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INTRODUCTION:
Meredros is regarded throughout Jerranq and Onlor as the God of Truth, Justice, Vigilance, and Honour. It is he who discovered, in the Godstime before the Deceiver, that Truth and Loyalty and Honour contained within them power unique in the universe. These concepts became the sword which the god wielded to right wrongs and root out evil and deceit in the cosmos.
The religion in Therra believes that the logically obvious way to defeat evil and bring the greatest weal to the greatest number of beings is through truth and honesty. In fact, most of the adherents to this religion believe that the Deceiver was not itself a separate entity but rather the malignant shadow of the world's lies and treacherous thoughts come into existence. They believe the Deceiver gained strength and sustenance through the lies and evils of mortal kind, and that the Deceiver would never completely destroy the mortal races because he needed their petty evils and treacheries to survive - to validate his very existence. Some adherents believed that one day all deceit and treachery will be wiped from the mortal races and, in that day, the Deceiver would vanish, his existence denied, and the Gods would return to a cleansed world. The actions of the War of the Gem disproved this latter theory, but the deeds of Meredrans during the War and the speech made by Meredros himself after the War certainly solidified worship of this god amongst Western Jerranq.
The religion of Meredros is important in Therra because its adherents are known for their honesty and unswerving loyalty, and the strength of their oaths and bonds. Thus, Meredrans are used in sensitive positions requiring trust, including accountants, judges, constabularies, ministers, advisors, treaters, etc. In fact, every judge in Therra, before hearing a case, usually says a prayer to Meredros to guide his thoughts and actions and decisions.
ORGANIZATION:
The religion of Meredros is highly organized. The centre of Meredros worship is in the central and eastern region of Western Jerranq, comprising the northern part of Vosh-gerr, the western portion of Antorium, and the southern portions of Jaggarth. Here it was that Therany used many of the powers given to him by Meredros to begin his epic battle against the Deceiver. In fact, the highest church to Meredros is located in southern Jaggarth, at the exact point where both Therany and Amorany are said to have received divine guidance from Meredros and began their ventures against the Deceiver. This highest church is known as Moln hom Mered (The House of Truth in the ancient Imperial Tongue) and is a fabulous structure known for leagues around. This structure survived the ravages of the War of the Gem and outlasted a year-long siege by the forces of the Deceiver. Within this highest of churches dwells the highest priest of Meredros and the Lord High paladin (also known as the Champion of Truth). Both of these positions are ones both of honour and merit. The latter is chosen, upon the death of abdication of the predecessor, by the highest priest and is then subjected to a ritual cleansing before the sleeping aura of Meredros himself. Those proved worthy are accepted - those unworthy are scourged by the holy fires of truth and reduced to their component spiritual pieces. Thus far, no candidate for Champion of Truth has ever been found wanting by Meredros, a sign that the highest priests take their choices seriously.
The current highest priest is called His Eminence, Scion of Truth, Argolut Nevergnosht VI. He is addressed as "Your Eminence" and is known to have the power to turn oathbreakers who pledge upon his ring and betray their bond to ashes. He is quite aged as of 5535A.D. and may be preparing the way for the ascension of a successor.
The current Champion of Truth is the most famous fighter of the Deceiver in the western continent. Sir Gangerholt of Beregos is the most famous knight, paladin, and cavalier in the world. He is know to wield the relic of the order of Paladins, the sword Thongerros, also known as the Holy Avenger. Many who have seen this sword's fury in combat against evil can attest to the fact that the sword often seems to strike of its own accord and sings in battle. His armour is said to be made from the blood of Neengrum and forged by Malaktum himself and it is said no mortal weapon can pierce such metal. He rides a winged steed armoured in mithril barding (a gift from a dwarven clan he saved) named Winged Truth. He and his servant, Sir Cromwell of Algol rescued Jerregobe the White from the dungeons of Yeenoghu, Sir Gangerholt even facing the Torturer of the Maugs in one-on-one combat for a short time. As of 5535A.D. Sir Gangerholt is approximately 70 years of age.
The bishopries of Meredros number six. These are located in the capital or main cities of most of the central Jerranq nations. Specifically, the Bishopry of Vosh-gerr, the Bishopry of Jaggarth, the Bishopry of Antorium, and the Bishopry of Iligor are all located in the capital cities of each of their respective nations. There is also a Bishopry that resides in the highest church at Mon hom Mered. This is usually a place of honour or retirement for the pre-eminent bishop from the other bishopries. In addition, there was the Bishopry of the Taken. This bishopry represented all of the lands taken by the Deceiver. However, this title was not present merely as an honourific of lands lost and to be regained, but a working Bishopry serving those Meredrans who ventured forth in the Taken Lands to fight evil at its heart. This Bishopry had its headquarters in the highest church at Mom hom Mered. The Bishopry of the Taken has now been replaced by the Bishopry of Slumber, which is headquartered in the Kingdom of Slumber.
These Bishopries have been given jurisdiction of all the lands of Western Jerranq. For example, the Bishopry of Iligor handles all of the coastal lands from the Dead Coast in the west to the border of Vosh-gerr to the east, and all of Onlor as well. The Bishopry of Slumber handles all of the lands formerly taken by the Deceiver.
There are literally hundreds of temples to Meredros, who was regarded as the Deceiver's primary foe and is a powerful deity in his own right. Most citizens of Jerranq venerate him in one form or another, or swear by him when the occasion arises. Any city of any size on the mainland in Western Jerranq will have at least a small temple to Meredros, even in agricultural areas. Temples are run by a High Priest, who supervises the priests under him and reports to the Bishop under whose jurisdiction he falls. Each temple usually has at least one knight pledged to serve that specific temple, although all knights of the Meredran, unless errant, are technically pledged directly to service of a Bishop, so as to keep them independent of any national or regional or factional considerations.
Shrines to Meredros are harder to find, since most rural areas and small villages tend to worship more rural deities and will often travel to a population centre when they need the services of a Meredran. Thus, while Meredros temples can be found in most any city, they are very difficult to find outside of such places. Shrines do exist in places made holy by the actions of Meredran heroes, and some shrines can be found in small settlements and villages where the need to worship the deity is overwhelming. In such cases, a devout lay person will often lead services, with an itinerant priest making rounds from time to time to bless the shrine and the worshippers and to hear matter of jurisprudence.
PRIESTS:
Priests of Meredros must be extremely devout and dedicated, as the moral conduct of this religion is perhaps the most rigourous in all of Therra. Priestly candidates generally make their desires known at the nearest temple. If he can convince the High Priest, he is taken in as an acolyte. This usually occurs with young men and women between the ages of 13 and 16. Acolytes are put through a rigourous regimen of moral discipline, privation, and menial labour. If the candidate has performed well and learned his duties properly, then at the age of 21 he will be approved for consecration into the priestly order. His name and credentials are enscribed on a special scroll and sent to the Bishop for his approval. If the Bishop approves, then on the next holy day, the candidate and his sponsoring High Priest journey to the Bishopry and present themselves personally before the Bishop. A consecration ceremony is performed and, if Meredros finds the candidate worthy, the new priest is imbued with the essence of Truth, takes the holy vow of priesthood, and returns to his new life and his new status.
Priests remain such until a vacancy for High Priest opens in their temple. In such a case, all of the priests of that temple vote upon a new High Priest. Their vote is sent to the Bishop for final approval. High Priests are appointed to become Bishops by His Eminence.
Within a given temple, the High Priest assigns all titles of honour and responsibility. For example, if a school is being run by the temple, then the High Priest may appoint a Deacon.
Priests of Meredros are not required to be chaste, but are expected to remain so until they are married. Once married it is anathema to break the marriage vow and commit adultery. Adulterers are excommunicated from the religion. Divorce is only allowed if a result of circumstances beyond the control of the parties.
Priests of Meredros are expected to never tell a lie, nor even to pervert the intent of the truth by telling half truths. It is considered a virtue for a Priest to choose death rather than tell a lie, although certainly many priests have opted for survival and been able to continue their careers. It is also considered the sacred duty of a priest to expose the lies of others, and this makes such priests unpopular in many situations where they were not invited. Again, it is considered virtuous for such a priest to renounce and expose publicly the lies of others, although many priests have chosen not to renounce publicly, for example, the words of their secular ruler, and still have served as priests without any reprisal.
The word or oath of a priest, however, is inviolable, even if it results in the death of the priest, or any number of innocents. A Meredran saying goes "Let the entire world perish that one oath may survive". There are many stories of priests betraying their word and suffering all sorts of horrific (and sometimes ironic) consequences. Honest failure to perform is a different matter altogether, and although this does bring disgrace and dishonour to the priest, it is a forgivable sin. Even if a priest has been tricked into an oath in some way, he is bound to follow it, although in this case he may attempt to pervert to oath for the good of his god and his people.
Priests of Meredros are expected to sleep for only 6 hours per day at most. Many get by on 4 hours per day. It is considered a virtue to arise with the sun, and no priest may sleep (except when sleep deprived or critical to some endeavour) during the daytime. Idleness and sloth are sins, and as such, many Meredran priests have hobbies to keep them busy.
The holy symbol of the religion is the scale, which represents truth and justice, and priests are required to have their holy symbol with them at all times. Usually this is a small brass scale on a chain around the neck. Many priests also affect the scale motif into their dress.
Priests are expected to attend the weekly ceremony to Meredros, which takes place on Sunday of each week. At this time, services are conducted in the morning, hymns are sung, and then, after lunch, court is in session. In addition, holy days are conducted on the third Sunday of each month, and the High Holy Day of the Meredrans, the day both Amorany and Therany set forth, is the third Windday in the Month of the Sun. During this time, extensive rituals are performed, temples are consecrated, and grave oaths are made.
KNIGHTS:
"The Truth, like love, is best caressed forth willingly, but is sometimes found at the point of a sword."
----a vulgar Meredran saying
The order of Meredros possesses its own orders of knighthood. It was the religion of Meredros that first discovered the powers of knighthood and, with the help of Amorany, Therany, and Meredros himself, the powers of paladinhood. There is a distinction in the Meredran religion between paladins and cavaliers. Both are knights, but paladins are those who have taken their dedication to the precepts of Meredros to such an extreme that they have actually invited a piece of the slumbering god into their body. In a sense, paladins are a vessel for a piece of Meredros. In order to remain a worthy vessel for this most holy portion of their deity, paladins must hold to a higher standard of conduct than cavaliers. This is to say, both cavaliers and paladins of Meredros live by the same code, but paladins are held to the ideal conduct of that code much more closely than cavaliers.
Each Bishopry has its own order of knighthood. Each order is named not after the Bishopry itself, but rather an attribute or animal that the founding Bishop deemed appropriate. Thus, the Knightly Order of the Bishopry of Iligor, which includes Onlor, is known as the Order of the Gull, and uses a sea gull of purest white as a part of its heraldry.
The knighthood of Meredros does not owe fealty to any secular lord, although some lords require all of their subjects to swear fealty, in which case, such an oath must be made, although with the provision that the orders of the temple supercede those of the earthly lord.
A knight begins his career usually as a page. Almost all knights are male. In all the annals of the Orders of Meredros, only 12 female knights have been known. While priests may be either male or female (and run about 70%/30% in this regard), knights have such rigourous physical regimens that most females do not even attempt to enter the knighthood. Those that have have been exceptionally strong and forceful.
To join, a young boy is brought to the temple and shown to a knight or knights. The young boy might be tested a bit, and if the knight takes a fancy to him, the parent or guardian is paid a price, and the young boy is a page in the service of the knight. A knight may have as many pages as he can afford to keep. The page serves the knight in all fashions except combat. It is a knight's duty to keep a page out of danger. Pages generally handle all of the mundane duties. They cook and clean for the knight, polish his armour and weapons, take care of his steed, etc. Older, brighter pages might also manage the knight's finances and domestic affairs.
A page who grows into manhood and proves himself worthy may become a squire. A squire assists the knight in more personal and more dangerous ways. He guards the knight's steed, assists him in battle, tends to his wounds, and in some cases guards his back. Most knights have only a single squire, although some rich or famous ones may have several. Squires receive training from the knight, both in martial skills and in genteel skills like heraldry.
If a squire proves himself in every aspect, then at some time the knight may recommend him for knighthood. The squire in arms is brought before a council of at least four other knights of the order and the sponsoring knight relates the candidate's credentials. If the council unanimously agrees, then the squire is brought before the Bishop and made a knight of the order.
In addition, if a Meredran has proved himself in some exceptional way, he may be nominated for knighthood without prior service. This nomination must be made by a knight, ratified by four other knights of the order, and then blessed by the Bishop.
Knights may own property. They may build their own strongholds if they can afford to do so. Many knights do not do this, but instead are upkept by the order and maintain their domicile at the Bishopry or at a local temple.
Knights are used in several ways by the religion. First, knights are temple guardians. The Bishop will often assign one or two knights to each temple in its jurisdiction. These knights live at the temple or near to that temple and are charged with protecting that temple's interests. They may raise levies from amongst the Meredrans in times of trouble. Such knights are expected to obey and show respect to the priesthood, but are always under the direct supervision of the Bishop.
Second, knights are enforcers, sent out to right a wrong or to take in oathbreakers. These knights generally are headquartered at the Bishopry and are given holy quests or crusades by the Bishop at his discretion.
Third, knights are fighters of evil. These knights are sent to fight directly against evil. They might raid evil lands, destroy evil villages, attack evil armies, or rescue those held by the evil.
Each order of knights is led by a First Knight. He is the martial leader of the order, and is almost always a paladin. The First Knight is appointed by the Bishop and this appointment can be changed at any time. The First Knight is expected to obey the Bishop and all of the knights of the order are expected to obey the First Knight.
Knights of Meredros are expected to follow a chivalric code. This code is all encompassing and is to be followed in the spirit, not just in the letter. The main tenets of the code are:
A knight is to be faithful, loyal, and true
A knight is to love goodness and despise evil
A knight is to root out evil and treachery whenever possible and to never shirk from a chance to do so except with good reason. He is expected not only to fight that evil which comes his way but to actively seek out and find hidden evil and to destroy it
A knight is to use discretion in all that he does
A knight is to be modest in recounting his deeds
A knight is to help the needy and the oppressed
A knight is to obey the orders of his superiors
A knight is to follow the canon of Meredros
A knight is to always keep his word
A knight is not to lie
A knight is to fight fairly and with honour
A knight is to never show cowardice, nor to let other innocents die that he may live
A knight is to remain chaste and celibate
A knight is to show mercy when mercy is due
A knight is to show respect to the priests of Meredros
A knight is to tithe regularly and to disdain extravagances
A knight is to protect innocents and keep them warded from danger
A knight is to show hospitality to strangers
A knight is to fight the surviving minions of the Deceiver at every turn
A knight is to preserve the sanctity and honour of his name, his order, and his god
These precepts are collectively known as the Code of Twenty.
KNIGHTS ERRANT:
Sometimes, a knight of Meredros will need to detach himself, sometimes permanently, sometimes temporarily, from the direct service of his Bishop in order to perform some higher good. If the reason is legitimate and blessed by Meredros, then the knight is proclaimed to all as a knight errant. A knight errant wears a blue ribbon on his person, He is supposed to have such a ribbon on him in display at all times. Such a ribbon marks him as a knight errant and warns other Meredrans that he is on a sacred quest and is outside the callings of the order.
Nevertheless, a knight errant is expected to obey all of the Code of Twenty and all of its precepts. The knight errant status does not result in any change in the obligations of the knight errant, but is rather a plea to other Meredrans to let him alone and conduct his special business. A knight errant may only refuse a calling (whether by the Code of Twenty or by a Meredran) if such a calling would directly hinder the knight errant from his personal quest.
DEVOTEES:
Devotees of Meredros are those lay people who actively participate in the services of the god and wish to serve him on a more personal level. Devotees are also called initiates, and they are so consecrated by any priest of Meredros in a short ceremony. Usually, this is done on a child's 13th birthday or after 3-5 years of devoted worship.
Devotees gain the ability to detect lies. This ability is limited. The devotee gains a sacred modifier to his Sense Motive skill equal to the number of years the devotee has been devoted to Meredros, but this count restarts from the time the devotee last told a lie or half truth. Thus, a man who has been a devotee of Meredros for 15 years but lied 10 years ago has a +10 to his Sense Motive check, and nly when trying to determine whether a lie has been told. Such a lie is detectable as an uneasiness or suspicion by the devotee. The lie must be natural in origin (i.e. a lie told via magic designed to make such lies undetectable is not detectable). Outsiders may lie without a devotee being able to detect it.
Devotees must generally attend all weekly ceremonies and must tithe 10% of their wealth to the temple. They must also perform some occasional service for the temple. For example, a cobbler might mend the shoes of the priests for free.
Most devotees find it impossible to not tell a lie for long periods of time, so it is rare to find a devotee with a Sense Motive bonus above +1 or +2.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Meredrans regard the Deceiver's act as the worst possible in creation. They very fact that he is called the Deceiver shows how anathema he is to Meredros. Most Meredrans won't even say the Deceiver's name. They call him the Evil One and leave it at that. Meredrans are likely to take extreme offense at anyone pointing out that the Deceiver pulled a fast one on the God of Truth. A Meredran who does deign to answer such a challenge with words instead of steel will likely to point out that the Deceiver was defeated in the end, and that Meredros allowed the Deceiver to rise in the first place so that mortal kind could see the abhorrant consequences that result from deception.
SECTS:
There are six sects to the religion. Each corresponds to one of the domains of the god.
The Law Bringers:
This sect emphasizes law and order and justice. It tends to be less merciful than other sects in the religion, as it views only the most egregious laws as bad ones that should not be followed on a moral basis. Adherents to this sect tend to be sheriffs and constables.
The Path of Glory:
This aspect of the religion revels in fighting evil and scourging the land of darkness. It is a warrior cult popular with paladins and cavaliers and its members actively seek out evil to defeat and continually practice and strengthen their prowess of arms.
The Way of Truth:
This sect is fanatic in its devotion to truth. Most would rather die than tell even a small lie, and any deception, even by act of omission is considered anathema. Further, they attempt to root out deception and lies wherever possible, often to the embarrassment of the ruling class and higher-ups. The sect believes that all lies strengthen the Deceiver in Slumber and that one day he may be awakened enough to flee the Hall of Slumber if enough lies are told.
The Eyes of the Vigilant:
This sect emphasizes the watchful aspect of Meredros, constantly searching for hidden or insidious instances of evil or treachery. Members of the group believe that the gravest threat to goodness and purity come not from obvious sources like orcs and dragons but insidious sources like corrupt priests and fallen paladins. As a group, the sect tends to see evil in every corner and is regarded by many as paranoid, and the sect spends a good deal of effort monitoring the internal affairs of the Church of Meredros, as it has the authority to punish members of the religion. As such, the leaders of the sect tend to inspire fear and guarded awe amongst the adherents of the other Meredran sects.
The Adjudicators:
This sect emphasizes careful thought and consideration and deliberation of all matters and is obsessed with knowing the right and wrong, truth and falsehood of events. From this sect springs many of the world's judges.
The Justice Bringers:
The Justice Bringers are the enforcement arm of the religion. They enforce the decisions of the Adjudicators, and are often Lawful Good Rangers our Bounty Hunters. Unlike other Bounty Hunters, however, they have a wholesome and generally welcome reputation for taking care to seek their prey while ensuring few disruptions or harm to innocents as possible.