Upper-Hierophant
Crown of Laurel, Scepter in Hand
The Upper-Hierophant is the highest position in the Church of Geminism; those who hold it are charged with leading the faithful and being at the helm of the largest religion in Tempertaria.
The Office is elected once every seven years, one of the only events that requires voting in all Geminist countries, which is quite an undertaking to say the least. Once an Upper-Hierophant is elected, they automatically become a candidate for reelection; it is not possible to abdicate the title. This rule was instated due to a wave of incompetent Upper-Hierophants that would assume the throne simply to pass one or two decrees on behalf of incredibly wealthy guilds, before leaving and requiring new elections, racking up massive expenses on the church, and spiking unpopularity.
Traditionally, the Office of Upper-Hierophant has been linked with ruling Artesja; this has not always been the way of things. Before the death of Nesus, the position was much more prone to fluctuating between the Artesjan and Rasinae kingdoms. Only after the Divinarate's devastation following the First Impact did the Throne all but permanently move to Karelja.
Similar to the Divinarate's Holy Divinar, both preside over the dual powerhouses of the Geminist world. In the times of Artemis and Haeasvethi, the two titles existed in collaboration, but in the past there were significant quarrels between them. Especially if a Divinarate Priest was elected to be Upper-Hierophant, as this would usually lead to a lethal power-struggle between the two.
In recent times, the President of Kassathia has been brought forward by some as a third contender for the place of the most powerful position in the civilized world.
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