St John

Alignment	Seal Pantheon
Opposite (Sword)	Mallan
Opposite (Bone)	The Rat Lord
Holy symbol	Cross

When he got so sick he couldn’t walk, I took my boy to a temple hoping they could help. Naturally, I went to John’s, renowned as a place of healing. I carried my son up the steps to the Johnsmen who worked in the porch, and I asked them to help. They looked at my boy, and they looked at me, and they asked “Why did you not bring him sooner?” And as they laid their hands upon him, and by the grace of St John drove out the palsy, I felt ashamed that my pride had kept him from their charity until this late hour.

Attributed to Edith Cooper of Constantine Flats.

History

The church is thought to have arisen in the islands around Hellenia where the example of one man, with his kindness and dedicated efforts, persuaded many of the peasentry that his philosophies offered a better life. From there, the church spread rapidly impressing people with its altruistic tendencies.

Philosophy

Life is central to everything; it is when events can occur and people change. Death is a reflection of life; the better the life led, the better the afterlife. Therefore, by helping others, Johnites believe that they are in fact helping themselves. The most simple and effective way of helping people is to heal them; by healing, the priest offers the subject relief from wounds or disease. In addition, they are prolonging the life of that person, and thus offering them a new chance to spread good works and to help others themselves.

The church is concerned with the greater good; it knows that it cannot help everyone as yet, and thus it is necessary but painful to prioritise those in need. The churches ultimate aim is to be superfluous; once they have been effective enough in spreading the word, all mortals will help one another.

Those of the faith also understand pragmatism; they are aware that some people are irredeemably evil or cause too much pain. Therefore they are not above joining battle in causes they feel strongly about.

Strands

Redemptionists

The strand seeks to help those who have caused harm. They focus their efforts on trying to change the malicious; by converting a negative into a positive they seek the greatest good.

The Brotherhood of the Pure

The Brotherhood is small but members are often very high within the church. They know that good works sometimes require people to get hurt. They examine the situations and ensure that the greatest good is achieved, although those involved may not realise it.

The Utopians

The Utopians want the best for everyone. They think that the only way for people to help one another is for all mortals to be equal. Equality builds understanding which will in turn bring about acts of kindness. Thus they strive for more egalitarian communities whilst performing good works.

Strictures

Aid those deemed worthy.
Heal those deemed worthy.
Be a paragon of good works in all ways.

Domains

Primary domain: Healing

Secondary domains: Dismissal, Harming, Protection, Restoration, Warding