Ulman Priesthood

The Priesthood of the old Ulman Empire was perhaps the most influential organisation in history, with only the Ulman Emperor having a comparable claim to its significance. As the ruling body of a religion which almost an entire continent participated in, the Priesthood was a fundamental part of the lives of millions. To this day, the same gods are worshipped in almost all of the lands the priesthood once ministered to, and the current form of the Religio Populi draws heavily from its structure, as a more-or-less direct successor to it.

The only opposition to its potential power was its own factionalism - the upper ranks of the priesthood were always drawn from the upper tiers of Ulman society, meaning that it was prone to internal conflicts and power struggles as the different noble dynasties fought for prominence.

Sacred sites of the Ulman Priesthood and worship related to it produce Divine auras. The Marran Church maintains that these are actually Infernal auras, deceiving by the nature of that Realm in the same way the demons can fool magical detection because deception is part of their true nature.

Structure

The leader of the priesthood was the Pontifex Maximus, the leader of the priesthood's governing body and conductor of important religious rites in the capital. He was thus both required to be knowledgeable of religious rites and doctirne - for performing a sacrifice or prayer incorrectly was thought to invite disaster - and to be familiar with the practice of augury. The Pontifex was appointed by the Emperor, meaning that he was usually either related to the Emperor or else had demonstrated exceptional loyalty - successful military leaders were often awarded the title.
Behind the Pontifex Maximus, the Priesthood had a governing body, the Pontiffs, whose numbers varied from nine in 65MC to 117 in 600MC. These men were likewise drawn from the aristocracy, though noble birth was not strictly a requirement. However, the Pontiffs elected their own members, and as such nobody of common birth was ever given the position.
The Pontifex Maximus often had cause to be out of the city (on campaign, for example) so in order to perform the duties he would otherwise administer one of the Pontiffs would be nominated by him as the Pontifex Secundus. In theory, the position did not come with any additional powers, but in practice the secundus' duties and the favour shown in their appointment gave them significant influence. A particular favourite tactic of Secundi was to delegate the execution of some major ceremony to a disfavoured pontiff - the Priesthood did not cover costs of these events, meaning that they had to be paid for by the official conducting the rite. For this reason also, Pontiffs were usually older, having reached the peaks of their former careers and effectively retired into the position.
Below the Pontiffs were priests, who received their positions with the assent of the Pontiffs. A priest received a modest stipend from the Priesthood to maintain their temple which may have been anything from the grand structures of the old Ulman cities, to a sacred grove in the countryside. The stipend did not vary depending on what the priest was responsible, which again prevented any but the wealthy from being the priest of a powerful or influential temple and mostly relegated those from the lower classes to the countryside and small towns. Priests duties included conducting rites and prayers on behalf of their communities, and otherwise interacting with the gods on behalf of the people they were responsible for. Some communities, mostly cities, would have several priests, in which case the most senior would be placed in charge of the others. It was also common for wealthy priests to sponsor less fortunate colleagues, most often a city or town priest sponsoring those in the countryside around them, or the priest of a particularly holy location, with the expectation that they would defer to the sponsor's authority.
The Priesthood also recognised two collegi who specialised in the practice of divination - the Augurs and the Haruspices. Augury is the practise of predicting the future by observing the flights of birds, and haruspicy does so by sacrificing an animal and interpreting the marks on its liver. These collegi selected their own members from among the priests, and were subject to the authority of the Pontifex Maximus, but not in theory the Pontiffs, except in matters concerning their priestly duties. This was mostly a distinction to prevent a Pontiff punishing a diviner for an unfavourable prediction, but was far from flawless.
Unrelated to the priesthood at large, there were a large number of mystery cults spread through the Empire. These were groups of individuals drawn together in contemplation of some particular philosophy, or in the worship of a particular god. The mystery cults were the predecessors to Hermetic Mystery Cults, in which form they survive to the present day, but due to their secretive nature very little about them is certain. The Marran Church often proclaims that they were groups of infernalists.
Positions within the priesthood were granted for life.

Public Agenda

The duties and concerns of the Prieshood were to mediate between the people and their gods. The Priesthood organised and amaged sacrifices, maintained temples and sacred spaces, and generally manage the spiritual needs of the Ulmans and their subjects.

History

In the time before the consolidation of the Ulman Empire, the various petty kingdoms that would later compose it had a wide array of religious beliefs and customs. The city of Argentium from which the Empire would spread was home to the Cult of Mercury, as well as several minor cults. As the Empire took shape, the religions of other states were incorporated, until by the mid fourth century the pantheon of gods which continues to be worshipped to this day in the Religio Populi had been recognised. During this time, the Cult of Mercury fell into obscurity.

Disbandment

With the fall of the Ulman Empire in 622, the Priesthood was fractured into many different organisations under various new kings. These organisations, usually headed by a group of Pontiffs local to the region, often failed to survive the turbulent period that followed, and those that did have become the Religio Populi.
The Priesthood persisted in the East Ulman Empire for some time, with less and less of its own authority. After a disastrous campaign against the Plena Demarchy, in which three entire legions were lost to the last man, the Empire underwent a period of reforms wherein the senate formally dissolved the old priesthood, officially making the Religio Populi their state religion.

Tenets of Faith

The basic premise of the Priesthood was that in return for sacrifice and prayer the gods could be bargained with to produce a favourable outcome. This is the principle of do ut des, "I give, so that you give". It did not require any particularly strong belief in the gods, as long as the proper rites were observed and sacrifices made. Generally, the Priesthood was tolerant of religions that could be integrated into its own system, and intolerant of those that did not fit well or that it judged to be false (generally due to lack of Divine auras). Animal sacrifice was generally considered to be the most effective kind, although particular gods might prefer specific things in relation to what was asked - Melinia, for example, is to this day offered products of honey (cakes, biscuits and the like) when praying for productivity with beekeeping - and generally any item of value might make a good offering.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED

65 - 622 (effective, officially 766)

Predecessor Organization

• Cult of Mercury

Related Ethnicities

• Ancient Ulman