The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

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The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

Post by Hell_Born »

We all know that Ezra's faith is divided into four distinct sects; the Lawful Neutral "Home Faith" of Borca, the Lawful Good "Pure Hearts" of Mordent, the True Neutral "Erudites" of Dementlieu, and the Lawful Evil "Zealots" of Darkon. However, I'm trying to find where each sect's distinctive interpretation of Ezra's Dogma is found. Can anyone help me?

For example, in the Gazetteer II, on page 32, one can find the Dogma of the Darkonese Sect. In the Gazetteer III, one can find the Dogma of the Dementlieuse Sect on pae 22. But where are the Dogmas of the Borcan and Mordentish Sects? Is anyone able to point me in the right direction?
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

Post by Dion of the Fraternity »

Just get the Kargatane "Book of Secrets" and search for the "Anchors of Faith" article; almost everything in the Gaz's about Ezra was based on it anyway.
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

Post by Five »

Hell_Born wrote:But where are the Dogmas of the Borcan and Mordentish Sects? Is anyone able to point me in the right direction?
Actual written out for you dogma? No idea.

But here's the between lines:

Mordent: Gaz III, pages 65-67; Heroes of Light pages 52-56 (Blessed Army of Ezra)

Borca: Gaz IV, pages 26-27.

All Dogma (one or two lines each, which you seem to have already absorbed): Ravenloft Campaign Setting (Core Rulebook, whatever) page 51; Ravenloft Player's Handbook pages 65-66.

That's 3E at a quick flip. As for 2E I haven't gotten there yet..

As indicated above: Book of Secrets, pages 15-30. Probably your best bet if you want something more linear.
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

Post by Dark Angel »

This is what I compiled from various sources.

Name-Ezra the Defender (Borcan) Areas of Concern-Protect the weak, Help the sick AL-LN Robes-White Robes with Green Trim Symbols- Silver longsword with a kite shield adorned with a sprig of belladonna

Special Note-The Borcan sect (administrated by Praesidius Ian Postoya), is commonly referred to as the Home Faith as it is the original location of the Church of Ezra founded by not other than Yakov Dilisnya. A major difference in Borca is the nobility’s welcoming of the faith into their own manors. This sect has always prided itself on combating the forces of darkness without the sinister methods of the Darkon sect. The home of the Borcan faith lies in the Great Cathedral in Levkarest that was completed in 739. Many members from each sect can be found here with all of the different books that define each recognized sect, as well as many that didn’t. The priests (called anchorites) pray for spells at sunrise and perform services at noon once every five days, but many come and go to worship as they desire on a daily basis at the Great Cathedral. As always, the main goal of the anchorites is to protect the weak, take care of the sick, and the general betterment of the human condition. As a general rule, they try to avoid spilling blood, but are not pacifistic enough to put off action when needed.

Name-Ezra the Healer (Dementlieu) Areas of Concern- Protect the weak, Help the sick AL-TN Robes- White Robes with Green Trim Symbols-Silver longsword with a kite shield adorned with a sprig of belladonna

Special Note-The Dementlieu sect primarily based in Port-a-Lucine in the ruins of a large cathedral, the Ste. Mere des Larmes (Sainted Mother of Tears). It does not have a large following amongst the local peoples. A strong faith is considered a sign of weakness and few people attend services or even discuss religion. In 709, Warden Joan Secousse discovered a stained glass window at the cathedral of Ezra which led to the investigation and excavation of the site. The things discovered were determined to be from the true church of Ezra and were compiled to create the Third Book of Ezra. Now, Bastion Joan Secousse seeks to discover as much as possible of the true church with her wandering clerics (called wardens) and church staff (called torets). This means they do not preach or even attempt to get others interested in the word of Ezra. The biggest draw is the Icon of Ezra (the stained glass window) which many have come to seek out its mystical powers. The priests (called anchorites) pray for spells at sunrise and perform services at noon once every five days. As always, the main goal of the anchorites is to protect the weak, take care of the sick, and the general betterment of the human condition. As a general rule, they try to avoid spilling blood, but are not pacifistic enough to put off action when needed.

Name-Ezra the Protector (Mordent) Areas of Concern- Protect the weak, Help the sick AL-LG Robes- White Robes with Green Trim Symbols- Silver longsword with a kite shield adorned with a sprig of belladonna

Special Note-The first offshoot of the Ezran Faith in 698, Mordent sect (administrated by Praesidius Felix Watcher), based in the Church of Pure Hearts, is renowned for being the most open to “doing good for goodness sake” and not mandating the proclamation of faith to receive help. They are also known for sending anchorites out into the many lands to spread both the word of Ezra and aid for those in need. Anchorites in Mordent have a lot of clout amongst the many small hamlets and villages even providing a platform for women to reach a position of power and authority. The priests (called anchorites) pray for spells at sunrise and perform services at noon once every five days. Many Mordentish anchorites have found their way into many cities of Richemulot and have formed a solid foothold of the Ezran faith, but the Home Faith has a greater influence there. As always, the main goal of the anchorites is to protect the weak, take care of the sick, and the general betterment of the human condition. As a general rule, they try to avoid spilling blood, but are not pacifistic enough to put off action when needed.

Name-Ezra the Overseer (Darkon sect) Areas of Concern-Preparing for the apocalypse, survival, guardianship AL-LE Robes-Black Symbols-A silver Longsword superimposed on an alabaster kite shield and adorned with a sprig of belladonna

Special Note-The Darkonian sect based out of Nevuchar Springs in eastern Darkon, it was founded by the current Bastion (head priest) Teodorus Raines who is foretelling the end of the world. He needs to torture and learn as much about evil creatures to adequately prepare for this apocalypse where his faithful will be called upon to defend the rest against the future he has seen (called the Times of Unparalleled Darkness). Many see him as a paranoid person, but his demeanor has never been erratic or destructive. With the collapse of the Eternal Order, many are flocking to this church, especially considering the church observes all of the Eternal Order’s holidays as well as their own. The priests (called anchorites) pray for spells at sunrise and perform services at noon once every five days. Many adventurers are amongst the devout. As always, the main goal of the anchorites is to protect those who cannot protect themselves, care for those riddled with disease, and better prepare humanity for the coming apocalypse. They do not show the same level of restraint for combat, but could never be called blood thirsty.
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

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I want to say thank you to everyone who spoke up here, and I must say, I'm disappointed with what you've told me. I know Ravenloft as a setting has its... quirks... but I still find it downright dumbfounding, if not infuriating, that the writers of the setting in 3e would put so little effort into informing us what the two biggest sects of the Ezrite(?) faith actually believe! I mean, they came up with Dogmas for the two most "out-there" branches of the sect, but they couldn't spend any time informing us of what a member of the Home Faith or the Pure Hearts actually believes?

Talk about poor design...

Still, thank you all, and especially for pointing me to "Anchors of the Faith", which is basically my best source of information as to the "core" Ezrite doctrine.
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

Post by Ender »

Supposition: the Dogma presented in Gaz III is representative of all non-Darkonese sects. The other three sects are similar enough in general belief that they didn't need unique dogmas and wouldn't have bothered to reprint the same dogma three times in one book. In fact, the Borcan sidebar on Ezra Revisited in Gaz IV specifically says to read more about it back in Gaz III.
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

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Ender wrote:Supposition: the Dogma presented in Gaz III is representative of all non-Darkonese sects. The other three sects are similar enough in general belief that they didn't need unique dogmas and wouldn't have bothered to reprint the same dogma three times in one book. In fact, the Borcan sidebar on Ezra Revisited in Gaz IV specifically says to read more about it back in Gaz III.
A generous sentiment... but, sadly, an incorrect supposition. The Dogma in Gaz III clearly refers to the Erudite sect only, by simple virtue of the fact it claims Ezra was a goddess who left the ranks of her fellows to look over mortals.
Ravenloft Gazetteer III, pg 22 wrote:"Ezra was a goddess who saw that the gods had abandoned the Hollow, a place hidden by mists and burdened by suffering. She beseeched the gods to tend to these people, but they refused. She left the realm of the gods and gave herself to the Mists in order to watch over the mortals within the Hollow. Other faiths simply worship other aspects of Ezra. The Grand Scheme has not yet been revealed to mortals, and thus study must be devoted to Ezra's other aspects. Ezra waits for us at the end of our life, on the other side of the Mists of Death, to take us to our final reward."
The defining trait of the other three Sects, including the Darkonese one, is that Ezra is a mortal who ascended to godhood to protect people.

Literally all that the "Ezra in More Detail section of the Gaz 3 contains beyond the same writeup we've seen in sidebars and the RCS/RPHB is the Home Faith's Origin Myth, and the organization of the church. Like I said, it's a disappointment.

On an aside, I could have sworn I read somewhere that the Zealots of the Darkonese sect are so obsessed with winning souls for Ezra that they have been known to attempt conversions-by-torture, as well as their vivisective interrogations of captured monsters. Is this true? And if it is, where's the source for it?
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

Post by Dion of the Fraternity »

Hell_Born wrote:On an aside, I could have sworn I read somewhere that the Zealots of the Darkonese sect are so obsessed with winning souls for Ezra that they have been known to attempt conversions-by-torture, as well as their vivisective interrogations of captured monsters. Is this true? And if it is, where's the source for it?
"Anchors of Faith: The Church of Ezra Revealed" in "The Book of Secrets."

Like I said, almost everything about the Church of Ezra is there.
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

Post by Hell_Born »

Dion of the Fraternity wrote:
Hell_Born wrote:On an aside, I could have sworn I read somewhere that the Zealots of the Darkonese sect are so obsessed with winning souls for Ezra that they have been known to attempt conversions-by-torture, as well as their vivisective interrogations of captured monsters. Is this true? And if it is, where's the source for it?
"Anchors of Faith: The Church of Ezra Revealed" in "The Book of Secrets."

Like I said, almost everything about the Church of Ezra is there.
Are you sure? I'm looking through the article now, and I'm not seeing any mention of them torturing others into converting to Ezran faith. It's noted he does believe that other priests are literally damning souls by luring them away from the Ezran faith, and that he and his followers don't openly murder non-Ezran priests in the street only for fear of the legal repercussions (page #29), but I can't say I see anything saying they convert through torture.
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

Post by Dion of the Fraternity »

page 29:
In secret chambers within his Nevuchar temple, Raines has imprisoned several examples of the Legions of the Night: werebeasts, a vampyre, undead horrors that fled from Il Aluk; anything he can capture. When not preaching fire and brimstone to his faithful, Raines and his trusted advisors spend their time in these secret chambers, torturing these captured monstrosities to discover their weaknesses.
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Re: The Different Dogmas of Ezra?

Post by nothri »

As I recall, each chapter of the Gazetteer was written by a different author. The cohesion to be found in most of the chapter was due either to the Dark Duo or more often still the efforts of the Kargatane (most of whom were employed as authors of the various books), including a generous amount of time spent by John W. Mangrum to "stealth edit" the chapters to make sure they jived with established lore. Mordent's chapter specifically was written by a "non-kargatane". I think the answer to your question is that stuff like the Ezra text was less coordinated because the authors were not in regular communication with one another the way the kargatane usually was.

Take that with a grain of salt, of course. Third party understanding of the facts. Another possibility is that the info was there but got cut for space (an especially likely scenario for Gaz IV, given it was dealing with five domains rather than four).
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