Faith of the Pentarchy

The Pentarchy is a monotheistic faith split into five primary Orders: Immortal, Inevitable, Solar, Scholar, and Layman.

The Broken Tower of Akratia

The Pentarchy was not always the dominant faith of Akran. During the height of the Imperium, when the worship of the Vestiges reigned supreme, the Pentarchic Cult was considered little better than purveyors of fanciful tales. Where the power of the Vestiges could be seen through the manifestations of their summoners, the Priests of the Pentarchy could only preach of their Five-Faceted God - they could not prove its power.

With the Devastations of Akran, the small cult, which had always preached against the blasphemy of the Vestiges, became a bastion against the evils of the Spark cursed. Specially trained to combat Sparks, the growing Pentarchy claimed many of the few successes that the Imperium had against the Spark threat.

It was the Pentarchy, which had always maintained ascetic monasteries upon the Sovereign Isles, that championed the organized flight from Akratia of all those that could escape the Devastations.

In return for their support, the reformed government adopted the Pentarchy as the state religious faith, and made its priests hunters of the Spark with all the authority they needed to execute their Five-Faceted God's justice upon the sinful.

The Pentarchy maintained the Tower as a symbol of Akratia: a land stricken by sin that must be remembered so it might never be repeated.

XVI - The Tower by Paolo Puggioni

The Highest Face of God
the Hierophant

Priests of the Pentarchy call on the Hierophant as the master and creator of all things. From nothingness, the Highest Face called matter into existence, and now rules over the mystical and the mortal. The Immortal Order of the Pentarchy acknowledges the Hierophant as their guiding facet.

V - The Hierophant by Paolo Puggioni

The Wisest Face of God
the Hermit

Priests of the Pentarchy call on the Hermit as the true teacher and master of Pentarchic faith. Scripture holds that it was the Hermit, armed only with his staff and lantern that descended to mortal man and shared the practice of faith with them. To call upon the Hermit is to beg for your faith to be bolstered, and your confidence renewed. The Solar Order of the Pentarchy acknowledges the Hermit as their guiding facet.

09 - The Hermit by Paolo Puggioni

The Darkest Face of God
the Reaper

Priests of the Pentarchy call on the Reaper as the lord of death and master of the end of all things. All mortal existence comes to an end, and with that end, the Reaper is there to usher their souls beyond the Black Gates. The Inevitable Order of the Pentarchy acknowledges the Reaper as their guiding facet.

XIII - Death by Paolo Puggioni

The Learned Face of God
the Hanged Man

Priests of the Pentarchy call on the Hanged Man as the originator and purveyor of all knowledge. In the beginning, when the Highest Face of God decided to give knowledge to his subjects, he sent the Learned Face of God to hang upon the tree of knowledge. In return, man, elf, dwarf, and halfling were granted understanding to match their faith. The Scholar Order of the Pentarcy acknowledges the Hanged Man as their guiding facet.

The Hanged Man by Paolo Puggioni

The Mortal Face of God
The Fool

Priests of the Pentarchy call on the Fool as the mortal apparition of God. Lord of nothing and master or no one, the lay people of the faith look to the Fool as their entry to worshiping God. There is always a Mortal Fool, chosen by God to be the representative of the mortal faith, and that figure is made leader of the entire Pentarchy. The Layman Order of the Pentarchy acknowledges the Fool as their guiding facet, and are always searching for the new Fool.

00 - The Fool by Paolo Puggioni

Priest of the Pentarchy

Trained from infancy, the Priests of the Pentarchy walk the Sovereign Isles, preaching the Holy Word of the Pentarchy. Their symbol is the shining six pointed sun representing each member of the Pentarchy and the Land from which pious life was banished.

Pentarchal Priests carry everything that they might need on their travels through the isles: food, clothing, camping gear, and the ever-present blessed sword - said to be the integral to a priest's capacity to hunt down and dispatch rogue Sparks.

In recent days, since the decision to give Sparks the choice of exile, more Pentarchal Priests have taken up positions in the Great Barrier Fleet, acting as jailers and ensurers of good behavior for those Sparks destined for Akratia.

Divine Bard by Egil Thompson