[hider=The Sermon]

In all her years Johannia had faithfully served the church, and had served the gods with dutifulness and piety. Yet in all the years of her life, whenever she looked up at the Church above, with its bishops and High Priests and Grand Clerics, she saw nothing but shame and disappointment. Nay, such words were not strong enough to describe what she had seen when she looked into the so-called holy Church. She had always dedicated herself to piety and contemplation of the divine, but when she looked up to the divine seat for inspiration, she only ever saw voluptuaries there. This Johannia found to be quite a shame. It was so much of a shame that Johannia could no longer allow it to go continuing on without a challenge or objection from anyone. And so this was what brought Johannia away from her university study, where she was most comfortable, and brought her into the streets among the people. She disliked being in public, but she took comfort in the fact that it was here, and nowhere else, that genuine piety lay. So she now stood up a tall white platform, walking up the dirtied white steps, in her flowing robe of blue and white, and began to preach, for this was where preachers came. She was not one of the great preachers of her day, but she knew she could express the ideas that was needed in this age better than any other.

“We have come here not to engage in the lascivious and shameful inequities which all men and women city must, in their burden, be forced to witness in any and all days. Indeed, that is not what we are here to witness, but rather we are here to witness in the spirit of God[sup]1[/sup] that innate goodness which all know to be within us, and through knowledge to bring it out. So, O people, in order for that ineffable but most desirous thing called the Good to be brought out into us we must dedicate ourselves to virtue, that most exalted of words. And so to follow virtue we must follow the great example of the saints, the prophets, and the mightiest of all, the great gods. So follow the advice and the example of Saint Elenor[sup]2[/sup], Saint Zedaiya[sup]3[/sup], Saint Augur[sup]4[/sup], Saint Zacarias[sup]5[/sup], and all the great men who the gods have smiled upon and have gifted with the ecstasies of Providence. 

“Such is the greatness and glories of the Church gifted to man by the God. We are to follow the example of the Church, which follows the example of Those Who Lead Man. Yet there is one Church of the sheep – of those who in service to goodness and virtue follow the true ways – and another Church of the goats – of those who are reprobates. Those who follow the virtues are of the sheep, and shall be rewarded in the hereafter, and those who are of the goat shall be retained in this world in a vicious cycle, returning again and again to this sinful and painful world until they have become sheep. On Earth we see but one Church, for in truth we all hide our wrongdoings from the world in the guise of being good men, but when we stand before the Three Judges the good shall be separated from the bad, as is written by Saint Augur, who says, ‘And verily there are two classes who the Three Judges shall cast their eyes on, and one shall receive the fruit, and another the fire.’

“Yet if indeed there is any such a way of coming to know who are the reprobates among us, then that way shall be looking deep into the actions of these men and women, ones who call themselves holy and just and virtuous, and see whether their words speak true to the actions we know them to commit, or whether their deeds reveal them to be vicious and licentious souls who ought to be reviled. If it is true that their souls are base and that of reprobates, then we ought not to praise and follow them, but to turn away from them, chide them with firm tongues and hot irons alike, and run them out of our churches and into the jailhouse. One must not say that the Church is synonymous with the Grand Cleric, or the Bishops, for, as the prophet Galaius6 said, ‘Heed not the inane voices of the priests who harbor the heart of the sinner.’ For if they were they would not fallen so, for, as Saint Elenor sung, ‘Follow the Church ever incorruptible,’ and what is incorruptible cannot be corrupted, and cannot fall into sin. But indeed we have seen the Bishops and the Grand Clerics and High Priests above fall into sin, for it is in the knowledge of the many that they commit simony, usury, engage in debaucheries too numerous naming, and prefer gold and silver to the gods and to piety. There are three definitions to this word, church. When the faithful gather, that is a church. That great body whom all consider themselves a member of, whom both sheep and goats are shaded by in times of distress, that is a Church, and it is a Church much in need of a cleansing, and there is a third Church, the Church of all virtuous believers, and it ought to be the goal of all to make the second and third definition as close as can be on this earth.”

And the sermon continued, and as it continued more and more flocked to her. They were not attracted, like they were by other preachers, or by Lycaon, by the elegance and luster of her phrasing or of the power of her voice, for which Johannia said. Rather, what attracted them were the words themselves, or rather, it was their meaning. How long had it been since that supposedly Holy Church had led them astray, had committed unholy and lascivious deeds behind closed doors while they preached of purity of both body and soul, and had cared for nothing but the accumulation of gold and riches? None could remember truly a day when they could say with full honesty that everything was alright in the Church, save for when they were young, childlike, and naïve. So to see a preacher speaking out against corruption was attractive indeed.


1.	God here is not meant here in the strictly monotheist sense. Rather, it is signifying the general notion of deity and divineness. Nonetheless, such a term does, in the eyes of the Church, imply an uncomfortable tendency towards monotheism.

2.	Patron saint of poets, passive virtue, and riddles. She wrote a philosophical work which was filled with difficult, riddle-like aphorisms which allowed varying interpretation. Her religious significance, however, depends on her virtuous life and her outspokenness in favor of the religion, as well as her role in getting the worship of Giphine, Hizreus, and Hystix condemned.

3.	The Patron saint of writers, archivists, and librarians. He is the main theologian of the Church, having written numerous tracts, letters, and polemics on the subject. Additionally, he was an ascetic.

4.	Patron saints of the persecuted and the poor. He is an important prophet, having written four holy books, which were somewhat vague in the exactness of their content, forcing extensive exegesis.

5.	Patron saint of warriors, priests, active virtue, and justice. He was both a wonderworker and hero, who not only slew great monsters with his sword and his strength, but also resurrected the dead and made fire rain from the sky. 

6.	Semi-legendary prophet, mystic, and saint who has attributed to him 12 speeches, 33 hymns, and 25 poems, widely respected among the faithful as a man chosen by the gods to instruct mankind in theology and morality. He was said to often be in a state of religious ecstasy.
[/hider]

[hider=Lycaon Discovers the Preacher]

Lycaon was finally at home for the day, at his estate, but that did mean that he was allowed to take a break. Though he was sitting comfortably on a wooden chair cushioned with silk purple cushion, he was sitting across Sir Daeleth, who was standing, and their conversation was strictly business. They were speaking of how to gather up his army, which the King had already agreed to the commission of. They certainly had the resources to inevitably gather it us, but there was the problem of logistics. It would be no long-term problem, but in the short term it resulted in a nightmare of micromanaging. Felise of Dagensbourg, Lycaon’s beloved wife, walked in with a dress, simple yet noble, golden in color, and had her favored servant, Anastasia, at her side. Felise gave a polite curtsy, while Anastasia gave a deeper one, as one only proper for a servant.

“Greetings, Sir Daeleth,” Felise said. 

“Oh,” Sir Daeleth said. “Thank you, milady. But there’s no need for you, milady, to boy to someone like me.”

“Nonsense, Sir Daeleth,” Felise said. “You’re my husband’s honored guest, and deserve to be treated as such.”

They would not be able to enjoy civil conversation for long, however. Tydeus came storming into the room, Lycaon’s guards so wary and weary of him that they came trailing behind with him, only a step away from grabbing him by his arms and throwing him out. 

“Tydeus!” Lycaon said. “What are you doing here? I mean, Tydeus, what brings you here?”

“I dread to disturb you, my lord,” Tydeus said. “But I must inform you of the terrible outbreak of heresy that has just occurred!”

“Heresy?” Lycaon said. “The local religious authorities can deal with that, wherever it happened.

“This time, my lord, you are the local religious authorities,” Tydeus said. “It is this woman, Johannia of Telmarion. As a scholar of the matters of the holy texts and the prophets and saints there are few better, but she has always had a problem. She is one of those who is always letting their mind get their better of them, always skirting the path between heresy and orthodoxy, and always getting a good proverbial beating from the authorities in return. Those sorts are not bad insofar as they are themselves, for the Church always finds a proper use for their innovations, once steered in the right path, but now Johannia has gone too far. Just an hour ago, she was discovered saying that the Church of the Sheep was the Church of Reprobates, that said Church of Reprobates included most of the sitting clergy, and consequently that they ought not to be followed. Further, she was uttering the heresy that the Church was not the bishops and their head, but the whole of believers. And it easily follows that she shall do away with the whole thing. And that does not even mention the monotheism which she is infecting people throughout the city with. And there are other issues as well.”

Lycaon looked to Felise. This was not the time to time to discuss such things. Felise was a gentle soul, who could not understand what was necessary to do in order for justice to be done. Such were the thoughts of Lycaon. 

“You know what must be done,” Lycaon said. “And as long as she has no movement around her, she will no longer be a problem.”

“But, my lord, she may have a movement after all.” Tydeus said. “For she has already started preaching before the multitude, and received like no other preacher has been received in recent time.”

Even himself? If this woman had really already become effectively a heresiarch, that would indeed a problem for the Church. Most knew that in fact the Holy Church was not holy at all, and Lycaon knew many among the masses would gladly follow anyone who based a theology against such corruption. Lycaon knew that though some heresies fizzled out quickly, it was very possible for it to spread rapidly into a wildfire from a single spark. If Lycaon wanted to stop this, he would have to act quickly, decisively, and carefully. Yet whatever the case, Lycaon knew that the Church could not merely ignore this. The Church needed a change, and Lycaon would not stand idly by as it rotted. 

“No matter,” Lycaon said. “Tydeus, if I remember correctly, there are three bishops within the city at the moment. I shall have them gathered, and we shall have this theologian’s propositions condemned, and have her summoned before us. Then the trial of a heretic shall begin.”

“I agree with you wholeheartedly,” Tydeus said. “But will not this make her but a martyr in the eyes of the people?”

“Whatever will be may be,” Lycaon said. “And free, a heretic is far more dangerous.”

“You’re leaving, dear?” Felise said.

“I must,” Lycaon said.

“And this woman,” Felise said. “You’ll kill her.”

“If she does not repent,” Lycaon said. “Then that is all I can do for her. Unrepelled and unchained, a heretic is a virus, which spreads from person to person, and summons up the forces of damnation on ever more people.”

“And you’ll kill her,” Felise said. “Even though she is flesh and blood and soul, the same as the two of us.”

“If that is what is necessary in order for the good to be served,” Lycaon said.

[/hider]

[hider=Johannia is Condemned, Rough Draft]

Lycaon sat among the fine and tall wooden chairs of the Bishops, in the chambers of the Council of the Synod[sup]1[/sup], and had the company of several of these bishops, along with a couple of others who were not bishops, but were churchmen who were of high and respected standing in their deeds if not in their ranks. Tydeus was there, and he was a respected theologian to be sure, but it was in ecclesial matters where he was considered to be an authority, though no one doubted his knowledge of systematic theology. The other theologian here certainly was not doubted in his knowledge of systematic theology. Her name was Bernarda Avicebrol of Yannis, a theologian, popular with the highest echelons of the ecclesial authorities for her ability, but hated for her puritanical and pure personality. She never shirked from making clear her outrage when she saw anyone stepping out of line with what she saw as the firmly orthodox, and had gotten not one, but two of the most prominent philosophers of her day to recant some of their doctrines under the threat of excommunication.

Otherwise, there were a mere three bishops here, but that could only be expected. The order to come to the capital had come but recently. These few had come in order to condemn the propositions which Mother Johannia had declared in her recent sermon. Though they were ostensibly supposed to debate the merits and faults of the propositions which could be drawn from it, no one here was debating that what she had said was heretical. Now all they had to figure out was what she had said and officially condemn it in letter. It would not be much of a condemnation with the few that were here, but it would have to do, and if it would not, Lycaon would make it do. Of the three bishops here, one of them was Bishop Irenaeus, the very one Lycaon hoped would become High Priest. Secondly, there was Bishop Karyn, a disheveled, unkempt, and shy woman who despised responsibility, and much preferred writing poems. They always were obscure, opaque, celestial poems which somehow were extraordinarily popular with the burghers. Thirdly was Bishop Marko, a levelheaded man who was just the right amount of corrupt to be both efficient and morally deplorable, who possessed many skills in a moderate degree, one of which was lucid penmanship, which was why he was the one who held the quill against the parchment, and not Karyn, who wrote often but whose handwriting was stylish and messy. This would be a very sober council, free from any silliness or unnecessary strife. And so they talked and talked, discussing in a roundabout way, until at last they were agreed on what was to be said, and Marko wrote it down. After some thirty minutes they were just about finished.

“Do not forget her condemnations of the mages,” Lycaon said. “Johannia says they are of the devil, and sorcerers of wickedness. Yet such utterances are nothing but heresy.”

“Actually, I quite like that proposition,” Bishop Marko said. “And I would this heretic to be orthodox at least on that count.”

“It is from the gods that the mages are bestowed their gifts,” Lycaon said.

“Let it drop, Lycaon,” Bernarda said. “The mages are a troublesome, impious lot, who ought to receive the lash far more than they do. The current propositions will suffice.”

“No, I must disagree,” Lycaon said. “I must be on my way, regrettably, though I am gladdened of our work here. So add that final proposition, honored Bishop Marko, and all will be well.”

1.	A place where the Bishops meet to pronounce important decisions.

[/hider]

[hider=The Propositions]

	The Holy Church, with the authority bestowed upon us by the gods, hereby denounce the propositions put forth by Mother Johannia of Telmarion as heretical. Mother Johannia of Telmarion is to be summoned at once to the capital, where she is to defend herself of the charges of heresy, the punishment for such a crime being death by burning at the stake. The propositions put forth are:

1.	That there is a One God, above the traditional deities in form and stature.

2.	That the gods are merely an abstract Intellect.

3.	Denying the practice of Indulgences, which has previously been defending in a Church Bull by High Priest Marus.

4.	Denying the authority of the sitting High Priest or Grand Cleric.

5.	Denying the authority of the sitting Bishops.

6.	Denying the oneness of the Church.

7.	Denying the purity of the Church.

8.	Condemning magic-users as of the Devil. 

Signed,

Marcus Irenaeus, Bishop of North Nyhem

Robertus Marko, Bishop of South Nyhem

Arianna Karyn, Bishop of Fishgrove
[/hider]

[hider=Johannia is Condemned, Final Draft]

Lycaon was actually surprised how little resistance Johannia had actually put up. The Church authorities had called Johannia to the Council of the Synod, where she was to defend herself against the accusation of heresy, and she did not run, as Lycaon had seen some others do. Perhaps she still had some faith in the system she had so strongly condemned. Perhaps she wished to become a martyr. Whatever the case, Johannia arrived in her priestly garments of blue and white, having a somewhat uneasy expression on her face, but nonetheless still brimming with confidence. Lycaon stood in the center, on a tall wooden chair, while the others were, the Bishops Irenaeus, Marko, and Karyn, as well as the theologians Tydeus and Bernarda. Lycaon was to serve as the overseer of this hearing, but it would be the clergy who voted to condemn this Johannia.

“Mother Johannia of Telmarion,” Lycaon said. “This Council currently has condemned the heretical propositions, eight in number, which you have been accused of holding. What say you?”
“Lord Lycaon, I know you are a good man,” Johannia said. “And a just and pious follower of the gods. Take a look at what you are doing, and what you are condemning, and ask yourself whether this is what the gods would truly want.”

“This hearing is of no such things,” Lycaon said. “Answer, Mother, of the previous question concerning these heretical propositions.”

“Very well, Lord Lycaon. I have seen propositions of mine that you have condemned as heretical,” Johannia said. “But it is still unclear under what authority they have been condemned. Well, what I mean to say, Lord Lycaon, is that perhaps you should be defending the accusation of heresy against me rather having me defend myself of heresy. The burden of proof, then, would be on the Council.”

“The heresy within your words are palpable, Lycaon,” Bernarda said. “And I cannot react but with disgust at both the sentiment and the literal meaning of the words with equal revulsion. Whereas the Book of the founder states ‘The Church is the way evermore,’ you state unequivocally anticlericalism, which brings about the death of the soul.”

“Mother Bernarda,” Johannia said. “I have always respected you. You have long tired to bring erroring men and women into error, especially those of the philosophers and dialecticians, who favor reason about the supreme matters of faith. And you are truly pious in your convictions, unlike many who claim the title of clergyman.”

“Well, I cannot say the same,” Bernarda said. “In the past I remember how closely you resembled to be a heretic, and it was then that I knew you to have a soul a heretic. And so I am not surprised that you have decided to abandon the Church in favor of the self-aggrandizement of yourself. Such actions disgust me, and I shall gladly partake in your destruction. You condemn sophistically the philosophers and dialectians, yet every one of your doctrines in your vulgar metaphysics you vilely gave in your meager sermon to the impious rabble can be traced back to the worthless speculative meanderings of those sophists who go by the name of ‘philosophers.’”

“Thank you, Mother Bernarda” Lycaon said. “Mother Johannia, the definition of Orthodoxy was defined at the Synod. Would you affirm such?”

“Nay,” Johannia said. “The only orthodoxy which can be affirmed is that which is written in the book of the prophets, not in the encyclicals of lesser men and women. If it were not so, it is not conceivable that those prophets and saints we deem most holy could possibly be orthodox, for the knowledge attained by revelation could be attained independently of revelation.”

Lycaon said. “And would you affirm that the sitting High Priest or Grand Cleric, a currently vacant, is the head and ruling body in the Church.”

“No, I would not affirm such a thing,” Johannia said. “For they are but a single bishop of many among the Church, whose authority is not like that of a King over the Church. Nor is his or her character promised simply by their position. It is clear from ecclesiastical history that there was no superiority in the earliest days. I only ask that the Church once again return to its purest, original state.”

Lycaon said. “And you would agree that you have condemned Indulgences.”

“Yes,” Johannia said. “It is a most vile and unholy practice.”

“Yet it has been defended in the Bulls of a previous High Priest, High Priest Marus,” Lycaon said. “In the Year 448.”

“I have made my opinion clear already of such men,” Johannia said. “And also my reasonings for declining their authority.”

“Very well,” Lycaon said. “I think we here have heard quite enough.”

“What?” Johannia said. “That is all? This is the Church’s rule of law?”

“Yes,” Lycaon said. “We have more than enough information now to accurately discern your guilt or innocence, and so we shall. Now we shall bring it to a vote. Do the sitting authorities hereby declare Mother Johannia is guilty of heresy? Answer yea or nay.”

“Yea,” Bishop Irenaeus said.

“Yea,” Bishop Marko said.

“Yea,” Bishop Karyn said.

“Yea!” Bernarda said.

“Yea,” Tydeus said.

“And by a vote of five to zero, you are henceforth condemned with heresy,” Lycaon said. “Mother Johannia, you now have time repent. You may renounce your heretical doctrines and be given a less severe sentence, and your place in paradise kept, if you so choose.”

“I know what it is that the gods wish for,” Johannia said. “Even if you do not.”

“Very well,” Lycaon said. “Again, we shall bring it to a vote. Who votes to have her burned at the stake? Say yea or nay.”

“Yea,” Bishop Marko said.

“Yea!” Bernarda said.

“Nay,” Tydeus said.

“Nay,” Bishop Karyn said.

“Yea,” Bishop Irenaeus said.

“And so at a vote of three for and two against,” Lycaon said. “Mother Johannia, with the power invested to me by this court, I hereby strip you of your clerical ranks and declare you to be a heretic.”

“No, wait! This is something that should be decided in a few short moments,” Johannia said. “Allow me to put my case before the new High Priest or Grand Cleric. I have only declared what is true.”

“Your request is denied,” Lycaon said.

“Lycaon, I know you are a good man!” Johannia said. “Unlike the others within this Church, you have gone before the people, and you are purer than those bishop whose presence you now share!”

Yet Lycaon was silent. Johannia tried to resist, but the guards behind her leapt on to her, and pushed her down to the ground, and held her down. Then they delivered on to her an ironic crown. It was a burning metal cap, labelled “Heresiarch” in big, bold letters. Ss the guards put it on to her head the heat of it seared her skin, and she screamed. Then the guards began to carry her out, pulling her up, for at the moment she could barely stand, as was barely consciousness. Then the others began to leave, Bishop Karyn being the first to.

 [/hider]

[hider=The Carriage]

Johannia was being drawn by the hand of the guards around her. She knew where they were taking her. She would be given an ignomious death, tied to a stake, or perhaps nailed, and then the fire would be lighted, and she would be burned, and her body would be slowly consumed by flames. It was not the death which she desired, but if this was the will of the gods then Johannia could only accept it with what grace she could.

She saw the stake, as the guards dragged her up, but the next thing she saw was of a very different sort. There men with swords that came from every side, and they assaulted the guards which had held Johannia against her will. Soon Johannia was freed from the grasp of those guards, and the din and clanking and the bloodshed of war unleashed in front of her. Then she felt a grasp over her hand again, but it was not an aggressive, overbearing, chaining grasp like those the guards had done.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mother Johannia,” said the woman clothed in plate armor. “If you don’t mind, we’ve got to get going.”

“If it leads to me avoiding the stake,” Johannia said. “I’m all for it.”

And so this soldier led Johannia by the hand until the both of they came to a carriage. The soldier opened up the side door, and led both of them inside, and Johannia was glad to take a seat. As soon as they were seated the driver hit the reins and the horses went running at full speed. Johannia was glad that she could again have a safe breath, yet there was also many questions she had. The most pressing of them, however, was as to why Bishop Karyn was there as well.

“You!” Johannia said.

“Is that any way to thank the one who just saved you?” Bishop Karyn said.

“You condemned me as a heretic,” Johannia said.

“You would have been condemned anyway,” Bishop Karyn said. “And I could not very well had the other suspecting me. This way works best. They would never have suspected. They think I am nothing but a second-rate poet, but I am far more than that.”

“You allowed them to burn my head with that damned cap,” Johannia said.

“You’re going to have to get over it,” Bishop Karyn said. 

“Let me out here for a moment,” Mother Johannia said. 

“What?” Bishop Karyn said. “We can’t. If someone sees you, I can’t imagine it’ll be easy for us to get out. No. We need to get out of Nyhem as quickly as possible.”

Johannia, however, was not listen. She stepped out of the carriage and entered in the center of the two. As people saw her approaching, many recognized her and were shocked.

“Know this!” Johannia said. “Mother Johannia lives, and it is due to the grace of Jykher that it is so. Never, citizens, abandon virtue, and always follow as according to what the gods say, and nothing else!”

Then Johannia quickly returned to the carriage, opening the door and taking her seat once again.

“If you are quite done, Mother Johannia, then now we begin our journey to Ralda,” Bishop Karyn said. 

“Ralda?” Johannia said.

“Yes, my home,” Bishop Karyn said. “The place of my birth, and of my treasury. You do know, Mother, that there is no turning back. You will need a movement, and army, if you are live, and not return to that stake you barely escaped from.”

“Indeed,” Johannia said. “I know. And if that is the will of the gods, then so be it. I shall never surrender. Even in death, I shall live on, until the Church has been thoroughly purified.”

[/hider]