The Church of the Reverence

The Church is the predominant religion on the continent of Oban, in both the Shangon Empire and the Freelands Republic. Followers call themselves Reverents. The Church is based on the island of Sunholm, south of Oban. It also has major operations in the Imperial capitol of Shango and several Republic cities.

Leadership

The Church is a diverse, varied organization, composed of many different orders. It's unified under the High Council. Each order has seats on the Council proportional to its constituents, which has been interpreted to include the number of temples and subscribed followers, contributions to the Church (including tithes, as well as the number of active-duty paladins and militant clerics), and its legacy in the Church (older orders tend to hold on to their seats).

The Council elects one member to serve as the Voice of the Church for 26 cycles of the Traveler and one member to serve as the Hand of the Church for 3 years. Recall that the Traveler is the moon, with cycles that vary from 28-49 days. So the Voice's term is between 2 and 3.5 years. Many Voices and Hands have served for five or more terms, and some have died of old age while in office.

The Voice is the spiritual leader, responsible for the virtue and safety of all Reverents. The Voice is the supreme leader of all clergy and the supreme commander of all paladins, militant clerics, and other holy warriors.

The Hand is the earthly leader, responsible for the sustainability of the Church's mundane capacity and endeavors. The Hand is something like a Chief Operating Officer, leading the substantial bureaucracy of personnel who work for the Church but aren't under religious vows. For example, the Hand manages the construction, staffing, supply, and maintenance of Church temples and schools.

The Voice and Hand are jointly responsible for the Church's diplomacy, such as formal agreements with the Imperial Government. They are also jointly responsible for any adjustments to the Council's size and seats.

The cumulative effect of these arrangements is a spectacular tangle of internal politics. For example, if the Voice is from the Empire, the Hand is likely from the Republic, or vice versa. Because of the political tangle, the High Council is generally a very conservative organization that rarely interferes with the affairs of individual orders. Some historians would say that's exactly how it was designed to function.

History

The Church's public history dates back to the years just before the founding of the Empire. The northern dwarves of the Stonejaw Clan were forming their permanent alliance with the key noble elven families in the south. Partly in response, the various leaders of several different precursor sects across Oban came together to found the Church. These original sects are called the Founding Orders. This unity was only possible through a joint agreement regarding the different spiritual practices of individual orders: the Church would largely respect these differences and not interfere with them. Instead, the Church would become a structure for the education and other preparation of the clergy and the lay personnel, and all other the mundane matters of any international organization (e.g., logistics, diplomacy, interaction with justice systems).

Symbols

A hexagon is the symbol of the Eternals, and used widely by many Reverents in their clothing, jewelry, armor, house heraldry, and so on. A rope braided from six colors is the symbol of the Church proper, representing the orders that founded the Church, and its doctrine of unity and diversity.

Current State of Affairs

In summer 1127 SF, the Council consists of 47 seats. The Voice is Duma Ironthorn, a female dwarven senior paladin from the Empire. She rose from the Order of the Sovereign. Her order is one of the Founding Orders and has historic, close ties with the Imperial family. Voice Duma herself is distantly related to the Emperor.

The Hand is Patrick Carter, a male halfling whose family owns the Blue Wool Trading Company--one of the largest merchant houses in the Republic. Patrick has a reputation of finding and recruiting brilliant staff from all social castes. This has lead to some Church personnel whose past career or very heritage offends other Reverents.