The Diocese

Mythic Europe is a patchwork of dioceses: the Ecclesiastical territories of the bishops of the Church. This chapter describes the roles of the clergy, from parish church to papal court.

The head of the Church is the pope — the bishop of the diocese of Rome and beneath him are the other bishops of Mythic Europe. Their dioceses are grouped into provinces, under the jurisdiction of an archbishop. Each diocese is split into archdeaconries, and further subdivided into deaneries. Finally, beneath the deaneries are the individual parishes, where each priest conducts Mass for his congregation.

There are about 800 dioceses in Mythic Europe. In Italy there are almost 200 dioceses, many barely bigger than a parish would be in other parts of Mythic Europe. In England there are 21 dioceses, around 30 in Germany, 79 in France, and 13 in Scandinavia.

Virtually every Hermetic covenant is located in a parish, which is part of a diocese. This is a fact that magi cannot avoid. Even a covenant located within a regio must have an entrance that lies within a parish. Every covenant must thus sometimes interact with the local clergy.

To help decide the saga role of the local clergy, the troupe should describe some local churches using the Hooks and Boons system given later in this chapter, and create characters for a few of the priests, whether they're player characters or nonplayer characters. This process (particularly selecting each church's Hooks and Boons) should suggest stories where the covenant may interact with the Church.

Some important Virtues and Flaws for clergy characters are listed below. You should only take one of the Senior Clergy, Priest, or Clerk Social Statuses for your character.

Senior Clergy

Major Virtue, Social Status

The character is an archbishop, bishop, abbot, abbess, or another senior member of the Church. He has access to the resources of the Church and may have additional duties and powers according to his office.

You may make take either the Wealthy or Poor Virtue/Flaw for the character. This does not necessarily represent the status of the character's diocese, instead it represents the personal wealth of the character. Senior clergy can amass wealth by receiving the benefice of several offices. Indeed, it is not unusual for a character to receive the benefice from various parishes scattered throughout Mythic Europe. He may never even visit some of the dioceses in which his parishes are located, although obviously the character needs to employ a curate to discharge the actual priestly duties in these remote parishes.

The character has a Reputation of level 4, either good or bad, in both the local community and the Church.

You may purchase Academic Abilities for the character during character generation.

Senior clergy are subject to canon law, and must be celibate and tonsured (if male). Note whether the character has been ordained as a deacon, priest, bishop, etc.

This replaces the version of this Social Status that was printed in Realms of Power: The Divine, page 93.

Clergy as Player Characters

Clergy characters are created, following the standard rules in ArM5 Chapter 3, as either grogs or companions:

• Magi or covenfolk could have relatives who are clergy.
• The clergy of the nearby parishes could be player characters.
• The covenant may hold benefices. The curates it employs could form a network of agents spread throughout the diocese or Tribunal.
• A priest (with a license of absence) could live in a covenant as a companion character. He may be a companion of a magus who fights the Infernal, for example.
• Clergyman scribes and notaries could be recruited to work at the covenant.
• The covenant may have a chapel where magi and covenfolk to worship; the chaplain could be a companion character.
• The covenant could be built within a monastery or church (possibly within a regio located there). Many of the covenant's grogs and companions could be clergymen or other religious.

Priest

Minor Virtue, Social Status

The character has been ordained as a priest of the Church; he can conduct Mass, and is subject to canon law. Priest is a major order and the character must be male, tonsured, and celibate. See ArM5 page 47 for details, however, the character need not take the Minor Personality Flaw Vow as stated there (see Vows, later).

You may take the Wealthy Virtue or Poor Flaw for the character. A Wealthy priest is probably wealthy because he is a pluralist (see The Benefice, later). A Poor priest probably works as a curate or chaplain.

Clerk

Minor Virtue, Social Status

The character has been ordained as a member of the clergy. Note whether your character is in major or minor orders. Characters in major orders must be celibate. See ArM5, page 40, for details.

You may take Academic Abilities for the character during character generation.

Religious

Minor Virtue, Social Status

The character is a monk, a nun, a beguine, an anchoress or anchorite, a holy hermit, or similar. You may take Academic Abilities for the character during character generation. The Wealthy Virtue and Poor Flaw are unlikely to be appropriate.

Note that for a friar character you should take the Mendicant Friar Virtue instead (see ArM5, page 46). Monks ordained as priests should instead take the Priest Social Status. Senior monks and nuns should instead have the Senior Clergy Social Status.

License of Absence

Major Virtue, General

This priest character has a license of absence that relieves him from some duties. The license might be valid for only a few years or it could be valid indefinitely. The character has an extra free season each year, but sometimes it is expected that the extra season is used for study. This Virtue is compatible with the Wealthy Virtue and Poor Flaw. A Wealthy priest with a license of absence thus has the whole year free; a character can never have more than four free seasons in a year. A license of absence may only be taken by a character with the Priest Social Status. It may not be taken by Senior Clergy.

Commanding Aura

Free Virtue, Supernatural

This supernatural power is granted to characters by either the pope, or the Divine directly. It is an inherent benefit of Church office.

The character has a power equivalent to the Hermetic spell Aura of Rightful Authority (see ArM5, page 151), but with Voice Range; this power has no cost, and no penetration. The character also has a Magic Resistance and a Soak bonus that depend upon his rank in the Church. If the character carries a relic, this Magic Resistance is added to that of the relic.

Pope: Magic Resistance 25, Soak bonus +5. Cardinal, or legatus a latere: Magic Resistance 20, Soak Bonus +4.

Legatus missus: Magic Resistance 15, Soak Bonus +3.

Archbishop: Magic Resistance 10, Soak Bonus +2.

Papal legates are the representatives of the pope (see Papal Legates, later in this chapter). If the legatus missus — a lower grade with limited powers — delays or deviates from his mission, then his Commanding Aura ceases to work until he completes penance. The Commanding Aura is also lost when a legatus missus completes his mission.

Some lay rulers ordained by the pope (mostly kings and emperors) also have a Commanding Aura. See Realms of Power: The Divine, page 42.

Dark Secret

Major Flaw, Story

This Flaw (see ArM5, page 52) is appropriate for a clergyman who secretly violates canon law. If his secret is discovered he can be fined, removed from office, or excommunicated. Some examples of secrets include:

False Presbyter: This character works as a parish priest despite not being ordained as one. The parishioners may not know (or realize the significance) of their "priest's" lack of qualifications. The character must have the Priest Social Status, too.

Heretic: The character is a heretic. If a priest, then he must be careful that his beliefs are not discovered when his parish is visited. If he is a bishop, and does not repent if discovered, then the pope will excommunicate him and replace him with someone else.

Secret Wife/Husband: Despite taking a vow of celibacy, the character has a secret wife, husband, or concubine. The wife of rural priest may live with him as a "housekeeper." The wife of a monk or canon probably lives in a nearby town or village.

Simony: The character has bought or sold spiritual things, such as the administering of the Sacraments or an appointment to a holy office. Note which of the character's Virtues represents this thing; for example, a benefice (Wealthy), an ordination (Priest), or a relic (Relic). If the character's secret is discovered he will lose the Virtue.

Regular

Minor Flaw, General

The character lives according to a strict religious rule, which leaves little time for other activities. The character must spend one of his free seasons on the seasonal activity of worship (see later in this chapter). This is particularly suitable for monk and canon characters, but it is not compulsory. The Regular Flaw is compatible with Wealthy/Poor, but a Poor Regular character effectively has no free seasons and may be unsuitable as a player character. Magi can be Regular.

The Major Story Flaw Monastic Vows (see ArM5, page 56) can be assigned to a character who has taken monastic or similar vows, as many members of the Church have. Of course, as this is a Major Story Flaw it may not be taken by grog characters, and it prevents other characters from having another Story Flaw. Obviously, this is an impediment to making grog characters and an interesting variety of other characters belonging to the Church. Thus, you should only take the Major Story Flaw Monastic Vows for a character if the troupe wishes to tell stories about his vows; perhaps stories about the moral dilemmas he faces, for example. If the troupe doesn't want to tell stories driven by the character's vows, then do not take the Monastic Vows Story Flaw. Take a Story Flaw that does represent the stories you wish to tell, instead.

Nonetheless, practically every Church character has taken some kind of vow. So, if you want a character deeply affected by religious vows (without committing the troupe to a Story Flaw), then assign him an appropriate Personality Flaw (Chaste, Dutybound, Higher Purpose, Obsessed, or Vow) or the Flaw Regular. Alternatively, if the character has difficulty following his vows, you might like to assign a Flaw that is the opposite of one of his vows. For example, the Personality Flaws Avaricious, Lecherous, or Proud could indicate problems with vows of poverty, chastity, or obedience, respectively.

Finally, it might be that your character has taken vows (and from time to time the character's vows may be an issue) but, in general, the troupe is not really interested in the effect vows have on him from either a story or personality perspective. In this case, just note that the character has taken vows, but do not assign a Virtue or Flaw to represent them.

Faith Points may be spent like Confidence Points to gain a +3 bonus to a roll, and usually a character may only spend 1 Faith Point on each roll. Rare characters have the Virtue True Faith, which increases this limit and gives additional uses for Faith Points (see ArM5 page 189, and Realms of Power: The Divine pages 56–60). Unless a character has True Faith, Faith Points do not automatically regenerate when spent, they must be earned.

These seasonal activities may be performed by Church characters and others.

Worship

Worship is a seasonal activity (conducted during a free season) and is available to any Christian character with access to a chapel or church. This is different than the normal worship of God performed by virtually everyone in Mythic Europe (attending Mass, religious festivals, etc). This special sort of worship involves a demanding daily routine that includes fasting, prayer, and meditation.

Worship has a Source Quality equal to the Divine Aura in the church.

Experience Points from worship may normally be spent on Church Lore, Concentration, Music, or any Supernatural Ability or Art aligned to the Divine that the character already has a Score in. Note that most Supernatural Abilities and the Hermetic Arts are not Divine aligned.

Good Works

This seasonal activity is available to any Christian character. He spends the season performing worthy deeds. For clergy, this can be a non-free season.

Good works often involves working in the community giving alms to the poor or sick, but building a chapel or similar could count, too. Good works has a Source Quality of 2 in an appropriate Ability, and the character also gains 1 Faith Point.

Care of Souls

This seasonal activity can be undertaken by an ordained priest who leads a congregation. He spends the season, which can be one of his non-free seasons, preaching to his congregation. For the following year willing members of the congregation receive a +1 bonus to activities aligned with the theme of the priest's sermons, although a character may only benefit from one such bonus at a time. The themes may be Loyalty, Calmness, Kindness, Bravery, Wisdom, Strength, or Justice.

Care of souls has a Source Quality of 2 for the priest, in Leadership, Area Lore, or Church Lore.

Care of souls is similar to Tempering an Aura (see Realms of Power: The Divine, page 38) and the troupe may use those rules instead.

Recommended and Required Virtues, Flaws, and Abilities

The Pope, Cardinals, & Archbishops

Required Virtues and Flaws: Senior Clergy; Commanding Aura, Temporal Influence.

Recommended Virtues and Flaws: Monastic Vows; Vow.

Recommended Minimum Ability Scores: Artes Liberales 1, Church Lore 5, Civil and Canon Law 5, Dead Language: Latin 5, Theology 3.

Bishops, Abbots, Archdeacons, Deans, & Senior Curia Officials

Required Virtues and Flaws: Senior Clergy.

Recommended Virtues and Flaws: Monastic Vows; Regular (for abbots),

Temporal Influence, Vow. Recommended Minimum Ability Scores: Artes Liberales 1, Church Lore 3, Civil and Canon Law 3, Dead Language: Latin 5, Theology 1.

Clergy

Required Virtues and Flaws: Priest or Clerk.

Recommended Virtues and Flaws: Monastic Vows; Regular (especially for canons and monks), Vow.

Recommended Minimum Ability Scores: Artes Liberales 1*, Church Lore 3, Civil and Canon Law 3, Dead Language: Latin 5*, Theology 1.

* There is no requirement for clergy to be literate, but many are.

The bishop is the elected head of the diocese, and is the chief priest, judge, and ruler of his people. The bishop's election is confirmed, and he is ordained, by either his archbishop or the pope. The symbols of the bishop's office are a ring and crosier (a staff topped by either a hook or cross). Creating, dividing, or suppressing a diocese is the sole right of the pope.

The cathedral chapter is a legal corporation made up of the canons of the cathedral (see Chapters of Canons, later), and it is very influential in the governance of the diocese. Characters who wish to petition the bishop will often need to negotiate with the cathedral canons — the clergy who serve the cathedral.

The bishop is elected by a simple majority, in a secret ballot, of the cathedral canons. A new bishop must be elected within three months of his predecessor's death, and it is not possible for a canon to cast a vote by proxy. Although a canon is often elected, candidates do not need to be a member of the diocese, and the pope sometimes proposes a candidate for an important see — the office of a bishop. The candidate does not even need to be an ordained member of the clergy; he will be ordained as required upon his election.

The Third Lateran Council (1179) decreed that a candidate for bishop must be aged at least thirty, have been born in lawful wedlock, and be worthy as evidenced by his life and learning. In game mechanics, this means that a character must be literate in Latin and must usually have a positive reputation within the Church. An illiterate bastard with a negative reputation can still be elected bishop, but this gives grounds for an election to be challenged.

Elections can be challenged by appealing to the pope (see Petitioning the Church, later). Apart from the candidate's poor education, birth, or reputation, other grounds for appeal include absence of some electors, people voting who were not entitled to, an election too soon or too long after the death of the previous bishop, or candidates who had committed simony. It may take several years for appeals to be worked through, and if the election is overturned the pope appoints a new bishop, who need not be one of the original candidates.

In the past there has been considerable conflict over the appointment of bishops by lay lords; powerful nobles (for example, the Holy Roman Emperor) may still attempt to appoint bishops. Such appointments are typically overturned by the papacy.

Story Seed: The Magus Bishop

A magus at the covenant, who has good relations with the cathedral canons, is elected bishop. If he accepts the office he will inevitably have to defend himself from charges of interference with the mundane. On the other hand, his canon friends may be offended if he refuses, and if he is careful he could use the bishopric to ensure smooth relations between the Order and the Church within his diocese.

If a diocese is overrun by infidel forces, a bishop is still appointed by the pope. A bishop whose diocese is in partibus infidelium has the same powers as a normal bishop, but lives outside his diocese. Which functions of the diocese are able to continue in this state obviously depends upon the attitude of the new infidel rulers.

If, in your saga, a diocese is lost to some supernatural catastrophe, a pagan revival, or a Muslim or Mongol invasion, then the papacy may declare the diocese to be in partibus infidelium.

In many German and Spanish dioceses, and a few in France and England, the bishop is also a baron. Controversy is common during the election of such bishops; the bishop is also a member of a feudal court, and he must choose sides in disputes between his lord and the pope. Jurisdiction in a bishop-baron's diocese, and its neighbors, is complex, especially as the borders of the barony and diocese may not quite coincide. A bishop-baron often has vassal knights, and just like any other feudal lord he could be embroiled in warfare, which is against canon law. Typically, a bishop-baron has the service of about 50 vassal knights, but he could have as many as 300. See Lords of Men, pages 30–36, for details on vassal knights.

The pope is the head of the Church and the bishop of the diocese of Rome. He is elected by a two-thirds majority of the cardinals, who usually elect a fellow cardinal.

The current pope is a Roman who was born as Cencio Savelli. He is an old man (born in the 1140s) who served the Church as canon, camerlengo, chancellor, cardinaldeacon, and cardinal-priest. He was also the tutor of the current Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Savelli was elected pope in 1216, taking the name Honorius III.

Like his predecessor, Innocent III, Honorius III is determined to reform the Church and recover the Holy Land. However, if your saga follows history, much of Honorius III's papacy is consumed by intrigue with Frederick II (whom Honorius III crowns in 1220). Frederick II's constant delay in departing on crusade is the principle reason that little progress has been made towards the recovery of the Holy Land. Honorius III has also dealt with rebellions by the Italian papal states. Even Rome rebelled against Honorius III, forcing him to flee from 1219 to 1220, and (if your saga follows history) again in 1225 to 1226. Despite such conflicts, Honorius III and his advisors usually manage to proceed via diplomacy rather than war.

If your saga follows history, Honorius III dies on March 18, 1227 and is succeeded by cardinal-bishop Ugolino, who takes the name Gregory IX. Ugolino (born in 1170) is a trusted ally of Honorius III, and his diplomacy as papal legate is famed.

Story Seed: The Proctor of Hermes

Quaesitors approach a player character (ideally a senior magus with the Gentle Gift) and explain that they want him to act as proctor for the Order of Hermes in the papal curia. The character will become a Quaesitor and travel to Rome. His task is to ensure smooth relations between the Order and the Church. He can do this by intercepting inappropriate petitions from magi, presenting petitions on behalf of magi to the curia, and ensuring that no petitions that negatively impact on the Order are successfully brought by other parties. The position requires a magus so that he may resist both the Commanding Aura of Church officials and any efforts of other magi to interfere in Church processes.

Some Papal Officials in 1220 AD

Vice-chancellor: Master Willelmus, subdeacon. He is succeeded in 1222 by the notary Master Guido.

Notaries: Masters Guido, Fortis, Obizo, Maximus; all sub-deacons.

Corrector: Bandinus of Siena, deacon.

Camerlengo: Stefano di Cecanno, cardinal-priest of Saint XII Apostoli (1213), appointed camerlengo 1219.

Penitentiarius: Tommaso da Capua, cardinal-priest of Saint Sabina (1216), appointed penitentiarius 1219.

Auditores: Peter de Collemdio.

Auditor litterarum contradictarum: Master Otto da Tonengo, subdeacon. He is succeeded in 1225 by Master Sinibaldus Fieschi (who is elected pope Innocent IV in 1243).

Legates Sent to the Order of Hermes

The Church is present everywhere in Mythic Europe, and thus the papacy is aware, in some sense, of the existence of the Order of Hermes. Precisely how accurate papacy's knowledge is, how well spread that knowledge is, and what its attitude to the Order is, is up to your saga. In any case, it is very likely that papal legates have been sent to investigate individual Hermetic covenants, and perhaps even Tribunal meetings.

The cardinals are the closest advisors of the pope. They help him to perform his duties in Rome and often act as his legates elsewhere in Mythic Europe. The cardinals are appointed by the pope, and in 1220 come from all over Mythic Europe. There can be up to 53 cardinals at any one time, but the number fluctuates throughout the 13th century and sometimes there are as few as ten. Cardinals are usually considered to outrank bishops and archbishops, but during the 13th century their influence varies. There are three ranks of cardinals:

Cardinal-bishops: The bishops of seven small towns near Rome (Ostia, Porto, Silva Candida, Albano, Sabina, Tusculum, and Palestrina). The pope is ordained by a cardinal-bishop.

Cardinal-priests: There can be up to 28 cardinal-priests.

Cardinal-deacons: There can be up to 18 cardinal-deacons.

The curia is the papal court, which has been both enlarged and streamlined under Innocent III and Honorius III. One of their innovations is to assign many of the highest official roles to young, capable sub-deacons rather than to cardinals. If your saga follows history, the curia becomes increasingly powerful throughout the 13th century.

The Chancery

The chancery controls correspondence between the pope and Christendom. Petitions to the papacy (see Petitioning the Church, later) are dealt with by the curia, which receives up to 2,000 each year. Petitions are received and revised into a standard form by a notary, and then publicly read by the data communis. The most important are submitted to the pope. Petitions of lesser importance are sent to the penitentiaria, or the auditores. In any case, once a decision is made, a letter is then drafted, approved by the corrector, publicly read again, and sealed by the bullatores.

The offices in chancery are all held by clergy ordained as acolytes or higher:

Vice-Chancellor: The head of the chancery (the office of chancellor was suppressed by Honorius III in 1216, concentrating power with the pope).

Notaries: There are six notaries. Along with the vice-chancellor, they also take the role of the data communis.

Abbreviatores: Each notary has two or three of these assistants.

Corrector: There are usually two correctors.

Bullatores: These officials hold the papal seal. The seal is not applied until the petitioner pays a tax that meets the cost of the parchment, ink, etc.

Proctors

Proctors are the representatives of bishops, nobles, or religious houses who attend the papal curia to ensure that their client's interests are represented. Proctors present petitions on behalf of their client, and appeal other petitions as presented. Appealed petitions are sent to the auditor litterarum contradictarum for arbitration.

There are four rules for proctors: proctors cannot remain in office for more than two consecutive years, proctors cannot keep a concubine, a client may only have one proctor, and finally the proctor cannot send a substitute to petition in his stead. There are similar rules for proctors in the courts of lesser bishops.

The Camera

The camera controls the papal finances. It is directed by the camerlengo, and beneath him are a number of collectors. The actual administrator of the treasure is the thesaurarius.

The papacy does not tax churches directly. However, since 1199 the papacy has been taxing clerics' benefices. Ostensibly these taxes are levied to fight crusades, but they are used for other purposes, too. If your saga follows history, these taxes become increasingly common throughout the 13th century and range from two percent up to ten percent.

Other finances arrive from the fees charged for various services, and when a bishop or abbot is appointed he pays a third of his yearly income (the servitia communia) to the papacy.

The Judiciary

Judicial officials help the pope to make rulings on disputed cases, appeals, and petitions are as follows.

Penitentiarius: This official is a cardinal who deals with appeals to penances, who grants dispensations, and who can commute or postpone vows. He is also the confessor for the cardinals. He has up to 12 sub-penitentiarii — deputies who may be sub-deacons, deacons, or priests.

Auditores: These officials are appointed as required on a case-by-case basis from the cardinals, bishops, and the papal capellani as a temporary position. Auditores can judge any legal case or petition brought to the papacy, including those brought in person (rather than via letters). However, the pope reserves disputes over elections to himself. The precise jurisdictional

The Church

boundaries between the penitentiarius and the auditores are unclear in the 13th century.

Auditor litterarum contradictarum: This official receives appeals to petitions. He rejects foolish appeals, and otherwise usually tries to arbitrate a compromise solution.

The Capellani

The capellani is the college of priests, deacons, and sub-deacons who serve in Rome. It is organized much like any other cathedral chapter. The capellani perform the liturgy in the Roman churches, serve in the curia, and act as papal legates. The number of capellani varies; in 1220 there are 70.

Papal legates are the representatives of the pope. Legates are appointed by the pope and there are several grades:

Legati a latere: These are usually selected from among the cardinals. Legati a latere represent the pope on the most important and long-reaching missions, and there are no more than a handful at one time. They have the widest powers of the legates, including the power to make their own decisions that bind even the pope. Legati a latere sometimes travel with retinues of hundreds.

Legati missi (or nuncio): are often priests or deacons appointed from the capellani, but they can be clergy from anywhere in Mythic Europe. A legatus missus is given a particular mission — reprimanding a bishop, carrying a message to a foreign court, investigating a heresy, etc. He only has the powers needed for his mission, which are described in letters he carries. Legati missi may travel with a retinue, but frequently only travel with a few acolytes for companions. There may be dozens of legati missi at any one time. Legati missi who perform well are sometimes rewarded with appointment as a cardinal.

Legati nati: Some archbishops carry this title. In earlier centuries, the legati nati (sometimes called vicarii apostolici) had geographical territories that encompassed several archdioceses. The legatus natus supervised his subordinate archdioceses and could consecrate archbishops. By 1220, the title of legatus natus has no real power associated with it, although some archbishops still use this historic title.

The archbishop (or metropolitan) is a bishop who also has responsibility over up to a dozen neighboring dioceses. An archbishop's jurisdiction is called a province, and nearly every diocese is part of a province. However, there are a few dioceses that are instead directly subject to Rome. Such fila specialis dioceses include most of Scotland; Leon, Cartagena, and Burgos in Spain; Bamberg in Germany; and Pavia and Ferrara in Northern Italy. Those dioceses within the province of Rome are also directly subject to Rome.

The archbishop is ordained by, and receives his symbol of office (the pallium) from the pope or a papal legate. The pope can raise any diocese to the rank of archdiocese, and usually each of the bishop's successors become an archbishop, too. The pope can also present the archbishop's pallium to a simple bishop, for noted service to the Church. In this case, the rank of archbishop does not pass onto his successor and he has no provincial jurisdiction, but he does receive the Commanding Aura supernatural power.

The Latin Church has appointed patriarchs at Jerusalem, Antioch, and Constantinople, who serve either alone or in parallel with a Greek patriarch. Although it is not frequently used in the West, patriarch is a rank between archbishop and pope; many ambitious Western archbishops seek to raise themselves to the rank of patriarch. If your saga follows history, the following archdioceses are raised to primacies during the thirteenth century: Mainz, Cologne, Trier, Magdeburg, and Salzburg in Germany; Saint Andrew's in Scotland; Armagh in Ireland; Lund in Scandinavia; Gniezno in Poland; Toledo and Tarragona in Spain; and Esztergom in Hungary. However, again if your saga follows history, the efforts of these primates to create a new Western rank superior to an archbishop ultimately fails.

Story Seed: A Troublesome Minster

In parts of Mythic Europe, the system of parishes was predated by that of minsters. A minster was a superior church, which had aristocratic patronage and ruled over a constellation of subordinate churches who paid it tribute. In 1220, a few churches that were once minsters are still referred to as such, but often the minster is now technically a deanery.

Former minsters usually have a large number (up to a dozen) of dependent chapels, which were once the minster's subordinate churches. The progress of these chapels toward parish status often provokes resistance.

A chapel near the covenant, where the covenfolk worship, is still trapped in this dependent relationship with a minster. The minster is attempting to reassert the payment of its tribute, and the chaplain asks the magi for assistance. Obviously, the magi will need to be careful if they get involved, as the minster is rich and influential.

Major Covenant Boon: Archdeacon Agent

The local archdeacon is an agent of the covenant. He ensures that the Church does not pry too closely into the covenant's affairs, and he keeps the covenant informed on changes among the local priests.

The archdeacon, the bishop's deputy, has responsibility over a territorial subset of the diocese — the archdeaconry. He is usually appointed by the bishop, but in some dioceses he is elected by the canons of his church. Originally the archdeacon only advised the bishop, but over the centuries more and more power has accumulated to him. In 1220, he is the chief judge of canon law within the archdeaconry, and his court travels regularly among his parishes. He often retains a portion of the fines that his court imposes, and as he has the right of visitation he has a large influence over the administration of his parishes. In some dioceses, the archdeacons have greater effective power than the bishop.

The archdeacon must be ordained as a deacon. Occasionally, a priest undertakes the office of archdeacon, but this is rare.

There is considerable regional variation in the number of archdeacons in a diocese. For example, in Canterbury there is one, in Cologne there are four, in Constance ten, in Mainz 22, in Munster 34, in Hildesheim 40. An archdeaconry may include anywhere between a few hundred and few dozen parishes.

There are two types of deans. A rural dean is the head of a group of up to two dozen rural parishes called a deanery. The other type of dean is the head of a chapter of canons; he is the leader of the priests of a large urban church. Chapters of canons and their deans are discussed later.

The rural dean's church is usually the oldest and largest in the deanery, and his office is an unusual one as the deanery is a subdivision of the archdeaconry; he is subordinate to the archdeacon, but the dean also represents the bishop directly. This means that the deans may be forced into choosing sides in the event of conflict between bishop and archdeacon. The dean convokes meetings of the deanery clergy several times a year, and he has visitation rights over his subordinate parishes. Some rural deans use the title archpriest, which dates from an earlier Church period.

In 1220, around two percent of the population are clergy, but they are not evenly distributed. In poor rural districts there is just the curate and his parish clerk, whereas in towns there might be several parishes each with a chapter of canons. Since the 11th century, the Church in Mythic Europe has emphasized that clerics are a separate caste, but of course, not all of the clergy are as pure and pious as the Church would claim. Clerics are born to common society, most are the sons of peasants, and they share all the faults of the laity. So there are always drunks, murderers, usurers, gamblers, robbers, and the wanton among the clergy. Indeed, in many dioceses much of the bishop's time and correspondence involves correcting wayward priests. There is a constant tension between the heavenly loftiness that clergy are supposed to aspire to and their earthly origins.

There are two main types of clerical members of the Church: those in minor orders and those in major orders. The minor orders are doorkeeper, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. The major orders are sub-deacon, deacon, priest, and bishop. A character progresses through each of these grades in order: becoming a doorkeeper, advancing to lector, and so forth. It is not expected, however, that everyone will progress through the entire sequence. In 1220 the ranks of acolyte, sub-deacon, and deacon are seen as life-long offices, and there is no sense that someone who lives to an old age as a deacon has failed because he has not become a priest.

Story Seed: The Vicar-General

A new bishop is elected in the diocese, and he is appalled at the power that his predecessors have allowed to accumulate with the archdeacon. He creates a new office, the vicar-general, and assigns to him the duty of holding a canon court that visits the rural parishes — currently the main duty of the archdeacon. The archdeacon approaches the covenant looking for assistance to thwart the bishop's plans. He is after evidence to challenge the election of the bishop, but will be open to other suggestions, too. The archdeacon is powerful, and in return he could promise to reduce the covenant's tithe, or he could even assign the covenant benefices.

Each step a clergyman takes through the orders is marked by an ordination ceremony, and in a populous diocese there might be 300 ordinations per year. Usually, a person is ordained in his birth-diocese; to be ordained elsewhere he needs the permission of the bishop of his birth-diocese.

Ordination is a seasonal activity, with a Source Quality of 2 in either Civil and Canon Law or Church Lore. Prior to ordination, characters usually study the liturgies (Church Lore) or canon (Civil and Canon Law), and candidates for doorkeeper are usually taught en masse by the archdeacon.

During the ordination season, the ordinand is examined by the bishop (or the delegated archdeacon or dean). The examination is oral and can take up to several hours; there is no requirement for clergy to be literate. Normally, the ordinand must travel for the examination, or he will have to wait until his parish receives a visitation.

In game terms, the examination is represented by comparing the character's Examination Total against the appropriate Ease Factor for that rank:

Rank: Doorkeeper
Church Lore Ease Factor: 3

Rank: Lector
Church Lore Ease Factor: 6

Rank: Exorcist:
Civil & Canon Law Ease Factor: 3

Rank: Acolyte
Civil & Canon Law Ease Factor: 6

Rank: Sub-deacon
Church Lore Ease Factor: 9

Rank: Deacon
Civil & Canon Law Ease Factor: 9

Rank: Priest
Church Lore Ease Factor: 12

Rank: Bishop
Ease Factor: None; bishops are elected.

Whether the Examination Total is generated using the character's Church Lore or Civil and Canon Law Ability Score depends on the rank being obtained.

Ordination Examination Total: Intelligence + (Church Lore or Civil and Canon Law) + stress die

If the character passes his examination, he is ordained by the bishop. It is usual for the bishop to ordain several people at once, so a successful candidate may need to wait a few days for other pending examinations to be conducted.

A character who is ordained gains the appropriate Social Status, and a Faith Point.

If the character's Ordination Exam Total is more than double the required Ease Factor, he gains a positive Reputation of 1 for being knowledgeable in either Church Lore or Civil and Canon Law (or increases an existing positive Reputation, or decreases a negative Reputation, by 1 Reputation "experience" point, see ArM5 page 167).

If the character's Ordination Exam Total misses the required Ease Factor by less than 6, he still "passes" his examination, but gains a negative Reputation of 1 for being ignorant of either Church Lore or Civil and Canon Law (or increases an existing negative Reputation, or decreases a positive Reputation, by 1 Reputation "experience" point).

If the character fails his ordination examination by more than 6, he is not ordained but he can appeal the decision (see Petitioning the Church, later). The character can also try again another season.

If the character botches his ordination examination he can only try again if he successfully petitions the Church for permission (see Petitioning the Church, later).

Rapid Ordinations

Characters are usually ordained one grade at a time. However, sometimes an ordinand is accelerated through the grades. The main reason this happens is that a low-ranking clergyman (or even a layman) is elected bishop. However, even if a character is ordained in several grades at once, he gains only 1 Faith Point due to ordination.

The minor orders all wear tonsures and clerical robes. They are subject to canon law and may be married, although they are expected to marry a virgin. Characters in minor orders must be male.

Doorkeeper

In the early centuries of the Church, doorkeepers (or porters) guarded the doors and contents of churches. However, by the 13th century these duties are actually undertaken by laymen. The office of doorkeeper is now held by young boys who are being trained to advance further in the Church hierarchy; their role is merely to assist the other grades during church services. In most dioceses there is a new cohort of several dozen doorkeepers every year.

A doorkeeper is usually ordained in his early teens. At his ordination he is blessed by the bishop and receives a pair of keys. A doorkeeper often receives further education in the cathedral school (or at another large urban church), and may spend his two free seasons in study (see Art & Academe, page 81).

Lector

Lectors receive a codex of lessons (Church Lore Tractatus; Quality 6–8) when ordained, and in the early Church their role was to teach these lessons to the congregation. In 1220, this role has been usurped by the higher orders (usually the deacons), and the lector's duties are instead ceremonial ones. There is not even a requirement that a lector must be literate.

A lector is usually only a few years older than a doorkeeper, and he usually continues to receive an education. Almost all doorkeepers become lectors.

Exorcist

At ordination, an exorcist receives a scroll of exorcism rites. In the early Church, exorcists looked after those who were possessed and conducted daily exorcisms of adults who were being prepared for baptism, to clear them of any supernatural influences from their previous pagan faith. However, in 1220 adult baptism is rare (most characters are baptized as infants), and so there is less need for prebaptismal exorcism. In 1220, clergy are usually ordained to the grade of exorcist in their late teens, and some clergy progress no further.

Possession and Exorcism

Possession by demons is a common occurrence in Mythic Europe, and exorcists have a special responsibility to help the possessed. Rules for possession are given in Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 32; the demon invests a fraction of his Infernal Might Pool in the victim (the energumen) in order to control her.

To perform the exorcism rite, the exorcist must spend at least 1 Confidence (or Faith) Point and an Exorcism Total is generated (each Confidence/Faith Point adds +3, as usual). If the Exorcism Total equals or exceeds an Ease Factor equal to the number of Might Points invested in the energumen by the demon, then the demon is exorcised.

Exorcism Total: Stress Die + Bonuses

Any clergyman can conduct exorcisms. Those who have been ordained as exorcists receive a +1 bonus, and using holy water and a crucifix adds a further +1 each. Exorcism is a Divine supernatural power and the Total is affected by the aura in the usual way. If the energumen has Magic Resistance, it must be Penetrated by the exorcism; Penetration is calculated as usual (see ArM5, page 184).

A character must be literate in Latin to read the exorcism rite from a scroll, however an illiterate character (who has been told what to say) can still conduct the rite.

Story Seed: A Catechumen Covenant

A pious pereginator (itinerant magus) visiting the covenant is appalled at the covenant's isolation from the Church, and he fears for the immortal souls of the unbaptized covenfolk. He helps the covenfolk petition the Church for assistance, which dispatches a pair of bright young exorcists to the covenant. The eager exorcists spend the season at the covenant performing daily exorcisms on the covenfolk, and providing verbal instruction on Christianity. At the end of the season spent as catechumens adults undergoing instruction in Christianity prior to baptism — the covenfolk will travel to the nearby parish church and be baptized. As baptism dispels supernatural effects, this may cause problems if the magi are using magic to augment or control the covenfolk.

Acolyte

The acolyte is the greatest of the minor orders, and the symbols of his office are an extinguished candlestick and an empty vessel. These symbolize the acolyte's traditional responsibilities for keeping the church's candles lit, and for presenting wine and water at the altar. A character is not usually ordained as an acolyte until after he has reached the age of twenty.

Many acolytes serve as parish clerks, and others perform minor duties for the Church as scribes, messengers, or distributors of alms. Most Church characters encountered outside of churches are acolytes on minor missions for the diocese.

Like the minor orders, the major orders all wear tonsures and clerical robes. They are also subject to canon law. The major orders are celibate.

Sub-Deacon

When a sub-deacon is ordained he is presented with a paten (the plate on which the bread is placed during Mass), and a chalice by the bishop. He is also presented with a pitcher and a basin by the archdeacon. Sub-deacons act as parish clerks and canons. Sub-deacons also form part of the retinue of senior clergy.

Deacon

The symbol of the deacon's office is a stole, placed over the left shoulder. A deacon can serve as a parish clerk or a canon. The office of archdeacon is also held by a deacon, as are many of the offices in a chapter of canons or the cathedral administration. Deacons are also found in the retinue of the senior clergy.

Priest

A priest is ordained by the bishop laying hands on him. Each bishop was once ordained by a laying on of hands by another bishop, who was likewise ordained and so forth. This chain of hands reaches back in time to the disciples (ordained by Jesus, from whom the power of the clergy originates). The priests of the Church are the successors of Christ's 72 disciples, the bishops are the successors of the 12 apostles, and the pope is the successor to the chief apostle, Peter.

A priest must be freeborn, legitimate, sound of body and mind, sufficiently well educated for his office, and at least 25 years old. Even if he fails to meet these criteria, a character can still be ordained, but he must gain a special dispensation from the bishop or the pope (see Petitioning the Church, later). Dispensations are quite readily granted, and it is common for characters who are bastards, missing limbs, underaged, or with poor eyesight to receive them. Even the bastard sons of priests can receive dispensation, although if the father was a canon then the son cannot be a member of the same chapter.

A bishop cannot ordain a priest who has no means of financial support. This usually means that a priest can only be ordained if there is a vacant benefice, or a if there is a vacant position as a chaplain or curate in the diocese; but priests of noble birth sometimes have private sources of wealth.

A priest should always wear his clerical dress, even when on journeys. The most important item of dress is his stole, which he receives at his ordination.

Canon law is based on papal decrees or bulls, and it is used by the Church throughout Mythic Europe, although there are minor regional differences in how some decrees are interpreted. There are several compendiums of papal decrees, called decretals, in circulation. One common volume is Gratian's Decretum (Civil and Canon Law Summa; Level 5, Quality 11).

Archdeacons travel throughout their jurisdiction (see Visitation, later in this chapter) and hold court in the parishes they visit. The bishop's court is the court of appeal, and he can choose to hear other cases, too. The final court of appeal is the papal curia. In some dioceses rural deans, and even the parish priest, also act as canon judges, but generally the archdeacons have monopolized this duty. In any case, the judge employs a notary (usually an acolyte or sub-deacon) who travels with him, keeping a record of cases and judgments.

Secular Justice

Clergy are not subject to secular justice, so clergymen found guilty by a secular court are passed to the bishop's court to be tried again. Most secular courts are thus observed by agents of the bishop to ensure that clergymen receive this protection. Secular judges find this exasperating, particularly as many clergymen are subsequently acquitted via compurgation (see Court Procedures, later).

However, canon law also states that clergymen should not, under pretext of Ecclesiastical liberty, attempt to undermine the authority of secular justice. So a clergyman who commits very serious crimes against town or lord may find himself punished by a canon court, or excommunicated and returned to the hands of secular justice.

Canon Law Jurisdiction

Canon law claims jurisdiction over the religious obligations and moral offenses of both laymen and clergy. This includes wills, church attendance, marriage, sexual offenses, brawling in church grounds, slander, usury, and breaches of contract, although secular courts also claim jurisdiction over some of these offenses. In civil cases (brought by one layman against another) there is a tendency to prefer canon courts, as cases are generally resolved more quickly and with less cost. On the other hand, secular courts dominate criminal cases where there is double jurisdiction. This is because canon courts have no officers to detain suspects, nor anywhere to hold prisoners awaiting trial.

Court Procedures

Priests, or parishioners, are summoned to attend the canon court by a summoner (sometimes called an apparitor). This official may be an acolyte or sub-deacon, but often he is a layman. In either case, the summoner does not receive a salary, instead he charges a fee to those summoned. This arrangement is ripe for corruption, and some accuse summoners of inventing sins to report to the archdeacon.

A person cannot be forced, except by papal decree, to attend a canon court further than two days travel from his diocese. This law was introduced in 1215 to resolve abuses whereby someone was accused in a distant court and then convicted in his absence.

Cases are decided by the canon judge — there is no jury — although he can be held to account if the notary's record indicates corruption or poor decisions. There is usually little effort to examine physical evidence, and great weight is given to the testimony of witnesses.

An important, controversial, procedure of canon courts is the ritual of compurgation. In this ritual, about a dozen witnesses (the precise number varies) declare to the court, under oath, that the defendant is of good character and incapable of the offense. If such witnesses can be found, the defendant is acquitted. In other words, compurgation testifies to the character of the defendant rather than the facts of the case; this is the principle reason why secular courts dislike canon courts.

The following are the usual canon law punishments. Note that canon courts cannot pass sentences of death or physical punishment, as clerics cannot shed blood.

Bishops and Blood

Those bishops who are also feudal lords may have difficulty avoiding involvement in the shedding of blood. Confession lifts divine punishment for this transgression, though, and the papacy can also take action to correct or replace bishop-barons. However, the papacy will be cautious, as the bishopbaron's feudal allies may leap to his defense.

Excommunication is reserved for repeat, serious offenses, and a bishop can excommunicate anyone in his diocese. An excommunicate character is cursed and receives no benefit from any of the Sacraments except penance, and if he dies he cannot be buried in consecrated ground. An excommunicated clergyman is also no longer protected from secular justice. Excommunication can be lifted by the character confessing, repenting, and completing penance.

Irregularity automatically (and only) affects clergy who commit grossly immoral crimes (mostly shedding blood). An irregular clergyman cannot make use of Faith Points. Irregularity does not require a trial, or even for anyone to know of the crime, as this punishment is inflicted by the Divine. Irregularity is lifted by confession.

Lay and clergy can receive monition — an official warning. Even serious offenses by the clergy (non-residence, brawling, and concubinage) can receive monition, but usually only to first-time offenders.

Many crimes are punished by a public penance. Some examples include soldiers who make military use of church buildings presenting their arms to the altar; clergymen who argue in the church grounds then standing on opposite sides of the altar chanting the psalter at each other for a day; or a parishioner who stabs another in the church providing rushes to cover the church floor.

Canon courts can imprison characters in either a monastery or nunnery. Wealthy women who commit sexual offenses are often punished like this, as are clergymen convicted by a secular court when the bishop decides it would be impolitic to acquit by compurgation. Monasteries are not usually very secure, and are often easy to escape from.

Fines are imposed when a character fails to complete penance. Sometimes the fine is paid to the Church, but in cases where a man sins against another, the victim receives the fine.

Clergy can have their benefice suspended, either for short periods or permanently. Usually, suspension is only inflicted after the clergyman has been given a monition and a chance to reform.

The following types of cases are typical of those a canon court might hear.

Shedding of Blood

Clerics are forbidden to shed blood. The most recent reiteration of this rule was the Fourth Lateran Council (1215). Clerics may not:

• Decree or pronounce a sentence involving the shedding of blood.
• Carry out or be present for a punishment involving the shedding of blood.
• Write or dictate letters that require punishments involving the shedding of blood.
• Command mercenaries, or crossbowmen, or suchlike men of blood.
• Be involved in any of the ordeals see Realms of Power: The Divine, page 78.

In addition, clerics in major orders may not practice chirurgy.

Marriage and Sexual Crimes

Prostitution, casual sex, and giving birth within the first nine months of marriage are canon crimes, and men must usually support bastard children as penance. Marriage between close relatives and bigamy are crimes. Contraception and abortion are also canon crimes, but are only rarely prosecuted and are not harshly punished. Contraception is hard for the court to discover, and an unborn fetus is assumed to have no soul. On the other hand, a magus who sterilizes himself or others with a longevity potion has technically committed an offense.

Sanctuary

The church, churchyard, and cemetery are places of sanctuary, within which it is forbidden to spill blood or brawl. Many fugitives from lay justice thus seek the safety of a church. Sanctuary is granted for up to 40 days, after which time the fugitive should surrender to the lay authorities. In some dioceses sanctuary is also extended to chapels.

Story Seed: The Heresy of Hermes

In parts of Mythic Europe, having a tonsure and demonstrating proficiency in Latin is sufficient evidence of being a clergyman. A magus accused of murder has thus claimed Ecclesiastical protection, and then (maybe via Rego Mentem magic) been acquitted of the crime via compurgation. Unfortunately for the nearby player-covenant, the archdeacon is now suspicious of the Order of Hermes and has since pried into the covenant's affairs, which he concludes show evidence of heresy. The player-covenant could probably prosecute the magus for interference in the mundane, but dealing with the archdeacon's investigation is a more pressing concern.

Story Seed: Hermetic Sanctuary

A desperate magus seeks sanctuary during Wizard War. Does his opponent ignore the laws of the Church?

The player characters could be participants in the Wizard War. Alternatively, the players might be involved after the fact when the Church sends a legate to the tribunal to protest against, fine, or excommunicate a magus who has violated Church sanctuary.

Simony

Simony is the buying and selling of sacred things, which is a canon law crime. Nonetheless ordinations, relics, benefices, burial rights, and places in nunneries and monasteries are sometimes bought and sold. When simony is identified by the Church, the usual penalty for the buyer is that whatever he gained is removed. The seller is fined twice the value of the transaction, and may be excommunicated for repeat offenses.

Relics

Relics are the remains of saints, or objects used by the saint, and are described in detail in Realms of Power: The Divine, pages 43–46. The basics are summarized here:

• All relics have a Faith Score and an equal number of Faith Points.
• Anyone who holds the relic has a Magic Resistance equal to 10 x the Faith Score, and may spend the Faith Points as if they were Confidence Points. The Faith Points replenish each day.
• The relic has a Divine Might Score equal to 10 x the Faith Score.
• Relics radiate an aura hostile to the Infernal, which extends a number of feet equal to the relic's Might Score. Creatures with an Infernal Might may only enter the aura of hostility if their Might Score exceeds that of the relic, and even then, they suffer damage equal to the relic's Might Score each round (although this may be Soaked).
• Some relics have other supernatural powers related to the saint's life.

Usury

Charging excessive interest rates on loaned money is the canon crime of usury. This is also a secular crime (in most dioceses) and is usually more effectively prosecuted by secular courts.

Wills

Disputes over the division of estates can be resolved by a canon court. Sometimes wills are registered in advance with the archdeacon's court, but many people are reluctant to do this, believing that writing a will invites death.

Upkeep of the Church

If the archdeacon finds the church in a poor condition during his visitation, then the priest or representatives of the congregation can be prosecuted.

Religious Practices

Laymen can be prosecuted for failing to regularly attend Church festivals. Clergy can also be prosecuted for failing to fulfill their religious duties, or for heretical practices. Pagan magi and covenfolk may find that either their absence at church or their unusual beliefs have been noticed and reported to the archdeacon for prosecution.

Tithes

In 1220, everyone tithes a tenth of their income to the Church. However, the canon court commonly prosecutes people for paying less than the court believes is due. Hermetic covenants that evade the tithe may eventually be found out, and the magi prosecuted.

Slander

Since 1215, slander has been a canon offense. The Church's intention is that by providing legal recourse, parishioners will brawl less over matters of "honor." In 1220, few cases have yet been heard by archdeacon courts, so it is unclear if this will succeed.

Sorcery and Witchcraft

Rarely, minor cases of sorcery are brought to the canon court. A typical penance involves wearing a white sheet before the congregation, although canon courts are ambivalent about whether minor sorcery (except as evidence of infernalism or paganism) is a crime. Serious cases of sorcery are prosecuted by secular courts, which can impose death as a punishment.

The parish is the main unit of Ecclesiastic administration in Mythic Europe, and a diocese might contain between several hundred and one thousand parishes. The size of parishes can vary considerably, from a few acres enclosed by town walls to a tract of land several miles across, encompassing thousands of acres of farmland.

Parish life is centered around the parish church, where the rector (a priest) recites the liturgy and conducts Masses and burials. The rites of the parish protect the parishioners from supernatural peril, and the priest provides a conduit to the Divine.

During construction, the parish church is consecrated by the bishop and the relics of a saint are interred beneath the altar. Many churches contain other relics, and some wealthy churches contain hundreds or even thousands of relics. Wealthy churches are also often decorated with frescoes, mosaics, carvings, and statues depicting saints and biblical scenes.

The two critical parts of the church are the chancel and the nave. The chancel is at the east end of the church, and the rear, east wall holds the altar. This is where the priest conducts the liturgy, and the chancel is often screened off from the rest of the church. Rarely, the chancel is placed at the west end of the church, so that the priest may face the congregation while he conducts the liturgy. The nave (at the west end of the church) is where the congregation stands during Mass. The congregation is responsible for the upkeep of the nave, and the priest is responsible for the upkeep of the chancel. This division of responsibility sometimes means that the two sections are rebuilt at different times and of different materials. The chancel is usually smaller than the nave, but an urban church with many canons may have a very large chancel.

Some churches include aisles, which are extensions to the nave. A large church may have additional altars built in the east walls of the aisles, each served by extra priests. Large churches also normally have transepts. These are wings built at right angles to the nave, giving the church a cruciform footprint. Transepts may also have extra altars built in their east walls.

Most churches contain towers, from which the church bells are rung. A few churches lack bells due to the expense of a tower, so their Divine aura does not extend beyond the consecrated ground of the church. Chapels do not have the right to ring bells, and so usually lack a tower.

Many churches have a raised platform in the nave, or in an aisle, that contains a table and a chair. This is where the archdeacon's canon court is held.

The parish church is often constructed of stone, and may be the only strongly built structure in the parish. The church is usually kept locked and barred, and many parishioners store valuable goods within the church nave, although this is technically against canon law except in times of enemy incursions, fires, or other emergencies. Parishioners often retreat to the safety of the church in times of war, but most churches in Mythic Europe are not built with the intention of defense: the windows and entrances are too large, and the walls are not thick enough. On the other hand, in those parts of Mythic Europe that are frequently wracked by war, fortified churches are common, and even in relatively peaceful areas it is not surprising to find a few fortified churches scattered throughout the countryside.

There is a considerable regional variation in churches. Multiple domes and cupolas are common in Italy and southern France, whereas spires are more common in Germany, northern France, and England. Older churches that date to the Roman Empire are usually built in the basilica style (a long, columned east-west hall) with the altar in a semi-circular apse at the east end.

Church Auras

Divine auras radiate from the church altar for as far as the church bells can be heard, or to the edge of the parish boundary, whichever is closer. A small parish might be entirely covered by a Divine aura. The strength of the aura depends upon the distance from the altar and the size of the church:

Area	Aura Level
Large church/cathedral	5
Typical parish church	4
Chapel	3
Within city walls	3
Within town walls	2
Fields of a rural parish	1

Spells in Church

A typical rural church has a floor area of about 500 square feet, but urban churches can be much larger. For Hermetic magic, the nave and each floor of the tower count as separate Rooms. Aisles and the transepts are a part of the nave. If it is petitioned off, the chancel is a separate Room, otherwise it is also part of the nave. The entire church may be targeted as a Structure, and unless the church is unusually large no size modifier is required.

Story Seed: The Reconstructed Temple

Some churches are constructed from stone salvaged from Roman buildings. A magus receives a vision that indicates how a temple of Mercury was thus broken down and rebuilt as the local cathedral. The vision is specific enough for the magus to rebuild the temple, which his vision seems to indicate will form a gateway to a regio or possibly the Magic Realm itself. Can the magus find a way to reclaim the temple from the cathedral?

The parish priest is the representative of the Church. He is usually locally born, or at least from within the diocese. For a priest from further afield, finding a common language to communicate with his congregation can be a problem, because many languages in Mythic Europe are spoken in dialects confined to narrow geographic regions.

The priest's main tasks involve reciting the liturgy, distributing alms, and caring for the spiritual needs of his congregation.

Hermetic Magic and the Sacraments

Magi can observe the supernatural effects of the Sacraments, and it is common knowledge within the Order that the Sacraments are supernatural Divine powers. For example, a baptismal name cannot be used as a Sympathetic Connection to aid Penetration (unlike a birth name), Mass does indeed change simple bread and wine into something Divine, and bodies that have received Extreme Unction cannot be affected by magic for three days.

Due to this overwhelming evidence of the Divine, most magi believe in the existence of God, and many would describe themselves as Christians. However, even a magus who identifies himself as Christian would almost certainly be considered by the Church to have a heretical view of the world, colored as it will be by the magus' knowledge of the supernatural.

The Liturgy

The liturgy is the church service. It consists of the fasting parish priest reciting the Epistle and Gospel in Latin, while it is sung by the church choir. The priest also conducts Mass. During the liturgy the priest stands before the altar, facing east with his back to the congregation. In a large church he may be assisted by several clergy in lower orders, but in a rural church the priest is usually only assisted by his clerk. There is no attempt to translate for the congregation: their role is only to gaze upon the Host (the bread consecrated as the body of Christ).

The Sacraments

The priest conducts the Mass and the other Sacraments. There are seven Sacraments, which are described in Realms of Power: The Divine, page 74. The Sacraments are supernatural powers. They do not need to Penetrate to have their effect, but the participants must be willing. A character may not have more than 1 Faith Point from each Sacrament.

Baptism: A character must be baptized for any of the other Sacraments to have any effect on him, and he receives a new, baptismal name, which cannot be used for magical purposes. A character can only be baptized once, and any character who knows how can perform a baptism, anywhere. Even a pagan may perform the rite. However, baptisms performed by an ordained priest also dispel any non-Divine, nonpermanent supernatural effects that are affecting the character at the time. Additionally, baptisms conducted by a priest at a baptismal font gain the character a Faith Point. All parish churches have baptismal fonts, but most chapels do not.

Confirmation: A character can only be confirmed once, which grants him a Faith Point. The confirmation Sacrament can only be conducted by a bishop. Confirmation is uncommon among the laity in 1220, but most clergy receive confirmation.

Mass: This is the most sacred and holy of the priest's Sacraments (also called the Eucharist or Holy Communion). In this Sacrament, bread and wine is turned into the body and blood of Christ. This is consumed by the congregation, which grants them a Faith Point each. Every Christian must attend Mass at least once a year at Easter.

Marriage: Both husband and wife get a Faith Point from the Sacrament of marriage.

Penance: By this Sacrament, a character can be absolved of confessed sins by completing a penance that his priest assigns. The character receives a special Confidence Point that may only be spent on the penance task. Every Christian must confess his sins at least once a year, and a character may only confess to his parish priest, unless the priest gives permission to confess to another. Confession is secret and is privately whispered to the priest, but as confession boxes are not yet used, it is sometimes possible for confession to be overheard.

Ordination: Ordination Sacraments are conducted by the bishop (see Clerics, earlier).

Extreme Unction: Extreme Unction, or Last Rites, are performed just before, or just after, a person dies. He is absolved of all mortal sins and receives a Faith Point. In addition, his body cannot be affected by other supernatural powers for three days.

The Parish Clerk

The parish priest is assisted by a clerk (often an acolyte, sometimes a sub-deacon). The clerk helps with the liturgy, rings the church bells, and accompanies the priest in his travels about the parish.

The parish clerk is often selected by the priest, but in some parishes the parishioners elect him. In either case, the position is usually held for many years, and in some parishes has become hereditary. There is no expectation that the parish clerk will succeed the priest.

The parish clerk is paid a yearly wage by the parishioners, with the exact amount depending on the wealth of the parish; a London parish clerk could expect a wage of three or four pounds, whereas a simple rural clerk may only earn a dozen shillings. The clerk is a fulltime position, but he can supplement his income by picking up small fees for writing letters for the parishioners.

Story Seed: The Lost Priest

A priest exorcises the demons from an abandoned village in his parish, after which he returns to his church and appears well. Unfortunately, in the weeks that follow the priest goes mad, until finally he locks himself in the church tower, braying like a donkey. In fact, a fragment of the priest's mind is trapped in an Infernal regio in the abandoned village. The sundering of the priest's mind has driven him mad. A co-adjudicator is assigned to the village and he quickly learns from the parishioners about the parish priest's sojourn prior to his madness. The co-adjudicator seeks help from the nearby covenant, as the magi are famed locally for their knowledge and wisdom.

The Curate

The curate fulfills the liturgical duties of an absent parish priest, and is usually paid only a fraction of what the benefice is worth. The curate is often a second-rate priest who is barely literate and has only a poor grasp of theology.

The Chaplain

Large parishes often contain subordinate churches called chapels. The priest appointed to hold Mass in the chapel is called a chaplain (see Rural Parishes, later).

The Co-adjudicator

When the bishop learns that a parish priest is ill, senile, or mad he appoints a co-adjudicator to perform the priest's responsibilities. Sometimes (especially in temporary appointments) the co-adjudicator is the priest of a neighboring parish, who must scurry between the two parishes. The incumbent priest may either recognize his incapacity and willingly accept his replacement, or he may fight the presence of a co-adjudicator. Sometimes the co-adjudicator takes advantage of his temporary control of the parish coffers and resources.

On Rogation Day (April 25th) the priest and parishioners walk the boundary of the parish. This rowdy procession, called the perambulation, can take many hours (or even a few days in a large rural parish), and there are frequent stops at charitable households along the way for food and drink. The perambulation is an opportunity for the parishioners to note how well crops are growing, for the clerk to assess the tithe, and for wayward parish boundary markers to be replaced. The yearly perambulation creates a path around the perimeter of the parish, which can become obscured if the perambulation is not walked (as occasionally happens). This leads to confusion when the perambulation is resumed in later years.

As neighboring parishes walk the perambulation on the same day, two groups of walking parishioners may meet. Insults are likely to be traded between the two parties, and scuffles occasionally break out.

The perambulation is sometimes walked in urban parishes too, but it is less common.

The benefice is the income associated with a parish church. This is usually assigned to a priest by the bishop, but some benefices are assigned by archdeacons, nobles, gilds, or town councils. The ideal parish in Mythic Europe has a single priest — the rector — who holds the benefice, resides in the parish, and holds Mass in the parish church. However, in practice very few parishes are run like this. Most benefices are in fact held by absent priests who employ another priest (see The Curate, earlier) to actually perform the parish duties.

There are three main reasons why a priest might be legitimately absent from his parish:

• He could have leave to study in a university, to go on pilgrimage, or similar. A leave of absence of several years for these purposes is common.
• He could be in service elsewhere. The canons of the cathedral, for example, usually hold rural benefices within the diocese, as do the priests who serve in the private chapels of important nobles.
• The final (and most frequent) reason for non-residence is the widespread practice of a single priest holding several benefices. Pluralism, as this is called, is technically outlawed in canon law, and arouses much hostility within the Church. However, even the papacy frequently engages in pluralism. Some clergy (consequently the wealthiest) hold more than a dozen benefices, from which they collect total incomes of hundreds of pounds a year.

A priest with a benefice who is resident at a covenant, or spends a lot of time adventuring with magi, might apply for a license of absence from the bishop (see Petitioning the Church, later, and the Minor Virtue License of Absence, earlier). Depending on your saga, he may need to find another pretext for the license and, in any case, he must arrange for a curate.

Two priests can exchange benefices, the usual reason being a falling out between the priest and his parishioners. The exchange requires the permission of the bishop and if the benefices are in different dioceses both bishops must agree. In some parts of Mythic Europe, the bishop's clerks act as brokers for these exchanges and charge a fee for their services. These fees are strongly opposed by the papacy, which regards the practice as simony.

Minor Covenant Boon: Holder of Benefices

The covenant is an institutional holder of several parish benefices. The covenant collects the benefice incomes (a Typical Source of income) and is responsible for assigning curates to perform Mass. The parishes need not necessarily be geographically close to the covenant, and could even be in a different diocese. On the other hand, if the covenant is built within one of its parishes, then the congregation may be mostly covenfolk. This Boon may be taken multiple times.

Story Seed: The Overgrown Glebe

In rural parishes part of the benefice is a plot of land, sometimes called a glebe. This is usually a plot of about 5 to 10 acres that the priest and his staff personally farm. This is much the same size as the land a freehold peasant would farm. In wealthier parishes the glebe could be hundreds of acres, and the priest can collect a substantial income from renting it out.

A priest newly assigned to a benefice discovers that his predecessor has allowed the parish's small glebe to become overgrown with exotic plants that burst with exhilaratingly scented flowers, buzz with bees, and are heavy with succulent fruits. However, the parishioners also tell him frightening stories of plants moving about in the night. The priest's inquiries in the diocese lead him to the covenant, which is rumored to house horticultural experts.

Spells to Affect a Parish

If the parish is clearly defined by natural or man-made boundaries, then the entire parish may be affected using spells that have the Boundary target. This is rare, but if so, then participating in the yearly perambulation is an opportunity for a magus to cast such spells. A rural parish of typical size requires a spell with a Boundary target, with a +4 Size Modifier. A typical urban parish requires a Boundary target with a +1 Size Modifier.

An entire diocese might be affected by a Boundary target spell with a +7 Size Modifier, but the diocese's borders must also be very well defined (perhaps by rivers and forests) for such a spell to be possible.

The Great Discord

CrVi 55
R: Touch, D: Moon, T: Boundary, Ritual

The whole parish is tainted by magic, and for the spell duration everyone in the parish suffers from the social penalties of The Gift: husbands and wives bicker and feud, brawls erupt in the fields, and animals flee from their masters. The parish is paralyzed by the social breakdown, and by the end of the spell several parishioners may have been murdered. The parish immediately gains a reputation for being cursed, and it can take years for harmony to be restored. Also, as the parish animals have fled and the fields have been only erratically tended, it is likely that the parish will suffer from famine and starvation in the following year.

(Base 3, +1 Touch, +3 Moon, +4 Boundary, +4 size)

Benefices Held by Institutions

It is possible and common for institutions such as monasteries and chapters of canons to hold benefices; many such institutions hold dozens of benefices. In this case, the institution collects the benefice and is responsible for arranging for a curate.

Tithe

The tithe is used to fund the benefice, to pay the rector, and to keep up church buildings. In addition, a proportion is forwarded to the bishop (or archdeacon), and another proportion is distributed to the poor of the parish as alms.

Hermetic covenants are not exempt from the tithe, and are occasionally visited by the parish priest and his clerk in order to assess what the covenant's income is. Obviously, there are many magical schemes that magi can use to avoid paying the tithe, and covenants that are hidden from the priest (perhaps within a regio) do not need to pay tithe. Nonetheless, most Christian magi would prefer to pay.

Papal Appointments to Benefice

A character can petition the pope for a benefice, who may order a bishop to grant one. These requests are difficult for the bishop to refuse, and in 1220 a number of benefices scattered throughout Mythic Europe are effectively controlled by the pope. If your saga follows history, then this trend develops rapidly throughout the 13th century: in 1050 Pope Leo IX controlled no benefices outside the province of Rome, whereas by the end of the 13th century the pope directly controlled over 100,000 benefices (the majority in Europe). This increase in papal power is opposed by other bishops.

A typical rural parish has a congregation of a few hundred peasants, and covers several thousand acres of countryside (an area a few miles across). The parish lands are often coincident with a manor and might encompass several villages. If a parish includes the lands of several small manors, the parish church is usually constructed near the border between the manorial lands. A few enormous parishes cover up to 100,000 acres of land.

Sometimes there are arguments over which parish an individual field belongs to. Some farmers even owe tithe in one parish, but actually attend church in another. What makes matters worse is that some parishes are not continuous tracts of land, but composed of fragmented parcels of land encapsulated within the borders of other parishes. Such disputes over the jurisdiction of parishes can simmer away for hundreds of years, but can also be resolved by petitions to the bishop or pope.

Chapels

As a rough rule, the Church accepts that no peasant should need to travel more than two miles to reach a place of worship (a round journey of four miles). This means that many rural parishes have several small chapels (each with a priest) to serve the outlying population. It is common for the men of a village to petition the bishop for license to build a chapel near where they live, due to difficulty in reaching the parish church. Generally, bishops are supportive of these requests, but a chapel is a significant cost to the local parishioners. The parishioners must pay for the chapel's construction, its upkeep, the chaplain's salary, and their normal tithe to the parish. Sometimes a small pension is granted to the chapel by the parish church, but this is by no means guaranteed. Most chapels do not have baptismal fonts or a cemetery. This means that the parishioners must sometimes make their way to the parish church, anyway.

Private Chapels

Nobles usually worship at private chapels, and virtually every castle has a chapel, as do many manor houses, guild halls, and similar places. Private chapels are not open to the public, and the license granted by the bishop often explicitly limits their use to the members of the family or community that established them. The license is sometimes limited to a particular period of time, too (a few years). Occasionally, philanthropic owners open private chapels to the general public, but this is hardly ever done with episcopal consent.

Private chapels sometimes lack a nave, because in theory there is no congregation. On the other hand, the private chapel of a wealthy noble can often rival a parish church in scale.

The owner of a private chapel is expected to pay the salary of the chaplain and for the upkeep of the chapel itself. However, influential nobles can arrange for a priest with a benefice elsewhere to be granted a leave of absence to perform the service in their chapel instead.

Story Seed: A Concerned Priest

Many of the covenfolk travel to a nearby village to attend church. The parish priest is concerned at the long journey that the covenfolk must make, and suggests that they apply to the bishop for permission to build a chapel nearer to the covenant (see Petitioning the Church, later).

Covenant Boon: Covenant Chapel

A private chapel is built within (or very near) the covenant for the covenfolk and magi to worship at. It may be a room in a tower, or a separate building. The chapel has a Divine aura of 3, which will overwhelm auras of 3 or less aligned to other realms. However, unless the chapel has bells, the aura in the rest of the covenant is unaffected. The covenant must pay the salary of the chaplain, who counts as a specialist for covenant expenses.

The chapel is worth a +20 situational modifier to Loyalty, assuming that the covenfolk are normal, Christian humans (see Covenants, page 38).

Within town there is roughly one parish church for every 300 to 400 inhabitants. Most towns thus have somewhere between one and six parishes, and very large cities (like London, Paris, Florence, etc) have more than 100 parishes. Unlike rural parishes, the jurisdictions of urban parishes are usually very precisely defined: they follow street or property boundaries, which are sometimes marked to indicate the parish borders.

In large towns, one of the churches is likely the cathedral — the church of the bishop. Usually, the cathedral is the largest church in the town, and the town is the largest within the diocese, or at least it was when the see was created. The bishop can move to a different church (it becomes the cathedral), and many bishops have moved to follow the growth of population and political power within the diocese. Such moves are rarely made more often than once every few centuries.

In large urban churches there are often several altars. These additional altars are sponsored by guilds and wealthy individuals; the endowment pays for the benefice of an extra priest who performs the liturgy at the altar.

Chapters of Canons

The clergy who serve an urban church often live together, sharing a common table and holding common property. This community of clerics is called a chapter, and its members are canons.

Many canons lead lives similar to those of monks but, unlike monks, canons must see to the care of the souls of the lay congregation. The priestly canons thus each take weekly turns to lead the liturgy. Some chapters follow a monk-like rule called the Rule of Saint Augustine, and these canons are called regular or Augustinian canons (see Chapter 4: The Rule). Other chapters of canons are more lax: the canons can eat meat, wear linen cloth, and even own private property. Most urban churches in Italy and southern France are served by regular canons, but elsewhere in Mythic Europe regular and secular chapters are equally common. The similarity between monasteries and chapters of regular canons means that it is often possible for bishops to transform monasteries into chapters and vice versa.

In parts of France, Germany, and northern Italy there are also chapters of canonesses. These are always attached to and subservient to a chapter of canons.

Chapters usually range in size from six to a few dozen canons. Chapter offices include the following:

Provost: Historically this office was the head of the chapter, responsible for its administration. The provost is assisted by the camerarius and cellerarius.

Dean: The dean is responsible for the discipline of the chapter, and he is the provost's deputy. In 1220, the office of provost has disappeared from most chapters, and the chapter is headed by the dean instead.

Cantor: The cantor is responsible for organizing the liturgy and the sacred rites.

Scholasticus or Chancellor: This office is responsible for the church school (see Art & Academe, pages 81–83).

Custos: The custos is responsible for the church's treasury. He is assisted by the thesaurarius and sacrista.

Hebdomadarius: This is the canon whose weekly turn it is to lead the liturgy (he may hold one of the other offices, too).

The provost, dean, and hebdomadarius must be ordained priests. The other canons (even the office holders) need not be ordained as priests — some are only acolytes in minor orders.

One of the duties of the bishop (which is frequently deputized to his archdeacons and deans) is to visit each of the parishes within his diocese, once a year. Monasteries and nunneries must also be visited, and an archbishop has visitation rights in any of the parishes of his subordinate dioceses. In addition, the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) ruled that any parish with known heretics should be visited at least twice a year. Most bishops also consider the (known) presence of a Hermetic covenant to be a good reason for more-frequent parish visitation.

Visitation is an opportunity to check up on the parish priest (in case he has fallen into heresy), to ensure that the church is well maintained, and to deal with any Church business. It is also an opportunity for the parishioners to make complaints about their priest. Part of the visitation is to work through a formal checklist (of about 100 articles) which examines the state of the clergy and congregation, and the physical structure of the church. There are regional variations in the precise nature of the visitation articles, but a popular enumeration is given in Homilia Leonis (Church Lore Tractatus of Quality 8 by Pope Leo IV; 847-855).

Visitation can be extremely expensive for the parish. Usually a feast is provided for the visitor's retinue, and he may also claim visitation expenses from the parishes that he visits. Some members of the Church, and the papacy itself, are very uneasy about this practice and the abuses that it encourages (claiming for visits that never take place, for example). The papacy states that the guiding principle is that the shepherd (the bishop) should avoid burdening the flock (the parish), and should tailor the size of his retinue according to the resources of the parish. Consequently, the Third Lateran Council (1179) set the following upper limits on the size of the traveling retinue of the senior clergy:

Archbishop: 40 to 50 horses.

Bishop: 20 to 30 horses.

Archdeacon: 5 to 7 horses.

Dean: 2 horses.

Most bishops, archdeacons, and rural deans spend at least one season a year in visitation. This can be one of his non-free seasons (as visitation is one of his duties). A season spent on visitation is worth 2 exposure experience points in Church Lore, Civil and Canon Law, Area Lore, or Ride for the visitor and his retinue.

Bishops are also required by canon law to report, in person, to the pope every four years on the state of their diocese. Many bishops are reluctant to fulfill this obligation (the journey can be long, dangerous, difficult, and uncomfortable), and need frequent reminders of their duty. It is allowable for the bishop to send an archdeacon in his stead.

Synods are meetings of the clergy. The dean, archdeacon, bishop, and archbishop all regularly convoke synods to discuss the spiritual and material needs of their respective jurisdictions, and the meetings are usually hosted by their church. Most parish priests attend at least one synod a year, and maybe as many as one a season. Noble and monastic representatives are often invited to synods, and known Hermetic covenants might be invited to send representatives too. The synod itself takes a couple of days and, unless a character needs to travel an extraordinarily long distance, attending a synod does not disrupt his seasonal activities. Occasional absences from regional synods are willingly tolerated, but many absences will be seen as possible evidence of heretical beliefs.

Ecumenical councils are special synods called and presided over by the pope. The last Ecumenical council was called in 1213 by Pope Innocent III and began in November 1215. The council was held in Rome and was attended by more than 400 bishops, the heads of the military orders, and over 800 abbots and deans of chapters. Envoys were sent by most of the major nobles of Mythic Europe and several attended in person, but there was little participation by the Greek Church. A number of magi also attended the council in the retinue of either lay or clerical dignitaries. As far as the Order of Hermes is aware, these magi only witnessed proceedings; none are known to have interfered in the council using magic. The council process took about two weeks, and its main purposes were to make ready for a new crusade, to issue new Church doctrines, and to consolidate the pope's reforms of the Church and canon law.

There have been twelve Ecumenical councils: Nicaea I (325), Constantinople I (381), Ephesus (431), Chalcedon (451), Constantinople II (553), Constantinople III (680-681), Nicaea II (787), Constantinople IV (869), Lateran I (1123), Lateran II (1139), Lateran III (1179), and Lateran IV (1215). If your saga follows history, the next Ecumenical council is held in 1245 in Lyons. It is convened to excommunicate and depose the Emperor Frederick II, and to call a new crusade against the Saracens and Mongols. Another council is held in Lyons in 1274; it effects a (temporary) reunion with the Greek Church and refines the rules for papal elections.

In Mythic Europe, the Church has a lot of resources that your characters may want to use. Perhaps they want to borrow money or land, exhume a body, move a church, build a new church, excommunicate an enemy, appoint an ally to the bishopric, have a departed friend made a saint, or have a crusade declared against their enemies. As the Church is a bureaucracy, it can be mobilized to do all of these things and more. However, because the Church is a bureaucracy, it also takes time and effort to access its resources. Of course, the higher a character is in the Church hierarchy the more independent authority he has, but even a bishop must sometimes seek the permission or help of the papacy.

The following rules can help the troupe decide whether a character can convince the Church to take some particular action. The rules can be used both for clergy and also for outsiders (peasants, nobles, and magi, for example) who are trying to sway Church decisions.

Petitions can form the basis of rewarding stories, but sometimes your troupe will just be interested in whether or not a petition to the Church is successful, and not want to spend a long time on roleplaying events peripheral to the main story. These rules are intended to help in such circumstances. On the other hand, if you choose to tell stories about dealing with the Church, then these rules can be used as a guide to the sorts of resources that a character needs to get certain things done.

The basic mechanic is to generate a Petition Total that is compared to an Ease Factor. If the Petition Total equals or exceeds the Ease Factor, then the request is granted by the appropriate officers of the Church.

Petition Church: Petition Total vs Petition Ease Factor

The following are example Ease Factors for petitions. The list is not exhaustive, it is merely a guide.

Modifiers to the Petition Total

The following modifiers apply to both a written and audience petition.

Some of the modifiers require the troupe to judge whether something is "significant." Rather than provide hard rules for this, it is best for the troupe's players to use their own judgment based on the circumstances of the petition and their saga.

Some of the modifiers add a bonus if the petition is supported by arguments based on Ability Scores. To determine whether the argument is successful, roll as follows:

Argument Success: Int + Ability Score + stress die vs Ease Factor of 9

If the argument is successful, the bonus is gained. If the argument botches, subtract the bonus from the Petition Total; it is a penalty instead. The storyguide may modify the Ease Factor of this test depending on the quality of the argument.

Some of the modifiers require the petition to be supported by other characters (a bishop, a king, etc). Gaining the support of these individuals creates opportunities for the troupe to tell stories. Gathering this support also takes time, so in some cases it may take many years for the character to gather all the support that he needs for a successful petition.

Modifiers are as follows, if the petition is supported by certain people or circumstances.

Modifier: +1
Support: The testimony of a significant number of individuals, a priest or deacon*, a knight**, magical evidence***

Modifier: +1 to +3
Support: A significant donation to the Church, an argument based on Civil and Canon Law, an argument based on Artes Liberales (Logic), an argument based on Intrigue

Modifier: +3
Support: A holy vision, a senior clergyman (bishop, abbot, abbess, archdeacon, etc.)*, a nobleman (baron, count, etc.)**

Modifier: +6
Support: One or more miracles, an archbishop or higher ranked official*, a king (duke, earl, or emperor)**

Modifier: Variable Bonus
Support: The character has a positive reputation with the Church, spell effects that make the petition more persuasive***

Modifier: Variable Penalty
Support: The character has a negative reputation with the Church

* These modifiers are not cumulative with each other; use the highest that applies, once only. ** These modifiers are not cumulative with each other; use the highest that applies, once only. *** Magical evidence includes the results of scrying effects that are intended to show the Church it should act in a particular way (for example, InMe effects that show a character is innocent of a crime is magical evidence). Spell effects to make a petition more persuasive are spell effects (successfully) cast on the clergy who are making decisions concerning the petition (for example, ReMe effects to cause the bishop to look favorably on a petition).

Ease Factor: 3
Petition: A marriage blessing.

Ease Factor: 6
Petition: Access to the parish crypt; access to the parish library (possibly just a single book, the missal); convince a priest to travel two days to administer last rites; enroll a child in a parish school; grant pilgrims a letter of safe passage.

Ease Factor: 9
Petition: Access to the bishop's chambers; access to the cathedral library; act to protect a local minority (such as Jews) from persecution; annul a marriage between common folk (given appropriate grounds); appeal an ordination exam; appoint a character to a vacant benefice; assist in a Quaesitorial investigation; attempt to interfere in secular justice to show leniency to a person sentenced to death; commission an extension to a cathedral; dispensation to reach a clerical grade despite not meeting one of the grade's criteria; establish a chapel; excommunicate a freeman or a clergyman of a lower rank than priest; exhume a corpse; license for absence from a clergyman's benefice; move a parish's celebration of a saint's feast day; swap benefices with another priest.

Ease Factor: 12
Petition: Excommunicate a magus or a priest; move a church to a new location; rent land to a Hermetic covenant.

Ease Factor: 15
Petition: Consecrate a parish church; excommunicate a nobleman; interdict a town.

Ease Factor: 18
Petition: Appeal the election of a bishop; establish a monastery.

Ease Factor: 21
Petition: Create a new diocese; crown a king; excommunicate a bishop.

Ease Factor: 24
Petition: Change or reform canon law (priests can marry, for example); interdict an entire kingdom.

Ease Factor: 30
Petition: Declare a deceased person a saint.

Ease Factor: 42
Petition: Call a crusade; found a religious order.

There are two ways to generate a Petition Total: one involves writing letters to Church officials, and the other depends on gaining an audience with Church officials. Even if your character is actually using both methods, decide which method your character is mostly using and use that total.

Written Petition Total: Com + Church Lore + Modifiers

Audience Petition Total: Pre + Church Lore + Modifiers

Note that there is no die roll added to the Petition Total.

Usually a character may only make one petition each season. Making a petition does not interfere with other seasonal activities. However, if the character needs to travel to Rome, or seeks audiences with Church officials elsewhere, then his travels could interfere with other seasonal activities. Petitions are often made directly to the papacy, where they are dealt with by the machinery of the papal curia, but petitions with an Ease Factor of 15 or less can be made to the local bishop, and those with an Ease Factor of 6 or less can be made to the local priest.

Your character does not need to be literate to write letters to the Church; he merely needs to find a scribe who can read and write letters on his behalf. In this case, use the Com + Church Lore total of the scribe rather than the applicant.

An audience petition is a social interaction so penalties for The Gift apply to this total, but they do not apply to a written petition. Of course, if a magus meets Church officials directly he could take the opportunity to cast spells to encourage officials to make the correct decision.

Henri of Toulouse's Petition

One night Henri of Toulouse has a vision in which he builds, stone by stone, a monastery on a hill overlooking a gently winding river. Some weeks later, while traveling between two towns, Henri finds the exact location. To found the monastery he directs his scribe to write a petition to the papal curia. In order to make a convincing case, Henri needs a Petition Total of 18 or greater:

• Henri's scribe has a Com + Church Lore Total of 4.
• Henri is a wealthy merchant and can afford to pay for the construction of the monastery and to pay a generous benefice to the new abbot (which the storyguide decides is a +3 significant donation).
• Henri is interviewed by the bishop, who establishes that the original vision was a holy one and also gives his support to the monastery (+3 holy vision; +3 support of senior clergyman).
• Henri then visits the court of the Count of Toulouse who is impressed with Henri's dedication and gives his support to the project (+3 support of a nobleman).
• Next, Henri meets with the monks of a Benedictine monastery in Italy who agree to send some of their number to colonize the new monastery site (+1 testimony of a significant number of individuals).
• Finally, Henri notes in his petition that the site is further than two days' travel from the nearest chapel, and so the monastery chapel will serve travelers that pass through the region (+2 argument based on Civil and Canon Law).

This gives the petition a Petition Total of 19, which is a convincing case. For the troupe, Henri's attempts to gain all this support are opportunities to tell stories.

The Petition of the Parish of Long Melford

In 1220 the parishioners of Long Melford have a late harvest, and it is obvious that faithfully observing all the scheduled religious festivals will cause the parishioners to starve over the winter. Thus, their priest writes a petition to the bishop for permission to move the saints' feast days until the winter. This requires a Petition total of 9, which is met by:

• The priest has a Com + Church Lore Total of 5.
• The parishioners testify that moving the feasts is necessary (+1 testimony of a significant number of individuals).
• The local knight gives his support for the petition (+1 support of a knight).
• The priest makes the argument that the parishioners will suffer over the winter if the feasts are not moved (+2 argument based on Artes Liberales (Logic)).

A bishop (or equivalently ranked character) may grant any petition or take any action with an Ease Factor of up to 15 without consulting his peers or superiors.

A priest (or equivalently ranked character) may grant any petition or take any action with an Ease Factor of up to 6 without consulting his peers or superiors.

However, such decisions will not be automatically supported if the Church hierarchy is questioned later. For example, a priest is perfectly within his rights to grant a magus access to the parish church's crypt, but he will still be held to account if it is discovered that the magus has been using this access to cast unwanted spells on the corpses in the crypt. Therefore, priests and bishops may still seek permission for doubtful actions that are technically within their remit.

A character may also take actions that he does not have authority for. Whether this causes a problem or not depends on whether the character's superiors find out, the personalities of the characters involved, and the particular circumstances.

Your characters may appeal another character's successful petition. An appeal is treated like any other petition: a Petition Total is generated, and the Ease Factor to overturn the original petition is 3 + the Petition Total of the original successful petition.

If the appeal's Petition Total is insufficient to overturn the original petition but exceeds the original Petition Total – 3, then the papacy, or the bishop's court, will attempt to broker a compromise solution between the parties.

Ease Factor to Overturn a Petition: Original Petition Total + 3

Ease Factor to Open Negotiations for Compromise: Original Petition Total – 3

If an appeal is not made in the same season as the original petition, then the appeal has a –3 penalty to its Petition Total. Politically active characters keep a close watch on the Ecclesiastical courts in order to rapidly appeal unfavorable decisions.

These rules allow the troupe to describe a church using Build Points, Hooks, and Boons in the same way that a covenant can be described using these terms (see ArM5, page 68-74). Describing the churches near the covenant helps indicate how the Church may have an impact on your saga.

Every church has an altar at which the liturgy is conducted, and it consequently has a Divine aura.

You purchase resources such as books, relics, and specialist characters with Build Points.

Each church has a number of Hooks. Hooks create stories and also provide points that may be spent on Boons for the church. Boons make the church better. Hooks and Boons can be either major (provides or costs 3 points), or minor (provides or costs 1 point). Some Hooks and Boons can be Unknown, which means that the characters living in the church are not currently aware of them. Some Hooks and Boons are about the church and its priests, while others are about the congregation and the surrounding diocese.

You may usually choose up to 10 points of Hooks for the church.

Cathedral: The cathedral is the seat of a bishop or archbishop. If that of an archbishop, it has a base Divine aura of 5 and 1000 Build Points. If that of a bishop, it has a base Divine aura of 5 and 500 Build Points.

Monastery/Nunnery: A monastery/nunnery has a base Divine Aura of 5, and 500 build points.

Large Urban Church: This church has a base Divine Aura of 5, and 500 build points.

Parish Church: A parish church has a base Divine Aura of 4, and 250 build points.

Chapel: A chapel has a base Divine Aura of 3, and 50 build points.

Churches may have these resources:

Books

Every church has a copy of the missal and many churches have substantial libraries, which largely concern Church Lore, Theology, Civil and Canon Law, Area Lore, and Artes Liberales. Texts on other subjects can also sometimes be found.

Books cost a church the same number of Build Points that they cost a covenant; see ArM5, page 71. Note that a Bible can be purchased even though it exceeds the maximum summa level limit.

Some Common Christian Books

The Bible: Summa, Theology (Level 10, Quality 3); Summa, Church Lore (Level 3, Quality 3). See Realms of Power: the Divine, page 86. (45 build points)

The Parish Register: Treat the register as a Summa, Area Lore: Parish (or Diocese) of Level 1 + 1 for every century of records, it has a Quality of 5. (5 + 3 x Level build points)

The Missal: Tractatus, Church Lore (Quality 7); Tractatus, Music (Qualty 7). This contains instructions, text, and music for Mass. Each diocese has a slightly different version, which may each be treated as different tractatus. (14 build points)

Breviary: Tractatus, Church Lore (Quality 6-10). This contains instructions for the prayers to be recited at the canonical hours. Breviaries designed for parish priests (rare in 1220) are lower Quality than the versions used in monasteries. (6-10 build points)

Enchanted Items

Some churches have enchanted items that have been donated, found, or purchased from magi. However, it is unlikely for a church to have an enchanted item that contains more than 50 levels of effects. As churches cannot create enchanted items, it costs a church more Build Points to purchase an enchanted item than it costs a covenant.

Enchanted Item Cost: 1 Build Point per Level of Effect

Relics

Practically every church contains a number of relics. Even a poor church should contain at least one relic interred beneath the altar. The cost of a relic depends on the Faith Score (see the chart) and its number of powers (in addition to the standard relic powers).

Relic Cost: Cost for Faith Score + 5 Build Points per Power

Faith Score	Build Point Cost
1	1
2	3
3	6
4	10
5	15

Specialists

Specialists are characters who serve the Church in some limited way that does not require the troupe to generate an entire character sheet. Examples include teachers in a cathedral school, scribes working on illuminated scripts, and stonemasons working on the cathedral structure. Purchase specialists using the same number of Build Points as a covenant; see ArM5, page 72.

Vis

Some churches control vis sources, or have stocks of vis, which is usually tainted by the Divine (see Realms of Power: The Divine, page 69). Note that just because a church controls vis sources, or even has stocks of vis, this does not necessarily mean that the clergy have any use for the vis, or are even aware of the vis.

Churches purchase vis at the Build Point cost of a covenant; see ArM5, page 72.

Most of the Hooks and Boons in Ars Magica Fifth Edition (pages 72–74) and in Covenants (pages 6–27) are suitable for a church, although some may require interpretation by the troupe. Some new Hooks and Boons are provided here.

Major Church Boon: Military Order

The church is an outpost of one of the military orders, with barracks for a number of knights and men-at-arms.

Minor Church Boon: Anchorite/Anchoress

The church has a small cell built in it, in which an anchorite (male) or anchoress (female) lives, devoting his or her life to worship (see Chapter 5: Women for details). The presence of the anchorite/anchoress increases the Divine aura in the church by 1.

Minor Church Boon: Burial Rights

The church or monastery has a large cemetery, and it collects a fee for conducting burials. This is worth a Typical Source of Income. Some urban parishes have no cemetery due to lack of space.

Minor Church Boon: Chantry

The church or monastery collects a substantial income for reciting Masses for the dead. Masses are held for the dead when a person is buried, one month later, and one year later. Wealthy characters often leave substantial endowments for hundreds or even thousands of additional Masses to be said, for the good of their soul. Reciting the chantry Masses requires four seasons of work each year by a priest — for example, four priests could each perform for one season in the year. The chantry is worth a Typical Source of Income, and this Boon may be taken multiple times.

Minor Church Boon: Chapter of Canons

The church priests form a chapter of canons, and there are always at least half a dozen priests within the church. They collectively hold a number of benefices. This is worth a Typical Income Source.

Minor Church Boon: Church School

The church (usually a cathedral) has a school attached. There are many characters in minor orders attached to the church as either pupils or teachers.

Major Church Hook: Corrupt

The church priests are corrupt. The church has an Infernal aura instead of a Divine one. If the corruption is discovered by the archdeacon or bishop, the priests will be excommunicated and replaced.

Major Church Hook: Heretics

The church priests have heretical beliefs. If discovered, the church is likely to be frequently visited by the archdeacon, bishop, or even a papal legate. The priests run the risk of excommunication and even crusade.

Major Church Hook: Jurisdiction

The church is a cathedral, archdeaconry, or deanery, and has jurisdiction over dozens or even hundreds of subordinate churches. Regional synods are held at the church at least once a year.

Minor Church Hook: Absent Rector

The priest who collects the benefice does not live in the parish. The priest's duties are undertaken by a curate.

Minor Church Hook: Incompetent Curate

The church curate is incompetent. If discovered, the curate may be removed and the church will be subject to many visitations. This cannot be taken for a major church.

Minor Church Hook: Vast Sanctuary

By custom, anyone may seek sanctuary within a vast area of land several miles around the church (this may be the entire parish). This means that the priest is often in conflict with the sheriff.