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

[b]Catholicism:[/b] although [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0d4qM7gCH8]Catholicism[/url] is universally (and rightfully) regarded as the most important and influent branch of Christianity in Western Europe, the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church]Catholic Church[/url] 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 Britain 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 [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire] Holy Roman Empire[/url], which at the time was the most powerful realm in Western Europe. The two kings decided to embrace the Catholic faith 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 [url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg]papal tiara[/url] and crossed keys, emblem of the Vatican.

[b]Pelagianism:[/b] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74d3gWJOV-4]Pelagianism[/url] is a Christian doctrine, condemned as heresy by the mainstream Catholic Church. Its name comes from that of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagius]Pelagius[/url], a British monk and theologian born in 390 CE. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagianism]Pelagians[/url] 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 throughout Britain, especially among the Saxons; thus, in a short time, the doctrine of [url=http://refiningfireradio.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/pelagius.jpg]Pelagius[/url] 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 [url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/White_Rose_Badge_of_York.svg/2000px-White_Rose_Badge_of_York.svg.png]white rose[/url], 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.

[b][u]Religions available only to Celtic characters:[/u][/b]

[b]Celtic Paganism:[/b] also commonly known as [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a41bIBvqTP0]Druidism[/url], [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_polytheism]Celtic Paganism[/url] is the mainstream religion among the Celts. Followers worship various [url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Detail_of_antlered_figure_on_the_Gundestrup_Cauldron.jpg]tribal deities[/url], including some of the more pan-tribal deities such as Teutatis, [url=https://balkancelts.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/gundestrup.jpg]Taranis[/url], [url=http://fantasy.mrugala.net/Jim%20Fitzpatrick/Jim%20Fitzpatrick%20-%20Lugh%20the%20Il-Dana%20(2nd%20version)%20(1979).jpg]Lugh[/url], Nuada, Brighid, in a fashion which has not changed much since the early Iron Age. In addition to these deities, they also place an emphasis on their ancestors and local nature spirits, often associated with stones, trees and bodies of water. Special connection to nature in Celtic Pagans' religion is also illustrated by the importance of sacred trees (especially oaks) and the usage of mistletoe as sacred medicine. In social life, the most important feature of the religion is the central role played by its clergy, the [url=http://www.druidicdawn.org/files/druidimagecrop.jpg]Druids[/url], in maintaining religious and social cohesion. They are responsible for organizing worship and sacrifices, divination and judicial procedure. They preside over complex rituals revolving, for example, around sacred banqueting and animal ([url=http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/68/149368-004-26E848A0.jpg]sometimes human[/url]) sacrifices, following a [url=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8HcXHq8MLk/Tx20i1l7lkI/AAAAAAAADTs/Qq2wyypEf-4/s400/celtic+calendar+1.jpg]calendar[/url] based on Moon cycles. Although [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druid]Druids[/url] prefer keeping away from the sphere of politics and abhor putting any sacred lore in writing, or maybe because of that, their spiritual aura goes much beyond those following the Celtic traditional religion and is widely respected, even by worshippers of other cults. Druids are also law-speakers, poets, and doctors, thus playing a fundamental role not only in the religious sphere, but also in everyday life. A typical Celtic symbol is the [url=http://www.cybercauldron.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/triskle.gif]triskelion[/url] or triple spiral, found in many artifacts and emblems in the Celtic world. The old ways of the Celts remain strong especially in Ystrad Clud, Dál Riata, Fortriu, Rheged and Caledonia in the North, Powys in Cymru, and the western half of Éire.

[b]Celtic Christianity:[/b] also called [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BH0GHUWbHU]Hibernicism[/url] or Cúchulainism, Celtic Christianity is the result of the syncretism between Christianity and the local Celtic traditions. Christianity arrived in Britain in the beginning of the 4th Century, but as the Roman Catholic presence started to become unstable, local clerics reinterprated Christianity in a fashion more in line with their own Celtic traditions, creating [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Christianity]a new variant of Christianity[/url]. Old Celtic traditions kept alive by Druidism slowly became more and more intertwined, and as a result, Hibernicism developed into an ever-changing, peculiar synthesis between its fading Christian background and the revived Celtic belief system. In particular, characters of the Christian Saints and Celtic heroes influence each other, to the extent that the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth is often merged into one of the most prominent characters of the Celtic sagas, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%BA_Chulainn]Cúchulainn[/url]. Celtic Christians do not have an organized clergy or unified church: their priests and bishops are much more similar to the druids of old than to their Catholic or Pelagian counterparts. However, they do refer to the whole of their community as the "Church of [url=http://catholichotdish.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/SaintPatrickShamrock.jpg]Saint Patrick[/url]". The most common symbol of the Hibernicist faith is the so-called [url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Celtic_cross_Knock_Ireland.jpg]Celtic Cross[/url], standing tall in many Celtic monastries and churches. Today, Hibernicism has many followers among the Celts, especially in the kingdoms of Alba, Gwynedd, Brythonia, and the eastern half of Éire.

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