The information on this page is in-character. Some of it may be distorted or false, but it is an accurate reflection of IC perceptions of those in the organisation. This information would be known to the lay follower or the priest, but it would not be known to the average joe on the street. It can be found out IC if you spend enough time hanging around in the relevant places and being nice to the relevant people - let the refs know if this is the case. If you are planning on playing a character deeply involved with this organisation let the refs know, and we'll send you a player guide.
Humact is in the Mace Pantheon and his pantheonic opposite is Azrael. The holy symbol of the faith is a sword or dagger.
Humact is the God of Honourable Death and as such worshippers respect death and the dead. The driving force in any Humacti's life is their adherance to the three pillars of the faith: honour, truth and fighting the undead. Humacti priests famously swear not to lie and are eager to defend their honour in combat.
The church derives a lot of its wealth and power from the fact it is followed by many members of the Royal Family, and hence has been in vogue with the nobility for some time. It is popular for younger sons of nobility to enter the priesthood, and many families will also send their first sons to the temple to train in military theory and ethics. It is one of the largest churches in Albion, rivalling St John in size and popularity.
Failure to adhere to these strictures results in the Priest experiencing a Spirit Wrack during which the God severs their spiritual connection, removing their ability to cast miracles. This is an extremely painful experience, both physically and mentally, and is also degrading and humiliating. Most Lay Humacti will tend to follow the strictures only loosely but it is not uncommon to find somebody who follows them more strictly.
The church of Humact has always had an uneasy relationship with the church of Azrael. The adepts of Azrael proclaim him not only as a god of death, but as death itself and hence above the other gods, and most especially above Humact. Azraelites are regarded as dishonourable, in fact they distain the concept of morality as a shackle that distracts from their true purpose. The Azraelite church is small in Grantabrugge however, hence the Humacti tend to look the other way and politely ignore them.
The current Church of Humact in Grantabrugge is rebuilding after a period of turmoil. Conflicts brought about by the changes to the Pantheonic Treaty in 1292 led to the virtual razing of the temple and the death of most of its inhabitants.
Although the building itself has been mostly restored, only a fraction of its numbers remain. With all of the groups within the temple badly mauled by this disaster, the survivors were unified into a single order- the Knights of the Raven. Currently the head of this order and also of the temple is Theodore Grace. Grace is the head Librarian of the Black Library. He and his books were protected during the fighting and he is the most senior surviving priest as a result- though he has never had any urge to lead.
In the lands of The Ffolk to the East is the monastery of The Order of Truth – a group of extremely devout Humacti who take the tenets so seriously that most of them take a vow of silence to ensure they cannot lie. In any group of the Order of Truth, one will be nominated to the position of 'Liar', meaning they are allowed to speak (and thus risk lying).
The orcish population of Grantabrugge is devoutly Humacti, though they have very few priests. They live in their own quarter of the city and often keep to themselves, but are quick to respond when asked for aid by the temple.
All those who worship at the church are required to own a sword or dagger, and even those who are bakers, farmers or seamstresses have thus made a statement that they can be called upon by their god in a time of need. The temple itself is a large, gothic building situated near the temple of St John, now partly in ruins.
The Black Library is known to be the largest collection of Necromantic lore in Wessex, as well as having a substantial number of texts on Military Strategy, History, Nobility etc. Access to the main section is available to anyone with a letter of authorisation from a priest or member of the Church of good standing. Guards are placed constantly on the entrance – it is considered a boring but important duty, and the potential to be sighted slacking by a high up member of the church means the guards are almost always alert and vigilant. From the main section of the library you will be able to access vast tomes on past battles and the minutiae of noble bloodlines, as well as some of the more bland basic texts on undead spotting and Necromancy. Information that is considered sensitive is kept in the Restricted Section. To access books in the restricted section you will need to fill in a special request form. Detailed records are kept, and requests are not always granted. A pair of tall, polished black iron doors mark the entrance to the restricted section of the library – again they are always guarded.