…a lengthy and modern examination into the origins of Decusian religious creed and beliefs, circa 1290 by one Thomas Augustus.

The tale of the founding of the Republic, and more importantly, the faith that guides this mighty empire is a story best prefaced by exploring the canonical history of Eden and its shadowy early days. From hopeless beginnings to the dawn of a kingdom unrivaled, the tale of the Decusian Faith spreads across a period no less than fifteen hundred years in the making, one filled with both hardships and victory. By examining our history and origins as a people we may find the reasons as to why our fore-fathers were so fervently bound by honor and faith, both in their spirituality and of their fledgling kingdom.

Canonically speaking, the origins surrounding the formal birth of the Decusian Faith as a true religious creed has its beginnings traced back to the sinister days of The Old, specifically, during the first ten thousand years the world of Eden had existed. In this time of The Old, it is said that man first appeared upon the world of Eden. Little could be said about these barbaric and uncivilized precursors to the modern-day man. Uneducated and scattered, they roamed the lands of Eden with the other beasts that inhabited the world. As described in cannon, primitive men were nothing more than directionless husks of flesh and muscle simply existing within the lush landscapes of Eden. While ignorant, they were considered to live and exist in bliss, for they knew no natural predator, nor sickness, nor suffering.

Following the actions of the Thirteenth Archangel, as detailed in Creationis, the Decusian story of creation, a cataclysmic event befell Eden. Overtaken in darkness, the lands were populated with what were known as the Ill; all manners of diabolical creatures of whom sought to inflict pain and suffering upon that of mankind. From what can be collected from early literature of the Decusian faith, the most sinister of the Ill were described as powerful creatures whom resembled men but were quite different from their brethren. It is said that these creatures had the power to raise the dead, were stronger and faster than any human man, and had gained their nourishment by consuming the flesh and blood of living humans. These beings were by far the strongest of any creature that roamed the ancient lands of Eden, yet they were also intelligent and cunning; instead of hunting early mankind to extinction, they opted to enslave them instead. Fearing reprisal from early man, the Ill thinned the population of humanity through large scale murder, ravishing through women and children alike with feral tenacity and callous hands. Diminishing humanity into more manageable of a number, the populous of humanity was reduced by nearly half, assuring free reign by the Ill and their counterparts. This period is referred to at times as The Great Culling.

For time immemorial, humanity served as slaves to these beasts of darkness and despair. Yet it is during these early days of slavery and anguish that the ancient man began to develop his own culture and understanding of the world. Language developed among slave camps, and ancient man slowly but gradually made the transformation from primitive beast to a thinking creature. Forced to sustain themselves as well as serve to the pleasures of their masters, early man learned simple agriculture and other domestic trades out of necessity. It is further speculated, although quite cautiously, that early man also emulated and learned from their masters, learning things such as language and aspects of Ill culture. This idea, of course, is quite unpopular with the Church, explaining its lack of acceptance in most scholastic circles.

It is said that these creatures had the power to raise the dead, were stronger and faster than any human man, and had gained their nourishment by consuming the flesh and blood of living humans

At some point during this epoch of enslavement, an unprecedented event occurred; a single slave known in early texts as Randamus successfully killed an Ill slaver in a public display of defiance. This singular act is notable for two reasons; first, before Randamus’ act, early man is described to be a pacifistic creature, unaware or incapable of inflicting harm upon their brethren or even the Ill. Secondly, the subsequent execution of Randamus turned him into a martyr for the human race, as his execution spawned a half century of revolution against the oppression of the Ill. While detailed information of Randamus apart from his name and purported deed is practically non-existant, the ideology and martyrdom that surrounds Randamus and the rebellion that followed is an artery of modern day Decusian Faith. The idea that, despite facing certain death free will cannot be is a strong pillar in which the Decusian religion is founded upon, as easily seen in later works that the martyr Randamus referenced. Following the revolt of Randamus, ancient man fought against their Ill slavers for decades. Early texts show us that their efforts were mostly fruitless, however; as one popular text notes, ‘for every Ill that could be felled, ten-fold men fell to their dark powers’. On the verge of extinction, humanity was facing a losing battle. That is, until the Day of the Coming.

It is gathered from ancient lore that during the Day of the Coming, a spiritual entity from the Heavens themselves came to the desperate please of humanity in their most dire time of need. This entity, an Archangel, was the embodiment of purity and good. A creature of immeasurable brilliance, the Archangel possessed the form of a man, yet beheld wings of white feathers and armor of brilliant craft and design. This herald of light beheld a name which would live on in the world of Eden and in everlasting reverence; Decus. It was even said that some early men offered their worship to this ambassador of Heaven; however, such attempts were quickly dismissed by Decus himself. The Archangel, as he himself explained, came to humanity’s side as a humble servant, not as a deity or an idol of worship.

A creature of immeasurable brilliance, the Archangel possessed the form of a man, yet beheld wings of white feathers and armor of brilliant craft and design.

Upon arriving upon Eden, Decus took humanity under His guidance and tutelage. The Archangel explained his arrival in the Realm of Mortals as a precursor to a bright, new future for mankind; one that he has personally foresaw in a heavenly vision following Randamus’ rebellion. From Decus’ teachings, early man learned that these ecclesial creatures, the Angels, had existed in a different realm of existence. This place of peace, harmony and everlasting bliss was known as the Heavens. It was out of compassion that the Arch Prelate made the decent from the Heavenly realm into the Realm of Mortals in a desperate effort to keep them from being extinguished from the annals of life itself. This compassion was punctuated by the immeasurable sacrifice Decus had made when venturing forth from the Kingdom of Heaven; for He had forfeited His own immortality to save the vestiges of humanity, as by stepping foot upon Eden, he was subjected to the same rules and laws that governed the realm of mortals and men.

Ancient cannon states that Decus had bestowed upon early mankind a plethora of knowledge and teachings. The ecclesial liaison sharpened not only the minds of the human rebellion, but their proverbial swords as well, bestowing upon them techniques and technology unfathomable to early man. Metallurgy, carpentry and blacksmithing proved to turn the tides of the war with the Ill; where early man had initially used simple tools and weapons crafted of wood and rock to rebel against their former masters, they now employed the use of metal weapons and armor. It is even said that the knowledge of magic, in its most pure and Divine form, was bestowed upon mankind at this time. This profound renaissance of militaristic tactics, technology and enlightenment, tempered with the historic oppression of the Ill, caused a forced evolution of mankind. From the remaining vestiges of early mankind and by the guiding hand of Decus, the modern-day Decusian was born.

As early mankind evolved into the modern-day Decusian, enlightenment spread across Eden, and war against the Ill began to turn in humanity’s favor. Before long, exceptional men and women rose to assume the mantle of leading this new era of humanity. These talented souls were recognized by Decus from his visions as the instruments in which would bring forth salvation for the human race. Gathering together these exceptional few, Decus saw to it that a foothold was to be established in the heart of Eden, a revered place that would serve as the staging point of re-taking the world from the hands of the Ill. This hallowed place came to be called Temple, and its’ founding citizenry, the Templar. It is believed that Temple is the first true organized “city” of humanity, and due to its’ significance in Decusian culture, is a revered and sacred idea.

Upon the founding of Temple, the Templar ventured forth across Eden in righteous conquest. Spreading the teaching of Decus far and wide, the Templar trained the willing and ready, recruiting the most exceptional into their own ranks and setting forth the rest to continue humanity’s rebellion. These Templar quickly assembled into the commanding force of the human war effort. Masters of both combat, science and even magic, tales are still told to this day of the Templar being able to call forth powers normal men could only dream about. Amongst their powers granted to them by Decus was the ability to heal wounds by simple touch, to call forth surges of bravery in the most shaken of soldiers, and to even smite the Ill by simple spoken word. Before long, the war against the Ill was won, and humanity reigned as the supreme lifeform of Eden.

The ecclesial liaison sharpened not only the minds of the human rebellion, but their proverbial swords as well, bestowing upon them techniques and technology unfathomable to early man,

Yet with this great victory came great sorrow; for upon completion of their war against the Ill, the Archangel had succumbed to his own mortality. Decus’ passing marked the end of an epoch and the beginning of a new dawn for humanity. The Templar, still regarded by their fellow men as the chosen of humanity and rightful leaders of mankind, took to ascribing humanity’s victory to Decus’ intervention. In detailing the deeds and qualities of the Archangel, a collection of merits were attributed to the Archangel’s character. These virtues, known as the “Sacred Eight”, would come to be the fabric of morality that the Decusian faith would be later based upon, and are as follows:

Honesty, which is the human quality of communicating and acting truthfully and with fairness, as best one is able. It is related to truth as a value.

Compassion, which is a sense of shared suffering, most often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce such suffering; to show special kindness to those who suffer. Thus compassion is essentially empathy, though with a more active slant in that the compassionate person will seek to actually aid those they feel compassionate for.

Valor, also known as fortitude, is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. It can be divided into “physical courage” — in face of physical pain, hardship, and threat of death — and “moral courage” — in the face of shame, scandal, and discouragement.

Justice, or a condition thereof, is the ideal state of humanity: a morally-correct state of things and persons.

Honor is the evaluation of a person’s trustworthiness and social status based on that individual’s espousals and actions. Honor is deemed exactly what determines a person’s character: whether or not the person reflects honesty, respect, integrity, or fairness.

Sacrifice, the term used to describe the idea of selfless good deeds for others. Sacrifice is the concept of a direct relation between one’s virtues and their status within society.

Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. The spiritual, involving (as it may) perceived eternal verities regarding humankind’s ultimate nature, often contrasts with the temporal, with the material, or with the worldly. It is the idea in which mankind stays true to their belief in themselves and the Sacred Eight.

Humility is a quality or characteristic ascribed to a person who is considered to be humble. A humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest: someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others.

The Templar would go further in their proclamations. In their eyes and interpretations not only did Decus show them the path to their worldly salvation, but their otherworldly deliverance as well. The Templar proclaimed that, by adhering to the Sacred Eight qualities that defined the Archangel, humanity could ascend from the fabric of the reality following their mortal death, and live life eternal once more in everlasting tranquility within the realm of the Kingdom of Heaven itself. This idea became known colloquially in canon as “Ascendance”. These two guiding principles, the Sacred Eight and Ascendance, would become the foundations of the Decusian faith proper.

Popular with early peoples, these beliefs spread across the newly liberated ranks of mankind like wildfire. The evolution of these beliefs followed a natural course of action; the Templar, shepherds of early faith and interpreters of the life and deeds of Decus, would come to govern early mankind in earnest. From these early days came the birth of the Venerated Church, honoring Decus for his sacrifice by devoting their lives to adhering to the Sacred Eight. And thus, a people were born; the Decusians. In time, Decusian faith would come to revere Decus as humanity’s true and rightful (dead) God – for so revered was Decus to humankind, not death nor the fact that he was a creation of the Mason would deter them from worshipping his memory and quality. And so is the story of the Decusian religion; a faith whom reveres a dead Angel as mankind’s rightful God, whom turn their back to the the supposed true creator of the Universe, the Mason, and whom devote themselves to a moral code that shall allow them to live life ever-lasting within the Kingdom of Heaven.