Chirotheon

A professional soldier with divinely favored spellcasting ability in most of the King's Bay region is referred to as a hand of the gods, or Chirotheon after their namesakes in the armies of the Empire of Aupstelus , but his fellow troopers are likely to refer to him as a divine Spark. While they typically pack less of an offensive punch than their arcane counterparts, troops accompanied by a Chirotheon are likely to receive much greater healing and recovery support from their spark.   A troop composed entirely of divine sparks is usually dedicated to medical services, and such a uniform specialist spellcasting troop is more common for divine casters than other spellcasting traditions. Although some rare instances of a troop dedicated to military justice, intelligence, or frontline warfare have been observed. These specialists divine troops are led by an experienced Celestia priest, who typically holds the clerical rank of Princeps Lumen, or first light. The levy required of the largest temple domains is frequently such a medical unit.   While the majority of rank and file Chirotheon are conscripted and trained in nationally funded academies, the majority of Princeps Lumen and higher ranking divine casting officers are trained by clerical orders dedicated to producing divine scholars and leaders which are privately funded. Numerous clerical facilities dedicated to this function are supported by a mixture of temple owned lands and their commercial operations, and noble houses with bloodlines that produce divine casters such as the Melissenos of Khorios. These potent professionals are often trained and kept on retainer as part of a lords fief and levy to their liege, and when not deployed in such service they fill many different roles for the lord funding them.   Like all sparks the term of service of a Chirotheon is much longer than conscripts who lacked sufficient magical talents to be sent to a state run magical academy. It is however more common for divine sparks to have additional options to serve a portion of their term in civil service, as there is no shortage of illness, injury and other common maladies in need of relief among the populace during peacetime. Most divine sparks who take such an offer find themselves serving in common Celestia temples in towns across the land. For those remaining in military service, their time can be spent in mundane patrols and training, or they may be drawn into arms production or fortification ritual casting.