Fiction:Uniate League

"We believe in Spode, the one true Deity, singular and infinite, who encompasses all existence and yet is one, who is Dei'nar, the Force of Creation, and Espotha'nar, the Encompassing Heaven, and Eola'nar, the Voice that Brings Truth and Raala'nar, the Primordial Chaos. From it all order and reason emanate and into its shadow we shall return once it wills it so. We believe in Spode's Messengers and Prophets: their enlightenment is our Scripture and our key towards liberation and reunification with the heavens, may Spode have mercy on us all. Whosoever proclaims this creed with faith and truth in their hearts, let it be known by all that they are Spodist, no matter their species, age, sex or rite. All is One. One is All."

- The Uniate Creed, a universal symbol of faith agreed upon by the churches of the Great Communion.

The Divine League of Uniate Spodist Nations, usually referred to simply as the Uniate League, is an intergovernmental organisation of Spodist nations founded in 2810 following the and. It serves as a secular extension of the Great Communion, a monumental reunification of the Gigaqudrant's many Spodist churches: most of the League's member states either have one of these Uniate churches as their state religion, or large portions of their populations that adhere to them. A brainchild of the Divinarian nationalist and Pazumiri cleric, the League serves as a spiritual successor to the pre- , more so than its actual legal successor, the Holy Empire of the Divinarium.

Rather than a small tightly knit federation of only a few species and sectors like the Divinarium, the League is a global encompassing union, spanning throughout many states and several galaxies, much like the Church of old. Its key member states are the the League's original founders, and the ; amongst its other members are the  and the. Certain non-Spodist-majority states, that however possess large Spodist minorities, are accepted into the League as observers. The League's governing body takes form of several Synods, each devoted to a particular aspect of the life of the faithful, from arts to trade, formed from representatives brought from each member state.

The League does not aspire to be a state or even a political union, nor to displace regional empires and alliances such as the or the : its vast extent makes such a goal impossible to achieve. Rather, it operates on a different level: to foster a sense of fraternity and kinship between fellow believers, to facilitate trade between its member states, alleviate technological gaps between, as well as to aid them preserve their cultures and traditions. However, despite being an economic and cultural union first and foremost, the League also possesses significant soft power through its religious authority, and is associated with a number of military religious orders, as well as the armies and fleets of its member states - which, while not obliged by to partake in military operations ordained by the League, are often compelled to do so by honour and faith.

History
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Origins
The idea of reconstituting the has been present in the intellectual circles of most Spodist empires ever since Vendespode fell, though there was no consensus about how this new union would be actually organised. thinkers, especially former denizens of the Rift Worlds, frequently held irredentist views, and saw the Church Resurgent, as they called their political project, as the new incarnation of their intergalactic empire. Amongst the most notorious supporters of the Church Resurgent idea was the war hero Tadjamad Altheless, who sought to expand his theocracy and eventually make other fellow believers swear fealty to him. At the very least, he wanted to incorporate the Imperion worlds in the Quadrants and the many breakaway Radeon colonies such as the Mission Worlds; in the best case scenario, he would lay claim on all the Spodist nations in the Gigaquadrant.

Tadjamad's eventual death and the Dei'Ar Theocracy's fall caused Spodist irredentism to become much less popular, however, and Iovera's "Andromedan project" saw the Church reconstituted not as a multinational empire, but a small Radeon-majority state with no imperial ambitions. Iovera would even come as far as to officially renounce any spiritual authority over the Spodists outside the Divinarium, something not even the pacifist Telfar dared to do. The remaining irredentists were, one by one, silenced by the new regime, their views considered dangerous for the nascent state’s stability and security.

Outside the Radeon worlds, however, the ideologues of Spodist unity suggested something different altogether: a union of nations bound together spiritually and culturally, but not politically. [Guys I think this place is up for you to describe]

Ideas Take Shape
The ideas of pan-Spodism would experience something of a renaissance decades later, in the years that followed and the. The rapidly changing political climate of the post-war Gigaquadrant, with the cultural and societal changes that it entailed, caused the traditionally conservative Spodist nations to worry about their future. The elites of these states, mostly aristocratic and self-enclosed, feared for the security of their rule, while the common people were more concerned about their traditional values and their lifestyle, rapidly changing in the new world. The feeling of unease and uncertainty - the so-called “‘’aphlashande’’”, or ‘’misty future’’ in Radessic - dominated the media of many Spodist nations: the public consensus was that the old order of things could soon come to an end.

Nowhere else was this sense felt so acutely as in itself, which was slowly stripped of its sovereignty by the formation of the  and its growing centralisation. Though Crepusculum’s influence in the new galactic superpower was vast, and the Clericarch was one of its heads of state, the Holy Empire’s low population naturally prevented it from wielding any power within the Ecumene’s democratic institutions. To add insult to the injury, the, which had embedded itself in the politics of Andromeda after the war, worked actively to empower said democratic institutions, thus further weakening the Divinarium’s position in the galaxy. The former insulation of the Holy Empire was no more, and its government’s power was being slowly supplanted by that of Elysium’s functionaries.

Meanwhile, [whatever happens in your countries]

These common issues caused the Spodist nations to look beyond their home galaxies. There were comrades in faith all over the Gigaquadrant, which suffered like they did: one merely had to reach out to them and once again build connections between each other. Perhaps if joined together, the faithful could preserve their place in the Gigaquadrant without losing their culture and their souls. ===The Two Masterminds=== Thus the climate to create the Uniate League as it stands today was formed, and one could even say that it existed already - as a dream. But it would take people - visionaries - to make this dream into reality. Such visionaries did indeed appear: two brilliant leaders, one secular, the other spiritual, from the two largest Spodist empires in the Gigaquadrant. Their visions of the League were both very different and yet not contradictory; one’s ideas complemented the other, rather than clashing.

The first was, an influential Cleriarca in the Grand Spodist Church’s Cleriarchal Assembly, the Church’s central ecclesiastical body. A strong believer in the Pazumiri ideals of Idenza Sepodia, [describe Kazari here]. The second was, member of the Pan-Andromedan Ecumene’s legislative assembly - the Andromedan Light. A religious, but secular person, he was more concerned about preserving the culture and political influence of the Spodist nations in the Gigaquadrant, the values and principles that he believed made them great.

The two visionaries met [how could they actually meet], and once their views were shared between them, the connection between the two - political, ideological, and emotional - was established in an instant. Since that fateful meeting, Selfar and Tansimael had been working tirelessly, seeking like-minded clerics, statesmen and public figures all over the Gigaquadrant. Though many showed support for the movement, concerns were raised about leadership in the new union. Pan-Spodists in the Divinarium often stressed that to show continuity with the Old Church, the new Ecumenical Clericarch needed to be crowned - and the natural claimant to the throne would of course be Her Holiness herself. Non-Divinarians generally believed that the Clericarch needed to be chosen by the entirety of the faithful.

Eventually, Kazari Selfar [could it be her?] provided a solution. The Clericarch’s throne would not be relegated to one person, but spread among several representatives of each Spodist church. The resulting council would collectively wield spiritual power. The high priests of Spode acquiesced to this compromise, and in 2808, the first step towards the modern League would be established: the monumental ‘’’Great Communion’’’. The spiritual leaders of, the , [RANDOM PEOPLE] spent five days on Vendespode, the historical capital of the Old Church, to resolve important problems of theology, agree on the key tenets of Spodism, and finally declare their respective churches unified - if only in spirit.

The League is Born
The Communion was not meant to bring the Spodist nations politically or even economically, but only spiritually. However, it would serve as the stepping stone for further integration, and soon enough an opportunity presented itself to call for it: the. [Could you describe it further? You could say how the priests of Spode called for crusade and how volunteers joined in and the like] -->

Members
The League's membership closely reflects that of the Great Communion: as a rule of thumb, if the majority of a state's population belongs to a Spodist church which is part of the latter, then it is likely admitted to the former as well. Despite its religious character, member states of the League do not necessarily have to be theocratic, or have a state religion: a "historical cultural connection to the Spodist nations of the Gigaqudrant" is all that is necessary to be accepted into. Despite this fact, certain Spodist-majority nations, like the TIAF, have specifically rejected membership, or joined only as observers. These nations' rulers have stated that entering the League would contradict the secular character of their governments, or even pave way to their eventual theocratisation.

Outside the aforementioned observer states, which also include some nations with significant Spodist minorities such as the, all members of the League are considered, at least de jure, to be equal. However, due to their historical importance in the Spodist world and their role in the League's formation, the and  are de facto primi inter pares, especially in religious affairs.

Note: This list is currently under construction and is incomplete.

The Synods
The League does not seek to supplant the sovereignty of its member states. Though some of its leaders certainly wish for it to one day become a Gigaquadrantic power, they do not intend it to be, nor to ever become, a true empire: this was the mistake of the Clericarchs of old which they shall not repeat. Instead, the League's methods of governance are largely indirect, and its decisions advisory. However, to rely solely on strongly worded messages would of course be folly, and lead to impotence and corruption. This is why Synods exists.

Synods are, simply enough, councils of professionals in a certain field that gather to formulate the official stance of the Uniate League in said field. For example, the Synod of Reason determines which sciences are forbidden for the faithful and which would lead to prosperity in this world and the next - and should thus be developed - and protects the rights and interests of scientists in the Spodist world in general. Certain Synods are relatively unimportant and lack true authority; others, like the Synod of Commerce, are vital to the League's functioning.

With very few exceptions, the Synods never make laws: they are not legislatures per se. Rather, they provide advice. Said advice is enforced on the local level by the member states themselves: in purely theocratic states this is done via clerics subordinate to the Grand Synod; in secular League states, through pro-League Spodist parties and movements. Should a League member act against the "party line", it is entirely within their capability. However, the individual authority of the Synods' members - as they only accept those who are already esteemed in their countries of origin - and the sacral aura that surrounds their posts, appointed by the highermost clerics of the Great Communion, makes sure their voices are usually heard. Those who continuously disrespect the advice of the League's holy insitutions are subject to economic sanctions by its member states, which, to smaller countries, can often prove debilitating.

Grand Synod
At the pinnacle of the League's power structures is the Grand Clericarchal Synod of the Holy Diptych, or the Grand Synod for short. First convened in 2800 by Kazari Selfar, it numbered over 500 attendees, high priests of Spode from all over the Gigaqudrant, and mostly concerned the matters of faith and the Great Communion's formation. However, the Second Grand Synod of 2810, which was much smaller, was already a political institution, and its members discussed not only religious dilemmas but also the issues of international relationships and the newly formed Marko state. This was the start of the League proper, and the Grand Synods now convene every 8 Qaelorian years.

The Grand Synod is comprised of the highermost religious authorities of every church that accepted the Great Communion, which hold the title of Hierarch. However, certain clerics of lower rank are also sometimes present at its meetings, such as the Patriarch of the (technically subordinate to the Clericarch of the Divinarium). This is largely done for the sake of representation, as the Communion churches' structure does not necessarily reflect that of their member states. For instance, the Hierarch of Bunsen - the Divine Regent of the Pazumiri Church - represents not just the but also the Spodists in the. Also for the sake of representation, the Grand Synod is also advised by the Synod Temporal, comprised of secular officials brought from each member state. Though relatively impotent compared to its secular counterpart, it has a say in managing the League's shared budget and can veto the Grand Synod's decisions, though only by overwhelming majority.

The Grand Synod's Hierarchs are considered to collectively wield the same spiritual power as the Clericarchs of the Old Church, and indeed the institution is stated to be the official successor to the Divine Throne. However, its actual powers are of course much more limited than those Jaharan or even Telfar possessed. Its main task, outside of solving the occasional spiritual conundrum like if Spode can exist outside of the universe, is appointing members to the lesser Synods and setting the broad goals and plans for the nations of the faithful. Every meeting is thus concluded with a certain motto, which represents the direction of the League for the next years. The motto of the last Grand Synod, convened in 2818, was Peace and Resistance, showing the League's dedication to resolving the new galactic conflicts.

High Secretariat
While the Grand Synod is not assembled, the stewardship of the League's institutions falls instead on the shoulders of the two High Secretaries appointed by it. Their office (sometimes referred collectively as the High Secretariat) is compared by some to the office of Lord Protector in the Ecumene, but is officially descended from the Old Church tradition for the Clericarch to have two chief ministers under them: one a layman, the other a priest. In a similar way, while one High Secretary is always a high-ranked cleric (though not an Hierarch), the other never is, and comes from a secular background.

The High Secretaries, officially at least, are simple caretakers who merely enact the will of the Grand Synod. Yet their de facto powers are quite wide, as all of the Synods ultimately answer to them, thus granting them a say in all of the League's international projects. They also represent the League's interests in international diplomacy, and are thus considered by many to be its face in foreign politics. That being said, the High Secretaries are still bound to act within the edicts of their superiors, and can be evicted if they continuously disobey them. It should also be noted that much of the office's current power comes from the fact that its holders are also the League's founders; in theory, if Tansimael and Selfar step down, their sucessors would not enjoy as much authority as they do at the moment.

Economy
The Uniate League's most notorious contribution to the Gigaqudrant has been its numerous economical projects meant to facilitate trade between its members. Since 2810, through the policies of the Synod of Commerce, tariffs between Uniate states have been significantly reduced and numerous free trade agreements signed - known collectively as the Synodial Contracts. As most members of the League are spread across the Gigaquadrant with no actual shared borders, has been funding the construction of a large-scale wormhole network to connect the most important trade hubs in the alliance. This would allow goods to be transported bypassing important Gigaquadrantic hyperlanes, serving to strengthen the economical independence of League states (at least from the unbelievers).

So far, this network is far from complete, with only the most important wormhole routes (such as Andromeda-Bunsen) finished - yet its effects on international economy are already felt. The League's existence has changed how trade is conducted in the Gigaquadrant. Large centers of commerce and industry, such as in the Milky Way and Petragar in Bunsen, were allowed to extend their businesses beyond their home galaxies, exporting their products and services to previously untapped markets. Detractors of the League claim that the Synodial Contracts are merely tools of Crepusculum and Quilyuon's economic imperialism, but its supporters would point at the increased growth of the smaller League states' economies and state that domination by greater powers such as is by far the greater evil.

However, material goods are not the only thing that the new agreements have brought. Equally important, if not more so, is the transmission of ideas and beliefs. After all, the League was originally formed to protect the identity of Spodist nations and safeguard their cultural heritage, and this can only be done by making their own culture stronger. Media of all kinds produced by its member states are translated into different languages and spread all over the Spodist world. Meanwhile, the Synod of Reason funds international scientific projects and actively promotes technological exchange. Thus, even the smallest, least advanced members of the League can share in some of the Divinarium's know-hows.