Septian Church

The Septian Church is a monotheistic religion formed around the Goddess in the Sky known as Aidios. The High Seat of the Septian Church is established in Arteria.

Background
The Septian church is known to operate across Zemuria, particularly in the western half of the continent. Churches and chapels are present in almost all major settlements, towns and villages in several countries with cathedrals present in most major cities. The church also oversees the vast majority of children's education through the provision of Sunday Schools and classes delivered in rooms attached to the various chapels and churches. It is also common to see musical performances held in church venues.

Most churches have a similar structure, consisting of a large main room with an altar at the front surrounded by stained glass depictions of what is presumably Aidios. facing the altar are several rows of pews with an aisle down the center. There is often a secondary room that acts as a priest's or bishop's office or preparation room, and also another room with desks and a chalkboard for educational purposes.

The Church has a reduced presence in the East of the continent, relying on other groups to help them complete their duties.

Iconography
The main symbol of the church is a large circle featuring a golden grail prominently in the center. Behind the grail is a seven pointed star and several rings and patterns. Around the outermost ring, symbols representing the Sun, Moon and stars are placed at equidistant points. It is not uncommon to see this icon in various places within a church, or to see it embellished on the medallions carried by several members.

Some groups with the church, such as the Gralsritter have their own additional iconography. The Gralsritter ironically do not feature a grail in their symbol, instead using a bell shaped icon of colbalt blue and gold featuring a large golden scale surrounded by wings. The scale's fulcrum bears a strong resemblance to a bishop piece from chess. The scale is topped by the same seven pointed star, only featuring seven crystals representing each of the seven types of Septium.

History
There is no information about the formation of the Septian Church, however its first appearance is said to be in the aftermath of the Great Collapse. In this tumultuous time, they provided the populace, distraught at the loss of the Sept-Terrions, a new way of connecting with Aidios: Faith. One of their noteable actions during this time period was dispatching members to Erebonia to endorse Adjudicator Arnor as the first emperor thereof. In the later half of the first century post-Great Collapse, with help of the local rulers, several cathedrals were built around the continent, each with a Primal Ground hidden beneath them. These include the Grancel Cathedral, built in S.80, and the Heimdallr Cathedral, built in S.81. A century later, around S.200 the chivalric order of the Church, the Gralsritter has been founded.

In the centuries after, its influence continued to spread, resulting in it becoming the dominant religion in Zemuria. Eventually, not even nobles and knights could ignore its power anymore, resulting in a new order being established, with the church at the center. As a result of this, the Dark Ages were over, with the church being attributed for its end.

In the years since, it continued further spreading its influence as well as providing humanitarian aid and assisting with keeping peace wherever it can. Two noteable examples of such was providing aid to North Ambria after the appearance of the Salt Pale, by providing medical assistance and taking in orphans, and mediating a peace treaty to end the Hundred Days War between Erebonia and Liberl.

In the Great War, the Septian Church took the side of Mille Mirage, dispatching the Papal Guard to fight against Erebonia. The Gralsritter, however, decided not to follow lead and instead, took the side of the Radiant Wings. Following the war and the liberation of Crossbell from occupying forces, the Septian Church decided to recognize it as an autonomous state.

Aidios
The central tenet of the Septian Church is the belief in Aidios. While Aidios is often associated with protection and blessings, such as the bestowing of the seven all-powerful treasures known as the Sept-Terrion upon humanity, the Church has also named her as a possible cause of the Great Collapse as a trial to alter humanity's perspective on the world.

Whereas Aidios is the central object of worship in the Septian Church, there is no doctrine that believers are limited to believing in Aidios. In various places, the Septian Church exists alongside indigenous belief systems or has incorporated the beliefs into its social teaching. The Septian Church does not forbid the belief in deities other than Aidios.

The Church has long been a source of art, and this has been true since the dawn of the Septian Era. It was around the year 900, however, that the first known likeness of Aidios was created.

The church is known for not contradicting, and in fact incorporating traditional Animistic beliefs, such as the Summer Festival in Erebonia or the Nordic beliefs about the wind.

Testaments
Most knowledge about Aidios comes from the doctrinal statements recorded in writings known as Testaments. Writing not officially acknowledged by the Church are referred to as Apocrypha.

Organisation
The Septian Church is led by the Pope. Under his reign, the Church has been divided into three categories.

Congregation for Divine Worship
The Congregation for Divine Worship supervises all rituals of the Church, including the church and Sunday schools. The congregation is overseen by a cardinal.

Within the Septian Church, Divine Worship is the most influential faction because of its public face. Archbishop Eralda of the Crossbell Cathedral, for example, has the authority to ban knights of the Gralsritter, part of the Congregation for the Sacraments, for the territory within his jurisdiction.

Papal Guard
The Papal Guard is charged with the defense of Arteria and fall under the jurisdiction of the Congregation of Divine Worship. The guards are equipped with temple lances and number at around 30,000. They also posses a unique elite special forces group known as the Iscariot which while not possessing the same power of the Dominion that lead the Gralsritter, are considered amongst one of the deadliest forces within the church and led by the Vice Captain of the guard himself, routinely tasked behind the scenes with eliminating those deemed heretical who cannot be punished unless outside the normal rules of international law.

It is never stated whether the Papal Guard is installed for a specific threat. The identity of the current leader of the Guard is also unknown save for some of the highest ranking cardinals within the Church, the Pope, and the leader of the Gralsritter.

Congregation for the Sacraments
The Congregation for the Sacraments controls the heritage and retrieval of artifacts. The congregation is supervised by a cardinal. The Gralsritter belong to this faction.

Autonomous states recognized by the Septian Church
Several smaller states and free cities are recognized as "suzerain states" by the Septian Church and hence, use the Church's influence to become independent. Known such states are:
 * Ored
 * Leman
 * Crossbell

The Principality of North Ambria was also recognized as an independent state by the church before it was annexed by Erebonia in S.1205 in the Northern War.

Epstein Foundation
The Epstein Foundation cooperates with the Church in developing various technologies, such as powerful Master quartz. Additionally, the Gralsritter Merkabah airships are equipped with state of the art Epstein technology. As a result, the Gralsritter technology is said to be possibly able to match even Ouroboros' Thirteen Factories.

Society of Ouroboros
The Socity of Ouroboros is the Gralsritter's primary opponent. Like the Congregation for the Sacraments, the Society of Ouroboros also seeks artifacts, in particular, the Sept-Terrion required for the Orpheus Final Plan. There are, however, some differences in their usage of them. While the Church seeks to seal artifacts in Primal Ground s and has agreements with most countries in Zemuria to facilitate the retrieval, Ouroboros utilizes them for their own ends and attempts to bring the Sept-Terrion back into the world. Some noteable examples of them clashing is Kevin Graham's assassination of Georg Weissmann and the same's retrieval of the Fool's Locket, given to Hermann Conrad by Ouroboros.

In a conversation with her Anguis following the conclusion of the Gospel Plan, the Grandmaster of the Society said that in time there would be a 'reaction' to what had transpired in Liberl, but that it should be left to the Church to deal with. The exact meaning of this statement or exactly who or what would be 'reacting' is yet to be revealed.