Liberi Gothica: Fluff

Prelude to Liberi Gothica

Welcome to the world of Liberi Gothica.

It is a world similar to ours, a world in the midst of our past.

It is a world where the sole individual is lost underneath the rapid growth of industry, the progress of nations and the odds of survival in the hellish urban sprawl.

It is a world where all creatures magical; the elf, the dwarf, the naga, the troll, the goblin, the dragon, have been hunted to near extinction, brutalized by the technology of man and the power of the Church.

It is a world where the power to level entire cities, slaughter thousands of people and conquer nations resides within the hands of a single child.

The world of Victoria beckons.

The World of Victoria.

The World of Victoria is an ancient place, steeped in history far older than man. In the distant past humanity once shared this lush land, covered in rolling hills and plains, sprawling forests, verdant lakes and endless seas, with several other races, fantastical now, but very real then.

No more do these fantastical creatures exist, for they were wiped out by a genocide the likes of which man has never seen since. Tales from this era are lost, kept alive only by whispered half-truths and the words of the Church of Twelve.

All that is known is that in this far flung past, against foes far stronger than humanity, humanity prevailed through a miracle. This grand miracle spawned countless lesser miracles through which - against all odds - mankind not only defeated its foes, but annihilated them entirely.

This war, so vital to the history of this planet, to the knowledge of future generations is largely forgotten, kept secret. No current history book makes mention of such a war, no scholar will ever admit to such a violent past.

Over a thousand years later mankind has developed into several nations covering the beautiful world of Victoria, shaping it and perverting it into the needs of men. With the loss of an outward enemy, conflict arose amongst the human nations, evolving into dislike, then intolerance, then hatred. Although humans live in a relative, fragile peace, the only thing maintaining this peace is the semblance of economic advancement through trade thanks to the fires of industry.

The world of Victoria is amidst an Industrial Revolution. Cities have evolved into a massive dominion of uncontrolled urban sprawl. Factories are kept alight night and day, their pollution blocking out the sun and turning the rivers black, their fires basking the city in a hellish orange glaze and blotting the stars out at night. In these cities millions live, drawn by the promise of wealth, of security, of something better than the peasant life they knew. Instead they are locked in a perpetual wheel of despair, forced to work harsh hours for pay hardly enough to subsist on, jobs where the life expectancy dismally plummets with every breath, where even children are forced to work simply to survive.

These cities are covered in filth and squalor, the poorest sectors akin to war zones where to survive means to take and kill; places so horrible that not even the military tread, never mind the police. The debris of decaying life litters the ground, with every step a squish is heard, its sources countless: feces, litter, spoiled food or the corpse of an unfortunate dog, cat, horse or human being.

Despite such horrid conditions, these only affect the poorest parts of the cities dotting the landscape of Victoria. In the upper parts of most cities, usually atop beautiful hills that overlook the countryside or upon lakes not yet soiled by pollution the rich and affluent live. Without the need to work so hard to attain so little, they are free to live according to their whims, many taking on hobbies or gaining higher educations. These upper class families evolved from the noble families of old, joined by those factory owners and business tycoons who were able to take revolutionary technologies and turn them into profit. It is they who can afford to fund pet science projects, build clockwork contraptions of the strangest sort and send their children to become future politicians and business tycoons.

Yet, these upper class citizens at best make up only ten percent of a city's population, others fewer than one percent.

Then there is the forgotten middle class, slowly shrinking after their gains from prior ages, their specialist skills eclipsed by the technology of man that has made them obsolete. Either their skills become far more valued, such as the clockworker whose skills cannot be replicated, or they become worthless and are cast off into the poverty-stricken streets, such as the seamstress and butcher.

Outside these cities life is little better. Dotted across the landscape in-between these sprawling metropoli are the farming communities of old. Still keeping to their ways, they work the land, cut the forest and mine the earth. Thanks to revolutions in machinery a farmer can yield far more produce than ever before, forests can be felled in a fraction of the time and rich ore brought up to the surface far more efficiently. Yet, thanks to such advances, the prices of their products are not as high as they would desire, further compounded by an excess of their products and in the end the peasantry is still caught in a hand to mouth existence.

The Church of Twelve

The Church of Twelve is an ancient religion, spanning far back to a by-gone time when men still lived in mud huts and were preyed upon by unthinkable creatures.

The Church of Twelve is devoted to the worship of a singular, true God whose power eclipses all, his word spread by twelve apostles. Such belief was attractive to the people of those bygone times, and soon they were the dominant religion, splinter groups springing up everywhere. As time went on something of a Holy War between the original Church of Twelve and the countless divergent religions took place under the grounds of superiority and which was "Truly Faithful". To that end The Church of Twelve was utterly victorious and remains to this day the singular religion. There are no others to match its might in this regard, with every splinter movement, divergent cult and self-appointed savior labeled as heretics and cut down.

In nearly every town, village or city a church can be found to the Twelve. In the largest cities massive Cathedral complexes are formed, a small village devoted to the Twelve sheltered around the shadow of a massive Cathedral. There are even a few cities known as "Cathedral Cities" who are not under the dominion of any country, but instead under the control of the Church itself. The greatest example of such is the seat of the Pope and capital of the Church of Twelve: the city of Perpetua, located within the heart of Rocco.

The Church of Twelve's power is not limited to things of the soul and spirit. Far from it, the Church of Twelve wields massive political and military might.

The Church's tendrils reach into every nation's government, manipulating its leaders in subtle ways to best benefit them. Considering its status as the chief, dominant religion in Victoria, The Church's reach goes into the very hearts of the teeming masses. They are obedient to its word, willingly lead as a flock is by its shepherd. With but a word a man can be labeled an enemy of the Church and assaulted on sight, governments overthrown and whole cities overcome with the power of zeal. Indeed, these peasants have more than once been inspired to war and rioting by The Church, the most famous of these is the Great Crusade and the subsequent subjugation of the desert lands.

The lands of Acol were conquered by a combined force of nations under the guidance of The Church of Twelve, utterly crushing all resistance, slaying non-believers to and fro without remorse, all over a holy relic believed to have been kept in the people of Acol's most sacred place. In the end all of Acol was conquered, save for the city-state of Alexandria, the gem by the sea, able to resist these far off conquers by use of technological might and their fabled guardians.

Following the aftermath a steady truce was formed between the now conquered "Holy lands" and the nation of Alexandria. Whilst the other nations were quick to leave Acol after having sacked the parched land, The Church was far more hesitant to do so.

The Order of James was re-founded, reorganized into the Army of Salvation. This force became the stabilizing military force that continues to reign over the land of Acol to this day. Made up of volunteers that had been discharged from their home countries after the Crusade, this turned the Church into a world power, able to militarily stand up to any other country and win. Combined with the Third Division of John, the Holy Mechanists providing advanced weapons and other technologies, the Church cannot be handled in any direct manner.

To ensure unrivaled political and military power the Church maintains an Inquisitorial council, The Ninth Division of James the Lesser. Under the guise of Holy righteousness, they silence demagogues, destroy cults and ensure that none interfere with the power of the Church.

However, despite such responsibilities an Inquisitor must abide by the laws of the country he is hunting within. He cannot simply kill or arrest a man for no reason; he cannot directly interfere with law enforcement jurisdiction without consent. He is for all intents and purposes to any country an outside investigator hunting a wanted felon that in the end is up to the home country to allow. This reluctance to allow Inquisitors absolute power in their investigations is a fear from the days of the Holy Wars, where countless were killed on baseless accusation. Thanks to the overwhelming support of the Church however, an Inquisitor is usually given carte blanch when it comes to information and apprehension of subjects. All that’s needed to be done is paperwork.

When it comes to direct force an Inquisitor cannot usually ask for assistance in this manner unless the felon in question is also wanted by the local law enforcement. In that case an Inquisitor may requisition Salvation soldiers, Paladins or even the Blessed. He must of course file the appropriate paper work to the corresponding agencies.

Paladins are members of the Fifth Division of Phillip, acting as the officers of the church. They lead the troops of the Salvation Army, mind the Blessed flock, and hunt down the unrighteous, the heretical, and the inhuman. They are exemplars of faith, righteousness, unwavering courage and valor. They are the leaders of men in time of need and warriors without peer. They are of the highest nobility and of the greatest class, educated in areas of politics, war and faith.

The Blessed Flock are Liberi who are members of the Church. Blessed as they were by angels, they are provided to assist the other branches of the Church as needed; Boneweavers assisting with crafting, Invokers healing and summoning angels, Reanimators and Blood Mages assisting the Church in its works of war, the list is nigh endless. Such individuals are rare, and as such they are often protected by full regiments of Saint James soldiers, their bodyguards led by Paladins. To this end many Paladins end up as lifelong faithful retainers and friends to a single Liberi.

Finally, there is a secret weapon employed by the Church, created by means far more insidious than anyone could have imagined, a weapon created by the Twelfth Division of Judas Iscariot. A few Cathedrals in Victoria have an underground dungeon, a place known as the Frozen Hells. Here countless children dressed in mourning garb are placed, preserved for all eternity. They are the Broken Flock; Liberi whose power was so great that they could not be slain nor could they be reasoned with or converted. Instead they were bound by a powerful magic privy to only the highest members of the church. These Broken are sometimes awakened if it is believed they can be controlled. These Liberi are then indoctrinated while still reeling from their catatonic state. It is then the Church provides a Paladin to bond the child to, acting as the Liberi's mentor. Driven into the pits of despair, the child willingly attaches itself to such a powerful beacon of kindness. The link between the two is stronger than any bond between a parent and child, between siblings or between lovers. It transcends all logic itself, for the Liberi is faithfully, fanatically and suicidally devoted to that Paladin, for life. Considering the immense power that a Liberi must carry to be considered for the Frozen Hells, coupled with such a fanatical resolve, they are perhaps the most powerful tools of the Church. Woe befall the fool that slays a Broken's Paladin, for that person shall know no rest, their soul forever tormented by an unhinged child with the power to destroy cities. Indeed, nearly every Liberi who has lost their Paladin becomes suicidal, with only a few overcoming such immense attachment to their Paladin. In such cases where reform is strong enough, a Broken child may be introduced into the ranks of the Blessed.

Also, death by food poisoning.

Tl;dr

Victoria is a world of limited steampunk and heavy gothic elements, with strong religious overtones. The church is fanatical, widespread, and powerful enough to do The Emprah proud. This church will sometimes use Liberi to try and capture other Liberi. Liberi they catch work in a Gunslinger Girls-esque situation, with the Liberi being bound to a Paladin and working as a team.

He is a hardened Paladin of good, struggling to find meaning in a world of darkness. She is an angry little girl possessed by a demon with nothing to lose. They fight crime!