Church of the Silver Flame
To put it rather jovially, Eberron is just one bad day away from the apocalypse. The overlords constantly struggle against their bonds, and their servants are spread throughout the world, attempting to manipulate events into releasing their masters.
If you live in Khorvaire, you know for absolute fact that the dead can rise, horrific aberrations could burst out Khyber at any time and that it would only take a single bite from a werewolf to turn you into a monster. These things aren't a question of faith or belief, they are fact. The overlords embody our worst fears, and even when bound can influence the world around them and drive people towards darkness. If they ever break their bonds, the world will end as we know it.
It is this that forms the basis of the Church of the Silver Flame. Supernatural evil is a concrete fact of existence, and the church itself was formed when Tira Miron gave her life to pull Thrane back from the abyss. Some might see the church merely as a militant religious organisation, and assume that it must be a force for oppression, and many of the older source books do portray it this way. However, whilst the church is a religion, it's also a volunteer militia whose members are prepared to risk their lives to protect everyone from the very real threats that lurk in the shadows. A templar of the Silver Flame isn't really concerned with how you live your life, they're here to make sure that you can live your life, to protect you from the monsters and fiends that could attack at any moment.
Every child in Thrane knows the story of Tira Miron. In 299 YK, the overlord Bel Shalor broke free from it's bonds and subjugated Thrane. A feathered serpent appeared before Tira Miron, a paladin of Dol Arrah, and told her what she needed to do to pull it back. She channelled the Silver Flame, and battled Bel Shalor. When it became clear that the overlord couldn't be destroyed, she gave her life and joined with the Silver Flame to bind the demon once more.
This was the founding of the Church of the Silver Flame as we know it, but it was not the creation of the Silver Flame. A pillar of argent fire marks the point of Tira’s sacrifice, located in Flamekeep, but this is a manifestation of the Silver Flame, not the source of its power.
The Silver Flame was forged in the Age of Demons, when the couatl sacrificed themselves to bind the overlords. It's power has been wielded by many champions across the ages, all across the world. The Silver Flame is not a god, it is a gestalt celestial force and it has an explicit purpose: it is the cage that keeps the apocalypse at bay. It cannot influence the world on it's own beyond this, but it can empower mortal champions. Ultimately, it is a resource to be used to fight against evil.
The Silver Flame protects the entire world from the overlords, it doesn't elevate any people or species, and by extension, those who wield it's power should protect everyone from evil.
There is no inherent conflict between the beliefs of the Silver Flame and the Sovereign Host. The Church of the Silver Flame is a practical, pragmatic faith founded on active service to combat evil. It takes the approach that the world will manage itself, there will be a harvest or a storm regardless of whether you acknowledge or pay tribute to Arawai or the Devourer. The most important thing is to protect people from the darkness that could destroy them. The two faiths have co-existed throughout history, and paladins of Dol Arrah often coordinate with templars of the Silver Flame to deal with threats.
The Last War has a serious impact on the church, and whilst many still respected the Keeper's authority over spiritual matters, the war wasn't about good or evil. If a supernatural threat presented itself, then templars of all nations would still join together to fight it, but in the absence of such a threat, they fought for their nations. This division allowed cracks to form in the foundation of the faith.
In Breland, corruption ran rampant in the church as priests fell to greed and forged ties with criminals. In Aundair, a zealous faction known as the Pure Flame arose and advocated the use of cruelty and violence as the primarily tools to root out evil. Thrane became a theocracy, it's people putting the church in charge of ruling the country, and this mired the mission in politics. Suddenly, people started joining the church for power, rather than to fight evil.
The Silver Flame is centred in Thrane, but it has a strong presence in Breland and Aundair, and followers across Khorvaire.
Symbol
The symbol of the faith is a stylized flame inlaid with silver. A silver arrowhead etched with this symbol is a commonly worn token of the faith, most often as a necklace.Rites
The Silver Flame has no need of prayers or offerings, it's a resource, not a god. Church services focus on supporting people spiritually, and advising people on how best to avoid the evil within. Archery is a devotional practice of the church, used both as a means of meditation and a martial art. Communities devoted to the Flame engage in archery training, and villages have militias of peasant archers. This tradition ultimately arose from the practicality of not getting within melee range of dangerous supernatural creatures.Temples
Fortresses of the Silver Flame are designed to serve as templar garrisons and to provide sanctuary against supernatural threats. Churches feature enormous arches and open spaces. The sanctuary of a Flamic church has a mosaic floor with a flame burning at its center. The seat of the church is the Grand Cathedral in Flamekeep. Built around the site of Tira's sacrifice, this fortified temple is the size of a small city.The Hierarchy of Evil
The Silver Flame empowers mortal champions to fight against evil, but all evils are not equal and some require different approaches to others. As such, the Church of the Silver Flame maintains that there is a hierarchy of evil, which informs templars on how to deal with the evil they encounter. Entities of alien evil. The children of Khyber, encompassing all manner of fiends and aberrations. These creatures are fundamentally unnatural and malevolent, and they can't be reasoned with. They must be fought and destroyed, and if that's not possible, contained. Entities of unnatural evil. Creatures once native to Eberron that have been corrupted. Undead and lycanthropes are the most obvious example of this, ordinary people transformed into monsters. The Church of the Silver Flame maintains that undead are inherently unnatural and harm the living world simply through their existence. Entities of innate evil. This is the most contentious category, and indeed Keeper Jaela has argued against it. This category posits that there are creatures native to Eberron that are evil by nature. In the past, the church has placed medusae, harpies, trolls and similar creatures into this category and asserted that, through no fault of their own, these creatures are vessels for evil and pose a threat to the innocent. Keeper Jaela argues that this category is covered by those who choose evil, and should be approached in the same way. Those who choose evil. This category encompasses all humanoids and other sentient creatures that are born innocent and choose to do evil. As these beings are not evil by nature, the goal of the faithful should always be to lead them back to the light where possible. The evil within. Every follower of the Flame must recognise their own capacity for evil. It is only through awareness that they can guard against it. The Shadow in the Flame is always whispering, and it is arrogant and foolish to ignore that threat. Entities of alien and unnatural evil must be destroyed, and when such forces arise, followers of the Flame are expected to set aside their differences until the threat is defeated. This was seen during the war. If it's possible to eradicate a threat without violence, such as curing a lycanthrope, that's acceptable and even admirable. However, the protection of innocent people should always come first, and if the non-violent option endangers more people than it saves, you should destroy the evil. In the past, the church asserted that trolls, harpies, etc. were innately evil and eliminated them wherever they were encountered. In more recent years, with the rise of Droaam and House Tharashk, Khorvaire is learning that this isn't true. A troll is no more evil than a human or a dwarf, they have free will and can make a choice.Hierarchy
The Church is broadly divided into several orders: the Society of Ministers, Knights Templar and Fellowship of Friars. The church as a whole is led by the Keeper of the Flame and the Council of Cardinals. Titles| Authority | Ministers | Templars | Friars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional | Archbishop | N/A | N/A |
| City | Bishop | Prefect | N/A |
| Locality | Priest/Mother/Father | Priest/Sir/Lady | Priest/Brother/Sister |
| None | N/A | Templar | Pilgrim/Friar |
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. Keepers of the Flame| Date | Keeper |
|---|---|
| 300 - 320 YK | Maliah Sharavaci |
| 320 - 389 YK | Traelyn Ghelios |
| 389 - 461 YK | Darmin Avaroth |
| 461 - 524 YK | Kyra Danth |
| 524 - 525 YK | Bec Avaroth |
| 525 - 578 YK | Valiron Silverthorn |
| 578 - 610 YK | Torah Ariadu |
| 610 - 698 YK | Saren Rellek |
| 698 - 768 YK | Jareen Imistil |
| 768 - 825 YK | Aelyndari Valystar |
| 825 - 860 YK | Jolan Sol |
| 860 - 863 YK | Tzandra Corus |
| 863 - 903 YK | Jovor Daran |
| 903 - 936 YK | Kaith Serrain |
| 937 - 993 YK | Lavira Tagor |
| 993 YK - Present | Jaela Daran |
Heresies
The Church of the Silver Flame is the most commonly practiced faith of those who draw upon the Silver Flame's power, but it is not the only one, nor is it even the oldest one. Kalok Shash. The Ghaash'kala orcs in the Demon Wastes worship a force that they call Kalok Shash, or the "Binding Flame" in common. They believe that this force binds evil and keeps it contained within the wastes, and that when they die, they join with it and empower it. A common phrase at Ghaash'kala funerals is "Kalok Shash burns brighter." Masvirikuala. Whilst many might assume that the lizardfolk of Q'barra are a druidic culture, they actually don't have a strong tradition of nature magic. Instead, they worship a nameless force of light that holds back the darkness, and imprisons Masvirik. Their clerics can draw upon this nameless force of light, which empowers them in their fight against the Poison Dusk.
Founding Date
299 YK
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Permeated Organizations
Location
Notable Members
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
