The Golden Church and Highfather
The
Chaltaric Golden Church has sat at the helm of Pratani politics since the fall of the state's true nobility in the year 1217 and the fracturing of the eastern territories. At the helm of this institution sits the
Altopadre (
Highfather), who is alone believed to be the final line of interpretation and communication between the mortal and the divine. Enlightened individuals, oracles, and other such methods of communication with the essence of Chaltar are both believed to exist and fully sanctioned by the Church and its powers, but must be ordained either directly by the Altopadre or an ordained High Priest of the Clergy should they wish to guide believers in any legitimate fashion or be recognized under the Church itself.
Though Pratan has seen no true feudal nor imperial system in two and a half centuries, the Altopadre nevertheless serves a position not dissimilar from that of a crowned king, though is in turn believed to be a servant of Chaltar, enacting the ultimate and divine will of the True God upon the subjects of the Church's lands through his position at its helm. In lieu of semi-autonomous lords or elsewise elected officials, the Altopadre rules the Church and lands of Pratan both with the assistance of the
Chaltaric Conclave.
Often also referred to as
The Four Arms of Chaltar or
The Four Wings of the Eagle, the Chaltaric Conclave is a council comprised by the leaders of the four organizations which handle the necessities of religion and statecraft alike, each of their authorities unquestioned by any within Pratan or its influence save one another or the Altopadre himself, to which they are expected to act primarily independent from while still swearing complete subservience and obedience to the divine right with which he commands.
The current Altopadre, Agostino I de Taggiano, has held his position for 77 years, and was first seated in 1392 at the age of 35 in the aftermath of the Eastern Rebellions, which saw the previous Altopadre pulled from the Golden Church by leading members of the
Ordo Centurionum and butchered in the streets of Praesidium. Padre Agostino's earliest years at the Church's helm were characterized primarily by a grand shift in power away from the remaining state military – considered mostly defunct by that time, and which had overwhelmingly aligned with the Eastern Territories during the rebellions – and towards the militaristic Arms of the Church.
The Clergy
by Unknown
The Clergy is both the first and largest of the Four Arms which comprise the total of the Chaltaric Church's official body, and is itself made up of any and all ordained members – from the pastors in the smallest of recognized villages to the highest bishops holding service within the walls of the Golden Church itself – which conduct sermons, offer guidance, or spread the influence and knowledge of Chaltar in any more mundane ways. Though priesthood is the most common profession held by ordained Clergy members, plenty of those serving in more past and present have held roles as scholars and academics, lecturers or instructors, advisors to those both within and without the Golden Church itself, and community leaders in small, often localized regards.
Magical knowledge and capability is kept highly regulated within the Chaltaric Church and the lands over which it presides, though Clergy members are most often permitted the most freedom in the use of those few mystic schools they are allowed to study. Often trained extensively in sects of light and healing when working in close enough proximity with the church to be allowed access to proper instruction and resources, those who complete such training become highly sought-after healers for both the Chaltaric faithful and common folk alike. Mundane healers, however, comprise a much larger portion of the Clergy's full body, as training a newly ministered incumbent in the art of surgery and proper doctoring requires much fewer resources and hours of work than trying to teach them in casting of sanamancy — and has a much lower chance of killing the incumbent, as well.
Despite their proficiencies, it is rare to see a member of the Clergy under the employ of any significant figure outside of the Church due primarily to the notions that their duties to the Pontifex, Altopadre, and Chaltaric Church itself will significantly outweigh their duty to their employer. Such worries are null if the clergymember has been excommunicated, but it is as dangerous to employ a a trained Cleric of Chaltar faced with excommunication as it is rare to find one who has not already been killed.
Pontifex
The
Pontifex, one of four members of the Chaltaric Conclave, sits at the highest position of the Clergy and tends to business primarily concerned with the daily functioning of the Church itself – the building and the institution alike – alongside the ordaining of Bishops and High Priests, and the maintenance of canonized scripture and Praesidium's Grand Library alike. Their position finds itself the most concerned with the goings-on of the common folk in Pratan and is often presented as the unofficial but presumed voice of the Church itself save for the rare occasions in which the Altopadre speaks to the public.
The current Pontifex, Ardenna Malisius da Malopodere, was seated in 1457 and is by far the youngest member of the Conclave at 32 years of age.
The Paladins
Second of the four arms, the
Ordo Palatinum serves a dual role within the Church as both its primary military force and the occupancy of several ceremonial roles within its religious services and hierarchy. Outfitted in expensive armors draped and gilded with the brash reds and gold of the Church's crest, the Paladins are often seen to follow in tow with high-ranking members of the Clergy, announcing their arrival with extravagant marches and serving as personal guards during sermons and downtime alike. Many Paladins, though not officiated and trained to the same extent as clergymembers, may still become ordained members of the faith permitted by the Church to hold ceremony, and have been known to travel with trainees of the Clergy or small outfits of Inquisitors sent to dangerous lands, providing a single head to act as leader in matters of defence and faith alike. Others still request pilgrimage or errantry, traveling outside of Pratan's borders and the direct influence of the Church in efforts to spread the light of Chaltar or offer protection to those deserving.
Though envisioned at one point to sit
purely for the purpose of ceremony, the Chaltaric Paladins were given a more prominently militaristic role in the aftermath of the schism between the Pratani Royal Family and Chaltaric Church in the late 1300's, eventually leading to the Eastern Rebellions and subsequent execution of Altopadre Guarino II da Malopodere by the
Ordo Centurionum — the crown's standing military.
Praetor
The Paladins are currently lead by Praetor Sofia Cipriani.
The Inquisitors
Third of the Four Arms, the Inquisitors serve two purposes of equal importance. The first, as their name might suggest, is to enforce the adherence to the religious laws set in place by the Golden Church. While a theocracy, Pratani law only encourages, rather than requires, those living within its borders to practice Chaltaricism in their daily lives – many passages in their holy scriptures, in fact, stress the point that it cannot be expected for forceful converts to truly respect the practices and traditions of worshipers who do not respect them in turn, and thus should only be brought into worship if they have willingly joined of their own accord. While this means that, surprisingly in the eyes of many, the average Pratani citizen enjoys a rather large amount of religious freedom as compared to historical depictions of Gitaean religious law, laws involving blasphemy and heresy are still strictly and punitively enforced within the borders of Pratani society.
Of highest importance are practitioners of magic, as all those who seek to learn such supernatural abilities must only do so through the blessing of the True God, else it is considered devilry. Inquisitors have been occasionally called "mage hunters" by foreign powers for their proficiency in carrying out this specific task. Other duties of the Inquisitors include the removal of false idols on display outside of specific places of worship, the execution of the supernatural or undead, and fine, imprisonment, or execution of willing blasphemers who choose to speak ill of the True God to the public, adulterers, cult organizers and their followers, revolutionaries, false clergymen, and tithe evaders.
Praefectus
Though trained in the use of sword and lance, Inquisitors are primarily known for their skill with pistols, arquebuses, and other forms of gunpowder weaponry capable of puncturing light armor and shattering magical protective spells. A few among them are additionally learned in antimancy which, coupled with their heavier suits of armor, affords them decent protection from most schools of casting as well as any traditional implements of war.
The Inquisitors are currently lead by Praefectus Boristun Vladislav, a former mercenary of Nivek who converted to Chaltaricism and was granted a position among the Inquisitors following his participation in the Andrasi Civil War. He was selected for the position by his predecessor, Maurizio da Rive, before his passing in 1437.
The Carnifices
Fourth and final of the Four Arms, the Devout are a branch with a much lower public presence than their three counterparts. Members of this elusive order are stripped of their birth names alongside any lands, titles, or property they may own, and swear an oath to their god that binds them for the remainder of their life. A member of the Devout may leave the order as they wish, but must remain tied to the Clergy and forsake independence in any such cases. Failure to do so is considered heresy of the highest order and is condemnable by immediate execution.
Frumentarius
The Devout dress most often in plain black robes while in worship, uniformly shaving their heads and faces and periodically fasting to maintain an identity entirely in service to the True God. Members of the order are rarely seen outside of Church grounds or other Chaltaric holy sites, but it is a well-known secret that they are used as informants, spies, and assassins for elites within the Church's hierarchy.
The Devout are currently lead by Frumentarius L'anziano, originally appointed to the position in 1419.
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