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Loptr Church
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| “ | Sandima, you know as well as I what we've been through. We've spent the last hundred years in hiding deep within the Aed Desert, suffering extreme hardships, dreaming the day would come for us to rebuild the Empire. Well, that day is now upon us! | ” | — Manfroy, to Sandima |
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The Loptr Church (Japanese: ロプト教団 Lopt Religious Order) was a sinister cult which worshipped the Earth Dragon Loptous. Once dominating Jugdral in the era of the Loptrian Empire, they were forced into hiding in subsequent years until their resurgence was orchestrated by their archbishop, Manfroy.
Overview
Rise and the Loptrian Empire
In Grann 440, following his blood rites and subsequent possession by Loptous in Archanea, the bishop Gair returned to Jugdral and founded the Loptr Church as a religious order, in competition with the numerous primal faiths prevalent across Jugdral at the time. The primary advantage the Loptr Church held was their then-exclusive access to magic, the product of the dragonkin, which allowed them to supplant the other religions and seize control of Jugdrali society; this eventually culminated in the foundation of the Loptrian Empire in the year Grann 448, following the Sect's obliteration of the continent's prior superpower, the Grann Republic, a year earlier.[1] The Loptr Church were instated as the official religion of the Empire, which imposed a strict caste system upon the society of Jugdral, condemning followers of other faiths to the lowest caste of society and to slavery unless they were capable of paying enough money to themselves join the Loptr Church.[2]
The Loptr Church experienced a minor schism in Grann 535, as a result of the actions of Maera, the brother of the Emperor Gair of the time. In contrast to the tyrannical and bleak view of the main body of the Loptrian faith, Maera sought a more peaceful view, seeking to harmonize the Loptrian faith with the pre-existing religions of Jugdral and present Loptous not as a tyrant, but as a benevolent deity, and to end the discrimination against non-Loptrian people. For his efforts, Maera was exiled by his brother, but not before his own variant of the religion, "Maerist Loptrian", was established.[3] Though persecuted in subsequent years, Maerist Loptrians nonetheless worked to help and protect people; one of their benefactees was Bragi, later one of the Twelve Crusaders, who was raised as a Maerist in Orgahil. Following the Empire's fall, Bragi returned to Orgahil to find the Maerist conclave obliterated, which motivated him to found the Church of Edda and create the Bragi Tower as a memorial.[4]
Downfall, hiding and resurgence
At the conclusion of the Holy War, when the Loptrian Empire fell to the Twelve Crusaders, the Loptrian faith took possession of the Book of Loptous in which Loptous now lay dormant, and was forced underground; despite Bragi's wish that no persecution against the Loptrians take place[5], as worshippers of the dark god which blighted Jugdral for so long, Loptrians were the subject of disdain, hatred and witch-hunts. The cult retreated to the Aed Desert, where it occupied the Aed Shrine as a hiding place, remaining there for the following centuries, passing on their teachings to their descendants and wishing for the revival of Loptous, the resurgence of the Empire and being able to freely live in Jugdral again.[6]
Their chance arrived in Grann 757, through the actions of their archbishop Manfroy. Manfroy and the Loptrians orchestrated conflict across Jugdral, coercing Verdane and Agustria into opposing Grannvale, the leader of Ribaut into assaulting Dahna, and the fall of the Munster District to Thracia; at the same time, Manfroy ascertained the locations of two of Maera's descendants and bearers of minor Loptous blood, Arvis of Velthomer and the Grannvalean princess Deirdre, and manipulated them into marrying and reproducing in a bid to spawn a new vessel for Loptous. He also used Arvis's Loptrian descent to blackmail him into ensuring protection for the Loptr Church. Their efforts culminated in Grann 761, with Arvis and Deirdre married as Emperor and Empress of Grannvale, and the rest of Jugdral now occupied by Grannvale. In time, Arvis and Deirdre had twin children, Julius and Julia, and the former inherited major Loptous holy blood as planned. When presented with the Book of Loptous by Manfroy in Grann 770, Loptous's influence instantly took root in Julius, who promtly wrested control of the Empire from his father and twisted it into a sinister regime. Under Julius's control, Grannvale granted positions of power to the Loptrians, allowing them free reign across much of Jugdral and the reinstatement of their child hunts; Manfroy continued to act as Julius's advisor.
In Grann 776-777, the Loptrians faced their first substantial challenge, from the liberation armies of cousins Seliph and Leif. Seliph eliminated the Loptrian hold on the Aed Desert while travelling to the Munster District, while Leif freed the District from its domination by the Loptrians under Veld and his minion, Raydrik. Afterward, their two armies united into one and stormed Thracia and Miletos, the latter also heavily dominated by the Loptrians, before marching on Grannvale itself. The status of the Loptr Churh following the deaths of Julius and Manfroy in the final confrontation in Grannvale is unknown.
Members
| Character | Description | Appears in |
|---|---|---|
| Maera | Brother of the Emperor Gair of his time, and founder of the Maerist strain of the Loptrian faith. | None |
 Manfroy |
Archbishop of the Loptrians as of Grann 757, and architect of the cult's resurgence. | Genealogy of the Holy War, Thracia 776 |
 Julius |
Prince of Grannvale, vessel of Loptous and the leader and subject of worship of the Loptrians. | Genealogy of the Holy War, Thracia 776, Awakening |
 Veld |
A Loptrian bishop who led the cult's operations in the Munster District. | Thracia 776 |
 Salem |
A former Loptrian priest, who abandoned the faith and joined the Dandelion thieves. | Thracia 776, Awakening |
 Sara |
Manfroy's granddaughter, who renounced her grandfather and the Loptrians. | Thracia 776 |
 Sandima |
A Loptrian priest responsible for the Verdane unrest in Grann 757. | Genealogy of the Holy War |
 Kutuzov |
A Loptrian bishop tasked with administrating the Aed Desert. | Genealogy of the Holy War |
 Judah |
A Loptrian bishop deployed to reinforce the Thracian army. | Genealogy of the Holy War |
 Morrigan |
A Loptrian bishop entrusted with overseeing the child hunts in Miletos. | Genealogy of the Holy War |
 Zagam |
A Loptrian bishop serving in Miletos. | Genealogy of the Holy War |
 Juphiel |
A Loptrian bishop guarding Edda Castle. | Genealogy of the Holy War |
Dagon |
A Loptrian bishop guarding Dozel Castle. | Genealogy of the Holy War |
 Baran |
A Loptrian bishop guarding Friege Castle. | Genealogy of the Holy War |
 Codda |
A Loptrian bishop that pursues Leif's forces when they retreat from Tarrah. | Thracia 776 |
 Eichmann |
A member of the Lopt sect assisting Codda. | Thracia 776 |
 Moore |
A Loptrian bishop serving in Leonster. | Thracia 776 |
 Linecock |
A Loptrian bishop overseeing a monastery in the Millefeuille forest. | Thracia 776 |
 Alphand |
A Loptrian bishop guarding Munster Castle. | Thracia 776 |
In addition, the Loptrians controlled two groups of warriors: the Deadlords, twelve powerful undead warlords, and the Bergrosen, an infamous elite battalion of Dark Mages.
Etymology and other languages
| Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
| English |
• Loptyrian |
The first as of Fire Emblem Awakening; implied by Salem in his SpotPass parley quote.[7]. The second as of Fire Emblem Heroes. |
| English (unofficial) |
• Loputo Sect |
The first two are variants of the Japanese name variously used across the fandom. The third one is used in the "Project Naga" Genealogy of the Holy War patch, while the fourth one is used in the "Project Exile" Thracia 776 patch; the latter is a variant of the former based around working Heroes's usage of Loptous, which "Project Naga" predates. |
| Japanese |
ロプト教団 |
Lopt Religious Order. In the Japanese version, Lopt is used for things relating to Loptous, such as the Lopt Empire or the Lopt Mage class. |
Gallery
References
- ↑ "The holy workers before the Loptr Church commonly practiced rituals of the primal religion, and in reality they had no special abilities other than that they could read and write, had knowledge in herbs, and performed basic doctoral techniques. However, one of those people, Gair, acquired the power of Loptous and came back to the country. After that, holy workers of the newly constructed Loptrian church used special spellbooks and staves and was able to acquire supernatural powers. Then, they controlled the world using those powers as its backbone, and eventually founded the Loptrian Empire with Gair as its emperor." - Designers' notes from Treasure, as translated by Serenes Forest
- ↑ "Then the Loptrian Empire developed an absolute caste society. Especially followers of the other religion who was in the lowest caste became the Empire's slaves, and was forced to live a life worse than poverty. On top of that, in the current situation the majority of civilians were followers of another religion because they were too poor to enter the Loptr Church, meaning they were slaves." - Designers' notes from Treasure, as translated by Serenes Forest
- ↑ "Under this situation, the group called Maerists was in the Loptr Church but believed in the teachings of Maera, and for that they were labeled as revolutionists or justicists. Maera, although he was a member of the imperial family, protected the civilians, and was a saint that later on caused a rebellion and was exiled. However, the teachings of Maera was something that tried to place the Loptrian god to the high ranks of the Earthen gods and plotted for the gods to be harmonialized to try to lose the discrimination within the Empire, so it (the teachings of Maera) was receiving pressure and obstruction from the Loptrian Empire. Although Maera was said to be the one and only good person within the Imperial inner circle, he was put in a place as a secret messiah." - Designers' notes from Treasure, as translated by Serenes Forest
- ↑ "Bragi, one of the Twelve Crusaders, was a holy worker who received the teachings of that Maerist Loptr Church. As he was about to become a sacrifice at a young age, he was saved by a Maerist bishop, and grew up in a hidden small island located in Agustria's northern area which was one of their central locations. Then, in that land Bragi took in knowledge of a bishop, and joined the liberation army at a young age. He continued to fight against the oppression of the Loptrian Empire, and as one of the last twelve fighters, met the miracle at Dahna fortress. Bragi, who acquired the powers of the dragon race, was idolized as the one who controls fate and life, and did myriad amounts of services during the Holy War.
After the Empire was destroyed, Bragi went back to his Maerist home town that saved and nurtured him. However, that land was already destroyed by the Imperial army, and what struck his eyes was the dispersed corpses of priests. Suprised and terrified, he went on to save the ruined world, and in order to release the people from the aftereffects of the Loptr Church, strived to revive the old Earthen religion. This was because it was the one and only religion for the people who are put in a place against Loptous, and the Maerist bishops were also wishing for it. At that point, Bragi constructed a new church with his homeland of Edda as the base location, and at the same time constructed a gigantic tower at the island that protected and nurtured him. In one theory, it was said to seal his own powers, but the tower's goal was to mourn for the Maerist priests who saved the world from destruction, and to serve as an omen for the next generation. The omen was that the reason to build the tower was to tell them there were people in the Imperial inner circle and the Loptr Church that saved the people by sacrificing their own lives, and to pay the debts owed to their heavenly souls." - Designers' notes from Treasure, as translated by Serenes Forest - ↑ So, Bragi wanted to leave a warning to the future generations that the descendants of the Empire's upper class citizens shouldn't be persecuted or discriminated. Actually, Bragi wrote that himself in the altar's stone monument, inside the tower, but somebody destroyed it later. Then, the warning was once again forgotten, and the results of such are well-known by everyone." - Designers' notes from Treasure, as translated by Serenes Forest
- ↑ "Lewyn: For ages, descendants of the Loptrian Empire lived in hiding underneath the shrine. They had no choice. They would've been persecuted and burned at the stake otherwise. I doubt they differed much from you or I at first, but over time the ways of evil took root.
Seliph: It's like they're being punished just because their ancestors were a part of the empire! And people are always calling them the 'family of the devil' and whatnot. ...is this is a child's handwriting on this wall? It's a prayer for the Dark Lord's revival... ...Is Loptous the only god they have?
Lewyn: Yeah... You have to be careful when placing labels on good and evil, Seliph. Never waste your anger on individuals. Always focus it on the evil within all of us." — Lewyn and Seliph, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War - ↑ "I was once a Loptyrian priest..." — Salem, Fire Emblem Awakening
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