Irases

For a follower of the Archonic belief there is no greater honour than to become the Irases. I don't really understand why as the Pavan emperors can just choose who they want.

— High Sage Syronikir

For a long time the leader of the armies of the Archon Alliance, the precursor to Pavan Empire, was called the Archines after Archon himself. In the beginning this was still a descendant from Archon but after a while this position opened up to everyone devoted enough.
Later on when the Pavan Empire was officially formed the reforms of the Emperor at the time included the name change to Irases. Among the reforms was the union of the military and religion under the Archonic Order which was put under the leadership of the Irases.

Archonic Order Symbol by Kefkejaco with Inkarnate

History

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Origin

After the Pavan Independence Wars had run their course and Archon had died there was a dire need for new leadership in the Archon Alliance. Two sons of Archon took it upon themselves to lead, one would take on the leadership of the country while the other would lead the military campaigns. The military leader would later be called the Archines and during the many wars with the Avaronian Empire it was an important position. This allowed the homelands to still be decently run while the military campaigns on the other continent had good leadership as well.
Both position had always been within the imperial family until the Siege of Bagor where the Archines of that time was killed. Because there was no follower of suitable age or experience a surving general was named the new Archines. From then on the position was taken up by members outside of the imperial family but the power they wielded was reduced.

Archonic Order

The Irases was before the independence of the territories in Farlis mainly responsible for overseeing that area. With no new wars the focus was shifted to mainting order which was accomplished in part with the Archonic Order which was mainly an extension of the church at the time. They helped to spread Archonism in Farlis and the effects of this can still cleary be seen today in Varena.
After the independence of Farlis territories the focus once more shifted to Pavanor and the wars the imperial family fought there. This all changed when Emperor Irasem officialy formed the Pavan Empire in 723 AE. The military was expanded during this time but the true reforms came from his heir Sanvielires.
He was still rather young when he took the throne and various powerful mages were able to extert great influence over him. The Archonic church took matters into its own hands and convinced Sanvielires to oust them once he got older. This resulted in a civil war which ended with most non-divine magic casters to leave the country.
To prevent any further civil wars the Emperor decided to consolidate his power by combining the church and his title. The Emperor himself became the leader of the Archonic church while the reformations of the Archonic Order merged the military and the church. The new leader of the Archonic Order would be called the Irases, named after his father. Because the Order was so closely tied to his divine rule the Emperor was able to choose whoever he liked as the Irases, ensuring his loyality.

Yamaderis misplaced this image by Kefkjaco with heroforge

Function

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Military

As the leader of the Archonic Order, the Irases has the power to command the armies of the Pavan Empire. However, the commands of the Emperor still have to be obeyed as he is the religious leader of the army and any disobedience would not be tolerated by the devout soldiers. Most of the time these are general guidelines and the Irases still has the ability to choose which approach is best.

Religion

In addition to normal miltary duties the Irases also overlooks the spread of Archonism and maintains the outposts in other countries. The title allows the Irases to send out missionaries and even root out heretics such as followers of the Mackevism. Many Human countries freely allow the Archonic Order in their countries as they are terrified of any secret followers of Mackevism.

Chosen

Who takes up the Irases rank is determined by the Emperor himself. In the first place the Irases needs to be a trustworthy person of high standing and well liked by the members of the Archonic church. Being a devout follower is therefore the first requirement. Besides that the new Irases needs to have a good amount of military experience. In recent centuries the Irases has always been someone who served in the Archonic Order for many years.