The Septian Church (七耀教会, shichiyou kyoukai) is a monotheistic religion formed around the Goddess in the Sky known as Aidios (女神, eidosu). The High Seat of the Septian Church is established in Arteria.
Beliefs
Aidios
In the beginning, the world was formless, shapeless void. There as only darkness and bitter wind. And unto this void, the Goddess, Aidios, brought light.
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 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 exist alongside indigenous belief systems or has incorporated the beliefs into its local 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.
Testaments
Most knowledge about Aidios comes from the doctrinal statements recorded in writings known as Testaments. Writing not officially acknowledged by the Church as referred to as Apocrypha.
Politics
The organisational structure of Arteria can be divided into three categories:
- The Congregation for Divine Worship (典礼省, tenreishou) supervises all rituals of the Church, including the church and sunday schools. The congregation is supervised by a cardinal.
- The Papal Guard (僧兵庁, souheichou) is charged with the defence of Arteria. The guards are equipped with temple lances.
- The Congregation for the Sacraments (封聖省, fuuseishou) controls the heritage and retrieval of artifacts. The congregation is supervised by a cardinal. The Gralsritter belong to this faction.
History
The first appearance of the Septian Church is said to have occurred approximately S.500, which marked the end of the Dark Age by permeating social conciousness through humanitarian aid and social unity, attracting even the knights' attentions.
Contradictory statements about the Septian Church's age suggest that it been active before it was officially institutionalised. Bishop Genus of the Cathedral in Crossbell has stated that the Septian Church has been active "immediately after the Great Collapse" in S.1. The Grancel Cathedral in Liberl was built in S.80 and is considering the oldest church building in Liberl. Ein Selnert, Grand Master of the Gralsritter, has stated that the chivalric order of the Church has been active since S.200, implying that the Gralsritter has been around since before the Septian Church was institutionalised.