Casterian Reference Page

CHARACTERS OF THE CASTERIAN EMPIRE:

| House Aquiladessi |

Imperial family of the Casterian Empire. Has ruled the nation successfully for five generations and effectively aided in the transition of the Church Sanctorum into Casterian culture.

{Members of Import}

~ Emerentius II Aquiladessi:

Current emperor of the Casterian Empire. Seventy-three years of age. Inherited the Casterian Conflict with their neighbors to the south, Eurakos, and actively chose to continue the campaign in the name of his ancestors. Hoping for a politically beneficial relationship with Rodakrov, he married his eldest daughter to Bozhidar Kazbirati.

~ Acantha Aquiladessi:

Wife of Emerentius II and current Empress of Casteria. Sixty-nine years of age. Inactive in the daily duties of a royal wife, either secluded in her room or vacationing in a countryside villa. Mother to the late Amadeus and the late Graziana.

~Graziana Aquiladessi:

Deceased. Eldest child of Emerentius II and Acantha. Despite her marriage to Bozhidar being arranged, her adoration and affection for him was genuine. Mother of six sons, only four of which survived. Died from the Cattle Plague.

~ Amadeus Aquiladessi:

Deceased. First born son of Emerentius II and Acantha. Born first in the line of succession. Died at the age of twenty-two under mysterious circumstances.

~ Emerentius 'Rens' III Aquiladessi:

Born with the Krovic name of 'Merek'. Son of Graziana and Bozhidar. Twenty-six years of age. Fled from Rodakrov with his grandfather at the age of twelve. Under the guidance of his grandfather, he attempts to usurp the Krovic throne and take it for himself.

~Angelus Aquiladessi:

Born with the Krovic name of 'Angeli'. Son of Graziana and Bozhidar. Twenty-five years of age. Fled from Rodakrov with his grandfather at the age of eleven. The only of Graziana's children that did not inherit any Casterian features. Additionally, the only of the children that is proud of his Krovic ancestry. These features, amongst other things, caused his grandfather to take the clothe of the clergy, where he may cause the least amount of damage. (Or so he thought~~ Wink Wink)

~Ciro Aquiladessi:

Born with the Krovic name of 'Kir'. Son of Graziana and Bozhidar. Twenty-one years of age. Fled from Rodakrov with his grandfather at the age of seven. Considered the most handsome of the sons, with a strategically wired mind to boot, the emperor shows obvious favoritism towards him.

~ Durans Aquiladessi:

Born with the Krovic name of 'Dureki'. Son of Graziana and Bozhidar. Twenty years of age. Fled from Rodakrov with his grandfather at the age of six. He was born a twin, though the only one to survive past the first month. At the age of three, he tripped down a flight of stairs, paralyzing him from the waist down. If Ciro is considered a kingly tactician, Durans would be comparable to a godly one, however, with his Machiavellian mindset of 'the end justifies the means', the emperor is often reluctant to utilize his sometimes terrifying brilliance.

~Julian Aquiladessi:

Deceased. Born with the Krovic name of 'Yuli'. Son of Graziana and Bozhidar. Died at the age of four - three weeks before his mother - after contracting the Cattle Plague.

TITLES OF THE CASTERIAN EMPIRE:

Holy Emperor (Emperor) - Given to the male ruler of the Casteria, this title holds the highest and final authority in the empire.

Holy Empress (Empress) - Given to the wife of the Holy Emperor.

Primus Princeps (Primus) - Given to the heir apparent, the first prince of Casteria.

Prima Era (Prima) - Given to the first princess of Casteria.

Secundus Princeps (Secundus) - Given to the second prince in line for the throne.

Secunda Era (Secunda) - Given to the second princess of Casteria.

Tertius Princeps (Tertius) - Given to the third prince in line for the throne.

Tertia Era (Tertia) - Given to the third princess of Casteria.

*Ordinal title system will continue for as long as it must, depending upon the number of royal heirs*

Commander of the Primus Cavalry (Primus Dux, Dux) - Military commander of the most renown Casterian Primus Cavalry. A title and responsibility traditionally given to the heir apparent, the Primus Princeps.

Pontiff Palatinus (Pontiff) - A title given to any member of the imperial family who enters into a religious sect. 'Palatinus' is the signifier of the royal family. Any nobility who enters into a religious sect would be given the same title without the 'palatinus' signifier.

Patricians - The collective nobility of Casteria.

Comitus - Title of any male Patrician whose family has held a place within the Patrician for at least half a century.

Comitessa - Title of any female Patrician whose family has held a place within the Patrician for at least half a century (or) any female Patrician who is married to a Comitus.

Dominus - Title of any male Patrician without a specific signifier.

Domina - Title of any female Patrician without a specific signifier.

THE CHURCH SANCTORUM:

The Church Sanctorum, referred to both as 'the Church' and 'the Sanctorum', is the building located in the capital city of Casteria, Lucinova.

The worship at the Church Sanctorum revolves solely around Pater Deus who - while worshipped independently of any other gods and as a solely monotheistic deity - never directly denies the existence of other, lesser gods in holy scriptures.

The collective term for the religion of the Church Sanctorum is Deism (day-ism, phonetically) though it is also frequently referred to as 'Summer Worship' by non-natives.

The rise of Deism in Casteria is directly connected to Emperor Emerentius the First's conversion to the faith when he took the imperial throne.

Cosmogony of Deism:

Deistic scriptures do not provide a creation story. Traditional interpretation of its absence is that the ability to form something out of nothing is a divine characteristic that cannot be comprehended by minds that are not divine.

According to holy scriptures, three realms exist in the universe.

The first is referred to as the Realm of Mortals, the Realm of Mortality, or the Realm of Clay.

The second is referred to as the Realm of Perdition or, simply, Anathema.

The third is referred to as the Realm of the Final Benediction, the Realm of Tranquility, or, simply, Benison.

The Realm of Mortals is the realm in which all life created by Pater Deus begins. The creatures within the realm are subject to a specific set of natural laws, however, the realm itself is not.

The Realm of Perdition is considered a realm of divine suffering. In scripture, it is considered a living creature that requires sustenance to exist, and, additionally, exists out of necessity. This is often interpreted by the clergy as a warning against 'holy wars', which have the purpose of converting mass numbers of people into a specific faith. By holy scriptures maintaining the stance that Anathema must be 'fed', the clergy believes that Pater Deus is providing a divine purpose for all heathens of the Realm of Mortals - which is, to serve as fodder.

The Realm of Final Benediction is the realm in which one may reunite with the Pater Deus. Very little else is known of the realm, outside of those clerics which are provided 'Prerogative Enlightenment'.

Clerical Hierarchy:

The church clergy is divided into four separate sects. They are the Elders, the Praefectae, the Brothers, and the Sanct Puae.

The Sect of the Eleven Elders -

This sect consists of eleven men, previously titled 'Prima' or 'Praefectus', who have retired from the material matters of the world in order to focus on the spiritual guidance of the church, the clergy, and the flock (the laity). This sect is not accessible to the laity nor the lowest sect of the clergy. They may only be addressed by the Praefectae and the Sanct Puae.

This sect has unadulterated access to the mystical text called 'The Scrolls of Three'. A spiritual state called 'Prerogative Enlightenment' can be achieved when a member of the clergy reads this text to completion.

The Sect of the Praefectae -

This sect consists of eleven men, chosen by the church elders, as leaders of the material matters of the church. These men have access to the Elders and are accessible to the lower members of the clergy. Moreover, these men are trusted by the Elders to interact with the Sanct Puae. They are also privy to two of the three sections of 'The Scroll of Three', providing them a spiritual state which is referred to as 'Fragmented Enlightenment'.

The Sect of the Brothers -

This sect consists of the lower members of the clergy, assigned to mentor under one of the eleven Praefectae, or a senior Brother approved by said Praefectae. This sect does not have access to speak directly with the Church Elders, nor the Sanct Puae.

The Sect of the Sanct Puae -

This sect consists of virgin priestesses tasked to oversee daily church activities and to protect the church from inner-corruption. High ranking Sanct Puae will routinely consume psychoactive drugs to receive visions from Pater Deus.

The Eleven Praefectae:

Prima Alchemist, Praefectus Vitale:

The Prima Alchemist is responsible for the collection and review of a vast array of scientific findings, both historical and contemporary. While their official duty is to find innovations of positive change, most of their time is spent finding - and subsequently destroying - any scientific piece of literature that could threaten the position and power of Pater Deus.

Prima Physician, Praefectus Diego:

The Prima Physician is responsible for the wellbeing of clergy, both physically and mentally. They work closely with the Prima Alchemist and the Prima Apothecarist to ensure that they are utilizing the best treatments for any range of illness. Their expertise is sought after across the West Continent.

Prima Scribe, Praefectus Glaucia:

The Prima Scribe is responsible for the production and reproduction of Church Scripture, as well as providing verification of authenticity for any scripture that leaves the Church Sanctorum. The Brothers taken under the wing of the Prima Scribe are required to be literate, and thus are generally born of nobility or higher class laymen families.

Prima Rector, Praefectus Naevio:

The Prima Rector is responsible for providing bi-monthly sermons to the Brothers and offer daily repentance for the Church Elders. They are fluent in most languages of the West Continent, so as to be able to provide divine guidance to any heathen kingdoms they come across.

Prima Quaestor, Praefectus Cato:

The Prima Quaestor acts as the treasurer of the Church Sanctorum and requires a high comprehension of mathematics and arithmetic. They directly oversee all expenses made by the church and all sources of revenue coming into the church, including alms. In the Sect of the Brothers, there is an old rumor that the Prima Quaestor and the Prima Alchemist meet during the dead of night in attempts to find the correct ingredients and ratios to form the philosopher's stone, a mythical substance which is believe to have properties that can change any metal into precious gold. This rumor is unsubstantiated. (Wink wink)

Prima Coquus, Praefectus Draus:

The Prima Coquus is responsible for overseeing the preparation of meals for the clergy. They are given the secondary duty of blessing all water and wine that passes through the church doors. The Prima Coquus works closely with the Prima Apothecarist, who provides herbs and other fresh vegetables for their meals.

Prima Apothecarist, Praefectus Horten:

The Prima Apothecarist is responsible for overseeing the Holy Garden, which grows an array of plants, vegetables, flowers, and herbs that are utilized for both pharmaceutical use and daily consumption. They require a deep understanding of the benefits and dangers of each plant they grow, and use them to create medicines and elixirs that are used by the Prima Physician. They work closely with both the Prima Physician and the Prima Coquus, the former to aid in curing illness, and the latter to aid in preventing it.

Prima Archivist, Praefectus Gordon:

The Prima Archivist is responsible for the care of both canonical texts as well as laity texts they find imperative to the Church's history. They superintend the Sanctorum Library and is the only member of the clergy, other than the Eleven Elders, that has access to 'The Scrolls of Three', for the simple fact that they are the custodians of all mystical texts, and have the duty of protecting them from deterioration and damage.

Prima Jurist, Praefectus Cassian:

The Prima Jurist is responsible for teaching Sanctorum law to the clergy as well as carrying out any punishment required, should a member of the clergy transgress.

Prima Rerum, Praefectus Felix:

The Prima Rerum is responsible for the collection and documentation of a vast array of historical and contemporary events, both lay and clerical. They work closely with the Prima Jurist and the Prima Archivist to analyze events and determine their effect on the Church as a whole. Furthermore, they are responsible for publicly addressing any major occurrence that causes fear or apprehension within their flock. The Prima Rerum often addresses events regarding the Casterian Conflict.

Prima Astronomer, Praefectus Aelius:

The Prima Astronomer is responsible for tracking the stars and the celestial objects so as to accurately identify holy days.