Agrikan Ceremonies of High Discipline

Agrikan Ceremonies of High Discipline are one of three levels of ceremony within the Agrikan Church, each corresponding to the three castes of worshippers. Ceremonies of the High Discipline are organized and lead by the temple’s Aperagris (Master of the High Discipline) and may be attended only by priests of the church.

High ceremonies use martial ritual, often acting out battles that are planned or anticipated. Some temples have amassed a series of hypothetical encounters that supposedly portray history centuries into the future. The most significant “predictive” battle is when Agrik slays Larani at the end of the Great Vendetta. Priestly combats often involve the use of a captive or slave bedecked in the garment of an enemy. Such encounters are fought to the death.

Agrikan clergy also conduct a more sinister kind of human sacrifice. The victim is prepared for the ritual by several hours of “ceremonial” torture to the chanting of the priests and then executed by fire in various ways. The howls of the victim, the use of fire, and the ceremonial chanting are believed to be the best method of attracting the deity’s attention. A diligent student of the High Discipline will learn as many of the “Ten Thousand Ways” of inflicting pain as possible.

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