The Seven Churches of Daevlor

The Seven Churches of Daevlor are the seven different sects which each follow the teachings of one of the Seven Saints of Daevlor. They are thoroughly divided and almost constantly embroiled in sectarian violence amongst each other.

Tenets of Faith

Justice and equality are for all people. There can be no justice without mercy. The strong have a duty to protect the weak. All are capable of righteousness, and shall thus be judged. All are judged by their merits and their actions.

Worship

Worship typically takes the form of private prayer, attendance of weekly sermons and the occasional festival, the burning of candles or incense and, in some sects, the offering of money.

Priesthood

Priests of Daevlor generally wear coarse black habits with deep hoods. Those who wish to become priests spend seven years from the age of 13 in a monastery learning their respective Book, before becoming a priest of some description.

Sects

The Church of St. Algius

The Church of St. Algius (whose followers are called Algites) teaches that the strong must establish a system to rule the weak and stop them from destroying themselves. Strength is of will and thought, and found by birth among the mighty. Mercy is only for those who deserve it, and only the strong can determine who is deserving of mercy.
St. Algius's teachings are prominent among the aristocracy of Beritz.
St. Alguis was a chieftain of one of the tribes which would eventually form Beritz. It was the largest and most dominant tribe in the area. Algius temporarily united a number of the tribes (exactly how many varies) before external forces (usually the Elves, occasionally another tribe) captured and brutally executed him. He was eaten alive by dogs.

The Church of St. Brenail

St. Brenail was a priest of Daevlor who led a rebellion against the Elven occupiers. She taught that all people deserve mercy and justice could only be determined by priests of Daevlor, since mob justice is too often brutal, swift and inaccurate and justice delivered by those in power is often biased against those without. Her church espouses the strengthening of the weak by the strong and the establishment of a system designed to remove weakness generation by generation.
Her followers, referred to as Brenailites, are mostly found in Churok, around the Old Capital, where she was killed by the Elves. She was killed by being shot with seven arrows while she shielded an injured rebel with her body.

The Church of St. Erva

The Church of St. Erva teaches that each and every person has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is the duty of the community to work together to strengthen one another. It teaches that the best way to protect the weak is through laws, making laws with mercy to accommodate those without other options while ensuring true justice is found.
St. Erva was a sex worker in the city of Haligstir, who helped a wounded young warrior fleeing Elven Legionnaires. Years later, he returned and they married. The pair worked together to destroy Elven barracks and free sex workers, but St. Erva was captured and hung naked from meat hooks to freeze to death. Her husband continued the fight and spread word of her deeds, founding the Church of St. Erva. The Church makes a great effort to help and shelter sex workers, as well as help young women who are down on their luck.

The Church of St. Frexia

The Church of St. Frexia (whose followers are Frexiana) teaches that righteous deeds are the core of all doctrine. Only by living righteously, placing the needs of others above your own, treating others with respect and ensuring the means and ends of an action or course are virtuous can a soceity of justice, law and mutual protection come into being.
St. Frexia is the most recent of all the Saints, having been martyred in 10169. She was a priest in the Church of St. Jorik, but found its practices arrogant, imperious and hypocritical. In protest of the hypocrisy of the Church of St. Jorik, she made a number of speaches and eventually nailed a long essay to the door of the Cathedral of St. Jorik in Berstir. She was killed in the fashion of traitors, through a terrible method known as a Blood Eagle. Her following is small and scattered, and has largely left the Icy Lands because it was so thoroughly persecuted.

The Church of St. Jorik

The Church of St. Jorik (whose followers are Jorites) teaches that judgement comes for all, and all who have committed evil actions (which is a very comprehensive list of actions) will suffer his wrath. To escape this wrath, they must simply balance their debt by donating financially to the Church to enable Daevlor's will to be done.
St. Jorik was a far cry from this Church. He is by far the oldest of the Saints, dating to about 800 AG. A quiet and kind man by nature, he taught that all who wronged their fellows would be punished by Daevlor, and must rebalance the scales of justice by helping that person, whether it be financially, physically or otherwise. Essentially, the original Church acted as a court system, by which disputes could be settled, with the local priest acting as a judge and the congregation as a jury.
He was killed by a local chieftain who, having stolen a herd of cattle, was being forced to return the cattle and recompense their value. In an attempt to resolve the issue, the chieftain slew the troublesome priest and was promptly crushed to death by the crowd. It is dominant in the cities of Beritz.

The Church of St. Obales

St. Obales was a healer and priest who believed all people would act in a just manner when given the chance. He was ironically, but not surprisingly, robbed blind by a number of people, before one thief chose not to leave a loose end and slit his throat in his sleep.
Obalites teach that by treating others with all patience, kindness, mercy and generosity, they will become more like that and act in a more just fashion. They are mostly found in rural communities in Beritz.

The Church of St. Ulrik

The Church of St. Ulrik (whose followers are Ulrites) teaches that the end of days is nigh and the world must be made ready for Daevlor's dominion. They teach that the unrighteous and lawless must be scowered from this world, usually as well as the unbeliever. Often this takes the form of vigilante justice and brutal purging, rather than lawful and organised actions.
St. Ulrik was a warrior priest who believed that Daevlor would one day come to the world, and it must be made ready for him. He sought to establish law and justice, but found that the establishment mired justice more than it aided him. Thus, he set about removing corrupt Elven officials and trying to raise a rebellion against the Elves. He was impaled by an Elven Cetarai in battle, in addition to suffering either six or eight (accounts vary) other mortal wounds, though he slew the Catarai and 11 more Elven warriors afterwards.
Ulrites are common throughout Churok.

Daevlor Vulté

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

Churches of War

Demonym

Daevlorites

Permeated Organizations

• The Principality of Churok

Deities

• Daevlor the Just

Related Species

• Men

Related Ethnicities

• Men of Mainland Raath