A Matter of Utmost Importance

[Siverous de'Medici]

I have been going about a matter of utmost importance to the Church in the wrong manner. I would implore the Council to allow me to take a more direct approach so that this issue may be resolved.

The Council of Bishops mirrors the House of Lords. It meets and decides on legislation which will effect the entirety of the Church.

The Archbishop is the head of the Council in the same way the King is the head of the House of Lords. It is the responsibility of the Archbishop to enforce the decisions of the Council, as it is the King's responsibility to enforce the decisions of the House of Lords. It is also the responsibility of the Archbishop to provide the Church with direction when needed, as it is the King's responsibility to provide the Kingdom with direction.

There are differences, for example, the Archbishop does get a vote, and does not have the power of veto. He can, however, make a decision without consulting the Bishops...the same way the King can make a Royal Decree in time of need, when all of the Bishops/Lords would probably be of one mind on the matter anyway or when he is acting in the best interest of the Kingdom (say he has sensitive information that the other Bishops do not), and where time is of the essence.

As the head of the Church, the supreme governor, the King does have the power to veto a decision of the Council/Archbishop because he needs to keep the big picture in mind, and if the Council and Archbishop "screw up," he needs to be able to step in and say, "that's just an awful idea." He also picks the Archbishop because he needs to be able to count on someone to make those important and speedy decisions without consulting the Council, or him.

Now, the Hundred offered this Rule as the guidelines for the Virtuous Hundred. The Council altered it, and sent it back down for the Hundred to say, "ok we agree to play by these rules, and in return we get the benefits of belonging to the Church." This functions as a sort of contract...the same way the Carta Solis is a contract between the King and the Lords. If one of them broke the Carta Solis, even if it were Wessex, the Royal Sheriffs would be called in.

Our equal to Royal Sheriffs would be Inquisitors, which we don't have. Breaking a secular law is "illegal," whereas breaking a Divine law is heresy. The Carta Solis is the Supreme Law of the Kingdom, the Constitution of the United States is the Supreme Law of the U.S., The Constituion of the Republic of the Silver Sun is the Supreme Law of Aquileia. The Rule of the Virtuous Hundred is the Supreme Law of the Order, the Virtuous Hundred. By its nature, breaking the Supreme Law of the Virtuous Hundred is heresy.

Once Father Aethliric said he had no intention of obeying the Supreme Law of his Order, I recognized it as heresy immediately.

In my arrogance, I sought out Cynewulf, believing he would side with the decision of the Ecumenical Council, because it's his job to enforce their decisions. Even when the King told me to bring this in front of the Bishops, I confidently praddled on...certain that Cynewulf would see the logic in my arguments. I was mistaken.

Now we are faced with an incident which may result in the Council no longer being able to set, and enforce its own standards. Where actual heretics are in-charge of Military Orders.

Consider the following:
If an opinion or doctrine in philosophy, politics, science, art, etc., is at variance with those generally accepted as authoritative then it is heresy.

If a person expresses or acts on opinions considered to be heresy, then he or she is a heretic.

If The Rule of the Virtuous Hundred is the authoritative doctrine on how the members of the Order of the Virtuous Hundred are to live their lives, then for a member of the Virtuous Hundred to hold an opinion in contrast to their Rule makes them a heretic.

If Father Aethlric expresses the opinion that his members should not be living a life by the Rule of their Order, then he is a heretic.
----
Therefore, Father Aethlric is a heretic.

Even if you do believe in God, he himself can not change the Rules of Logic, just as he can't change the laws of mathematics.

Even if my character is killed off, the Hundred kills 1 billion players, or they donate an endless supply of gold - it will not change the fact that an Order in the Church is run by a heretic. An actual heretic, in the same way a member of the Kingdom might be an outlaw, so practical RP-wise. I don't believe he knows it, and I think I haven't helped because what I have been saying seems like RP fluff. That's why I've decided to change my approach a bit.

All he has to do to be forgiven is say, "I'm sorry, I didn't know," and renogiate his Order's "contract."

I should've just said all of this from the beginning, and I'm sorry for dragging all of this out with what seems like nonsense. I would implore the Council to discuss this matter so that a solution can be reached.

[Siverous de'Medici]

The thread in which this is brought up is here: http://www.duchyofwessex.org/forum/s...?t=5931&page=4

[Aethelric Brandt]

I rely on the judgment of someone qualified to declare my actions as heresy. If such a thing is done, be assured that I will throw in penance at their feet.

[Valens Bellator]

Well Sivvy is right. I'd suggest we simply alter the rule to be a little more realisitic. Some of the things that were written in are just silly and unable to be replicated in game.

Besides, trial by combat was a method that was generally only used when there were no witnesses of the conflict. It also sets a bad precedent, considering now when someone mentions that others are defying the council's ruling, they might be made to participate in this "judicial combat" and later declared a heretic for pointing out the heresy of others. It sounds like a bad idea all around!

[Aethelric Brandt]

I believe the main cause for the trial by arms was the pretty intense insults leveled at the Hundred and myself.

And, yes, Sivvy is clearly bored. Get an account so we can duel already.

[Aethelric Brandt]

Four minute timer, dammit.

As for the matter at hand: this whole issue originally derived from some OOC comments I made regarding the viability of RP in a system like Darkfall's (namely, that the shitty chat and emote sytem makes it masturbatory at best). Sivvy took this into an IC polemic for reasons unbeknownst to me. I cannot tell whether he is actually bored, truly, or whether he cannot separate his real life religion and beliefs from these RP matters.

If we are talking about "rule of Law", here, where is my Charter? I never saw it, and apparently KillerSOS deleted from the private forum where it was posted. This seems like a much greater issue than the Hundred's public chat spam or the lack thereof.

[Siverous de'Medici]

Four minute timer, dammit.

As for the matter at hand: this whole issue originally derived from some OOC comments I made regarding the viability of RP in a system like Darkfall's (namely, that the shitty chat and emote sytem makes it masturbatory at best). Sivvy took this into an IC polemic for reasons unbeknownst to me. I cannot tell whether he is actually bored, truly, or whether he cannot separate his real life religion and beliefs from these RP matters.

If we are talking about "rule of Law", here, where is my Charter? I never saw it, and apparently KillerSOS deleted from the private forum where it was posted. This seems like a much greater issue than the Hundred's public chat spam or the lack thereof.

You said you have no intention of obeying your Rule, and you even made it seem that you never had any intention of obeying it. As I've shown, in practical RP terms, that means you're a heretic. Just as Nocturne is a "wolf's head."

I'm sorry for the RP tirade I went on, in hindsight, I should've just written this up in the first place.

I had to write my own charter...did you write up yours and submit it for approval?

[Baenor]

If the question is still of whether Aethelric is a heretic, I believe i have to side with Sivvy on the matter. That is, if Aethelric is not upholding, or enforcing his order's rule.

From princeton's online dictionary the definition(s) of heretic are as follows:
# heretic - a person who holds religious beliefs in conflict with the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church
# heretic - a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion)

Where roman catholic church could obviously be replaced with the Church of Auros. I think, however, Aethelric's heresy is of the second definition.

To reinforce that the order is not upholding its rule, i should add that one of "The Hundred"'s members today attacked and killed a member of my clan's who was AFK in our city.
Several precepts within their rule were broken in this act.

Then again, I don't see why Aethelric can't just repent and be done with this babble.

[Siverous de'Medici]

I believe the main cause for the trial by arms was the pretty intense insults leveled at the Hundred and myself.

And, yes, Sivvy is clearly bored. Get an account so we can duel already.

I have class every damn day at 1, and they don't sell on the weekends.

[Cynewulf]

Lord Baenor approached me as Siverous' proxy, with quotes containing much the same argument as Siverous' above. Baenor expressed that he was loathe to admit it, but he saw some reason within the ranting.

To which:

That would be a persuasive argument, Lord Baenor, but the Rule of an Order is not a tenet of the Church proper. It is merely a prescription of how the monks within that order ideally should live and operate as an organization. The church approved the Rule as submitted to it, with modifications, finding its content to be a generally salutatory ideal to try to uphold, Church did not issue it as its own dogma.

When Siverous finds me where Aethelric has said the Auros does not exist, or that Auros was a usurper god, and that will be an example of heresy against a central belief of Auranism. There is no central Church dogma that hymns must be sung. Aethelric may be derelict in duty to his own Order, perhaps, but not heretical.

All of Siverous' rantings display a woeful ignorance of true church policy and the real definition of heresy, which does not extend to everyday rules running the administrative aspects of the Church. An Order is an organization that needs operational guidelines, and its rule is not a holy document of infallible scripture. It is insanity to engage in tirades to the contrary.

This is but mere frothy-mouthed rambling from the poor fallen priest. There needs be no contest of arms, when maddened irrational raving such as this fills up a holy Church.

Siverous, Grandmaster of the Order d'Argento, you yourself will stand trial

• for engaging in heresy,
• for consorting with the heretic named Father Merrin,
• for speaking ill against the head of our Church, King Manus,
• and for being an agent of Malaut sent to corrupt and undermine the Church.

Prepare your defense. There is good evidence that at least two of the above charges are true. I will undertake this Church inquest into your recent erratic behaviour personally, in view of your many contributions in the past and the high esteem that you once had earned.