The Grand Erudite of Aestum

The Hierarchy of the Libraries

The House of Minerva does not have a single centralized leader, and why would it, as it receives its orders directly from Minerva herself. However, each region typically has one that is in more direct communion with her than the majority of her acolytes and priests. In terms of the typical hierarchy of the Libraries, the individual places of worships within the settlements, their ranks are;

• The Acolytes
• The Keepers
• The Curators
• The Erudites
• The Enlightened
  a.k.a. The Grand Erudites

Those who have been accepted as students but have yet to complete their studies, have yet to be ordained or simply wish to remain in an assisting role within the Libraries are called The Acolytes. The Keepers are responsible for the typical day-to-day proceedings within the church, acting as and making up the main body of clerics and priests within The House.

The Curators are the administrative branch of the Libraries; allocating staff, appointing duties, overseeing the practices and approving new students all fall under their job description. Most importantly though, The Curators relay the wishes and the commands of The Erudites, and by extension Minerva herself, to the Library, its denizens and the communities they serve. The Erudites spend most of their days in solitary prayer and rarely accept visitors. It's not exactly known to the public what it is they do, but it's thought they are in constant communion with Minerva and The Enlightened, who together plot out the course of actions the Library takes moving forward in an attempt to spread their message ever wider and reinforce their position in the society as a whole. Out of these The Enlightened, also known as The Grand Erudites, are usually located in the largest city of the region, in its Grand Library. Their role within their own Library is identical to The Erudites of all the others, but in addition they hold a certain amount of additional power and pull within their respective regions. It's even rumored they sometimes act as not only proverbial but as actual mouthpieces of Minerva, as if she was speaking directly through them.

The Grand Erudite of Dream's Keep

As one might expect, whenever The Enlightened do show themselves to the public, it's a momentous occasion which garners a lot of attention. People gather from all over the city to catch but a glimpse of these holiest of individuals in hopes of witnessing miracles or other divine events. But being in such close and constant proximity to a deity leaves a mark on their minds, perhaps doubly so considering the deity in question is considered as the very source of all knowledge, and the damage caused by this was clearly visible. Some of The Enlightened are known as silly, senile or goofy, some are considered catatonic, but The Grand Erudite of the Grand Library of Dream's Keep, much like many other aspects of this settlement, is a different story. Sye Ren Gatesborough, as he was known before his ascension within the ranks of The House, is an angry and paranoid individual who would, without his rank and title, be likely shunned by everyone as an entirely unpleasant person. He regularly uses his position as a means to veto or deny access and permissions all over the city, he trusts no one and is constantly cautious, thinking someone's out to get him, betray him or overtake him. That is, when he wasn't completely unresponsive and barely breathing. However, it wasn't always so.
Sye Ten used to be one of the most beloved Curators of the region, if not the realm, known for being fair but stirn, kind but just. It's his long history of successes and public approval that eventually lead him to take over for the previous Grand Erudite upon his death. Interestingly enough, the last Grand Erudite was also known for having acted paranoid and mean, and Sye Ten promised he would turn it all around after his appointment. But after he took office, almost immediately after, his personality started to shift and his state of mind seemed to deteriorate. However, he performed his duties as The Grand Erudite faithfully and thus, having been appointed for life, could not be kicked out of office. His generally negative attitude, whilst not having affected the earnest faith of the citizens, has caused a certain amount of tension between The Grand Library and the ruler of Dream's Keep as well; co-operation, you see, requires trust.

Qualifications

The Erudites are always selected from among The Curators by an internal vote within The Libraries, where all of the current Curators, Erudites and the Grand Erudite cast their vote from the available candidates. The Grand Erudite on the other hand is selected by a broader vote where in addition to the aforementioned the Keepers also get to cast a vote. The selection is, even in these cases, made from among the top branches, Curators and Erudites, but because of the substantially more numerous votes cast the voice of the people is often better heard. Whilst not exactly a democratic process, the average priest or cleric is far more likely to listen to the desires of his congregation than those who are generally not directly involved with them.

As for qualifications to becoming a Curator, one must have successfully completed their studies as an Acolyte of Minerva, and carried the duties of a Keeper for at least a decade with a pristine record. From there The Erudite that selects them weighs the accomplishments of the candidates and selects those they seem best suited for the role.

Requirements

There are technically very few requirements for becoming The Grand Erudite, as The House is publically accepting of all races, ages and even genders. It should be stated however, that in actuality the vast majority of the Curators and Erudites are men, and as such a certain gender bias seems to prevail. One's prior background is likewise not particularly of interest, so long as the candidate has proven himself a devout follower of the doctrine and a learned exemplary individual within The House.

Responsibilities

The Grand Erudite and The Erudites are the proverbial, and occasionally the literal mouthpieces of Minerva, and this is a task that takes up most of their time. In fact they are rarely found to be asleep, instead spending almost every hour of every day in silent prayer and communion with Minerva. In fact the only time they come out and address others is at the behest of Minerva, or during the two hour daily break they are allowed, if they choose to not spend it resting. Although these responsibilities may seem exhausting, it's because they are, but to become a Erudite is considered the highest honor among the ranks of The House; an opportunity to speak directly to one's deity, instead of through a proxy; an opportunity to partake in the boundless divine wisdom The Lightbringer has to offer as the Goddess of Knowledge. Those holding this position are also generally considered to enjoy the same status in terms of the hierarchy within the settlements as the de facto rulers, and as such all major decisions concerning the settlements go through them. Although this is generally but a formality, and many doubt the Erudites ever even read the documents handed to them, occasionally they have been known to veto such decisions and end up talking things out with the mayor or governor or another person of similar status as to how to resolve the matter.

Benefits

Due to their high status within their communities, The Erudites are rarely left wanting for much. Whatever material desires they might have, though typically rather limited, are fulfilled posthaste, and if they wish to utilize the funds of their settlements, that is — within reason — at their disposal, long as it can be seen as benefitting The House as a whole. Whatever benefits their position might garner them on the material plane, however, pales in comparison to the wealth of spiritual richness they acquire from their role. In fact, through their deity, they have access to all the knowledge of the world, or as much of it as they dare ask for. However, even The Erudites know to humble themselves in front of such a trove of information, for many of their brethren has been known to have gone crazy or mentally broken after having consumed too much of it. The fact to the matter is that mortal brains are ill-equipped to handle too much knowledge at once, and if one's brain were to become overloaded, there is no known cure for the ailment.

Type

Religious, Clerical

Status

Active

Form of Address

His Brightness

Alternative Naming

The Enlightened

Source of Authority

The Lightbringer, Minerva

Length of Term

A lifetime appointment

Appointment

The appointment of The Grand Erudite is a big occasion every time with people arriving from across the region if at all possible, and those that are unable to celebrate it by convening at their local Libraries where the local Erudite typically recites the events as they unfold back in the region's capital. Because the appointment is a lifetime one, these happen rather seldomly but when they do happen it is generally celebrated from a couple of days up to an entire week, inviting all manners of carnival-esque events to take place all over the settlements as well as the arrival of merchants from near and far, for where a lot of people gather, a lot of goods are bound to sell.

Before the appointment can be declared all the votes need be received, counted, and often recounted, and this period of voting is known as The Kindling. During it all entry into The Libraries is barred from non-essential people, and two lanterns in front of them burn with dark purple flames, spewing out high statues of purple smoke for the entire duration of the selection process. Once The Kindling finally comes to an end and a winner can be declared, the lanterns return to their normal bright color and the dark smoke statues scatter into the wind.

When the new Grand Erudite has been appointed, he addresses the entire region with a speech before withdrawing from the public eye like Erudites are wont to do.

Removal Or Dismissal

The only time a Erudite or The Grand Erudite may be removed from office is if they die, or if they can be proven to be incapable of performing their responsibilities. In the case of the former the position is filled as normal, but in the case of the latter the expelling is put to a vote among the Erudites. If found unfit by more than three-quarters of the votes, the position is freed and the previous Erudite is either imprisoned or confined to solitary study for the remainder of his days. The former Erudite is still addressed as before, but typically in these cases they are found to be too out of their minds and too dangerous to be let out to wander about among the public.

Accoutrements and Equipment

The Erudites all wear the same sort of white robes with blue linings as the rest of Minerva's servants, but with white elaborately decorated linen belts secured around their waist and Minerva's crest embroidered to the backs of their robes.