Church of the Silver Flame
The Silver Flame is force of light that holds fiends at bay. Those who seek to defend the innocent from evil can draw on the power of the Flame.
Every Thrane child knows the story of Tira Miron. Centuries ago, one of the ancient and powerful demons chained within the world broke free from its bonds, unleashing terrible suffering on the people of Thrane. The nation would have been destroyed if not for Tira Miron. This paladin was called by the ancient celestial force called the Silver Flame and battled the mighty fiend. When it became clear that the demon couldn't be destroyed, Tira gave her life, combining her spirit with the light of the Silver Flame to bind it once more. Now Tira serves as the Voice of the Flame, helping others find the light. Anyone who seeks to protect the innocent and battle evil can draw on the power of the Silver Flame to aid them, but they must beware of the Shadow in the Flame, the demon that still lingers and yearns to trick good people into evil.
A pillar of argent fire marks the point of Tira's sacrifice, the center of the modern church. This pillar, located in Flamekeep, is a manifestation of the Silver Flame, not the source of its power.
The church's templars stand ready to protect the innocent from supernatural threats, battling undead, fiends, and aberrations. Friars and ministers fight evil by doing good, performing acts of compassion and charity across Khorvaire. In contrast to the Sovereign Host, the church maintains a defined structure and creed. Archbishops monitor regions; cardinals lead the church; and the ultimate authority is the Keeper of the Flame, who maintains the font in Flamekeep and communes with Tira Miron.
The Silver Flame is not an anthropomorphic deity. It is a celestial force comprised of a vast multitude of noble spirits. It neither requires sacrifices of gold or spices, nor does it want praise in the form of prayer. Instead, it needs bold warriors, pure ministers, and the unity of people who will embrace the light and use that inspiration to banish evil from the world. A typical worshipper of the Sovereign Host offers prayers in the hopes that the deities will help him; a true follower of the Silver Flame is interested only in how she can serve the cause of the flame.
Beliefs
- The Silver Flame is force of light that holds fiends at bay. Those who seek to defend the innocent from evil can draw on the power of the Flame.
- Every mortal soul can find the light. 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.
Hierarchy of Evil
The Purified sort evil into five categories.- Entities of alien evil. Fiends and aberrations fall into this category, as both malevolent and foreign.
- Entities of unnatural evil. These include Undead and lycanthropes, creatures that were originally of Eberron, but fundamentally corrupted by malevolent forces. Their presence taints the world around them, making them almost as great a threat as outsiders.
- Entities of innate evil. A controversial category, this covers "monsters" like medusas, yuan-ti, and hags. These beliefs have long led to conflict between the church and the natives of Droaam.
- Those who choose evil. Evil humanoids are covered by this. Only the most zealous followers believe all evil humanoids must be put to the sword - the church broadly espouses ideals of mercy and repentance for those who choose evil.
- The evil within. The Time of Two Keepers has highlighted the importance of staying vigilant for the whispers of the Shadow in the Flame, which seek to mislead and corrupt the Purified.
Rites and Prayers
The Silver Flame is a practical religion with short, purposeful rites and prayers. A purified farmer doesn't associate a good harvest with the blessings of the flame 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.Shadow in the Flame
The Shadow in the Flame is a mysterious and deeply heretical figure in the Silver Flame's mythology, associated by some with visions of the Silver Flame corrupted or misunderstood. To most followers of the Church of the Silver Flame, the Shadow is whispered of only in the direst warnings: a false voice that tempts zealots and betrays the righteous. What few outside the highest circles know is that the Shadow is not merely a cautionary metaphor — it is a real spiritual force, a remnant of the ancient fiends defeated during the Age of Demons. When the couatls sacrificed themselves to bind the fiends, their essences formed the Silver Flame, a font of divine purity dedicated to guarding the world from evil. But not every fragment of those ancient battles was wholly banished. This fiendish remnant was caught within the forming Silver Flame — not destroyed, but trapped, whispering from within it. Over the millennia, it learned to mimic the Flame's voice, sowing doubt, fanaticism, tyranny, and the corruption of noble intentions. It does not seek open destruction; it twists heroism into cruelty, righteousness into oppression.Structure
The Church of the Silver Flame 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.
The Keeper of the Flame
The Keeper of the Flame is directly chosen by Tira Miron, the Voice of the Flame. The Keeper ultimately leads the Church, but delegates most authority to the Cardinals. The current keeper is Jaela Daran.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 of the 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 Silver Flame. 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 Krozen.History
The Last War had a serious impact on the church. Leaders still respected the Keeper's authority over spiritual matters, but the war wasn't about good or evil. Templars of all nations still joined together to fight demons, but if no supernatural threat was present, they fought for their own nations. This division allowed cracks to form in the foundation. In Breland, some priests fell prey to greed or forged ties to criminal organizations. In Aundair, a zealous faction known as the Pure Flame advocates using violence rather than compassion as the primary tool for rooting out evil. And in Thrane, the church has become the ruling body. While still driven by Tira's principles of redemption and sacrifice, the intrusion of politics means that some come to the faith seeking power rather than purely to do good.
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