The Holy Order of Saints

Gods? Never sully their names with that false title, boy. The Holy Chorus of Saints are pure, honest Souls - not corrupted with Perdition Power like the Beasts that deceived our forefathers. How dare you speak of Them thus? They are only thing standing between us and the Raven's claws in Perdition.

— A Saints-Servant overheard speaking to a child in the Mother Temple in Latharin

  The Holy Chorus of Saints is a religious order founded by the remnants of the Raskvaerii religion in the decade immediately following the Great Confiscation and the Hubraic Wars. Members of the order are posthumously awarded the status of 'Saint', following a rigorous investigation into their lives and, in some instances, alleged miracles. The Holy Chorus currently consists of 27 Saints.  

The Creation of the Holy Order

 

Those creatures that masquaraded as gods? The miserable few that had survived the Raven's wrath were hunted down and butchered like vermin by the men and women who once revered them. Oftentimes, the bloodlust of the mob could not be satisifed with the death of a Hubraic Beast, and they turned their rage and devestation on those who had welcomed them into the temples.

— Beaunard Heyns, Lecturer of Theology at the Universität of Rykfontein

  Huge political and social turmoil devestated Raskvaeric following the Great Confiscation. It has been estimated that at least 70% of the Raskvaerii's traditional noble families were forced to disown, exile or kill their kinsmen who held Power in their veins, with some families being murdered by their own serfs. As it was customary for noble sons and daughter to serve the temple, this resulted in an almost complete obliteration of the old, religious elite that had dominated society during the Hubraic Era. Those who survived found their temples looted, defaced or burned, and their political standing utterly ruined.   society and the Souls of men, which were published with the blessing of the Karr himself.   The concept of the Holy Chorus of Saints was actually introduced by the Throwbacks. In 6 SGC, legend says that Ilyuhkin had been sent by his Karr to investigate a sect that had begun worshipping the memory of a young woman who had been executed in the town of Nrovatin a few months before the Great Confiscation. After examining witnesses and worshippers alike, the townsfolk were shocked when the Throwback announced that they had, in fact, witnessed the martyrdom of a Saint. Ilyuhkin judged Her life to have good - and that the horrifying visions She had suffered of the Great Confiscation was unsullied by Power. Instead, he deemed them to have been a warning from other Saints beyond the veil of life. He therefore ordered the defunct temple to be re-dedicated to the memory of Saint Yvainn-Abound-In-Chains.   illict Power to help mankind stand against the wiles of the Raven.   In 10 SGC, the Mother Temple in the Raskvaerii capital of Latharin was dedicated to the Holy Chorus of Saints - after several years of intense restructuring and redecoration.  

Investiture

  Only deceased individuals can be considered for investiture into the Holy Order of Saints. This requires an investigation by scholars from the Mother Temple, who examine every aspect of the Initiate's life. The scholars follow a list of guidelines in order to judge a Initiate's moral character and impact on society. These guidelines consist of the following:  

• While it is not vital that Initiates lived a consistently good, honourable or charitable life, they must have performed some form of Excellent Work that dramatically improved life for those around them in a positive social, economic, political or spiritual way.

• It must be proven that Initiates were Powerless. Any miracles or displays must have come from other Saints working through them.

• If they did not perform any miracles, then overcoming a Significant Evil (considered to be a Servant of the Raven) is preferable.

• Dying at the hands of aforementioned Significant Evil is also permitted.

• They must not have spoken or acted treasonably in any way towards the Karr or the Empire.