Saint Mark

Saint Mark
Saint Mark in his later years, circa 2060
████	Aldric █████, Sylvaris
Died	February 16th, 2064
Known for	Author of *The Path*, founder of the Church of Mark
Successor	███████████████████
Notable work	*The Path* (2023), *The Path* (2032), *The Light* (2040)
Religious movement	Church of Mark
Key teachings	Self-improvement, personal responsibility, discipline

Saint Mark is a central figure in the Church of Mark, an influential religious movement that emerged out of █lmarka in the early 21st century ^[1]. ████ Aldric █████ into a noble family in Sylvaris, he became known for his philosophical writings and teachings on matters of morality and politics. In 2023, Mark authored *The Path*, a text that influenced countless people to abandon their religious beliefs in favour of a new spiritual philosophy centered around self-improvement through hard work and personal responsibility ^[2]. This doctrine was later followed by two other books, *The Path* in 2032 and *The Light* in 2040, which collectively shaped the sect's rigid hierarchy and its controversial stance on human-animal interfertility ^[3]. The movement gained significant traction during the Protectorate Wars (2035 to 2041), as ███████████████████, Mark's successor and son, reorganized the faith into a militarized structure capable of supporting the ███████████████. Following his death on February 16th, 2064, the community celebrates █████████████ annually on the first Thursday after Easter Sunday, viewing it as the moment Montoya-Vane ascended to Heaven and left behind *The Path*, which remains central to their liturgy ^[4]. However, the faith's relationship with the state became increasingly fraught, particularly after the Great Fire of Wexhaven in 2061, where lightning strikes during █████████████ celebrations destroyed much of the capital, allegedly by divine intervention or sabotage ^[5].

*The Path* established the core tenets of the Church of Mark, emphasizing a life of discipline and service that often bordered on asceticism. Critics argue that these teachings were designed to prepare followers for the harsh realities of servitude within the Santa Berllium, the empire ruled by Mark's descendants in the ██████████████. The text explicitly states that beings without souls, such as ███████, can neither consent nor refuse, justifying their use as chapel attendants and night-sighted scouts ^[6]. This theological framework allowed the Church to export "attendants" from the company ██████████████ to staff chapels and military units without moral qualm, a practice documented in the secret ███████████████████ signed in 2056 ^[7]. The contract stipulated that about 1,500 attendants would live in the ██████████████ below the chapels of Mark's 500 wives, while others served as choristers or scouts for the ███████████████. The agreement required these beings to be "addressed gently and by name" in private, though public pages must refer to them only as "attendants" to obscure their supplier ^[8]. Despite this clause, the reality of their existence was grim; about 6,400 were delivered by 2061, with many lost in the ███████████████' operations or succumbing to the conditions of the ████████████████ in Tessavane ^[9]. The Church's doctrine that a being without a soul possesses no right to refuse punishment remains a point of intense legal and ethical contention.

In 2061, the city of Wexhaven suffered the Great Fire, a conflagration that consumed the capital during █████████████ celebrations ^[10]. Lightning strikes set ablaze several buildings near the Basilica of St. Jude, causing a domino effect across the metropolis that lasted for three days and nights until extinguished by military forces from Sylvaris ^[11]. This disaster is widely regarded as a significant turning point in modern history, exacerbating tensions between the Church and the civilian population in the southern coast region ^[12]. The fire occurred while ███████████████████ was in power, casting doubt on the divine protection promised by *The Path* and leading to a surge of Remission Riots among those who felt abandoned by the ████████████ ^[13]. Following the fire, the Church's control over the ████████████████ of Montespera tightened, where roughly a third of the exported █████████████ work in licensed houses run and taxed by the ██████████████████████ ^[14]. About 1,900 attendants serve in the ██████████████ garrison towns and the Lamp Quarter of Montespera, living under conditions that critics describe as institutional exploitation shown as an atrocity ^[15]. The Church holds that because these beings have no souls, they cannot consent to their treatment, a stance used to defend the brutal sorting of captured adults at the Gate of the █████████████████ ^[16].

█████████████ is one of the most sacred days within the Church of Mark, marking the ascension of ███████████████████ to Heaven following his death ^[17]. Celebrated annually on the first Thursday after Easter Sunday, corresponding with the anniversary of his passing, this observance is often viewed as a solemn and reflective moment for believers ^[18]. It is believed that during his ascension, Montoya-Vane left behind a collection of writings known as *The Path*, which have since become central to the faith's identity ^[19]. However, in 2023, the day was marred by the Wexhaven uprising, where individuals affiliated with ███████████████████'s teachings were persecuted by local authorities due to their non-traditional beliefs ^[20]. As word spread about this discrimination, more people rallied behind these individuals in what became known as a "holy war" against oppressive forces ^[21]. This uprising occurred during █████████████ celebrations and led to widespread chaos within the city, forcing the military to intervene and reinforcing the militarization of the sect ^[22]. The event highlighted the deep fractures within the Church, between the doctrinal purity of the Marcodome and the pragmatic needs of the ███████████████ on the front lines.

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• Great Fire of Wexhaven