Story:Conquest/The Church of Dyodeka/A History

Impurities in the War of Judgement and the Decline of the Church ''Blessed be the name of God, the pure, the compassionate, the complete. Written in the light of Its truth and judgement in the year of _____. Adept Emile Mikelis '' {|width="75%" It is unpopular to speak of the War of Judgement in current times, though the conflict occurred five hundred years ago. It is widely, though quietly, feared that speaking of the gravest errors the Church has made in her history would create the temptation to expand its power once again to correct those wrongs. However, there can be no atonement without truth, and the Church as a whole must confront the grievances of its past. The War of Judgement was a folly on every spiritual level, and by reflecting on it, we will see how each of our Impurities led to its outcome. To ignore it is to learn nothing from our mistakes, to ignore the lessons God seeks to teach us, and to let untruths proliferate: all grievous wounds to the Church as a whole and our own immortal souls.
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For in our pain most of all, God strives to teach us that which blocks us from communion with It. We mortals suffer war, famine and death and think it meaningless, but greater still is the pain of the all-loving One who must strike down Its beloved children with tragedy, and to have it ignored, so that the children's suffering is in vain. Thus, it is vital that we understand the history of the Church on more than a mere factual level, expounding on its spiritual truths.

The Flesh
No discussion of the downfall of the Church during the War Judgement is complete without considering its unworthy head, High Confessor Octavianus XXII. Octavianus was a fleshy, corpulent man whose appearance reflected the sins of his life. Octavianus was born in what would one day become Dystil, the capital of Dorter. The third son of a wealthy merchant couple with many connections, he was soon elevated to the position of Bishop on the recommendation of both the royal family and the Merchant Council. After the untimely death of High Confessor John XXIII, though still theologically immature, Octavianus was elevated to the position of High Confessor in a ballot wracked by controversy.

The initial years of his ascendancy were unremarkable, but like a festering wound, the spiritual corruption of Octavianus was developing beneath the flesh, ready to be exposed. Though education in the Church had sought to temper the natural Impurities of Octavianus's mortal soul, the young High Confessor was too deeply influenced by his worldly upbringing. Under the guise of seeking funds to expand the Church's ability to aid the poor, he began to use the political influence of the Church to seek wealth for its own ends. Bribery, usury and generous "donations" became an expected part of dealings with the Church, though such activities were always kept hushed.

To truly understand the depravity Octavianus brought the Church to, one must have an appreciation of his insidious, cunning nature. He did not begin by loudly flouting the rules of the Church which call for bodily asceticism. Nor did he immediately change the rules as was his right as the High Confessor. Instead, he acted as a young, humble theologian ought to, calling on the presence of various high level priests renowned for their wisdom to advise him. To them, he hesitatingly asked pointed questions about matters he confessed to be confused about, falling back on his position as High Confessor to edge them into supporting his views. Thus, it was deemed that the wasting of food was more an affront to Charity than consuming great amounts was to the Flesh. The highest level of craftsmanship was expected from Artists to glorify God and Its Aspects. Those who were blessed with wealth, fortune or nobility were evidently favoured by God, and thus deserved preferential treatment by Healers. Octavianus even went so far to encourage romantic love as a crucial level for mortals to understand the Love of God. These teachings were slowly introduced by Octavianus over the course of a score of years, so that the Church's slow degeneration went unnoticed by those who stood in its heart.

Corruption
Corrupted at its heart, it is unsurprising that the entire body of the Church soon followed suit.

Conclusions
Several messages are scrawled on a page attached to the manuscript.

Proofread as requested. It all looks good. - O

Are you seriously going to submit this as your thesis? - P

Why not? It's a magnificent bit of research. - O

Of course; this is Emile who wrote it. But the War of Judgement... - P

If God wills, the truth will be spoken. - E
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