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Heraldy of the Ecclesiarchy?

Started by Dorn, October 27, 2013, 04:07:15 PM

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Dorn

Are there specific heraldic colours in the ranks of the ecclesiarchie? For example has a cardinal a red robe and a normal priest a white one? Where is the difference between liturgical clothing and normal clothing? Do you know any puplications on this?
Bear my light to all men. Illuminate the darkness.

MarcoSkoll

#1
In short, not really.

In long... certainly, such traditions might exist on planets (or regions of planets) and there might be "official" answers from Terra or Ophelia VII, but as you view it on a larger and larger scale, the Ecclesiarchy has fewer and fewer constants.

The Imperium is an empire of a million worlds, each different from the last, held together by only comparatively slow and unreliable transport and communication - this is not a state that breeds consistency.

The Ecclesiarchy is definitely inconsistent - this is a church that has tried to gather up non-Imperial local traditions over the millennia in order to convince the natives to worship Him on Terra.

A sun-worshipping cult might have been convinced to accept the sun as an aspect of the God-Emperor. This version of the Imperial creed will be very different to how the Emperor is worshipped three planets over - over there, they've been convinced that their great saviour was actually one of the Emperor's Saints. On worlds "liberated" by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade, they might worship the Emperor through one of the Primarchs.

One character of mine comes from a cult in which the Emperor, hailed as the perfect human, is also hailed as a romantic ideal* - and thus offerings to him have a romantic association. But that's not to say they can never fall for someone else... they have high standards, but if they do fall in love, it's taken to be the Emperor accepting the offer and gifting them with a partner possessed of some portion of his perfection.
*It's not an all-female or all-androphilic cult. Suffice to say that the culture has more liberal views on such things.

In essence, as a player, you can essentially make up any religious beliefs and practices you like - just as long as the Emperor sort of features in it somewhere, it's fine.
It's actually a good thing - it's basically the point of Inquisitor to have characters disagree over their beliefs.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

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