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Message: <blockquote data-quote="doghead" data-source="post: 1652079" data-attributes="member: 8243">The One True ChurchTHE CHURCH-- The Factions --The three factions are more like factions in a political party than the separate churches of historical christianity. All the church buildings belong to The Church. In some areas, the factions live side by side without there being any overt distinction between them. In others, a cold war rages between them.Village Wards tend to reflect the philosophy of the people more than that of the Cleric. More than one brash new cleric has, after attempting to impose his position on a Ward, found himself frozen out of the local community, or even physically thrown out in some cases.In the larger towns and cities, there are usually several Wards, and a greater degree of factionalism is evident as people gravitate to the church that best reflects their views on what is right.-- Gallow-on-Tep --The Patriach of Gallow-on-Tep is the senior cleric of the city and the surrounding Protectorate. The protectorate of Gallow consists of quite a few Wards, a some in the city proper and quite a number in the surrounding region. Gallow has traditionally been free of overt interfactional conflict, but recently tensions and conflicts between the factions within Gallow and the Protectorate have been increasing. There have been occasional incidents of violence that some attribute inter-faction disputes. The church denies that this is so.The riots three years ago were the result of a tangled knot of long simmering grievences and tensions. Although they are not directly tied to interfactional conflict, the polarised positions of the factions and rather strident sermons and preachings of some of the clerics have been blamed for inflaming the situation. It is a charge that the Patriach has acknowledged and since then, factional disputes have been much more low key and largely played out behind the scenes.-- Father Kirkham --Father Kirkham came to Gallow-on-Tep about 10 years ago. Some said he had been banished from the Banhied for scandal or another. He himself has never really said anything on the subject other than it he serves the will of the God through the Church.Father Kirkham is a relatively unimposing man to look at, but a powerful presence to be in the room with. He is of the High faction, but rarely brings it up. Unless you asked him directly, you would probably have only found out about it in a round about way.When he arrived, Father Kirkham was assigned to one of the smaller churches in the city. In the intervening years, it has become one of the best attended. Many say that the Father's success and popularity have earned him the emnity of the Patriach. But Father Kirkham won't be drawn in it, even if you asked him directly. For while he is a direct man by nature, he is also a diplomatic one. Some believe that his refusal to be drawn into the church power politics is a well considered political play, but many others believe him when he says that his only interest is in serving the people.The loyalty and respect that Father Kirkham had commanded was instrumental in protecting his Ward from the worst of the riots. From the pulpit, he preached restraint and reason, and reminded his ward that hot heads and inflamed passions was no justification for straying in the eyes of God. During the riots, Father Kirkham's church suffered much less damage than most. Since the riots his Ward has grown in number quite significantly. The small group of people that formed the nucleus of the 'Guardians', those that stood, initially at the doors of the church, and later at key intersections around the ward, and turned away the rioter's with (mostly) just calm words and steady gazes, remain bound together by ties stronger than their personal feeling for each other.</blockquote>

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