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General

The Church is a prominent institution in Vhaluran. Some would argue that it is second to none while others would argue that the Church stands second only to the throne.

Members of the Church of Vhaluran are given special respect in society. Although they wield no tangible political power, the fact that the clergy’s word on matters spiritual is tantamount to a god’s affords them a great measure of respect. The King himself even does the Patriarch the courtesy of bowing before him in greeting. This is the nature of the quiet and indirect power of the Church in Vhaluran. Women in Vhaluran are even capable of finding a bit of power in the Church. Although there is not yet any precedence for it, women may even achieve the title of Matriarch of the Church of Vhaluran.

 

Pantheon of Vhaluran

Greater Deity
Elysia - Endurance, Fertility, Love, Piety, Nature, Balance.

Lesser Deities
Xhenos - Glory, the Sea, Travel, the Unknown, Luck.
Solian - Life, Rebirth, Changes, Majesty, Power, the Sun.
Khaliana - Wisdom, Beauty, the Moon, Mystery, Magic, Secrets.
Drachus - Creativity, Cunning, War, Thunder, Storms, Chaos.
Vhariel - Order, Continuity, Spirituality, Death, Night, the Abyss.

The gods that the Vhalurian people worship are all considered equal in power. Each is even credited with their own role in the creation of the very planes of existence. One deity, however, is set above all others in reverence and observance. The goddess Elysia is held above all other gods by the people of Vhaluran. She embodies the immeasurably important virtues of endurance, fertility, love, and piety to Vhaluran. In addition to this, the Vhalurian people believe that they are Her chosen. She is credited with the guidance and divine wisdom that brought modern day Vhaluran into being.

 

Hierarchy

Patriarch: the Patriarch of the Church of Vhaluran is the most powerful figure in Vhaluran’s religion. His word on spiritual matters typically goes uncontested. In addition, the Patriarch makes all the important decisions within the Church. He also presides over all the most important ceremonies, such as the ordaining of a new cleric. In addition, he also serves as the primary physician of the royal family, even delivering with his own hands the children of the King and Queen. Typically being an older man, the Patriarch rarely sees much of direct combat when away on campaign with the Army.

Cleric: the rank and file clergyman of the Church of Vhaluan. Clerics are similar to soldiers in that they serve as the backbone for their organization. A cleric typically presides over most sermons in the Cathedral. They also tend to grevious wounds, terminal illnesses, and deliver the children of Vhaluran and bless them. Clerics are typically also the ones sent into combat beside the Army. They handle most of the day to day matters of the Church and tend to most the needs of the people. They also train the initiates.

Initiate: the bottom of the Church’s hierarchy is held down by the initiates. These youths are in the process of becoming clerics. They spend most their time in study and spiritual contemplation or tending to the maintainance of the Church’s various buildings. They typically tend to the poorhouse, if the Church is currently maintaining one. They make sure that the chapel and altars are kept clean. In addition, they also accompany the clerics in the field to gain experience in various tasks. Even though there is no guidelines for it, a initiate is eventually deemed ready to assume his place among the clerics of the Church. He is then cerimoniously ordained by the Patriarch himself.

 

Ceremonies and Prayer

The most common ceremony in the Church of Vhaluran is the preaching of a sermon. This is typically performed by one or more clerics, even though, occasionally, the Patriarch himself will preside over a sermon. A sermon is something that is considered very important to most Vhalurians. As a result, many people typically show up to them. Being a practical people, however, it is not uncommon for a sermon to be skipped due to other important matters. This is in no way viewed as an impious act, however. Sermons are typically not that long in the Church of Vhaluran. Most often they consist of the telling of a story of some sort, often using literary tools such as the Elysriaat, that embodies some virtue or another. Sermons in the cathedral are typically started and ended with a prayer.

Vhalurian prayer can easily be considered a direct reflection of society as a whole. They are typically performed systematically and with brevity. There are no prescribed words to any prayer however. Vhalurians believe that in prayer, words directly from the heart are more dear to the gods. Prayer does, however, follow a strict system of order. Elysia, being the chief and most revered deity is always called upon and praised first in every prayer. If a person is praying to a different god specifically, said god’s name is only called and praised after that of Elysia.

Births and deaths are handled with a great amount of similarity. When pulled by a cleric from his mother’s womb, a child is immediately blessed in the name of Elysia and then Solian. He is then checked for good health and only then given the name his parents have chosen. Ceremonies concerning death and burial are handled in a manner opposite to that of birth. Just as a man is given his name at the end of the process of birth, the deaceased’s name is generally not used in the ceremonies. This is because people in Vhaluran, despite their fear of death, believe a soul leaves the world much in the same manner that it arrived. The dead are blessed during the ceremony in the name of Elysia and then Vhariel. They are then interred in the confines of the Church’s crypts. Vhalurians consider the placing of the dead in the earth to be somewhat the opposite of its birthing from its mother’s womb.

Also similar to birth is the ordaining of a new cleric. This is because a cleric is essentially beginning a new way of life. Initiates nearing clerichood typically spend days in prayer before the ceremony itself. The ceremony is preceded by a general prayer, much like a sermon. During the ceremony, the initiate is given his robes, and is blessed by the Patriarch himself in the names of all the gods, Elysia chief among them. He is then called by his name and title and told to rise before the gods, reborn a cleric in their service. This new cleric then closes the ceremony by leading all in attendance in prayer.