Qorum and the Steppelands

Two Sects for the Divine King
Those who cleave to the Divine King and what he did and what he stood for are generally split up into two main sects: the first is the organized and hierarchical Church of the Divine King, and the second is known as the One Faith. It places the greatest importance on the things Islik did as a mortal being. Its tenets underline the importance of every life lived, and that each person is responsible for their own choices in pursuit of the eternal reward. This sect still believes that the great cycle of rebirth is still needed for souls to ultimately reach ascension and escape from the grief and rage, pain and death of never-ending reincarnation. It also believes that the best shepherds and guides on the path to that ascension are those rare souls who have chosen to delay their escape and be reborn to help others along the way. These are the Prophets of the One Faith, and they tend to be singular souls striding upon the Earth. The One Faith is the principal religion of the Steppelands, the Badlands, and around the Eye of Getima.
A Center for the Faith
Deep in the Steppelands, there exists the only city for hundreds and hundreds of miles: Qorum. The city at the center of the Steppes is an immense settlement that is both the origin and religious center of the Church of the Divine King. It stands in opposition to the Old Faith, the pantheon of gods and goddesses that once held sole sway over the People of the Blood. Qorum has seen sieges by various forces loyal to the Old Faith often enough to warrant fortifications, and it has been built up to be the most well-defended city west of the Sea of the Saviour. Qorum is a city where leaders of various nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes make their way to meet, make decisions, participate in trade, and observe rituals. To see to the governance and defense of the city, the Prophet appoints an Outer Circle which is generally given specific tasks and titles that vary from Prophet to Prophet. The Outer Circle is generally restricted to "worldly" matters, however, and the Prophet also works with an established Inner Circle of Priests, Preachers, Scholars and other faith leaders that have been acknowledged by their peers as well as past and current Prophets. The Prophet rules from a vast fortified keep and temple complex simply called The Prophet's Dome at the center of the city.
The Prophet
The current Prophet is known as Pianna the First, a middle-aged woman known for wearing bandages over her entire body and a fine ivory and gold mask covering her face. Stricken with the the Grey Waste by an assassin over a decade ago, Pianna's health has been faltering steadily since that time though the disease itself seems to have been neutralized early enough in her affliction to save her senses if not her appearance. Despite her physical frailty, Pianna has been a strong leader for the One Faith. She is the successor of the famed warrior-prophet, Kirtar the Great, the one who came to the aid of the Republic of Westervale during their war for independence with Holy Icatia. For five and a half years, she denied the honour of being named Prophet, instead referring to herself merely as "first amongst equals." The honourific stuck, even after her capitulation to her ascension.
For example, Pianna has consolidated the once-divergent defenses of the Steppeland largely from incursions by those holding to the Old Faith, cleaving to the Grand Conqueror of the Dwarves, or even those who believe the Church of the Divine King should supplant the Path of the Prophets. With varying War-Chiefs and other tribal leaders agreeing to observe an overlapping defense of the entire Steppe from anything more than scouting and probing attacks.
The Prophet Pianna has even expanded the reach and grasp of those who preach, maintain and study the tenets of the One Faith. Having focused primarily on two areas, Pianna has seen itinerant Preachers move through the Steppe's borderlands and into the southern and western shores of the Eye of Geteema to bring the Divine King to the various orcish tribal and clan structures. In addition, Pianna has established embassies with a great majority of the realms in the Lakelands, some of them even permanent in nature. In these relationships, she primarily sends the more formally-trained Priests and formally-educated Scholars rather than charismatic Preachers.

The Inner Circle
The collection of trusted, learned and influential leaders of the One Faith meets in its full number at least twice a year, during the Winter and Summer Solstice, though it does sometimes meet outside those regular dates. They generally attend to matters of the One Faith itself, some bringing questions about the Teachings needing clarification, or perhaps even stories and evidence about words, acts or other knowledge about one of the Divine King's mortal lives used as the primary source in guiding the faithful. While there are some disagreements, the Prophet generally settles them amicably. The current Prophet has operated in the realms of theology and leading the One Faith in a very collegial manner, often deferring to the local cultural experts.
The Outer Circle
The Outer Circle generally consists of trusted individuals who prove themselves capable and loyal to the Prophet rather than the Faith. They attend to various tasks that are seen as too worldly for the Prophet to trouble herself too much about. They are a focused and driven lot, each having a personal relationship with Pianna before she was proclaimed a Prophet of the One Faith.
Currently, there exist the following positions within the Prophet's Outer Circle:

• justice and law,
• tribal and clan affairs,
• war and foreign affairs,
• trade and taxation,
• criers and letters,
• alms and lessons,
• city governance, and
• dome administration.

History
The city of Qorum was founded by the famed Thirteenth Legion of the Dwarven Empire as a base of operations and logistics. It remained an outpost of the Dwarven Empire for more than one thousand years. In that time, the Thirteenth Legion governed the city in such a way to facilitate trade and mediation between the various nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes of the Steppelands. There were definite times of high tension and open warfare between the Thirteenth and various nomadic powers, to the point where an early Prophet put the city under siege.
Over the long Imperial Peace, the city was a cultural and commercial center that enabled further cultural interaction between various peoples that created a settled, metropolitan and decidedly cosmopolitan cultural influence for the city and the Steppes as a whole. Despite the nomadic fundamentalism of many clans, tribes and alliances, the city helped to forge a unified Steppeland identity alongside the widespread adoption of the One Faith.
By the time of the rise of Riga the Magnificent, the future high elven demigoddess of caprice, the One Faith has been guiding the light and life of the Steppeland people for over two thousand years. The Prophet of the time, Porom the Mediator, was a deft and capable diplomat and negotiator easily the equal of those trained at the Temple of Martyrs' Tears. He was not prepared for the nature and capacity of the Radiant Queen of the Elves, who charmed and killed him as easily as a heron harvests fish. The next Prophet was not so easily fooled. Nadia Ironfist was a warrior-nun from the mysterious realm of Greyvale, someone who had been forbidden from joining Porom's embassies to the Garden. Coupled with the fire of the convert, Nadia Ironfist harboured the Valish prejudice against the high elves, and this made her the ideal cobelligerent. As such, Nadia threw her lot in with the Thirteenth Legion and the Dwarven God-Emperor against the high elven "queen." By the time the tide turned on Riga, the Prophet from Greyvale was there when Riga's vaguard, the fabled Green Knights, were all but annihilated.
When Riga reappeared from exile and summoned Yhera's Tears to fall upon the gnomish city of Togran Wargarad, she destroyed the Western Seat of Imperial Power and seemingly killed the God-Emperor himself. In addition, she also despoiled nearly the entirety of gnomish lands and murdered an overwhelming majority of the gnomish people. While the remainder of the Thirteenth Legion remained in Qorum, nearly a third of the Legion was killed in aiding the victims of Yhera's Tears in the flight east to the safety of Qorum. From there, a combined force of dwarf, man and gnome marched south and laid siege to Riga's home city of Illoria on the southern coast of the Garden of Geniche. They not only conquered Illoria, but they annexed an entire province of the Garden from the elves in exchange for a good number of the Spring Queens, who had been caught in Illoria amidst the siege and captured.
Not long after, the Thirteenth Legion left Qorum for the last time. Leaving the city in Nadia Ironfist's control, they marched east to rejoin their ailing empire. They left behind an architect, a company of engineers, and enough coin to fully see to the design and construction of a vast domed palace. Named the Prophet's Dome, it has been the center of the One Faith and the Prophet's Worldly Government ever since.

Territories

Primarily the Steppelands and its border territories.

Priesthood

There is a conventional distinction between Priests, Preachers and Scholars. 
Priests are formally trained to be leaders within the faith. They know the faith, and they are trained to guide, teach, and even lead others in the right direction: the golden path.
Preachers are charismatic proponents of the faith. They are the ones who bring the faith to the world, and seek to convert folks to the golden path.
Scholars are those who do not lead nor do they preach, they are the ones who learn about the world and bring it to the faithful to use on the golden path. 
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These positions are not linked to character classes, they are sets of responsibilities. There are as many Sorcerers and Warlocks as there are Clerics or Paladins who are vested Priests of the One Faith. There are relatively few Wizards, but they do technically exist, must to the consternation of the Arcanum.

One Choice Can Echo Across Eons

Type

Alliance, Generic

Capital

Qorum

Alternative Names

The Nomad Sun

Demonym

Nomadic

Leader

Pianna the First

Leader Title

The Prophet

Head of State

Pianna the First

Head of Government

Pianna the First

Government System

Theocracy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Traditional

Deities

• Islik the Divine King

Location

The Steppelands

Notable Members

• Pianna the First

Related Ethnicities

• People of the Blood

Related Myths

• Arisha Leitbur, Warrior-Monk of Trokair
• Tamirov, the Raven's Hammer

Related Historical Events

• 6091
  Flight of the First Prophet from Greyvale