Rabonian (Belief)

The Rabonian belief is one of the two dominant religions of Tolaine, the other being the Twin-goddesses belief. Centered around the largest city of Tolaine, Rabona, Rabonain is an intolerant, dogmatic and monotheistic belief in the Rabonian god, heaven, hell, and sin. The religion itself is quite old and takes a fair share of its teachings from other sources such as its doomsday prophecy from Nexus, the twin goddesses of Charleresian belief who are seen as the givers of love, and a few pages of its bible from when Noble awakened. However, the belief notably is an evolution of the belief from the original claymore, mixed in with heavy drach influences of purity and physical and mental well-being.

The symbol of the rabonian belief is a winged lance, which can often be seen on the clothing or as a pendant around members of the church and more devout believers.

The Rabonian faith is heavily clerically based with numerous priests and holy men and believes in strict husband-wife relationships kept in private. Women are treated fairly as equals to men due to the four one winged angels of love, Storge, Philia, Eros, and Agape (which are in real life, the 4 types of love). Sin is punished severely, often with crippling maiming. Rabonian belief involves keeping one's body healthy and prepared and one's mind well versed, and forbids the taking of another's property or attacking without a cause (Righteous retaliation). Members of this faith are expected to watch their neighbors carefully for sin and donate regularly. The faith is centered around purity, forbids interactions with claymores and encourages harassing those possessing abnormalities such as pointy ears or grey eyes and those marked as sinners or heretics, often stoning or hanging them on sinner trees after unfair "trials". Many of the more religious Rabonians dislike dark hair and eyes since these things are dark like the Dark Eyed Devil. It preaches that awakened and yoma are the familiars of the claymores and the claymores only kill them to repent of their sins to the Rabonian god. People considered heretics are branded with an upside down R which is a mark of sin which guarantees a kill on sight order from the Rabonian crusaders and no interactions with anyone of the Rabonian faith. Rabonians would rather die than be branded with this mark of sin.

Many believers go on a dangerous pilgrimage to prove their faith. They must kneel at an alter in Alphonse, Lautrec, Mucha, and Staff, placing a winged pendant on each alter, and return to Rabona to be considered a successful pilgrim. Along the way they face many perils and believe that true believers are protected by the Rabonian god. The doctrine of Rabona preaches against the One horned angel of hate and the Dark eyed devil, making them out to be evil forces of destruction that are to be avoided at all costs. People who follow these any of these two individuals are considered extreme heretics that require immediate purging (Penny, Grace).

The Rabonian hierarchy is centralized in Rabona which is ruled by the Rabonian council. It is composed of many different members of different purposes:
 * Priests - humans and possibly drach that attempt to convert and teach the Rabonian faith. Claim to offer protection from the yoma as a means to make their faith attractive.
 * Cleric-?
 * Fanatic- Appear to be warlike drach. May have sharpened incisors.
 * Runners- humans who observe the general population constantly, report to crusaders, and sometimes take small matters into their own hands.
 * Rabonian Crusaders - the human fighting force of Rabona, legions of trained soldiers who have Angelicum armor to move quickly and lightly
 * Zahne-Incorruptable soldiers of the Nightshift. Can live for only one night and are weaker than crusaders but are easy to produce.
 * Kreuz-Jotunn serving in the guard force.
 * Exorcists - Members of the church tasked with hunting down "demons" and claymores, purifying "defiled land", and keeping the general population safe from anything stronger than a yoma (handled by the rabonian crusaders). Have been shown to be Drach. Exorcists are believed to be human by many, if not all of the Rabonians.
 * Cardinals - High-ranking members of the church which can also dawdle in exorcism jobs. They wear red clothing to hide bloodstains and wear bells which ring as a scare tactic. Are most likely powerful Drach. Cardinals are believed to be human by many, if not all of the Rabonians and are held in very high regard. Those who are in the presence of a cardinal are fearful of their lack of righteousness.
 * Primordial council-Likely the council of the original members of the 5 bloodlines of drach in Tolaine.
 * Holy-Father - the head of the church and a very powerful member. Gives authority to all those below him to hunt down heretics. Is most likely an extremely powerful Drach.