Saenari'an

For centuries, the Serathi-Valen and High Priestesses governed the religious and spiritual heart of the Southern Kingdoms. However, following a period of unrest and spiritual dilution - when devotion waned, corruption spread through certain convents, and faith became politicised - a movement emerged calling for a return to purity and divine embodiment. This was not about stricter doctrine, but about forging a direct line between mortal devotion and divine will.

Thus, the title of Saenari’an was created as a spiritual necessity. Where High Priestesses govern temples and people, the Saenari’an serves the gods themselves. The role was designed to inspire awe, renew belief, and remind the people that the gods still walk among them - in spirit, if not in body.

The word Saenari’an is derived from Old Serathi, where 'saenar' means “to surrender one’s soul in full faith” and ’ian is an archaic feminine suffix denoting exaltation by divine will.

The title roughly translates to “She who is wholly offered”, and it signifies total devotion not only to the Twelve but to the Balance Between Them - a concept only recently understood as its own divine path.

Each trial is designed to test a Serathi-Valen's alignment with the divine - not through blind obedience, but through authenticity, strength, discernment, and devotion.

Though gruelling, the aspirants are permitted to draw on their magic, their prayers, and their personal strengths.

Trial of Enduring Light

The aspirant is sent alone into a sacred, magically volatile place tied to divine energies - such as the Whispering Caverns of Raindala or the Tempest Pools of Naex. They must endure a set number of days without aid from others but are permitted their own magic and communion with the gods.

The environment is unpredictable: magical storms, illusions, or divine manifestations may occur. The trial reveals whether they can remain steadfast when surrounded by uncertainty.

• Purpose: To test resilience, inner strength, and spiritual grounding in isolation.

Trial of Veiled Truths

The aspirant must preside over a staged moral dilemma involving real people. The situation is carefully crafted by a panel of High Serathi and spiritual advisors to present a conflict with no clear “correct” answer. The aspirant must offer spiritual counsel and pass judgement - knowing that lives, reputations, or futures may be affected.

• Purpose: To test wisdom, emotional intelligence, and the ability to guide others with clarity under pressure.

Trial of Reflection

The aspirant is led into a ritual space of deep magic and must confront visions of her own past - especially the parts she hides or fears. These may include personal shame, regrets, failures, or unspoken truths. She must name each aloud and offer them to the gods without defence, excuse, or embellishment.

The ritual is witnessed only by the gods themselves and one neutral observer.

• Purpose: To cleanse the soul of hidden burdens and ensure the Saenari’an walks without deceit in the eyes of the divine.

Trial of Living Threads

The aspirant is asked to travel to a community in crisis - a village on the brink of rebellion, a town divided by grief, or a place struggling with plague or poverty. There, she must offer genuine aid for a short period - usually a moon cycle.

She must act as healer, counsellor, mediator, and spiritual anchor. The outcome is not measured by success, but by how deeply she engages with the people and how she carries her sacred role beyond the temple walls.

• Purpose: To test leadership through service, humility, and practical faith in the wider world.

The aspirant undergoes a final ritual in the sacred Hall of Twelve. She must stand before the statues of all Twelve gods and goddesses and call upon them each by name. Signs of divine acknowledgement may appear - glowing eyes in the statues, winds, whispers, or visions - or they may not.

The trial is not passed by spectacle, but by stillness: if the aspirant remains standing, calm and open-hearted, through all twelve invocations, she is deemed accepted.

• Purpose: To confirm that she is spiritually attuned to the divine as a whole—not just her chosen deity.

If more than one aspirant completes all five trials, the final trial takes place: The Severance.

This trial is secret, and no two Severances are ever alike. Only those who have faced it - and survived it - know what it truly entails. Each woman must face a unique divine task, often alone, sometimes sent across great distances or into sacred ruins.

They are watched, not guided, and only one may return bearing the final mark of the gods.

Those who complete the Five Trials but do not succeed in the Severance are awarded the honour of Vaesenari - a respected and high-standing role among the Serathi, often acting as advisors, emissaries, or spiritual envoys.

A Saenari’an is granted divine authority to act as a direct agent of the gods. This includes:

• Access to advanced divine magic (often including rare forms of healing, abjuration, and even limited foresight).
• The ability to mediate between temples, kingdoms, and Aetheri on matters of divine law.
• The ability to sense divine disturbance, corruption, or concealed truth.
• May invoke Sanctum Decree - a divine ruling that overrides local law, enforced by spiritual and magical means.
• Immunity from most earthly punishment - only another Saenari’an or divine intervention can revoke their title.
• The ability to travel between consecrated spaces without crossing the land between.
• Can summon visions granted by the Twelve when facing moral uncertainty or unresolved judgment.
• Can anoint or strip blessings from temples, sacred relics, or individuals if deemed unworthy or corrupted.
• Wards and sanctifies places through presence alone - corruption and malevolent magic weaken in their vicinity.
• Can temporarily channel the presence of a single god or goddess during extreme moments of need, though at great personal cost.
• Their blessings are binding if they perform a rite of union, birth, or burial, it is considered sacred across all kingdoms.
• Their voice carries divine weight—those who hear them speak during ritual are more susceptible to truth and clarity.
• May commune with the spirits of the dead under guidance of Raeos, but only to resolve spiritual unrest or unfinished oaths.

However, with power comes strict obligation:

• A Saenari’an must remain neutral in worldly politics.
• May be summoned by any Convent of the Nine, the Aetheri Council, or royal courts in times of moral crisis.
• She must travel to where she is called, regardless of distance or danger.
• She must never refuse a request for guidance, no matter who asks.
• She is forbidden from taking a permanent post.
• They may not marry or bear children, for their body is considered shared with the Twelve.
• Must undertake a pilgrimage to each of the Twelve major temples once every twelve years, regardless of age or health.
• May not lie, even to protect themselves or others; falsehood severs their link to the divine and risks losing the title.
• Must witness and oversee the Reforging Flame (Serakai) at least once in her lifetime to guide the transformation of a Serathi - Kaen.
• If a Saenari’an begins to falter in faith or integrity, the others are sworn to confront her and begin rites of Retrial or Quiet Severance.