Great White Church

The Great White Church is financially supported by the White Witch and its members know well that wealth is a swift path to power. They are aware of the measures other people will take in order to gain wealth; these "others" become more pliable to the whims of the church. A few coins spread judiciously can buy the loyalty of many such friends, a few sacks of grain and a haunch of deer can buy even more from a starving village - to know another's need and have the means to service it is to hold power over them.

The church, as a White Witch's political instrument, buys information, causes underlings to betray their superiors (the Witch prefers subversion to destruction and many organisations opposed to the Witch serve her will due to the actions of a few key underlings - who may themselves think that they oppose her) and trades a lot.

Unlike other churches where labour is often seen as holy in itself, the Great White church squanders no resource and ensures that every action profits the church, every monastery and nunnery raises goats, sheep, brews, or finds some other productive use for its inhabitants, every church is the center of its village ensuring the market runs, supporting craftsmen, providing capital for businesses (at very reasonable rates - many who would not approve of the churches philosophy find themselves beholden to the church when others refuse to aid them during some hour of need).

The Church should not however be misunderstood, it tolerates no great flaunting of wealth and has no place for greed for its own sake. The church ruthlessly drives out weakness because in the chill north weakness undermines the whole and risks the loss of all - village, city, even realm. The church uses every resource - even those it does not fully trust because it cannot afford to live without risk, there is too little wealth for opportunities to be passed up.

Some common church sayings:

• • a few luxuries make life taste sweeter but too rich a diet leads to sloth, then ruin.
    
  • one must feed.
    
  • to scorn meat for fear of poison is to starve, those who dare not live, still die.
    
  • the hungry wolf catches the fat merchant before the whipped servant.
    
  • the subtle knife strikes more surely than the open axe.