For generations, people in towns and villages have made use of magic rituals and objects to protect themselves. But times are changing. The words of the king and the Bible are the only ones that count now, and the use of magic is banned.
The voice of the minister echoes through the church, threatening doom and judgement. The wrath of God – evident through the many wars and the constant famine – is the punishment for people’s wicked beliefs. The Day of Judgement is at hand, and everyone must follow the straight and narrow path that is set out for them from the mighty pulpit of the Church.
And for those who persist in their sinful ways – those who live in luxury, those who drink and swear and fornicate – the Church has a set of tough punishments. To disregard the words of the minister may lead to a humiliating stay in the town pillory or, worse yet, to being banished from town or even sent into exile.