The Church
& GIA

Origins of the Hidden Church

The Hidden Church originated after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. In response to the collapse of centralized authority, a network of scholars, nobles, and demon hunters formed a covert religious organization under the broader Christian tradition. Their primary objective was the recovery of the lost “Fireseed” and the limitation of demonic influence over human societies.

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Early Church doctrine held that Promia had not perished and would one day return to restore a lost human paradise. An early document states: “When Promia returns, humanity shall reclaim the lost Paradise.”​

Foundation and the Five Disciplines

The Church was structured around three foundational disciplines: alchemy, herbal medicine, and historical preservation.

When joining the hidden church, members were bound by the Five Disciplines:

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• Seclusion — The Hidden Church must never reveal its existence to the public.

• Protection — Its duty is to defend humanity and eliminate all demonic threats.

• Righteousness — Members must never cooperate with demons.

• Oath — All vows are non-breakable, regardless of personal will.

• Loyalty — Betrayal of the Church is the highest crime.

By the early medieval period, the Church had developed a formal institutional hierarchy, including monasteries responsible for knowledge preservation and relic containment, regional clergy who supervised loyalty and coordination, witch-hunter orders tasked with eliminating demonic threats, and a centralized Inquisition that acted as both investigative and judicial authority.

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And the ultimate power resided in the Council of Elders, which controlled doctrine, military deployment, and seal authorization.

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Through secret alliances with European monarchies, the Hidden Church became a powerful and influential organization.

Crusades, Witch Hunts, and Internal Fragmentation

As the Hidden Church grew, the Inquisition was established. An organization with supreme power responsible for judging anyone suspected of contact with demons, possessing supernatural abilities, or spreading forbidden knowledge.

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This system became the core of the Church's power, institutionalizing "faith" as a judicial and political force. During its expansion, the Inquisition converted numerous ancient sites into monasteries and sanctuaries. The ruins beneath these structures are believed to be remnants of the Seven Empires.

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The Church claimed that "only by establishing a pure faith on the ruins of sin, can the sins of mankind be purified," a tenet that permeated urban planning throughout the Middle Ages.

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The First Crusade (1095 CE) marked its transformation into a militarized power. The establishment of the Order of the Temple provided the Inquisition with a permanent armed force and financial infrastructure. After the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, members of the Inquisition discovered the relics that proved the existence of Promia, thereby strengthening their internal belief.

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However, the growing wealth and autonomy of the Inquisition alarmed secular rulers. In the fourteenth century, the French crown dissolved the order, marking the beginning of long-term tension between the Hidden Church and European royal houses.

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The outbreak of the Black Death (1347–1353) further weakened the Church's credibility. The abuse of witch hunts led to the persecution of large numbers of civilians, resulting in the rapid spread of reformist ideas within the Church.

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During this period, the Hrafnlor family from Brandenburg became the leaders of the reformists. With their long-term operations and military power, they gained considerable influence, which led to the imminent outbreak of conflict.

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In the 17th century, the Thirty Years' War broke out. After the victory of the Reformers, they separated the Church from its religious identity and transformed it into a secret, underground organization that subsequently instigated revolutions around the world.

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The Return of An’terōs

In the late 18th century, the French Revolution created widespread instability across Europe. In an attempt to halt the collapse of their regime, the Bourbon royal family used a young noble girl, Elizabeth de Bourbon, as the vessel for a forbidden ritual intended to revive An’terōs, the Sin of Lust.

The dynasty fell before the plan could be completed—but the ritual itself succeeded.

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Upon revival, An’terōs‘s ability to influence human emotions and decision-making triggered large-scale unrest. After the Coup of 18 Brumaire, Napoleon’s France rapidly expanded across Europe, a period many Church historians associate with the entity’s lingering influence.

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As multiple anti-French coalitions failed to contain the upheaval, the Church entered negotiations. A settlement was reached: An’terōs would cease her interference and assume a controlled political role within the Church. She joined the Council of Elders under the name Catherine, becoming the only documented demonic Elder—and the only female Elder recorded in Church history.

The Foundation of the GIA

The First World War (1914–1918) is widely regarded as the point at which the Church lost its remaining political authority. The long-dominant Hrafnlor family, advocating continued intervention in secular affairs, clashed with newer families such as the Pelion family, who favored non-interference. The conflict split the British and German Inquisitions into rival courts.

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After the 1916 Battle of the Somme, the Hrafnlor heir, Ludwig von Hrafnlor, began negotiations with the British Inquisition in an attempt to restore peace in Europe. The talks briefly succeeded, but the October Revolution and the collapse of the Russian Empire led Germany to abandon diplomacy and launch the Kaiserschlacht offensive.

The failed offensive resulted in the complete removal of the Hrafnlor family from Church leadership.

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Postwar Europe underwent rapid secularization. The Church fragmented, losing most of its land, finances, and public authority. At the same time, advances in genetics produced theories of human–demon symbiosis. These ideas evolved into Project Seraphim, an attempt—led by former Hrafnlor members—to create hybrid weapons combining demonic abilities with human will.

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During World War II (1939–1945), the project was absorbed into Nazi research programs and conducted in several underground facilities. Near the war’s end, Allied forces uncovered partial remains of these laboratories in Narvik and various concentration camps, along with documentation of extensive non-human experiments.

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Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, internal concern grew regarding humanity’s destructive capabilities. In 1947, the newly appointed Elder Albert Winston Holloway established the Global Investigation Agency (GIA), proposing a shift from religious authority to a modern, scientific containment system.

Guided by the motto “Secure, Contain, Protect,” the GIA recruited scientists, former clergy, and military specialists from across the world.

With the cooperation of national governments, the GIA gradually absorbed the Church’s remaining administrative and operational roles. The Church afterward survived only as a symbolic institution.

Structure of the GIA

The GIA is a modern transnational agency whose structure differs entirely from the old Church.

Under Holloway’s reforms, the GIA integrated large numbers of Kindred as operatives, adopting the principle of “fighting demon with demon.” Its organizational structure includes:

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• Directorate — Oversees global policy and administration.

• Containment Division — Field agents responsible for securing demons and anomalies; uses standardized suitcase-based containment systems; largely composed of Kindred personnel.

• Research Division — Conducts studies in demonology, psychology, biology, and risk assessment.

• Intelligence Division — Handles ethics oversight, procedural audits, and internal misconduct investigations.

• Public Affairs — Manages secrecy, communication, and civilian interactions.

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The GIA’s guiding principle—“secure, contain, protect”—emphasizes scientific procedure, legal contracts, and operational discipline, replacing the Church’s oath-bound hierarchy.