith has always been seen as the primary faith. With much enthusiasm and a great deal of effort this addition to the Baronship of Cove has been reinstated. Unfortunately a number of individuals appear to have taken it upon themselves to take a highly negative attitude with regards to the Church; whilst this is understandable to a degree, given that the Avatari Church is not one of benevolence such as religions in the real world and never has been, all players are reminded that your character's actions come with consequences.

Whilst a character may be safe cursing the Church under their breath, active blasphemy will be met with role-play consequences such as trials, burnings, drowning, hangings and executions. Given the under-population of Ultima Online today, such extreme consequences will rarely be used, but players who actively use this knowledge as a shield from which to hide behind whilst voicing heavy opposition to aspects of role-play they disagree with are generally seen to be much more of a hiderance, than a help, to the role-play environment of Europa and their characters will be forced to face these terminal consequences.

Finally, the only individuals who may be excused from participating in Church-based events are players who are strongly religious themselves, and feel it is fundamentally wrong to participate with a role-play led Church. Just as with regular army-led events, players who do not wish to participate in the role-play should either have valid reason not to do so, or simply not be online at that time.]

[Mr Bloodaxe]

[OOC: May as well get the Bloodaxe's killed off in an entertaining manor then]

[Ileana Leontine]

[OOC: 'Tis a fair cop. My character's pretty strongly against the Church, but obviously I'm subtle about it. I'm assuming that's still permissible.]

[Raiden Morana]

[ooc]The Church has been reintroduced to add roleplay diversity, intrigue and conflict to the Covian community. There should be plenty of trials, quests, crusades and possibly the odd burning!

Of course you may roleplay your character as you see fit. No-one is trying to make you do otherwise, though as in the real medieval world it would be foolhardy to openly oppose the Church or perform pagan rituals etc. lest you find yourself atop the pyre or on a ducking stool.

The Church has returned for your enjoyment, so if you wish to blaspheme or express your character's negative views towards the Church be sure to do it under your breath or somewhere you think may be safe... Be wary of Inquisitors in the shadows though.

Alternatively why not roleplay an Avatar fearing Covian who lives by the Virtues? It might be fun!

The choice is yours and the Command Team hopes you enjoy the return of the Church and the diverse roleplay it will bring.[/ooc]

[Takeamada]

[OOC]  This was my first encounter with members of the “Church”.  It did seem they were less churchy then you would think based on what was read above.  You would think that they would support the military and gain their trust and support so that “conversion and dealing with heretics” would be much easier.  Because with out the backing of an armed force, they have no real power to back up their beliefs and teachings.  So to single out members of the military in front of their mates is how military overthrows take place!  From what happen at the event they seem more concerned with the gathering of gold then the protection of the people or expanding of the faith.  They seem more thuggish then Religious.  As you saw in the reactions we now have a tension between the two major forces with in the barony!   And with Vesper attacking our troops, The Dark forces and their spawn attacking Cove and expanding outward.  Seems like a time one would want to unite a people not divide it!   

If the use of magical arts are frowned on or forbidden, then those who use the arts should have never been allowed into the military in the first place.  It would have been know up front the view of the church and the barony.  And what of that of White magic Vs Dark or Black magic?  Does the church see a difference?  What of Paladins and their Art form??  Based on what was seen the churchgoers were less virtuous in their actions then those of other citizens.

The Principle of the virtues derives from Truth, Love and Courage!  Except for Humility, which exist independent of the others.  We saw none of this from them only Threats and intimidation, which does not bode well with those in uniform!!  They tend to turn on them to reestablish order and protect the common good. So as a new player not knowing the full history of the “church” there actions seem to usurp the Barons authority of protection the land and it people. 

Takeamada being raised by monks and then the Order of Honor in Trinsic as a paladin would have supported Virtuous church members.  But what he saw was nothing more then book thumping thugs that are a threat to Cove!




So now to do proper role-playing I have several things I must consider?

·   How does Takeamada fit into this a member of the army and as a paladin?
·   Where should his loyalty be and how should he react to the Church and his mates when the two seem to conflict?
·   How Heath Blackrose will fit in as a second-class citizen? 


The other thing I would like to know, if Cove is such a Avatar fearing land, why is the a church building but know services, or a member of the church blessing the troops before heading off to fight in the name of the Baron?  Why does the army not have a chaplain to insure that the Virtues are “followed” or at least know?

See I have a sick mind and when I see things I start thinking.  It’s a flaw of mine 

[Ileana Leontine]

[OOC: Takeamada, there used to be services. It's more a question of activity and who's around to lead the service on sundays. I imagine with the Church coming back they might start up again. As for the Church's relation to the Virtues, that they don't follow them is kind of the point. They're basically the (quasi-mythologised) Middle Ages Church except instead of Christianity it's the Virtues.)

[Siegfried]

[OOC: Without decending into open debate, all I shall say is that the Church experienced last night is, and always has been the face of 'Avatarian Faith' on the Europa shard ever since it's birth in the Guardsmen Militia of Yew and its spread into the Baronship of Cove. A piece of role-play history that has been well established for years, and is not subject to change by the disapproval of self-admitted "first-timers" whose understanding of the religion is a self-constructed background story for their character.

Information regarding the Church has always been readily available from the community wikipedia: http://wiki.moongates.org/Avatarian_religion

As well as our own website, which no member of the Baronship of Cove can claim to deny knowledge of:

Covian Traits

These are a few traits and characteristics that Covians have developed following the Orc occupation of their town, and the full recovery accomplished by the Baronship.

* Covians, even peasants, are hardy and tough.
* Covians respect and honour the Baron.
* Covians are faithful Avatarians once more!
* Covians accept Dwarves, Elves, and some other creatures.
* Covians hate and persecute Drow.

Times have changed, once more..

Now the Church returns, darker and more sinister than ever before. It forms a menacing grasp of power over the Covian people, and beyond. The Baronship of Cove is, once again, an Avatarian community.

Literature is currently being prepared that will give players an indication of where they stand in relation to the Church and will be issued/posted in the coming weeks. Until then, players should at the very least understand that the Church is not a minor element of role-play, and publically challenging them never ends well.]