History

The Merovingian faith originated in Europe during the late 21st century primarily as a reaction to the encroaching secularism, hedonism, and the rise of Islam on the continent. The founder was a man named Simon Duhamel who had visions of a group of three angels giving him secret knowledge and stories from God, including that he was a descendant of Jesus and Mary Magdalen. He founded his own religion and began to recruit aggressively among Europe’s lower classes and those who felt lost and rudderless.

During the early days of the faith, it was considered a cult, and many people opposed it. They felt it was a reactionary and backwards movement. However, the faith began to grow and become wealthier and more influential as time went on. By the late 22nd century, it was recognized as a major faith group; it was the third largest in Europe and had a presence on all continents. Many of the individual members of the faith began to emigrate to Venus in hopes of a better life. 

The Merovingians built up a significant presence on Venus. There were many who went to the Archipelago, where they created their own Pillar Network. Some also decided to create their own exclusive city-state outside the Archipelago, Port Albi. Port Albi quickly grew to become the center of the Merovingian faith on Venus. Merovingians founded more cities, which became the Merovingian Kingdom, and members of the Archipelago based Merovingian Pillar Network immigrated there as tensions grew between the Kingdom and the Archipelago.

Throughout the mid-23rd century, relations soured between the Merovingian Kingdom and the Archipelago. The Kingdom sponsored piracy and became involved in the internal conflicts of other cities in an attempt to create an alliance to counter the Archipelago.

On Earth, the Merovingians remained a major presence in Europe, well into the 24th century. However, under the reign of Basilicus Viginti Novum there were some persecutions and restrictions, though there were restrictions on all religions due to the Olympian belief that all religions are backwards and are detrimental to human development.

Geography

Venus has an incredibly hostile atmosphere, but all human colonies have been able to mitigate this by situating themselves in the cloud layer. The cities of the Merovingian Kingdom float at about 50km above the surface in one of the major jet streams. The Merovingian Kingdom is located in the southern jetstream. 

The Merovingian Kingdom is composed of seven major cities arranged in a circle, with Port Albi at the center. Each city has an exclusion zone of 50km. The Kingdom’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) extends another 200km beyond the exclusion zone. 

The Merovingian Kingdom has several protectorate cities, such as Yarvin and Rialto, as close allies. These protectorates are geographically close to the Kingdom, but outside of the ADIZ. 

Government

Crown-Prince

The Crown-Prince is a direct male descendant of the founder of the Merovingian faith and also claims direct descent from Jesus. They believe that the y-chromosome they carry to be special proof of their direct connection to Jesus and the divine.

The Crown-Prince has unitary executive power over the Merovingian Kingdom. The rest of the government is directly subordinate to him. 

Prelate

The Prelate is the head of ecclesiastical power in the Merovingian Kingdom. He is, however, subordinate to the Crown-Prince. He is a close advisor to the Crown-Prince and is part of the court.

High-Council

The High Council is the senior leadership of the Merovingian Kingdom. The members of the High Council are often either direct descendants of Simon Duhamel or they are well connected allies. The High Council directly reports to the Crown-Prince and its members are entrusted with the day-to-day running of the government. The heads of the major organs of government are drawn directly from the High Council. The number of members can vary at the discretion of the Crown-Prince, but there are usually around fifty members.

General Council

The General Council is selected by all followers of the Merovingian faith. Individuals select who they wish to represent them in the General Council. Anyone can be chosen to be a member of the General Council, provided they can receive enough support. The number of Council Members can vary, but it is usually between 800 – 1,000.

The General Council can recommend laws and policy. Those recommendations are reviewed by the High Council and if approved, they are brought before the Crown-Prince. The Crown-Prince then decides whether to accept those recommendations. 

Economy

The Merovingian Kingdom is the second largest economic entity on Venus. It is a distant second to the Archipelago. As political tensions grew between the Merovingian Kingdom and the Archipelago, the economic links that once existed between them evaporated. This economic decoupling has left the Merovingian Kingdom poorer. As a result, the Merovingian Kingdom has increasingly turned to piracy as one way of making money.

The Merovingian Kingdom is dependent on resources from Mercury and the Asteroid Belt. Much of Venus’s space-based infrastructure is controlled by interests from the Archipelago. This has left the Merovingian Kingdom in a hard spot.

Some members of the Merovingian Kingdom have pursued an alliance with the Olympians on Earth as a way to alleviate the economic problems they have experienced. This course of action is not without its critics. Those critics say that the Olympian Order’s agenda is hostile to the Merovingian Kingdom and point out the treatment of Merovingian believers who have suffered at their hands on Earth. 

Military

Space Command

The Merovingian Kingdom has a small, but notable, space force. Their Space Command operates a handful of battlecruisers around Venus. Their fleet can travel within the inner system, but they are not equipped to travel beyond the Asteroid Belt. 

Sky Command

The Merovingian Kingdom has a very well-developed fleet of carriers, stingships and drones. They use their Sky Command to engage in piracy. They also use independent pirates as irregular forces. 

Special Command

Special Command consists of small teams of fighters who have special training in urban fighting and boarding actions. They occasionally travel with pirates to aid in boarding hostage aircraft. They have also seen combat in urban settings such as in Yarvin and Rialto.

Beliefs

Besides the Bible, there is an additional three-part book which was written by the founder. This book was based on his encounters with the three angels. Each angel has a book dedicated to her. The books are based on the knowledge these angels imparted to him. These angels were the personification of wisdom, courage and power and the books attributed to them each represent these concepts. 

Church services are commonly held weekly and the people celebrate the same holidays as regular Christians. The people are also encouraged to meditate and to perform a series of exercises, similar to yoga.

Culture

Since there are so many people who can claim to be Merovingians, it is difficult to make too many generalizations about them as a group. The more faithful, like the more faithful people of other religions tend to follow the religious doctrines closely and the less religious follow less closely. Many have a reputation for being honest and hardworking. There are, however, some, such as the pirates from Port Albi and other Merovingians, who have a deservedly poor reputation.

The term Merovingian began as a joke, but has since stuck. The joke began as a reference to the early Christian dynasty in France, which was popularly thought to have claimed descent from Jesus. At one point, it was considered derogatory, offensive or just in poor taste, but since then, the term gained popularity and was adopted as an official moniker.