# Federation Religion ## By: Master Witcher, Dr. Meredith Bokenkotter of the Riverean College of Witcherism @ the University of Winkler ## Religion Religion is a complex topic within the United Federation of Earth. Within schools people are taught Jyd-I-ism, however most people are raised in the Witcher faith. This is because Jyd-I-ism doesn't view itself as a religion. However, a vast majority of people who are followers of it practice it like a religion, and thus it effectively is a religion. Sigmarism is the other complexity within the Federation. Due to its age, and the fact that it controls everything from the Birthplace of Sigmar himself and its capital is the same system where the religion is founded, it also has the foundation of the First Germushian Empire, and where most of the Germushian and Deutschlander pilgrimage and general holy sites as located. As well as having Corexia status with the Verisan/Federation Lords who control the lands where Versian Sigmarism was founded and has its largest concentration of followers. ### Common Religions ##### Jyd-I-ism Jyd-I beliefs are a range of ideas. At their core they are a series of tomes which make up the core cannon of how the Jyd-I understand reality and the various dimensions as they exist. They envision a Pentagram web of interconnecting dimensions, with Jyd-I being those who are able to travel between the various dimensions along the lines connecting them. Jyd-I-ism focus's on teaching that all of the 'super-natural' is knowable, and that everyone should have this knowledge and an understanding of the various 'dimensions of existence' and the creatures which inhabit them. This is often taught as a scientific idea. However, many cannot shake a sense of the supernatural and reapply a religious belief to the scientific understanding, turning what is to the Monk Grand Masters of various orders see as "essential humans in what some might wrongly describe as a Godly Plane, but is more accurately a dimension whose inhabitants are created by, and live within the raw essence which creates all within our own dimension. But to call them Gods is to ascribe a greater power to the vast majority than exists - and would be akin to calling Humans gods because A grand Librarian of the Luna Knights is the most powerful creature in all existence and bares resemblance to us?" into a divine belief in those most powerful of entities in 'the void' and calling them Gods. Those with these beliefs combined their Jyd-I-ism with Sigmarism or Witcherism. About 22% of the Federation population follow specifically Jyd-I-ism, without also following Sigmarism or Witcherism. ##### Sythism Sythism is often described as 'Edgy Jyd-I-ism'. It believes that those with a connection to one of the other dimensions deserves the knowledge of it. It believes that those who are stronger with their powers deserve to be higher in society, and that society should be structured in such a way to ensure this. It is often cynically atheistic, whereas Jyd-I-ism is often more agnostic, or mildly atheistic. However, since the First Terran Empire, when Darth Sidious forced two Federation Wide generations to undergo Syth education instead of Jyd-I, the effects have left a serious population of Syth believers, even if they are without power themselves. This group is often associated with those who are against the Federation and want a restoration of the First Empire, or a union with the modern Empire. About 6% of the Federation population actively follow Sythism ##### Witcherism Witcherism is the dominant religion in the United Federation of Earth, especially in Terra Nova. This is because the Witcher Conquest saw the entire galaxy subjected by the Witchers for 1000 years. The vast majority of the population was indoctrinated into Witcher beliefs, meaning that even when Liberated by the returning Governments, the vast, vast majority of the populous has remained Witcher. With most nations major colonization projections - with the exception of Germushia/Deutschland and their cultural core being intimately related to Sigmarism - being founded after this period most colonies and thus people in the Known Universe - especially the Federation - are Witchers in religion. The core beliefs of the religion is that reality is one of a series of interconnected 'rings' (Jyd-I dimensions, Sigmarian Planes). The Witcher's are themselves dependents of a previous civilization, who scattered their genes into different species in several different galaxies. The Witchers use this ancient species 'the first-founders' World ships, or as the Witchers call them Keep-Ships and sync them with a Witcher controlled holy site known as a Keep World. The Witchers have the 'The Gift of of the Founders' or a soul-based stronger connection to various other dimensions, as well as 'soul-gift' marking them a Witcher, and through which their spells are cast. The main job of Witchers is twofold: first use the gift of the founders to act as keeper of the Material ring from the invading creatures of other rings; second to find other foundlings and bring them into the Order. However the Witcher's do ascribe a certain religious aspect to the 'highest' ring, the Void ring, where it is said the major gods live, among a society of lesser deities, this pantheon is ill-defined and changes depending on which Keep one is looking at. However there are some common gods: | Name in Federation-Common | Name in Versian | Name in Sigmarian | Areas | | ------------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | **The God Supreme** | **Auctparir Dadeis** | **Emparar Di Deas** | Commander / Father / Honour / Emperor of the Gods | | **The Defender** | **Roberto** | **Roberta** | Planning/Protection/Safety/Defense | | **The Helper** | **Gallard** | **Gallarda** | Help/Healing/Medicine/Healthcare | | **The Guide** | **Vilkram** | **Vilkra** | Guidance/Learning/Redemption | | **The Daemon** | **Bel’lakor** | **Bel'laku** | Destruction/Argumentation/Suffering/Five | | **The Killer** | **Magnus** | **Magnu** | Death/War/Famine/Plagues/Pain | | **The Trickster** | **Civio** | **Civiu** | Lying/Trickery/Betrayal/Greed/Dishonuor | | **The Corpse Eater** | **Mortarior** | **Mortariar** | Disrepect/Desecration of the Dead/The Dead/Festering/Gluttony | About 28% of the population of the Federation is a follower of Witcherism. ##### Sigmarism Sigmarism is the second largest 'real' religion after Witcherism, capturing 28% of the total Federation population. It is divide into three large groups, though each is full of various ingroups and divisions. The Crux of Sigmarism is belief in the book of Sigmar. The division between the three main types of Sigmarism is based on which _other_ holy books they believe in. The basic core books, or Codexes (describing the whole volume, which is supposed to be three parts: the 'story of the Germushian people so far', 'expanding on the Laws and Morality of the Germsuhain people', and 'Innovations in Government, and organization of the State, Church, and Society'). They are, in order and described in brief. It should be noted the Codex's are more often an enshrinement of current custom then defiding hwo thigns ought to be going forward. 1. Codex Sigmar - First book, lays out the basic moral, theological, and governmental structure, inclding the Estates General (The Sigmarette Council, The National GOvernemnts, the popular represenatives), the Sigmarette Coucnil to handle religious issues in their national regions, the inqusition to investigate and prosecture religious crime, and the nationalization of the navy into the Church. 2. Codex Gadrellar - Passed while fleeing the Witchers in the Milky Way Creates the position of Sigmarines, empowers the Estates General (Sigmarette council, Fleet Admirals, peoples represntives), and enshrines the office of Sigmarian - Sigmars theological representative/reincarnation/contiunuation in the Material Plane. Importantly enshrines the transfer of power for control over the Navy to the Estates General from the Church 3. Codex Astartes - A false Codex from the Versian Chuch, createad for political purpoes, specificailly to mix up the Germushian and Versian interpretations of what Common Law means, but also changes who controls the Sigmarines from the Emder (Emperor) of Germushia, instead they are controlled by the Church. 4. Codex Fredrikar - A response to Codex Astartes, creates a high council court out of the estates GEneral, ensrhines a new electoal system, and creats teh Arbites as a judical body to handle cases and provide legal support to and ensure fare trials by the inqusition, while also holding the Governemnt and Chruch accountable as well. Technically under the EMders control but offically an organ of the Church 5. Codex Otar 1 - Offers a reaffirmation of the supremacy of the Emder, and the enshrinement of a capitalist system based on loans from the Church, completely revolutionizing Germushian society and economics. Short lived and often bundled in with Fredrikar to seperate it from Otar 2, 6. Codex Otar 2 - created during the collapse of the Second Empire, transfers control of Sigmarines, the fleet, the inqustion and arbites to the Church. Theologically it creates a new system of 'House of light' which Sigmarettes and their congrgations may choose to follow, and in doing so can elect an 'arch-sigmarette', allowing provinces to have their Sigmarettes, while nations can have an arch sigmarette. At th e same time the collapse of the empire leads to a reformation of the Estates general (Arch-Sigmarette council, union represnatives, popular represntatives Otar 2 also contained extensive economimc refomrations, throwing off the capitalist system of Otar 1 and embrace a planned economy focused on suppyling food, and using the excess to enrich the lives of hte laborers, with the emder ensuring strong support for labor unions so as to offer him a source of politilca power outisde the Chruch, 7. Codex Dontar - Created during the collapse of the Rhineland, creates the first privy council government of the Army, Navy, Exchquror, and Estates General. Merges a lot of Church functions back within the Domain of the Emder, but mediated through the Sigmarian, offering the Sigmarian a Stalin-like position to dictate policy and have their choice in seeing who carries it through. It also performs minor economic reforms, using the increasingly available surveillance state to build a currency system rating each individuals 'labor value' and exchanging it in a semi-equal way, which is promoted as the trust form of 'Defra' yet introduced. 8. Codex Evar - Created following the Great War, Enrhsing the new Privy Council with the Church, Arbites, Exchquor, Estates General, Navy, and Army all sitting on it, effectively ruling the Empire in the Emders stead, threatending revolution if she pushes back. The Estate Genearl now repersnts THe Arch-Sigmarette council, the Nobility who own provinces and command fleets, and the peoples representatives. The war is truly fought between the Exchquor and the Chruch over influencing the other departments to do their bidding. ###### Catholic Sigmorianism. The Catholic (or Universal) Church of Sigmar is perhaps the oldest overall grouping, but it represents the most fragmented belief. To qualify to be a Catholic SIgmarian you simply must believe in some form of the Book of Sigmar. This includes everything from the Cult of Sigmoria on Pluto to radical splinter sects of another Church or group just breaking off. Catholic Sigmarists represent about 54% of the Sigmarists in the Federation, or about 11% of all people in the Federation. ###### Traditional Sigmarism Traditional Sigmarism arose during the second Collapse of the Second Germshuan Empire. When the Lordship of Germushia, along with the land taken during the Great Crusade attempted to Seperate from the reborn Second Germushian Empire now founded in the Rhineland. As the Empire collapsed and was no longer able to maintain control over the Lordship, it was able to grow its own interpretation of the various holybooks of Sigmar. As well, it had control over the major holy sites within the Milky Way, and much of the ancestral Germushian land. However, most of the land taken during the Crusade was lost to Civil War, invasion, or otherwise failed to be held onto. At the same time, Church law pushed the Government to deviate heavily from the traditional Germushian government form - creating an almost completely Church run State, managed by the otherwise oft-disempowered female centrist Jazdia/Jazdiettes. This structure has remained since the Lordship of Germushia joined the United Federation of Earth, being granted Sovereignty over the Traditional Germushian lands. In terms of beliefs, Traditional Sigmarism embraces the Codex Sigmar, the Codex Gadrelar, and a bastarized interpretation of the Codexies Astartes, Fredrikar, and Otar 1 and 2. What this actually means is that they recognize a Sigmarian, elected by an Arch-sigmarette council, with the houses of light system that comes with it, and with the church having control over the navy and military, as well as using Asartes to ignore Church doctrine and council ruling that the Church may not function as a state to push the Jazdia into position as representing the state. Traditional Sigmarists represent about 26% of Sigmarists in the Federation, or about 7% of all people in the Federation. ###### Germushian Sigmarism Germushian Sigmarism, aka Deutschland Sigmarism, is a unique blend of Church and State which make the two near inseperable. The Duetschland Empire declares that any Sigmarian soul is a Deutschlander, but many Sigmarites deny this claim. Within the Federation, those who do not deny this claim, and instead choose to follow the Deutschland (but referred to as Germushian) Church of Sigmar. However, residing in the Federation, the Inquisition adn arbites are extremely limited in their ability to take legal recourse. AS such, Federation Germushian Sigmarties fall into two camps: either those who are hard core believes, or those who are believers in name only. Often the hard core believer groups are very insular, and often looked down upon by other Sigmarian groups for giving the whole of the religion a bad name, Germushian Sigmarists represent about 20% of the Sigmarists in the Federation, or about 6% of all people in the Federation. ##### Versian Polystheism The smallest of religions in the Federation, it is mostly practiced by those who are of ancient Versian descent, or those living in the Versian Corexia - nor are the two mutually exclusive. Versian polytheism is very similar to the Witcher theism, but it takes a more Sigmarian approach believing in Planes over Rings as the structure of the other dimensions, and beleiving in a smaller pantheon of GOds, (the core being those defined above) though over time many Witcher gods have snuck in. The Versian faith formed the basis out of which Sigmarism came from, but the two have diverged heavily. The Luna Knights are the most well know hard core followers of the Versian Polytheistic faith, with their group accounting for 13% of all Versian Polytheistics in the Federation. However the faith itself encompasses only 12% of the population. ### On Minor/Other Religions The religions described here are just the largest and most practiced religions. Plenty of people and Sovereignties have their own different and custom faiths, or different interpretations of the above faiths. Those outside of the Milky Way are more likely to ascribe to a faith not listed above. In total about 8% of the population of the Federation follow a faith not listed above.