Church of Althaea

The Church of Althaea, also called the Central Church, is a religious organization in Khorvaire. Its headquarters is Azura Monastery in the capital city of Flamekeep in the nation of Thrane. Initially a neutral power, they maintained peace around the continent by keeping the other five nations in check. However the Last War changed everything for the church. Thalin ir'Wynarn proclaimed a vision of a new kingdom devoted to Saint Althaea in active resistance of the game of thrones being played out amongst his four other siblings. In 914, Thalin died of old age, and a combination of popular sentiment and the political maneuvering of the Council of Cardinals led to the church gaining control over the nation of Thrane. While this has empowered the church in the world and made it a player in international politics, critics say that the concerns of the state are a distraction and avenue for corruption.

Divine Origins

The Church's founder and namesake, Saint Althaea, was said to have been given a revelation, a "gift to help guide the lost", from Siberys herself who the church claims is watching over her children from another star. Althaea first appeared in the region of Karrnath 42 years before the founding of the Kingdom of Galifar. She performed miracles that inspired the people, and the Church of Althaea was founded to venerate her. The Kingdom of Galifar was founded in the 0 AK by King Galifar I, with Thronehold chosen as its capital due to the presence of Althaea. In -21 YK, Galifar I launched the War of the Mark with the goal of conquering all of Khorvaire for the Kingdom. Riegan, the King of Rebellion, united the Kingdom's opponents under his leadership. Along with the Ten Elites and the Five Saints, Reigan was personally defeated by Galifar I and Althaea on the Talenta Plains, the Five Nations were united as one kingdom. The heroes subsequently became the founders and leading nobility of the Kingdom of Galifar, which at its height encompassed all of Khorvaire. The Church of Althaea, which followed Althaea's teachings and worshipped Siberys, also gained considerable and lasting influence. In the waning years of her life, Althaea received one last vision from Siberys, warning her that a terrible fire had welled up from the depths of Khyber and was bursting into Thrane. Indeed, a great chasm had opened in The Burnt Wood, spewing forth this fiendish fire. This was the result of Demogorgon, son of Khyber, struggling to break free from his bonds. 27 YK would come to be known as the year of Blood and Fire for these events. Faced with with this godlike foe, Althaea gathered Thranish forces to defeat the dark beings that had begun to gather around the fiendish emergence and help free Demogorgon. Wielding the sword Zariel, she moved to fight the demon lord as the manifestation of Siberys herself supposedly came to her aid. Together, Althaea and avatar of Siberys barely defeated Demogorgon, re-sealing him within the flames, which turned cool, silver, and divine, by forever binding herself within the Silver Flame. This marked the defeat of Demogorgon and the beginning of the Church of Althaea as a religion. To this day, Althaea's sword is still embedded into the base of the Flame to this day. While Althaea's body perished, her soul persisted and she became the Voice of the Flame. A new city grew around the site of Althaea's sacrifice, and eventually the capital of Thrane moved from Daskaran to Flamekeep. The church was administered by a series of keepers, who are directly chosen by Althaea to lead Siberys' children. The church is currently without a keeper as the monks of Azura Monastery are searching throughout Khorvaire for the newly designated child chosen by Althaea herself.

Cosmological Views

The legend of the origin of the world of Eberron states that these three great dragons created the planar system. The Progenitors are often described as being siblings by academics but it is often debated amongst experts. According to myth, after the Progenitors created much of the universe, Khyber betrayed his brethren and murdered his sister Siberys. Eberron then used his own body to bind and trap Khyber in the depths of the world. Siberys is now (or was) referred to as "the Dragon Above," Eberron "the Dragon Between," and Khyber "the Dragon Below." The body of Siberys is said to have formed the Ring of Siberys, while Eberron became the surface world of the planet Eberron and Khyber became the underground realm of the same name, trapped within Eberron.

Tenets of Faith

The teachings of Saint Althaea is rooted in these core principles:

Siberys is the mother of all mortals and is the guiding light that holds Khyber's fiends at bay.
Khyber, believing mortals unworthy stewards of creation, murdered Siberys in order to unmake creation.
Freedom is Siberys' final and greatest gift to her children.
Every mortal soul is called to find the light and prove their worth. Inspire and guide others to virtuous behavior; force is a last resort.
Listen to the Voice of the Flame; beware the deceiving whispers of the Shadow in the Flame.

At its core, the Church of Althaea is an active religion that calls upon the faithful to fight evil. For the warriors of the church, this means combating the many supernatural threats present in Eberron like undead and fiends. For the ministers and friars of the church, this means leading others to be more compassionate. And for the laity, this means simply living a virtuous life.

Worship

The Church of Althaea is a practical religion with short, purposeful rites and prayers. A purified farmer doesn't associate a good harvest with the blessings of Althaea and doesn't involve prayer in ordinary and mundane activities. Simply acting virtuously and embodying the ideals of the church is devotion enough. However, a faithful purified may pray for strength or guidance in a time of hardship or in the face of temptation to do evil. Rites are similarly practical, oriented around purification and preventing the spread of unnatural evil. Both friend and foe are purified after death by the burning of an alchemical substance known as silverburn, which is also used in other rites. Purification rituals are also used for the sick and for those ordained into the ministry. Since the start of the theocracy, the church has also performed purification rituals on behalf of the state.

Symbol

Per its name, the most common representation of the faith is the image of a flame inlaid with silver. Arrowheads are also associated with the religion. Symbolically, arrowheads represent shafts of light piercing the darkness. Practically, ranged weapons provide safety against the claws and fangs of supernatural threats while providing flexibility. Furthermore, a quiver of arrows can feature many special arrowheads at a much cheaper cost than a bag of swords.

Priesthood

The Church of Althaea is broadly divided into three orders — the Order of Ministers, the Order of Templars, and the Order of Friars. The church is led by the Keeper of the Flame and the Council of Cardinals, and includes several secretive groups.

Titles

Authority	Ministers	Templars	Friars
Regional	Archbishop	—	—
City	Bishop	Prefect	—
Locality	Priest/Father/Mother	Priest/Sir/Lady	Priest/Brother/Sister
None	—	—	Pilgrim

The Keeper of the Flame

The Keeper of the Flame is said to be directly chosen by Saint Althaea herself. The Keeper ultimately leads the Church, but delegates most authority to the Cardinals. The Church is currently looking for the next Keeper.

Order of Ministers

The Order of Ministers is the largest and broadest of the three orders. Outside of Thrane, the order of ministers is only charged with administering to the matters church, although many ministers still find themselves involved in local politics. Inside of Thrane, the Order of Ministers also act as the government - performing not only local governance but judicial functions. While ministers are on balance better educated and more invested directly in the people's needs than the local rulers of other nations, they still sometimes find themselves caught between the duties of faith and the duties of governance. Structurally, the Order of Ministers makes up the majority of the top levels of the church's hierarchy, privileged with purely bureaucratic duties.

Order of Templars

The Order of Templars is the militant arm of the church, historically charged with protecting the innocent from evil. Whether a vampire, witch, or fiend, the Knights Templar have destroyed or imprisoned countless threats. Templars are supposed to protect all innocents regardless of whether a local town pays many tithes to the church, although corrupt opportunists sometimes extort communities. The Last War merged the Templars of Thrane and the Army of Thrane, causing issues for the order's legitimacy. Even today, a regiment of Thranish knights may have issues pursuing supernatural threats across borders as local authorities question if they're serving the mission of the church or the state. Templars in other nations found their loyalty questioned whether they chose to serve in their nation's armies or not. While the templars broadly have no higher titles than "Prefect", the Thranish army does include higher ranks such as Sacrosanct (Major) and Argent (Colonel). Outside of Thrane, Prefects fall under the command and control of their archbishop and work in tandem with the local bishop.

Order of Friars

Charged with wandering the world and spreading the light of faith, the Order of Friars is the least hierarchical of the Church's three orders. While Friars never lead cities or regions, some rare few friars have made the jump to the Council of Cardinals. Pilgrims are the initiate rank of the order and below all other ranks in the church. While not required to perform missionary work, pilgrims do lead by example and represent the faith. Friars travel Khorvaire, attempting to convert new followers to the Church of Althaea. Furthermore, friars are typically trained in investigation, acting as the eyes of the church to report instances of supernatural evil such as cults or possessions.

Council of Cardinals

The Council of Cardinals stands above the other orders in the church, administering to the broad concerns of the faith. Cardinals primarily attend to bureaucratic concerns, with many of them having spent the past 84 years running a nation. Cardinals are nominated and elected by existing cardinals, leading to the majority coming from the Order of Ministers. The Diet of Cardinals are chosen by the Keeper of the Flame, although new Keepers rarely remove cardinals from the diet. The true governing body of both the Church and Thrane, the Diet collectively makes decisions on behalf of both. It is currently led by High Cardinal Seteth Miron.