Thrane
One of the original Five Nations, Thrane is now a nation dominated by theology. Desperate to show the world the light of the Silver Flame, you are more likely to encounter a missionary from Thrane than a farmer.
Thranes are a religious, devoted, and kind people that shun materialism and other vices. This theocracy is officially 'led' by Jaela Daran, Keeper of the Flame—an eleven-year-old girl with a powerful connection to the Silver Flame. The vast majority of Thranes follow the faith of the Silver Flame, and while few led to become bold warriors rooting out supernatural evil, they are all called to lives of goodness and faith.
With its fertile lands bordered on most sides by rivers and greater bodies of water, Thrane was the only nation to retain all its territory in the Treaty of Thronehold. It also maintains control of the once-Aundairian city of Thaliost it seized near the end of the Last War, and many citizens of both nations hold bitter resentment toward the other.
Structure
The Society of Ministers
The Society of Ministers in some sense is the most mundane of the three branches, consisting of ordinary priests, deacons, bishops, and cardinals who administer the ordinary rites of the church. This is the largest of the three primary groups within the church, with members across the continent serving their communities. While some members of this order wield divine magic, the vast majority do not and are simply trained in theology and community leadership. Inside Thrane, the Society of Ministers gains special importance as the organization that provides actual governance. Each village, town, and region are governed by a priest, bishop, or archbishop respectively. Not every minister serves in a governing role in Thrane, as any given village, town, or region may have multiple ministers that share the religious duties, but only one person holds legal authority. The legal authority of a governing minister is extremely broad and can only be overruled by a higher level minister. While the vast majority of theocrats use their power wisely and judiciously, the cults of the whispering flame are always looking to recruit new members to serve Bel Shalor. Furthermore, even wellintentioned theocrats are fallible and can be deceived into maladministration and injustice.The Paragnostic Society
The Paragnostic Society is the scholarly center of the Church, both conducting original research and providing educational services to other societies, orders, and fellowships. While its mastery over magic is dwarfed by the relentless Arcane Congress, its understanding of the cosmology of Eberron is comparable. The head is Farimal Klavarin, an older elf who's served as the Cardinal of the Paragnostic Society for the last two centuries.Culture
The people of Thrane are generous and good-hearted. Culturally, they may embrace more conformity than is common in other nations - but that in part is to protect their communities, as the church constantly educates the populace on the threats from the supernatural. Undead are more likely to rise from the bodies of evil persons, and communities that allow more freedom and independence to create space for fiendish tricksters to cause trouble. Generally speaking, adventurers will find the first parts of a trip to Thrane to be pleasant, but the uniform expectations of the Purified may grate on them during an extended stay.
A prominent feature of almost every Thranish community is the local archery range. While in a town this may be a formal structure with well-crafted targets, in most rural communities this amounts to a small clearing with bales of hay and crudely painted bullseyes. Archery comes with many benefits - it's a sport that the locals can compete in, it's a practical skill for rural hunting, and a valuable defense against the supernatural. Many supernatural threats only possess melee attacks, meaning a group of practiced archers can safely take a creature down without risking injury. Furthermore, arrowheads can more cheaply be made of special materials to offer flexibility to a dedicated hunter, without requiring multiple full swords.
Deposed Nobles
With the installation of the theocracy, all the nobles of Thrane lost their governing authority. This significantly weakened their power but did not eliminate it, as the various nobles kept almost all of their land (Some was seized by the church to construct new cathedrals). For those whose personal holdings included rich farmland, lush forests, or mineral-filled mines, the transition to simply being wealthy went as smoothly. For those with smaller holdings without natural resources and thus relied on regional tax income, the transition was rough, impoverishing former noble families. Furthermore, the course of the war took its toll on families that lost all their heirs. In Galifar this land would have been transferred to another noble line, but in the theocracy, that land would be turned over to the church. To deal with their loss of stature, deposed nobles pursued a number of different paths. Many simply stayed in Thrane as prominent, wealthy individuals, in some cases joining groups like the Aurum. Others adapted to the new power structure and merged with the church, even joining the ministry and regaining their lost local authority. A small contingent upped and left, with a large portion of this group joining the expedition out to Q'barra in 928 YK to found New Galifar.Cyran Refugees
Unlike Breland, Thrane did not establish a "New Cyre" for refugees of the Mourning. However, this does not mean Thrane did not take refugees in - in fact, the Thranish people and government embraced the Cyrans with open arms as they fled the supernatural disaster. However, the Diet of Cardinals made clear that Cyran refugees were expected to integrate into Thranish society rather than exist separately. For some, this was easy, as their existing devotion to the Silver Flame fit right in. For others, abandoning the culture of the nation they loved so dearly was sacrosanct, and so once the initial chaos passed chose to migrate to New Cyre in Breland. Today, Cyran refugees live together in small neighborhoods but have not concentrated in anything even as large a district.Demography and Population
Population - 2.3 million
| Race | % of Pop. |
|---|---|
| Humans | 70% |
| Half-Elves | 10% |
| Dwarves | 9% |
| Elf | 4% |
| Halflings | 4% |
| Other | 3% |
Military
The Order of Knights Templar
The Order of Knights Templar is the militaristic branch of the Church of the Silver Flame. This branch contains more suborders than the others, with each sub-order devoted to a particular interpretation of the central beliefs of the Church of the Silver Flame and usually a fighting style to accompany that creed. The primary mission of the Knights Templar is to fight against supernatural horrors. Within Thrane, the Knights Templar serves as the primary military and law enforcement organization, although some duties are shared with the Crown Knights of Thrane. Most punishments in Thrane are community-oriented - thieves pay restitution and then go for a stint in the pillories, while more serious crimes carry the threat of capital punishment. However, all criminals are offered a chance at redemption in the Church. This isn't a get out of jail free card - criminals who choose this option are held accountable for their service. Still, the offer manages to convert many would be ne'er-do-wells to upstanding members of the community.The Order of the Pure
The Order of the Pure is amongst the oldest and largest of the orders, dedicated primarily to fighting predatory undead. Silver Pyromancers come from this order, mixing radiant and fire spells to purge evil. It is led by Cardinal Gennara ir'Damilek, a zealous half-elf who loathes Karrnath and is eager to find excuses to send templars there.The Order of Knights Militant
The Order of Knights Militant was founded during the lycanthropic purge and is dedicated to rooting out werecreatures. The Knights Militant have strong ties to House Vadalis and nobility from both Thrane and Aundair, utilizing both light and heavy cavalry on hunts. It is led by Cardinal Halagrad Doomhammer, a dwarven veteran of the lycanthropic purge and founder of the order.The Order of Kloijner
The Order of Kloijner has sworn a sacred oath to defend the people of Eberron from fiendish influences. This order trains the vast majority of exorcists, primarily defending against the fiends of Khyber but occasionally going up against fiendish influences coming from the planes. It is led by Cardinal Camren Lightbringer, a scholar, and warrior who's gained the personal attention of the Lords of Dust.The Order of the Silver Seal
The Order of the Silver Seal is a smaller order based primarily out of Breland dedicated to wiping out aberrant cults of the dragon below. The order was formed three centuries ago when the templar Selsharra Derissor was trailing down a set of mysterious disappearances, meeting and joining forces with a Gatekeeper sect who revealed and explained the aberrant threat. Selsharra did not convert to the druidic practice, but took her knowledge and founded a new order. It is now led by Cardinal Ildrazar, a half-orc hailing from the Shadow Marches.Religion
The Silver Torch
The Silver Torch is an extremist ideology within the Church of the Silver Flame that grew in prominence during the Last War. A human supremacist organization, members believe the current Church of the Silver Flame has lost its way by allowing nonhuman membership. Their goals vary, but the key feature of the group is its ability to appeal to Thranes who feel disempowered in the post-war world. Lower-ranking members are varyingly tolerated, defending their views as permissible under the Code of Galifar. Some members are more quiet about their views, showing up for the pitchfork mob but otherwise not elaborating on their beliefs. Others are proud members of the Silver Torch, openly seeking to persuade others via "debate". Higher ranking members shroud themselves in secrecy so as to avoid being held to account for their more direct calls for revolution.Foreign Relations
Friars
The Fellowship of Friars is the smallest of the formal groups of the church. It consists of the loose support network for the missionaries, friars, and pilgrims that proselytize and grows the Church across and beyond Khorvaire. The Fellowship of Friars is tasked with supporting small communities that do not yet have a dedicated minister, rallying support for the church's mission, and generally bringing the light of the flame into the dark.Fellowship of the Radiant Flame
The monks and hermits of this contemplative branch of the church seek spiritual union with the Silver Flame in this life, in anticipation of the true union that comes after death. It is led by Cardinal Trieneth Salazar, an Aasimar ascetic who lives on the outskirts of Flamekeep.Fellowship of Corak Soulguard
The Fellowship of Corak Soulguard is the newest group to gain formal recognition, established to reach out to the natives of Xen'drik and bring them into the fold. The fellowship has its primary (yet still tiny) office based out of Sharn and not Stormreach. Ostensibly this is to centralize recruiting efforts, but the truth is that they're not welcome in the Stormreach Cathedral. While relations are better than they used to be, Jaela has not formally undone the ex-communication her predecessor during the Last War inflicted upon the Stormreach faithful for "insufficient support" of the Thranish theocracy. The order was named after the first Silver Flame missionary to visit the continent over a century ago and is currently led by Baptiste Trintignant, a trained exorcist who wishes to study the many curses of Xen'drik.Trade & Transport
The Argentum
The Argentum is a covert group of relic-hunters that answers directly to the Council of Cardinals. While the Argentum was founded centuries ago as a secretive order of Knights Templar dedicated to handling dangerous magical artifacts, the transformation of Thrane in the early days of the war led to a restructuring of the Argentum into its modern form. The agency had to learn to run standard intelligence and counterintelligence missions to protect Thranish interests, a sharp diversion from its focus on protecting Khorvaire from supernatural threats. Even today the addition of mundane threat management is considered a distraction from the organization's true purpose.
Type
Geopolitical, Theocracy
Demonym
Thrane
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Theocracy
Power Structure
Provisional government
Economic System
Palace economy
Currency
| Copper | Crown | cp |
| Silver | Sovereign | sp |
| Gold | Galifar | gp |
| Platinum | Dragon | pp |
Legislative Body
The Council of Cardinals
The Council of Cardinals is a special organization formed well after Tira's sacrifice to manage the expanding faith of the citizens of Galifar. The council of cardinals currently numbers fewer than one hundred, with the total membership varying based on members passing away and being inducted from the lower orders. Currently, the council is composed of seventy-seven members, serving as high-level administrators and representing various orders. Each formally recognized order is only represented by a single cardinal, but deference is usually given by cardinals from smaller orders to larger ones. Cardinals that are not representatives are usually elevated on the basis of exceptional piety and wisdom so they can fully serve the church's mission as chief administrators.The Diet of Cardinals
Thirteen high cardinals stand above the rest of the church, forming the Diet of Cardinals. The Diet of Cardinals was formed in the early days of the war, governing not just the church but Thrane itself. While the Diet technically reports to Jaela, she lets it exclusively handle the vast majority of issues, only intervening when the Voice of the Flame tells her to.
Official State Religion
Location
