Saturday, November 16, 2024

OSR: Sacraments of Hesayanism

by arsenixc
How the Church of the Unconquered Son Works:

The Authority is the Ultimate, the Supreme Being, the One who Created the Universe.  The Authority is said to only rarely directly intervene, but instead works through specific lower beings to accomplish his Ultimate Ends.

Zulin is his agent among the Gods.  Zulin, Prince of Heaven, Hand of the Authority, King of the Earth, Custodian of Hell is the prime God of Hesayanism.  However, unless you are King or a Priest of Hesayanism, you are not permitted to pray to him directly.

Hesaya the Prophetess, May She Live Again, is Zulin's wife and head of the Church, Zulin's spiritual Kingdom.  When she is alive, she leads the Church on Earth and acts as Supreme Pontifex.  When she is dead, she remains in Heaven for a time, then is reborn into a new body.  She is reborn as a baby each time and some time passes before she regains all of her memories.  The time for this varies dramatically, once during a crisis, she regained her memories at the age of 3, while in more peaceful times she occasionally will not regain her memories until seventeen.  

When the Prophetess is in Heaven, the Church is led by the Matriarch, the highest ranking Priestess in the Church.  

In some places, men and women can both become Hesayan Priests, while in more conservative areas male Priests are seen as a distortion, if not a heresy, of the sacred scriptures.

What if I worship another God?

The Church occasionally orders Crusades to spread the Faith, strike down Evil and unite all people in the Kingdom of Zulin.  When the Church's armies invade your lands, the Priests will speak to the Gods of that land and grant them a choice- submit to Zulin and accept his laws or be destroyed.  

Gods that accept are sanctified and permitted to join Zulin's Heavenly Court, where they can be worshiped not only be their own people, but by any of the faithful.  

Those that refuse this offer are destroyed.

The people of this land also must accept Zulin and swear fealty to him.  The Priests of the foreign religion will usually have to change their religious practices to fit Zulin's laws.  For example, Hesayanism does not permit unnatural marriages, sacred prostitution or human sacrifice.  Other changes are usually made on a case-by-case basis.  The goal is to redeem the practices of this foreign religion, saving the good and purging the evil, not annihilating it entirely.

Of course, if a God and his religion are evil, then he will not be granted quarter, but will be destroyed.

The Adversary and the Forsaken Immortals:

The Adversary, the Evil One, the Dark Star, the Ever-Burning One, Uzarth the Accursed is the Chief Agent of Evil in Hesayanism.  He is said to be the eternal enemy of goodness, justice, and anything positive and wholesome.  He lives to create destruction and ruin.  He works for evil ends, to destroy Zulin's Kingdom and bring about everlasting misery to all.  

Uzarth is also Chief of Wicked Spirits and Evil Gods, who serve him.  Lesser spirits of wickedness cause havoc and try to tempt the faithful to Evil, while others attempt to enter the world to cause suffering and spread evil in more tangible ways.  

The Forsaken Immortals are Gods who rejected Zulin.  Some work with Uzarth and have become one of the Dark Powers, his Anti-Pantheon to oppose Zulin's Heavenly Court.  Others are mere free agents, establishing secret sects and cults in an attempt to stand aloof from the conflict brewing in the Heavens.  But as the Prophetess declared long ago, the middle ground is rapidly shrinking and when the Last Day dawns, all will be forced to choose a side.

Sacraments of Hesayanism:

Hesayanism recognizes 7 Sacraments- the number of wounds and humiliations the Prophetess suffered at her sacrifice.

Swearing of Fealty- A person is brought before a Priest and swears to accept Zulin as his Liege-lord, to obey his laws and to serve him faithfully.  A Priest or Priestess of Hesayanism stands in for the God, who accepts the person's offer and promises protection, provision and a chance to join Zulin and the Prophetess in Heaven after death, and resurrection on the Last Day.  

In some places, a person will only swear fealty to Zulin when they reach the "age of reason", which varies by species.  Others delay the swearing of fealty until later, to receive a remission of sins commited later in life.  Some cultures also have infants swear fealty to Zulin, though his parents recite the oath for him.  The child will still be expected to swear again when he is old enough to understand the oath however.  

Boon: When you swear fealty to Zulin, all previous bonds placed upon you are broken.  All curses are broken, all sins forgiven, all past (spiritual) transgressions pardoned.  If your soul has been taken from you, Zulin will dispatch his paladins and Angels to see it returned to you.  

You also enter a Hallowed State.  When in a Hallowed State, anyone attempting to possess you has disadvantage on any rolls made to do so.  You also receive resistance to magic and the abilities from the Dark Powers and evil creatures, giving you Magic Resistance equal to your CHA modifier.  Ex: If you have a CHA modifier of +2, you have 20% magic resistance.

However, you will only remain in a Hallowed State until you sin.  Example Sins that can cause you to lose a Hallowed State include, but are not limited to thieving, murder, killing the helpless or innocent, refusing to help someone in need, not tithing 10% of your income to the Church, sex before marriage, drunkenness, destruction of property, necromancy, attempting to resurrect the dead without permission from the Church and consorting with demons or the Dark Powers.    

Affirmation of Fealty- When a believer is old enough, he will swear another oath to Zulin, reconfirming his fealty to Zulin and being anointed as his servant.

Boon: When you Affirm your loyalty to Zulin, you will receive a vision of your future, what Zulin and his Heavenly Court want from you.  This vision is not guaranteed to come true, but it will be their recommendation of what you should aspire to usually.  In other cases, it has been a specific mission sent from Heaven or a dire warning for the person or the whole people.

Appeal to the Throne- At certain times of year, or as determined by a high-ranking Priest or the Heaven itself, believers will be entitled to directly petition Zulin and the Throne of the Authority.  There are various rituals associated with this depending on the region.  Some write their requests on paper, dissolve them in water and boil the water so it rises to heaven, while others write their requests on kites and send them aloft, while others write them in flammable ink and burn them at night, so the inhabitants of Heaven can see the burning script from their lofty perches.

Boon: Your request has a chance of being answered.  It may not be immediate or in the way you want, but Zulin may extend his hand to grant you your request.  The Referee should determine if Zulin would grant this request based on the following criteria: Zulin seeks the moral perfection of all his subjects, that they might become strong and virtuous.  Would granting such a request help this person do so, or would it possibly make them worse?  Zulin may also grant requests if he sees a person as a useful agent against the forces of darkness.

by Madazu
Royal Pardon- When you sin, you offend the Authority and so become cut off from his special blessings, though still receive the common blessing of being allowed to continue existing as a thought in his mind.  The Royal Pardon is a sacrament where you come before a Priest of Hesayanism and confess your sins.  It is expected that you usually make a sacrifice for all sins, though for smaller offenses, it is not required.  For more grave sins, a sacrifice is expected and required to show true repentance.  

After presenting your sacrifice, the Priest will give you a task to perform.  It may be as simple as giving money to the poor or the Church or it could be as hard as slaying a Demon rampaging across the world.  Do so and your sins will be forgiven.  

Boon: By performing your penance, Zulin will blot out your sins from the Book of Judgement and restore you to a Hallowed State.

The Honorable Sacrifice of the Prophetess- At all Hesayanism Churches, the climax of the liturgy is thanking the Prophetess for her sacrifice of her life and praising Zulin for rescuing her from the Underworld.  This is done through the faithful cutting themselves on ceremonial blades and allowing some of their blood to spill into a chalice or a pool.  Then the Priests lift these containers and fill up a sacred vessel, usually one shaped like the Stake upon which the Prophetess was impaled.  Then they ask Zulin and the Authority to bless this blood and transform it.  If the Priest is righteous and in a Hallowed State, the blood will be transformed into the Water of Faith.  

Boon: The Water of Faith or Holy Water is produced through this sacrament.  By drinking it, a person in a Hallowed State regains 1d6 Fighting Spirit and is granted a new save against any magical or mental condition affecting their mind and body, such as Charm or Fear, whether it is caused by magic or by what has happened to them.  

If consumed by someone not in a Hallowed State, the Water of Faith provides no benefit but instead reminds them of all their sins and how far they have fallen from the blessings of the Authority.  

If consumed by an Evil creature or one sworn to the Dark Powers, it depends on that creature's strength.  Weaker creatures will be instantly consumed by divine vengeance and be destroyed, while more potent ones will be simply hurt.  Splashing the Water of Faith on an evil creature also causes it to take 1d6 damage if a mortal or 2d6 if an Undead, Demon or Agent of Supernatural Evil. 

It is said that the Water of Faith's power depends on the degree of authority invested in a Priest by a Church, so while the Water made by a village priest might not be that potent, the Water created by a Shepherdess, Pontiff or the Matriarch is degrees stronger, depending on rank.  It is said that the Water of Faith created by the Prophetess herself when she serves on Earth is said to be able to do almost anything.  

Marriage- As far as the Church is concerned, marriage is between one male and female.  Zulin and Hesaya are seen as the ideal example of marriage.  While some object to this, as they claim Zulin is a God, and thus a shapeshifter, the Church has always replied that physical sex is the least important aspect of masculinity and femininity.  While Zulin can change his form, he has a male soul, while Hesaya, though she has been reborn over and over, has always been born a woman because she has a female soul.  

Marriage celebrations and customs vary dramatically from culture to culture, but all the Church cares about is the following: 
- The marriage is legal, meaning that the bride and groom are not too closely related nor barred from marrying each other for some other reason
- A priest oversees the wedding
- Both man and woman swear to be faithful to their God, Zulin, the Authority and each other.  

If all that has been accomplished, the two can be wed and the celebrations can continue.  

Note that the Church does not believe in divorce, though it will annul unlawful marriages.

Reasons for Annulment:
- You or your spouse are still married to someone else at the time
- You are too closely related (first cousins or closer)
- The marriage was done under threats or coercion
- The marriage was officiated by a servant of the Dark Powers or a Demon   
- Heaven itself forbids this marriage (rare, but has happened at times)

Boon: If you are married and take a long rest with your spouse, you can reroll the amount of HP recovered and take the higher result, regardless of comfort level.  (This does not mean you have to have sex, of course.  If you want rules for that, write them yourself, or even better, try to be normal for once.)

Holy Orders- This is a sacrament intended only for the Priests and the Paladins of the Church.  It is a sacred oath to be holy, to serve Zulin or a member of his Heavenly Court.  This may grant specific boons depending on what God you swear to serve.  Below is the one for a Priest or Paladin of Hesayanism.  

Priest/Priestess of Hesayanism: 

You swear to obey the Authority and his laws, Zulin and the Church.  You swear to take no spouse, bear no children and maintain your chastity.  You swear to accept no riches, lands or titles and to use any resources you are charged with for the good of the poor.    

Boon: You are granted the ability to forgive sins through the power of Zulin and the Authority, perform marriages, transmute blood into the Water of Faith and accept oaths made to Zulin, the Prophetess and the Authority on their behalf.

Paladin of Hesayanism: 

You swear to obey the Authority and his laws, Zulin and the Church.  You swear to take no spouse without the permission* or consent of the Church or your superiors.  You swear to protect the helpless, the weak and the vulnerable.  You swear to fight evil when faced with it and grant it no quarter.  You will make no false oaths nor use any unjust tactic.  You will serve until your last breath (or released from this oath**).

Boon: When in a Hallowed State, you gain Magic Resistance equal to double your CHA modifier (min 20%).  This applies to all magic, not just that of the Dark Powers.  You can allow a spell to affect you, if you wish it too.  

*Some Paladin orders are allowed to get married, some are not.  This part may be altered or revised depending on the orders.    

**Not all Paladins serve for life, though many do.  

by DouglasRamsey

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