Morality
Morality represents the values of the culture that a character belongs to. When a character deviates from their culture’s norms and ideals, it creates a mental and spiritual strain. For the majority of characters who live their lives in the Throne, the Seven Sins represents the actions that they consider taboo and harmful to the spirit. In other cultures through the world, partially or substantially different sins are given cultural weight. These sins are part of the indelible impact of their cultures and upbringings – even characters who do not adhere to these codes of conduct still subscribe to them.
Sinking into Depravity
Reporting Sin
When a character commits a sin, or witnesses a sin that someone else commits, you should note it on your character slip or notify Staff at the basilica so that it can be recorded.
The Seven Sins Against Mankind
Wrath
Venial
Impassioned violation of another. Undue threats and aggression.
Mortal
Intentional injury or violation of another. Killing in self-defense.
Deadly
Premeditated murder or torture. Inflicting unusual horrors upon another.
Violence against declared Anathema is not a Sin of Wrath.
Sloth
Venial
Telling small lies. Unnecessarily using powers when mundane solutions are available. Lies for personal benefit.
Mortal
Abandoning your duties or breaking oaths. Refusing others help when doing so is within your means. Living a lie or double life.
Deadly
Dereliction of accepted responsibilities. Treason and betrayal.
Gluttony
Venial
Becoming intoxicated by choice
Mortal
Recreational or intentional drug use. Consuming Malefica
Deadly
Voluntary addiction to anything. Cannibalism
Lust
Venial
Sexual behavior without proper union
Mortal
Prostitution of your body. Using sex as a tool to get your way.
Deadly
Rape and extreme sexual perversion
Vanity
Venial
Bragging of your personal ability or past accomplishments.
Mortal
Abusing your position or authority for self gain outside of the duties of your station.
Deadly
Sacrificing someone’s life for your own gain, or letting someone die for the benefits it brings. Slavery
Greed
Venial
Taking without asking when it will go unnoticed or unmissed. Not giving to those who ask when it is within your means.
Mortal
Stealing for personal benefit.
Deadly
Hoarding surplus in times of another’s need. Profiteering off of the desperation of others.
Heresy
Venial
Indulging in conversation with a heretic, reading heretical writings.
Mortal
Knowingly suffering a witch or heretic to live.
Partaking in the rites of another faith.
ETERNAL
Knowingly extending welcome, aid , or brotherhood to a heretic.
Performing rites of worship or giving prayer to a false deity – any other than The Lord.
Apostasy – turning away from the Lord to another faith.
Sinners
According to the Church’s doctrine, so-called Venial sins, or forgivable sins, are sins of conscience, convenience or passion that, while blemishing the soul, do not necessarily sever one from the Lord and Heaven. Venial sins add 1 Depravity. Mortal sins, worth 2 Depravity, are sins which kill the soul. While one labors under a moral sin, their soul is considered to be “dead” and, should they die unatoned and without Last Rites, their fate is to be damned to Hell for eternity. Lastly, Deadly sins, which grant 3 Depravity, are seen as yet worse than mortal sins, for the bearers of Deadly sins are thought to make others unclean by their association, and those who are known to wear Deadly Sins are not to be trusted or associated with lest that person’s wickedness come to bring wickedness into your life as well.
Redemption
Other Ways
Old Ways
Followers of the Old Ways of the far north of the country of Njordr are in open rebellion against the Throne and refuse to give up their dreaded Old Gods of the North. Old Ways followers (or those characters who take the Old Ways Perk) do not use the Heresy Sin. Instead they abhor Cowardice. Cowardice represents the Njord culture’s natural bias for heroic action and great deeds, and its taboo against valuing one’s life over one’s legend. Because of the nature of the Old Ways followers’ relationship with their bellicose Old Gods, who they do not worship but instead live in the dark shadow of, performing their official rituals and becoming a Wise One is considered to be an act of ultimate groveling, and is considered the most severe form of Cowardice.
Old Ways culture puts a very different emphasis on manliness and womanliness than the cultures of the Throne do, and women are not naturally expected to live up to the same standards as men are. Consequently, female Old Ways followers never earn Cowardice Sins or suffer Depravity from them. This also means that, culturally, the work of being a Wise One of the Old Gods falls almost solely on women, and the dark arts of intercession between man and God are a woman’s realm.
Cowardice
lesser
Refusing a direct challenge to fight
Classic
Running away from a fight
Heinous
Groveling or begging to save your own life. Performing a Ritual of the Old Gods
Old Ways followers treat Sinning itself very differently. The real Sin is against one’s own legendary reputation. While they acknowledge the existence of the vices of Sin, it is curiously seen as somewhat laudable to Sin as a mark of power and will – until it isn’t. When their drinking, fighting or stealing gets the better of them, and they become more menace than hero to those around them, their Sins are called out by their fellows.
Old Ways followers do not earn Depravity for sinning until another person directly calls them out for it. At that time, they immediately earn the Depravity for the Sin they are called out for, if they indeed are guilty of it. An Old Ways follower who calls them out loses one of their own Depravity immediately for calling them out. The one who was called out can immediately issue the Challenge against their accuser, and if they win, they remove the Depravity they just gained.
(Read more about the Challenge)
The Shariqyn
Spiritual Shariqyn who violate their morality seek atonement through a water fasting rite overseen by a Magus, the priests of their culture. The highest of their Magi, the Sahirim water mages, undergo special training and sacred rites before reaching the levels of perfection and closeness to atma that they have attained in order to get their power. Because of this, Sahirim never commit Hubris sins or take Depravity for them, even if they do the actions.
The Shariqyn people are divided on this issue, and there are, in fact, two sects of Shariqyn that follow different branches of the Aa’boran. The Sahirim are the highest ranking of the Aa’boran Biraq, while the more traditional view, the Aa’boran Tariq, views sorcery as wicked.
Violence against Jharad, the enslaved undercaste of their culture, is not considered Wrath for Shariqyn.
Hubris
Lesser
Refusing to patiently hear the advise or opinion of anyone who offers it
Classic
Disrespecting or insulting the values of other cultures than your own
Heinous
Making a pact with or using powers that are supernatural in nature, including the use of arcane sorcery
Some Shariqyn have converted to the ways of the Throne and follow the Church of Mankind. These so-called Desert Lions, (Shariqyn who take the Shar’Aslan Perk) do not observe the Hubris sin, and use the Heresy sin as normal, though they may harbor vestigial cultural habits around it.
The Old Ways of Vecatra
The ancient World Goddess Vecatra has been all but stamped out. Once, in the Age of Heroes, her cults, like a thousand others, could be found in every corner of the world, some say worshiped even by Elves, but now all that remains is a sad remnant of those long-passed days. With the coming of Benalus, the Eschaton, and the founding of the Throne, the Church has systematically eradicated all of the old religions, but stubborn Vecatra clings to life, her ways surviving in isolated pockets.
Rural families in isolated communities, especially in Dunland where her cult center was once located, but also in many other places the world over, still raise their children with the old words. They teach the ancient stories, and practice the ancient values. The Sins these pagans care for are entirely different than the Seven Sins of modern society. They focus on the Circle, a tight-knit in-group of only those people that they have selected as their own, such as their family, their tribe, their clan, or their band. These groups were once quite large, but are now usually just a few people, those holdouts, and others of their ways that they can find in the world. What outsiders do doesn’t matter, and what happens to them doesn’t matter.
The Seven Sins Against The World
Bias
Lesser
Advocating for either side in a dispute that does not directly affect your circle.
Classic
Taking actions to support either side in a dispute that does not directly affect your circle.
Heinous
Swearing allegiance to any entity or cause not in explicit service to Vecatra.
Violation
Lesser
Failing to defend against a Night Malefics’ “Fear” call.
Classic
Failing to uphold an Oath, knowing or unknown.
Heinous
Directly aiding the holy people of other gods.
Artifice
Lesser
Utilizing imported goods.
Classic
Buying or selling with currency.
Deadly
Displaying and flaunting signs of wealth and non-Vecatran status; Allowing gross disruption of the natural world
Disloyalty
Lesser
Refusing requests for help from a member of your Circle.
Classic
Betraying a member of your Circle, or abandoning them in a time of need.
Heinous
Failing to stop a member of your Circle when their actions harm Vecatra.
Submission
Lesser
Submitting to anyone other than the leader of your Circle and the great spirits.
Classic
Failing to answer an insult in kind.
Heinous
Refusing the submission or surrender of another.
Innovation
Lesser
Failing to participate in a traditional celebration of your community, such as Holidays or Folkwise.
Classic
Utilizing new technology or sorcery (Ex. Engineering, Firearms, Arcane Magic)
Heinous
Refusing to take part in a Rite of Vecatra or an Oath to a spirit.
Indolence
Lesser
Suffering a major personal failure, being Downed or helpless amongst enemies or outsiders.
Classic
Begging assistance from anyone outside your Circle other than Crones and Spirits.
Heinous
Allowing Vecatrans to suffer as a result of your own weakness.