Heartward

The Heartwards are the ruling priestly class of the aquatic Dohobeb Priest-State. They are the personal retainers and household attendants of God himself, who tend to his needs in his war against evil. That God is Kailio, the Great Otter and champion of all goodness who battles Apex the Father of Evil for the souls and fortunes of all mortalkind. This is a very real sentient immortal otter-kaiju, a thinking beast with significant magical influence over the surrounding landscape. And the Heartwards really do attend to his needs: cleaning his nests and burrows, fetching him snacks, brushing his hair, playing him music, delivering his messages. The Heartwards also prepare grand feasts and entertainment for the otter, to lure him out of slumber on occasion.   As the household staff of the greatest god, the Heartwards are considered uniquely blessed. They carry the authority of Kailio himself and make decisions on policy in his name (the otter doesn't much care about such matters anyways). They live in luxury and are given the finest goods as compensation for their divine mediation. When a Heartward is given authorization to venture into broader society, they are treated like tiny divinities themselves.    This class is in many ways a gilded cage, though. The Heartwards require permission from their political group to leave their assigned place; they are household staff, after all. They must send their orders out into the lesser priesthood, known as the Tendrils, to influence the broader world. And Heartwards do still work with their tentacles: they clean, transport, haul, cook, and sing. While they may have servants to care for their needs, they still do all of the service work for Kailio themselves. Elder Heartwards, who occupy themselves with matters of policy and command, are spared these tasks, but no Heartward has transitioned cleanly from being a Tendril to being a politician. The act of service legitimizes the Heartward; the others of the class will not respect a squid with no such experience. And so, the majority of Heartwards are confined within the Kailopali Caverns until they retire or die.   No one is born a Heartward, though members of this class are known to groom heirs to succeed them who have an easier time being promoted. All Heartwards are born as commoners, become Tendrils, and then are chosen to enter the Household as Heartwards. Again, nepotism can rapidly accelerate this process, but the illusion of merit matters. The only way for a commoner to immediately become a Heartward is if they are chosen by Kailio directly - which is highly unlikely.    The common origins of the Heartwards doesn't mean they aren't also elitist. They are a very clique-y, pretentious, exclusive group that is very fixated on power and hierarchies.