##Freethinkers' Synod, The: The Freethinkers' Synod was a sizable organization created in the latter years of the [True Ionzhi Republic](https://lexicon.za3k.com/index.php/True%20Ionzhi%20Republic), which ruled the [Principality of Ionzh](https://lexicon.za3k.com/index.php/Principality%20of%20Ionzh) for the first 400 cycles of the [Ionzhi Calendar](https://lexicon.za3k.com/index.php/Ionzhi%20Calendar). As governmental corruption had begun to spread in the Principality, many of the more politically involved laypeople became concerned with the state of the government. In particular, [Werlact Julane](https://lexicon.za3k.com/index.php/Werlact%20Julane), who created the [An Ionzhi Gazetteer](https://lexicon.za3k.com/index.php/An%20Ionzhi%20Gazeetter) in order to combat this political instability. The Gazetteer was created by the use of a network of informants, gathering information from around Ionzh, who were named after the third edition mentioned a group of "Free Thinking Activists" in its editor's note. This was, over time, shortened to the Freethinker's Synod. The Synod continued to produce the Gazetteer until the rise of [Elector-Prince Rzeszutko](https://lexicon.za3k.com/index.php/Elector-Prince%20Rzeszutko), who felt threatened by the Gazetteer's expose of his illicit dealings and corruption of the Republic's systems in order to gain his seat. Many of the Synod's members, including Julane, were executed during the production of their final issue, [Causeways of the Caravaneers](https://lexicon.za3k.com/index.php/Causeways%20of%20the%20Caravaneers), however, a small group continued to be active throughout Rzeszutko's reign, eventually escaping the Principality upon their final safehouse falling victim to its own [Incandescent Temporeactor](https://lexicon.za3k.com/index.php/Incandescent%20Temporeactor). *Exerpt from "Rise, Fall, and Rise Again - The Story of the True Ionzhi Republic," by T'iXath Reah'cha, XPh.*