Archpriest (Order of the Griphon)

The archpriest is the leading authority of the entire Knight's Order of the Griphon.
All knights of the order answer to the archpriest. The archpriest is directly responsible for the actions taken by the three most highly ranked knights of the Order, who are in turn responsible for their own subordinates.
The archpriest spends a lot of time in seclusion, presumed to be reading holy scriptures and attuning to divine forces. The archpriest also has ceremonial functions and the archpriest is usually present when a highly ranked knight formally ascends to a higher rank.
Only the three highest ranked knights of the Order may speak with the archpriest so as to not distract the archpriest away from the divine realm too much.
It is usually the place of one of the three most highly ranked knights to relay messages to kings and queens. In matters of absolute importance, the archpriest is joined by all three of the knights to relay messages, but this is excessively rare.

Requirements

The archpriest must have in-depth knowledge about the deities in the domain of all that is good. The archpriest must also be able to divine the desires of the gods and relay them to the servants of the Order of the Griphon.

Responsibilities

The archpriest's activities on a day to day basis are largely unknown. The archpriest commonly sends letters and notices to the knights of the Order, detailing instructions from the divine forces.

Benefits

The archpriest has numerous monetary, material and political benefits. It is largely unknown how these benefits are used and if they are even used at all for anything.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

The dismissal of an archpriest is never to be done under any circumstance, so that the Order does not lose face. Even if the archpriest does the most heinous of crimes, it is covered up by the Order to the best of their ability and they will do anything in their power to see that the archpriest is never brought to justice - at least not publically.

Notable Holders

As of the start of the second millenium in recorded history, the holder of the archpriest rank is Cecil Umbrius Florentius, also known as Cecil the Magnanimous.

Type

Religious, Clerical

Source of Authority

The source of authority for an archpriest is religious in nature. The archpriest is believed to be the immediate messenger for deities.

Length of Term

There is no maximal length of term. In fact, once a person becomes an archpriest, they are so for life and cannot give up the title until death claims them.

Related Organizations

• De Orde van de Griffioen