The Faith of Arim is a massive organization, and most priests are quite different from the stereotypical white-robed preacher seeing to the masses. A tremendous number of different duties maintain, promote and facilitate the functioning of the largest religion in the world. In Tiber, the Faith resembles a far more advanced organization, with a bureaucracy that dwarves even the most complex Merovian structures, and this bureaucracy is reflected by the specialized orders that make up the bulk of the Faith's clergy.
A specialized order exists because the Faith needed it. The Golds exist because the Faith needed soldiers, while the Greens exist because the Faith needed messengers. Gradually, their roles expand or contract, but in all cases, a specialized order consists of priests who serve the faith in some world manner. This is not to say they are not faithful, nor to dismiss the sacraments they offer. However, to a Green priest, the primary duty is not to see to the sacraments, but to deliver messages securely. Their vows ensure their loyalty and allow them to see to each other's sparks. But their training is vastly different than a White or a Blue's.
A priest of a specialized order only administers sacraments to others of his or her order. A Drab priest, for example, has no right or ability to see to the penance of a Black priest, or even a commoner. Their vows vary, but generally there is not a prohibition against marriage or property, as much as there simply is no time for it: a messenger has no time for a spouse, and if they did, they would likely not rise up through the ranks of the messengers. Further, they resemble priests less than others of their profession... a gold appears to be a warrior, a yellow, a Wahlan noble.
The most numerous of the specialized orders are Order of the Broke Sword, also called the Golds. The Golds were founded far to the east in the early days of the Faith, before it had been consolidated around Timber, and its founder, St Benjamin, is still the matter of much conjecture and legend. To hear the Golds speak of him, he was a contemporary of the original three Archons, but most scholars assert he was a warlord (probably from Ravar) who led a small kingdom in the early days of the Faith. That kingdom fell, but his soldiers travelled to Timber, and have guarded the holy places ever since. There are many legends of him and St Sylvia the Black, and they may have been contemporaries, but even the most stubborn scholar will admit there are things the Faith does not know about its past.
Today, the Golds serve as the martial arm of the Faith. They are purely defensive in nature, as most kings and nobles become very uncomfortable about a standing army in their midsts. The golds are the most diverse of all the priesthoods, as they take nearly anyone who is willing to arm a post. They also are a refuge for criminals, as taking a mantle absolves one of previous sins. However, the peasantry form the single largest recruiting source for the order... they are always well fed and live in warm cathedrals, so it is an attractive life for a strong youth who doesn't want to work the fields from sunrise to sundown.
The other commonly encountered specialized order is the Order of the Wooden Road, or the Greens, which was founded by a Kraki priest named Krunna. St Krunna was something of a thug but also an excellent rider... legend has it that she was also quite cunning and something of a trickster. Very early, she fell in with Blue priests who had came to the Kraki, and started serving them as a guide and a messenger. Her skill with words is legendary in Kraki lands, who consider her their patron saint, but most famously, she recruited others of her country to help her coordinate between the warring Kraki tribes of the time. Her organization was so useful it spread to Merovia and later to Lloegyr, until it proved so vital that event the Tiberians had to concede the use of this distinctively Northern order.
The Greens were originally messengers of the church, but early on they realized the value of reliable messengers protected by the Faith. They are the singular reason correspondence is so prevalent in the North (and that correspondence has had a dramatic effect on the demographics of the region over the centuries). Anyone can use a Green, who are sworn never to reveal the contents of any of their messages. Still, they are just men and women, and rumors of corruption occasionally bubble up. This doesn't damage their utility: they are the only messenger service in existence: if you don't have your own messenger, then you simply have to use a Green.
The Order of the Last Retreat is a silent order, known as the Drabs, who were muted charcoal cloaks and are sworn never to speak to the living, except for each other. The disciples of St Thomas, they are full of secrets and no one knows their origins (although they are believed to be Tiberian, and centuries old). They exist for one purpose: they see to funerary rites amongst the Faithful. They collect and prepare bodies for cremation, in silent vigil, whispering to the flesh as they check to make sure the spark is let out and no lingering elements of corruption remain. While occasional rumors of necromancy invariably circulate, there is little founding to them... sometimes having secrets and mystery is merely a side-effect of unwavering devotion and a little too much time spent around dead bodies.
The last specialized order known to Lloegyr is only a decade old, known as the Order of the Western Sun, or the Yellows. They are Wahlan in nature, and known to follow St Nella... which is, coincidentally, the name of the founder of the Onellon clan. Their purpose is seemingly to advise other Wahlan nobles, and they occupy a particular place in their nobility... slowly becoming more and more involved in politics as the Faith of Arim takes hold in that nation. But there is one notable element about them: rumors (mostly unfounded) say that every yellow priest has some capability for magic.
A specialized order exists because the Faith needed it. The Golds exist because the Faith needed soldiers, while the Greens exist because the Faith needed messengers. Gradually, their roles expand or contract, but in all cases, a specialized order consists of priests who serve the faith in some world manner. This is not to say they are not faithful, nor to dismiss the sacraments they offer. However, to a Green priest, the primary duty is not to see to the sacraments, but to deliver messages securely. Their vows ensure their loyalty and allow them to see to each other's sparks. But their training is vastly different than a White or a Blue's.
A priest of a specialized order only administers sacraments to others of his or her order. A Drab priest, for example, has no right or ability to see to the penance of a Black priest, or even a commoner. Their vows vary, but generally there is not a prohibition against marriage or property, as much as there simply is no time for it: a messenger has no time for a spouse, and if they did, they would likely not rise up through the ranks of the messengers. Further, they resemble priests less than others of their profession... a gold appears to be a warrior, a yellow, a Wahlan noble.
The most numerous of the specialized orders are Order of the Broke Sword, also called the Golds. The Golds were founded far to the east in the early days of the Faith, before it had been consolidated around Timber, and its founder, St Benjamin, is still the matter of much conjecture and legend. To hear the Golds speak of him, he was a contemporary of the original three Archons, but most scholars assert he was a warlord (probably from Ravar) who led a small kingdom in the early days of the Faith. That kingdom fell, but his soldiers travelled to Timber, and have guarded the holy places ever since. There are many legends of him and St Sylvia the Black, and they may have been contemporaries, but even the most stubborn scholar will admit there are things the Faith does not know about its past.
Today, the Golds serve as the martial arm of the Faith. They are purely defensive in nature, as most kings and nobles become very uncomfortable about a standing army in their midsts. The golds are the most diverse of all the priesthoods, as they take nearly anyone who is willing to arm a post. They also are a refuge for criminals, as taking a mantle absolves one of previous sins. However, the peasantry form the single largest recruiting source for the order... they are always well fed and live in warm cathedrals, so it is an attractive life for a strong youth who doesn't want to work the fields from sunrise to sundown.
The other commonly encountered specialized order is the Order of the Wooden Road, or the Greens, which was founded by a Kraki priest named Krunna. St Krunna was something of a thug but also an excellent rider... legend has it that she was also quite cunning and something of a trickster. Very early, she fell in with Blue priests who had came to the Kraki, and started serving them as a guide and a messenger. Her skill with words is legendary in Kraki lands, who consider her their patron saint, but most famously, she recruited others of her country to help her coordinate between the warring Kraki tribes of the time. Her organization was so useful it spread to Merovia and later to Lloegyr, until it proved so vital that event the Tiberians had to concede the use of this distinctively Northern order.
The Greens were originally messengers of the church, but early on they realized the value of reliable messengers protected by the Faith. They are the singular reason correspondence is so prevalent in the North (and that correspondence has had a dramatic effect on the demographics of the region over the centuries). Anyone can use a Green, who are sworn never to reveal the contents of any of their messages. Still, they are just men and women, and rumors of corruption occasionally bubble up. This doesn't damage their utility: they are the only messenger service in existence: if you don't have your own messenger, then you simply have to use a Green.
The Order of the Last Retreat is a silent order, known as the Drabs, who were muted charcoal cloaks and are sworn never to speak to the living, except for each other. The disciples of St Thomas, they are full of secrets and no one knows their origins (although they are believed to be Tiberian, and centuries old). They exist for one purpose: they see to funerary rites amongst the Faithful. They collect and prepare bodies for cremation, in silent vigil, whispering to the flesh as they check to make sure the spark is let out and no lingering elements of corruption remain. While occasional rumors of necromancy invariably circulate, there is little founding to them... sometimes having secrets and mystery is merely a side-effect of unwavering devotion and a little too much time spent around dead bodies.
The last specialized order known to Lloegyr is only a decade old, known as the Order of the Western Sun, or the Yellows. They are Wahlan in nature, and known to follow St Nella... which is, coincidentally, the name of the founder of the Onellon clan. Their purpose is seemingly to advise other Wahlan nobles, and they occupy a particular place in their nobility... slowly becoming more and more involved in politics as the Faith of Arim takes hold in that nation. But there is one notable element about them: rumors (mostly unfounded) say that every yellow priest has some capability for magic.
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