Franz-Pietro

Franz-Pietro Took Elenora's offer to stay and become one of her Gods, as did Varna, Riswynn, Araf and Ryakk. The new Gods were allowed to help create the cosmos. They bound themselves to the same treaty they had written for the 19 Gods of their previous cosmos. It seemed right and just to Franz. If their treaty had been right for the Lady Ioun, it was surely right for the new Gods of the Elenora Cosmos.

Franz decided to create a high priestess, in the likeness of Varna, his trusted comrade and as head of the church for which he had formerly led the army, leader. During their time working together their respect for one another had grown into a close friendship. She was aptly the model on which to base his own chief priestess. An elderly distinguished woman who carried her age with grace.

Being new to the business of being a God, he had not realised that to create a mortal, one had to start at the beginning. His new priestess started as a mortal child and he watched as she grew into womanhood.

Varna had been an elderly woman for as long as Franz could remember, so he was a little surprised to find his new priestess going through the attractive young woman phase. He grew to love her, and she him. However, the terms of their treaty forbade Gods from such intimate relationships with mortals. Being an honourable God, Franz explained to his new high priestess that they could never behave as mortals, for he was bound by the treaty. She must live without the physical love of her God. He could never risk giving her a child.

She resented this, and grew bitter with Franz, rebelling against him despite his love for her and hers for him. She was a scorned woman. Her love changed to hatred. She started to work against Franz, and foment unrest and dissent within the church of his followers. Followers and clerics of his church died in internal battles. There was little he could do, his high priestess had his blessing, loyal clerics were treated as heretics, going against the wishes of the church even though they carried out Franz's wishes faithfully.

Many honest and faithful priests were slaughtered in order for the High Priestess to have her deceitful way with the church, twisting practises in order to further her revenge on her God, Franz-Pietro, while pretending to be his faithful servant. There was such internal strife that the church formed two warring sides, both believing they were carrying out the will of their God, but one side was constantly betrayed by their high priestess.

Franz grew angry, and one day he found that the other Gods had elevated his high priestess to Godhood in order to save her from his fury. Another of the treaties clauses forbade the Gods from directly attacking each other. His former high priestess took the name of Anarav, this distorting of the name Varna infuriated him. She was even taunting him by distorting the name of his former close friend, Varna. She was now Anarav, chaotic evil Goddess of revenge, secrecy and lies. The nemesis of Franz-Pietro, lawful good God of Paladins, Justice and honour.

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After the troubles and internal warring caused by the rebellion of the worshippers of Anarav the Temples of Franz-Pietro established a hierarchy that differed from the past. Anarav had been entrusted with the governing of all temples. Her evil influence was able to spread deeply, unchecked before the rebellion and its terrible repercussions.

There were now to be several levels of temple. Each has clerics responsible to and ruled by a temple of the level above, but not to those on the same level. Monks and Paladins also had similar arrangements detailed later. These checks and balances were intended to prevent any future war within the church.

Lower Temples were the temples that were centralised places of worship for followers of Franz-Pietro. Each was under the protection of a cohort of Paladins. Inside the temple, these were bolstered by Monks, trained to fight differently from the Paladins who were an obvious public show of force.

Inside the temple grounds clerics were mingled with monks, with a few obvious Paladins whose presence here merely showed that the church was not complacent about its defence.

Always high in nearby mountains was the Middle Temple. This temple was rarely visited by pilgrim worshippers of Franz-Pietro, it was never an easy journey to make, and the pilgrimage was not encouraged, though no pilgrim was ever turned away. They were made welcome and shown around, allowed to pray in the temple and cared for as required. Those making the pilgrimage were often wishing to serve the temple, and this was sometimes allowed. Frequently such pilgrims became clerics, monks, or paladins in a Lower Temple after a period of service.

The Middle temples were responsible for governing the lower temples. No Priest or Priestess in a lower temple could make rules or pass judgement without the permission of its governing Middle Temple. However, in much the same way, the Middle Temple was ruled from the Upper Temple.

Middle temples were related to specific Lower Temples, but had no direct influence over Lower Temples outside their own jurisdiction, or under the jurisdiction of other Middle Temples.

Any high priest(ess) of a Lower Temple would always have served some time as a priest in a Middle Temple. Not usually the Middle Temple to which they now owe allegiance. Training of new priests is completed at seminaries in Middle Temples. No priest first trained in a Lower Temple completes training in the Middle Temple which governs the Temple the priest trained in. They must complete their training in a different middle temple.

This rule is similar for Paladins, though a Paladin might train in a lower Temple and never progress higher, if he or she is ever to progress, their training must be “validated” by a period of further training in a Middle Temple. Any NCO or Officer in a paladin unit at a Lower Temple will have trained in a Middle Temple before attaining rank. Paladins from a Lower Temple always train at the same Middle Temple, but this is not usually the same Middle Temple as governs the Lower Temple. The Middle Temple to which the Paladins belong is called a Corps Temple.

Senior paladin officers in Lower Temple units may or may not have had further training in the Upper Temple, senior officers in Middle Temple units always trained in the Upper Temple.

Conversely Monks always train under a Sensei, or senior monk, who was trained at a higher temple school. Only monks who raise as high as their Sensei believes possible under their own tutelage are sent on to train at a higher temple school. Monks do not move to train under other Middle Temples, but always train at the temple school which serves their own Sensei. Their Sensei may owe allegiance to a Middle Temple that is not the same Middle Temple as the Clerics. In a similar way to paladins having a Corps Temple, so monks have a Temple School which teaches the way followed by its adherents.

The effects of this are that within any Lower Temple there will be elements trained and owing allegiance to three different Middle Temples. If the Middle Temple governing the Clerics “went bad”, Monks and Paladins would have the possibility of retaining control for Middle Temples still loyal to Franz-Pietro. The same is true of Paladins and Monks. Each element acts as a check on the others.

In the event of a given Middle Temple breaking away, its lower Temples may not all be lost. In the event of a Lower Temple breaking away, it would take three Middle Temples to do nothing for it to succeed. No middle temple can claim to have the unconditional rule over its lower temples, as most of their senior ranks will owe allegiance at least in part to a different middle Temple.

The Upper Temple was only ever reached by divine magical means. It was not attached to the land where the other temples stood. It was a place few ever reached. This was on whatever “Astral Plane” or Lower Astral Plane the DM sees fit to invent. Not normally accessible to mortals except those allowed there by their Gods. (Somewhere maybe akin to the big temple in the sky, that fell during the Wales trip. Except I see it as a globe, half dark rock, half shimmering air, existing in a void, inaccessible from outside.)

Its highest ranking occupants were Angels. These communicated with The God Franz-Pietro Himself. They passed his judgements down, and ruled the Upper Temple in His name. Their “Middle Management” are half-angels and Aasimars who have Lower Management “minions", Aasimars, Humans, and other races who manage the Middle Temples. These have classes in their chosen fields, and will usually have attained their rank by the arduous assent from Lower and Middle Temples.

It became a tradition that the occupants of the Upper Temple were served by Seven Maidens, chosen from the most devout and suitable clerics, monks and paladins ordained into the church. The Chosen Seven visit the Upper Temple frequently. Their task is to cater for all the needs of the Angels, Half-Angels, and Aasimars who occupy the Upper Temple, and also to serve any occupants of other races if required. They are secretary, companion, cook, maid, cleaner, servant and even slave as required.

Sometimes, one of the Chosen is released after a single visit, but there are only ever seven at any time. The best will visit many times, often requested specifically by visiting angels. As a result of their visits, it is not unusual for one of the chosen to become the Mother of an Aasimar or Half-Angel. Aasimars are brought up in the lower Temples by their mothers. Half-Angels remain in the Upper Temple.

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The creation of Anarav and her subsequent rebellion, along with her eventual ascendency to Godhood caused Frenz-Pietro so much anguish that he split and became two Gods. Franz, the God of Paladins, honour Etc., and Pietro, the God of passionate fighters.

It is the church and temples of Franz that are described above.

The temples to Pietro are typically attached to arenas, gymnasia, and to military barracks.

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