The Book of War

Church Structure

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The Church of Raije is comprised of two main groups. The Priesthood that

deals with matters pertaining to the religious matters of the Church, and

the Army of Lord Raije. The Church of Lord Raije is not unlike the

structure that other Churches will follow. The Church is lead by the High

Priest, otherwise, the highest ranking Priest within the following. In the

case where there is more than one Priest of highest ranking within the

Church, those Priests shall be leading the activities of the Church

together. The ranks within the Church are as follows, in order of lowest

ranking to highest ranking:

Novitiate of the Church of Lord Raije

Deacon of the Church of Lord Raije

Priest of the Church of Lord Raije

Bishop of the Church of Lord Raije

Cardinal of the Church of Lord Raije

Abbott of the Church of Lord Raije

Monsignor of the Church of Lord Raije

High Priest of the Church of Lord Raije

The duties of the members of the Church are to provide leadership and

management to the followers of Lord Raije in the various different

organizational structures that can be found amongst the people of Algoron.

It is up to the leader or leaders of the Church to be responsible for the

members of the Church and to ensure that Lord Raije is informed of the

status of the members at all times. The Leader of Lord Raije's Church may

make recommendations to Lord Raije if they feel that certain members of the

Church are deserving of such recognition.

The Leader of Lord Raije's Church must also ensure that all those Priests

below him are able to carry on the tasks should they not be able to. All

processes and procedures of the Church must be documented and made known to

the rest of the Church. Should the Leader of the Church not be able to

carry out his duties, it will fall upon the next highest ranking Priest of

the Church to take what has been documented and to perform the duties of the

Leader. It is the duty of the Leader of the Church to ensure that the Book

of War is current and up to date.

The Army of Lord Raije's Church follows a structure very similar to the

structure followed by the Church. The Army is lead by the General of the

Army, otherwise the highest ranking Officer within the Army. Similar to the

Church, in the case where there is more than one Officer of the highest

ranking within the Army, those officers will be leading the activities of

the Army. The army is different than the Church two main ways. Firstly,

the Army shall always answer to the Leader of the Church. The Army is seen

as necessary, however, it is never above the Church. Secondly, the Army may

be divided based on continent.

Each army on a continent is lead by a General, who reports to the General of

the Army. The ranks within the Army are as follows, in order of lowest

ranking to highest ranking:

Captain of Lord Raije

Major of Lord Raije

Lt. Colonel of Lord Raije

Colonel of Lord Raije

Major General of Lord Raije

Lt. General of Lord Raije

General of Lord Raije

General of the Army of Lord Raije

The duties of the members of the Army are to be the soldiers what would be

the battles that the Army fights in. They are directed by the Church to do

Lord Raije's bidding. Many of the Priests that are within the Church also

participate in the battles that are fought by the Army. In such cases, the

Priest will pair with an Officer of the Army.

In times of battle, the Priest will act as an advisor to the Officer to whom

they are paired with. It is expected that the Officers will take the advice

of the Priest, however, the Officers will make the decisions regarding all

matters of the battle. The Priest, should they not agree with the tactics

employed by the Officer may elect not to follow what the Officer has

decided, and may make their grievances known to the Leader of the Church,

who may interject with the plans as laid out by the Officer. The

interjection by the Leader of the Church is rare, and is feasible only in

the cases where it can be seen that the Officer is not following the

teachings of Lord Raije.

All Officers are expected to keep a log of all actions that they are

participating in. The log serves as documentation that can be analyzed by

the Church and then transcribed into the Book of War by the Leader of the

Church. Records of participation in battles, lists of current officers and

their rankings, tactics employed by Officers in battles, as well as stories

of battles will all be kept within the Book of War. All Officers are also

required to train Officers underneath them with the duties that they

perform. This is required not only so that Officers are trained properly as

they ascend in the ranks, but also in case an Officer perishes in battle.

Members of the Church

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The current known members of the Church are as follows:

Bishop

------

Drolloc

Priest

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Ungard

Deacon

------

Nahart

Raa'kui

Grumf

Novitiate

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Zuni

Varenath

The current known members of the Army are as follows:

Lt. Colonel

-----------

Moce

Major

-----

Mac'kraken

Dritmin

Kav

Brox

Captain

-------

Goarff

Alaxynar

Silmen

Ungard

Plike

Ro'cenko

Vythar

Locations of Churches

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There are currently two known Churches dedicated to Lord Raije, God of War.

Continent of Althainia

City of Thaxanos

Temple of Raije

Directions: From the southern entrance of Thaxanos, you must travel along

the inside walls until you reach Pub Row. From there, head either east or

west until you reach the center of Pub Row. From there travel southwards

and then you will soon enter the Temple of Raije.

Continent of Arkania

West of the City of Arkane

A Battlefield and Alter of War

Directions: From outside the west gate of the city of Arkane, travel west

two paces. From there head northwest and you will enter the battlefield and

alter dedicated to Lord Raije.

Continent of Icewall

Within of the City of Ganth

Directions: From the inside of the east gate of the city of Ganth, travel

west until you are outside the Temple. Travel around it until you are

inside the temple gates. Go east and you will enter the Chapel of Raije.

Raijic Faith

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The Faithful of Lord Raije are many and serve many different purposes.

Each has different and personal reasons in their choice for following this

Faith. Lord Raije has been often times been seen as an angry and unfair

God. However, this is not the case. Raije is the God of War and loves

fighting. He does not believe in unfair battles. He will at times create

conflict so that he can watch how the mortals will behave in any given

situation.

Followers of Lord Raije follow Lord Raije for many different reasons, and

they come from many different backgrounds, and follow many different paths.

The paths that each follower travels are similar, but unique to each

individual. At the end of each follower's path, lies the same goal. How

they get there is what sets one Follower apart from another.

Those that fight in battles and war fight for different reasons. Fighting

for one's honor falls under the domain of Lord Nadrik. Fighting for

vengeance and rage falls under the domain of Mencius. Many of Raije's

followers will fight for the thrill and enjoyment that only battle can

bring. Ultimately, followers of Raije will fight for Victory.

All wars that are fought are fought for a reason. Without a reason, no

determination for Victory can be established. The truly blessed of Lord

Raije will seek out those battles that they cannot win. They do not fight

for glory or desire of battle, but they fight for a reason and to seek

Victory where there may have not been any.

The Raijic Faith is based upon three Precepts. Loyalty, Courage, and

finally Victory. The first two are shared similarly by all followers of

Lord Raije. It is the path that the individual takes to achieve Victory

that will defines the different paths each will take. At the end of each

path lies Victory, where all followers will meet once again.

Precept 1 - Loyalty

-------------------

"An army cannot fight without Loyalty."

Loyalty is a precept of Raijic Faith that all true followers of Raije will

understand and practice. This precept states that loyalty is not demanded,

nor it is given. Loyalty is earned through respect by the peers of the

follower. The time spent together between comrades while in and outside of

battle builds the respect needed to show loyalty to others. Ultimate

loyalty to comrades in the army means that a soldier will "go to hell" with

the ones that they are loyal to.

Loyalty to a person or cause may be an admirable trait, but it can lead to

either positive or negative consequences. Loyalty means that we hang in

there through thick and thin, and never compromise our principles. Loyalty

is that prodding finger that constantly reminds us who we are and what we

stand for. While storms swirl, doubt blows through the wind, and opposing

odds strengthen, Loyalty is what keeps us straight and tall without giving

up. We all in our own way, from the day we are born, do battle with

injustice, fear, doubt, and compromise. Loyalty is there to always remind

us that some things are not for sale. True Loyalty is not laced with

foolishness or dominance. It is a collection of principles that are

established to evolve the world to a better existence.

The ultimate Loyalty comes from the Gods. Gods never abandons us. What we

learn from the Gods our faith and purpose, we are obligated and bound to

disseminate. Loyalty challenges us to understand that while Victory is the

destination, the journey can sometimes be quite rough and varied for each

follower.

The purpose of Loyalty is to give one a perspective and wide range of

vision, while holding the end goal close to the heart. Ranks within the

Church and within the army are structured in such a way that higher ranking

members have displayed various different aspects which bring the forward as

a better leader. These leaders have displayed their experiences on the

field of battle or by being able to make hard decisions when called upon.

Those that are within a commanding officer's division are expected to show

their loyalty to their officers. These officers have not just been placed

there, but have had reason to be placed in their positions. Soldiers that

have received their orders from their officers are expected to follow their

orders, and show their loyalty, not necessarily by questioning the

decisions, but understanding that these orders are given for a reason.

In the larger picture, the army must fight as one cohesive unit, remaining

loyal to one another and understanding that only together, regardless of the

path chosen as a whole, will the end goal of Victory be achieved.

Precept 2 - Courage

-------------------

"A soldier cannot fight without Courage."

While training or in combat, much effort goes into imbuing all military

personnel with the trait of Courage. Picture a typical situation that a

soldier may be put in: a recon patrol deep within the enemy territory,

exchanging blows within the confines of city districts, being cut off from

the rest of the group, storming a beach to enter into battle with the enemy,

or charging headlong through a rain of arrow-fire. What is considered to be

Courage is such circumstances and what is considered to be foolishness? Any

training that a soldier goes through will not be effective without a clear

picture of what the intended end result is supposed to be.

The virtue of Courage in a soldier involves, at it's heart, the

withstanding and overcoming fear. This does not imply that Courage requires

an absence of fear. A soldier must face up to these circumstances and stay

on their path despite the presence of fear. To stand up to this fear, and

clearly stay on the path is to have the virtue of Courage. Soldiers that

experience no fear while handling these situations do not have Courage.

Those that are praised for having no fear and have overcome their fears are

ones who possess Courage, as they have nothing to fear of. Courage,

therefore, is facing the dangers of battle and involves the mastering of

fears, rather than the elimination of fears.

The soldier who then strides into the middle of the battlefield without

fear does not then possess Courage, a valued character trait. This soldier

would be then be characterized as foolhardy, reckless, or daring to the

point of risking the chances of Victory for his fellow soldiers.

Courage then is a state of mind. Soldiers can achieve Courage by

confronting the dangers in the situations that they are confronted with,

feeling the fears, yet still choosing to persevere and continue to move

along the path that will guide them to the end goal of Victory. Overcoming

fear and being able to have Courage is often more demanding and taxing to

the soldier. Soldiers who then can be said to have Courage are those that

command more respect and loyalty. Courage is within all Soldiers. The more

it is exercised, the stronger it gets. Good leaders possess Courage and

have been able to master their fears.

Courage is infectious. When one soldier displays their overcoming of their

fears in combat situation, it will instill hope with his comrades, thus

showing them that they too have the Courage within them to overcome their

fears. Without Courage, all other virtues become fragile. If a soldier

lacks the Courage to hold and stay true to their chosen path, then during

the moment of testing they will falter and the possibility of straying away

from their path is possible.

Precept 3 - Victory

-------------------

"There is no purpose in War without seeking Victory."

It is one thing to say that a War will end when we say so. It is another

to declare that it will end only when it is won. As War is fought, and the

soldier's mind is focussed on the battle, it is only natural to think of

what comes after the War. What actions would be decisive in this War? What

are the terms that will dictate that the War is won? These are strategic

questions that must be answered if soldiers are to have confidence in

fighting the War and in their leaders. It is always important to define

Victory in War.

Defining Victory in War is necessary because otherwise it can be viewed as

an excuse for concentration of power in the hands of a select few. There

has to be some sense of when the War will end. In a War between nations the

conditions of Victory are usually obvious, that being the surrender of the

other side. However, in Wars where the battle is not between soldiers

meeting on the field of battle, the conditions of Victory become more

difficult to determine. Irregardless of what type of War is being fought,

it is still important to know what Victory will look like, both so that War

is not extended beyond what is necessary, but also so that the fight is not

ended too early.

Victory conditions cannot be determined without defining the War's

strategy. The War's strategy must then also be explicitly noted and stated.

Each strategy or reason for War must have an associated condition of

Victory. This must also be measurable so that continuation for a specific

purpose in the War is not drawn out beyond what it needs to be. Each

strategic reason for War must also be organized into primary objectives and

secondary objectives. These will also lead to the primary conditions of

Victory and also secondary objectives of Victory. A War is not won until

the primary objectives are clearly met.

The ways that Victory can be achieved are many. With Loyalty and Courage,

each Soldier will take different paths to achieve Victory. However, it is

still with a strategy of taking whole will the soldier find complete

Victory. This means that upon embarking on the path to Victory, the

strategies that are devised and that the terms of condition for Victory must

be determined at the outside of the campaign.

Common methods of achieving Victory can be traced back to the leader's will

and desire, a perfect battle plan, or from sheer weight of numbers.

However, each of these ways of achieving Victory can be countered by a

leader who has been able to master the conditions of achieving Victory. A

true leader who has mastered Victory will be able to measure each situation

carefully and how to react to it. A good leader will be able to assess not

only the situation before them, but also the entire battlefield around them.

A leader will know how a simple change they make to the situation before

them will cause the entire battlefield to change so that Victory will be

ensured. This is the ultimate state of Leadership that all soldier of Lord

Raije should strive to attain.

Paths of Light, Gray, and Darkness

Path of Light

A soldier who follows the Path of Light on their way to achieving

Victory will travel this path by seeking to look at how Victory will affect

the greater whole of the society that they live in. They believe that the

way to achieve Victory is by not fighting, but by causing the least amount

of harm to those around them. Terms of Victory of a War are determined

primarily through means of negotiation and political maneuvering rather than

exchanging physical blows. The field of battle is not the traditional one

where their enemies are slain. It is in the battle of words and wits where

wars are fought.

Path of Gray

A soldier who follows the Path of Gray on their way to achieving Victory

will look at achieving balance in the battle. They will fight where they

are needed, whether it is on the field of battle exchanging blows with their

enemies, or in a political arena, exchanging words, vying for Victory. A

soldier here will look at whatever is necessary to keep balance in the

environment around them. It means that the soldier takes an individualist

view on the battle and seeks to see what how they gain from the battle at

hand or it may mean the soldier will look at how the battle will keep entire

nations at equilibrium with each other - status quo.

Path of Darkness

A soldier who follows the Path of Darkness on their way to achieving

Victory will look towards how they will benefit most from the War and

battles fought. Victory is achieved by having the lowest chances of losing

personally, even it if means sacrificing those around them. Battles are

created so that the soldier following this path stands to gain the most from

the battle, whether it be power, wealth, or knowledge. They care not for

other nations or the well-being of those around them, only for those that

they are loyal to and themselves.

On Glory

--------

Glory has been the pitfall of many a warrior of Raije. It is not that

they lack prowess in combat. It is weakness in the will of the warrior that

will bring him an untimely end. Wars are won in the will. If the will is

broken then the army will fall. It is the same with a warrior. One must

control his self-interest by adhering to Raije's virtues if he is to

survive, if he is to obtain glory. For glory can not be found on a

battlefield, glory comes from those the warrior's virtuous actions have

affected. Glory is given when the reason the war has been fought is

satisfied. Glory comes when a virtuous life ends for a reason the warrior

has devoted himself to. When everything else has turned to dust the glory

of such a life, of such devotion, will remain and the warrior's name will be

known to the realms. This is what it means to obtain lasting glory. This

is what it means to devote yourself to Raije. That when you die you might

stand beside Him recognized for your courage, loyalty and victories.

Deacon Raa'kui Ser'cye, Raije Eternal

On Loyalty

----------

Indeed loyalty is forged through experiences between comrades, both on

and off the battlefield. But what of loyalty to someone you have never met,

such as a soldier who fights for a king he does not know personally? Sure,

this could be the result of a leader with an iron fist, or a soldier simply

wanting to be paid. However there are soldiers on the battlefield that are

loyal to their king out of respect for an idea, they fight for a particular

ideal that will drive them to fight their enemies. Though perhaps as

Drolloc has pointed out this kind of loyalty can lead to positive and

negative consequences, it can be just as fruitful as camaraderie. Loyalty

to your comrades can lead to negative consequences as well. For instance,

perhaps one of your fellow soldiers gets drunk while in a conquered town,

they start a fight and kill a civilian. The town erupts into a large scale

riot as a soldier and as a comrade your loyalty drives you to help your

fellow soldiers, including the one that caused the mess. True loyalty can

be obtained by following an ideal, or a king, or any other symbol that a

soldier may choose. This kind of loyalty can be sustained, and strengthened

just as any loyalty between comrades can. I will use the Knights of Gareth

as an example. Though it is true that many have strayed in the past, there

are some that are so loyal to their cause that they will struggle through

any conceivable threat even if they should face death. Their struggle to

oppose "evil" sustains them, and will continue to sustain them for there

will likely always be evil of some form.

This form of loyalty also works well in battle. Again, as Drolloc has

stated, those that hold rank in either the church or the army are placed

there for a reason. They are the most competent and loyal subjects that are

available. If the army serves a king, the loyalty of the officers is

strong. Therefore it should be in the soldier's best interest to do as the

officer commands, because the officer is doing what is in the best interest

of the king or kingdom.

I do not discount the special camaraderie between fellow soldiers, or

whatever the case may be. The teamwork and the loyalty between each

soldier, in the best interest of the unit is a unique bond. However,

loyalty to an ideal or a figure is just as strong in my opinion. After all,

this kind of loyalty can inspire the average soldier to fight for their god,

or for an ideal that their god or goddess supports Though the soldier may

never really speak, or pray to their god in any way, they still fight on.

They lack the sense of personal camaraderie that they would have with an

individual they are close to, however in their own way they find a sort of

personal loyalty to their preferred immortal figure.

Zuni, Novitiate in Raije's Church.

Soldier of the Wrath.

On Respect

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Respect is a way of addressing your enemies and is a consideration for

those around you. When a foe is defeated, there is need to admonish him

further or insult him. He was weak and you were strong. That fact alone

should suffice. As well, just because you are strong against a few

opponents does not give you leeway to address others disrespectfully. Woe

to he who thinks highly of himself and overestimates his opponent.

As well, if you disrespect a foe and further down the line require that

advesary to assist you against a greater foe, your disrespect will give you

no allies. This as well ties into those you fight alongside. A true

warrior does not degrade his fellow soldiers. He respects them and assists

them as a mentor if they require help. He brings others up to his own level

not casting them down. This is a part of loyalty.

One day the Lord may ask that His followers fight in a great battle, from

that battle He may bless the winner. Such an individual is to be admired

however that same individual has a responsibility to make those around him

better. That way, when the Lord calls again the battle shall be that much

greater.

The path of the warrior is oen of respecting one's enemies and allies as he

would himself. The warrior shall respect his own strength and the strength

of those around him regardless of their level of training. He enjoys a

battle and win or lose should thank those who have allowed him to show the

War God his own abilities.

Novitiate Varenath Gorgoth of Slayers