In the Dawnmarked Era (734 D.E.), a heretic is any mortal who is touched by a proscribed god or who practices, shelters, studies, or spreads the workings of a forbidden element.
Since the close of the War of the Five, only the sacraments of Pyrion and Thalyra are recognized as lawful manifestations of the divine order. Fire and water are declared the twin pillars of restoration—purification and renewal—sanctioned by temple and crown alike. All other divine currents are named Severed.
A heretic, therefore, is most commonly:
One born touched by Vaelith (air), Morghain (earth), or Nytheris (shadow), whether their gift lies dormant or awakened.
One who conceals such a Touched individual.
One who preserves relics, rites, or chronicles honoring the sealed gods.
One who attempts to awaken dormant touches through ritual or artifice.
One who publicly questions the righteousness of the Sealing.
It is not required that a heretic act with malice. Intent is immaterial; essence is the crime. The law holds that the corruption of the old elements lingers in blood and bone, and that even silence may be conspiracy.
The term is formalized by decree of the Dawnmarked Concord and enforced by the Sacra Vigilia, whose mandate extends beyond action into suspicion. Accusation alone is often sufficient to justify inquiry, confinement, or purification.
Dormant Heretic — A Touched whose signs have not yet manifested but whose lineage is suspect.
Veiled Heretic — One who conceals their abilities or faith beneath sanctioned rites.
Relict Heretic — A scholar, archivist, or artisan who preserves fragments of the Old World.
Blasphemer — A speaker who denies the sanctity of Pyrion and Thalyra; often charged alongside heresy but not synonymous with it.
Among common folk, “heretic” is often synonymous with storm-bringer, stone-witch, or nightmarked. In rural regions, fear is practical: failed harvests, collapsed tunnels, and unnatural fog are attributed to hidden heretics drawing upon sealed powers.
Yet in whispers—especially accross the ocean, in the cities of the Saltscar Plains—the word carries a second meaning: one who remembers.
For though the law declares the other gods sealed and silent, the winds still rise without flame, mountains still tremble without tide, and shadows linger where neither fire nor water can reach.