Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for your comments so we can have a free and productive discussion about this.

The mod always tried to outline the difference of a Goddess Theocracy and a feudal state, i.e. the "barbarians".

Most apologists of the "barbarian" are quick to point out that Celts and Gauls are better at metal smith and a great deal of many other things. But what the same apologists failed to point out is the lack of organization. Greeks have oligarchy and democracy, Romans have the republic system. Both cultures use their political system to not just vote, but to mobilize their citizenry militarily, such as levying troops and sustaining their navy.

So let us evaluate the Camilla Sect of Artemis Cult. This has been mentioned quite a few times either in the white paper, or in the mod's text sections somewhere. But it could appear to be "buried" because so many other things are described.

The Camilla Sect is a militant priestess order, equivalent in some ways to the later day Templar Knights and Knights Hospitaller. If you browse through the description on Goethe Faction, you will find that they emphasize education of the common people, communication network, and library systems. And they are a Goddess Theocracy.

Such governing entity has several unique characteristics:
1. They instill faith based fervor (but not necessary fanaticism) in their subjects. Call it brainwashing if you will.
2. There are both grass root infrastructure and central government sponsored social and faith based programs.
3. In a given location, they can be a shadow or parallel government of the whoever is in charge in the men-world.
4. Priestess Order runs the faction but also organize the military.
5. Because of the library system, it has the knowledge of how to concoct and the use of religious pyrotechnic material for the application of war and assassination.

The analysis a Pathfinder unit is a very vivid illustration to show why their upkeep cost is different from other untis. The Pathfinder are the top of the communication network hierarchy.

Background
Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Level 1 Dispatchers:

Since there are message dispatchers running between the Camilla temples, the dispatchers are trained novitiates who are expert at horseback archery and close-quarter combat on horseback. In time of war, they form into light cavalry unit.

Level 2 Scouts:

On the higher level, there are the Scouts, the Scouts are either undercover Judges who protects their communities from crimes or marauders, or missionaries who live in "other faith" communities to spread the faith of the Sect. The Scouts are usually recruited from experienced dispatchers or weapon experts from the temple.

Level 3 Pathfinder:

On the highest level of the communication network, the Pathfinder is like a Field Marshal, an engineer, and explorer all rolled into one person. She is tasked to survey terrain and come up with a quickest secret communication route between one temple to another. She is responsible for organizing resources on each communication route, to ensure the proper delivery of the messages and to plan against perceived threat of her assigned route.


The Pathfinders are expert martial artists on horseback or on foot, unlike other standing missile cavalry that uses a bow, she uses a mano-ballista. The difference is, a steppe composite bow takes five years for the glue to cure, and long bow takes two years just to cut the wood, whereas mano-ballsta can be mass-produced in a matter of days. She is a Senior Priestess in the Order, so there is no salary, all her supply is drawn from the nearest temple. Her mount is a race horse, allowing her to carry more projectiles or supplies, while still catch up with most light cavalry's ponies. The keeping of her warhorse actually takes most of the cost. The practice of shooting the fire jar is made possible by shooting the bean bag like sand-pockets made to the same density and weight of the actual fire jar.

The Pathfinder unit is a grass root unit. They are not sponsored or paid by the central governing body. But they have to serve faithfully to the Priestess-Marshal, simply because the commanding general is the higher ranking prioress.

I hope this description helps to outline the differences between a goddess theocracy and the rest of the social structures depicted in the game.