Divinium

The Divinium is the ruling body of the Holy City of Hymnis. An ecumenical organization representing the will of the fifteen Prime Deities and consisting of their High Priests and Priestesses, the Divinium is the highest authority on all religious matters across the Three Great Continents. It has shaped religious history through its Decree of the Thirty, which codified the hierarchy of the divines and their worshippers.

History

The Divinium was founded roughly a century after the founding of Hymnis itself, as the monastery located at the Worldsplitter's Holster was beset by devotees of other religions for the first time, who sought to performs rites and prayers at the site of the Rend. A cleric of peace goddess Eldath - later honored as Saint Tervid the Peacemaker - prevented this culture clash from escalating into conflict, and oversaw the establishment of a peaceful coexistence on the Holster. At first, the existing monastery was shared, but as the tale of the Rend spread across the known world, more pilgrims arrived and wished to establish their presence too. Multiple temples, churches, and monasteries were built surrounding the old one in a haphazard manner, yet the central monastery remained the meeting place for them all. It became known as the Divinium.
As more and more faiths made themselves known within the Holy City, the members of the Divinium grew exasperated by their wildgrowth. A decision was made to formally codify the important divines of the world, so that the peace would not become an impossibility, and to guide the everyman in their spiritual path. After decades of mondial reconnaisance, the members of the Divinium wrote the Decree of the Thirty, which described the thirty divines deserving of the title of god or goddess in their eyes: fifteen Prime Deities, ten Lesser Deities, and the five evil deities that would become known as the Five Scorned. The Divinium then presented itself as the ultimate authority of all of this, and therefore, the leaders of the churches of the Prime were all brought on to serve on the Divinium. This was especially a blow to the Eldathyns, who had forged the peace that made the Holy City's existence possible - and were now forced out of it by virtue of Eldath being declared a Lesser.
Indeed, protest came from across the Three Great Continents. Followers of snubbed divines, such as Azuth, Savras, Jergal, Valkur, and Torm, as well as orcish devotees of Gruumsh One-Eye and dwarven followers of Moradin were enraged at the Divinium's decree. Several of these parties issued threats or even attempted to do battle with the Holy City. However, the Divinium stood fast, and over time, most followings of these deities have strongly declined or gone underground. The Church of Torm, which persists, has made multiple petitions to the Divinium over the centuries, but they have all fallen on deaf ears.

Organization

The Divinium consists of the High Priests and Priestesses of the fifteen Prime Deities: Amano, Chauntea, Helm, Ilseias, Kelemvor, Mystra, Oghma, Selûne, Silvanus, Sune, Talos, Tempus, Tymora, Tyr, and Umberlee. Out of these, only the clergy of Kelemvor does not hold permanent office within Hymnis. Among themselves, the High Priests and Priestesses choose one to become the High Chancellor. The current High Chancellor is Hestra Skysight, High Priestess of Mystra. The Divinium is notorious for its extreme dedication to protocol and the various rituals prescribed by the works of Saint Tervid, claiming they are fully and wholly necessary to preserve the peace forged between the various faiths of the city. Each church also commands their own temple within the city, all connected to the central building by a marble walkway.
The Divinium not only controls the Holy City of Hymnis. The churches that make up the body also logically maintain authority over their various temples, churches, and places of worship around the known world. These places often receive missives from the Divinium, which are to be followed to the letter. Many, however, disregard these: it is a very rare occasion that anyone from the Divinium actually follows up on these decrees, and therefore, there is scarcely punishment for failing to heed them - beyond any possible divine retribution, of course, particularly from more lawful deities.