Post by Ankoku on Mar 9, 2013 19:43:20 GMT -5
History:
The seeds of the Consecro were sown during the first Crusade, when the Roman Catholic Church sought to recapture Jerusalem. Out of this Holy War arose a legendary monastic order that came to be known as the Knights Templar. Though founded to protect Christian pilgrims on their journey to the Holy Places, the order soon grew in number and power. They were rumored to possess powers not of this world, granted to them by the Lord God. The order was very guarded about its abilities and there was a highly secretive initiation ritual that new members had to endure before becoming part of the order. But one thing was clear throughout their history. Their cause was to fight as warrior monks in the worldly realm on God’s behalf, in defense of the Lord’s servants. This cause remains at the core of the Consecro.
During the peak of Templar membership and activity, the order collected a rather large number of holy relics which granted their owners marvelous and sacred powers. These relics were said to have been blessed by various saints, even dating back to the time of Christ and purportedly blessed by either the Twelve Apostles or Christ Himself. The relics – or Sigils, as they eventually came to be called – choose who is worthy of wielding them. Though the number of worthy has historically been small in number, it has slowly grown in recent years. These Sigils were the order’s best kept and most jealously guarded secret, though it is now just one of many.
Unfortunately, the secretive and mysterious nature of the order worked against it. In 1312, many members were arrested, tortured and killed and the entire order was forced to disband. Upon the order’s disbandment, the remaining members seemed to simply disappear from the face of the earth or live out their lives peacefully. The reality was that many had simply moved operations to Rome, with the blessing of Pope Clement V in direct contradiction of the official disbandment. In secret, they waited and quietly prepared for a time when it might be necessary for the Knights Templar to fight for the Lord’s cause once more. By keeping their ears to the ground and their eyes on the horizon, they have done their best to keep track of those who might be useful to the cause and approaching those who seemed like they would not only be useful, but also willing to help. These initiates endured months, even years, of training before being allowed to become active members of the order. Their duty was nothing more or less than to protect humanity from any spiritual threat to the best of their God-given ability.
As time went on and the world in which they moved expanded, the order enlisted a select number of outsiders to aid them in their search of worthy initiates. It was around this time, in the mid-1800s, that the order changed its name to Consecro – meaning “to make sacred.” And as the world expanded, so did the Consecro. Not only did its numbers slowly, but steadily increase – even in an ever-more-secular world – but so too did its areas of operation. At first, they returned to many of their old sites. From the United Kingdom to the Czech Republic and even into the Middle East, the Consecro quietly and carefully reestablished their presence across Europe with the blessing of each successive pope. Once they were firmly in place, they began to expand beyond Europe to every major continent and in every region where Catholicism and Christianity had a strong presence. They went under the guise of missionaries, spreading the word of Christ – and the mission of the Consecro.
Their careful planning and steadfast dedication has allowed them to respond with surprising quickness and efficiency to something they never thought could happen – the escape of the Togabito and the rumored 7 Deadly Sins from the very pits of Hell. The call was immediately sent out across the vast network that the Consecro had built over the centuries – a call for 7 Virtues to come forward and stand firm as the true guardians of the Living World against the Unholy Sins of Hell. These Virtues are known as the Obelisks and are the pinnacle of the Consecro’s fighting capability.
Need to Know:
The seeds of the Consecro were sown during the first Crusade, when the Roman Catholic Church sought to recapture Jerusalem. Out of this Holy War arose a legendary monastic order that came to be known as the Knights Templar. Though founded to protect Christian pilgrims on their journey to the Holy Places, the order soon grew in number and power. They were rumored to possess powers not of this world, granted to them by the Lord God. The order was very guarded about its abilities and there was a highly secretive initiation ritual that new members had to endure before becoming part of the order. But one thing was clear throughout their history. Their cause was to fight as warrior monks in the worldly realm on God’s behalf, in defense of the Lord’s servants. This cause remains at the core of the Consecro.
During the peak of Templar membership and activity, the order collected a rather large number of holy relics which granted their owners marvelous and sacred powers. These relics were said to have been blessed by various saints, even dating back to the time of Christ and purportedly blessed by either the Twelve Apostles or Christ Himself. The relics – or Sigils, as they eventually came to be called – choose who is worthy of wielding them. Though the number of worthy has historically been small in number, it has slowly grown in recent years. These Sigils were the order’s best kept and most jealously guarded secret, though it is now just one of many.
Unfortunately, the secretive and mysterious nature of the order worked against it. In 1312, many members were arrested, tortured and killed and the entire order was forced to disband. Upon the order’s disbandment, the remaining members seemed to simply disappear from the face of the earth or live out their lives peacefully. The reality was that many had simply moved operations to Rome, with the blessing of Pope Clement V in direct contradiction of the official disbandment. In secret, they waited and quietly prepared for a time when it might be necessary for the Knights Templar to fight for the Lord’s cause once more. By keeping their ears to the ground and their eyes on the horizon, they have done their best to keep track of those who might be useful to the cause and approaching those who seemed like they would not only be useful, but also willing to help. These initiates endured months, even years, of training before being allowed to become active members of the order. Their duty was nothing more or less than to protect humanity from any spiritual threat to the best of their God-given ability.
As time went on and the world in which they moved expanded, the order enlisted a select number of outsiders to aid them in their search of worthy initiates. It was around this time, in the mid-1800s, that the order changed its name to Consecro – meaning “to make sacred.” And as the world expanded, so did the Consecro. Not only did its numbers slowly, but steadily increase – even in an ever-more-secular world – but so too did its areas of operation. At first, they returned to many of their old sites. From the United Kingdom to the Czech Republic and even into the Middle East, the Consecro quietly and carefully reestablished their presence across Europe with the blessing of each successive pope. Once they were firmly in place, they began to expand beyond Europe to every major continent and in every region where Catholicism and Christianity had a strong presence. They went under the guise of missionaries, spreading the word of Christ – and the mission of the Consecro.
Their careful planning and steadfast dedication has allowed them to respond with surprising quickness and efficiency to something they never thought could happen – the escape of the Togabito and the rumored 7 Deadly Sins from the very pits of Hell. The call was immediately sent out across the vast network that the Consecro had built over the centuries – a call for 7 Virtues to come forward and stand firm as the true guardians of the Living World against the Unholy Sins of Hell. These Virtues are known as the Obelisks and are the pinnacle of the Consecro’s fighting capability.
Need to Know:
- Only humans, Quincies and Fullbringers are allowed to join the Consecro. Powerless, but spiritually aware humans are taken to the Vatican where the Sigils are guarded night and day by the most powerful Guardians. If they are chosen by a Sigil, they begin a ruthless training regimen designed to prepare their minds, hearts, bodies and souls for the task of defending the world in God’s name. All initiates go through this training and it is only upon successful completion are they made either Proxies (the most common designation) or Guardians (on a case-by-case basis). Training lasts for a minimum of three months, though it is not uncommon for it to last for years.
- Those who wield a Sigil do not know who it was blessed by. This information is not made available to anyone and it therefore should not be included when creating a character.
- The Consecro generally operates within “spheres of holy influence,” though members are certainly allowed to work outside of these spheres. The spheres are places where spiritual energy is concentrated at very high levels. Each sphere has a division headquarters located in the center of it. The remaining area is then split into three roughly equal divisions, with each division having several offices where local members report to. Each division is run by either a Guardian or a very high-ranking Proxy while spheres can only be run by either Guardians or an Obelisk. There are fifteen spheres scattered across the world, with the most powerful sphere being located in Japan and headquartered in Karakura Town.
- The current Consecro hierarchy is based upon the original Templar structure:
- Initiates are the Squires of the Consecro, training to one day become active and powerful members of the Consecro.
- Proxies represent the Clergy, doing what they can where they can.
- Guardians are the Sergeants, supporting the Consecro both on the frontlines and at the Vatican.
- Obelisks represent the Knights themselves, fighting the holy war on the frontlines.
- The Consecro’s “Grand Master” is the Micans Nitore. None but the Obelisks know who the current Micans Nitore is, as the position is passed down from Grand Master to Grand Master in an even more secretive fashion than initiation into the Consecro itself.
- Initiates are the Squires of the Consecro, training to one day become active and powerful members of the Consecro.
