Here's a brief description of the religions and faiths existing in the islands. 

[u][b]Religions available to all characters:[/b][/u]

[b]Catholicism:[/b] although Catholicism is universally (and rightfully) regarded as the most important and influent branch of Christianity in Western Europe, the Catholic Church holds actually relatively little power in Britannia. The isles were simply too far away from the main papal seat of Rome and of little importance for the Pope's interests, and the rise of the Pelagian doctrine further reduced the Church's influence in the archipelago, as we shall see later. However, Catholicism appeared again in Christianity in recent times, around the beginning of the ninth century, when the Saxon kings of Kent and Suthseaxna decided to embrace this doctrine; this was a strategic move to gain the favor of the Catholic rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, which at the time was the most powerful realm in Western Europe. The two kings decided to embrace the Catholic rulers in order to become a part of the Empire's sphere of influence, and thus gain its protection against their Pagan and Pelagian neighbors. Thus, the Catholic Church abruptly re-entered the islands, and using the two Saxon kingdoms as footholds, flooded the archipelago with missionaries and priests, however obtaining only scarce results in bringing back Britannia under the hegemony of the Pope. Now, Catholicism has relatively little followers in Britain; except in the two kingdoms of Kent and Suthseaxna, Catholics are viewed with suspicion in all of Britannia, and sometimes even persecuted. This religion is symbolized by the papal tiara and crossed keys, emblem of the Vatican.

[b]Pelagianism:[/b] Pelagianism is a Christian doctrine, condemned as heresy by the mainstream Catholic Church. Its name comes from that of Pelagius, a British monk and theologian born in 390 CE. Pelagians hold that Adam, the first man in Biblical tradition, never incurred any "original sin", only that he set a bad example for humanity. Consequently, humanity is not doomed to sin, but instead chooses to sin of its own free will. Therefore, humanity has never been "tainted" by any primordial sin, and it is capable of choosing right and wrong without need of divine aid, but merely because of their own God-given free will. This belief directly contrasts with that of the Catholic Church, which claims that man is inherently evil and that man cannot come to God without the grace of God, symbolized by the Baptism. When Pelagianism first appeared, it was a mostly underground cult, opposed and persecuted by the Church and the Roman Empire (which at the time was already enforcing Catholicism as a state religion). When the Saxons invaded, many kings of this people decided to convert to Christianity; however, in order to oppose the Catholic Romans, and seeing the Catholic churches and monastries as an easy target for plundering, they decided to embrace the Pelagian doctrine. Thus, the Pelagian monks and priests, which had been forced to hide under the Roman Empire, were given the occasion the spread their creed among throughout Britain, especially among the Saxons; thus, in a short time, the doctrine of Pelagius became the most widely followed Christian creed in Albion. Quickly, Pelagians set up their own Church, resembling that of the Catholic, led by a council of high ranking bishops (known as the College). The seal of the College and of the Pelagians in general is a white rose, symbol of purity. The College used to reside in York, but after the Viking invasion, it was forced to move to Berecingas, in Eastseaxna. Today, the predominantly Pelagian realms are Eastseaxna, Mercia, Northymbra, Est Engla, Danelagh, and Dyfed.

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