The Church of Hazad, born of the Fourth Crusade — the true faith, as far as anyone here is safely allowed to think.
Doctrine
Uses the same Book of Light, Teachings, rituals, and structures as the Western Church, with two irreconcilable differences:
- The Most Holy is not recognized. The Sultan is the spiritual head of the church as well as secular ruler, with power of appointment and dismissal over the highest offices.
- Certain Gifts the West calls inherently Corrupted (e.g. summoning) are permissible if examined by clergy of appropriate standing and found free of taint. See Magic and Casting Traditions.
Major churches use the Old Empire term Basilica; Prelate and Archprelate remain in use.
Enforcement
It is not technically illegal to follow the Western Church, but residents are expected to convert; refusal implies disloyalty to the Sultan, and reactions can be harsh and violent. Only ~40 years after the Fourth Crusade, heresy accusations can spark mob violence. Refugees must convert to leave the camps. Doctrinal enforcement falls to the Order of the Eagle and its feared Eyes.
Key People
- Sultan Fahim — spiritual head
- Farouk al-Magdi — Arch-prelate of the City
In Halwa (GM)
Halwa is one of the few places where Eastern and Western congregations function side by side — accommodation, not reconciliation. The Eastern Church there is closely embedded in old Halwan society; its senior leadership is appointed by the Eastern hierarchy, and Halwa is not considered a desirable or prestigious posting. Until recently the two churches ran on an informal truce — polite mutual ignoring, quiet unacknowledged cooperation — now strained by the Western side’s new hardliner, Father Ignazio.
Politics
- Nobles who secretly keep the Western faith are “probably the largest political threat to the Sultan’s power” — see Loyalists.
- The Separatists want more doctrinal distance from the West; the Unificationists want to reunify the church under Hazadi control.