Church of Pelor

The official church of the The Radiant Empire began as a humble and pastoral faith that was widely accepted across the continent. However, this all changed when the empire began to form. Now, nearly 400 years since then, the church has become powerful, influential, and even Pelor himself is an ostracized god outside of the empire.

Structure

From highest to lowest

Pope: The leader of the church. Chosen by the Council of Archbishops and confirmed by the Emperor.
Archbishop: A senior bishop who has decades of experience. Often retired from active service.
Bishop: A religious leader of a region, duchy or particularly important site. The College d'Sol is headed by a bishop.
Deacon: A senior priest who oversees cities or smaller regions.
Priest: A leader of an individual church or an attendant of senior members.
Acolyte: A day-to-day servant who assists a priest. The lowest rank of amongst actual members of the clergy.

While not officially members of the church, lay sisters (sometimes referred to as nuns) are women who devote their lives to the church. These women are sometimes employed as missionaries, servants, or healers.

Culture

The faithful are devoted to the service of their god Pelor. They seek to spread His word, tend to their flock, and are relatively benign. They desire to keep the peace in the empire, spread the influence of Pelor, and guide as many wayward human souls into Pelor's arms as possible.

Assets

The church is a powerful and wealthy organization within the empire. While not supreme to the imperial crown, few of the nobles would actively seek to dislodge a church leader. The church owns land across the empire, collects tithes from parishioners, and is excluded from taxation. However, this is only if the church leader is not already a noble.
Additionally, the church also owns the College d'Sol, one of the greatest universities on the continent. The wealth of treasures, magic, and divine secrets sequestered in its walls is truly priceless.

History

The Church of Pelor began, in truth, as a pastoral sun faith. Indeed, this is how He is worshipped across most of the continent. As an agricultural sun god, Pelor and his priesthood were well welcomed among humans who were more reliant on crops than some other races. In pre-empire times, many villages were ruled directly by priests and clerics of Pelor, who viewed these small communities as their own garden to be tended. But after the Blight, Lumosian politics and conquest changed this dynamic. To reconcile the conquests, a propaganda campaign was made to instill the belief that Pelor's divine blood flowed through the people who would thereby become Radians. Many of the "Garden villages" fell in line and freely joined the growing empire. Thus, the church of Pelor became an integral part of the political system of the empire.

Foreign Relations

The relationship of the church with other nations and faiths is a fraught one. Pelor is worshipped across the continent, although this faith is segregated into dozens of sects, cults, and interpretations of His power. The Church of Pelor, with its xenophobic and monotheistic views, has difficulty truly inserting itself into regions outside of the empire. While there are some isolated churches in the surrounding nations that worship Pelor, they tend to draw from regional traditions rather than the orthodoxy of the main church. If these churches begin to grow too influential or seditious, the host nation usually resorts to exiling both church and flock. This causes minor diplomatic incidents, although the church does not seem to concern itself with such matters.

Mythology & Lore

The story of how Pelor created the Radian people is told in The Bloodletting of Pelor. The church is known to canonize particularly faithful and powerful individuals to sainthood. These saints are officially known as "Divines" and the full title would read as, for example, "Divine Saint Helene of Orville". Divines are not usually named within their own lifetimes, although it does happen from time to time. These holy people can be of any gender or race - which is remarkably progressive for an organization that was traditionally known for its racism and sexism. Currently, there are 27 named Divines.

Tenets of Faith

The light shall never dim, merely wax and wane
Light cannot be spread, for it touches all
The Light provides warmth, warmth provides the crops, and thus everything comes from the Light
To return to the light, one must be purged of darkness

Priesthood

Priests of Pelor in the Radiant Empire are pious people, with many claiming to feel a calling towards the faith at an early age. Prospective priests are encouraged to become a student at the College d'Sol in Godry Seic in order to be trained properly in the ways the church. While enrolment is not required to be a priest, networking and education is an opportunity that few turn down. The older, more pastoral traditions of the faith have been slowly giving way to the newer, more politicized schools of thought, causing some friction between traditionalists and nouveau Politik. Time will tell if the two schools of thought will be able to reconcile.

Granted Divine Powers

Clerics of Pelor are granted access to the Light and Life domains.

Political Influence & Intrigue

The Church is extremely intertwined with the politics of the Radiant Empire. There is no restriction on bishops becoming dukes or senators, or that joining the priesthood disqualifies an heir. However, this creates some conflict at times, as tradition dictates that nobles who are priests may never rise to the rank of bishop or higher. While the church is powerful and intertwined with politics, firstborn sons or named heirs rarely choose the church over noble titles. If a noble priest is deigned to be an heir, they often step down from their priestly duties. However, this is not always the case. If this merging of politics and faith continues, many believe the empire may one day become a true theocracy. What this would mean for racial minorities and international politics is hard to say at this time.