Church of the Holy Witchspace Guard

Church of the Holy Witchspace Guard

Overview

The Church of the Holy Witchspace Guard (HWG) is a dictatorial Theocracy which controls several systems all over the sectors. Their members act as religious, political and military leaders. While providing a certain life standard to the population there is still enough agriculture to not rely on imports of food. Therefore these worlds are usually classified as "mainly industrial". In many systems church centers could be found, they not only offer spiritual support but different levels of education as well. Furthermore, quite a number of local influential organizations and persons employ members of the church as tutors and advisers. Therefore the church is well respected in most systems, the exception is communists who basically hate (and fear) them for their influence.

Organization

The spiritual and administrative center of every system the church controls is a High Temple. Its the destination of many pilgrims from the neighbor area who come there to meditate and receive their blessing.

The military order of the church (HWG defense order) serves as Navy and, in cooperation with GalCop, as police as well. They are known to have experienced pilots. While never proven there are rumors that their officers, either because of advanced technology or because of mutations, got a special connection with the witchspace. More than once an enemy attacking one of their ships disappeared in a suddenly opening wormhole. Too many reliable sources reported the same events to be just a coincidence. However, for now, there are only stories at late hours in a Seedy Space Bar.

GalCop and especially the Galactic Navy suspect for long years that the tutors and advisers of the church act as an (unofficial) intelligence as well (or even give advice more in the interest of the church than anybody else). Should it indeed be true that all their information is sent back to a High Temple a galactic scandal would be unavoidable.

Geography

The following systems in Galaxy 1 are dictatorial theocracies of the church.

Leleer: 0:2 - Dictatorship, Mainly Ind. Pop. 3.5 B, Prod. 13720 MCr. HC: 7, TL: 8, Human Colonials.
The world Leleer is very noted for its pink Leleerian Er plant plantations but beset by frequent civil war.

Veis: 0:81 - Dictatorship, Mainly Ind. Pop. 3.1 B, Prod. 12152 MCr. HC: 3, TL: 7, Human Colonials.
The planet Veis is a boring world.

Atrienxe: 0:88 - Dictatorship, Mainly Ind. Pop. 3.9 B, Prod. 15288 MCr. HC: 7, TL: 9, Human Colonials.
Atrienxe is an unremarkable dump.

Atage: 0:103 - Dictatorship, Mainly Ind. Pop. 3.9 B, Prod. 15288 MCr. HC: 4, TL: 9, Red Bug-Eyed Lizards.
Atage is an unremarkable planet.

Tiquat: 0:231 - Dictatorship, Mainly Ind. Pop. 4.3 B, Prod. 16856 MCr. HC: 8, TL: 10, Red Fat Insects.
This world is reasonably well known for its great parking meters but cursed by unpredictable earthquakes.

As well as these five systems, there are also a number of independent countries on dis-unified planets (eg. Confederacies, Multi-Governments & Anarchies, and a handful of Duchies/Baronies on Feudal Systems who identify with the Church - not to mention individual worshippers in the democracies and feudal systems.

Theology

The Church is devoted to purity - the purity of the worshippers and the purity of Witchspace. To be pure one must know what purity is and how to attain it - hence the emphasis on education. In the religious academies this leads on to education in religious dogma to convert the ignorant, and in some academies to tutoring in space combat against the Thargoids. The Thargoids pollute space with their peculiar space drives and must be eradicated. It is rumoured that the temple at Veis is collecting data about Thargoid appearances in order to predict future incursions.

The inner sancta of the Temples are naturally only open to those who are pure. Purification for a service involves ritual bathing, censoring with incense, prayers and silent meditation. the peculiar appearance of the church's temples and ships is tied in with this purity.

Since the expertise in fighting against the Thargoids also translates into fighting against pirates - or other invading systems, the church advisors to other system governments are usually there in a military guise.

Ranks

HWG

• Supreme High Priest (Leader of a galactic sector, G1 for example.)
• Supreme Priest (Head of a system.)
• High Priest (Administrator of a planet, moon, or high temple.)
• Priest (In charge of a church center, like a temple or a school. Rarely tutors and advisers to VIP's.)
• Cleric (Managers of a priest, also the common rank for the tutors, advisers, and missionaries.)
• Seer (Assistants to a priest.)
• Savant (In charge of daily work routines, usually supervised by a seer.)
• Adept (New members of the order in training. Adepts could become later members of the defense order.)

HWG defense order

• Supreme Guard (Commander of the system forces, takes orders from the Supreme Priest.)
• High Guard (Commander of a planet, moon, or high temple, takes daily orders from the High Priest.)
• Guard (Fleet commander.)
• Templar (Squad commander, commander of larger ships.)
• Paladin (Very good pilot, officer on larger ships.)
• Knight (Good pilot, scout, NCO on larger ships.)
• Squire (Experienced pilot, crew member on larger ships.)

Lore

The Straits Seminary on Qutiri is quite famous, as is the Grand Cathedral. See Qutiri (Rough Guide) for details.

Gallery

Click on thumbnails to view full-size images

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  HWG High Temple

Links

• Dictators OXP
• Religion
• Qutiri (Rough Guide)
• Origin of this page (2019)