Claret Covenant
The Claret Covenant - or "Bleeding Covenant" - is the official governmental and religious body responsible for expressing the will of the Red Queen, the deific head of the nation of Trandrafia, performing religious ceremonies dedicated to the Queen and enforcing the edicts of the Red Queen, even upon the nobility. The Covenant is both church and government agency, majorly in charge of the religious temples, shrines, and ceremonies of the Red Queen while also acting as a steward in the absence of a Consort or other voice of the Queen as was before. Their authority is not powerful enough for them to seize control of the nation in whole, but they have an overwhelming influence over the nobility and the people of Trandrafia through their religious institution and ministry of the populace. The Covenant is headed by the Pontifex Natalia Felicia a Reginei, who is the mouthpiece of the Queen.
Structure
Pontifex: (Also known as the "Hierofant Mare") The supreme leader of the church, second only to the Red Queen. They rule from Zeitaresti and remain in communication with the Red Queen to act as their mouthpiece to the people of Trandrafia.
Pontiff: Greatest of the priestesses of the Queen. They make homes for themselves and their congregation in the nine duchies where they are granted the authority of a Count within their lands. These are the headquarters of the church within each duchy, and are often not set far apart from the Duke geographically. When the Pontifex must be replaced, she is replaced by one of the Pontiffs.
Archbishop: Archbishops are renown members of the clergy of the Red Queen. They often inhabit the towns of the dukes or counts of the duchies and administer to the temples throughout the region they reside. Some are even granted living quarters within the keeps of the nobles who live there.
Bishop: Bishops are high ranking deacons who administer to larger temples or shrines and supervise deacons in the region.
Deacon / Archdeacon: Priests of the Covenant, most commonly seen by the people.
The Avowed: Those who have taken the vows of the church. These members are not clergy, but have either taken the vows of the church without yet earning the rank of Deacon, or are in training. The majority of the church is made up of Avowed who take up a supportive role in the structure of the church by taking care of temples, shrines, and other locations. At a certain point in the Avowed's training, they are required to make a pilgrimage to Zeitaresti.
Pontiff: Greatest of the priestesses of the Queen. They make homes for themselves and their congregation in the nine duchies where they are granted the authority of a Count within their lands. These are the headquarters of the church within each duchy, and are often not set far apart from the Duke geographically. When the Pontifex must be replaced, she is replaced by one of the Pontiffs.
Archbishop: Archbishops are renown members of the clergy of the Red Queen. They often inhabit the towns of the dukes or counts of the duchies and administer to the temples throughout the region they reside. Some are even granted living quarters within the keeps of the nobles who live there.
Bishop: Bishops are high ranking deacons who administer to larger temples or shrines and supervise deacons in the region.
Deacon / Archdeacon: Priests of the Covenant, most commonly seen by the people.
The Avowed: Those who have taken the vows of the church. These members are not clergy, but have either taken the vows of the church without yet earning the rank of Deacon, or are in training. The majority of the church is made up of Avowed who take up a supportive role in the structure of the church by taking care of temples, shrines, and other locations. At a certain point in the Avowed's training, they are required to make a pilgrimage to Zeitaresti.
Culture
The culture within the Covenant depends in some ways upon the duchy they reside in and the Seraph they revere the teachings of most. However, some common teachings and beliefs the Covenant holds to include:
- Dedication foremost to the continuation of the Covenant. For the sake of the Queen’s rule, the Covenant must stand the test of time.
- Loyalty to and divinity of the Queen’s doctrine. The doctrine of the Queen is, outside of special cases, restricted to those within the Covenant. Only the Covenant can translate the words of the Queen for Her people.
- Order and Shepherding of the people. The people are free under the rule of the Queen, unlike before Her arrival. However, this does not mean that her people should be allowed to stray down dark paths or away from her embrace. Those who study magic should be taught by her followers. Those who rule should be proven loyal citizens. Her rule and law must be upheld by all or risk falling to chaos. Through the nobility the law is to be upheld, but in the case of their faltering or failure, the Covenant is the last bastion of that law.
- The Covenant must be Upheld. As the name implies, the Claret Covenant is a covenant between the Queen and Her people. The sacrifices given ensure that the covenant remains fulfilled and her blessings remain with the people. It must be upheld.
Public Agenda
Spread the edicts of the Queen. It is the duty of the Covenant to communicate the words of the Queen to the people, enforce Her laws, and teach Her scripture. Those outside the church are not permitted the holy texts unless granted by a member of Her clergy. It is the duty of the Covenant to translate the holy word to Her people.
Perform the Rites of the Red Queen, the greatest of which is the Tithe. The Covenant is responsible for collecting a tithe every four months (half-year) from the population. This small sacrifice of blood per person proves the loyalty of Her people and brings them closer to Her embrace. To purposefully deny her this small offering is to reject her gifts and blessings.
Ensure the effective rule of the Queen’s Lands. The Covenant has specific powers when it comes to their role as a government agency. The Covenant can pass down judgements on peasants and nobility alike should they be found in violation of the Queen’s edicts - though the power they wield against nobility is often constrained. They are also able to, by the Queen’s word, elevate a peasant to nobility or a noble to a higher status. This occurs rarely, usually in the case of a Duke’s house dying out and in need of a successor. Above all, the Claret Covenant desires the continued status quo that has been established since they were founded. Disruptions to the Queen's order cannot be allowed.
Assets
The Covenant holds the divine city of Zeitaresti, seat of the Red Queen, as its own autonomous region. But outside of the raised plateau that the city sits on, their lands are small, but culturally and religiously important.
While taxes are paid to the nobility, each noble under another paying a portion to their leige lord, the dukes of each duchy must also pay taxes in gold, resources and food to the Covenant in lieu of a monarch-consort. In addition, the Covenant is granted lands within each of the duchies where one of the nine Pontiffs are stationed, acting as lords over their own lands there.
Queen’s Command. The military of the Claret Covenant is mainly used to protect the holy city of Zeitaresti and is made up of a tithe of soldiers from each Duchy as well as volunteers and knights that are recruited into the most prestigious knightly order, the Blood Knights. The sending of soldiers to serve the Covenant is a hold-over from when the King-Consort ruled, and is to ensure the protection of the divine city and the ability for the Covenant to intercede in matters of war if the need arrises.
History
Originally the Covenant was an organization known as the Celebrantii, serving the King-Consort as officials, advisors, and priests to the people in the name of the Queen and her Seraphs. Following the Bloodless Apostasy and a growing number of conflicts between the remaining noble houses that had to vie for power in the absence of many of their greater houses, the people turned to the remaining members of the Celebrantii. In desperation or loyalty many of the people looked to them for guidance and order amid the chaos, having acted as the voices of the King-Consort and Queen in the past. After many years of conflict, the Claret Covenant was formed from a majority of the Celebrantii as a religious stewardship of the monarchy in absence of a new Consort or Seraph, and in time, becoming a fundamental religious and zealous organization compared to its original position.
Mythology & Lore
The most popular story in the scriptures of the Red Queen of her rise to power through the first of her Seraphs, Vaska. Vaska's deliverance by the Red Queen caused a ripple through the Dawn Kingdoms that led to the cretion of Trandrafia through the assassinatin of the Imperitor of the elves and a 100 year long war that followed.
Divine Origins
The Claret Covenant was officially formed following the formation of Trandrafia by a group of the Queen's most loyal servants, including her then-consort, Vaska. The Covenant was reformed in its purposes after the fall of the Palid King, going from a supporting establishment to the nobility and royal house to a member of the government with the highest authority.
Tenets of Faith
1. Blood is sacred. Do not spill it in vain or without purpose.
2. The country and the Red Queen are one. The land thrives by her will.
3. Blood shed in the name of the queen serves a holy purpose. To sacrifice your lifeblood for the Queen is a holy act, and one that she is due.
2. The country and the Red Queen are one. The land thrives by her will.
3. Blood shed in the name of the queen serves a holy purpose. To sacrifice your lifeblood for the Queen is a holy act, and one that she is due.
Ethics
Destroying, stealing, or contaminating the blood given the Queen is a sin attached to creatures known as the Foulbloods or Vilebloods, humanoids cursed by the Queen for their heresy against her.
Exsanguination is a sin. Even in sacrifice, fully draining a creature of blood is an act punished by the Covenant.
The Covenant has enemies with certain bloodless or ill-blooded factions that have sought the end of the Covenant. It is against the law to harbor any of these fugitives, and if the ones who see them have the means, it is their duty to see them dead. Otherwise, reporting of their sighting is required by law.
Temples to any other god are prohibited, and worship of any god outside the Red Queen is not sanctioned, especially those with disdain toward undeath, blood, or magic. Discovery of worship of different entities than the Queen can be met with a mixture of reactions, from wary acceptance to reporting to the Covenant and their knights.
Willingly holding court, or worse, entering into a pact with otherworldly beings is a sin. Beings from beyond wish only to meddle in the affairs of the Queen or destroy all that Trandrafians hold dear. The Covenant teaches that demons and aberrations are among the most dangerous.
Exsanguination is a sin. Even in sacrifice, fully draining a creature of blood is an act punished by the Covenant.
The Covenant has enemies with certain bloodless or ill-blooded factions that have sought the end of the Covenant. It is against the law to harbor any of these fugitives, and if the ones who see them have the means, it is their duty to see them dead. Otherwise, reporting of their sighting is required by law.
Temples to any other god are prohibited, and worship of any god outside the Red Queen is not sanctioned, especially those with disdain toward undeath, blood, or magic. Discovery of worship of different entities than the Queen can be met with a mixture of reactions, from wary acceptance to reporting to the Covenant and their knights.
Willingly holding court, or worse, entering into a pact with otherworldly beings is a sin. Beings from beyond wish only to meddle in the affairs of the Queen or destroy all that Trandrafians hold dear. The Covenant teaches that demons and aberrations are among the most dangerous.
Worship
The Red Queen is seen as many things, most notably the monarch of the lands of Trandrafia, but also a motherly figure to the people, a caretaker, an avenger, and a commander.
People commonly pray daily to the Queen for her blessing and protection, or through her seraphs - ascended beings who act as the Queen’s heralds and are her most loyal servitors. This is often done either toward the red moon or toward the capital of Zeitaresti. They also regularly partake in communion of a sacrament wine, and give blood tithes to the temples and blood vaults.
"The greatest worship one can practice is through work in favor of the Queen, either by labor to provide for Her people or administration of Her people or combating Her enemies."
"The greatest worship one can practice is through work in favor of the Queen, either by labor to provide for Her people or administration of Her people or combating Her enemies."
Priesthood
The Pontifex of the Claret Covenant guides Covenant from her seat in Zeitaresti. From within the duchies, the Pontiffs hold their own land under a duke as representatives of the Covenant, and from there they administer to the education of new clerics, knights and mages of the church while also providing leadership for the members of the Covenant within the duchy.
Joining the Claret Covenant
Citizens can request to join the Claret Covenant through a member of the clergy. Those accepted are the ones who display true desire to serve the Queen’s interests and learn the Queen’s word and edicts. Once accepted, the new initiates enter preliminary training, conducted by a member of the clergy (usually bishop or higher, though an archdeacon may take on one or two petitioners) to assess their vocation. This process takes half a year to two years to complete, after which the initiates are given their first robes, marking them as novices. Novices then study and live as a member of the church for upwards of two years before they are given the opportunity to take their Transitory Vows, the first set of vows offered by an initiate to progress their training into an Avowed of the Covenant. New Avowed are given new robes, marking them as a transitory Avowed in training. Transitory Avowed continue their training for another three years at minimum, up to six years before they to take their solemn, perpetual vows, at which time they make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Zeitaresti to commit themselves to the Queen and Her covenant. The end of this ceremony commits the member to becoming one of the Covenant’s official Avowed, non-clergy members of the Covenant responsible for assisting the clergy and other members with performing ceremonies, maintenance, counseling, and day-to-day activities of the temples, libraries, and other locations of the Covenant (similar to monks or nuns in orthodox or catholic religions). After their vows have been taken, the Avowed can remain in a monastic role or continue their training through the Coroana Inrosita to become a member of the clergy, a process that begins by taking at least two to four years of study.Granted Divine Powers
The clerics of the Red Queen are often granted power to manipulate blood as a form of magic known as sanguimancy. This includes the creation of constructs created through the use of blood and unique undead creatures.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Claret Covenant holds a massive amount of power over the duchies of the nation. All officials of the church (deacon and greater) are granted permisions equal or greater to that of lords. Senior members also have the ability to rule that a noble family no longer has the right to rule over their lands. This is usually done via excommunication, but this power is not often threatened and even more rarely used.
Sects
Most major sects stay within the basic outline of the Covenant, but differ on their depictions of the Queen. Some believing the Queen never truely walked the land, but instead is the land itself. Others believe that the Queen's body sleeps somewhere deep beneath the land and will one day wake to bring Trandrafia into a new golden age. Others instead believe that the Seraphs are not worthy of worship that should instead be given to the Queen alone, and the practice of these intercessory prayers are heresy.
“Prin sângele Ei, în numele Ei, cu glasul Ei” (By Her blood, in Her name, with Her voice)
Additional Mottos:
"Blessed is the Blood"
"The Covenant must be upheld."
Founding Date
642 QR
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
Bleeding Covenant
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Keepers ("Covenant Keepers")
Leader
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Permeated Organizations
Deities
Location
Related Traditions
Notable Members
Related Myths
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