Difference between revisions of "Talk:Manifest Episcopacy"

Revision as of 01:06, 11 June 2011

Have I answered all outstanding questions about the Episocopacies? -gm

Yeah-- so they're a lot like the Cabinet offices/positions? It makes a lot of sense that way. We need to make a handful more of these, though, as I suspect they're probably rather important and fairly common knowledge among the population. We especially should sketch out how the moral/crime-against-persons law system is handled-- surely that comes up a lot? Good news for my games is that there's probably room for the system to change a bit over 400+ years. -Mattie

Wow, all these little groups means so much politics and opportunities to build a cult of personality. If shit goes bad in Wydmoor, what would it take to join the church as a neophayte? Does Germain have to take cleric levels, or could I just dump a couple points into knowledge (religion) and give a really heartfelt confession of faith? I'd be a mighty fine inquisitor! --146.127.253.45

The problem with reaching a huge level of prominence in one location is it has a transitive property. If you get a reputation for burning bridges and jumping ships... let's just say Germain Turncoat probably is not going to be collecting a huge following. absalom 20:17, 9 May 2011 (EDT)

Well, I think I still have a good chance of escaping without picking up THAT bad a reputation. I did what I could, and I always fought the good fight afterall. Sure, a detect truth might reveal a handful of dubious acts, but it also reveals that I legitimately believe that I killed less people than my reputation suggests.

I just mean habitually abandoning your causes isn't exactly loyalty inducing. Once, maybe twice, but after that . . . -gm

Its not quite the catholic church where you make a claim that you were born again, join a monestary, and then rise to prominence there because you provide a skill that they need. I was watching the Name of the Rose on an airplane and I thought about an older Germain working as a detective/internal affairs guy for Episcopacies. --146.127.253.12

Heh, there was a bit of that and I'm sure there is here, too. You might even get away with that one, but the Mother Church colors don't run. Also, Name of the Rose is good. Try reading it, lazy ass. Took me an entire summer. absalom 20:29, 9 May 2011 (EDT)

I'm sure its grand. I'm going to guess it is like reading Rushdie and it will leave me feeling confused, weighty, and vaguely satisfied. I'll wait until I'm old and have less to do with my time. --146.127.253.45

Well, to put it in perspective: writing novels is Umberto Eco's SIDE GIG. absalom 20:35, 9 May 2011 (EDT)

I think, so far, there are only two defined Manifest Episcopacies on the wiki: the Travelers and the Forgewelle Episcopacy.

More of these

What was the vision for how many of these there are? Did you intend a very small number, or are there a dozen or more of these?

There are many of these, but not nearly so many as (hundreds or even thousands of) regional bishropics. The closest, though still rough, analogue would be something like a Cabinet Secretary in the government (Manifest) and then local government agencies (Regional). So, all of the holy militants would be their own Manifest Episocopacys, as probably are whatever inquisitor group the church no-doubt maintains, etc. Now, they don't all share equal access or prestige, but there are a goodly number. An even rougher analogue would be the position of "Cardinal" in the Catholic Hierarchy, which deals with "broad strokes" agenda items. -gm

Perhaps there could be an Episcopacy or Warden over missionary activities? Religious history study? Study of the veil and the planes? Not sure just how interesting we could make these episcopacies, but it could help my story to have more than just the regional Hadriarchs involved in The Pinch. -Mattie

Generally speaking, the Manifest Episcopacies are interested in big ideas. They're basically the church bureaucrats and those in charge of major branches of the central church. The "Executive Branch," so there might be one dedicated to church finance, one dedicated to doctrinal purity, one dedicated to rooting out heretics, etc. Anything from a pure research point of view is going to probably be done by some university or the other, though no doubt under church auspices. -gm

Possible suggestions

I'd love to start fleshing these out, get some cool stories for their founding, etc... To encourage that, how about a strawman list? If you dislike 80% of them, maybe I'll get 2-3 important ones that I can try to work into my narrative (where I need some churchy drama). I'm doing this more to get everyone's creative juices flowing...

• Rosewall Episcopacy (Defense ministry? I'm thinking if there's a group like this, they're still very powerful in 950FI anyway, after Edrell Dakt used them as planners for Fourth Int?)
• Almsmen Episcopacy (Full-on church finance/accounting/investment)
• Universal Temperance Episcopacy (Justice dept?)
• Manifest Temperance Episcopacy (Inquisitors/excommunicators? Perhaps also guardians and maintainers of Stone Warden?)
• Predicant Letters Episcopacy (Press, Communication, Propaganda)
• Stand Emissary Episcopacy (Small group, ambassadors, trusted emissaries, direct communication with world leaders?)
• Bellwether Circle Episcopacy (Oracles, visionaries, intel network, spies?)
• New Witness Episcopacy (missionaries, reaching out to barbarians, growing/recommending new regional episcopacies)
• Red Forest Episcopacy (church land managers?)

Some of these names/ideas are downright bad, I admit. Yet, if nothing else, I'd love to see missionary (if it exists) and inquisitor episcopacies sorted-out. -Mattie

Church Policing?

Some interesting ideas that I'd be curious about:

• A Manifest Episcopacy over church judicial system? (i.e. the judges/tribunals for day-to-day inner church rulings, etc)

Quite possible. Jurisprudence is covered in a sketch somewhere, but essentially crimes against persons (murder, etc) are dealt with by the church and a universal across the mainland. Crimes having to do with property and ownership (civil law) is dealt with my secular authorities and may differ from location to location. Having an Episcopacy dedicated to creating and sending around jurors, investigators, and judges seems like exactly the sort of thing a Manifest Episcopacy would be for. -gm

• A Manifest Episcopacy over internal affairs / policing? (i.e. inquisitors / church law enforcement)

I think I hinted at the existence of such above? Inquisitors and Excommunicators would also warrant their own Manifest Episcopacy. It might even be the same one for both! -gm

Or would those be committees/appointees throughout the regional areas? Would almost be cool if those were groups "outside" with their own Wardens and their agents intermixed with the regionals and reported through to the special Warden and the Arch-Warden rather than to their regional peeps. -Mattie

That's exactly right. Manifest Wardens are sort of like the suits that come down from corporate. Definitely cultural outsiders, and probably no body local is thrilled to have them around, no matter how rousing the welcome party pretended to be. -gm