Flamepunk: People, Culture and Factions

The Church of the Holy Flame

Compiled by Mock from posts by CasperLions, Asklepios

The Church of the Holy Flame is the primary religious force in (Name of World), and most people will - if only in secret - agree that it intends to remain that way by force, if necessary. The central tenet of Church doctrine is the worship of the Holy Flame, the spirit of the original flamebinder, the first person to ever call down fire from the heavens and bend it to her will. By this act, she transcended the crude ash of physical being and was purified to her essence.

So too is the destiny of all who embrace the light of the Holy Flame and believe.

Church Influence

The Church is a massive institution, and its presence is felt at all levels of society. Health services, the courts, municipal maintenance, houses of comfort (brothels) -- these are just some of the services that are managed by or performed directly by Church affiliates. Media, likewise, are primarily Church-owned (although there are independent media outlets which have come into conflict - sometimes violent - with the Church), and due to the combination of extensive public works, beneficial and/or popular public services, and masterful propaganda, are generally well-liked by the general populace.

Church Organization

The Church of the Holy Flame, like any good bureaucracy, has a number of semi-independent arms, all reporting to the central Church leadership. Each branch of the church handles particular tasks.

Ecclesiarchy

The Ecclesiarchy is the executive branch of the Church, composed of clergy, and forms the central leadership of the Church. Ecclesiarchs run the gamut from the low ranking Acolytes to supremely powerful and influential Bishops and Archbishops. The head of the Church is known as the Beacon, or sometimes as the Flamebearer.

Templars of the Burning Light

Soldiers for the Church, the Templars promote themselves as being the light in the darkness. They pupportedly protect the people by fighting against demons and rogue elementals that harass the fringes of society, and are well loved by the media. At street level they're exactly what they appear to be - fearless defenders of the people. On the other hand the Inner Circle knows the truth: the threats which the Templars fight are actually summoned and released by the Church, in order to give society an external threat to war against.

Paladins

Paladins are the Flamespace operatives of the Church. They're pegged as Templars for the "other place", and are almost as loved. As well as hunting rogue elementals they also work to knock down flamerunners who threaten the Church. They consider themselves the police force of Flamespace. Despite their name, Paladins are far from being paragons of virtue. Because their domain is out of sight, they act with greater license, happy that their indiscretions and brutal methods will never be known to anyone save for their flamerunner adversaries. They do a lot more black ops work than the Templars, and use Flamespace to manipulate the world.

Missionaries of the Sacred Flame

Church Missionaries are PR people, pure and simple. They set up hospices, run by mundane staff. They make speeches in the market square. They proselytise, and they sermon. Thanks to the missionaries, rebellious sorts are viewed by wider society as being nothing less than destructive anarchists. Missionaries also act as investigators hunting for subversion and heresy, most especially the Inquisitors of the Sacred Flame - specially trained missionaries who act as an investigative arm. Inquisitors are feared, yes, but not hated. Society respects them and believes in their righteousness. The players almost certainly know better.