Enlightened Church of John

The Enlightened Church of John (simply the Church of John, or the CoJ) is a branch of Johnactualism founded in May 2023 by High Priest Allorace Krino. It first appeared on Alathra in January 2024, and has spread across several continents, becoming Alathra’s most prominent religious group.

Members of the Enlightened Church of John hold typical Johnactualist beliefs. It is simply a much more organized denomination of the faith. It was originally intended to be the governing religion of the Church of John (nation), until King Allorace separated the Church and the state in March 2024.

History on Alathra

The Enlightened Church of John’s mission on Alathra began in early January 2024, when High Priests Jack Blanche and Allorace Krino set out to spread the word of John. Allorace settled in Aesis, where the people welcomed him and his faith with open arms. Meanwhile, Jack set sail to the island of Valtara, the Holy Lands of Johnactualism, to establish a town in the name of John Actual.

On 10 January, Jack founded the town of Divinus Actualia, with a vision to build the greatest holy city the world has ever seen. The people of Zydel, who had already laid claims on Valtara, were not happy with the Church’s presence on the island. They offered an ultimatum to join the nation of Zydel, to which Jack complied. Many efforts made by the Church to take back their rightful claim have proven unsuccessful.

On 9 February, almost a month after founding the town of Divinus Actualia, Jack created the nation of the Church of John – a theocracy, governed by the Enlightened Church of John. The day after, the Church had signed a treaty with Zydel granting the Church ownership of the entire island of Valtara, minus the lands culturally important to Blackthorn. This strengthened the alliance between the Church of John and Blackthorn.

February 16 Massacres

Not a week after founding the nation, the town of Divinus Actualia had suffered a tragic massacre spearheaded by the warmongering barbarians of Kittenberg.

On 16 February, in celebration of the creation of the Order of the Enlightened (the Church’s military force), a ceremony had been held at the Grand Cathedral of John to bestow military ranks upon the people. Aaronicus Catticus, a kittenist missionary, barged into the Church, spewing words of hatred against all who did not practice his faith. In a rash manner, Jack drew his blade and silenced Aaron with a fatal blow. This would prove to be a huge mistake, as not ten minutes later, Kittenberg’s entire military force showed up to slaughter innocent churchgoers. These horrific events went down as one of the Church of John’s darkest days, and led to the Church joining a coalition against the kittens.

Anti-Kittenberg Coalition

The Anti-Kittenberg Coalition (AKC) was founded by Irena Trachon and Aldoushmirtz (then Aldous SchRoot) in retaliation to the toxic and outright cringe mannerisms that the people of Kittentopia had displayed during their time on Alathra.

When Kittentopia declared war on the Church of John, the coalition gathered to discuss the plan of action. It ended up being of no use when multiple nations within the coalition pulled out unexpectedly, and Jack Blanche (then leader of the Church of John) had no choice but to surrender, as to avoid the deaths of any more good people, which was sure to be the case if he had gone on with his war efforts.