"The Silver Phoenix; How the Church of the Silver Flame Became the Dominant Religion of Khorvaire"
By Tilinus Thymes
How does a religious sect go from being branded a terrorist organization to the predominant faith of most of humanity? Through shrewd political acumen and flexibility. Now the state of the Church of the Silver Flame in the last century of the first millennia lays the groundwork for it's downfall and eventual rebirth. In 914 YK the Church officially took over Thane from the ir'Wynarn line. The circumstances of this shift can fill their own book, but for our purposes what we need to understand is that Thane was a country in the early years of the Great War, and it needed strong military leadership which the ir'Wynarns failed to provide. So the Church filled the void. This wasn't the first steps of the Church's militarization, it had been happening for at least a century before with the Silver Crusade against the Therionthropes of Khorvaire. The Great War pushed the final nail into the coffins of kind priests, good-hearted missionaries, and sweet town healers. It replaced them with paladins, crusaders, and templars that would lead Thane through a century of combat and fill the upper ranks of the clergy. By the end of the war most of the Archbishops and Cardinals were warriors in silver armor, not priests. They often justified atrocities for the "greater good" and had standing armies and covert networks. The post-war years of tension were a ripe powder keg which was ignited by the Morgrave Incident. A bomb of silver flame rocked Sharn leveling several towers including the famous Morgrave University and destroying a beloved and neutral center of learning. This caused Breland to declare war against Thane. Once the fighting intensified, Aundair seized the opportunity and together they pincered Thane into a corner, taking everything but the northern portion of the Flamekeep peninsula and the city itself. After a several year siege, a treaty was signed as the cost of the war now outweighed it's benefits. The Church was allowed to keep Flamekeep and part of the peninsula, Aundair got a large portion of fertile land, and Breland was on a brink of civil war. This was the lowest point for the Church. It's lands were gone, it's military might was dust, and it was the most vilified faith on the continent. Several factors saved the Church at this point in history. The first being Jaela Daran, the Keeper of the Flame. She was a child during the War of the Silver Flame and easily manipulated by the warmongering Council of Cardinals. By the time she reached adulthood she began a push for a return to the traditional values of the church, charity and kindness. Paladins and templars were replaced with philanthropists and priests. This change primarily spread through the former lands controlled by the Church in Aundair which promigated through the rest of the empire over several decades. At the same time the military remnants of the clergy were sent to Breland into the midst of the brutal three way war, they were ordered to treat all the injured and provide comfort to the dying. Their actions during the war regained favor for the Church in the south. Other factors that contributed included the massive lack of bureaucracy and financial strain that appeared with the loss of Thane. Turned out not having to run a country or maintain armies creates a lot of free time and capital. Jaela directed this to charitable work around the continent. Underprivileged children in Aundair could get an education from the Church. Up went libraries, and schools. The sick and injured could visit hospitals for healing. The Church even sponsered the rebuilding of the Morgrave university. Missionaries went out as far as New Galifar, the Eldeen Reaches, and the Shadow Marches, the new doctrine was to minimize the zealotry and reach out with goodwill. It worked. Four centuries later, there is a chapel to the Silver Flame in almost every small town across the continent, the Old Gods of the Sovereign Host are nearly forgotten. The fall and rise of the Church of the Silver Flame are nothing short of a divine miracle, but let us not forget from where they came, as they one day don their Silver armor again.
How does a religious sect go from being branded a terrorist organization to the predominant faith of most of humanity? Through shrewd political acumen and flexibility. Now the state of the Church of the Silver Flame in the last century of the first millennia lays the groundwork for it's downfall and eventual rebirth. In 914 YK the Church officially took over Thane from the ir'Wynarn line. The circumstances of this shift can fill their own book, but for our purposes what we need to understand is that Thane was a country in the early years of the Great War, and it needed strong military leadership which the ir'Wynarns failed to provide. So the Church filled the void. This wasn't the first steps of the Church's militarization, it had been happening for at least a century before with the Silver Crusade against the Therionthropes of Khorvaire. The Great War pushed the final nail into the coffins of kind priests, good-hearted missionaries, and sweet town healers. It replaced them with paladins, crusaders, and templars that would lead Thane through a century of combat and fill the upper ranks of the clergy. By the end of the war most of the Archbishops and Cardinals were warriors in silver armor, not priests. They often justified atrocities for the "greater good" and had standing armies and covert networks. The post-war years of tension were a ripe powder keg which was ignited by the Morgrave Incident. A bomb of silver flame rocked Sharn leveling several towers including the famous Morgrave University and destroying a beloved and neutral center of learning. This caused Breland to declare war against Thane. Once the fighting intensified, Aundair seized the opportunity and together they pincered Thane into a corner, taking everything but the northern portion of the Flamekeep peninsula and the city itself. After a several year siege, a treaty was signed as the cost of the war now outweighed it's benefits. The Church was allowed to keep Flamekeep and part of the peninsula, Aundair got a large portion of fertile land, and Breland was on a brink of civil war. This was the lowest point for the Church. It's lands were gone, it's military might was dust, and it was the most vilified faith on the continent. Several factors saved the Church at this point in history. The first being Jaela Daran, the Keeper of the Flame. She was a child during the War of the Silver Flame and easily manipulated by the warmongering Council of Cardinals. By the time she reached adulthood she began a push for a return to the traditional values of the church, charity and kindness. Paladins and templars were replaced with philanthropists and priests. This change primarily spread through the former lands controlled by the Church in Aundair which promigated through the rest of the empire over several decades. At the same time the military remnants of the clergy were sent to Breland into the midst of the brutal three way war, they were ordered to treat all the injured and provide comfort to the dying. Their actions during the war regained favor for the Church in the south. Other factors that contributed included the massive lack of bureaucracy and financial strain that appeared with the loss of Thane. Turned out not having to run a country or maintain armies creates a lot of free time and capital. Jaela directed this to charitable work around the continent. Underprivileged children in Aundair could get an education from the Church. Up went libraries, and schools. The sick and injured could visit hospitals for healing. The Church even sponsered the rebuilding of the Morgrave university. Missionaries went out as far as New Galifar, the Eldeen Reaches, and the Shadow Marches, the new doctrine was to minimize the zealotry and reach out with goodwill. It worked. Four centuries later, there is a chapel to the Silver Flame in almost every small town across the continent, the Old Gods of the Sovereign Host are nearly forgotten. The fall and rise of the Church of the Silver Flame are nothing short of a divine miracle, but let us not forget from where they came, as they one day don their Silver armor again.
Type
Manuscript, Historical
The document is short and informative and dances by some key information, typical of chroniclers. Where did the country got the money to build all these buildings? And phillantropes? This sounds fishy, as if someone used the unstable situation to again reach for the government, as the Silver Flame did in earlier years.