The Forge

God: Kandra
Alignment: Court of the Eternal Wheel
Holy symbol: an anvil of solid cast iron

"No pain, no gain!" "Nocturne is a harsh land, and one must be strong to survive it, strong in body and strong in spirit, strong in faith and strong in loyalty! The strong shall inherit the world! Test yourself often, push yourself to your limits and beyond, for it is in the crucible of conflict that the soul is tempered! We will not allow you to be weak, for if you are weak then you weaken your comrades - come to us and we shall make you strong!"

The Church of the Forge is a highly organised and secretive militaristic religion that is popular amongst many of the more martial Lorewardens, with a following that is rumoured to include a number of senior officers of the Black Watch and highly placed members of the Guardian's Guild. The 'Teachings of Kandra' preach a combination of self-dependence, loyalty, self-improvement and vigilance, and despise those who are physically weak or unable to look after themselves.

The virtues of the Church are:

1. Physical strength, prowess and beauty.
2. Martial skill at arms.
3. Constant striving to improve oneself and one's comrades.
4. Loyalty and obedience to those who merit it.
5. Exposure of weakness, that it may be dealt with as is fitting.

The Church has a strict hierarchy along rigid military lines, with each rank distinguished from the others by titles and insignia, although these are only used and worn in the private rituals and ceremonies of the Church. Progression through the ranks is by a combination of competition with one's peers and recommendation by one's superiors, and involves many tests of competence, loyalty and skill at arms. Disputes between members of the Church are usually resolved by highly formalised ritual combats. Using magickal or spiritual powers or actually inflicting serious physical injury upon an opponent in one of these combats is considered to display an extreme lack of skill and restraint, and much scorn is heaped upon anyone who does so. Punishments for failure of any kind, whether in a task undertaken for the Church or not, tend to be extremely harsh.

Followers of The Forge are expected to test themselves and those around them frequently, in order to keep their skills sharp and to expose any weaknesses before they can be discovered and exploited by an enemy. There are few things short of death that they might not do to someone "for their own good".