Carmine Conclave Religion and Rites



Much like the other Templars, the Carmine Conclave is bound to their faith in the God-Empress. Though not every Carminian is a supplicant to their Church, almost all pay at least lip service to their religion. After all, the Skull Conclave may be an entire continent away but the Priory of Excruciators are always on the watch -- Duchal permissions will not always stay their hand. 

Carminian Faith

  • Awakened, Avatara, Wakers

    OVERVIEW: The God-Empress is described in the myths and the scriptures of the Temple in many different ways. Regardless of Her form, she is an entity of boundless love for humanity, even at their worst and their most proud. In some texts, she is a many-armed and many-eyed humanoid goddess. In others, she is a sinuous, serpentine dragon wreathed in clouds and in glory.

    However, despite her feelings for humanity, Her power and aspect is beyond the reaches of human imagery. Many scriptures described Her as a veiled, hooded figure whose true presence would shatter the minds of any who looked upon it -- even her Chosen Children.

    Because of this, the Temple usually draws Her symbol as such: two Equilateral triangles, one inside the other. The outer triangle radiates power and is encompassed by a runed circle.

    SYMBOL: The Oracle-Ziggurat -- the Hallowed Ziggurat of the Templars.

    SHRINE TYPE: Hallowed Shrines built to the Temple may be of the following -- Ancestral, Deep, Primal

    TENETS: Below are the primary commandments of the Templars, though in truth, the Awakened rely more on the Sins to guide their actions.

    — The Tenet of Supremacy: The God-Empress is All, let no one stand against Her or her Temple.

    — The Tenet of Nurturing: Humans are the Children of the God-Empress and the Templar are Her Chosen. The Templar must protect, instruct, and hone Humanity for the Last Reaping.

    — The Tenet of Purging : The Human Race must be nurtured but the Final Ravening will soon be upon us. Those who defy the Temple or work with the Abyssals must be left behind.

    SINS AND ATONEMENTS: The following are the Archsins -- crimes and misdeeds that are punishable by the Temple. Atonements for these sins are given by a presiding judge, usually a cleric of sufficient stature provided that the necessary punishments or mortifications are served.

    — Blasphemy is committed when an Awakened defiles a holy object or speaks profane of the God-Empress or her Oracle-Avatar.

    — Defilement is the unlawful destruction of other Wakers’ property or using unlawful methods to destroy one's own property.

    — Heresy is committed when an Awakened directly goes against the authority of the God-Empress and Her Oracle-Avatar.

    — Malfeasance is the unlawful harm or slaying of another Templar. This includes psychic and physical injury including soul-binding and illicit torture.

    — Malifica is illicit magic-use. Magic is the gift of the God-Empress and Awakened who wield it must be mandated by the Temple or be servants of the God-Empress herself.

    — Perjury is when an Awakened breaks a holy oath or lies to the Temple.

    WORSHIPERS: Faith in the Shattered Mother is the Templar’s state religion. While joining the faith is not a requirement of Templar society, its tenets inform state policy and higher offices are often Enkindled in this faith. Thus, the Templar Archfaction are the main worshippers of this faith. However, it does have adherents beyond the Templars themselves, among the Cartel and other smaller communities in Mid-Atla.

    Worshippers are call themselves the Awakened although outsiders have been known to colloquially call them “Wakers”.

    CLERGY: The clerics and priests of the Temple are collectively called “the Archonate”, though they do not always directly serve the Archons of their Conclave. Sorcerous abilities are a requirement for the Archonate, be they inborn magicians or forged through an imbued Stigmata.

    These religious folk serve as spiritual guides and ritual leaders for their communities when it comes to official Templar dictum. Among the theocratic Skull and Talon Conclaves, the Archonate serve supervisory and even governing roles depending upon their rank and position.

    In communities where the Templar faith is but one of many, the Archonate are leaders of their people but they do not claim to command any religious respect where secularism or heathen faiths have sway. Still, the concentrated support and training available to Archonate members allow them perspectives or even education that is worthy of a leadership or guidance role.

    LEADERSHIP: The Templars and Awakened are led by the Oracle-Avatar, who is both religious and secular leader of their people. They task the faithful toward the defense of humanity and the exaltation of their God-Empress. However, their direction and their dictum tend toward infrequency and toward general practices, allowing their subordinates a measure of free rein. This is made all the more true by the crippling injuries they suffered from their sorcerous battle against the Harbingers.

    Directly beneath the Oracle-Avatar, the Talon-Archon and the Skull-Archon are the leaders of their Conclaves in matters of faith, battle, and civics. The Carmine Conclave differ from their brethren in their own separation of church and state. The wealthy Cabals are expected to serve the Archonate clergy and the Carmine-Archon within the Conclave (who in turn, serve the Oracle-Avatar).


The God-Empress

The God-Empress is described in the myths and the scriptures of the Temple in many different ways. Regardless of Her form, she is an entity of boundless love for humanity, even at their worst and their most proud. In some texts, she is a many-armed and many-eyed humanoid goddess. In others, she is a sinuous, serpentine dragon wreathed in clouds and in glory. 

However, despite her feelings for humanity, Her power and aspect is beyond the reaches of human imagery. Many scriptures described Her as a veiled, hooded figure whose true presence would shatter the minds of any who looked upon it -- even her Chosen Children. 

Creation myth

It is known by all Templars that the universe is but one of many and our planet is a single grain within a nigh-infinite desert. Yet within this vastness, humanity is unique for they are the children of the God-Empress. 

The Templars call her the Earth Mother, the All-Goddess, or the World Dragon. She has always watched over Her scions. Indeed, every ancient myth has a spark of Her shadow within it, such is Her mark upon the Human Race. With Her power, She who is All made stars and space and planets but proudest was She of Her greatest Children. 

The World Dragon was but one divinity against many during the Ravening, but She fought for Her children with the strength of a thousand Gods. These world slayers were born of chaos and power, yet they coveted what the God-Empress possessed or else sought to destroy it all in their hatred. From the depths of the void and eldritch plane, they bent unwitting humans to their cause and allowed themselves to be summoned.

The Oracle-Avatar and the Archon-Saints were the last remnants of an ancient order that fought these heretics and worshiped the God-Empress. With the defeat of the Awakened Temple came the Ravening that brought the world into ruin. 

Humanity was slain by the millions when the Abyssals defiled the skies with their abominable forms. The earth and seas shivered -- drowned millions more in floodwaters or cracking stone. Even the greatest weapons that the ancient sciences had brought to bear simply wounded the Abyssals -- many of these missiles were deflected by foul Arcana into the brightest cities of the Earth. Worse yet, the very presence of the Abyssals fractured reality, allowing lesser entities to invade the world.

Yet, hope was not lost. The God-Empress battled these fell godlings for the fate of Her children. This titanic battle was waged across the face of the planet and entire cities were ravaged in its wake. Ultimately, the She who is All was victorious but at a massive cost: her greatest Aspect fell dead from its grievous injuries even as the Abyssals shattered and scattered with their prime aspects banished into a reality between realities. 

Tenets of the Faith

The Sanctified Temple of the Shattered Mother exists for one reason: to prepare humanity for the next war against the Abyssals and their spawn. This war must be fought by humans and humans alone, with their faith in the All-Goddess to guide them. 

To that end, all Templars must follow the Commandments below:

  • The Tenet of Supremacy: The God-Empress is All, let no one stand against Her or her Temple.

  • The Tenet of Nurturing: Humans are the Children of the God-Empress and the Templar are Her Chosen. The Templar must protect, instruct, and hone Humanity for the Final Ravening/Last Reaping.

  • The Tenet of Purging : The Human Race must be nurtured but the Final Ravening will soon be upon us. Those who defy the Temple or work with the Abyssals must be left behind. 



In addition, the following are the Arch-Sins -- crimes and misdeeds that are punishable by the Temple.

  • HERESY is committed when a Templar directly goes against the authority of the God-Empress and Her Oracle-Avatar. This primarily refers to seditious or treasonous activity, and disobeying a direct order from a Hierophant or Archon.

  • BLASPHEMY is committed when a Templar profanes a holy object or speaks profanely of the God-Empress or her Oracle-Avatar. 

  • DEFILEMENT is the unlawful destruction of other Templars’ property or using unlawful methods to destroy one's own property. To a lesser degree, this is also committed when an Templar takes or misuses what does not belong to them. It also covers the misuse of others' property and the evasion of tithes to the Temple.  

  • MALIFICA is illicit magic-use. Magic is the gift of the God-Empress and Templars who wield it must be mandated by the Temple or be servants of the God-Empress herself. Malifica also includes using relics or magics deemed forbidden by the Temple. Harmful or corruptive association with certain baleful entities is considered to be both Malifica and Heresy. 

  • MALFEASANCE is the unlawful harm or slaying of another Templar. Certain Templar are exempt from this Arch-Sin within the auspices of their profession, although they often perform Penances in their off-hours to cleanse any stain on their soul.

  • TREACHERY is when a Templar breaks a holy oath or lies to the Temple. Other examples of Treachery includes failing to protect those you have sworn to protect, disobeying a direct order from your superiors or misusing those under your command. 



Life Rites

Below are Life Rites that are performed by those of the Carmine Conclave. Some Rites and Sacraments are shared with other Conclaves while others are wildly different. These are typically performed by the Priory of Orchestration. 

Sacrament of Naming 

When a child is born into the Carmine Conclave, there is much celebration and rejoicing after the children and parent have recovered. For the Cabalim this involves a feast -- the more opulent the better. The Archonate celebrates these births in a more somber manner, attended only by close family and visited by one’s superiors. Makers follow the Calabim tradition, but rarely match the size and scope of their festivities -- thus they often combine their Sacrament of Naming with neighbors and/or friends of a similar situation.  

In all cases, a Priest of the God-Empress will attend and bless the proceedings and the newly arrived children in the God-Empress’ name. Especially influential families may receive the blessing of the Hierophant, the Invokate, or even the Carmine-Archon. 



Sacrament of Anthesis (Conjuration for Clergy)

After their 18th winter, a child of the Conclave may be recruited by their family’s Cabal or by the local Hierophant to join the higher ranks of their organization. This requires that the individual finance, plan, and execute a ceremony that celebrates the Temple (and the Cabal, if they are recruited by one). This is usually the work of multiple such individuals and their efforts are judged as one, unless the adjudicators of this event (usually a Hierophant, Duke and/or their proxies) choose otherwise.

This Sacrament is also undergone by those from outside the Conclave who wish to leave their order or organization to join the Carmine Conclave. Naturally, they must be graced with a Hierophant or a Duke’s blessing. 

For some would-be Templars, the Sacrament of Anthesis or “Blooming” is simply a party with distractions, cuisine, and toasts. Others weave religious Sacraments and scriptural readings into their dealings. Those with more martial inclinations may have ritual sacrifices, performative duels, or weapon exhibitions in their Sacrament of Flowering. Uncommonly, the judges of this Sacrament may demand specific themes or activities for the Novitiate’s Blooming, failure to comply has dire consequences on their judgment. 

It is a mark of distinction for celebrities and other important personages to appear in one’s Blooming Sacrament, though it is fairly uncommon because of the lack of status in said party.  

While other Conclaves see this as yet another “excuse for the Carminian to revel”, the Sacrament of Anthesis is meant to showcase logistical ability, aesthetic capacity, interpersonal skills, and when things go wrong: improvisational expertise. The wine and the reveling are simply a side benefit, say the supporters of this Sacrament. 

It is possible to fail in this Sacrament and be denied entrance to a Cabal or the Clergy. This can be simply because the Adjudicators were unconvinced of the Ritualists’ merit. Even interruptions of the Anthesial Sacrament do not necessarily warrant a failure. Regardless of the reason, those who fail are allowed to try again up to thrice before they are disallowed from further attempts. Tradition dictates twelve months before each attempt, though even this can be bent under the correct circumstances.  

Sacrament of Matrimony

When two people decide to get married to each other, they personally craft or hire the creation of a marital talisman. This is usually an amulet that symbolises their union. Their families and close friends assist in the upcoming ceremony -- like many of the Carminian Rites, this tends to be a feast. 

A Priest of the God-Empress begins the celebration by uniting the two in the Sacrament. This blessing is a short affair, but speaking of passion and love is a commonality among the Carmine Conclave. When the two are united in Matrimony, the feast immediately occurs - yet another arena for networking and maneuvering. 

At the end of this ceremony, the couple is considered to fully join one of the two families, but maintains close associations between both parties. Typically, the family that pays more of the Sacramental supplies and costs is the one they will join.

Eloping without this Sacrament is not a Sin in the eyes of the Carmine Conclave. However, without at least a Priest to bless the union, it is considered bad luck and ill manners.

Sacrament of Lamentation

A funerary rite - the Sacrament of Lamentation requires that a Priest bless the deceased and ensure that their soul travels to the God-Empress. In addition, the Priest or one of the deceased’s associates/allies reads out their good deeds and their wishes. Speaking ill of the dead here is in poor taste and may result in ejection from the Sacrament or even an accusation of Defilement.


While there is a feast, it is a somber affair. The close associates of the deceased are expected to weep or have cosmetics that resemble weeping. This is considered to be a hallowed environment, bereft of politicking and maneuvering but many Carminians will do what they want in any case. 

Some families elect to omit the feast itself, though this is not recommended by the mores of the Cabalim. 


View of Magic

The Templar believe that Magic is a gift from the God-Empress, received by the fortunate and the destined. The holiest of traditions are Deotheurgy, Animancy, and Diablerie -- these are magics that are gained through piety, pain, and discipline.

For many Sanguinar, magic is an effective tool but not automatically better than bladework, technology, or scheming. Many of the machinations and maneuvering in Cabalim society relies on wit and cunning to overwhelm even those with the upperhand. And while the most powerful forces of the Carmine Conclave have the strongest magic-users, the Sanguinar still remember their successful purge of the Night Kings (who themselves were almost unrivaled in the realms of sorcery).





Views of the Afterlife

Temple Dogma describes life after death as one wherein the human spirit is devoured by latent Abyssal essences in the land or fading into peaceful oblivion. The Ravening not only brought immense changes to physical reality in the form of etheric phenomenon and otherworldly horrors, but the realm of death has also been altered.

The only way to avoid this terrible fate is to undergo the Sacrament of Naming or the Sacrament of Junction, wherein one’s spirit is marked by the God-Empress as one of her Chosen. Upon death, this spirit joins with its fellow Templar and with the God-Empress in eternal harmony. The Sacrament of Respite makes certain of this journey to the World Dragon and prevents interference from the Abyssals or other Eldritch entities. 

Sanguinar Perspective: Though the Scriptures nor the Oracle-Avatar do not say so, the Sanguinar believe that the virtuous and the righteous are rewarded in the afterlife with endless days of splendor and joy. For some, this may be an eternal celebration or an unending feast. For others, this afterlife might be rejoining with their loved ones or the quieting of their troubles.