Archbishop of Dises

The Archbishop of Dises is the title given to the leader of the Church of Albion in the territory of Arvoringia. This is the most recently created ecumenical province, and the only one that exists on the continent of Elbid. It was established fourteen years ago, after the kingdom of Carovingia was divided at the end of the Dragon Wars. The region of Arvoringia was given over to The Empire of Albion during the division, and the General Conclave of the Church of Albion resolved to create a sixth ecumenical province in the territory, with the intention of bringing the people of ArvoringiaArvoringia into the embrace of the Empire's state religion.

A Difficult Position

The religious history of Arvoringia makes this prospect a daunting one. During the Church Wars that nearly destroyed Carovingia, Arvoringia was a staunch supporter of the Old Church, and one of the least accepting of the new sects that challenged the authority of the Hierarch of the West. When Carovingia reunited under King Antoine the Fair in 1783, Arvoringia remained a stronghold of the Old Church and only grudgingly accepted the royal decrees in favor of tolerating all sects that worshipped God in Heaven.

Then, in 1803, King Antoine revealed his true nature as the Little Dragon, leader of the Cult of the Leviathan. He and his cultists took pains to stamp out all signs of any religion that did not solely honor Leviathan, and took those who would not renounce their faith as sacrifices in the dark rituals that gave their magic such potency. For twelve years, worship of God in Heaven was a capital offense in Carovingia - and more than a few in Arvoringia died upon the Cult's altars.

When the Cult was defeated in 1815, the kingdom was in chaos. There were more orphans than adults, and the post-war trials led to a wave of executions for those who had participated in wartime atrocities. Some cultists fled, hiding wherever they could. Meanwhile, resistance fighters and refugees who had escaped the Cult returned to the region after more than a decade in exile. Most of those who had escaped were still faithful to the Old Church - and were incensed to learn that, as a territory of the Empire, the Church of Albion would be the only legally permitted religion.

This is the mission of the Archbishop of Dises: to somehow take a war-torn and shattered territory, filled with a mixture of hidden cultists, traumatized orphans, and infuriated sectarians, and bring them into the fold of the Church of Albion.

It has not gone well so far.

A Curse Upon It

In its fourteen years of existence, there have been six people who have held the title of Archbishop of Dises. Some held it for only a few months. All either died, resigned, or were removed for madness or blasphemy. This rapid turnover has fueled persistent rumors that the post is cursed - though whether the Cult or the Old Church is to blame depends on who is telling the story. The General Conclave insists this is merely a matter of poor luck, and officially dismisses the idea of any curse.

The first Archbishop of Dises was Thomas Morsley. Formerly the Bishop of Windmere, he had been a strong proponent of creating the ecumenical province. When he accepted the position, he expressed high hopes for a peaceful and harmonious future, in which traditions from Carovingia's past might be integrated into the practices of the Church of Albion in Arvoringia. This plan suffered an early setback with the failure to revive The Lantern March, but Archbishop Morsley vowed to continue his vision for the province.

However, in early 1817, he fell from a high window and died from his injuries a few days later. Some claimed he raved of betrayal and murder in his final hours, but no evidence of foul play ever emerged.

After Archbishop Morsley's death, a series of new appointees followed. One fell victim to a magical plague - a leftover weapon from the Dragon Wars that killed three thousand people before it was contained. Another found she could not sleep after taking up the miter; she was plagued by horrible dreams until she resigned from the Church of Albion and vanished into the countryside. Her fate remains unknown. A third was poisoned, and a fourth was dragged out beneath The Eldritch Moon and became Moonstruck - he is now confined in a church-run asylum, for the safety of himself and others. It is not known who abducted and exposed him to the baleful moonlight, but most believe it was cultists, striking against the representative of God in Heaven.

For the last two and a half years, the position has been held by Archbishop Margery Ashcombe. She is the longest-serving Archbishop of Dises so far - though her methods for reforming the province have done little to foster the peaceful and harmonious future once envisioned by Morsley.

A Mission Unfinished

When it was created, the title of Archbishop of Dises carried great hopes. The lofty vision of establishing a new and harmonious province has been battered by the events of the past fourteen years, but the idea has not yet been extinguished. It remains to be seen whether the Church of Albion will succeed in making that vision a reality - or abandon Arvoringia as beyond redemption.