Purificatio

The other associated religious group of the Prodesse of World's Mouth is the Purificatio. This militant branch represents Dominicus's inquisition in World's Mouth, utilising their numbers and skills to find, confront, and, if necessary, dispatch any evil that threatens the well-being of the city.

The Purificatio started small, with perhaps 35 persons, but when the Merchant's Council agreed to the Pact of the Army of God, granting the legion two thousand crowns per month, this grew to encompass hundreds of soldiers contributing to the War of the One. This legion is also known as the Army of the One or Soldiers of the One.

There are two ranks within the Purificatio: Confessors and Inquisitors. Confessors are of equivalent rank to full monks or priests, although their training is far more militant and rigorous. The most senior of their number are promoted to Inquisitors, equivalent to abbots or bishops in other branches of the One Church, and the Purificatio's overall leader is known as a High Inquisitor, currently Ottavio.

Daily Work

See also Dark Arts.

The Confessors, usually accompanied by several Soldiers of the One, are often dispatched to investigate occurrences learned by the Purificatio through the Abbey, the populace, or their own inquisitions. After investigating the possible problem in the city, the Confessors can then apprehend any evils they encounter, returning them to the Prodesse for incarceration and inspection by the Inquisitors. Alternatively, they might also confront and destroy the nefarious threat if necessary and no other options are available.

The following situations are common for any Confessor to investigate:

• Reports of necromancy or dealings with undead.
• Demonic activity or demonic adherence (summoning, dealing, etc).
• Black magics of any kind, though some black magics are sectioned by the Purificatio, such as the works of the Magic Schools.
• Insurrection against the One, such as vandalism of his temples and shrines.
• Deliberate acts of heresy in which any other god, dark or light, has been recognised publicly.

Note that magick in itself is not considered evil, and the Purificatio makes full use not only of magick, but also the knowledge stored by several prominent archmagi in the city. This long-standing cooperation with the Magick Schools of World's Mouth has made for a very potent defence against darkness, a defence that has earned the Purificatio a very positive reputation among the mid to higher classes of the city.

The Army of the One

At least with regard to the non-commissioned ranks, the Army of the One is constructed in much the same way as the other legions: it has privates, corporals and sergeants, with the latter leading squads. The Army of the One doesn't have warrant officers as such. However, priests with no formal military training can be attached to units, and these are sometimes known as "chaplains" and occupy an equivalent position to warrant officers in other legions.

The Army of the One doesn't have commissioned officers as such, as the Confessors and Inquisitors of the Purificatio proper play this role. As a consequence, sergeants have a much wider and more varied role than they do in most legions. Technically a Confessor is equivalent to a lieutenant and leads a platoon, although it is not uncommon to see a senior sergeant filling this role. Similarly, companies are generally led by an Inquisitor, but this may be delegated to a senior Confessor. As these officers' duties are far more varied than simple command, structure in the higher ranks tends to be fluid. Any larger units than companies are always commanded by Inquisitors.

By convention, Paladins of the Royal Temple Order are of equivalent rank to Confessors and thus may command a platoon.