“The Fire burns in all of us. It is what gives us life. It is what allows us to learn and change. The Flame burns when we gather together, bringing us joy, friendship, love, hope and empowering us.

"You must continually Refine your Fire. Each and every one of us has the responsibility to the Flame and even to The Smith to keep your Fire burning as brightly as possible. If one of us strays from our Calling, if one of us has thoughts or takes actions that oppose The Smith, if even one of us allows our Fire to fill with dross and dim its light... we all suffer. One Fire burning low dims the whole Flame. This is why we say The Fire and The Flame instead of The Flame and The Fire. You must first concern yourself with your own Fire. What's the best way to help the Flame, you ask? Burn more brightly.

"You mustn't concern yourself with the Fires of others until your own Fire is Refined. You needn't worry about recruiting more Fires to the Flame. Simply keep your Fire Refined and meditate daily upon our Calling and other Fires will be drawn to our heat.

“I am the Fire. We are the Flame”

The Fire and The Flame is a militaristic and predominantly human religion. This religion could take hold on almost any world in almost any time period. Most that are not truly familiar with the religion would simply refer to it as The Flame or The Forge. Those familiar with the doctrine of the religion would understand the importance of remembering to put the Fire first. “The Flame” is often used to describe the power of multiple Fires working together and also to refer to the Refined people as a whole. All who believe in the doctrine of The Fire and The Flame are referred to as members of The Flame. However, their belief system as a whole is referred to as The Fire and The Flame. The military body made up of members of the Flame is called The Forge.

The members of The Fire and The Flame actively seek out powerful people in the world and endeavor to convert them. They believe that anyone who is in a position of power has a Fire that Burns brighter than others of lesser power. Those powerful enough to draw the attention of the Flame are encouraged to convert, but if they make it clear that they will not join the Flame they are more often than not eliminated. This sort of interaction may well be what brings The Fire and The Flame into the lives of your PCs. They prosthelytize with promises that the Refining of the Unrefined Fire will bring those who possess that Fire more power than they could ever imagine. Many succomb to the teachings that do not ask them to rely on the power of someone else, but promise that The Fire and The Flame can help them find more strength within themselves to do great deeds.

Below you will find more detail on The Fire and The Flame. How you wish to use this information for your PCs is entirely up to you. I have a couple stories below (under Historical Events) that could inspire full campaigns. My hope is that the material here can be mined for a great multitude of fun and interesting stories for you and your PCs. This is the type of campaign I like to run. The concepts are well defined and ready for whatever decisions your PCs make, yet open enough to not keep them in a box.

Outline

Recruitment Letter

“The Fire is the eternal soul of an individual. Your soul Burns inside of you. You’ve felt it before. It is the feeling in your chest when you succeed. The Burning that helps you win a seemingly hopeless battle. This is what gives you life and the strength to live that life. Tending to your own Fire is critically important in order for you to Burn as brightly as possible. The more brightly your Fire Burns, the more powerful both you and The Flame will be. We will teach you how to Refine your Fire and use it to empower your daily life.

The Flame is the power that moves when two or more people gather together. This is how groups of people are able to accomplish great things that they could never have accomplished as individuals. When people bring their Fires together their Burning merges to create a Flame that is more powerful than the sum of their Fires. This great power can even Convey across physical distance if the Fires creating it are strongly committed to the same cause. This is the Flame that burns brightly throughout all the world as more Fires are Refined and join our Flame.

If you commit your Fire to the Flame it will burn Forever to continue to empower the Flame even after your physical body dies. However, If you choose to live without a cause your Fire will Burn idly for all of eternity.

There is a true power that Burns in all of us. A power that you can already feel Burning inside of you now. People have the power to incite change in the world. We do not have to trust mystical beings to protect us. We already have a Fire that even the most powerful of the gods fear. People must take initiative to get things done through the power of The Fire and The Flame rather than waiting for their gods to give them permission. The Flame burns throughout all of life, but most do not know how to purify their own Fire and thus never reach their true potential. Your Fire Burns so brightly that it can be seen for miles. Imagine how much brighter still if you were taught to Refine it.”

Doctrine

The Fire and The Flame teaches that those who commit their Fires to the Flame gain eternal power. So long as the Flame continues to burn, each Fire that joins in with it will continue to empower the Flame even after their physical body dies. They do not believe in prayer in the traditional sense as they do not serve a god. They do strongly believe in the power of Conveyance, the Flame’s ability to transcend physical distance, and that this can be demonstrated by the power of many people meditating on the same concept and effecting an outcome.

The Fire and The Flame teaches that the Smith has the power to choose a successor and pass his Fire directly into theirs upon his or her death. The Smith also writes Letters to all of the churches in order to guide them. These Letters are specifically tailored to each church based on the church's specific circumstances. The Letters also lay out the overall agenda of the Fire and the Flame and also the Smith's personal agenda which may change from Smith to Smith. These letters are considered to be the equivalent to a holy and living text for the Refined.

At its core The Fire and The Flame is a military body. The rest of the religion and its members serve to support this military and all of them are trained in combat. They are also separated into ranks and follow orders that they refer to as their Calling. Almost all members of the Flame have taken a vow to the Smith and would abandon their home and jobs at the command of a higher ranking Refined. They believe in the chain of command as strongly as they believe in the Fire burning in their souls, and the sovereign power of the Smith.

The Fire and The Flame teaches that all Fires are eternal and that all life carries a Fire with it. Most Fires burn forever either alone or with a small flame made of up themselves and others who believed in the same cause as they did. The Flame is the joining together of more Fires than any other single cause. This cause is to gather more Fires to the Flame and serve the will of the Smith. The Smith’s will alters each time a new Smith is chosen, but the core of the Smith’s will passes to each new Smith as the Smith’s Fire does. The Smith’s will is to enhance the power of the Flame. This can be done by either gathering more Fires into the Flame or by further purifying the Fires that have already joined the Flame. Acts that align with the teachings of The Fire and The Flame and the will of the Smith fuel the Fire of the Refined as their shared belief grows. Acts that oppose The Fire and the Flame and the will of the Smith stifle one’s Fire.

The belief that all life has a Fire allows the Refined to treat most people equally regardless of gender or race. The only aspect of a person that affects the way the Refined think of them is their Fire. The Refined are taught that no Fire is too small to be a valuable contribution to the Flame, but they are also taught that the brightest Fires, those with power, must join the Flame eventually. Any powerful people that catch the eye of the Smith, a Striker, or a Master are sought out by the Flame and wooed. They try a multitude of different methods to convert their chosen targets including sending recruitment letters, establishing churches nearby, sending the Forge in force with an ultimatum, helping fight their wars, and much more. They do not shy away from any power whether physical, political, supernatural, intellectual or anything else they see as a brightly burning Fire. What the Smith cannot stand is a powerful potential member of the Flame refusing to convert.

Fire and the references to forging are always simply an analogy. Other than by extremists, physical fire is not used as a tool for purifying, or changing anything. The Smith speaks out strongly against such use of physical fire when it does occur. The Smith always reminds The Flame that references to fire are simply metaphors to explain the metaphysical power within them that cannot be truly comprehended by our physical minds.

The death of the Refined and their belief in death’s significance is one of the greatest examples of their willingness to accept change and grow from it. In ancient times, The Fire and The Flame taught that the body is the vessel of the Fire that burns within everyone and everything. The destruction of that body results in the destruction of that Fire. For that reason, the Refined were mummified to preserve their bodies forever. The wealthier members spent their fortunes on mausoleums and other ways to protect and preserve their bodies for as long as possible. Their enemies know this and often burn the bodies of the Forged that they kill in any battle that the Forge loses. Intentionally destroying the body of the Refined is the utmost insult as they believed it literally destroyed their soul.

As time progressed and the Refined realized that their bodies do not last forever, they did not panic at a loss of eternity. They instead used the power of their belief in change to acknowledge their mistake and adjust their belief based on this information. They changed as they always do, realizing that regardless of the temporal existence of their bodies, their Fire lives on forever. Many traditionalist Refined still mummify their dead, and all consider it to be insulting to burn their dead. Most Refined are buried in a sealed box upon their death to preserve their bodies for a time. All of the Smith’s Vessels are burned as their Fire has always been believed to join with the Smith’s Fire, and thus their body must be destroyed to ensure none is left behind. Upon the death of the Forged their bodies are sent back to their church. Their armor is kept by the church as a reminder of the protection that their Fire still provides for the church as a part of the Eternal Flame. Their sword is given to their families as a reminder of the sacrifice that their loved one made, and also as a reminder that their battle was real and is not over.

Ranks

Below are the ranks within The Fire and The Flame and also within the Forge ranking from lowest to highest. These ranks indicate the chain of command as well as the pay grade for each member.

Unrefined

Any visitors to the church are referred to as the Unrefined. Some of the Refined simply call them, "Ore". The Flame view the Unrefined mostly as potential members of The Flame. All of life carries the power of the Fire and the more Fires that join the Flame the more powerful they become. The recruitment methods vary from simple door knocking to taking over entire towns by show of force and strongly encouraging attendance to the tent-church that is quickly being erected while a more permanent structure is built by the Forge. The Smith will also often make political moves in order to encourage people to join the ranks of the Refined.

Refined

Those that have officially joined the church and publicly stated belief in the teachings of The Fire and The Flame usually at one of their weekly services are called the Refined. This is the minimum rank of members of the Flame, but no matter how far they move up in the ranks they still refer to themselves as "Refined." In order to become Refined one must begin the process of removing the impurities from their Flame. This process begins by sitting with a Refiner and continues throughout their entire life.

Forged

The Forged are well trusted, long term members of the church that have established themselves as faithful to both the churches teachings and it's Calling. It is at this stage that they are issued weapons and light armor. The Forged also make up the majority of the Forge, the proper militaristic portion of the Flame. To become a member of The Forged, a Refined must go through a Crucible. After completing the Crucible they are Forged and are fully committed to the cause of The Fire and the Flame. During their Crucible and any subsequent missions with the Forge, they are paid a salary that would be sufficient for a single person to live alone. Though, while out with the Forge they would find little need to spend this money as most of their needs are met by the Forge during this time.

The Forged are also committed to respond to the call of The Smith at any point if they are needed for any battle or mission that needs their assistance. The Forge provide manpower for anything the Smith needs. This includes building new churches and protecting them from those who don’t want them there, serving as a guards in towns completely ran by The Fire and The Flame, going in force to convert or kill a powerful person who has drawn their attention, marching against armies that oppose the Smith, and even assassinating enemies of the Smith. Most of the Forged wear white-steel chainmail armor, and are equipped with a white-steel two handed sword (in more modern settings they will have more modern weapons, but they will still always have their sword). They keep their armor and equipment very clean and nearly all of it is white. Higher ranking members of the Forge have white steel plate armor that is embellished with gold accents and more ornate swords. The higher the rank, the more gold. All of the Forged wear a tabard that is all white with a golden gauntlet at its center, the sigil of the Forge. Strikers and higher ranking Refined have a white-steel chest plate with real gold in the shape of the gauntlet on their chests as opposed to the tabard.

Cast

The Cast are well respected members of the church who are trusted with the standard goings on of the church such as planning community or recruitment functions. The Cast begin training to teach the doctrine of the church and the fighting techniques of the Forge under the tutelage of the Purified. The majority of the Cast serve in the Forge as more trusted and experienced fighters and will often be sent on more critical missions. Each church typically only has 2 or 3 members of the cast on hand at any time as nearly all of them are travelling with the Forge at all times. All of the Cast and any higher ranking Refined are full time employees of The Fire and The Flame and make a salary that increases with each rank. Other than any Forged out on a mission, the Cast is the lowest rank at which members of the Flame make a salary even when simply working at the church. This salary would be enough to support a small family if they live very modestly and are quite careful with their money.

Purified

The Purified are teachers at the church and officers in The Forge. They train other members not only on the doctrines of the church, but also in survival and combat skills. All of the Purified have been a part of the Flame for several years and have served actively on the Forge for at least two years. Most of the Purified are at least 50 years old or older and have served on the Forge for at least a decade. Most of them still serve in the Forge actively, but every church has at least one Purified as a permanent fixture in their staff per 50 members. Many of these Purified resent their positions in the church and would rather be out in the field with the Forge.

Refiner

Also known by many as “Martyrs”, these men and women have dedicated their lives to taking on the impurities of others in order to make the overall Flame of the church burn more brightly. Refiners volunteer for this position, but are typically strongly encouraged by the Bellows and Purified to do so. Each church has only one Refiner per 100 members and must have at least 200 members to maintain a second Refiner. They typically volunteer as children and are from families that have served in the Forge and are very committed to The Fire and The Flame. They spend most of their time isolated from the rest of the Refined and their service in The Forge is typically limited to their Crucible. Those that show the most promise in battle prowess during their Crucible are chosen to travel with and Refine the Forged. Though they are higher rank than the Purified, Cast and Forged they do not give orders to them, nor would any of them respond to orders from a Refined. The Refining process and the Refiners that perform it are described in more detail below.

Bellows

As pastors of each church, a Bellows main purpose is to ensure his or her church achieves its Calling (orders from the Smith typically derived from the Letters). They are typically chosen from the ranks of the Cast or the Purified and groomed to become the Bellows of a church. They come from any level of involvement in The Forge, but once they become a Bellows they never again serve in the Forge. Once their training is complete they have a meeting with the Smith who then assigns them a church. Often this church is yet to be built and they are sent with the Forge in force in order to build and establish a church with or without the approval of the town in which they are building it. Their sermons are formed based on the general doctrine of The Fire and the Flame along with Letters sent to each church written by The Smith directing them on their Calling. Though higher ranking than many members of the Forge, Bellows have no bearing or say whatsoever in the actions of the Forge other than to share the information found within the Smith’s Letters with the church. This information often dictates the actions of the Forge in the area of each church.

Striker

Strikers are in charge of all churches within a certain region to ensure all are working towards their Callings. Strikers are chosen by Masters and The Smith from the ranks of Purified and sometimes Refiners. Strikers spend most of their time traveling, often leading Crucibles for new members of The Forged in their region. They serve as high ranking officers in the Forge. They also deliver the Letters from The Smith to each of the Bellows. Very few of them have any permanent residences and fewer have families. They are typically chosen from among the most elite and aggressive fighters from the Cast and Purified. They are generally feared and disliked by the majority of the Refined as their presence typically indicates problems in the church.

Master

Masters are the second highest ranking members of the Flame. There are always 10 Masters, and they serve as counsel to the Smith and as generals in the Forge. The Strikers report directly to the Masters who are in charge of very large regions that they refer to as Campaigns. They are the ones who use the Strikers to gather detailed information about the performance of the churches in their Campaign and pass this onto the Smith so that he or she can tailor the Letters to each church to give them their Calling. The Masters are chosen for their intellect in the same way Strikers are chosen for their ability on the battlefield. They can be chosen from any rank within the Flame. The Smith simply replaces them when they become too old to serve the Smith’s purpose. Sometimes all 10 of them are replaced as soon as the Smith enters a new Vessel. They are responsible for helping find their own replacement.

The Smith

Ultimate leader of The Fire and The Flame. The Smith is a Fire that burns forever and is continually passed on to a new person, and the physical body that the Smith inhabits is known as a Vessel. The Smith is considered to be possessed by the full power of all of the Flame. This is a spiritual power that manifests as great wisdom and understanding rather than physical or magical power. Although some Smiths have displayed great acts of power and many of the Refined have attributed this to the Flame. During The Smith’s life he or she chooses a member of the Refined to replace them. Upon the death of the Smith a secret and sacred ritual is performed which passes the Fire of the Smith into the body of his or her chosen replacement. The Smith’s Fire merges with it’s new Vessel’s Fire bringing it even more power and passing on the knowledge and wisdom of The Smith. This person becomes the new Vessel for The Smith and the Flame forgets their previous life and name as they are now The Smith. This Refined is typically not chosen from the higher ranks within the Church, but rather from the younger members. The Fire and The Flame teaches strongly about the importance and power of change and this makes the naming of a young Smith at the time of the previous Smith’s death an important goal for all Smiths. More detail on the Smith can be found below.

The Crucible

“I am The Fire. We are The Flame.

“I vow to serve The Smith and defend The Flame. I vow to protect The Fire and push back the dark. I vow to edify and nurture The Flame. I will be Forged in a Crucible by The Flame to serve the purpose of The Smith to the cost of my very life, so that my Fire can forever increase The Flame.

“I am The Fire. We are The Flame.”

The militarism of The Fire and The Flame affects all aspects of the religion. Their weekly religious services include training in combat, first aid and survival skills side by side with the teachings of their doctrines and Refinings. Once a member of the Flame reaches a certain rank they are issued their sword and armor. To achieve this rank, known as Forged, a Refined must go through a trial called a Crucible. The Crucible involves the Refined travelling and working with The Fire and The Flame’s army.

In order to go through a Crucible the Refined must verbally and publicly vow to serve The Forge and carry out the will of The Smith for the rest of their life. This public vow, known as a Crucible Vow, is usually made at the end of a church service one at a time by any who wish to give it. All those who witness this Vow and have joined the ranks of The Forged state the phrase “We are The Flame” aloud at the beginning and end of the Crucible Vow with any who take it.

The Crucible Vow is seen by The Flame as a binding contract. All of the Refined are pressured to take this vow, but they are also warned of the importance and the weight that the Crucible Vow holds. Any who take the Vow and then refuse to go or evade going on their Crucible are sought out by the Forged. Some sit in prison-like cells beneath the churches until they recommit to The Fire and The Flame and are sent on their Crucible. Some come back willingly after the Forged speak with them. Some simply seem to disappear. Whatever the result, the message is clear, it is better to go on the Crucible once the Crucible Vow has been taken. The Flame makes this very clear before allowing any to take this Vow.

After their first full year as a member of The Flame, all of the Refined are heavily pressured by the teachings of The Fire and The Flame and by other Refined to take their Crucible Vow and go on their Crucible regardless of old age, physical ailments, or gender. In rare cases, where the Refined would have extreme difficulty participating in their Crucible, special accommodations will be made to allow them to join the ranks of The Forged. The earliest any are allowed to go on a Crucible is at the age of 16, but their is no limit on the age at which they can take their Crucible Vow. Permission of parents or other responsible adults is not required for anyone old enough to speak the words to be allowed to take the Crucible Vow. Though even the youngest of children are warned strongly against taking the Crucible Vow lightly.

The Refined do not consider themselves to be fully committed, and thus eternally empowering The Flame, until they go through a Crucible. The Crucible is what most of the Flame believe proves their commitment and forever joins their Fire with what they call the Eternal Flame. The official doctrine does not specifically say a Crucible is necessary for one to prove their commitment enough to join the Eternal Flame, but it does state that a great sacrifice must be made and many scholars presume that this refers specifically to a Crucible.

These Crucibles can be any mission that the local church or even the Smith chooses to send the Forged on. Active members of the Forge spend the majority of their time on missions, not all of which are also attended by those going through a Crucible, but any of them could be. Crucibles always include at least 10 Forged and no more than 1 Refined going through a Crucible per 5 Forged. The Forged refer to those that are on their Crucible as Blanks or Slugs. The Forged are always traveling, typically with the intention of setting up a new church in a new town with or without the permission of the people in that town. They arrive in force and go about their business without any intention of harming anyone. They offer a great deal of protection to the town if they go along with it. If they are met with resistance they will retaliate with deadly force if necessary. They also will go on missions to despatch of brigands or raiding parties that are terrorizing small local villages. They are sometimes even sent on missions dictated by The Smith. All of their missions have the main goal in mind of bringing more Fires into The Flame. Some of these missions can go on for years, and all Crucibles take at least one full year. After this point the newly Forged must continue to fulfil their vow and whether or not they go home depends on the needs of The Smith and the orders from their superiors.

Refiners

Refiners are essential to the beliefs of The Fire and The Flame as they are the path through which the Unrefined become Refined. They are also isolated from the community. This isolation is partially due to their function in the churches. Their role is to take on any darkness that might stifle the Fire burning within the Refined. In doing so they have the lowest burning Fire of any of the Refined, but they allow the rest of the Fires to burn more brightly in their place. They are not truly members of the Refined as their Fire is not at all Refined.

The air around Refiners is noticeably colder to the Refined. It is said that the Unrefined cannot detect this difference, but once someone experiences their first Refining they will feel the cold being sapped from their Fire and passing into the Refiner. As with The Fire and The Flames references to Fire, this reference to cold is also an analogy. It is the description of a feeling that the Refined perceive in the presence of the Refiners. This cold, however, is the most common phenomenon claimed by the Refined to manifest physically. It is also never denounced publicly by The Smith when such claims are made.

The Refiner’s are essential as the choices one makes have a permanent effect on their Fire. Each and every thought and act changes the overall strength of one’s Fire for good or ill. These changes are eternal for the Unrefined. When they die their Fires continue to burn idly forever, or perhaps they may burn for the cause they most believed in while alive. The Refiners’ role is to take on all of the impurities that choke the Fires of the Refined. The Refiner’s are called martyrs because their fires will burn dimly and alone for eternity after their death. Their sacrifice is viewed by the Refined with great fear and respect. It is this sacrifice that gives the Flame it’s greatest strength; each Fire that joins the Flame is able to burn at nearly its full potential as if no impurities have ever affected it.

Most Refiners became such because they volunteered as children (usually under the age of 10) and typically under strong encouragement by their Bellows, a Striker, or one of the Purified in their church. Once they volunteer they are referred to as Apprentices. Apprentices are usually children from within a family that has been a part of the church for some time. The children are taken away from the family to live at the church with the church’s Refiner(s) during their Apprenticeship. These faithful families rarely challenge this in any way as they are fully committed to The Fire and The Flame and believe in the importance of The Refiners along with the chain of command that The Smith has set forth. The families are supplemented with the salary that the Apprentice will make until he or she is old enough to become a Refiner at the church to which they are assigned. This church is never the church that their family’s attend and is typically quite far away. At this point the Refiner will start receiving this payment themselves instead of their families. If the families resist the Apprenticeship of their child they are often imprisoned by the Forge until they stop resisting and they are refused the Refiner’s salary during their child’s Apprenticeship.

Critics of the Flame and this Apprenticeship question the ability for a child to make a decision that has such a profound affect on the rest of their life. They say that these children are coerced into making this decision by the church’s leadership, or, in even worse cases, their parents who need that salary to survive. The Fire and The Flame instead argue that the Fire that burns even within the heart of a child is eternal and capable of making such decisions at any point in their life. Refiners are the most commonly attacked part of The Fire and The Flame by those that criticize the religion, but such critics often find the Forge at their doorstep before long.

The Apprentice can be visited by their family, but only for at most 2 hours per day. They all go through their Crucibles at 16 except in the rare cases when they are called to be an Apprentice when older than 16. In this case they typically go on their Crucible within 6 months of starting their Apprenticeship. They all take their Crucible Vow within a week of starting their Apprenticeship. The Refiners under which they train teach them to meditate and the art of Refining as described below.

There are some Refiners that carry a certain power. Only the Master’s and The Smith are completely certain of the existence of such power, but there are rumors throughout many churches and vague references to such things in the Letters that The Smith has written over the years. One such Refiner served as the Smith’s Refiner for two Vessels before abandoning his Faith and becoming known as The Heretic and he is used in the Letters by The Smith as an example of the dangers of forgetting about the power of The Fire.

Refining

This is the process by which Refiners convert the Unrefined and continue to better the Refined. In the ritual the Refiner rests on their knees with their hands extended forwards before the person they are Refining. This person mirrors their pose. They hold hands as the Refiner says, “Remember to stay silent and be patient. Release the dross to me. Let your fire burn pure,” then closes his or her eyes and meditates. This process typically takes anywhere from two to ten minutes. For converting the Unrefined it typically lasts at least five minutes. During this process the Refined can feel the cold energy traveling out of their body and into the Refiner. The ritual will be ended by the Refiner when they deem that the process is complete. If the process is interrupted by the Refined or an Unrefined, the Refiner will simply stand and without looking at the Refined coldly state, “You must come back tomorrow. We are done here. Once the Refining process is interrupted, it cannot be started again.” The Refiner will then strongly suggest they leave, and they will be escorted away by Forged guards if they do not leave voluntarily.

Refining happens in The Refiner’s Chambers. This chamber is opposite the chancel in the sanctuary and consists of a room with two doors. One of the doors allows those desiring to be Refined in from the main sanctuary, and the other door allows them out either into the foyer outside of the sanctuary or directly outside depending on the size of the church. Those being Refined are not allowed to exit back into the sanctuary once entering The Refiner’s Chambers. Some of the larger churches have multiple Refiner’s Chambers, but they are always in the back of the sanctuary.

Refiners are available at all times to Refine any who desire to be Refined. After a typical church service there is a line composed mostly of Refined and a few Unrefined waiting their turn with the Refiner. Most of the Refined come to the Church throughout the week to continue the Refining of their Fire. These Refinings are often scheduled ahead of time. The Refined are encouraged to sit with a Refiner at least one time a month.

The typical Refined is uncomfortable in the presence of a Refiner. The Refined treat the Refiners as outcast and consider them to be weaker members of the Flame as their Fires are so stifled by the dross of all of the Refined in their church. They refer to the Refiners as Bluefires, Martyrs, Coldmen, and Drossers. The Refined are encouraged to treat the Refiners with pity and give them distance. They are told that they must respect the Refiners as they are essential to the power of the Flame, but the Refined are discouraged from spending any time with them other than for the purpose of Refining.

The mental state of the average Refiner is very dark and depressed. They are told that they are essential members of the Flame, but they are treated as less than equals and nearly all have been heavily controlled by the church since early childhood. They are entirely submissive to the high ranking members of The Flame including the Purified in spite of their technically lower rank. Most of the Refniners live in silence and spend the majority of their waking time in meditation. The only words they typically speak are to the Refined just before Refining begins. They are often unbathed, and most of them do not shave or otherwise care for their appearance in any way.

The Refiners also serve as caretakers and groundskeepers for the church and the land on which it is built. When they are not meditating or Refining, they are making the rounds on the church’s property to keep everything running smoothly. They rarely leave the grounds of the church and on the rare occasion that they do they are almost always accompanied by Cast or Purified and are usually simply going along to help with whatever errand is being run.

The Smith

The Smith is not simply one person. The Smith is the Fire that Burns brightest and Burns forever. The Smith’s Fire is tied to a human Vessel, but it burns eternally in life. Instead of this Fire permanently joining the Flame upon the death of the Smith’s Vessel, the Smith’s Fire is passed to his or her chosen replacement. This replacement is chosen by the Smith and this choice is guided by the Smith’s ability to use the full power of the Flame to gain great wisdom. Using this same power, the Smith is also capable of very accurately predicting his or her own demise. No Smith has ever lived beyond the age of 70 and most do not survive past 60. It is said that the Fire that burns within The Smith destroys its Vessel and this is what shortens their lifespan. The new Smith has never been over the age of 30 when the Fire of the Smith is passed over to them. The Fire and The Flame teaches of the importance and power of change and this is emphasized by the choices for the Smith with each new incarnation. Most are chosen from those that have converted to The Fire and The Flame instead of members who were born into the religion. All that have been chosen are vastly different from their predecessor. Once they are chosen they are taken to the Smith and spend every waking moment learning the responsibilities and the power of the position they will soon acquire. This period typically lasts at least 5 years.

The Smith’s Fire is immensely powerful and this allows the Smith to overcome whatever corruption might exist in the heart of his Vessel. This is what allows the Smith to always choose a successor that is so different than his Vessel rather than one that would continue their legacy. Where this Fire originated is a taboo topic for the Flame, but many regard the Smith as a god. Critics of the Smith even posit that he is a powerful demon possessing the minds of men and women to convince them to serve his whim. The Smith’s actual origin is a mystery to all except the Smith.

Each Smith has different ideals that drive them. They gain the knowledge and the power gained by the Fire of the Smith from all of the Vessels that it has possessed, but the personality of each Smith influences how they use this knowledge and power. Some are military minded dictators who increase the Flame by the pure force of the Forge, overtaking all the land that they can in their roughly 30 year reign. Some believe strongly in peace and use the Forge as a force to stop wars that are happening throughout their world. The only commonality in the behaviors of all of The Smiths is that their choices are made with the long term goal of bringing more Fires into the Flame. Their choices are not always successful and over the years the power of the Flame waxes and wanes.

The Smith spends a large portion of his or her time writing Letters to each and every church. Each Smith writes at least one Letter to every church. Some of the more prolific Smiths have written a letter to each and every church no less often than every two years of their time as The Smith. These letters that they send dictate the Calling of each church. This Calling is determined by the Smith’s ability to embody the full power of the Flame. This Calling determines the ultimate goal of each individual church. This can be as vague as increasing their numbers in their community or as specific as removing a local Lord and/or his family from power. These letters also make up the sacred texts from which the Bellows preach. All of the letters that each church has received since being founded are compiled into a single book and each of the Purified and the Bellows carry a copy. Some of the more inspiring and compelling statements made by the Smith over the years have also been compiled into a separate book by the Masters and this book is constantly updated and distributed to the Bellows at each church every few years.

The Churches

The Fire and The Flame is at all times attempting to expand. They are constantly building new churches in cities where directed by The Smith. As stated multiple times above, these cities are not always accepting of the establishment of a new religion, but the Forge assures that no one is able to stop them from building. Even after the churches are built, the Forge is a constant presence. Over time the members of the Forge move on after they are replaced by locals who have been converted and trained to protect their own establishment.

These churches are often built by extremely talented craftsmen. Depending on their location (and the time period) they are can be built from wood, stone, or anything else readily available. They consist of a large building with the main purpose of being a sanctuary for their services. They also always have a fairly large and fenced in field behind the church that they call the courtyard. This is where they practice their combat training. The churches are always built in a manner that inspires awe from those who enter. The architects are encouraged to show the power of the Flame in their designs, and the Smith is willing to spend as much as necessary to achieve this goal.

The Fire and The Flame seeks out powerful people at all times and this extends into converting people of great talent to build their churches and even produce food for their armies. Many of the well established churches have farms that are staffed by the Refined and protected by The Forge if necessary.

When first arriving in a new city and beginning to establish a foothold, the Forge typically rapidly erect a tent city. The majority of these tents are to house the Forged. The two largest tents are typically the same size and setup side by side. One of them is used for the sermons from the Bellows and the other is used for combat training by the Purified. All of this is typically overseen by a Striker who typically comes and leaves as he pleases. There is also always at least one tent that belongs to the Refiner who has been assigned to this city. This serves as both the Refiner’s home and the Refiner’s Chamber. The Refiner’s tent always has one entrance and one separate exit just like the Refiner’s Chamber. During the existence of the tent city, the Forged are working day and night to get the church built as quickly as possible. They are typically capable of completing the construction in anywhere from 1-3 months depending on the size of the city and thus the size of the church they are building.

At any given service, most of the attendees are Forged and they arrive armed and dressed in their armor. Each service typically lasts 30 minutes to an hour. The service typically opens with announcements by the most trusted and respected of the church’s Cast making any necessary announcements about upcoming events or delivering news to the church about the members that are out on a mission. The events can vary drastically depending on the Calling of the church and the main goals of the current Smith. Examples include church hosted pot-luck dinners; events celebrating local holidays; monthly celebrations welcoming newly Refined, Forged, or Crucible bound members; executions; celebrations of great victories by The Forge; and much much more.

After the Cast makes any pertinent announcements, he or she introduces the Bellows who delivers a rousing sermon. These sermons are typically delivered as shouts from the pulpit and calls to action. They strongly encourage regular visits to the Refiner for all members and call upon all to take their Crucible Vow and join the Eternal Flame. They suggest that everyone take the time to come in throughout the week for both Refinings and combat training. After this sermon any who wish to be Refined, or to take their Crucible Vow are encouraged to come forward where they will meet with the Bellows or a Purified who will guide them from there. Those taking their Crucible Vow are taken to the chancel one at a time to make their vow before the Flame. Those wishing to be Refined are taken to the Refiner’s Chambers one at a time. After their first Refining they are to wait outside to meet all of the Refined as they exit the members exit the church. After the sermon the Purified take all who wish to partake in combat training to the courtyard where they are separated into groups based on experience and ability and trained by the Purified who are assisted by the Cast.

The Refiner and the Purified are full time staff members who are at the church at almost all times to Refine and train the Flame respectively. Refined will come to the church regularly throughout the week in order to be refined. Combat and survival training is scheduled for every evening other than one night a week during which training on construction is performed in order to ready the Forged for their second most common assignment, building churches. The nights for these trainings vary from church to church as the Cast work out the schedules that work best for the students, but each night of the week is for a different skill level of student. They also will schedule one on one or smaller group lessons with the Purified for Refined who show great promise in combat, or for those that seem to be struggling to increase their skill. Strikers often attend these lessons in order to recruit for higher positions when the Refined show promise.

Historical Events

These are events that happened throughout the history of The Fire and The Flame. They are hopefully launching points from which to start Campaigns. These campaigns could occur at any point during, before or after these events. If these or any other part of this campaign stirs some inspiration, feel free to make it your own in whatever way you deem appropriate.

The Heretic

Refiners are outnumbered 100 to 1 by the rest of the Refined. They are isolated, but gain a sense of worth from the service they provide for their Refined. One Refiner is chosen by The Smith to be his or her personal Refiner. This Refiner is privy to all of the Smith and the Masters' discussions and actions, but has no voice in them. This Refiner is given no special title. Most of the Refined are not even aware that the Smith has a Refiner, and would generally assume that the Smith does not need to be Refined. The existence of this Refiner is intentionally hidden. Most who are chosen for this role are so controlled by the Flame that they would never even think to question it, but one Refiner became fed up with the choices of the Smith and his lack of voice and decided to do something about it.

His name was Uriel. But he is only remembered as the Heretic. He was a Refiner nearly his entire life, and an orphan before that, but his main concern was that he was a good man. Early on in his training as a Refiner it was discovered that he was capable of physically reducing the temperature of the room. This ability is what got him chosen as the Smith's personal Refiner and as time passed his power continued to grow. The first Smith Uriel served was a kind and peaceful Smith. The Flames numbers stagnated during her time as the Smith, but she was loved and respected even by the Unrefined. When she died the Vessel that became the Smith next was a warmongering tyrant in the eyes of Uriel. And it was not difficult to find thousands of Unrefined who would agree.

The final straw was a decision by the Smith to send the Forge to crush a city whose Lord spoke out against The Fire and The Flame. In this assault hundreds of innocent lives would be lost. The Smith knew this but stated that it would be worth it to crush this one man who spoke against their cause.

Uriel's rage had been building against the Smith and the Masters for years and the levy finally broke. The temperature in the room began to drop rapidly. As the Smith and the Masters felt the cold, Uriel's armor began to be encased in a protective layer of ice. A blizzard began to spiral out from him, filling the room in a matter of seconds. In the confusion and the blinding white, Uriel managed to kill 7 of the Masters before the Smith struck him down with all the power of the Flame.

From time to time more Refiners manifest powers similar to Uriel's. When these powers manifest the Strikers are under strict orders to immediately and discreetly put them down. They often tell the church that their Refiner has been transferred and lead the obedient Refiners to a swift end. Most of the Refined don't even require this explanation as they tend to avoid the affairs of Refiners at every turn.

Politics

Grand Duke Kieran Luthe of the Edgewoods made the mistake of turning down his king’s invitation to bring his daughter to Court for the yearly royal dinner gala in Windfall, the royal city. Luthe tried to pretend he didn’t realize the true purpose of this invitation and claimed that the fire that burned a third of his duchy’s food was causing too much of a panic for him to leave his post. His true concern was that the king’s son was a nasty young fellow and not worthy of even spending an afternoon with Luthe’s daughter much less a potential betrothal even if it would bring Luthe closer to the throne. The king did not read the phrase “regretfully decline” as amicably as Luthe would have hoped. Word made way to the Edgewoods that the king had publicly proclaimed that Grand Duke Luthe’s letter was disgraceful and insulting to the crown.

Luthe’s spies quickly informed him that the king was gathering men together to come to the Edgewoods and arrest Luthe for treason. The punishment for which is death. Most likely by beheading judging by how angry the king had become. Luthe began sending highly apologetic letters to the king begging for forgiveness, but never admitting to intentionally shrugging off the king’s invitation to avoid his daughter’s betrothal to that sleazy prince. The king never responded to any of his letters.

Luthe began to visit the towns and cities in his duchy in order to gather men more loyal to him than to their king. He knew he didn’t stand a chance against the king’s army if it came to that, but he was simply hoping to buy himself enough time for the king to come to his senses. His spies informed him that the king had declared that all of Grand Duke Kieran’s Duchy were to be considered traitors to the Crown and that he intended to invade in full force. His army had already began to amass and would be marching within the week. They would arrive in the Edgewoods in just over a fortnight if Luthe was lucky. His plan had misfired and he and all the men loyal to him were going to be overrun by the king’s army and slaughtered like cattle.

Luthe quickly retreated back to his home and began making arrangements for his family’s escape. While attempting to convince his daughter and his wife that they must leave and he must stay they all heard a loud crash from inside their home and the voice of a man shouting, “Thanks for inviting me in! I’ll see myself to the Grand Duke,” followed by the sound of heavy footsteps coming in their direction.

Seconds later the door was thrown open and standing just outside of it was a large man in enormous white and gold plate armor that made his passage through the doorway seem impossible, but he walked through nonetheless. His sword was already sheathed on his hip. There was some blood visible on the hilt, but not enough to indicate that someone was killed. Before Luthe could react to that the man spoke, “Grand Duke Luthe, what a pleasure to have found you here,” His booming voice shook the room as he spoke and the temperature seemed to rapidly rise in the room with each of his steps. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I needed to see you immediately. I am the Smith. I have a large force at my disposal that you may know as the Forge. Have you heard of them?”

Luthe simply nodded in astonishment as sweat began to bead on his face at the heat in the room.

“Good. Then I won’t need to tell you of their reputation and experience in battle.

“I have a proposition for you. I offer to you my Forge. They will reinforce the men loyal to your cause. We will march into your king’s city and take it. I will give you his throne. I will then leave many of the Forge here to protect your citizens and train them to protect themselves. I ask in return that you and your family join the Flame and that you allow us to build a church for The Fire and The Flame in each of your cities and towns. The Forge will be your army and protect your cities as long as you are king.”

Luthe alone would have taken more convincing but his wife, daughter and this man who called himself “the Smith” stood as a blockade before him and gave him no option. The siege on Windfall took over a month, but the Forge prevailed and King Luthe reigned. After the siege ended the city was overrun with crime, but this was quickly stamped out by the Forge and this gained them favor in the eyes of the people. Windfall and the surrounding lands remained as a stronghold for The Fire and The Flame for generations. The actions of the Smith established The Fire and The Flame as a household name throughout all of the surrounding kingdoms and the growth of the Flame in the decades to follow was greater than ever before.

Terms

Burning - The power of one's Fire. Ex: "Have you heard of the hero of Garren's Field? They say you can feel his Burning from across the battlefield!"
Conveyance - The phenomenon of the Flame transcending physical distance to empower any committed to the same cause and effect a change. To the outsider this would appear to be analogous to prayer. Ex: "You must Convey your will to help empower the Forge in their ever raging war."
Crucible - The first mission a Refined goes on with the Forge. This cements the Refined as a fully committed member of the Flame and most believe it shows their commitment and proves their joining with the Eternal Flame. Ex: "Thom has yet to go on his Crucible. Bellows Wells has all but called him out by name, but he fears the Vow too much to go forward."
Dross - Any act or thought that opposes The Fire and The Flame. Such behavior causes impurities in ones Fire and stifles their Burning. Ex: "You must go to the Refiner as soon as your room is clean! Your inexcusable attitude has filled your Fire with Dross."
Eternal Flame - The power of the Flame that lasts forever. Any who are fully committed to the Flame join the Eternal Flame so that their Fire can empower it forever rather than burning idly for all of time after their death. Ex: "Weep no more, child. Your father died fighting for the Smith in the Forge. There is no doubt his Fire burns forever in the Eternal Flame."
Fire - The immortal soul of every living being. It burns for the causes they believe in most. Multiple Fires that Burn together for the same cause join together to empower each other.
Flame - The power that results from multiple Fires burning together for the same cause. The Fire and The Flame represent the largest group of Fires ever joined together. This is why they call themselves the Flame.
Refine - To clean the dross from one's fire in order to cause it to align with the teachings of The Fire and The Flame.
Vessel - The human body that contains the Fire of the Smith. When used in lower case as "vessel" it is often used to refer to anyone or anythings physical body that contains its Fire.

This Campaign written by Jason McCracken with concept support and editing from Jacob Woods and Rachel McCracken.